they seemed to see prayer as the secret of spiritual success in the One whom they so much admired. This request p romp ted the longest and most significant sin gle instruction on prayer found anywhere in the Word o f God (Luke 11:1-13). Perhaps no les son is more desperately needed to day among believers than this practical lesson on the modus op- erandi of prayer. The most startling thing about this lesson is what is left out, the things the Lord does not say about prayer. The Lord says noth ing about any given physical posi tion for proper prayer nor does He give His disciples cute little prayers to be recited in rote fash ion. (Close study of this so-called “ Lord’s Prayer” reveals that it was never intended to be recited in a ritual manner.) The Lord said nothing about assuming a pious tone o f voice when praying or using a particular s t i l ted “prayer vocabulary.” Many peo ple revert unwittingly to the use of King James medieval English when they pray. Certainly, ac cording to common contemporary prayer practices that we see all around us, one would have ex pected instruction along these lines. Christ began His prayer in struction with the words, “When you pray, say.” So, at the very outset, it becomes evident that prayer is a precise act rather than a nebulous communal attitude as so often prayers are construed to be today. It is an act, not per formed in cold ritualism, but in intimate converse with the heav enly Father.” The word “ Father,” as uttered by Christ, is fraught with filial intimacy. The most startling aspect o f New Testa ment prayer practice is that of direct intimate filial address to one’s own loving father. This is the way Christ prayed and the way He taught us to pray. We are not to address an awesome Deity way “ out there” but we are called upon to address a deeply-con cerned Father who is vitally in terested in every aspect o f our life
J esus C hr ist , in His last re corded discourse (of any length) assured His follow ers that if they would ask, He would do (John 14:13, 14). In this statement, prayer is envi sioned as the primary human fac tor in the accomplishment o f the Divine program on this earth. With a startling boldness, Christ asserted that Divine action, in some mysterious manner is con ditioned upon believing prayer. Prayer is thus set forth as the chief task o f the believer. It is his responsibility to ask. It is God’s responsibility to do. James voiced much the same truth when he said, “Ye have not because ye ask not. . . The responsibility for asking is ours; the responsibility for doing is God’s. When the be liever does not ask, God is not responsible to “ do,” and so the believer “ has not.” This two-fold division of re sponsibility (i.e., our asking and God’s doing) can be seen effec tively at work in the earth church. A close study of the book of Acts will reveal that the believers fer vently and persistently asked and God consistently did. To be sure,
God worked through human in strumentality but close scrutiny reveals that this work was Divine (not human) power at work ac complishing mighty deeds. In light of all o f this, it is diffi cult to envision the successful functioning o f God’s program, be it individual or corporate, apart from the consistent and proper practice o f prayer. In fact, it seems almost axiomatic that a failure in prayer will mean a fail ure in the effective functioning of the individual (or the group) so far as God’s work is concerned. It, therefore, becomes self-evi dent that instruction relative to proper prayer practice is o f the utmost importance to the disciple. Because not only must the believ er “ ask,” but also he must be care ful not to ask “ amiss,” or in the wrong way (James 4:3). Our Lord’s disciples evidently realized this fact, because the one and only time they ever asked the Lord to teach them anything, was for prayer instruction. In Luke 11:1 they urged, “Lord teach us to pray.” Evidently these men had noted that with Jesus, prayer was a force rather than a form. Indeed
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