Are Your Prayers Up To Code?

Many people feel as though their prayers go unanswered for one reason or another. As a result, questions regarding what prayer is acceptable and whose prayer is acceptable come to mind. These answers and others pertaining to prayer can be found in the Bible, if conscientious study is applied.Psalm 65:2 O Hearer of prayer, even to you people of all flesh will come.Acts 10:34,35 At this Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘For a certainty I perceive that God is not partial, but in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.These two verses inform a student that a person’s ethnicity, national background, economic situation or any other such issue makes no difference when a person petitions God with prayer. What God cares about are the stimuli in a person’s heart and the manner in which said person lives his life.For a prayer to be acceptable to God, there are certain criteria that must be met. Criteria? God has standards for prayer a person is expected to meet? Indubitably, for a prayer to be pleasing to God it must conform to standards that the Bible relays to us. Reflect upon these verses for examples of God’s standards for prayer.Luke 11:2-4 Then he [Jesus] said to them: ‘Whenever you pray, say, ‘Father, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Give us our bread according to the day’s requirement. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone that is in debt to us; and do not bring us into temptation.In this verse Jesus clearly states: say, Father let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. This tells us to pray directly to Jehovah, or God, not to a saint, or an angel or anyone else. While saints are definitely special people, they are not worthy of our worship, for somewhere along the line they too have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.John 14:6, 14 Jesus said to him: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you ask anything in my name I will do it.’Here, Jesus tells us all things are possible through him, and without him there is nothing. We are also informed there is no way to approach the Father except through Jesus. Due to our sinful nature, we are unable to reach the Father without Jesus acting as intercessor. For this reason, our prayers should end thusly: In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.1 John 5:14, 15 And this is the confidence we have toward him, that, no matter what it is that we ask according to his will, he hears us. Further, if we know he hears us respecting whatever we are asking, we know we are to have the things asked since we have asked them of him.It is tremendously liberating to have the assurance of anything we ask according to his will he hears and will give to us. The next standard lies therein; according to his will. To be sure his requests are in agreement with God’s will, a petitioner must know the will of God. Thorough study of the Bible will reveal God‘s will to those seeking it.1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of Jehovah are upon the righteous ones, and his ears are toward their supplication; but the face of Jehovah is against those doing bad things.Those that take the time to study the Bible find that it conveys the knowledge of what is righteous and what is bad.1 John 3:22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we are observing his commandments and are doing the things that are pleasing in his eyes.Proverbs 28:9 He that is turning his ear from hearing the law [of God]-even his prayer is something that is detestable.Support for 1 John 5:14, 15 is found in 1 John 3:22 which adds that by observing his commandments a person will be doing what is pleasing to Jehovah. Proverbs 28:9 shows a person that it requires more than simply saying the right thing in the right way, but actually living in a manner acceptable to God is a must if we desire our prayers to be heard by God.Isaiah 55:6,7 Search for Jehovah, you people, while he may be found. Call to him while he proves to be near. Let the wicked man leave his way, and the harmful man his thoughts, and let him return to Jehovah, who will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will forgive in a large way.Matthew 6:5 When you pray you must not be as the hypocrites; because they like to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the broad ways to be visible to men. Truly I say to you, They are having their reward in full.Luke 18:9-14 But he spoke this illustration also to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and considered the rest as nothing. Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and began to pray these things to himself, O God, I thank you that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give the tenth of all things I acquire. But the tax collector standing at a distance was not willing even to raise his eyes heavenward, but kept beating his breast, saying, O God, be gracious to me a sinner. I tell you, This man went down to his home proved more righteous than that man; because everyone that exalts himself will be humiliated, but he that humbles himself will be exalted.In the two preceding sets of verse a person learns that those who pray in a manner such that it is a show for men to prove themselves in front of man are not praying to God, but to themselves. Why would a person expect Jehovah to hear a prayer that is not even directed to him. For more information on this subject see, Breaking The Quasi Christian Chain.Isaiah 42:8 I am Jehovah. That is my name; and no one else shall I give my own glory, neither my praise to graven things.A petitioner is reminded that all symbols should be avoided, not used as an aid for prayer, in Isaiah 42:8. Does it seem logical that it would be agreeable to Jehovah for a petitioner to pray before a cross or other such symbol? Additional information on this subject can be found in, Avoid The Cross. Matthew 6:9-13 You must pray then this way: Our father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth. Give us today our bread for this day; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the wicked one.In this fashion the followers of Jesus have been instructed to pray. Jesus starts by asking for the sanctification of God’s name and then asks for his kingdom to come. Praying for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven lends additional support to asking for his kingdom to come. He then tells us to supplicate God to provide for us and to forgive us our transgressions. The statement as we forgive our debtors is an action that only God and the petitioner know is or is not done; despite this it is this action that tells God we are worthy of his help because we are doing God‘s will. The prayer finishes by asking for deliverance from the evil one. This prayer is a special case in which ending with in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen is not absolutely necessary. This is due to the fact these are Jesus’ words, so, if they are used for prayer God is already aware that Jesus is the one acting as intercessor. All these are in harmony with his words at Luke 11:2-4.When a petitioner follows these guidelines, they are certain to have prayer that is acceptable to God.