Some Fascinating Prayer Narratives

Please allow me to share with you four Bible narratives on prayer that I find quite fascinating.

I find them fascinating because I believe they provide some insights into the psyche of those praying and also in the way God responds to prayer. I have intentionally used the phrase “how God responds to prayer” instead of “how God answers prayer” and I will leave you to speculate on my choice of expression.

I have no intention of offering any “deep spiritual insights” regarding prayer because there are so many books and theories already around on the subject. However, let me offer a possible definition of prayer.

“A simple definition of Christian prayer can be a conversation between a person and God. Or perhaps a person talking to God. Sometimes prayer can tend to be a shopping list, a list of complaints or whatever the person is going through. Perhaps prayer is a person informing his or her God on things God may not be aware of.”

Have you come across the term “Consulting God in Prayer”? A rather fascinating aspect to prayer. Try consulting God in prayer but please understand that He is the Consultant and therefore you will need to give Him time to speak.

Have you ever heard a person pray and you end up wondering if they have swallowed the dictionary?

Before you prematurely consider me a cynic, let me say that sometimes one can hear God when some people pray. At least that has been my experience and such times have been quite uplifting because they have offered a sense of direction in which the prayer meeting should go. I do assert that one needs God to direct a meeting in which one is leading if the meeting is not to be boring or just going through the motions.

Now I would like to share my views or perspectives on some prayers in the Bible.

This is the short account of the prayer of Jabez as recorded in 1 Chronicles 4:10.

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

Simple, matter of fact requests. No beating about the bush and leaves no room for doubt as to what Jabez was asking for. Yet Jabez finds time to put in a request regarding a duty of care which may arise when his requests are granted; “that I may not cause pain”.

Something very fascinating for you to note “So God granted him what he requested.” May that be your experience, and mine too, especially the bit about “that I may not cause pain”.

Now let us turn to the prayer of Balaam as found in Numbers 23:10. “Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my end be like his!”

Some may question whether Balaam was really praying because of the setting of Numbers 23:10. In my opinion there was a prayer or at least a desire in that statement. Balaam makes an observation and then expresses a desire.

My fascination with this prayer or statement is that Balaam failed to understand some basics of the dealings of God with man.

He was an enigma. The various translations of Joshua 13:22 describe him as being a soothsayer, fortune teller, occult practitioner, magician, the prophet, the seer, the sorcerer etc.

Whatever title one would care to give to Balaam, what is clear is that he practised and taught error. Please listen to this:

“But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Revelation 2:14

What Balaam failed to understand was that in order to die the death of the righteous one must first live the life of the righteous. Not too hard to understand, is it?

Let us now consider the response of Hannah to Eli when he thought she was drunk.

1 Samuel 1:13 - 16

13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.

14 So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!”

15 And Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

16 “Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

Please remember these words and perhaps you will understand these aspects of prayer:

1. “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish.” 1 Samuel 1:12

2. “Now Hannah spoke in her heart”

3. “…. but have poured out my soul before the LORD.”

4. “For out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

Lord Jesus Christ, may we each learn to speak to you sincerely, first out of our hearts before our mouths move and may we obtain the results that Hannah received.

Let me bring this article to an end by looking at the story of the two men who went to pray as told by Jesus in Luke 18:9-14.

9 ¶ Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men — extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

12 ‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’

13 “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

14 “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

My fascination is with the Pharisee and therefore I will leave the tax collector alone because I think he has received enough bashing from the Pharisee.

Before you begin to wonder what is wrong with me please understand that I know this is a parable because it is stated in the Bible.

I just wonder how many people will meet the criteria of the Pharisee. He was not one of the following:

1. An extortioner (Are you?)

2. Unjust (Are you?)

3. An adulterer (What about you?)

4. Or even as this tax collector.

But he was a man who in his own words:

1. Fasted twice a week

2. Gave tithes of all that he possessed (Make the Church treasurer happy, or perhaps the Finance Office?)

Let us leave it there without asking questions. One thing though; I would have liked to have had a chat with this Pharisee or even watched him pray. That is if I could have kept a straight face and not burst out laughing.

He knew, or at least he thought he knew what he was not and what he practised.

So then:

1. Jabez prayed a simple matter of fact prayer and God answered him.

2. Balaam had a desire for a glorious death but with all his visions and prophecies and reputation he failed to understand that what you sow is what you reap.

3. Hannah was in a dark place and had no time for eccentricities. I believe her philosophy on prayer was this: “How I feel and what is in my heart is what I pray, whether the high priest is observing or not.”

4. Now, the Pharisee. Let me just say any time the narrative comes to mind it brings a chuckle to my face. Audacity, bare faced arrogance? Do people like this still exist?

Now then, what about you and I? “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matthew 6:6).
 

Abraham Sackey