WHY WE DO NOT PRAY

WBS.313

WHY WE DO NOT PRAY

Luke 12:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

* * * * *

In our last post, we asked the question, “Why pray?”  It is a relevant question since it is regarded as an expected function of all believers.  The problem is, most believers do not pray, at least not more than praying before meals to give thanks for their food; or obligatory prayers when in the public eye.  Actual serious devotion to prayer and intercession are virtually alien to the lives of contemporary Christians. Most are perfectly satisfied that they are “good Christians” when they pray for 15-30 seconds after a five minute daily devotional read of someone else’s thoughts on the Scripture. In truth, we all know that we are derelict in what we understand to be a duty to pray. 

Why do we instinctively regard prayer as a duty (and you know we do)?  Maybe it has something to do with the 22 separate verses quoted in our last post commanding us to pray. So, the first and most important answer to last week’s question: “Why pray?” is quite simply, “We are commanded to do so.”  That is the #1 reason why anyone of us should pray. In our next post, we will begin to deal with the question screaming in the back of our heads, “Why are we commanded to pray? What is the point?”  

For today’s issue, “Why we do not pray,” we will examine the reasons why we do not pray. Up front, I will be very honest with you.  This post is going to revolve around my personal experience, my opinion based on my experience with others, and some Scripture.  Since the Scripture repeatedly commands us to pray, it spends precious little time explaining why we don’t obey that command. First, let’s take a look at the one passage of Scripture that seems to provide us with reasons for not praying. It may seem a bit indirect; but our own experience will demonstrate its accuracy.

Luke 12:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Overcharged (baryno) – Weighed down, burdened.

Surfeiting (kraipale) – the giddiness resulting from drinking, to include the behavior associated with intoxication.

Drunkenness (methe) – intoxication.

Cares (merimna) of this life (biotikos)– cares and anxieties associated with our physical life; the affairs of living.

Here, Messiah warns his disciples to beware. That means there is a danger, an enemy of their soul for which they need to keep watch lest they are overcome by it; and that is allowing their hearts to be weighed down with intoxication and from the behavior that results from it.  Paul warned the Ephesians to “be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the (Holy) Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18) In the apostles’ day, this was perhaps a more relevant concern than it is today. Then, grape juice was the common drink; and fermentation was a natural byproduct of time. Once fermented, the juice became wine and intoxication would result if moderation were not engaged. Today, we have many other non-alcoholic beverage options; but we could just as easily compare this to other things we allow to grasp our heart and focus of mind and become the director of our behavior trapping us into addictive worldly disobedient living: taking care of your car, watching television, hanging out with the boys/girls, golf, any activity that becomes your preference over spending time in fellowship with your Elohim.

The Master also lists as an enemy, the cares and anxieties of the affairs of day-to-day living.  This is a natural concern as all people have needs of survival requiring food, water, clothing…and the ability to pay one’s bills so they can secure food, water and clothing.  A disciple, however, is not a “natural man” and is not to be concerned about such things. The Master addressed this in his “Sermon on the Mount.”

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought (merimnao) for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of Elohim, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

He does not say “Do not think about your life,” but rather, “Take no anxious thought for your life.” To do so is dangerous. It is doubt the love and the word of our Father; and it is to listen to and to give ground to an enemy.

Messiah goes on to command them to “watch ye therefore, and pray always.” Prayer will be the first activity to go when one allows addictive practice and behavior to enter their life.  The cares of this world often result in prayers of desperation, anxious prayer (the “Help! Bail me out, please!” kind of prayer)…which is faithless prayer and sin. The Father does not even hear it (See Romans 14:23; 1 John 5:14-15).  So, Scripture teaches us that one reason why we do not pray is our lack of separation from the attractions and cares of this world. Put another way, it is when we seek the world for entertainment rather than seeking it from IAUE. [At this point some may reflect, “Seeking IAUE for entertainment??”  Was IAUE not David’s greatest source of joy and pleasure? (Psalm 16:110) Is it not an indictment against our spiritual lives that we do not desire to spend more time with Him than we do many other things and other people?]

This is the Scripture’s lone explanation as to why we do not pray. Love of the world will destroy love of IAUE and will result in prayerlessness.  Now, let’s examine what I would consider to be the top four other reasons.

If the primary reason we SHOULD pray is because Scripture commands us to pray; thus, the #1 reason why we do not pray is:  Disobedience is inconsequential to us. We absolutely have no concern about disobeying IAUE or our Master Yahushua Messiah. (I will leave the reader to contemplate the implications and ramifications of this reality.)

Another reason why we do not pray is:  We have no confidence in prayer. Why spend time praying when we believe it will result in nothing? The first thing this mindset ignores is the abundance of times we are commanded to pray. Obviously, our Father and our Master, and the New Testament writers believed prayer was effective, otherwise they would not have instructed us to pray 22 separate times. Don’t their very commands to pray teach us anything about prayer’s usefulness?

Another reason why we do not pray is: We do not know how to pray.  We often think there must be some formula or format to effective prayer. We don’t know if we should kneel, bow, fold our hands, or stand. We don’t know if we should speak to IAUE or to Yahushua or even to the Holy Spirit. We don’t know what to say or ask or what we can say or ask; and yet we do nothing to learn how to pray. We just don’t pray.  At least the disciples asked Messiah to teach them how to pray.

Another reason why we do not pray is: We consider it a waste of time. Into this is rolled up our love of the world (because time spent praying interferes with time we feel would be better spent on things we actually enjoy doing). Also rolled into this is our lack of confidence in prayer. If we do not believe it will be effective, then we will regard it a waste of time (which, by default, means time spent with IAUE is not as important to us as time spent in our own interests).

When you consider these four reasons why believers do not pray, you can see how they are all addressed by the one passage of Scripture that shows us why we should pray. The greatest of all commandments is to love IAUE our Elohim with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. When we allow our mind to lead our hearts into the love of other things that eventually are exalted over our love for IAUE to the point we prefer them over Him, prayer ceases to exist in our lives in any meaningful way. If we understand this to be true, then we can understand that the #1 remedy to prayerlessness is to recapture our love of IAUE. Our desire to prayer will increase in direct proportion to the intensity of our desire to spend time with our Father.

Prayer will never become an active part of our life until love for IAUE and Yahushua regain the center of our life. We can go through the motions and mechanics of; and we can discipline ourselves to spend time to pray; but until the motive for prayer is born of a love for IAUE and our Master, and we truly desire the outworking of the Father’s will in the earth, we will never comprehend how prayer can and should be the most exciting thing we do. To achieve this, we need to understand why we are commanded to pray.

WHY PRAY

WBS.312

WHY PRAY?

Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Master, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

* * * * *

The disciples (who would become the original apostles) had been with Yahushua for nearly two years when this incident took place. It is interesting to note that the Master’s answer was the same thing he preached in the Sermon on the Mount very early in his ministry, and likely was an integral part of many of his teachings to the masses who followed him daily. By the time this event occurred, the disciples had become quite attentive to the fact that prayer was an extremely important part of his life. Those who had been disciples of John witnessed first-hand at his baptism on the very first day the Master was revealed to Israel, how significant a part prayer was in his life.

Luke 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Yahushua also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,  22 And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

That is probably a little-known fact. No one ever seems to mention that Yahushua prayed before the Holy Spirit descended upon him after he was baptized by John.

The disciples also saw him literally sneak away from the masses who surrounded and followed him every day so he could spend alone-time in prayer.

Luke 5:15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.    16  And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

 Finally, after seeing how important prayer was to Yahushua, our opening Scripture says that “one of his disciples,” after watching him pray and waiting for him to end his time in prayer, said “Master, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples.”  After two years, the disciples probably selected one among them to follow Messiah to where he sought solitude to pray; and after respectfully waiting for him to conclude his time in prayer, to ask him on their behalf how to pray…like John did for his disciples.  That means the disciples of Yahushua who had previously been disciples of John had heard John’s teaching on prayer. That instruction, like so much teaching in contemporary Christianity, had become merely more acquired knowledge, useless by virtue of no application.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

In retrospect, it would seem this was a request born of curiosity more than of a desire to know more perfectly how actually to pray.  Do we ever see in the gospel accounts the disciples praying?  The only time seems to be in the garden of Gethsemene where they could not remain awake while their Master was in great travail in prayer. That they were not men experienced in prayer seems quite obvious by this.

From this we can understand that prayer was extremely important to the Master Yahushua Messiah, the one person whom human logic would suggest would not need to pray at all; but, ultimately, prayer was not considered important to the disciples…at least not during the 3½ year of the Master’s earthly ministry.  It became important after the resurrection when Yahushua instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until he sent them the Holy Spirit.  The disciples/apostles with 100+ other followers entered into an upper room for ten days.

Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Yahushua, and with his brethren.

After the Holy Spirit came (Acts 2), when disputes arose regarding the administration of food to the disciples in need, the apostles explained the danger of this distraction to the commission of Messiah.

Acts 6:2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of Elohim, and serve tables. 3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

They had finally learned the importance and absolute necessity of prayer. We see multiple times in both the Gospels and in the epistles the command to pray.

Matthew 5:44 …pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Matthew 6:5 And when thou prayest…”

Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest…”

Matthew 6:7 But when ye pray…”

Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye…”

Matthew 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Master of the harvest…”

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation…”

Mark 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray…”                         

Luke 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Master of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

Luke 8:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Acts 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer…”

Ephesians 6:18 always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…”

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto Elohim.”

Colossians 4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

1 Thessalonians 5:25 Brethren, pray for us.

1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men

1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where

Hebrews 13:18 Pray for us…

 James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another…

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer

The apostles repeatedly had been commanded to pray; but they never seemed to obey that command. They were so inexperienced in prayer and so unaware of its value that just hours before their Master’s brutal death, they could only think of sleep.  After all, it was late at night, right? What did they finally understand about prayer?  What did they learn beyond academic instruction regarding the the importance and necessity of prayer?

The church, today, seems to be in the apostles’ pre-resurrection phase of experience regarding prayer.  We would rather sleep than pray. We would rather listen to teachers and preachers than pray. We would rather read the Scriptures than pray. Actually, we would pretty much rather do anything else, even sin, than spend time in prayer.  We need to get to the post-resurrection experience and obey this oft-repeated command.  To do that, we will need revelation to break the strangle-hold our academic knowledge and our unrenewed minds have on us.