Let's Start Praying More (Part 16)

Persistence In Prayer (Continued) (2) Direction:
 

In addition to frequency, we are told that Daniel “had windows open toward Jerusalem”. The direction of Daniel’s prayer is based on the words of Solomon at the dedication of the temple.

 

“When the heavens are shut up and there is not rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them, then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk...” (1 Kings 8:35-39)

 

The LORD responded to the petition of Solomon saying, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is not rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes shall be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place…My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.” (2 Chron 7:12-16).

 

For this reason, all synagogues are oriented toward Jerusalem and the typical Jewish believer prays toward Jerusalem. The Greek text might not reference the direction or frequency that Jesus or the apostles prayed, but we can surmise that all followed the pattern of the Spirit inspired cloud of prophets and witnesses that followed before. After all, Jesus calls the temple in Jerusalem, “A house of prayer for all the nations,” (Matt 21:13)(Isa 56:7).

 

Whereas synagogues normally face toward the temple, churches and most believers have no such orientation. Is direction really a concern?  If we believe that greater effort results in greater reward in the physical world, how much more should we attempt to mirror the image of Jesus, the apostles, and the prophets in our prayers before God the Father.

 

While standing is often the form Jews take at the Western Wall or when praying the daily Amidah, the Bible records many various positions for praying. “People prayed standing (Gen 24:12-14), lifting up their hands (1 Tim 2:8), sitting (Jud 20:26), kneeling (Mark 1:40), looking upward (John 17:1), bowing down (Ex 34:8), placing their heads between their knees (1 Kings 18:42), pounding on their breasts (Luke 18:13), and facing the temple (Dan 6:10)…wearing sackcloth (Ps 35:13), sitting in ashes (Job 1:20-21, 2:8), crying tears (Ps 6:6), tearing garments (1 Kings 21:27), fasting (Deut 9:18), sighing (Ezra 9:4-15), groaning (Psa 6:4-6), agonizing with broken hearts (Ps 34:18), and singing songs (Acts 16:25).” (Alone With God, John MacArthur, Jr., 1997 Edition, page 19)

 

God allows great flexibility in our form. What God desires is our prayers.

 
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