This is the very first lesson that Jesus Christ gave on prayer. Matthew 6:5,6, “When you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.” Here’s an excellent quote from a man of prayer by name E.M. Bounds: “The secret of prayer is praying in secret!” (If you want to grow in the art of prayer, read The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer. He was a lawyer turned pastor, 1835-1913).
If you have been praying for somebody’s problem and that person tells you that his or her problem is sorted out or solved, you are tempted to say, “You know how much I prayed for you!” A school boy after his history examination tells a praying aunty, “Aunty, I did my History paper extremely well today!” She
responds, “Son, do you know how much I prayed for you?” The following day was Geography paper, in which he fared poorly. He reports it to the aunty. What would she say then? When a prayer is answered, the credit should not go to the person who prayed but the Lord who answered prayer. Then you may
ask, Did not Jesus tell Peter that He had prayed for him? Jesus prayed for Peter and told him “before” the crisis that He had prayed for him. And it was just in order to encourage Peter lest he would sink to the rock bottom (Lk 22:31,32). It’s wrong to quote this passage to get credit for our prayers. It was as if
Jesus told Peter, “You would come up, don’t worry; I have prayed for you!”
Along with prayer comes fasting. Fasting is an integral part of prayer. Here again Jesus stressed that fasting should be as secretive as possible. “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they appear to men to be fasting. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees you in secret will reward you openly” (Mt 6:16-18). But unfortunately fasting is perhaps the most advertised event in Christian circles. No wonder
we accomplish little. You don’t need to go around telling people, “I am going on a 40-day fast... 20 days over, 25 days over, 27 days over... and so on.” Beloved, we have gone millions of miles away from the Biblical teaching on Christian disciplines. Pray, pray, pray, but don’t depend on your prayer. Depend on
God.
I want to give you some reasons from the Bible why we should never ever boast about our prayers.
r What God has given us of His own will and desire is much more than what He has given in answer to prayer. Most of what we have received from God is what we have received even before we uttered the first syllable in prayer. Look at James 1:17,18. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and
comes down from the Father of Lights. Of His own will He brought us forth by the Word of truth.” Our very rebirth is because of God’s initiative. That’s why Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (Jn 15:16). This is the right theology. The modern theology is becoming more and more man- centered. I want to stay with the Biblical theology which is: “Of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Rom 11:36).
Another reason why we should not boast of our prayers: Hebrews 2:4 says that all the signs, wonders, miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit are granted to us “according to His own will.”
God Himself has taught us and commanded us to pray. But He does “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. To Him be glory” (Eph 3:20,21). When God blesses us much more than even what we “think,” where’s the place for boasting about our
prayers? So at the end of the day, it’s not the one who offered the prayer who should get the credit, but the One who answers the prayers. To Him belongs all the glory and honour. Never ever boast of praying.
If you have been praying for somebody’s problem and that person tells you that his or her problem is sorted out or solved, you are tempted to say, “You know how much I prayed for you!” A school boy after his history examination tells a praying aunty, “Aunty, I did my History paper extremely well today!” She
responds, “Son, do you know how much I prayed for you?” The following day was Geography paper, in which he fared poorly. He reports it to the aunty. What would she say then? When a prayer is answered, the credit should not go to the person who prayed but the Lord who answered prayer. Then you may
ask, Did not Jesus tell Peter that He had prayed for him? Jesus prayed for Peter and told him “before” the crisis that He had prayed for him. And it was just in order to encourage Peter lest he would sink to the rock bottom (Lk 22:31,32). It’s wrong to quote this passage to get credit for our prayers. It was as if
Jesus told Peter, “You would come up, don’t worry; I have prayed for you!”
Along with prayer comes fasting. Fasting is an integral part of prayer. Here again Jesus stressed that fasting should be as secretive as possible. “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they appear to men to be fasting. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees you in secret will reward you openly” (Mt 6:16-18). But unfortunately fasting is perhaps the most advertised event in Christian circles. No wonder
we accomplish little. You don’t need to go around telling people, “I am going on a 40-day fast... 20 days over, 25 days over, 27 days over... and so on.” Beloved, we have gone millions of miles away from the Biblical teaching on Christian disciplines. Pray, pray, pray, but don’t depend on your prayer. Depend on
God.
I want to give you some reasons from the Bible why we should never ever boast about our prayers.
r What God has given us of His own will and desire is much more than what He has given in answer to prayer. Most of what we have received from God is what we have received even before we uttered the first syllable in prayer. Look at James 1:17,18. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and
comes down from the Father of Lights. Of His own will He brought us forth by the Word of truth.” Our very rebirth is because of God’s initiative. That’s why Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (Jn 15:16). This is the right theology. The modern theology is becoming more and more man- centered. I want to stay with the Biblical theology which is: “Of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Rom 11:36).
Another reason why we should not boast of our prayers: Hebrews 2:4 says that all the signs, wonders, miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit are granted to us “according to His own will.”
God Himself has taught us and commanded us to pray. But He does “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. To Him be glory” (Eph 3:20,21). When God blesses us much more than even what we “think,” where’s the place for boasting about our
prayers? So at the end of the day, it’s not the one who offered the prayer who should get the credit, but the One who answers the prayers. To Him belongs all the glory and honour. Never ever boast of praying.
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