Effective Prayer Models

THE BIBLE IS A BOOK OF PRAYERS. It contains hundreds of stories of men and women who prayed – and their actual prayers. More than 800 such prayers are there in the Bible – Solomon’s magnificent prayer made at the time of the temple dedication, Hanna’s prayers of bitter tears, David’s prayers in the Psalms that talk directly to your heart., Nehemiah’s grandiose prayer offered amidst intense persecution, Jesus’ prayer in John 17, the mother of all prayers and hundreds of more prayers that are contained in the Bible serve us as a model for us for all the time. Let us examine a few of them:

1. ABRAHAM  - a shining example of supplication.

As he faced a God whose anger against Sodom and Gomorrah burnt, Abraham had one resort, one privilege – he could pray for the guilty of the cities. This is a most remarkable instance of intercession – a tender and benevolent sympathy of a humble servant of God   on one hand and an astonishing clemency and forbearance of God on the other hand.

When Abraham asserted that it doesn’t become of a righteous God to destroy the good along with the wicked, God actually agreed with him!  James says (5:16) prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective, they achieve much.  Believers have a duty towards society, to pray for them.  God tells Jeremiah He was appalled that there was not a single righteous person to pray (22:30). It is said that that it was not the actions of the wicked that led to the decadence of society, but the inaction of the righteous. Paul wants us to pray even for bad rulers. Intercessory prayer is a powerful weapon God has placed in our hands. With its judicious use, we can bring down the walls of Satan’s kingdom.

Devoted intercessory warriors were ready to pay any price for the sake of the object of their prayers. Take the case of Moses who was prepared to forego God’s blessing for the sake of the Israelites he was leading (Exodus 32:10) Abraham carried on his heart the sins and sorrows of Sodom – how hard he bargained with God!

At one point Abraham’s intercession ceased. It was he who put an end to the dialogue, not God! Abraham would have understood the city dwellers deserved to perish as it becomes clear there were not even ten good men there. In the parable in Luke 13:9 the gardener was determined to cut down the unfruitful tree if another year’s efforts fail. It is also possible God had already made up his mind to destroy the city; hence He restrained His servant’s spirit from going any further. Ironically in Jeremiah 7:16 and 14:11 God tells the prophet not to pray for Judah, he will not listen to it. Not all heart-cries for cities and sinners are answered. Our prayers must be according to God’s will.

2. NEHEMIAH  - a working example of prayer’s power.

The book of Nehemiah starts and ends with prayers. Nehemiah saw a problem and was distressed. Instead of complaining or wallowing in self-pity and grief he took action. He understood that God wanted him to motivate the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. So he left an important job in the Persian government and proceeded to distant Jerusalem, a city he had not seen, a city ransacked and left in ruins. 

The moment he arrived, he realized the work was not simple. He had to gain the cooperation of the resident Jews, help them overcome rivalry, conflicts, fear and discouragement, find technical expertise, deal with political interference and manage the scorn, slander and threats from those who opposed the project.  But in all these difficulties, his greatest strength was his unwavering faith in God. His single, most powerful weapon was prayer. The 13 chapters of the book of Nehemiah have nine prayers recorded!

Working conditions were so difficult, a threat so imminent, the workers had to build with one hand while holding a weapon in the other. Nehemiah stood firm against powerful enemies and the wall was finished in 52 days. In Ezekiel 22:30 God had complained ‘’ "I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one’’. 150 years later God found such a person in Nehemiah.

After building the walls, Nehemiah continued to organize people, administer justice and establish a working government while Ezra managed the temple and worship.  As you read his story, you would be convinced of the importance of being a person on whom God can depend to promote His work on earth.

3. JEHOSHAPHAT – a resplendent model of a prayer warrior

The Holy Bible grades Jehoshaphat as one of the ‘’good kings’’ of Judah. During His reign he was faced with a serious problem – he was attacked by the combined armies of three of his enemy countries.   Jehoshaphat was not prepared for war and the enemy was determined to wipe Judah off the face f earth. Jehoshaphat turned to God rather than rely on human solutions. First, he ordered fasting throughout the country. Prayer’s power is enhanced when combined with fasting. Fasting is a recognized mode of seeking divine favor. Fasting groups of people supplicating God in humility can start miracles. It happened in Esther’s case.  It happened in Nineveh.- group fasting united people in humility, pleasing God. Jesus prayed before His crucifixion ‘’I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one--as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me’’.

Bible pundits admire Jehoshaphat’s prayer found in 2 Chronic 20:5-14 as the best prayer model in the Bible for the following reasons:

• He, first of all, addressed God and praised Him  for who  He was and what He  has done for His chosen people (verse 6, 7)
• Next, He  claimed God’s promise – (9)
• Next, he humbled himself – confessed his helplessness – declared his total dependence on Him (12,13)
• Only then he placed the problem before God and begged for action – expected a miracle. (10-12)
• Thanked God confidently, even before obtaining an answer (18,19)

The Lord of Heavens answered His servant’s prayer through a prophet who announced that the battle belonged to Jehovah, but they must take up a position and stand firm.  When they had proceeded to the battleground the next day, all they found was corpses, as the enemy soldiers

had killed each other! All the days of Jehoshaphat’s reign, he didn’t have to fight another battle.

4. THE EARLY CHURCH – experiencing the presence of the Savior through   prayer.

After Peter and John had healed a lame man at the Solomon’s Colonnade, the popularity of the tiny group they led started to grow and the news spread like wildfire. While the disciples were speaking to the people, the agitated Sadducees and their henchmen appeared to witness first hand the resurrection of the dead being taught, that too in the name of a man they thought they had killed and buried. They seized Peter and John and put them in custody.

The next day the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, along with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas to question them in whose name they were teaching, who gave them the authority? To their utter shock Peter answered in quiet courage, it was in the name of Jesus of Nazareth - the man they had conspired and killed. The living Jesus had healed the lame person, who was standing next to them!. ‘’Salvation exists in no one else’’ they told the experts in law, “there was no other name under heaven given to men by which they could be saved’’. They added they cannot stop speaking about what they had seen and heard.  The authorities were perplexed beyond belief. A handful of unschooled Galilean fishermen were lecturing them about after-life and salvation!  In anger they warned them not to ever mention the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.

On their release, Peter and John returned to their own people and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. Their prayers ran similar to the lines of Jehoshaphat’s prayers. They addressed God by His name; they confessed who He was and what He had done for them, they quoted ancient prophecies; and claimed His promises. Only after that, they submitted their problems before Him. Their request was not to annihilate their enemies, but ‘’ to enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness. You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”. How can God resist the prayer made in this spirit? After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and  began to speak the word of God fearlessly.

The apostles regarded prayer as the most important part of their lives and teachings. The energy of the Holy Spirit coupled with the profound power of prayer helped a tiny break-away group of Judaism - the most intensively persecuted group in human history – to grow and cover half of mankind in 21 centuries, and continues to grow.

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