A few years ago I was in a business meeting with my radio colleagues and at some point the word “prayer” was briefly mentioned by someone. As far as I know I was the only believer among them, but the person who spoke the word gave the impression that prayer might be a good idea, given the problems (especially financial) that were mounting up. Without intending to insult or offend me, someone else spoke up and said, “Prayer? That might be alright for some people, but that won’t put money in my pocket or bread on the table. What good would it do here?” I didn’t bother to respond, knowing that some knew me to be praying about the station, regardless.
It is an interesting question though, “What good is prayer?” Like my colleague, most people say it does no good at all. One should not expect any other answer from unbelieving people, but how grieving it is when Christian people say the same. In my experience many of them have. “Oh what good does it do?” they’ve angrily asked, “He never listens to me!” Other Christians have told me that they pray to God, “but I would never ask for anything for myself, He’s too busy to be concerned with me and besides, my problems are nothing compared to others.” An old church-going lady once told me she was concerned about what meat to buy from the butcher and when I suggested she ask God, she looked and responded with great shock.
When I gave testimony to these folk about my answers to prayer, each one saw me as someone special, “and of course He would answer you, you’re doing His work!” I have spoken often on this blog about people’s faulty, religious concepts of God, but the sad fact is, too many Christians fail to understand that it is in prayer that God makes Himself known to us. It is in prayer that He reveals His glory and His love to us. They fail to understand that God is relational, therefore prayer is relational. Such failure naturally ensures that they have no confidence to boldly come before God’s throne, as He encourages us to do Hebrews 10:19.
The other problem these people had; if they ever did attempt prayer, they failed to pray the way God has laid down: through the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit, we pray to the Father in Jesus’ name. In other words, most of their “prayer” practice had been that of repetitive, senseless, pretentious, religious chatter – the very stuff Jesus told us not to get caught up in Matthew 6:7. Prayer is not some hit & miss exercise, nor is it like Russian roulette. Ready, fire, aim – is not where it’s at when we deal with God. God is explicit, particular and definite in His instructions to us and He expects us to be the same in our dealings with Him where possible.
From my observations, much that is interpreted and accepted as authentic Christian practice, appears to be more in line with “anything goes” rather than that which should be explicit, particular, and definite. Liberty and freedom appear to be much misunderstood too, based on the “legalist” tag that some have tried to place upon me. Although perhaps not related to prayer, God’s instructions to Noah were most explicit, particular and definite when He instructed him to build that ark! Genesis 6:14-16. If Noah had adopted the attitude that many pastors have in today’s church system, he’d have sunk his ship before it got off the ground – just as these men and women have done.
I spoke with a young lady who was now attending a church I was once associated with years before. She had come from the country, well qualified and was looking for a job. One day I saw her on the street so I asked her how the job-hunting was going. In my spirit I could discern that it was not going at all well and that it was troubling her. So I spoke with her about prayer, what it is and how to make her request known to God. The sparkle that came into her eyes was a wonderful blessing to witness, as was the spring in her step as she thanked me and walked away. She got a job soon after.
The young lady’s church leaders declare themselves as the human face of Jesus Christ to their people. If I had nothing else to go on but that incident, I know for sure that they are not what they claim. Why not? Because the biblical Jesus taught us how to pray, these people never did. I spent nearly seven years in that place and not once did I witness a preaching or a teaching on how to pray according to the patterns and principles laid down by the Lord God. A young couple from the same fellowship were looking for an old-style church to get married in. I gave them similar encouragement about prayer, which appeared to be foreign to their ears. But they followed through – and so did God!
After a long season of prayer, twelve years ago my wife and I decided to sell our home and look for something maintenance free, both with the building and the ground that it sat upon. It was rather a large home with some furniture from the early 1900’s made with Australian native timbers, which we wanted to keep. Once the home was sold we then spent long hours in prayer as to what the next step should be – whether to build something new or purchase an existing home. In deciding to purchase, we placed a list of desires before the Lord including a home which would complement that furniture.
In other words, our prayers were explicit, particular and definite, just as His instructions were to Noah. As for a home, God led us to one in the same area. In every way, it was perfect for our needs. There were lots of items on that prayer list and God meet every one of them. For example, we wanted to be sure within ourselves, about the placing of the furniture so my wife measured each piece and drew them to scale. We then phoned the present owners of our new home and asked if we could visit and measure each room to work out what would go where.
Following that exercise, my wife then drew the rooms to scale and placed the scaled furniture drawings where she would like them to be put in that home. Everything worked to perfection. We had lots of time to check and double-check – but by the time moving day came we knew exactly where each piece of furniture would go. The removalists simply followed our directions and as far as we were concerned it was as though we knew every inch of the home as much as we knew the old one. It was a smooth plan from go to woe, but only because we did it according to God’s leadings, principles and patterns.
Something else my wife discovered later. Although it has a very different look and style, the positioning of each room of the home, is almost the exact pattern of our former home, but with a more practical use of space. Only a God Who is explicit, particular, and definite could come up with such a deal! I have sat in churches and witnessed many nodding heads all chorusing “Amen” to the pastor’s, “Prayer changes things, amen?” Yet, how much a church believes that truth can be confirmed by the attendance to any mid-week or Sunday evening prayer meeting.
Given that the prayer meeting is the least attended of all meetings in most churches, they don’t believe it too much. It would seem neither do most pastors, in my experience. If it were otherwise, they would stand up under the anointing of the Holy Spirit and call the church to account. I’ve seen them stand to manipulate and intimidate, but when leaders resort to using the devil’s tactics, they must resign themselves to witnessing the devil’s results. Added to this, was the failure to model biblical principles and patterns of prayer before their congregations. Some have not been as explicit, particular and definite as one should expect a leader to be.
It’s as though there was a reluctance to boldly come to the throne of God and ask. The opposite is true too. I’ve witnessed those who have rudely and presumptuously done so but they didn’t last long in the ministry – at least not in those churches. Then there have been those who appeared to have a beggar’s mentality. Any failure here naturally is a failure for the church. Their people don’t know how to pray because they’ve never been properly shown. Is it any wonder man’s religious activities are so unattractive to the on-looking world. Is it any wonder people ask, “What good is prayer? What good will it do?”
People whose lives give witness that they have no significant relationship with God, really have no basis on which to expect that God will respond to their prayer requests. It is this lack of relationship that causes people to ask those questions above – church-goers or not. On the other hand, those who experience a growing relationship with the Lord, expressed by faith, trust, obedience, love, commitment to His will etc, can rest confidently knowing that God hears, cares, is able to act and, will do so in His time. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7.