Lesson 5 – Private Prayers

Psalm 62:8, I Thessalonians 5:17, Matthew 6:6

In any study of the subject of the believers’ prayers we must distinguish private from public prayers. Sometimes the difference between the two is not sufficiently recognized. If we do not give adequate attention to the difference between these two forms of prayer, we can make some serious mistakes on our theology of prayer. The private, personal prayers of the individual are well-known to every believer because he simply would not be a believer if he did not pray. Here we do not encounter the difficulties which many people have in regard to public prayer. Many find it difficult to pray when other people are listening but find it very easy and natural to have the proper communion with their God in their own private devotions.

Examples of Private Prayer

The Bible speaks more often of public prayers than of private personal prayers. This should not surprise us. The personal prayers are not public and therefore do not come to light the way the others do. Although the word “to pray” is used most often of public prayers in the Scriptures, those Scriptures contain more material on our private, personal prayers than we often assume. It is, of course, difficult to find examples of private prayer although the Psalms offer some. Recalling his past experiences, David often shows us the type of prayer he prayed to his God while he was in distress. He even does that concerning the confession of his sins, AFTER he has experienced the forgiveness of God! The Psalms referred to in a previous lesson, such as Psalms 32, 51, and 130 give us examples of the way in which he was led to make confession and even give us the content of that confession. He had found forgiveness –now let all his fellow-believers experience with him the way to the acceptance of the penitent by the God of mercy and justice.

A Heart’s Outpouring

There is a difference between confessions of sin which are appropriate in private and public prayers. Although in our public prayers we also ask for the forgiveness of our sins, we cannot deal as specifically with sins as we must do in our private prayers. Then we are to mention the sins by name. Then we are “to pour out our hearts” says the Psalmist in Psalm 62:8. What is contained in the phrase “pour out your heart before Him”? In the first place it must be seen in the context of this particular Psalm. The Psalmist has experienced various difficulties. There was always the danger that he would indeed be moved from his place, that he would fall. But, God is faithful and able to give complete salvation regardless of his difficulties. He has entrusted himself into the hands of this God. He now counsels all the people to do the same thing . Let them pour out their heart to Him. They must consider that their persecutors must be properly weighed and they will then discover that these “opponents” are lighter than air! There is no substance to them. God’s people often become afraid of those who certainly cannot do them harm because they are no match for the mighty One of Jacob!

To pour out our hearts also means that we keep nothing back. We entrust ourselves and all that is in our hearts to the living God. In the final analysis, there are very few before whom we are able to pour out our hearts. Husband and wife can do this . David and Johnathan could do this. Yet, how few are they whom we would entrust with the deepest needs and secrets of our hearts? Feel free, says the Psalmist, to pour out your heart to your God! This is characteristically a very private prayer. We do not pour out our hearts to everyone nor do we do it in public. This is a very intimate act. What a blessing it is for God’s people to have Someone to whom they may go in this way! What a safety valve this is for them. They are then never alone. They are not on their own either. I belong to Him and can therefore pour out my heart to Him.

In Private

Jesus also speaks of our private prayer just before He teaches the Lord’s Prayer to His disciples. There was a great temptation in that day, exemplified by the Pharisees, to make a great “show” of prayers. They would stand on street corners—the busier the place the better—to show men how pious they were! Don’t you do that, says Jesus. When you pray, go into your inner chamber, shut the door, and your father who sees in secret will reward you. He will hear you. That is the proper place for our private, personal prayers. True prayer is a very private matter and is not intended for the eyes and ears of others. It is intended only for the ears of God. In it we can indeed “pour out our hearts.” This is the kind of a place we need for that spiritual communion which the believing soul craves. The believer must have fellowship with his God. Here, in true prayer , in the deepest devotion, he finds the rest which he seeks.

This private prayer is not only for the purpose of making true confession of our sins, though this is a very important item, but it is also for the purpose of intercession in a way that is not always proper in public prayers. When we come to our God alone we mention each member of the family.

We can there not only pray for God’s bless ing on each one, but we can go into detail. We can also plead with our God on His covenant promises in these private prayers. How can we single out one of the children at the dinner table and ask for a very special measure of His grace to turn this child to the only true God? The subject might be humiliated if this were done in public. Christ spent long periods of time in prayer alone. He prayed for His disciples. Before He chose the twelve, He spent an entire night in prayer. Although we can only guess, do you think we would miss the mark very far if we concluded that a large part of that night’s prayer was devoted to Judas? Must He take the enemy right into His own camp? The answer is: yes! But, why Father? Nevertheless, Thy will be done!

This private prayer is very important for the healthy spiritual life of God’s people. After all, they have to live on that communion with Him. The line which binds them to their God must never be broken. The prayer-life of the individual believer determines his spiritual welfare. You have not because you ask not, says James. Is it even too much to require you to ask for what you need? The soul which is spiritually alive will naturally gravitate toward the Source of his spiritual life and to the One from Whom all good comes. Private, personal prayer is, therefore, the most natural thing in the world for the child of God.

“Without Ceasing”

In I Thessalonians 5:17 the Apostle urges the church of Thessalonica to “pray without ceasing.” This command comes in the midst of several which he gives to the church as he is coming to the close of this letter. There is much that he has to teach them, but there is no time. He has been in this church for only a very brief period of time and later writes two small epistles to this church. He is very abrupt in his writing in the last chapter of this epistle. Each one of the brief commands he gives contains a world of thought. Let these believers think upon these things in the days to come. Paul is not able to elaborate on any one of these principles now—he just states them.

When he tells them to pray “without ceasing” we must remember that he is here speaking of private prayers. He is speaking of informal prayers. This must be understood clearly or we come to a real misunderstanding of the text. If we are to pray without ceasing and these would be the public, formal prayers, we would go contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures in many place. To put it bluntly: there is more to do in this life than pray! We must always keep the work to which we are called and our individual prayer life in proper balance.

When so understood this becomes a maxim which we naturally follow. The true believer prays while he works. He prays all the time. His whole life is a prayer. Then praying without ceasing no longer sounds strange. How many prayers does not the believer utter before his God every day? He lives with his God as he is not able to live with any human being. He lives in constant communion with his God. That communion requires his constant prayer. That communion also requires that he knows the word which his God has spoken to him.

About private, personal prayer we do not feel embarrassed. One does not have to be fluent of speech to pray properly this private prayer before his God. It is necessary for the soul-life of every believer and no one is able to do it for you! This kind of prayer we have to learn. It is learned only in the school of God’s word. There we find what is necessary for us and we also learn what is acceptable to Him. When Christ taught His disciples, and therewith also us, to pray, He did not teach them a prayer to repeat, first of all, but how to come into the presence of the living God and there pour out our hearts!

If the prayer-life of a believer is healthy, his spiritual life will prosper, and if it is not healthy, his spiritual life finally withers and dies. But, how can we tell if it is healthy? By evaluating it according to the word. Only three texts were placed at the beginning of this lesson but this number could be increased greatly. If we but learn to pour out our hearts to God; to go into our inner chamber and shut the door; and pray at all times, the God who sees in secret will reward us openly. It will become apparent! Our faith and our prayers are the answers to the promises He has given us in His word.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Do you think it is valuable for us to teach our children “a prayer” so that they will learn “to pray”? 2. What kind of relationship are we to have with our God to permit us to pour out our hearts before Him? 3. Can we sin in prayer? How? Is this considered sufficiently in our day? 4. Do you think the injunction of Paul to “pray without ceasing” is commonly obeyed by God’s people today? 5. Does our private, personal prayer life affect our public prayers? If so, how? 6. Are we, on the whole, as much interested in our communion with God as we are in communion with loved ones? Do you think we can really apply the words of Psalm 73:25 to ourselves?    

Lesson 6 – Public Prayers

Numbers 21:7, Ezra 10:1, Job 42:8 Jeremiah 42:2, Matthew 9:38, Acts 4:31 James 5:14–16, 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Job 1:4–5

The number of texts above this lesson is much longer than usual and could be further increased because of the nature of the subject. Public prayers have been uttered as long as men have called on the name of the Lord

When we speak of public prayers we do not mean only those prayers which are uttered in large gatherings, such as church services, but also the prayers we utter at the table in our own homes. Many people find it very difficult to pray in public. Their private prayer life may be very good—let no one ever sit in judgment on a person’s prayer life if he is not able to pray in public. But, we must realize that it is important that a person shall then Learn to pray when others are listening. Why should someone be embarrassed to pray aloud before men when his God has commanded him to utter his prayers before Him?

Especially at the family altar audible prayer is important. We have to teach our children to pray! It is an exercise which brings family closer together than anything else. Job speaks of family prayers in the first chapter of his book. In the verses 4 and 5 we read that Job called his children together and then brought sacrifices for each of them. He hereby emphasized to them that their spiritual welfare was very much on his mind. It is here reported in the Old Testament frame work of sacrifices; today we would say that he brought the need of each of his children before his God in prayer.

Church Prayers

Not only in family devotions but also in many other situations audible prayer is necessary. What would our Sunday services be if there were no prayers uttered? The word of God must indeed be proclaimed but the needs of the people must also be brought before the throne of grace. These prayers bind the people of God together. They are reminded not only of one another’s needs, but also of the needs of the church and Kingdom of God throughout the world. Of course, we can also remember such causes in private prayers, and we do, but the whole church must also be involved in this.

Some must frequently pray in public! Especially ministers, but also elders and deacons must frequently lead in prayer . In order to be able to do this effectively one must be a man of prayer! Our private prayer life must give us the ability to lead others in prayer. Ministers and elders stand at the side of those who are sick or bereaved or lonely or straying and bring their needs before the throne of God. Deacons must bring the physical and material needs of the people on whom they call to His mercy seat. Each class or society session is opened and closed with prayer. This can become dangerous. Prayer can become common. We may well pray that the Lord will keep us from sin in the prayers utter. The Pharisees made themselves guilty in their prayers.

Prayers for Special Needs

When we pray with someone who is sick, the special need of that individual must be known so that we can then also pray with that understanding. Usually prayer strengthens the person who is sick. He is reminded that without the Lord’s blessing the very best means at our disposal today do not help. Physicians have often been heard to say: “The surgery was successful, but the patient died.” We call on the name of the Lord, for He only gives life and maintains it. The believer who is sick must not doubt God’s love and mercy. He must also realize that the sickness he is suffering is not punishment. God has once punished our sins. He does chastise—but only those whom He loves! James tells the people of his day to call the elders of the church to pray for them when they are sick. Then sickness can prove to be a blessing. The bereaved likewise must be aided through their difficult time. Prayer brings them back where they should be! The lonely and aged have their lives brightened by the prayers uttered in their behalf. The straying must be shown their error, from the word of God. Their need must also be brought before Him. They must realize that the hands of love and compassion of the members of the body of Christ are still stretched out to them.

There are times of crisis when those who have true spiritual life within them cry out for the effectual prayers of others. When the people of Israel grievously sinned against their God, He sent fiery, poisonous serpents among them. When many among them died, they cried to Moses to pray for them. How often this man was called on to pray for the people of God so that they would not be consumed. The people ofIsrael did not realize how much they were indebted to this man for their very life. The Psalmist (Psalm 106:23) speaks of the important role Moses played in the welfare and deliverance of Israel. Moses stood “before Him in the breach.” This is also the role of the leaders of God’s people in other ages. They are to bring all the needs of the people before God and to implore His favor on them. The intercessors for God’s people are the unsung heroes of the church!

The name of the number of subjects for which we are to pray is “legion,” but there are especially some subjects mentioned in Scripture which we should not forget. We are to pray that there may be laborers in the church and Kingdom of God. The church is to come together and ask the Lord of the church to call men to the tasks which have to be done in His Kingdom. This is not restricted to but does include the mission of the church. Jesus so teaches the people of His day (Matt. 9:38). How can the church and Kingdom fare well if these prayers do not arise to Him constantly? We would be remiss in our duty if we failed to offer them.

Prayers for Rulers

Paul stresses the fact that we are also to pray for rulers. This prayer is not restricted to “good rulers” but even includes the unrighteous rulers who were on the throne of Rome in the days in which the Apostle was writing (I Tim 2:1–2). In our prayers we come to the “Ruler of the kings of the earth.” He is able to turn the hearts of rulers to Himself (Proverbs 21:1). However, we are to pray for kings and all others who have the rule over us so “that we may live a tranquil and quiet life.” God is pleased to rule us by their hand. May their rule be such that our worship of our God and our godly life may not be disturbed. What a blessing it is that God’s people are able to go to the house of worship unmolested! Pray for these rulers. That is a command!

Many institutions are seeking to do the work of the Lord in various areas of life. When we come together in worship, these institutions, whether of education or of mercy or of other kind, should be remembered before the throne of God’s grace. In short, we are to pray for all the needs of Christendom. We are to be familiar with these institutions so we will be able to pray for them intelligently. Those who labor in various functions within the framework of God’s kingdom should be supported by the prayers of his people. Perhaps the request for prayer comes rather “unthinkingly” at times. Many are asking for our support by prayer and gifts. It often seems that the latter would be appreciated far more than the former. On the other hand, to ask for the support in prayer for institutions which are based on the Word of God should be completely natural. The needs of Christendom are many in this sin-darkened world! May the God who alone is able to shed light be asked by His people to shed the light of the truth everywhere.

Praying Church

The church of Jesus Christ must be a praying church. This ought to be natural for her. She is called to proclaim the everlasting tidings of salvation to all men and to all nations, and she is to live close to her God so that she will be able to do the assigned work. It is much easier to discern whether or not a church is still preaching the word than to be able to tell whether she is still faithful to her task of being the intercessor for God’s people and for the world! In time it will become perfectly clear because the strength is removed from the church and from the people which no longer prays.

The church has often felt its great need because its numbers were so small in this big world in which it had been placed. When the church realized that she was only a “remnant,” the people came to the prophet Jeremiah and asked him to pray for them (Jer. 42:2). When the disciples in the early church were few in number and had received the mandate to disciple all nations—to do the seemingly impossible, they prayed. These were not perfunctory prayers. They prayed for their very life. When they had given a good account of themselves before the magistrates of the day and had informed them of their plan to preach the word of the Lord boldly, they prayed and the place where they prayed was shaken (Acts 4:31)! The Lord heard them. Then they were filled with the Holy Spirit so that they might be able to continue to speak the word of God with all boldness. They had learned what it meant to have communion with their God. Would the church of today have more life and zeal if it again learned to pray as the Apostles did? “Ye have not because you ask not.”

Although it ought to be evident to everyone who studies the texts above this lesson and various others, that the public prayers in Biblical times and in the history of the church have been very important, the problem may remain regarding how we engage in such prayer. Although our prayer may at first be halting, our God understands that prayer. Our prayer may not be eloquent, but we do not pray to impress men! We should also bear in mind that the collection of prayers in the liturgy of the church can be helpful. Seldom are these beautiful prayers used. Our fathers placed them in the liturgy of the church to aid us in our prayer-life.

Questions for discussion:

1. Is public prayer “better” than private prayer? Discuss. 2. How important is it for a father in a home to lead his family in audible prayer? Can each one just as well pray silently? 3. Is there a tendency to pray the same prayer again and again, regardless of circumstances when we are called to pray aloud frequently? How can this be overcome? 4. Can a prayer at a sick bed make things worse? If so, how? 5. Why do some think it to be improper to pray for the government in the congregational prayer? 6. What conclusion could one draw from ministers’ refusal to pray for certain Christian institutions?