“Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.”
–– Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 178
The Westminster Larger Catechism helpfully defines prayer as an offering up of our desires to God. But if you are like me, sometimes it can be hard to offer up and express our desires to God. Especially in such a way that is agreeable to his will. There have been many times in my life that I have just felt “stuck” with prayer.
I grew up praying before meals and before bed. I said the Lord’s Prayer thousands of times before sporting events. But true and intimate communion with God was something that I struggled with. I didn’t know how to articulate and express myself to God. My prayers were also quite redundant. They were filled with the same repetitious phrases that I had heard others say.
Over the course of time, there were two books that found their way into my hands that have been constant companions for me and that have permanently aided my own prayer. I would like to share with you the lessons that I have learned from each.
1) A Way To Pray – Matthew Henry
Many people know of Matthew Henry for his commentary on the Bible. His commentaries have been a source of wisdom for the evangelical community for over 300 years. Henry not only wrote commentary on Scripture he also wrote quite extensively on prayer. In his book A Way To Pray, Henry presents a method for prayer that is so simple, yet it is so profound. He encourages his readers to pray the language of Scripture back to God. What could be more encouraging to Christians desiring to enrich their prayer experience? If we are to pray for things ‘that are agreeable to his will’, then we find God’s will revealed to us in Scripture. Can there be anything more threatening to Satan than to hear believers in Christ approaching the throne of grace with expressions in prayer that we know will be honored by the Lord? In His goodness, God has not left us on our own to figure out how to express ourselves in prayer. For example, The Psalms are a collection of 150 songs/prayers that teach us how to pray. Herman Bavinck once noted that “the psalms teach us to say what goes on in our hearts in connection with His revelation in Christ, through the Spirit.” If you want to learn to pray, learn to read the Bible on your knees. Pray the language of Scripture back to God.
2) The Valley of Vision – Various
The Valley of Vision is a collection of Puritan prayers. When it comes to the Puritans and prayer, there are two things that stand out that we can all learn from. First, the Puritans viewed prayer as ‘taking hold of God.’ This phrase comes from Isaiah 64:7 which begins, “There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you.” The Puritans thought of prayer as a way of taking hold of God in the way that a child takes hold of his father. For the child, there is a total dependency upon their father for all the necessary provisions of life. So too, is there a total dependency by the Christian on God for his preserving grace. As the apostle Paul said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). Because the Christian is now hidden in Christ and bought by His precious blood, we do not come to God as a ‘consuming fire.’ Instead, we come to him as a loving father who knows how to give good things to those who ask. So let me encourage you to come boldly to throne of grace so that “you may receive mercy and find grace to help in a time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
The Puritan’s also viewed prayer as ‘pleading the promises.’ In other words, God has made promises to his people. We respond to God’s promises by redirecting those promises to the Lord in the form of prayer. God is a covenant keeping God. How could a God who is faithful to his word fail to answer prayers of this kind? He can’t, He has promised! As you read the Bible, use the Bible as a promise book. Consider one of my favorite promises for a moment:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand” (John 10:27-28)
What a comforting promise this is. That both the Son and the Father’s hands are wrapped around those who are His. No one or nothing can pluck us from those hands. When you come across a promise like this in the Bible, close your eyes and meditate on it. Let joy and thanksgiving flood your soul. Praise Him for his goodness. Ask God to remember this promise and ask him to forgive you for your unfaithfulness. Ask Him for His preserving grace to help you finish running your race with endurance.
If you ever get stuck with prayer, remember that you can take hold of God with confidence. Remember to plead the promises, and you can never go wrong praying the language of Scripture.
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