QUESTION 17
Where
And When Should We Pray?
Under administrations prior
to the present one and its associated evangel of the Uncircumcision, we
read of special places for worship. The people of Israel worshipped
Yahweh before His tabernacle in the wilderness. They later worshipped Him
at Bethel. Jerusalem was the next place determined by God for legitimate
worship and sacrifice.
We read also of set times
for prayer. Daniel prayed thrice in the day (Dan.6:10). The
ninth
hour is called 'the hour of prayer' (Act.3:1). Cornelius was praying at
this, then significant. hour when he received the vision that led to his
conversion (Act.10:3). Peter was praying on the house-top at the sixth
hour when he received his vision and directions that converged on Cornelius'
experience (Act.10:9)..
But the time came for all
these to be put aside to make place for true worship in spirit.
Place and time, rite and ritual, and ceremony and observance of special
days became insignificant and redundant. Sincerity and truth have become
paramount.
Gal.4:9-11
Yet now, knowing God, yet rather being known by God,
how are you turning back
again
to the infirm and poor elements
for which you want to slave again anew?
Days are you scrutinizing,
and months and seasons and years.
I fear for you, lest somehow
I have toiled for you feignedly.
Col.2:16-18
Let no one, then, be judging you
in food or in drink
or in the particulars of a festival, or of a new moon, or
of sabbaths,
which are a shadow of those
things which are impending--yet the body is the Christ's.
Let no one be arbitrating
against you,
who wants, in humility and
the ritual of the messengers,
to parade what he has seen,
feignedly, puffed up by his fleshly mind,
and not holding the Head,
out of Whom the entire body,
being supplied and united
through the assimilation and ligaments,
is growing in the
growth of God.
Jesus Christ, Himself, spoke
on this subject during His ministry. Of special note is His conversation
with the woman of Samaria at the well.
Jn.4:21
Jesus is saying to her, "Believe Me, woman, that, coming is an hour
when neither in this
mountain nor in Jerusalem shall you be worshiping the Father.
Jn.4:23,24 But
coming is the hour, and now is,
when the true worshipers
will be worshiping the Father in spirit and truth,
for the Father also is seeking
such to be worshiping Him.
God is spirit, and those
who are worshiping Him must be worshiping in spirit and truth."
When Scripture uses figures
of speech, under the category of 'condescension', God is said to
be 'above' and 'in' heaven. In reality, however, God is spirit. He is not
subject to any limiting law. He permeates the universe, being present
everywhere. He is not at any time limited, delineated, or confined to any
particular volume of space. As such, we may pray to Him wherever
we are and whenever we want.
Jesus set the precedent.
Mk.1:35
And in the morning, rising very early, still in the night,
He came out and came away
into a desolate place, and there He prayed.
Lk.6:12
Now it occurred in these days that He came out into the mountain
to pray,
and throughout the night
He was in the prayer of God.
When we have a conversation
with an honoured dignitary, we would prefer to have things quiet around
us so that we may concentrate on responding correctly to the subject at
hand. We would not want to miss out on leads and questions being given.
Neither would we think of ignoring comments and directions. Can we afford
less concentration in prayer in the august presence of God?
It would be ideal, then,
if we could retire to a quiet place, away from the distractions
that abound all around us and bring ourselves to focus on what is at hand,
on the privilege of our dialogue with God.
Mt.6:5,6
Now you, whenever you may be praying,
enter into your storeroom,
and, locking your door, pray to your Father Who is in hiding,
and your Father, Who is
observing in hiding, will be paying you.
Jesus was often in prayer and
this
is the environment He sought.
Lk.5:15,16
Yet rather the account concerning Him passed through,
and vast throngs came together
to hear and to be cured by Him of their infirmities.
Now He was retreating
in the wilderness and praying.
Mt.14:23 And,
dismissing the throngs, He ascended into the mountain privately
to pray.
Now, evening coming on,
He was there alone.
Lk.9:18
…And it occurred, as He is praying in seclusion,...
Scripture declares that we can
be heard - and will be heard when we pray.
Act.17:27,28
… to be sure, not far from each one of us is He inherent,
for in Him we are
living and moving and are,
Ps.139:7,8
Whither could I go from Your spirit,
And whither could I run
away from Your presence?
If I should climb to the
heavens, You are there,
And should I make my berth
in the unseen, behold, You are there.
Jer.23:24
Is any one hidden in secret places, and I see him not?
an affirmation of Yahweh,
Do not I fill the heavens and the earth?
Our assurance of being heard
in prayer is emphasized in the evangel which we have believed. We do not
have to climb the highest mountains or dive into the deepest ocean; we
do not have to be in temples or in churches or in any particular place,
to have God hear us. He is with us through His spirit which makes
its home in us. He it is Who inspires us to pray - will He, then,
not listen?
2Tim.1:14
…through the spirit which is making its home in us.
Rom.8:9
…you are…in spirit, is so be that God’s spirit is making its home in
you…
1Cor.3:16
…you are the temple of God
and the spirit of God is
making
its home in you…
2Cor.6:16b …For
you are the temple of the living God,…
Rom.8:26,27
the
spirit also is aiding our infirmity,
for what we should be praying
for, to accord with what must be, we are not aware,
but the spirit itself
is pleading for us with inarticulate groanings.
Now He Who is searching
the hearts is aware what is the disposition of the spirit,
for in accord with God
is it pleading for the saints
As for the individual, so also
for group prayer, it would be recommended that it is done with appreciation
and respect of God, in quiet surroundings conducive to serenity, in a peaceful
and orderly manner, without any fuss and pomp, and without creating the
semblance of a show!
September 2001
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