Let me be the 1st one to admit that I cannot pray a near perfect prayer.
In my pre-relationship days I tried. Moving from the conservative protestant to the Pentecostal and Charismatic denominations, I also moved from praying in one way as taught to praying in another way as taught by man.
Most of us do not realize that we pray according to what we were taught and the examples that we got and are still getting. Our prayers are learned behavior emanating from mostly indoctrinated and conditioned thinking and conduct.
Praying is not what we think
It was hard and continuous work.
Urgent intervention required
Before I could come to a place whence I surrendered to just talking to Jesus, something had to happen.
For us to overcome the dire, senseless state of affairs required intervention and guidance and lots of embracing from the Holy Spirit before our hardened hearts would become pliable and open to His gentle soft voice on matters of prayer.
There was a point when I realized I cannot pray at all. This happened some years ago when the Holy Spirit intervened as I was praying one of my senseless prayers.
I was asking God to bless the food that we were about to eat when I clearly heard His voice asking what I was doing. I remember so clearly being asked “Why do you want Me to bless the food when I have already empowered you to do the blessing?”
What?
This changed everything for me.
I started becoming more and more aware of how we are taught to pray contrary to what Jesus commissioned us to do.
Why?
Because we are brainwashed to believe that we are powerless and that everything is in the hands of God.
The real sate of affairs
Jesus gave us the power to cast out demons, to heal the sick, to speak to the mountain, to cast down the hills and to raise up the valleys. But praying, we respectfully decline and we keep reciting what we were taught wrongly by our doctrinal institutions.
A breakthrough (from my own religious traditions) came when Abba shared with me what Jesus said with regards to erōtaō and aiteō (see this post).
Jesus explained the difference between an old covenant prayer and a New Testament prayer in John 16:23 saying “ … in that day ye shall ask (erōtaō) me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask (aiteō) the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked (aiteō) nothing in my name: ask (aiteō), and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."
After being perplexed for a time the Spirit of Truth enlightened me concerning the words used for ask by Jesus in John 16 just before his finished work on the cross. Jesus was saying that we should pray intelligent prayers following His completed work by not denying what He has fully accomplished and not acting as if it never happened like in the old covenant.
Where do I get that from?
The first time Jesus uses the word ask in the above passage, it is the word erōtaō, from the Greek root Greek word meaning in this context to ask a favour, beg, beseech, desire, intreat, pray; to question, ascertain by inquiry (as a matter of information merely) - the way old covenant people used pray.
So, then Jesus carries on to say in that day we will beg Him nothing …
The second ask that Jesus uses in this passage following in that day we shall ask is a different Greek word altogether. He now uses the word aiteō, meaning to strictly demand something that is due!
Do you see why this changes everything?
Instead of begging in the old covenant way, following that day we shall now be demanding something that is already there for the taking!
If we ask in accordance with His finished work, we do not ask and wonder if what we pray for will come true. Now we are not praying in unbelief anymore! (for more on this see this post)
Everything changed
My prayer-life changed.
I was having a conversation with Jesus now instead of constantly nagging Him to do the things that He entrusted me to apply in my life and those around me. I could now take dominion and action and rule in my life as heir in the kingdom of God.
Look at your own misunderstanding
Now, taught by the Holy Spirit, I was made aware of our preconceived ideas when it came to prayer and the attitude we sometimes have against some forms of prayer (see this post).
In the book of Matthew (Matthew 6), Jesus explains what it means to pray by entering into thy closet [Greek word tameion].
Literally translated, the Greek word tameion means dispensary. It can be any kind of place, much rather, it is that place from whence one dispenses. This is the place from which one dispenses the dominion authority that heirs in the kingdom of God have. You close the door on all your misconceptions, doubt and unbelief the world and our worldly observations have to offer and you apply the finished work of Christ by agreeing with all that Jesus had provided in His victory.
Check your dispensary … such as you have, you will give …
Words have power. Your tameion is the position from which you dispense your words of power and authority. If you know your true identity, you will very quickly realize that this is done from your position in Christ as an heir in the Kingdom of God. For us living in the New Testament, it means to pray from that position of authority!
And then the strange prayer …
Praying in tongues?
Well, who can agree with that? Especially, if you are from a conservative denomination!
Worst of all … this was me when I subscribed to bad institutional doctrine attending behaviour-modification institutions we call church.
When I finally decided to change my religious environment to a more Charismatic, Pentecostal one, my background as a researcher got the better of me and I decided to research this phenomenon of praying in tongues. Where I came from I was taught that this was mostly evil - no-one could understand what was being prayed.
In my research I found no clarity on the matter. Until one evening during our weekly outreach to the local hospital. As we engaged with a severely traumatized man, the Holy Spirit spoke to me very clearly about praying in tongues.
The man we were praying for, passed in and out of consciousness as we prayed. He would talk sense one minute and the next he would slip back into a state of utter confusion, mumbling some nonsensical words as he spoke. When we approached him, he agreed that we could pray for him under the condition that he pray for us afterwards.
We prayed our usual prayer. Just as we were about to leave his bedside, the man regained full consciousness and called us back. He thanked us and reminded us that he wanted to pray for us.
Enter the Holy Spirit.
The man started his prayer in a very composed and orderly manner, but as he prayed he slipped back into a state of semi-consciousness. The words uttered were a mumble-jumble of sounds and phrases we could not understand. At this very instant I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit whispering to me saying: "Do you hear that? Now it's not him praying anymore, but Me praying on His behalf. The perfect prayer. And that is what praying in tongues is all about!"
My knees almost gave way under me.
I was mind-blown over this intimate encounter and lesson that I could otherwise never have learned.
The perfect prayer!
These days, like Paul, I pray in the Spirit (tongues) more often than anything (1 Cor 14:18). I have seen how this God-gift goes beyond what I can ever expect or ask for and how that my weakness is turned into supernatural power and miracles that manifest right there and then.
Jesus does not empower us and leave us powerless
Jesus commissioned us saying:
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature
… and these signs shall follow them that believe;
In my name shall they cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues;
they shall take up serpents;
and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;
they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mar 16:15-18
So, the Apostle Paul could only agree:
For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. 1 Cor 14:2
Yes, the Mystery of God who fully revealed the Father’s heart - Jesus (see this post), the complete work of Christ.
And then, sometimes when we find ourselves clueless, not knowing what or how to pray, then we pray in tongues because the Spirit prays and not me. What could be more perfect?
To this end Paul pleads forbid not to speak with tongues. 1 Cor 14:39
HalleluYah!
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