One of the surest signs of a breakdown within any working relationship is a failure to communicate. In marriage, in work, in relationships that function as a joint effort, communication is vital to successful operation. We understand that any situation where communication is not effectively practiced, mistakes and failure are going to be present. As children of God, it is as necessary to talk to God as it is to study what He has to say to us in Scripture.

James 5:16: . . . The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

And we have no shortage of blessed examples in this area of study, as prayer to God is referenced over 500 times in the Bible. Every kind of joy, sorrow, temptation, anger, and fear that can be felt by a righteous individual can be observed in Scripture, and in every kind of joyful, sorrowful, tempting, infuriating, or fearful instance, righteous individuals prayed to God.

In I Samuel 1, Hannah made a personal request of God when she prayed that God would give her a son. This was a matter that was very emotionally distressing to her, as we can all very well understand. So Hannah turned to God—

I Samuel 1:9-10: Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.

And she, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.

Joshua 10:8, 12:

(8) And the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you."

(12) Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

"O sun, stand still at Gibeon,

And O moon in the valley of Aijalon."

(13) So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped.

Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.

Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.

Consider the prayer of Hezekiah, who first gave praise and adoration to the Lord before humbly making request of Him. And, truly, this was the prayer of a righteous man because (1) Hezekiah’s request was made in accordance with God’s will, it was a request made toward the glorification of God, and (2) it was answered by God--

II Kings 19:15-20:

(15) Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, "O Lord, the God of Israel, who art enthroned above the cherubim, Thou art the God, Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made heaven and earth.

(16) "Incline Thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open Thine eyes, O Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

(17) "Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands

(18) "and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.

(19) "And now, O Lord our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou alone, O Lord, art God."

(20) Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah saying, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you.’"

I Peter 3:12: ". . . The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer...."

Hebrews 4:16: Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.

I Timothy 2:1: First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men.

I Thessalonians 5:17-18: . . . pray without ceasing;

(18) in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I. God’s Promise to Answer Prayers Is Conditional

God desires that we pray to Him, and He will answer our prayers when we do, but as with the gift of salvation in Christ, His blessings are conditional in this matter.

James 4:3: You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

We have set forth for us in Scripture models of the righteous individual we ought to be, the kind of person whose prayerful requests are answered.

1. An answered prayer comes from one who is OBEDIENT.

I John 3:22: . . . and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

The Lord’s blessings and peace are made available to every person on earth, but again, God requires that we strive to meet His standards before His gifts are granted. God does not recognize alternative plans of salvation. As was noted in our invitation last Wednesday, Revelation 22:18, 19 leaves no room for additions and allows no form of omissions in God’s plan, found in the New Testament. A sinner’s substitute for God’s plan, be it a special "sinner’s prayer," a sprinkling, a pouring, a laying on of hands, or whatever—is no substitute to God. As a sinner’s flawed offering is not recognized, neither are his prayers. This is the reason that the Bible was given to us—that we might read and obey it.

John 9:31: "We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him.

Now, as can be clearly seen by the example of Cornelius in Acts 10, a non-Christian who is penitent and motivated to follow God’s will is recognized by God. That’s not an exception to what John says, but rather it supports it—God hears the prayers of the obedient.

2. An answered prayer is PRAYED IN FAITH.

Jesus teaches us this lesson in Matthew 21 when He cursed the fig tree and it withered away.

Matthew 21:22: And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith, and do not doubt, you shall not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it shall happen.

(22) "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

The prayer of a righteous individual can move mountains, it can stop the earth’s rotation, it can heal the sick, it can affect the heart of a lost soul. God can make it happen if we have faith that He can do it.

3. An answered prayer is prayed by one who HAS A FORGIVING SPIRIT.

Certainly in all our prayers, we ask the Lord that He forgive us of our trespasses against Him. For that reason alone who have cause to pray to God many, many times every day. But concerning our forgiveness, Matthew 6:15 sets forth another condition—

Matthew 6:15: "But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."

This works hand-in-hand with our being righteous, obedient followers of Christ. One who is of Christ will be LIKE Christ. If Christ is willing to forgive us as often as we repent, we are to exhibit the same attitude.

4. An answered prayer is prayed by one who ABIDES IN CHRIST.

John 15:7: "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you."

If the Word is within us, Christ has no reason to not answer our prayers. Why should Christ contend with His Word?

5. An answered prayer is prayed IN HARMONY WITH GOD’S WILL.

I John 5:14: And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

6. An answered prayer is prayed IN JESUS’ NAME.

John 14:13: "And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

It is through Christ, our Savior, that we received our hope of salvation, and it is through Christ, our Mediator, that we enjoy the richness of blessings through prayer.

7. An answered prayer is prayed WITH THE RIGHT MOTIVE.

James 4:3: You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

We must be careful to always pray with the attitude that Christ demonstrated, asking that God’s will be done and not our own. It is one thing to pray for our daily bread, it is another to pray for a bonus to buy a jet ski. It is one thing to pray that we remain on the strait and narrow, it is another to pray that we be recognized, loved, and honored by our fellow brethren. Our prayer, like our lives, should be focused on the glorification of God. Remember the example of Hezekiah we read earlier.

God requires a prayer to be delivered in obedience, in faith, with a forgiving spirit, from one who abides in Christ, prays in harmony with God’s will and not for personal causes, and who prays in Christ’s name.

II. Methods of Prayer Not Specified

While we are looking at the conditions for God’s promise to answer prayer, let’s look at a few methods that are not singularly given.

1. POSTURE

I have known some brethren who are uncomfortable with standing during a prayer, some I’ve worshipped with have even bowed down and taken a knee while leading or being led in prayer. Within scripture, we are given many different examples of postures taken during prayer:

A.) Standing

I Kings 8:22: Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

B.) Bowing down

Psalms 95:6: Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

C.) Kneeling

Acts 20:36: And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

D.) Falling on the face

Matthew 26:39: And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt."

E.) Lifting up the hands

I Timothy 2:8: Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

Putting your hands up over your head is a universal sign of surrender or vulnerability. When we come home every day, our cat greets us at the door by laying down and spreading his legs out across the floor, exposing his stomach (not that he could ever hide it), but he’s making himself vulnerable, clearly as a sign of trust—he knows us. I think it is something like that attitude that Paul is admonishing the brethren to display in their prayers.

But I’ve said all that to say that it doesn’t really matter how you position your body or even what you’re doing—Christ spoke to God from the cross, Stephen appealed to God while being stoned. It is attitude, not posture, that makes a difference.

2. TIME OF DAY

Nor does it matter where you are, or what time of day it is.

Psalm 55:17: Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, and He will hear my voice.

No length is specified in prayer. Christ prayed through the night on many occasions, while other times He spoke to God with single, short, specific requests. It doesn’t take long to recognize and thank God before a meal or a meeting of Christians, or upon the safe arrival of a traveling relative. Likewise, it doesn’t take long to pray for safety while getting into your car in the morning, or to pray for your kids as you’re dropping them off at school. God welcomes the prayers of a righteous individual.

But while length, whereabouts, and posture are not specified, there are certain things for which we should pray, and, as James 4 clearly points out, there are things we should not pray for.
 

In Matthew 6, Christ presents a model prayer for us to follow. From it we can see the types of things that we are to pray for:

A) FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF (SAINTS’) SINS.

We read previously from v. 15, which sets forth the conditions for one thing we should pray for—forgiveness.

Matthew 6:12: [Christ prayed,] "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

B) FOR HELP IN TIME OF TEMPTATION.

In v. 13, Christ demonstrates that we should pray for deliverance from temptation—

Matthew 26:41: "Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

What better way to avoid saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing, to avoid going to the wrong place, than to go to God in prayer? It should be a reflex on our part to turn to God when we are tempted. As II Peter 2:9 says, God knows how to deliver the godly from temptation. And there is nowhere on earth that God is not present. He sees you everywhere you go, He sees everything you do. What a wonderful attitude is displayed when you think about that, "God is watching you," and rather than be afraid or intimidated, you think, "God is there—I’ll ask Him for help."

C) FOR DAILY NECESSITIES OF LIFE.

In v. 11 or Matthew 6 Christ also shows that we should ask God for the daily necessities of life: "Give us this day our daily bread."

With this request comes a trust in God’s care from day to day to day. It’s no mistake here that Christ specifies that we pray for our DAILY bread. In v. 34, Christ says, "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, how much manna were they to collect every morning? Just enough for that one day. We should daily put our trust in God’s care.

D) FOR EARTHLY RULERS and for the privileges of leading a quiet life.

We often also pray for our country, for the religious freedom that we enjoy, is that something we should pray for?

I Timothy 2:1-2: First of all, brethren, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,

For kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

Although we are to take joy in being persecuted for Christ’s sake, it isn’t wrong to give thanks that we aren’t hunted down and arrested or killed for worshipping God.

E) FOR THE SICK.

Also in James 5:14 we see that we should pray for the sick:

James 5:14: Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord . . . .

F) FOR ENEMIES.

We are to pray for our enemies.

Matthew 5:44: "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you . . . ."

Certainly this was demonstrated in Paul’s ministry to the Jews, in Stephen’s preaching to the Council—these men held no malice against those who despised them.

G) FOR LABORERS TO ENTER THE HARVEST.

We should also pray for an increase in the work of Christians.

Matthew 9:38: "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."

We should pray for those Christians who have made sacrifices to travel abroad, we should pray that our brethren here in the community continue to grow in spiritual strength and numbers.

H) We should pray FOR PREACHERS AND FOR THE LORD’S WORD TO BE GLORIFIED.

Philippians 1:9-11: And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,

So that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;

Having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

I) From this verse also we learn that we should pray FOR THE CHILDREN OF GOD, of whom we are a part.

J) We should pray for GOD’S WILL TO BE DONE.

In verse 10 of Matthew 6, Jesus instructs we pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

K) As also exemplified in Christ’s model prayer, we should pray FOR THE KINGDOM, though no longer for its coming—that prayer has been answered.

Colossians 1:13: For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son . . . .

III. Conclusion:

Prayer is an intimate and necessary part in the life of a Christian. As our salvation, God’s promise of prayer fulfillment is limited by conditions that we remain pure and obedient servants. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, our prayers are welcomed by God.

In Acts 12, the saints assembled in the home of Mary to pray. I think there’s an example there, brethren, that we ought to follow. We get together for Bible studies, we get together to sing songs of praises, but how often do we all get together at someone’s house to just pray? That might be a good thing for us to do, and a good opportunity to do a little research. It would be a good thing for us to learn a little bit about the saints overseas that are being supported by churches here in Memphis, to look at where they are and what their situation is, what their names are, and for us to come together and pray for every one of them. We have singings a lot of the time to give men who aren’t used to leading songs the opportunity to practice and gain experience. Perhaps a prayer meeting would be a good opportunity for the men to strengthen their skills at leading prayer.

Let’s pray often, brethren. Let’s pray together, let’s pray with our families, let’s pray alone with our husbands and wives, let’s pray alone with our children, let’s pray more by ourselves. Our lives will benefit from it, and the world will, too: "The prayers of a righteous man availeth much."

God requires obedience and righteousness, a Christ-like attitude of us, if we are to receive the blessings of prayer.

He requires the same for the blessings of heaven.

"Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)

If you have fallen away from the faith, do as Simon the Sorcerer did in Acts 8, ask the fellow saints to "pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me" (v.24).