Prayer: Questions and Answers

People have many questions about prayer. This is not odd, because even Jesus' own disciples had to be taught how to pray (Luk.11:1)

Who Should We Pray To?

Should we pray to God? Jesus? Mary? A saint? A departed relative? When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he said, "When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name" (Luk.11:2). (Also Mat.6:6 "pray to thy Father.") Jesus taught his disciples to pray to his father, God. Who did Jesus himself pray to? The longest recorded prayer of Jesus is in Joh.17:ch., and the whole prayer is addressed to his Father. (Also Mat.26:39,42 "And he went a little farther... and prayed, saying, O my Father...") Jesus prayed to God the Father, and Jesus is our example.

But one may ask, "Couldn't we also pray to Jesus?" Jesus himself said, "In that day ye shall ask me nothing... Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you" (Joh.16:23). Jesus said his followers would not pray to him, but to the Father. We have no commandment to pray to Jesus or to any other being, but we do have commandments to pray to God the Father.

Someone may say, "Isn't Jesus God?" so that it would be right to pray to Jesus. But Jesus is not God the Father. The scripture above shows we are not to ask Jesus for things, but we are to ask the Father, so Jesus cannot be the Father. Jesus himself said, "My Father is greater than I" (Joh.14:28), so Jesus could not be God the Father. The very fact that Jesus refers to God as his "father" shows that they are two different entities, for it is impossible for someone to be his own father.

But didn't Jesus say "I and my Father are one"? (Joh.10:30) Yes, but he also prayed to the Father that his disciples would "be one, even as we are one" (Joh.17:22). Jesus was not praying for his disciples to become one person, but for them to be united in the faith. And so too, Jesus and his Father are united in the faith, but they are not one and the same person.

Someone may say, "I have prayed to Jesus, and my prayers have been answered. Doesn't that show that it's okay to pray to Jesus?" God the Father may have answered prayers prayed to Jesus or to other entities, when the person praying didn't know any better. God can show mercy when he knows that we are only doing what we have been taught to do. Act.17:30 "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent." It may have been "okay" in the past, but once we know who the scriptures say we are to pray to, why would we want to continue to pray to Jesus?

Why Are Some Prayers Not Answered?

Someone may say, "I have prayed to God for different things, but my prayers haven't been answered. Why is this?" There could be many reasons that a prayer hasn't been answered.

One of the clearest scriptural requirements is that we must ask in faith. Jam.1:5-7 "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. 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." If we do not have faith that God will give us what we have asked for, then he cannot give it. Our faith is a necessary ingredient for us to receive what we have asked for. Heb.11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for."

Second, perhaps God didn't answer the prayer when we thought it should be answered, but that doesn't mean it won't be answered in the future. If we have prayed to know more about God or to be free from sin, those prayers will be answered. Dan.10:12 "Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words." (Also Luk.18:1-8)

Third, if our motive is wrong for wanting the thing we are praying for, God cannot give it to us. Jam.4:3 "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." If we are praying because we know we need help, God can hear this prayer, but if the prayer is for self-gain or to make ourselves look better to others, God cannot hear this prayer. Isa.42:8 "I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."

Fourth, God might not answer a prayer because a person is asking for something that God cannot give, or does not have to give. For example, often people pray for material things, such as cars, homes, money, etc. God does not have a car or a physical house or money to give us. He cannot give us what he does not have. Jesus came to bring life to mankind (Joh.10:10), but he also said, "Take heed; and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luk.12:15). God wants to give us life, which consists of spiritual things (Joh.6:63, 2Pt.1:3). If we pray, with the right motive, for more of God's spirit, God can and will answer this prayer. Luk.11:13 "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"

But someone may say, "Jesus said we could pray for the Father to give us our daily bread (Mat.6:11). Isn't that asking for something material?" No, because again, God does not have physical bread to give us. What God does want us to ask for, and what he can give us is his spiritual bread, which is his doctrine (Mat.16:12). Jer.3:15 "And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding."

What other things do scriptures say we can ask for?

We can ask for:
Wisdom-Jam.1:5 Utterance-Eph.6:18,19 Mercy-Luk.18:13,14 Holy Spirit-Luk.11:13 Healing (spiritual or physical)-Jam.5:14-16	Life-1Jo.5:16 Love-Ph'p.1:9 Faith-Luk.22:32

We can also ask:
To have our thoughts forgiven-Act.8:22 To be forgiven of our sins-Luk.11:4 To be delivered from evil-Luk.11:4 For God's will to be done-Luk.11:2 For God's kingdom to come-Luk.11:2

What About Praying For Other People?

Scriptures encourage us to pray for others. Paul said to pray for all men, adding that we can specifically pray for "kings and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life" (1Ti.2:1,2). We can pray for our ministers as well as for the saints in our congregation (1Th.5:25, Eph.6:18,19). Jesus even said to "pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you" (Mat.5:44).

But someone might say, "I've prayed for others, but it never does any good. Why doesn't God answer those prayers?" Often such prayers cannot be answered because God cannot change another person's will. We may have prayed that a parent or loved one would be saved, or be freed from an addiction, or that a married couple (perhaps our own parents) would not get divorced. We may also have prayed for world peace, or that the leaders of the world would govern righteously. We may want these things, and certainly God wants these things, but all of these also involve other people's choices. Many scriptures show that God has given people free moral agency, the freedom to choose what they want to do and to be. Deu.30:19 "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." Jos.24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve."

We can certainly pray for other people, but as we do so, we must realize that even God cannot override an entity's choice. While our prayers can help God to influence the other's choices, the final decision is still up to that other person. If a person does not want to do what is right, no amount of prayer can change this. In fact, there are places where the believer is told that prayers are not to be made for another, as the prayers would do no good. 1Jo.5:16 "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it." (And Jer.7:16 "Therefore pray not thou for this people..." )

Is There A Right Way To Pray?

I've been told that if I ask "in the name of Jesus," my prayer will be answered. Is this right? Jesus did say, "whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you" (Joh.16:23). But this does not mean simply saying "in the name of Jesus" at the end of the prayer, for Act.19:13-16 shows the seven sons of Sceva trying to use this phrase without success to cast out evil spirits. And in the sample prayer that Jesus gave his disciples (Mat.6:9-13, Luk.11:2-4) this phrase never occurs.

So what does it mean to ask for something "in the name of Jesus"? Jesus said, "I am come in my Father's name" (Joh.5:43), so the name Jesus had was his Father's. Also he said "the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me" (Joh.10:25). What works did Jesus do? He preached God's word, cast out evil spirits, and healed people. Those were the things that could be done in God's name. So if we pray to God for the spirit to do these things, this is asking for something that is in the name of Jesus. The things in the above list of things we can pray for are all spiritual things that are in the name of Jesus. If we ask for these things in faith, with the right motive, God will see to it that we get them.

Are there any particular words that should be said? Many people have been taught particular prayers to say at particular times. There is nothing wrong with these prayers, so long as we are asking for things God can give (spiritual things), and are praying in the right spirit. Jesus did give his disciples a sample prayer (Mat.6:9-13, Luk.11:2-4) which has come to be known as "The Lord's Prayer." But before he gave this prayer, he also said, "when ye pray, use not vain repetitions" (Mat.6:7). "The Lord's Prayer" or any other prayer, no matter how good a prayer it is, becomes a vain repetition when it is merely said as a habit, by rote, and with no thought or feeling. Jam.5:16 "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Do I have to be in a certain place to pray, such as a church? Do I have to bow my head or kneel in order to pray? No, because scriptures say to "pray without ceasing" (1Th.5:17) and to "continue instant in prayer" (Rom.12:12). This shows that we can be continually praying, no matter where we are or what we are doing. We may be doing housework, or walking to class, or at our job, or playing sports, but our thoughts can be on God, praising him and asking him for more of his spirit, "without ceasing"!!!

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Luk.11:9,10