What Is Prayer?

 

It's a little annoying, that so many websites and podcasts answer an apparently popular question: How can anyone pray without ceasing?

It takes patience to listen and to read many of the posts, because, when we know the God of Heaven, it just never occurs to us that anyone would not know what it is to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Some people envision a life of non-stop prayer, a life of becoming more like nuns and monks in order to communicate more with God. But that's not the scripture's meaning.

Another scripture says it another way: The steadfast prayer of the righteous avails much: steadfast prayer gets results.

When I got saved, when I received my salvation and knew so for sure, the sermon that day mentioned a woman who prayed for her husband for decades, until he, too, understood God is real.

She prayed for decades. Clearly, this woman knew something about her husband's heart, that caused her not to give up on praying.

And it's not that anyone is supposed to wear themselves out in prayer, it's not that prayers should be long and dramatic, it's not that prayers should be hands pointed together to make a steeple pointing to Heaven, and it's not that we have an obligation never to give up on praying for each and every person we've ever prayed for (Jeremiah 14:11, 2 Kings 9:22, Galatians 5:19-21, 1 Corinthians 6:10-11, Ephesians 2:1, 1 John 5:12-16).

When Paul told the church not to pray for a brother whose sins lead to death, he meant this was a brother so determined to sin, that his sins would take not only his earthly life but would also lead to his damnation beyond death — and not only his damnation, but the damnation of other souls, as well.

When Paul gave that verdict, he also said all [godly] doings are "lawful" for the church to do; but not all godly doings are effective in bringing someone to righteousness.

Clearly, something about that brother's godlessness, compelled Paul to ask the church to stop praying for the man. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, Paul preached. But, clearly, prayer won't bring all souls to faith in the Lord.

And that reminds me of one of the articles I read last night. It was an uncomfortable article for me to read. It was an essay by a United Nations worker who had survived the Rwandan genocide.

She not only gave praise to having prayed to Saint Mary, but she preached a kind of infinite forgiveness — not recognizing that the men who she forgave, were men who had actually given her mercy, and not recognizing that every man is not capable of stopping himself from sinning, not every man is capable of feeling remorse for having sinned or, on the other hand, thankfulness to Jesus for forgiveness of sins.

Clearly, that faithful woman was fortunate to have fallen into the hands of people who were able to know Jesus one day. Yet, sadly, not everyone is going to be saved.

Some among us are just that determined to be bound for hell. And there comes a point when, truly, we stop praying for them.

That was my feeling when the kidnappings in Nigeria didn't stop. That was my feeling when the bombs in Ukraine kept killing. That was my feeling when Ukraine's president steadfastly called for weapons and money. And that's my feeling, having suffered years of tongue lashings that only lead to hell.

But what can I pray, on a sunshiny Easter day?

• I can pray children will thank Heaven for the warm sunshine upon their skin.

• I can pray that children christened (or pledged to Heaven) as babies, will know complete baptism — having become adults who are able to make that heartfelt, public decision.

• I can pray families who have lost loved-ones, and workplaces that have lost co-workers, to COVID-19, to cancer, to murder, will be comforted and will have peace.

• I can pray for my and our children's release from hell's influence and grip.

• I can pray women will know bodily respect: freedom from any and all molestation.

• And I can pray enemies will cease expecting prayer and praise to be on dark, godless terms.

Those are my steadfast prayers, today.

And I can pray whenever there's a touch of God to remind me. I can pray while working in the yard. I can pray while laying down for sleep (Deuteronomy 6:7). I can pray while in the shower. And I can pray with thanksgiving while eating.

I can pray the enemy is a defeated foe. I can pray about tongues that rise up in condemnation of victims like me. And I can keep praying, with forgiveness, for a loved-one's, friend's, and neighbor's traveling grace and peace.

 

I also can pray for continued work in ministry. I can pray someone gets the message, today, that Jesus didn't label us His "sheep" out of a desire to see everyone on their knees looking up to Him, as in the woman touching the hem of His gown. But He calls us His sheep, because we've faithfully followed after Him, even walking up the kinds of mountains He retreated to at His deepest times of prayer.