Let's Start Praying (Part 5)

THE FIRST RECORDED PRAYER: PRAY FOR YOUR ENEMIES


“Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children. For the LORD had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.” (Gen 20:17-18)


The first hint of prayer in the Bible occurs after the birth of Seth’s son Enosh, “Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD,” (Gen 4:26). The first reference to “pray” in the Bible was Abraham for Abimelech the king of Gerar. The first prayer in scripture is not for a person’s own needs or the needs of a close relative, but for another, even one very distant. Immediately after Abraham’s prayer for Abimelech, we read,


“The LORD took note of Sarah as He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time which God had spoken to him,” (Gen 21:1-2).


The Bible connects the praying of Abraham to open the “wombs of the household of Abimelech” to the story that immediately follows, “The LORD took note of Sarah…and the LORD did for Sarah as He had promised….so Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age,” (Gen 21:1-2). There is an implicit connection in scripture between the prayer of Abraham for Abimelech and the answer to Abraham’s prayer for Sarah to conceive. The close association of Abraham’s prayer for Abimelech and Sarah’s conception demonstrates that the answer to our prayer can come when we pray for the needs of another. From Everyman’s Talmud,


“One must not only think of himself when praying; he should also be mindful of the needs of his fellows. ‘Whoever has it in his power to pray on behalf of his neighbor and fails to do so, is called a sinner; as it said, ‘Far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, (1 Sam 12:23)’ (Ber 12b). ‘Whoever prays on behalf of a fellow-man, while being in need of the same thing, will be answered first’ (B.K. 92a).’” i.e., Sarah conceived.


Fulfilling the need of Abraham after he prayed for Abimelech follows the principle of “measure for measure”. Therefore, LORD’S response to our prayer may sometimes be contingent on praying for others, just as forgiveness is contingent on forgiving another, (Matt 6:12 & 18:35).


When Jesus told His disciples, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you might be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:44-45), He may have been alluding to the prayer of Abraham for Abimelech. Although not specifically defined as an enemy, Abimelech had married the wife of Abraham. This would not have put Abimelech in good standing with Abraham or God, (Gen 20:3). Even the LORD judged Abimelech calling him “a dead man because of the woman you have taken,” (Gen 20:3). Abraham’s prayer for Abimelech demonstrated that he was a son of His Father in heaven. When our prayers are not answered it may be an indication that we are not praying enough for others. After all,


“He (God) causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same…Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” (Matt 5:45-48).


These words of Jesus comes immediately after His call for believers to pray for our enemies. In effect, Jesus is saying that believers receive merit, sometimes referred to as “reward”, by doing what is difficult not by doing what is easy. The difficulty of praying for an enemy brings reward that will assist in the success of our own prayer.


Scott