Prayer is communicating with God, presenting some petition or directing praise to Him. But, not all prayers are acceptable. There are rules to acceptable prayer just as there are with all worship. Jesus, quoting from Isaiah 29:13, made application to the Jews of His time—
“This people honoreth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.”
Just because one prays does not mean God will “answer” the prayer. Jesus warned of this in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:5-15. He speaks of some praying to be seen of men, that is, with the motive of receiving applause for one’s religious devotion. He says they have already received all the reward they will get. Others use vain repetitions, a constant saying of the same thing over and over again, thinking they will be heard for their much speaking. Jesus says it is vain; it nullifies the prayer. James 4:3 says—
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend [it] in your pleasures.”
It is true that some people, contrary to the rules of acceptable prayer, will ask for something which they eventually receive. However, we cannot credit God with the giving in such an instance. They would have received what they asked for even if they had not prayed. It was coincidence. Even wicked people have good things happen to them, the rain comes on the just and unjust alike.
That being the case, how can we know that God is listening and will grant what we ask? Well, we can know by following the rules for acceptable prayer established in scripture. Let’s see what they are.
(1) One must be saved from sin and become a child of God first. John 9 records a healing performed by Jesus. In defending what Jesus did, the man who was healed said in verse 31 that God does not hear a sinner’s prayer. This fact was well understood by the Jews even in the Old Testament, II Chronicles 7:14.
Look at the requirements they had to meet in order for God to forgive them and give them blessings. Note especially the statement, “my people.” Only God’s people, God’s family, can rightly call on Him as Father. To pray to “our Father who art in heaven,” one must have Him as ones father. These people are referred to as the righteous, but only, of course, if they are righteous, just as Peter said in I Peter 3:12.
James 5:16 says that the prayer of a righteous man avails much in its working. One must be righteous in order for that to happen. One is righteous, if he works righteousness. See this in Acts 10:34-35.
It doesn’t matter what your nationality, Jew or Greek, you are accepted with God, but only if you fear Him and work righteousness. That’s the only one to whom God will listen and grant petitions. To these passages, we add I John 3:21-22—
“Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.”
One must be on praying ground with God to begin with, in order for God to hear and answer prayer. Whatever it takes to be free from sin, become righteous, must be attended to first of all. We must do His will, keep His commandments, not be a sinner, be an active worshipper of God and do those things pleasing in His sight. All of these things are necessary in order for God to hear and answer our prayers.
If we meet the rules of acceptable prayer, we can know that God is listening and will answer. The way to “know” God is spelled out in detail for us. Look at I John 2:3-6—
“And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him.”
Notice the “if” conditions. We can “know” God only if we “keep his commandments.” Notice the “if” conditions in acceptable prayer. They are the same conditions as with knowing God.
People will sometimes insist that they know God based solely on believing in His existence and having an emotional feeling. That has never been enough. This is also true in regard to loving God. It isn’t just mentally believing in God and having an emotional feeling. Note what Jesus says in John 14:21, 23-24—
“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him.”
“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my words: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me.”
So, only wanting something and thinking that God is just a “Santa Claus” who will hand over whatever we want just because we ask for it, is completely false. Yet, there are more rules.
(2) One must ask according to the Will of God. I John 5:14-15 says it clearly— “And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.”
Notice that He hears us only if we ask according to His will. This means we must ask in keeping with the rules God sets forth in His word. If we do that, then we can know that He hears us and He will grant what we ask. But, that is the only way we can know that. Just our opinion, our emotions, a wish for it to be so, or any other standard, will not do. But, let’s note the verses following, I John 5:16-17—
“If any man see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and [God] will give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: not concerning this do I say that he should make request. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.”
The “sin unto death” is that which has no repentance and the “sin not unto death” is that which has the person’s repentance. John says we are not to pray that God will give life to the person who sins unto death. But, we are to pray for the one who repents of his sins; God will give life to that person.
If this is so, perhaps you are wondering why Jesus said in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” This could not refer to the two thieves, plural, mentioned just before this statement, nor to those immediately mentioned afterward who parted his garments and cast lots, nor to the wicked rulers who mocked him in the verses following that. It could only refer to those present who finally came to their senses and repented. But, who were they?
Jesus said in John 8:28—
“When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am.”
When would they realize that? When they had put Jesus on the Cross. This literally came true. Look at Luke 23:48—
“And all the multitudes that came together to this sight, when they beheld the things that were done, returned smiting their breasts.”
“Smiting” the breasts was a sign of repentance and sorrow. It was a GREAT multitude. When they “beheld the things that were done,” they realized that Jesus was who He claimed to be, just as Jesus said would happen. Given the record of events, these were the only people Jesus could have asked for forgiveness of the Father. They “knew not” what they were doing until the scene of the Cross, graphically, showed them that Jesus was truly the Christ. God will only forgive those who are penitent.
Luke 18:1-8 tells us we must be persistent in asking God. But, there is a difference between vain repetition and continuing to ask God about something important to us. Indeed, Scripture gives us several subjects we are to pray for, all our lives. And, I realize that there is much more to the subject of prayer, and other rules, both of positive and negative nature. For instance, James 1:6 says we must ask God in faith, nothing doubting. Although we are to confess our sins and pray one for another, James 5:16, one must repent of his sins first, I John 1:9.
However, the very first step,
before any other, is to become a child of God.
