What Did the Apostles Pray?

Part 2 of 8

We begin our study with this broad, yet simple question: What did the apostles pray? In a day and age when God is treated as an ethereal errand-boy, never before has the rightly-divided counsel of truth been more corporately needful. So many of us may assume that God is our nanny, our butler, even our doormat! These are sad thoughts to behold. Contrariwise, to regard prayer in it's proper place is to view it as a very broad practice. In Scripture, "prayer" includes so much more than making our requests known unto God, and this is something that God's people need a desperate reminding of in these days of superficiality. We're taught to pray for gold dust and Bentley's when the testimony of Scripture in no way supports such mockery. The very verse of Scripture that presents the privilege of spreading our needs before the Lord emphasizes one vital principle: "In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil 4:6). Unless proper gratitude be expressed for mercies already daily received, and thanks be given for God's continued favor, how can we expect to obtain His holy ear and receive answers of peace? Friends, prayer in its fullest sense rises so far above requests for natural provision. Rather, in proper prayerful communion, the human heart is drawn out and forced to contemplate upon the Great Giver Himself, so that the soul is prostrated before Him in adoration, and supplication for spiritual wants and needs. This is why God commands His lovers to pray (1 Thess 5:17; Lk 18:7); this is how man's habits should be molded. Like the many compounded spices of the Tabernacle that represent the prayers of the saints (Mal 1:11; Rev 8:3-4; Ex 30:34-35), our humiliation, supplication and adoration should be likewise proportionately mingled.. never one to the exclusion of the other.

I find it incredibly interesting that the apostles prayed very little for their natural, earthly wants: it seems that their faith had turned into deep trustful assurance. And as a result, their prayerful focus seemed to land upon those great spiritual desires found deep within the heart of God's future bride. Does the arrow of your petition stop short at natural riches? Or does it pierce through such fluff, finding it's bull's eye upon the bounties of God's Spirit? Is your heart over-crowded with the temporary worries and wants of this earthly realm, so that it can find no courage to seek and discover those spiritual blessings ready to be delivered? I pray this humble study will aid us all!

Let's now observe just a few of these said spiritual gains the apostles sought to achieve in earnest prayer... what did the apostles pray?

- Prayer for forgiveness of sin - The more we grow, and the more "spiritual" we may become, the more confessing and repenting ought to be duly performed. And why so? Because as the human heart ever-more beholds the God of glory, it is ever-more smitten in it's own utter wretchedness (Isa 6)! Consequently, in order to progress yet further with Jesus, the soul is therefore charged to pry open yet another chamber of it's wickedness, until they all be rightly filled and dedicated to His absolute holiness: "by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches" (Prov 24:4).

Therefore, it is no surprise that the apostles habitually made petition for their forgiveness of sin in the sight of God; they also taught others to do the same. It was not an insecurity, but rather a recognition of their great and daily need for His shed blood. The apostle Paul himself is seen as the saint of all saints, yet still was a man given to repentance (Rom 7:24-25; 8:1).. He pleaded with the Holy Ghost to help him with his weaknesses and "infirmities" (Rom 8:26; 2 Cor 12:7-9)! Such repentance was a manner which Jesus accredited (Matt 3:2, 8; 4:17; 6:12; Mk 1:15; Lk 13:3; Rev 2:5; etc), and is a manner which the apostles put into practice (Mk 6:12; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 2 Cor 7:9-10; 1 Jn 1:9; etc). Therefore, shouldn't the prayers of 21st century saints be settled upon these same eternal truths? I believe so. Repentance should be the very foundation of all we pray, say and do (Heb 6:1), for without the shed blood of Christ daily upon our person, the Christian life is but vanity! Reader, a repentant heart is a growing heart, and a heart close to Jesus.. His blood, mediation and merit is our very ground of approach!

- Prayer for peace - Paul has repeatedly prayed, "Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen" (Rom 15:33). Prayer to the Fountain of Peace seems to have been a routine practice for the early apostles (2 Thess 3:16; Heb 13:20). And who better to supplicate for peace than the God of all peace (Rom 16:20; 2 Cor 13:11; Phil 4:9), and the Author of all peace (1 Cor 14:33)?

By such petition as the one found in Romans 15:33, Paul seems to pray for his readers, that God would so manifest Himself (and His peace) among them, that His great presence would be made known in their midst, and in their troubles. How grateful we are that our God literally rules in the midst of our enemies, and gives us, His people, such a considerable measure of peace from our foes (Ps 110:1-2). Thus, we too ought to habitually seek God for His peace amongst His people, lest evil assaults are to arise from every place. God's peace is a blessing that churches greatly need, and such should therefore be the mode of our petitions. We ought to "pray for the peace of [spiritual] Jerusalem" as our chief joy (Ps 122:6)! Would that all God's people would seek this perpetual bestowment of peace - that discord and strife would be far from our tents, that envyings and revelings would be never named among us! Oh, is this even possible? Yes, reader, indeed it is! Simply mimic Paul's behavior: earnestly PRAY to the God of all peace! "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you" (Phil 4:9)!

- Prayer for faith, knowledge and spiritual understanding - One of my all-time favorite passages of Scripture is Ephesians 1:16-19. It reads, "[I, Paul] Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power..." This prayer actually continues to verse 23, and is the longest recorded prayer in all the New Testament. Surely, this should tell us something!

One of the most heartening things about this prayer is the place from which it was written. Paul wrote these words while incarcerated by the Romans. However, he humbly notes that he was simply "the prisoner of the Lord" (Eph 1:4), and an "ambassador in bonds" (Eph 6:20). Rather than begging God for his own well-being, comfort and escape (as most men would be prone to do), he is writing to his spiritual children, and praying for their recognition of Gospel mysteries! Rather than griping at the apparent unkindness of Sovereignty, Paul instead asks God to abundantly grace his sons and daughters with "the spirit of wisdom and revelation". What a man of God! Reader, we simply must get a revelation of this! Such was the vast importance of this concept that Paul cared more for it than he did his own life! How much more should we pray for such things today, as we see the end approaching?

How honorable that Paul does not pray for their natural wealth, nor does he plead with God for their earthly comforts and delights. It seems such things constantly took the back-seat to the greater issues at hand. Instead, he earnestly desires the Holy Ghost to bestow upon them a fuller knowledge and a closer communion with Himself, an enlightenment to the deep things of God, and a revelation of His grand, eternal purposes, that they may know the hope of His calling, and of the riches of His inheritance in them, His saints! He encourages them to ask for this knowledge and communion with confidence, for He will give such things to those who seek. Elsewhere, we find Paul again praying for an increase "in the knowledge of God" (Col 1:10) towards his readers. He says that they "do not cease" to pray this on their behalf (Col 1:9)!

- Prayer for love toward God - "And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ" (2 Thess 3:5). Such are the earnest words of Paul towards his readers in Thessalonica. It must be noted that these believers were facing an unusually troublesome time, suffering great opposition and persecution from unbelievers. Paul's prayer for them was for an increase in their love for King Jesus in the midst of such trials.

I love how Paul directs his readers into truth. Yes, he weeps with those that weep, but he doesn't wallow in pity and anguish.. Rather, he redirects attention to its rightful object: King Jesus! It's very easy to say we love God, or to talk all day about our communion with Him. It is far different, however, to actually put these truths into practice. Such practice is the real evidence of our love; talk is cheap. God requires the chiefest place in our affections and in our lives, so that glorifying Him is our supreme aim: otherwise, we have no real love to Him. Solomon has rightly said, "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways" (Prov 23:26). A man's actions will speak of his love greater than the sweetest discourse. Paul knew this to be true, and therefore prayed for his friends in such a way. Reader, may you and I likewise supplicate the God of glory for needs that really matter, needs such as these. The car a man drives, or the coat on his back is utterly insignificant if his heart is darkened and void of any real, godly affection. Why should we spend our days begging for that which perishes? Let's mimic Paul, and pray to the Spirit that He may "direct our hearts into the love of God"! He can strengthen us with His might in the inner man, and thereby enable us to sternly resist every temptation to become attached to any earthly idol. May He more and more enlighten us to the utter vanity of carnal, sinful pleasures, and may He wean our fickle hearts wholly from them. Oh, how can this ever fully happen? Reader, simply love God all the more, and His enemies will scatter (Ps 68:1; 2 Cor 3:18)! May He ravish our souls with glimpses of Him, thereby deadening us to the empty novelties of this world. May He bind us afresh to Himself (Ex 21:5-6)!

- Prayer for a worthy walk - Colossians 1:9-10 reads, "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." David has prayed a similar petition, saying, "...cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee" (Ps 143:8). And why are such graces prayerfully sought after? Because two cannot walk together lest they be agreed (Amos 3:3), and therefore a worthy walk must consist of a right relation to your partner, God Himself. To pray for and seek after a "worthy walk" with God is to beseech His Spirit to remove all obstacles, hindrances, diversions, detours and stumbling-blocks from your path. While such things may not be wholly taken away, they indeed will be met with God's grace, that divine ability where your own is insufficient. Jesus will lift you up in the midst of your failures, and "lead thee by the way that thou shouldest go" (Isa 48:17). To the seeking and prayerful soul, nothing will be too difficult! "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it" (Isa 30:21).

There are few more comforting promises in Scripture than that of Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths". Oh that God would direct my path. Oh that God would direct yours too! What a joy to find such requests likewise present in the voices of God's earliest apostles! What a relief that such petitions are laid out before us as an example.. this ensures us that the answer is imminent! Though it be not in man to direct his own steps (Jer 10:23), God will grant His best to the seeking soul (Jas 1:5). He has given His Word, not for debate nor for argument, but to order our lives aright! His Word was not given to test the sharpness of our wits in disputing, but was given to test the readiness of our obedience in performing! May we simply take heed! And may we pray as Paul, for others and for ourselves, beseeching the Holy Ghost to enable us to "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work"!

Here are just a few other prayers uttered by the earliest apostles. They earnestly prayed for brotherly love (1 Thess 3:11-13), for joy (Col 1:11-12), for long-suffering (Col 1:11-12), for patience (2 Thess 3:5), for comfort (2 Thess 2:16-17), and for sanctification (1 Thess 5:23-24).

And thus we see the striking contrast! How appropriate that the soul close to Jesus no longer frets and begs for his natural state! His eyes have been opened, and his heart wants to feed, no longer upon natural riches, but upon those spiritual assets, flowing freely from Emmanuel's veins! Friends, may we likewise find this same heart developed in us, day by day. May our faith for natural provision turn to sincere trust in our Provider, and may our eyes thus be made able to settle solely upon those things which are eternal (Eph 1:3)! May we pray as the apostles prayed!

To be continued...