PRAYER

We have delayed until this point in the Studies in Theology 
discussing the matter of prayer because of the overabundance of
discussion that is already apparent on the radio waves and the
television channels of today's Christianity. The element that is
missing from today's Christianity is straight, hard preaching of
sound doctrine. That is, the doctrinal emphasis is gone
altogether, and what you are getting today on radio and
television from morning to night is a soft, practical,
devotional, spiritualized sort of leavened, watered-down slop
that is humanism. The entire emphasis has been your relationship
to the Lord and the Lord's relationship to you personally. This
personal, devotional, psychological, spiritualized, leavened
thing is popular because it never crosses anybody's brain on what
they believe. Because of this, we have covered a lot of ground in
theology to establish and root and ground the Christian in sound
doctrine before coming to prayer.
Definition of Prayer

Prayer is speaking or talking with the Lord Jesus Christ. Prayer
is an offering up of our desires to God for all things lawful and
needful, with humble confidence that we shall obtain them through
the mediation and merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
"Prayer," says Dr. H.W. Frost, "is worship addressed to the
Father in the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy
Spirit."

Prayer should consist of at least four parts.

1 . Adoration: prayer should be the act of the soul worshipping
and praising God (Ps. 95:6).

2. Confession: repentance from every known sin and confession of
sin (Ps. 32, 1 John 1).

3. Thanksgiving: be thankful for anything, be thankful for
everything (Phil. 4:6).

4. Supplication: intercession, requests, petitions or desires,
wants or needs expressed to the Father (I Tim. 2:1).

Our prayer should be directed to God the Father (Acts 12:5) in
the name of Jesus Christ (John 14:13) through the power of the
Holy Spirit (Eph. 6:18).
When to Pray

When to pray: always. "Men ought always to pray, and not to
faint" (Luke 18:1). "Pray without ceasing" ( I Thess. 5:17). We
should have private prayer in a small, secret place alone with
God. We should have family prayer with the small group in our
family. We should have public prayer before the church and the
congregation.
Where to Pray

Where to pray: "I will therefore that men pray every where" (1
Tim. 2:8). There is no limitation on where to pray. Thank God,
there isn't. If prayer were confined to temples, churches, and
chapels by the wayside, you would certainly be in a mess if you
were in a burning building or on a sinking ship. Prayer can be
made everywhere at all times. Private prayer can be between you
and the Lord anywhere. Family prayer is at home. Public prayer is
like in the church or the temple: "two men went up into the
temple to pray" (Luke 18:10). Jesus Christ said, "But thou, when
thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret" (Matt. 6:6). Men
should pray everywhere and at any time, continuing instant in
prayer. That means on the spot, continually, as the needs emerge
at the time, without wasting any time about it. Now, this is
very, very important.

There was a dirty comedian in Hollywood one time make a movie
called ''Oh, God.'' The title of that movie is the basic prayer
that every man prays when he dies. That is what Mahatma Gandhi
said when he was shot. As a matter of fact, that expression,
''Oh, God,'' has sounded forth from so many battlefields you
couldn't count it. It would take a jaded fool or a very
inexperienced novice indeed to think that a movie title like that
was anything short of blasphemy. A man with any experience knows
that when men get in trouble or are about to die or are being
tortured to death, they cry, ''Oh, my God,'' whether they have
one or not.

If you kicked an atheist out of a plane at two thousand feet, he
would scream, ''Oh, my God,'' until he hit the ground. Like a
fellow said, ''My grandfather was an atheist, and my father was
an atheist. and. thank God I am an atheist.'' When ''Fatty'
Khrushchev came to the United States and somebody told him, ''God
is with us,'' he said, ''God is with us, too.'' Isn't that a fine
thing for an atheist to say? An atheist was drowning one time,
and a preacher pulled him out of the water. When he got him out
of the water the preacher rebuked the atheist for his double
standards and said, ''I heard you yelling 'Oh, my God,' while you
were drowning. Why are you calling upon God when you don't
believe in one?'' The man who was rescued said, ''Well, there
ought to be one for a fellow when he gets in a jam like that."
I'll guarantee that when the great Wallenda fell off his
tightrope and started downward, he was not praying, ''Our Father
which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name,'' and I'll guarantee
that when his body came hurling 130 feet down to that cement and
people began to scatter underneath it, they weren't praying,
''Hail, Mary.'' Do you know what they say? They say, ''Oh, my
God!'' The prayer is instant, on the spot.

Some of you people who use ''G.D." as a regular expression had
better watch your step. When you ask God to damn a thing, one of
these days He just might take you up on it. One of the first
things I do when I get in a plane is ask God to take all the
damns and curses off the plane and bless the plane so I can get
home safely. You say, ''You're superstitious." Well, I've landed
with my bags so far. Maybe I'm not as superstitious as you think
I am.

A person should be ready to pray anytime, anyplace, anywhere.
That is, you ought to be on praying grounds. A man ought to, at
any moment, be able to preach on the spot, pray on the spot, or
die on the spot. The final prayer is ''Oh, my God,'' which is
rapidly reduced to ''Oh, God,'' which is rapidly reduced to
''Oh.'' When that comedian who made that movie in Hollywood
finally dies on a hospital bed, if he has his senses about him
and is not under too many drugs, the last thing he will pray will
be, ''Oh, God.'' It is nothing to joke about, brother. If you are
in a car being banged down the track by a train, there is no joke
to it. You get a 6.5 or 7.1 earthquake rumbling through your
town, I'll guarantee you the Lord will hear a lot of strange
voices that He never heard in a Wednesday night prayer meeting
any place in town. You should be ready to pray on the spot. When
Peter is caught on the spot and sinking in the water he says, 
"Lord, save me" (Matt. 14:30). Three words: "Lord, save me."
That's a good prayer. He doesn't pull out an Episcopalian prayer
book and thumb through the index to find what kind of prayer a
commercial fisherman should pray when he is drowning. He says, 
"Lord, save me." You should be on praying grounds anytime,
anywhere, anyplace. "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint" 
(Luke 18 :1) .

David said he would pray in the morning: "My voice shalt thou
hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my
prayer unto thee, and will look up" (Ps. 5:3). At noon and
evening he prayed: "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I
pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice" (Ps. 55:17). He
prayed every day: "Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto
thee daily" (Ps. 86:3), and not only in the day time, but at
night time: "O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and
night before thee" (Ps. 88:1).

Daniel prayed three times a day (Dan. 6:10), and he was president
over 120 provinces. Daniel had as much on his shoulders to take
care of as the President of the United States, and he took time
to pray three times a day.

Do you pray? Do you keep a prayer list? Do you keep a record of
God's answers to prayer? What is your prayer life like? I'm not
talking about your faith to get rich. I am talking about your
fellowship with the Lord when you talk to Him, and He speaks to
you through His word. One time a little girl said to her daddy,
"Daddy, is God dead?'' The daddy said, ''No, honey.'' She said,
''Well, I just wondered. I don't hear you talking to Him like you
used to.''
What to Pray About

What are the subjects of prayer? All kinds of things. First of
all, we ought to pray for the Second Coming of Christ. The last
prayer in the Bible is not for the gifts of the Holy Ghost. The
last prayer in the Bible is not for blessings. The last prayer in
the Bible is not for anybody to get saved, and, certainly, the
last prayer in the Bible is not for anybody to get healed. The
last prayer in the Bible is for Jesus Christ to come back: "Even
so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20). We ought to pray to the Lord
for our lives. We should pray for our daily bread, for
forgiveness of our sins, for guidance, and for victory over
temptation and sin. All these things are proper subjects of
prayer.

The idea that you can just suddenly give ten dollars and get
fifteen back and get rich is a psychological gimmick that con men
are using to gaff the act with today. You should pray for more
than that, brethren. You are supposed to pray for God to forgive
you of your sins, for victory over temptation by the devil, and
for guidance. You are to pray for all men (I Tim. 2:1). You are
to pray for a longer life (Isa. 38:1-3) that you might be more
useful and bear more fruit. You are to pray for personal safety
(Dan. 6:22-23) and for the safety of others. Daniel and David
were constantly praying for delivery from their enemies. You are
to pray for wisdom and understanding, like Solomon prayed (I
Kings 3:9). "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that
giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him" (James 1:5). If you lack wisdom, ask God for it. You
should pray for a prosperous journey like Paul prayed (Rom.
1:10). You are to pray for clothing, shelter, food, and pray for
the people you don't like. The Bible says to pray for your
enemies (Matt. 5 :44) . "Bless them that curse you" (Matt. 5:44).
"Bless and curse not" (Rom. 12:14).

Christians should pray. They should pray for the sick (James
5:14). They should pray for people in authority, their senators,
congressmen, their mayors, and their governors (I Tim. 2:14).
They should pray for the salvation of sinners, for the Lord is 
"not vrilling that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). They should pray for immature
Christians to grow up and get out of Corinthians and Acts and get
into Romans and Galatians. In Colossians 1:28 Paul was praying
that every Christian be made perfect in Jesus Christ and grow up,
to learn to live by faith and not by sight, and get over this
carnal Corinthian gift business and get going for God.

They should pray especially for their pastors and elders and
bishops, those who are over them in the ministry (I Tim. 5:17).
It is the duty of the members of the congregation to pray for
those in charge of the congregation.
How to Pray

How to pray: we should be guided first of all by the Bible in our
praying. Any praying that is not according to what God said is
not the work of the Holy Spirit: it is the work of the unholy
spirit. We should be guided by what the Bible says. We must pray
with faith in the existence of God. The Bible says, "But without
faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God
must believe that he is" (Heb. 11:6). We must believe that God
rewards faithful intercession: "he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him" (Heb. 11:6). So, there must be persistence
in prayer.

The Lord Jesus Christ gave us two great illustrations of this
persistence in prayer, which is sometimes called importunity
(Luke 18:1-8 and Luke 11:1-13). The persistent knocker received
the bread. We must pray with humility. The Lord said, "If my
people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and
pray" (2 Chron. 7:14). Although we can come boldly to the throne
of grace by the merits of Jesus Christ (Heb. 4:16), we don't come
boldly in the sense of audaciously or arrogantly. We come boldly
in the sense that we come in as sons who have a loving, kind.
heavenly Father as a member of the family. We don't have to go
through the doorkeeper and the ambassadors and the secretaries
and the vice-secretaries and the bodyguards. We just walk in the
front office. When we come to pray, we should confess our sins
and judge them. Paul said, "For if we would judge ourselves, we
should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of
the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world" (I Cor.
11:31-32). There is no way to have fellowship with God in prayer
with unconfessed sin in your life. John said, "If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).
Conditions of Prayer

What are the conditions of prayer? First of all, we must pray in
the will of God. Notice, Jesus prayed, "Not my will, but thine,
be done" (Luke 22:42). You, of course, cannot ever find the will
of God unless you study your Bible and find out what the will of
God is from the word of God.

Secondly, we must forgive others before God will hear and answer
our prayers. Jesus said "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if
ye have ought against any" (Mark 11:25).

Thirdly, we must pray in faith, believing. "What things soever ye
desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall
have them" (Mark 11:24). James said, "But let him ask in faith,
nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea
driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that
he shall receive any thing of the Lord" (James 1:6-7) .

The fourth condition is keeping the Lord's commandments, and not
only doing this, but doing those things that are pleasing in His
sight. Many Christians have the funny idea that if they go to
church and tithe and read their Bibles and "share their
experience" that they are obeying God. The condition for answered
prayer according to 1 John 3:22 is "do those things that are
pleasing in his sight." How can you expect answers to prayer when
you know of the things in your life that displease God? You know
in your life what pleases God and what doesn't.

Other conditions for prayer are abiding in Christ and praying in
Jesus' name. Jesus said, "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my
name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full" (John
16:24).

There are some great prayer promises in the Bible. (See Mark
11:24, 1 John 5:14-15, John 15:7, Eph. 3:12-20, Phil. 4:6, Phil.
4:19, Matt. 7:7-8, Luke 11:9-13, and Heb. 4:16.)
Hindrances to Prayer

The most important part of this matter of prayer is what we call
hindrances to prayer because it is perfectly apparent that
everybody should pray. Only the self-important, self-satisfied,
and self-occupied are indifferent to prayer. It stands to reason
that prayer rights more things than this world dreams of, and if
we know how many prayers were answered daily, we would probably
faint. There is no need to impress upon you the necessity of
prayer. The point is that when we pray, very often our prayers
are not answered in the affirmative, and we need to know why.
This is best stated in Isaiah 59:1-2, where we read, "Behold, the
Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his
ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have
separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his
face from you, that he will not hear." This brings up the matter
of unanswered prayer.

First of all, selfishness. "Ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye
ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume
it upon your lusts" (James 4:2-3). The average prayer by the
average Chrislian today in America is for two things: money and
good health. For what? If you have good health, will you go out
and walk the streets and pass out tracts? If you have good
health, will you go on visitation? You want money. What will you
do when you get it? Will you spend it on motor boats and dog
food? "Ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not,
because ye ask amiss." One of the greatest hindrances to prayer
is selfishness.

Next, double-mindedness: "For let not that man think that he
shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is
unstable in all his ways" (James 1:7-8). If you are praying for
God to fill you with the Holy Spirit, and when He does you find
you won't get along with these people that brag about the gifts
of the Holy Ghost, you may decide you don't want to be filled
with the Holy Spirit after all. When you pray and ask God to
fill you with the Holy Spirit and find that it causes trouble
down where you work and trouble with your relatives, you may
decide to go back on it.

We are hot one day and cold the next. We are typified by the
carpenter who slid down a roof of a ten story building screaming,
"Oh, my God, help me. Oh, my God, help me." About that time his
overalls caught in a large nail sticking through the roof and
arrested his downward plunge. He breathed a sigh of relief and
said, "Oh, that's all right, Lord.
The nail's got me.'' We are inclined to be like that.
When there is trouble in the family and we are sick, then we
pray. When the children are in trouble, then we pray. When you
are going to get laid off at work or can't pay the bills, then
you pray. Then when the clouds lift and the rainbow comes out and
the skies are sunny, we quit praying.

One of the hindrances to prayer is an unforgiving spirit. One
time Dwight L. Moody led a lady to the Lord who had no assurance
of salvation. When Moody wanted to find out what the trouble was,
he had to repeat the disciple's prayer, and when he got to the
part where it said, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us," she wouldn't repeat it. When he
insisted that she repeat it and she didn't, he said, "What is the
trouble?" The woman screamed, "I'll never forgive that woman as
long as I live." When Moody reminded her that unless she would
forgive, God wouldn't forgive her, she said, "Do you mean to tell
me, after what that woman did to me, I've got to forgive her?" He
said, "No, I don't mean to tell you that. I mean God told you
that." That Bible says, "Be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's
sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32). Many of these Christians who
talk about love, and who are always upset about a preacher not
showing love, are rabid mad dogs who would shoot that preacher in
cold blood for fifteen cents if they could get away with it. Now,
you mark what I am saying. There isn't a hypocrite in America
complaining about preachers not having love who doesn't have a
heart of hatred toward sound doctrine and direct application of
straight Bible truth, and he will not forgive you for pointing
out his sins.

Something else: grudges. The Bible says, "Grudge not one against
another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge
standeth before the door" (James 5:9). Some Christians are so
mean, if a dog bit them they would follow the dog ten years to
bite him back. Christians can be some of the meanest critters on
the face of this earth, and you had better believe that. I know
Christians. I may be a mighty stupid man about a lot of things,
but church people ain't one of 'em. I've been in a congregation
where there were two deacons who hadn't spoken to each other for
seventeen years, and both attended the same church every Sunday.
You say, "What did they do in deacons' meetings?" They came in
and left by different doors. I've been in a church where a third
of the congregation sat in the balcony because they had a fight
with the two-thirds of the congregation that sat downstairs. I
have been in a church where a man got up on the front pew of the
church and hauled out a switchblade and told the people to sit
down and shut up and let him hear the sermon. I was in a church
where there was a mob waiting outside because the pastor rebuked
some teenager who was laughing and horsing around during the
service. Don't tell me; I'll tell you. I've got friends in the
ministry who have had Christians slit their tires, shoot their
hound dogs, and threaten to burn down their houses. I know
Christians. Some of the meanest devils on the face of this earth
are people who have been saved, but can't stand straight, hard,
sound, Bible preaching, and they will hold a grudge against a
preacher, deacon, or church member for forty-five years. You had
better believe it, and if you don't, you will have to ask God to
forgive you for rejecting the truth. The grudges have to go.

The bitterness has to go. The Bible says, "Husbands, love your
wives, and be not bitter against them" (Col . 3 :19). Be "heirs
together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered"
(1 Peter 3:7). A fellow said one time, "If you knew what kind of
wife I have, you wouldn't say that." Well, God knows what kind of
wife you have, and He said it. When a judge once accused a man of
desertion, the man said to the judge, "Your honor, I'm not a
deserter. If you knew that woman like I knew that woman, you
wouldn't call me a deserter. I'm a refugee!" I suppose there is a
lot of that. The husbands have to give up their bitterness
against their wives, or their prayers are going to be hindered.

That is the way things stand. Double mindedness, selfishness,
grudges, an unforgiving spirit, bitterness, and displeasing
things can prevent God from answering prayer in your life.

Who would want God not to answer prayer in their life who had any
sense? Who of you who gets a whopping big light bill every month
doesn't need prayer these days? Would you tell me that? They put
income tax on you without your vote. Why, they didn't ask you to
vote about nothing; they just slamrned it down your throat. This
country is in trouble, and who in this country who is in trouble
doesn't know that this country has on its coins "In God We
Trust"? If you don't trust in God, then trust Him. If you don't
trust His Son for your salvation, then give up your own
righteousness and trust His righteousness for your salvation. If
you don't trust Him for your food, clothing, shelter, sustenance,
and your joy and your living, start trusting Him today. Morning,
noon, and evening, pour out your prayers before Him, or as Paul
said, "in every thing by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the
peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6-7). Claim the
promises: "But my God shall supply all your need according to his
riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). "I can do all
things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). "Let
us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb.
4:16). "For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee" (Heb. 13:5), and He has said, "My grace is sufficient for
thee" (2 Cor. 12:9).