In His very first teaching on prayer, the Lord Jesus spoke against vain repetitions. Even before He taught His disciples the model Prayer, and even before teaching them How to Pray, He taught them How not to Pray! Matthew 6:7, “When you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” What is the modern practice corresponding to this? Suppose, you want a blessing, and you pray, ‘Give Lord, give Lord, give Lord!’ That’s not the way any child talks to the father. That’s the example Jesus presents in the very next verse: “Do not be like them. Because, your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Mt 6:8). He does not say, “God” knows, but He says, “Your Father” knows. That makes all the difference. If we come to this fresh realisation, we will experience a great revolution in our prayer life.
Beloved, prayer is not to give informations to God but it is to develop intimacy with Him. Let me explain this. Suppose you have a problem, a need, a question, a crisis or a difficult situation. When you pray over that matter, you don’t need to give God all the explanations about it, because your knowledge
about your problem is much much less than God’s knowledge about your problem. God knows everything. 13You know only what you see and hear. But God knows what is unseen and untold. God knows the end from the beginning (Isa 46:10). So don’t make prayer an elaborate presentation of facts before God
but let it be the pouring out of your feelings to Him (1 Sam 1:12-16).
The Bible says that too much of talk in prayer is a sacrifice of fools. Ecclesiastes 5:1-3, “Walk prudently when you go to the House of God, and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Don’t be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words.” Is this not in the context of prayer?
David once prayed to God that God would set a watch over his mouth. Psalm 141:2,3, “Lord, let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” What David made as a prayer, his son Solomon gave as a prescription (cf. Eccl 5:1-3).
Prayer must be a two-way communication with God. Keep on listening to God, and in response speak to Him. Hear more and speak less. Apostle James has excellently presented this truth. James 1:17-19,21, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the Word of Truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, and slow to speak... Therefore receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls.” Do you get the logic? The initiation for our spiritual birth is by God. “Of His own will ...” (v18). He caused our spiritual genesis by His Word. Therefore, let Him speak more. You be swift to hear rather than to speak. “Receive the Word with meekness”—This means a readiness and
an earnestness to hear than being anxious to speak. The point is, we must be more interested in learning to change ourselves— “save your souls”—rather than lecturing to God.
The above truth was exemplified in Paul’s life. He had a thorn in his flesh. It was bothering him all the time. It was actually “buffeting” him. And he sought the Lord in prayer. When he waited before the Lord, God gave him a Word: “My grace is sufficient for you... My strength will be made perfect in your weakness” (2 Cor 12:7-9). Did Paul receive that Word with meekness? Yes! This passage was written perhaps several years after this experience. He confessed, “Lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me.” In other words, “It’s easy for me to turn
arrogant. It’s possible that I go around parading with my spiritual revelations. I really tend to exalt myself. But in that situation, God implanted a Word. I received it with meekness. Today I don’t exalt myself, I don’t feel proud about my strength and skill. I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ
may rest upon me.”
Yes in prayer we must become earnest to hear what God has to say than being anxious to speak out volumes of words to Him. This is one reason why I encourage new disciples to read the Bible on their knees. I want to testify that most of my Biblical understanding was received when I studied my old Bible
in the posture of kneeling. Keep your Bible open. Keep your heart open. Heaven will open up for you!
As you wait before the Lord in prayer, soak yourself with the Scriptures. That’s what Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (Jn 15:7). Once you are saturated with the Bible you will not ask or pray for anything that is unscriptural or would not please God. Because, God’s Word is God’s will. That becomes your boundary. You will ask according to God’s will and it shall be given to you. This was the one thing that David was constantly craving to get in his lifetime. Turn to Psalms 27:4. Most of us must have memorised this verse in Sunday School. “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek: That I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life.” He gives the reason why he wants to always dwell in the Temple of the Lord: “To behold the beauty of the Lord; and to enquire in His temple.” That is, I want to search His Word.
Don’t preach to God in prayer! There was little Samuel. What did he say? “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears” (1 Sam 3:9). But what do we say? “Hear, Lord, for Your servant speaks!” This should 14change. Do not speak too much. Never forget the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The
former presented his long biodata before God, whereas the latter just begged for God’s mercy in a single sentence. He who emptied himself of words in prayer returned empty.
Beloved, prayer is not to give informations to God but it is to develop intimacy with Him. Let me explain this. Suppose you have a problem, a need, a question, a crisis or a difficult situation. When you pray over that matter, you don’t need to give God all the explanations about it, because your knowledge
about your problem is much much less than God’s knowledge about your problem. God knows everything. 13You know only what you see and hear. But God knows what is unseen and untold. God knows the end from the beginning (Isa 46:10). So don’t make prayer an elaborate presentation of facts before God
but let it be the pouring out of your feelings to Him (1 Sam 1:12-16).
The Bible says that too much of talk in prayer is a sacrifice of fools. Ecclesiastes 5:1-3, “Walk prudently when you go to the House of God, and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Don’t be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words.” Is this not in the context of prayer?
David once prayed to God that God would set a watch over his mouth. Psalm 141:2,3, “Lord, let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” What David made as a prayer, his son Solomon gave as a prescription (cf. Eccl 5:1-3).
Prayer must be a two-way communication with God. Keep on listening to God, and in response speak to Him. Hear more and speak less. Apostle James has excellently presented this truth. James 1:17-19,21, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the Word of Truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, and slow to speak... Therefore receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls.” Do you get the logic? The initiation for our spiritual birth is by God. “Of His own will ...” (v18). He caused our spiritual genesis by His Word. Therefore, let Him speak more. You be swift to hear rather than to speak. “Receive the Word with meekness”—This means a readiness and
an earnestness to hear than being anxious to speak. The point is, we must be more interested in learning to change ourselves— “save your souls”—rather than lecturing to God.
The above truth was exemplified in Paul’s life. He had a thorn in his flesh. It was bothering him all the time. It was actually “buffeting” him. And he sought the Lord in prayer. When he waited before the Lord, God gave him a Word: “My grace is sufficient for you... My strength will be made perfect in your weakness” (2 Cor 12:7-9). Did Paul receive that Word with meekness? Yes! This passage was written perhaps several years after this experience. He confessed, “Lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me.” In other words, “It’s easy for me to turn
arrogant. It’s possible that I go around parading with my spiritual revelations. I really tend to exalt myself. But in that situation, God implanted a Word. I received it with meekness. Today I don’t exalt myself, I don’t feel proud about my strength and skill. I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ
may rest upon me.”
Yes in prayer we must become earnest to hear what God has to say than being anxious to speak out volumes of words to Him. This is one reason why I encourage new disciples to read the Bible on their knees. I want to testify that most of my Biblical understanding was received when I studied my old Bible
in the posture of kneeling. Keep your Bible open. Keep your heart open. Heaven will open up for you!
As you wait before the Lord in prayer, soak yourself with the Scriptures. That’s what Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (Jn 15:7). Once you are saturated with the Bible you will not ask or pray for anything that is unscriptural or would not please God. Because, God’s Word is God’s will. That becomes your boundary. You will ask according to God’s will and it shall be given to you. This was the one thing that David was constantly craving to get in his lifetime. Turn to Psalms 27:4. Most of us must have memorised this verse in Sunday School. “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek: That I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life.” He gives the reason why he wants to always dwell in the Temple of the Lord: “To behold the beauty of the Lord; and to enquire in His temple.” That is, I want to search His Word.
Don’t preach to God in prayer! There was little Samuel. What did he say? “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears” (1 Sam 3:9). But what do we say? “Hear, Lord, for Your servant speaks!” This should 14change. Do not speak too much. Never forget the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The
former presented his long biodata before God, whereas the latter just begged for God’s mercy in a single sentence. He who emptied himself of words in prayer returned empty.
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