Draw Close to God in Prayer

ANSWERING SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT PRAYER

To whom should we pray?  Jesus taught his followers to pray to "our Father in the heavens."  (Matthew 6:9)  Our prayers, then, must be directed to Jehovah God. However, Jehovah requires that we acknowledge the position of his only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. As we learned in Chapter 5, Jesus was sent to the earth to serve as a ransom to redeem us from sin and death.  (1 John 3:16; Romans 5:12) He is the appointed High Priest and Judge.  (John 5:22; Hebrews 6:20)  Hence, the Scriptures direct us to offer our prayers through Jesus.  He himself said: "I am the way the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)  For our prayers to be heard, we must pray only to Jehovah through his Son.

Must we assume a special position or posture when praying?  No.  Jehovah does not require any specific position, either of the hands or of the whole body.  The Bible teaches that is is acceptable to pray in a wide variety of positions.  These include sitting, bowing, kneeling, and standing.  (1 Chronicles 17:16; Nehemiah 8:6; Daniel 6:10; Mark 11:25)  What is truly important is, not some special posture that can be seen by others, but the right heart attitude.  In fact, during our daily activities or when we are faced with an emergency, we may offer a silent prayer wherever we are.  Jehovah hears such prayers even though they may go completely unnoticed by those around us. -Nehemiah 2:1-6. 

What may we pray for?  The Bible explains:  "No matter what it is that we ask according to his will, he  [Jehovah ] will hear us." (1 John 5:14)  So we may pray for anything that is in harmony with God's will.  (Note: which means; do no pray for a car or a mink coat or things of that nature)  Is it his will that we pray about personal concerns?  By all means!  Praying to Jehovah can be much like talking to a close friend. We may speak openly, 'pouring out heart out'to God.  (Psalm 62:8)  It is proper for us to ask for holy spirit,m for it will help us to do what is right.  (Luke 11:13)  We can also ask for guidance in making wise decisions and for strength in coping with difficulties.   (James 1:5)  When we sin, we should ask forgiveness on the basis of Christ's sacrifice.  (Ephesians 1:3, 7)  Of course, personal matters should not be the only subjects of our prayers.  We should broaden out our prayers to include other people-family members as well as fellow worshipers. - Acts 12:5; Colossians 4:12. 

Matters relating to Jehovah God should be given first importance in our prayers.  We certainly have reasons to express heartfelt praise and thanks to him for all his goodness.   (1 Chronicles 29:10-13)  Jesus gave the model prayer, recorded at Matthew  6:9-13, in which he taught us to pray that God's name be sanctified, that is treated as sacred, or holy.  That God's Kingdom come and that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven are mentioned next.  Only after covering these important matters relating to Jehovah did Jesus give attention to personal concerns. When we likewise give God the most important place in our prayers, we show that we are interested in more than just our own welfare. 

Next time:  Draw Close to God in Prayer/Conclusion of ANSWERING SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT PRAYER

From the book: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH?