Let's Start Praying More (Part 14)

 
FASTING AND PRAYER

After the failure of the disciples to cast out the demon from a possessed man, Jesus told His disciples, "This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting," (Matt 17:21). Based on the words of Jesus, we understand that fasting can help us when we pray. The natural question is how does fasting aid the believer. The words of Ezra help to answer that question,

 

"I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions…so we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listed to our entreaty." (Ezra 8:21-23).

 

Fasting is a way of humbling ourselves and showing our sincerity before the LORD (Psa 35:13), and was the pattern for some of the prophets prayers in scripture (Neh 1:4)(Esth 9:31)(Dan 9:3). This pattern was reflected by the righteous men and women who anticipated the birth of the Messiah (Luke 2:37), was performed by the disciples of John (Luke 5:33), and replicated by the apostles (Acts 13:2, 14:23). The LORD told Israel,

 

"Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the LORD your God," (Joel 2:12)

 

Although prayer does not require fasting to be effective, we see fasting associated with effective prayer in scripture (Luke 2:37)(Acts 13:3 & 14:23). Fasting and weeping were often associated with significant prayers given by the saints: Nehemiah as he sought favor before king Artaxerxes I to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem (Neh 1:4); Daniel when interpreting "the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, seventy years. So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes," (Dan 9:2-3); The people of Ninevah at the preaching of Jonah, (Jonah 3:5-10); and Ezra for protection on the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem, (Ezra 8:21-23)

 

Isaiah makes it clear that there is fasting that can make our prayers more effective and there is fasting that is just going through the motions. Therefore, if and when we may choose to fast, we need to fast in a way to make our voices heard on high, (Isa 58:4).

 

(Next - Persistence in Prayer, Scott)

Let's Start Praying More (Part 13)

 
PRAYER FROM THE HEART (KAVANNAH)
 
“On the biblical verse ‘And serve Him with all your heart’ (Deut 11:13), the rabbis commented ‘What is service of the heart? This is prayer’ (Ta’an 2a). ‘Service’ (avodah) in this context is connected with the Temple and its worship, for which prayer is seen as a substitute.” (Encyclopaedia Judaica, Volume 16, page 59)
 
With the previous discussion on the prerequisites to effective prayer, a believer could become discouraged thinking he is unworthy of a response. To such a concern, Jesus told the following parable contrasting the person who thinks that he has all the merit necessary for effective prayer with the person who has the right heart.
 
“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14)
 
In prayer, as in offerings and giving, it is not the person who goes through the motions but the person whose motivation is pure and heart is right before God. As written in the Talmud, “When one prays, he must turn his eyes downward and his heart upward, (Jeb. 105b)…When you pray, know before Whom you stand, (Ber. 28b).” Effective prayer comes from the person whose heart is sincere while his life reflects obedience to the commandments of God. As David wrote, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psa 51:17)
 
The effectiveness of a believer’s prayer is directly proportional to the condition of a believer’s heart, as Joel wrote, “Rend your heart and not your garments,” (Joel 2:13). The Hebrew word for the proper mindset (soul and spirit) of prayer is “kavannah”, which loosely translates as “the intention or direction of the heart.” This concept is preserved in the prayer of David for the people of Israel and Solomon,
 
“You try the heart and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things…O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, perserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of Your people, and direct their heart to You; and give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statues, and to do them all.” (1 Chron 29:17-19)
 
Maimonides, the Middle-Age condifier of Jewish Law wrote, “Kavvanah means that a man should empty his mind of all other thoughts and regard himself as if he were standing before the Divine Presence.” (Encyclopaedia Judaica, Volume 16, page 459).  The objective in prayer is to approach God, as David prayed for Solomon, with “a perfect heart.”  Are we truly sorry for our sins (Psalms 51) and do we truly believe that the LORD God is capable of answering our prayer, (James 1:5-7).  According to Rabbi Heshy Kleinman,
 
“Sincerity turns an ordinary person’s prayer into a prayer of greatness, and sincerity is a quality anyone can develop. It arises naturally from the recognition that Hashem alone has the power to help us, and that our words or prayer are our only means of setting this power in motion.” (Praying With Fire, Rabbi Heshy Kleinman, page 60)
 
Sincerity can turn the routine prayer into an effective prayer. Hannah “wept and would not eat” when she when up to the house of the LORD because she was barren. The priest Eli saw Hannah “she was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly,” (1 Sam 1:10). He thought she was drunk, but Hannah told him, “I have poured out my soul before the LORD,” (1 Sam 1:15). Her prayer was answered by the birth of Samuel the prophet who would anoint David the King of Israel.
 
Hezekiah “wept bitterly” as he prayed, “O LORD, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done good in your sight,” (2 Kings 20:3). The LORD responded by adding fifteen years to the life of Hezekiah. Josiah wept and prayed to the LORD after hearing the words of the Law that had been found during the cleaning of the temple. Huldah the prophetess brought these words in response to the prayer of Josiah,
 
“But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD.” (2 Chron 34:27)
 
The sincerity of a person’s heart is often reflected in fasting, weeping, and mourning, (Joel 2:12). Jacob “wept and sought his favor” (Hos 12:4), when he struggled with and found favor from the angel of God at Bethel. Even “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), before He prayed to the Father for the raising of Lazarus. The Father then answered the prayer of Jesus with the greatest miracle of His earthly ministry. The model of prayer is recorded by the author of Hebrews, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission,” (Heb 5:7, NIV).
 
Heshey Kleinman reflects the importance of emotion in the words we pray, “With a nominal addition of feeling, a person can transform rote prayer into meaningful prayer, and in doing so, draw Hashem’s mercy into the daily tasks and labors of love that fill his days.” (Praying With Fire, Rabbi Heshy Kleinman, page 66)

 The prayer of a believer is not heard because of his many words nor the use of powerful phrases, but for the cry of the believer’s heart. In the words of John MacArthur Jr., “The Lord takes our prayers not by number but by weight.” (Alone With God, John MacArthur, Jr., page 27)  Maybe that is what makes the “Lord’s Prayer” so powerful, in a few words the full weight of connection between the Father and Son is felt. Maybe that is what it means to pray in the Spirit (Eph 6:18), to pray with kavannah.
 
(Scott)

Let's Start Praying More (Part 12)

 
TRANSFORMATION AND MERIT THROUGH PRAYER
 
Most believers come before the Father in prayer hoping to change the mind of the Father. However, this idea runs contrary to the scripture, “I, the LORD, do not change” (Mal 3:6) and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever,” (Heb 13:8). If the mind of the Creator can be easily changed, He becomes like one of the gods of mythology who the ancient people believed could be tricked into answering their prayers.
 
Many believers will initially think this understanding runs contrary to passages in scripture such as after the petition of Moses, “The LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people” (Ex 32:14), and the extension of Hezekiah’s life by fifteen years after he prayed, (2 Kings 20:1-6).  However, saying that the LORD God changes His mind dismisses His foreknowledge of our prayer and actions. In reality, God has already foreseen His response before the words of our prayer have even entered our mind, (Isa 65:24). The real power and purpose of prayer is to transform the believer and bring him into a closer relationship with God, as the author of Hebrews writes,
 
“Draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:22)
 
In scripture, prayer is seen to change the person who prayed. The Encyclopedia Judiaca observed that through prayer,  “Abraham learned the lesson of faith (Gen 15:1-6); Moses became his people’s deliver (Ex 3:2-4:18); Isaiah was transformed into a prophet (Isa 6:5-8).” (Encyclopedia Judiaca, Volume 16, page 458)
 
The act of praying has the power to transform the individual who prays through the merit of prayer and the desire to live a life worthy of an answered prayer. “When we pray for the recovery of a sick person we are performing an important mitzvah by declaring that health and illness, life and death, are in His hands alone.” (Praying With Fire, Rabbi Heshy Kleinman, page xv)
 
In addition to the person praying, the person who is prayed for also receives merit because his illness has caused other people to perform the mitzvah of prayer (ibid, page xvi). The combination of personal merit, i.e. “righteousness”, and the merit that comes from the collective prayer of others can bring a sick person back to health. Following this understanding, we can postulate that the more righteous people praying for a sick person, the greater chance that healing will occur.
 
“Ultimately, the sick person himself is transformed by all the merit he has accumulated, albeit without his knowledge, and the decree against him may be rescinded…Sometimes, the merit a sick person accumulates throught the prayers of other people is sufficient to tip the scales in his favor and rescind the evil decree…The merits accumulated by the sick person, through his own prayers, and through the prayers of others, belong to him for all eternity, along with the merit of all the mitzvos he has performed during his lifetime.” (Ibid, page xvii).  While study of the scripture will bring us into the world to come, “prayer can provide all the necessities of this world, such as good health, a livelihood, peace of mind, and spiritual growth.”
 
The apostle Paul appears to validate the understanding that merit comes from prayer when he wrote to the Corinthians, “You also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many,” (2 Cor 1:11).  The "prayers" of Corinthian believers, resulted in "favor", which leads to "thanks...given by many persons."  The thanksgiving results in merit attributable to those who speak it and those who originally prayed.
 
The model for prayer in the epistle of James is the prophet Elijah. “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit,” (James 5:17-18). Elijah may have been “a man with a nature like ours”, but it was the personal merit of Elijah, derived from his righteousness, that the LORD answered when he “prayed earnestly”.
 
The believer should never take the ability to pray for granted. It is a gift that appears confined to human beings created in the image of God. I am unaware of any passage in scripture that indicates prayer from any other created being. Although angels are given to praise the Creator, they only carry out the will of the Creator and are not given to lifting prayers for the intercession of the Creator. Each human being is capable of prayer that could achieve the impact of the prophets and great men of the Bible.
 
“Our prayers have the potential to do as much for us as the prayers of our great ancestors did for them.” (Praying With Fire, Rabbi Heshy Kleinman, page 59)
 
Back in Austin - Have a Blessed Week (Scott)

Let's Start Praying More (Part 11)

 
This is a continuation of our examination on the three conditional requirements for answered prayer according to 2 Chronicles 7:14, "My people who are called by My name (1) humble themselves and pray and (2) seek My face and (3) turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
 
(3) Turn From Their Wicked Ways: To “turn from their wicked ways” is understood in scripture as the actions of a repentant heart, as it is written, “Repent, then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,” (Acts 3:19, NIV).
 
In the words of Rabbi Heshy Kleinman, “Prayer, along with repentance, will be the catalyst that sets in motion the Final Redemption.” (Praying with Fire, page 50).  Repentance is the physical act of turning around and moving away from the pathway of rebellion and turning toward God, demonstrated by actions that reflects a repentive hear. Paul told the Gentiles “Repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance,” (Acts 26:20).  On the day of Pentecost Peter told the people, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” (Acts 2:38).
 
The LORD does not hear the prayers of those who live in disobedience, as it is written, “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him,” (John 9:31). From Micah we read, “Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time because they practiced evil deeds,” (Micah 3:4). Solomon recorded the words of the LORD in this way,
 
“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer, they will seek me diligently but they will not find me, because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD. They would not accept my counsel, they spurred all my reproof. So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way and be satisfied with their own devices.” (Prov 1:28-31)
 
To have “effective prayer”, a believer must pray “in accordance with His will”. A believer must approach the LORD with a repentant heart, a life that is living in a state of obedience to the word of the LORD, and the believer must desire a deeper relationship with the Father. Just as the offering at the temple was dependent on the sincerity of the person’s heart, the qualifications for effective prayer originate with, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart”. In the words of the Talmud writers,
 
“A person’s prayer is not heard unless he places his heart in his hand; as it is said, ‘We lift up our heart and hands toward God in heaven’ (Lam 3:41) (Taan. 8a)”
 
A believer must not just raise his hands in prayer (1 Tim 2:8), but also his heart. For prayer to be effective, a person must approach God with “clean hands and a pure heart,” (Psa 24:4). A “pure heart” follows the pattern of David, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will,” (Acts 13:22). When a person elevates his spiritual status through prayer, he lays the foundation to receive the blessing of the LORD. The higher the spiritual level a person develops through prayer, the greater the capacity to receive the blessing of the LORD.


(NEXT - The transformation of a person through prayer - Scott)