Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Is the Way You Pray Biblical? - Apples of Gold - July 29, 2008 ***Happy 30th Birthday to my sister Jennifer!!!*** -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for July 29, 2008

“Is the Way You Pray Biblical?”


Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Just because you see other Christians do it doesn’t mean it’s right.

People do a lot of strange things for a lot of strange reasons.

That’s why I always stress that we go back to the Bible.  If you want to find out how something should really be done, dig into the Word. 

I also stress that you grasp the big picture of the Bible, not just a little verse here and there.  You can come up with all kinds of strange doctrines by picking out one verse and ignoring the rest.

Let’s take a look at one thing we (hopefully) all do.  I’m talking about prayer.

If you grew up in a Christian home, then you learned about prayer from your family and from your church.

At my house growing up we were taught to fold our hands when we prayed.  This was official.  And you closed your eyes.  That was the authorized prayer posture.  The same thing at church, “Fold your hands and close your eyes.”

When and where did we pray?  We prayed at church, of course.  We prayed around the dinner table before we ate, and we prayed wherever we happened to get our “Quiet Time Story,” which might be in bed or the kitchen table or sitting on the living room floor.  And in case of emergency, we prayed wherever we were when we got the bad news.

And to whom did we pray?  As Lutherans we prayed the “Lord’s Prayer” a lot, so we were praying to “Our Father which art in heaven.”  We also prayed a lot to “Dear Lord,” and “Dear Jesus.”

That’s what I learned about prayer growing up, and many of you probably have your own childhood stories.

But just because that’s the way we were raised doesn’t mean it’s Biblical.  To find out the proper way to do things, we have to go back to the Word of God.

First of all, to whom does the Bible say we should pray?

Well, like I said, Jesus taught us to pray to our Father in heaven.  In Matthew 6:6 He said, “…pray to your Father, who is unseen.” 

This is the way Jesus Himself prayed.  In Matthew 26:39 He began His prayer by saying, “My Father…”

Luke 6:12 says that Jesus prayed to God.

In Acts 4:24 the early church prayed together to God, addressing Him as “Sovereign Lord.”

In Acts 7:59 Stephen prayed to the “Lord Jesus.”

So when we pray, we can address God in a variety of ways, from God to Our Father to Sovereign Lord to Lord Jesus.  Any name the Bible uses for the Lord is an appropriate way to address Him.

The next question is, where should we pray?  Let’s look where people prayed in the New Testament.

In Matthew 6:6 Jesus said we should pray in secret.  He said, “…when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.”

You could easily make that a legalistic rule.  You’ve heard the term “prayer closet.”  However, from there on out you don’t read about people going privately into a little room to pray – not even Jesus Himself.

Mark 1:35 says that Jesus got up early one morning, while it was still dark, left the house and went off to a solitary place to pray.

Luke 5:16 says that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

Mark 6:46 says that Jesus went up to pray on a mountainside.

Luke 6:12 tells of a time when Jesus went to a mountainside and spent the whole night praying to God.

In Acts 10:9 we read about Peter going up on a roof to pray.

So it kind of sounds like you can pray most anywhere, just as long as you are alone, right?

Well, with Bible people as our example, we don’t always have to be alone when we pray.

Acts 12:12 says many people gathered to pray at someone’s house.

Acts 16:13 says some people went out to a river to pray.

Acts 21:5 says they knelt down right there on a beach and prayed.

In Acts 22:17, Paul says he was praying at the temple.

James 5:14 pictures church elders praying at the bedside of a sick person.

Some people only think of prayer going on at a church building.  But in the New Testament, prayer is going on in all sorts of places.

Another question about prayer is, in what posture should we pray?  It’s obvious, right?  Heads bowed, hands folded, eyes closed…

Well, let’s look at the examples of posture from the New Testament.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Matthew 26:39 says that Jesus “fell with His face to the ground and prayed…”

John 17:1 tells of a time when Jesus “looked toward heaven and prayed.”

Acts 20:36 says they all knelt down and prayed.

In Ephesians 3:14 Paul said he knelt before the Father.

First Timothy 2:8 says, “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer…”

And oddly enough, I didn’t find anything about folding your hands, closing your eyes and bowing your head.  I think the lesson here is that there is no prescribed posture for prayer, but one thing they all have in common is a reverence for the Lord.

Our next question is, how often should we pray?  Five times a day?  Just during church service?

Again, let’s turn to the New Testament.

Luke 18:1 says that we should “always pray and not give up.”

Acts 1:14 says the early church “all joined together constantly in prayer…”  And, by the way, it was a mixed group of men and women praying together.

Acts 2:42 says the early church devoted themselves to prayer, and Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer…”
 
Romans 12:12 says we should be “faithful in prayer.”

First Thessalonians 5:17 says, “…pray continually…”

Ephesians 6:18 says we should pray on all occasions.

First Timothy 2:1 says to pray for everyone.

So if you were taught to “pray without ceasing,” that is Biblical.  Prayers are not something we just toss up at church or when we get in a jam.  We should be talking to our Heavenly Father consistently throughout the day.

Is there such a thing as too much prayer?

Well, there are a couple of times when the Bible says things like, “When Jesus had finished praying…”  And Jesus Himself warned about our prayers turning into incessant babbling.  In Matthew 6:7 Jesus said, “…when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

So that’s just an example of what the Bible says about the practice of prayer.  How does that square with your tradition?  Remember, it’s what the Bible says that matters.

So I encourage you, don’t just keep doing whatever you’ve been doing.  Find out what the Bible says.  We should all be willing to remold our habits to fit with the Word of God.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

 
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for
Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000

-vi-

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