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Chapter 3 Questions and Answers about Prayer
Answer. Many people have felt this way—Plato, for example. He argued that a truly pious person will abstain from prayer because that which in our ignorance we conceive to be the best for us, is often the worst thing. Plato’s argument is based on a false conception of man’s relationship to God. God does not intend that man submit to Him passively; nor does He grant our every request. Man has been endowed with the power to think and to choose. God wants each of us to be in partnership with Him. It is not His modus operandi to force His desires upon us. It couldn’t be a partnership if we blindly accepted everything that happened as though it were pre-ordained by God. That would be fatalism. In prayer we acknowledge the will of God, yet we exercise our own will. God will listen to our desires and will grant them if and when they fit into His overall scheme of things. Jesus’ prayer at Gethsemane is an example. He prayed that the “cup” be taken from Him, yet added, “Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” We should pray in earnest for what we really want, but should always include in our prayer that we are perfectly willing to accept God’s will—whatever it may be. This approach is not fatalistic. It is simply recognition that our Senior Partner knows what is best. Jesus said repeatedly that the object of prayer is to ask God for what we need: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7, NIV). C.H. Spurgeon said, “Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the Kingdom.” This requirement may seem inconsistent with the concept of the free generosity of God. But is it? He feeds the sparrows, but the sparrows have to seek their food. The raw materials of the earth are there for man’s use, but man has to do his part in finding them, and converting them into useful products. Entrance is free, but we have to “seek” in order to find, and “knock” before the gate opens. Perhaps we can best understand God’s requirement for asking by reflecting on the way we feel towards our children. As parents, we provide their needs automatically from birth. As our children grow older and are able to ask for things, we delight in giving things to them—provided they ask for things that are good for them. We want our children to ask for things they want—for several reasons, but partly because it shows they are thinking and making choices. Children eventually learn that although their parents want to make them happy, requests will be granted only when parents believe the request is reasonable and in line with what is best for the child. In the manner that children make their requests, they demonstrate their maturity. God expects no less of His children than we do of ours.
Answer. Jesus emphasized that our prayers must be sincere; also that we must persevere in prayer. Both of these requisites are within the control of the person who is praying.
Answer. Having faith in God in general is one thing. Having faith that a specific course of action is God’s will is quite another thing. Let’s consider the latter. Obviously if we could be absolutely sure that we knew the will of God, we would have unquestioning faith and would act accordingly. Realistically, however, there are many instances in our lives in which we cannot be even reasonably sure what the will of God is. Often there is no clear-cut indication of what the Christ-like thing to do would be. For example, it is often difficult to know whether to acquiesce, or be assertive in a situation. Neither acquiescence nor assertiveness is always the Christ-like thing to do. Sometimes even after much prayer we feel no specific guidance when a decision must be made. Sometimes even when we do feel God’s guidance, later we think another course would have been better. Those who believe Romans 8:28 (“All things work together for good for those who love God…”) will have the faith that God is able to work something good for us in any situation, even one resulting from a wrong decision. We must look for opportunities to capitalize on the situation—rather than thinking negatively about it. Does that mean that our “wrong” decision was God’s will? We cannot know the answers to such questions. From a practical standpoint, it doesn’t matter. Perhaps the best insight on what faith entails comes from John 7:17, in which Jesus said:
If anyone chooses (emphasis mine) to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own (NIV).
In other words, our willingness to do the will of God is our best assurance of knowing it. In this sense, faith and obedience are inseparable. When Jesus was asked by His disciples to give them more faith, He told them to exercise the faith they had—no matter how small. Jesus knew that the attitude and habit of being willing to be obedient would cause their faith to grow. Only Jesus had perfect faith, but many of the effective Christians whose biographies I have read were certainly not lacking in faith—as was demonstrated by their obedience.
Question #4. Does prayer ever fail?
Answer. The short answer is a qualified “no.” This doesn’t mean that we always get what we want, when we want it. How often do we pray for things that are not in our best interests? Sometimes we look back and are glad we didn’t get what we asked for. P.T. Forsyth came to this conclusion: “We shall come one day to a heaven where we shall gratefully know that God’s great refusals were sometimes the true answers to our truest prayers.” Often, if God granted our prayer, He would deny the essence of our desire. In his book Confessions, St. Augustine tells how his mother, Monica, prayed all night in a sea-side chapel on the African coast that God would prevent her son from sailing to Italy. Her reason was that she wanted him to become a Christian, and if he were in Italy, he would be beyond her influence. How could he become a Christian in such a place of splendor as Italy, where there were so many alluring temptations? And even as she prayed, he sailed for Italy, where, by the grace of God, he came under the influence of Ambrose and became a Christian—in the very place his mother’s prayers implored that he not be allowed to go! As St. Augustine expressed it, “Thou, in the depth of thy counsels, hearing the main point of her desire, regardest not what she then asked, that Thou mightest make me what she ever desired.” Sometimes when it appears that prayer has failed, the cause of failure was our failure to act. When the Israelites were being pursued by the armies of Pharaoh and had arrived at the Red Sea, the Bible tells us that they “cried out to the Lord.” But God said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry land” (Exodus 14: 15-16, NIV). Essentially, God was telling Moses to stop praying and take charge of the situation—which he did. Prayer cannot substitute for action whenever action is required. Although the often-quoted adage, “the Lord helps those who help themselves” is not biblical, it does contain an element of truth. In our partnership with God, we are not to be passive automatons who submit to every unfavorable circumstance as though everything that happens to us is the will of God. Throughout history, it has been the experience of God’s people that when they have been bold, great powers have come to their aid—as in the case of Joshua who obeyed the commands of the Lord and brought down the walls of Jericho. In every situation, when we do our part, God will do His part. Our prayers may fail because of our failure to get beyond ourselves—an indication of our immaturity. Saint Francis exhorted his brothers to struggle against “pride, vainglory, envy, avarice, and cares of the world.” We cannot expect our prayers to be answered if we have an un-brotherly attitude toward our fellow man—if, for example, we will not forgive, nor seek to be forgiven. It has been said that no one can be “wrong” with man and “right” with God. Our prayers may fail because of our lack of perseverance. This is what Jesus said about persistence in prayer:
Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread! You would shout to him, “A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit and I’ve nothing to give him to eat.” He would call down from his bedroom, “Please don’t ask me to get up! The door is locked for the night and we are all in bed. I just can’t help you this time!” But I’ll tell you this—though he won’t do it as a friend, if you keep knocking long enough he will get up and give you everything you want—just because of your persistence! And so it is with prayer—keep on asking and you will keep on getting. —Luke 11: 5-9.
If the truth could be known, it seems likely that no “true” prayer (if such could be defined) has ever failed.
Question #5. What is God’s rationale for requiring persistent, persevering prayer?
Answer. There is no specific Scriptural answer to this question. However, based on what we know about prayer, it would be a logical assumption that God would want the prayer petitioner to be truly (sincerely) behind his/her prayer. If a person were to give up on a prayer request after the first discouragement, it would indicate either a lack of faith/trust or a lack of sincere desire—both of which are prayer requisites. William McGill wrote, “The value of persistent prayer is not that He will hear us…but that we will finally hear Him.”
Answer. Prayer should be accompanied by action whenever action is in order. A poignant example of a misguided total dependence on God is the true story of a man whose car skidded into a snow bank on a seldom-traveled road out in the Western United States in mid-winter. The man made no attempt to get out of his car to size up the situation. He died in a few weeks and his notes told how he had prayed fervently to be rescued. Natives of the area said that the snow was deep only in drifts, and if the man had gotten out of his car and out of the snow bank, he could have walked to a nearby community. In the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944), General Patton was leading his Third Army in what military historians regard as an almost unparalleled feat. He turned his army 90º to the north, and in five days—through rugged terrain and against fierce enemy resistance—relieved the encircled and vastly outnumbered 101st Airborne Division which was holding the key road junction at Bastogne (thus blocking the German attack). The weather during this period was the worst in many years—heavy snow with temperatures below zero. The sky had not been clear for many days and the superior air force of the United States had been grounded. Patton instructed his chaplain to write a prayer, petitioning God to provide clear weather. The very next day dawned clear as a bell and U.S. planes blasted the German defenses, which facilitated the advance of the Third Army to Bastogne. The point in relating the above incident is not to speculate on whether God acted supernaturally, or whether the weather cleared according to natural forces. The point is that Patton didn’t wait passively for the air strikes; his modus operandi was to hit the enemy aggressively at every opportunity to keep him off balance. And he wanted all the help he could get from God. The Bible verse “wait on the Lord” (which occurs in several places—Ps. 37:7, for example), is misleading when taken out of context, as is true with many other Bible verses. Perhaps the meaning is to wait for God to guide us in knowing what our action plan should be. It doesn’t necessarily mean a long wait, and certainly it does not mean that we are to wait for God to act. The expression, “The Lord helps those who help themselves” is not biblical, but like most aphorisms, there is an element of truth in this one. Jesus combined prayer and action. He denounced the type of prayers that were merely words—no matter how eloquent or high-sounding. God wants each of us to be a mature Christian. An attitude of passivity is not a mature attitude. We must do our part. The good news is that He will guide us in knowing what our part is, and will give us strength as we persevere in doing it.
Question #7. Should a person pray even when he doesn’t feel like it?
Answer. At times, it is easy to pray—perhaps because life has been good, and God seems near. However, we cannot expect prayer and meditation to always be enjoyable. Saint John of the Cross said, “To come to the pleasure you have not, you must go by a way in which you enjoy not.” There are times when our prayer life seems cold and meaningless. These periods are often referred to as “dry” periods. Tolstoi and Bunyan complained that they could not always pray with the same intensity. Musicians, writers and artists often have dry periods, and have disciplined themselves to practice their art whether they feel like it or not. We would think a person naïve if he stepped up to a musical instrument only occasionally, and expected to be a virtuoso performer. It would be equally naïve to believe that a person could be effective in prayer if he prayed only occasionally. The practice of prayer requires time and discipline. Before we can climb spiritual mountains, we need to exercise in the foot hills. We must practice prayer until it becomes so much a part of our lives that it would be difficult not to pray. Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, “To reach the port of Heaven we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it. But we must sail, and not drift, nor lie in anchor.”
Question #8. What are some examples of answers to intense-desire prayers?
Answer. The following are two examples.
Example 1: A Personal Experience Several years ago I had gone to the hospital with my wife on a foggy morning. As we were leaving, I caught a glimpse of a car with the hood raised. I don’t ordinarily check out a situation like this, and on this particular occasion we were in a hurry to get somewhere, but I felt an urge to see what the problem was. When I got there, a woman in her fifties or sixties said that she had left her headlights on, and her battery was dead. I had battery jumper cables with me, and after I started her car, she thanked me, and said, “This is an answer to prayer. Just before you came, I prayed that someone would help me. I live 20 miles from here, and don’t know anyone in this town. My husband is very sick and I need to get back to him.” Of course, many people would find it unnecessary to suppose that God had anything to do with this incident. But those who have experienced God’s urging to do a particular thing or experienced His assurance that a particular prayer will be answered can believe that my actions on this foggy morning were influenced by the intense desire of the woman, who undoubtedly believed that her prayer would be answered.
Example 2: A Dramatic Rescue The following story was told by Sergeant Johnny Bartek, a companion of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker. Their plane had gone down in the Pacific Ocean, and they were floating on rafts. Bartek said they spent many hours during the first few days confessing their sins to one another and to God.
Then we prayed—and God answered. It was real. We needed water. We prayed for water and we got water—all we needed. Then we asked for fish, and we got fish. And we got some meat when we prayed. Sea gulls don’t go around sitting on people’s heads waiting to be caught! On that 11th day when those planes flew by, we all cried like babies. It was then I prayed again to God, and said: “If you’ll send that one plane back for us, I promise I’ll believe in you and tell everyone else.” That plane came back and the others flew on. It just happened? It did not! God sent that plane back![1]
Certainly it is not difficult to believe that anyone lost at sea could pray with intense desire.
Question #9. Should we pray for things that seem utterly beyond the realm of possibility?
Answer. Prayer has been defined as “thoughts inspired by God.” Since it is true that with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27), it follows that it is possible for any prayer-thought to come to pass. It depends on:
· Whether the prayer-thought really came from God. · Whether we are willing to spend the time in prayer to learn what our part is—and then do it.
The testimony of Christians is replete with examples demonstrating that what seemed impossible, or highly improbable, became reality. The biographical sketches in this book are prime examples of this. Yes, we should pray—and act—for things that seem utterly beyond the realm of possibility.
Question #10. Is God ever too busy to listen to our prayers?
Answer. This question quite naturally occurs to anyone with a finite mind—which, of course, includes all of us. God, however, is omniscient, and has no time or space limitations. His communication system has infinite capacity, and therefore, our prayer requests always receive instant attention. Yet isn’t it true that:
We address and stamp a letter and send it on its way, confident that it will reach its destination, but we doubtfully wonder if our prayer will be heard by an ever-present God. —William A. Ward
Question #11. Why does God answer some people’s prayers but not others?
Answer. Perhaps all prayers are answered. However, all petitions are not granted, and there can be many reasons:
· God may have something better in mind · The timing may not be right. · It is not a sincere prayer—for example, the person praying may not be willing to do his part. · It is not according to God’s will.
Of one thing we can be sure: The reason is never because God doesn’t like the prayer petitioner.
Question #12. Does God answer selfish prayers just to teach us a lesson?
Answer. Since God knows the end from the beginning, He could do this. Apparently He didn’t do this to C.S. Lewis, who said, “If God had granted all the silly prayers I’ve made in my life, where would I be now?”
Answer. A superficial answer might be: Why not? It can’t hurt and it might help. There is overwhelming evidence that prayer for God’s protection is not always answered in the affirmative. Consider what happened during the Holocaust, the ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia, disease epidemics, wars, marine and air accidents, and disasters resulting from earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes and hurricanes. Can anyone believe that those who didn’t survive failed to pray for God’s protection? There are those who would suggest that survival is totally based on random chance factors. And yet, there is much anecdotal evidence that at times prayers for protection are answered in the affirmative, sometimes in the face of long odds. In some cases, the person prayed only that God’s will be done. The question is: Is there a guiding principle or rationale for the fact that prayer is sometimes answered in the affirmative, but often is not? Some might suggest that right-living is a factor, but in the 13th chapter of Luke, Jesus talked about an incident in which 18 people were killed when a tower collapsed on them. In ancient times, it was assumed that a calamity would happen only to those who were extremely sinful. Speaking of those 18 people, Jesus said, “…do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?” (Luke 13:4). We can imagine that His listeners nodded, but Jesus said, “I tell you, no!” Instead of giving a reason for His answer, Jesus used this story to illustrate the importance of preparing for the afterlife, not escaping calamity in this world. It seems doubtful that research could ever give a definitive answer to the question of whether there is a reason to pray for God’s protection. If we could talk to those on the other side of the veil, they might tell us that God’s promise of Romans 8:28[2] is the only thing we need to know concerning this perplexing question.
Answer. Perhaps the best explanation is that Jesus sometimes used hyperbole to make a point (e.g., “first remove the log in your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck in your brother’s eye.”
Question #15. What is the difference between prayer and meditation?
Answer. While prayer and meditation can be separately defined, in practice they are so interrelated that it is not necessary to think of them separately. Talking—and listening—to God covers them both. Most of us are inclined to spend too little time listening (reflecting on God’s Word and looking for God’s providence in circumstances).
Question #16. Is it possible to “pray without ceasing”?
Answer. Alexander MacLaren wrote:
Can I pray continually? Not if prayer means only words of supplication and petitions. But if prayer also means a mental attitude of devotion and a subconscious reference to God in all that we do, unceasing prayer is possible.[3]
The Gospel accounts suggest Jesus maintained a continual awareness of His Father’s presence in every aspect of life. Jesus’ life was a life of prayer because He was in constant contact with the Father. He is our perfect model for how to pray without ceasing.
Question #17. How can we make Christ our Constant Companion?
Answer. The first step in making Christ our Constant Companion is to become familiar with the life and teachings of Jesus. As you read and meditate on the accounts of Jesus in the New Testament, you will eventually come to a place of decision. Either you will decide that Jesus was who He claimed to be, as related in the Gospel accounts, or you will decide otherwise. Those who choose to believe will realize that if Jesus was the person the gospel writers claimed, He must still be alive! As a believer, I have confidence He is alive. However, He lives in the unseen spiritual world and must therefore be approached through our developing faith—with the help of the Holy Spirit. The reality of the relationship cannot be proved by argument. It must and will be experienced, following a leap of faith. The second and final step is the daily practice of making Christ one’s Constant Companion. The day begins by setting aside a quiet time of preparation for what the day will bring. During this time, we look for and receive guidance for what we are to do and how we are to do it. For most people, the ideal time of day for this quiet time is early morning. Most of the Christians, whose biographies I read, started very early—typically between four and five a.m. Why so early? They knew they would have no interruptions during this time. This quiet time with God is the linchpin of this method. Without it, our effectiveness as Christians is likely to be greatly reduced. Step two continues as we make Christ our Constant Companion throughout the balance of the day. The concept of doing this is simple. Actually doing it is not easy because it requires a change in our life pattern. Like any habit-building process it requires persistent effort, until the habit has become established.
Answer. The mind is capable of functioning on two levels simultaneously. An example is when I am walking in the country listening to Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony (No. 6) as it is being played on my “Walkman” (personal tape player). As I walk, I listen attentively to the symphony which was composed as a hymn to nature. Suddenly the music warns that a thunderstorm is imminent, and yet I am aware from looking at the sky that there is no hint of rain. As I absorb Beethoven’s expressions of joy in nature, I am totally conscious of everything going on around me—the rabbit that jumps up from a clump of high grass, the hawk soaring overhead, the distant mountain range, the wildflowers blooming all around me. I am simultaneously communing with nature on two levels, and there is no conflict. In a similar way, we can carry on our daily activities on one level and, on another level, make Christ our Constant Companion.
Question #19. Is the process of “making Christ our Constant Companion” limited to Christians?
Answer. That depends on how one defines a Christian. Certainly, being a Christian does not depend on church membership. Jesus did not establish litmus tests as to what one must believe to be a Christian. He simply required that His disciples follow Him. Presumably, anyone who has a desire to follow Jesus would want to make Christ his constant companion. From all indications, Gandhi, a Hindu, had a desire to follow Christ. In his little mud hut, only one picture was hung—a picture of Jesus. Anglican clergymen tried unsuccessfully to get Gandhi to join the church. He never did, because he felt that the lifestyle of the church members he knew bore no resemblance to the way of life Jesus challenged His followers to live. Perhaps Gandhi had a clearer concept of the lifestyle God expects from us than many church members.
Answer. It reveals our misconception of what prayer requires of us. If our approach is to wait patiently for God to tell us what, if anything, we should do in the situation—and then do it—we wouldn’t think that prayer is the least thing we can do.
Answer. No. Scripture is clear on this: God is interested in the smallest matters. Jesus said:
Are not the sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. —Matthew 10:29 (NIV)
When we were children, we prayed for simple little things. Somewhere on the road to adulthood, we got away from doing this—possibly because we assume that God needs to do what we need to do, namely, to be selective between vital and trivial things. We should return to the time when we felt we could pray for anything—including the little things.
Question #22. What is a good way to rejuvenate our prayer life?
Answer. Certainly one way is to read the Bible regularly. When we read about those Biblical characters who failed many times, but persevered until they finally succeeded, we are encouraged to persevere—not only in our prayer life but also in our actions.
Answer. Of all the effective Christians whose biographies I read, George Mueller was, by far, the most thorough in documenting his prayers and the answers to them. For more than fifty years, Mueller maintained several houses for orphans in Bristol, England. More than 10,000 orphans were cared for at a cost of over eight million dollars, though Mueller never once asked for anything from anyone—but God! Time after time, Mueller’s faith was tested, but God always honored his faith, and met the need. Each petition and its eventual answer was meticulously recorded in his five-volume Narratives.
In explaining his method of ascertaining the will of God, Mueller stated that the most important step was to get his heart in such a state that it had no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Then he would seek the will of the Spirit of God through, and in connection with, the Word of God. Mueller said that without the Word of God he would be “open to great delusions.” Next, he would take into account “providential” circumstances (suggestive indicators of His will). Lastly, he asked God to “reveal His will to me aright.” Mueller said that in trivial matters and in transactions involving the most important issues, he had found this method always effective.
[1] Frank Laubach, Prayer: The Mightiest Force in the World, pp. 115-116. [2] That all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes. [3] From the devotional classic, The Practice of the Presence of God.
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