"Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.' " {Luke 11:1} The man who asked Jesus this question was one of the disciples, a follower of the Lord who asked for instruction concerning prayer, a basic part of man's relationship with God. How many of us could also use some instruction on praying? Do you get frustrated when you attempt to pray? Do you pray continually? Is prayer an important part of your relationship with God?
Some years ago, Mike Willis made a very good assessment concerning the lack of prayer in the lives of Christians: "Have we over-reacted to Pentecostalism's teaching that God is presently working miracles to such an extent that we are convinced that asking God to heal a sick man is useless at best, and at worst, ignorant disregard of His expressed statements that miracles have ceased? We pray for the doctors and nurses who are attending the sick, but rarely do we ask the Lord to heal someone among us who is sick. We may be approaching the deistic concept of God. Deists incorrectly say that God's relationship to the universe can be compared to a man who wound a clock and set it on a shelf to run down. Have we a deistic concept of God? Do we imagine Him so far removed from day-to-day operation of the universe that He will not intervene in men's affairs? Do we conceive of His being willing to change His planned course of action as a result of our prayers? In order for man to pray effectively, his concept of God must be such that he believes that praying makes a difference. If man reaches the conclusion that prayer will do no good, that he prays out of duty but with a sense of futility, he will not pray in faith." {GOT, God is a Prayer-Hearing God} I'd say brother Willis hit the nail on the head!
Yes, spiritual gifts, including the gift of miraculous healing, did cease when the last apostle died. (1 Corinthians 13:8-10) Does this also mean that God is powerless to intervene in other ways when He desires to do so? If our prayers are going to be effective, we must first believe that they have power! I have heard some of my own brethren make the statement: "I guess I'll pray; I've tried everything else." The one who says such a thing might as well save his breath! Is this person confident that God will supply the things for which he is asking? A prayer without faith behind it reaches no higher than the ceiling!
In this special issue of the Messenger we want to examine the subject of prayer. Prayer is extremely important in the lives of God's children. I'm convinced that most Christians do not pray as they should. This is due to lack of knowledge, lack of faith, or a combination of the two. Hopefully, this study on prayer will help you in both areas. We need to "pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17) The Lord can teach us to pray, if we will listen to His instructions and guidelines. Why not give it a try?