Front matter
YOUR CALL:
Using the Direct Private Line of Prayer
By R. Herbert
2017, Tactical Belief Books – an Imprint of TacticalChristianity.org & LivingWithFaith.org
The text and images in this e-book are copyright. All Rights Reserved. ISBN 978-1-64007-969-4 This book is not to be sold. It is made available by the publisher without charge and free copies can be downloaded from: TacticalChristianity.org or LivingWithFaith.org. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. In a few cases, the ESV (English Standard Version ©), HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible ©) and NKJV (New King James Version ©) are cited, and these translations are also gratefully acknowledged.
About the Author: The author served as an ordained minister and church pastor for a number of years and holds an earned Ph.D. degree in the languages, cultures and archaeology of the ancient Near East and biblical world. He writes for a number of Christian publications and for the websites www.LivingWithFaith.org and www.TacticalChristianity.org. His other e-books are available for free download from those websites.
Cover: Base image: © by rangizzz
CONTENTS
Introduction: A Direct Private Line PART ONE: HOW TO PRAY 1. A Starting Guide to Prayer 2. Using the "Lord's Prayer" 3. Four Dimensions of Prayer PART TWO: PRAISE 4. The First Step of Prayer 5. Why Do We Worship? 6. The Master of Praise PART THREE: PETITION 7. Praying for Our Needs 8. Praying for Our Desires 9. The Story of Grace
PART FOUR: INTERCESSION 10. Intercessory Prayer 11. Learning to Intercede 12. The Man Who Negotiated with God PART FIVE: THANKSGIVING 13. The Art of Giving Thanks 14. The Blessings of Thankfulness 15. The Apostle of Giving Thanks PART SIX: ANSWERED PRAYER 16. Understanding Answered Prayer 17. Seven Keys to Answered Prayer 18. Putting Prayer to Work Appendix: Expanding the Lord's Prayer Afterword
INTRODUCTION:
A DIRECT PRIVATE LINE How can we most easily understand the privilege we call prayer? How should we pray, and how can we improve our prayers? Sometimes, comparisons and analogies can help us to answer such questions and to see the infinite potential we have in our opportunity to communicate with God himself. For example, using the analogy of a telephone conversation, prayer has been called a "hotline" or "direct private line" between us and God.
This book takes that analogy and expands it as the basis for the introduction you are now reading and also the first chapter which is a guide to the practical aspects of prayer that you can apply immediately. The following chapters then look at prayer in more depth, so whether you are a new Christian who would like to know how to pray or an established believer who would like to further broaden and deepen your relationship with God through prayer, this book is for you. Direct, Instant, and Answered! Some of the most important people in the world – the presidents, prime ministers, kings or queens of great countries, or the CEOs of massive international corporations – have direct private telephone lines so that their close family members and personal assistants can reach them. That, of course, is exactly the kind of opportunity we are given in prayer – though to an infinitely greater degree!
It's humbling to think that we are each, individually, important enough to God to have a direct line to the King and CEO of the universe. It's a "direct private line" that is always there. We don't have to wait on hold in order to get through eventually – the line we are given is direct and instant. And we can use it at any time.
Unlike our regular phones, there isn't some complicated plan where we end up having to wait to call because we are low on minutes. There are no downed or bad telephone lines, no poor satellite signals, no answering machines or dropped calls – ever. We can actually reach the Ruler of heaven and earth faster than we can get through to our doctor's office or local grocery store.
The fact that we have direct access to our Heavenly Father is truly a great gift. When we consider the importance of the One with whom we are able to speak, the directness of our access is amazing. Some believe they can only call on God through various intercessors, but Jesus' words are clear. Although we are told to pray in his name (John 16:23) and we are only able to approach God through the sacrifice of Christ (John 14:6), we do not need any other intercessor but may pray directly to the Father (John 16:2627). Many scriptures show that we can also pray to Jesus himself when this is appropriate (John 14:14, Acts 7:59-60, etc.), but he urges us to pray directly to God the Father (Matthew 6:9).
Another wonderful thing to remember is that our "prayer calls" are always answered. Although we talk about "answered prayer" and "unanswered prayer," it's helpful to remember that prayer really is like a phone call that's always answered. We will see that later in this book, but God is always there and the "phone" is always on. When we ask for things, for our own good he may not give us exactly what we ask for or respond as quickly as we may hope, but the sincerely made call is always answered. When we do our part, God promises exactly that: "Call to me and I will answer you…" (Jeremiah 33:3a) – as those who pray know: "…I call to you, because you answer me" (Psalms 86:7).
More Than We Ask But just like our phone calls with our closest friends and loved ones, prayer is so much more than just calling to ask for help. Hopefully, we call to affirm and enhance our relationships. This truth was eloquently summed up by the celebrated Christian writer C. S. Lewis in his remarks on what prayer is:
Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine. – C. S. Lewis, The Efficacy of Prayer In this metaphor Lewis shows us prayer as it really is – as an approach to God, beginning at the threshold of his heavenly temple and moving closer and closer to him. In the same way, answered prayer is much more than just getting what we ask for. More often than not, we grow in grace and knowledge – even in ways we do not ask for – through prayer more than in any other way. That was Jeremiah's full thought in the scripture we partially quoted above: "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3). The act of prayer is itself an invitation for God to work in our lives; as a result, very often we receive so much more than we even ask for. Using the Direct Private Line Of course, we have to pray for prayer to work. That's the only catch to the direct private line that is made available to us. We have to use it regularly for maximum effectiveness. It's not like that legendary "hotline" between the leaders of the United States and the old Soviet Union – to be used only if circumstances became desperate enough that it was needed.
In fact, we must use prayer on a daily basis and even more frequently than that if God is to fully use our prayers to our advantage. The apostle Paul shows we should pray in "all things" and "without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). In the same vein, Martin Luther wrote that "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." We will see exactly what that means in the course of this book.
But for now we just need to commit ourselves to thinking about the different aspects of prayer and to learning how to use them to the full. The first chapter of this book gives a "quick start guide" to prayer that is aimed primarily at newer Christians, but might also serve as a refresher for anyone. This guide is followed by chapters that look at "how to pray" in more depth as well as chapters on each of the major types of prayer that we can and should utilize in approaching God. Most of these sections end with a case study that gives practical examples. The final section looks at how we can make our prayers more answerable. We invite you to read these chapters with an eye to utilizing new understandings you may gain or better applying what you already know.
Most of all, this book invites you to commit to enhancing your prayer life – to more fully using the direct line we have been given. Remember, we don't even need a reason to call. God is always desirous to hear from us, but if we are willing to learn to develop our "conversation skills," prayer can become much more than a one-way conversation and can be a truly transforming experience.
The Creator-CEO of the universe has offered you a personal invitation to get to know him better. Will you accept the invitation? – It's your call.
PART ONE:
HOW TO PRAY