Do You Struggle to Pray?

Many years ago, I was asked to pray at a church function where “prayer warriors” were in attendance.

My prayer was simple, sincere, and short; it covered all the bases for God to bless both the people and the event.

When I finished praying, one of the prayer warriors muttered, “Is that it?”

She then proceeded with a "prayer warrior’s prayer."

• A prayer warrior's prayer typically includes disfiguring of the face, loud talking, and using a plethora of words and impressive phrases.

The only difference between my prayer and hers is that she took longer and used more words - and energy - to make the same request to God.

Surely the emotion felt with the prayer warrior's prayer was a sign that it was more effective than mine, right?

What does the Bible say?

1 John 5:14 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."

Notice that it does not say God hears our prayers when they are loud, wordy, and demonstrative.

Nor does it say He hears our prayers based on how much we serve in church or how good we are.

And it certainly does not say, "Name it and claim it, blab it and have it!"

The Bible is clear. Our Father in heaven hears our prayers when they are prayed in His will.

Sounds too simple, right?

If we go back to the prayer warrior (true) story:

Was it the Father's will for Jesus to be glorified, souls to be saved, and lives changed for the better?

• After all, that was the basis for both the prayer warrior's prayer and mine. 

Well, guess what? Jesus was glorified, souls were saved, and lives were changed for the better.

Hallelujah! God heard both our prayers.

He heard our prayers not because of how they were prayed.

Instead, our Father heard our prayers on that day because it was His will to do what we asked.

The evening before the crucifixion, Luke 22:44, Jesus in agony earnestly prayed until His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

I do not know anyone who has prayed more deeply and earnestly than Jesus did on that evening.

Yet, it was not God's will for that awful hour awaiting Jesus to pass Him by.

Instead, it was God's will for Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and be raised from the dead.

• And now if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

Mark 14:36 gives us more detail on what Jesus prayed that night...

Jesus prayed, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

Some criticize the kind of prayer that includes "Not what I will, but what You will", saying it is a prayer that lacks faith.

On the contrary. A prayer of strong faith is one that accepts His will over mine. It is having a heart that loves, trusts, and remains faithful to abba Father even when His answer is not what I'd hoped for.

Clearly, that was the foundation of Jesus' prayer and should be ours as well.

The point is this:: No matter how long or short, loud or quiet, earnestly or casually we pray, (even if we sweat blood), our Father's answer will always reflect His will.

In Luke 11:1, one of Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray.

Perhaps Jesus disciples struggled to pray.

They saw how some of the religious leaders positioned themselves in public areas so that others could see them praying and be impressed by their piety (Matthew 6:5).

The disciples also saw how pagans babbled on and on thinking their gods would hear them better if they talked a lot (Matthew 6:7).

In contrast, the disciples saw how Jesus often prayed in secret (Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12). Yet, His prayers, unlike the others, were answered publicly and in mighty ways.

There had to be some amazing formula to getting God to hear their prayers!

To the surprise of any prayer warrior among them that day, the prayer Jesus told His disciples to say is simple and brief...

It is the kind of prayer that when finished, an American prayer warrior today might mutter, “Is that it?”

It is a powerful but simple prayer known today as the "Lord's Prayer."

Breakdown of the "Lord's Prayer"

Luke 11:2-4

"Our Father in Heaven"

God is the mighty sovereign of the universe, who created, governs, and will judge all things — but, through Jesus Christ, He is also to us a Father. So, speak to God as to a loving heavenly Father. - John 20:17

"Hallowed be Your name"

His holy name should be reverenced and magnified. - Ezekiel 36:23; Malachi 1:11

"Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"

We should desire His will above our own.  

It should be understood that His will includes tests and trials. - John 15:18-25; James 1:2-4  

His will also includes "no" and "wait." - Luke 22:42; John 11:21; 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

"Give us day by day our daily bread"

God never promised to make us materially rich in this life. He did, however, promise to supply our needs if we put His interests first in our life. - Matthew 6:33

"And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us"

We should not expect anything from God with unconfessed sin in our lives. - Isaiah 1:15; Joshua 7:10-13; 1 John 1:9.  

Also, if we want Him to forgive us then we should forgive others. - Matthew 6:14; Matthew 18:15-35  

"And do not lead us into temptation"

We should have a healthy distrust of our own ability to resist temptation.

Knowing that God does not tempt us to sin (James 1:13), we should trust Him to help us imitate Him in everything we do because we are His dear children (Ephesians 5:1).  

"But deliver us from the evil one"

Trials will come to everyone, but not everyone keeps their faith.  

Pray that your faith, in your Father, remains strong and not fail, regardless of the present situation. - Luke 22:32

Do you pray with the model of the Lord's prayer in mind?

Or do you passionately present your list of demands to God?

Remember that He knows what we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8).

For example: I need transportation. I do not need a Maserati. Yelling, clapping my hands, disfiguring my face, and giving more tithes and offering will not force God to give me a Maserati. He knows whether or not a Honda is best for my budget.

Some people get the Maserati anyway then pray like a prayer warrior to pay the monthly car note and insurance!

That brings us back to 1 John 5:14: "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."

In His will, we know that He hears us in whatever we ask. We know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5:15

May the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you.