How are we to pray?

The Larger Catechism

Q. 185. How are we to pray?

A. We are to pray with an awful apprehension of the majesty of God, and deep sense of our own unworthiness, necessities, and sins; with penitent, thankful, and enlarged hearts; with understanding, faith, sincerity, fervency, love, and perseverance, waiting upon him, with humble submission to his will.

1. We must pray with an awareness of the great majesty of God. Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

2. We must pray with a deep sense of our sin and need. Genesis 18:27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes. Genesis 32:10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant. Luke 15:17-19 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. Luke 18:13-14 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

3. We must pray with a spirit of repentance. Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psalm 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him. Psalm 38:18 For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin.

4. We must pray with thankful, enlarged hearts. Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 1 Samuel 1:15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. 1 Samuel 2:1 And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

5. We must pray with understanding, faith, sincerity, fervency, love and perseverance as we wait upon God. 1 Corinthians 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. Psalm 145:18 The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. Psalm 17:1 Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips. James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

6. We must pray with humble submission to God's will. Matthew 26:39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.

For What Things Are We To Pray?

The Westminster Larger Catechism

Q. 184. For what things are we to pray?

A. We are to pray for all things tending to the glory of God, the welfare of the church, our own or others, good; but not for anything that is unlawful.

1. Pray for whatever will bring glory to God. Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name." We are not to think first of our own problems and needs, but of God's honor and glory. We learn what things will glorify God only in Scripture.

2. Pray for the welfare of the church. Psalm 51:18 "Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem." "The true welfare of God's people, and even the peace and prosperity of the nations of the world, really depends on the spiritual welfare and security of the church. (J. Vos)

3. Pray for our own or others good. Psalm 125:4 "Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts." This involves temporal good, so far as it leads to God's glory. We must pray mainly for the spiritual and eternal good of ourselves and others.

4. Do not pray for what is unlawful. 1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. Ps. 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.

For Whom Are We To Pray?

The Westminster Larger Catechism

Q. 183. For whom are we to pray?

A. We are to pray for the whole church of Christ upon earth; for magistrates, and ministers; for ourselves, our brethren, yea, our enemies; and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter; but not for the dead, nor for those that are known to have sinned the sin unto death.

1. Pray for the whole church. Ephesians 6:18. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

2. Pray for Magistrates and Ministers. 1 Timothy 2:1-2. I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Colossians 4:3. Meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains.

3. Pray for ourselves. We must pray for ourselves unselfishly.

4. Pray for enemies. Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Even our worst enemies have been created in God's image and are sinners such as Christ died to redeem. They are not beyond God's power to save.

5. Pray for the living. The dead in Christ no longer need our prayers. Those who have died without Christ cannot benefit from our prayers because all opportunities for repentance and conversion are over.

How does the Spirit help us to pray?

The Larger Catechism

Q. 182. How doth the Spirit help us to pray?

A. We not knowing what to pray for as we ought, the Spirit helpeth our infirmities, by enabling us to understand both for whom, and what, and how prayer is to be made; and by working and quickening in our hearts (although not in all persons, nor at all times, in the same measure) those apprehensions, affections, and graces which are requisite for the right performance of that duty.

1. The Holy Spirit helps us to pray. We need his help because of our spiritual ignorance and spiritual weakness.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)

Johannes Vos writes: "How does the Holy Spirit remedy our spiritual ignorance? Not by revealing to us any truth apart from or in addition to the Bible, but by opening our spiritual eyes so that we can discern the true meaning of what is already in the Bible."

2. God prepares the hearts of his people, that they may pray aright.

LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear. (Psalm 10:17)

3. God imparts to his people the desire and ability to pray.

And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication. (Zechariah 12:10)

4. We are to pray in the Spirit.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:18)

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. (Jude 1:20)

Why are we to pray in the name of Christ?

The Larger Catechism

Q. 181. Why are we to pray in the name of Christ?

A. The sinfulness of man, and his distance from God by reason thereof, being so great, as that we can have no access into his presence without a mediator; and there being none in heaven or earth appointed to, or fit for, that glorious work but Christ alone, we are to pray in no other name but his only.

1. Our sin has separated us from God and we have no access to God's presence apart from a mediator. (John 14:6; Isa. 59:2; Eph. 2:12)

2. Christ alone is qualified for the work of Mediator between God and Man. (John 6:27; Heb. 7:25-27; 1 Tim. 2:5; Acts 4:12)

3. We are to pray only in the name of Christ. Those who don't pray in Christ's name are praying in their own name and will not be heard.  (Col. 3:17; Heb. 13:15) 

"In this answer the catechism sets forth the absolute uniqueness of Jesus Christ. He is represented as the only possible Savior of the human race. The neither is, nor ever can be, anyone alongside of him." (Johannes Vos, Commentary on the Larger Catechism) 

What is it to pray in the name of Christ?

The Larger Catechism

Q. 180. What is it to pray in the name of Christ?

A. To pray in the name of Christ is, in obedience to his command, and in confidence on his promises, to ask mercy for his sake; not by bare mentioning of his name, but by drawing our encouragement to pray, and our boldness, strength, and hope of acceptance in prayer, from Christ and his mediation.

1) Christ commands us to pray in His name. John 16:23-24

We must pray to the true God only and only through Christ as Mediator.

Any prayer to another god is not Christian prayer. Any prayer to the true God without Christ as mediator is not Christian.

2) We must have confidence (faith) in his promises. 2 Corinthians 1:20

Without faith it is impossible to please Him.

3) We must ask for mercy for His sake. Daniel 9:17

If we don't ask for mercy for Christ's sake, we are like the Pharisee who prayed "thus with himself" and trusted in himself that he was righteous. (Luke 18:19-24) Even those who mention Christ's name in prayer may still be trusting in themselves and their own righteousness.

4) Not a bare mentioning of His name. Matthew 7:21

We must not only say his name when we pray, we must trust in Christ's righteousness and mediation. We are either relying on ourselves and our own worthiness to be heard, or we are trusting in Christ.

5) From Christ and His mediation, we draw our encouragement to pray. i.e. boldness, strength, hope of acceptance. Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 5:14-15

We need encouragement to pray b/c we are often discouraged and we are lazy. He has opened a new and living way into the Holy Place by His blood. We ought to come and come boldly! He himself encourages us to come and to ask for grace to help in our time of need. He wants us to pray with confidence, when we pray in his name and according to His will.

Biblical Worship and the Megachurch: Part I

Rev. Ben Carver has written an excellent piece on true worship and how some megachurches have gotten away from it.  If there is any one idol that rises to the top in American churches today, it is the idol of "pragmatism."  The basic priniciple in these churches is not "will it glorify God" or "is it biblical"?  Rather, the basic question asked is "will it work"?  "The end justifies the means" is the operating principle in many a church today.  Carver carves out the Biblical way to worship in his article, titled, Biblical Worship and the Megachurch: Part 1