On the Development and Consistency of Prayer in the Bible
Throughout the Bible, there is a clear and constant dialogue between God and the people in the Bible. We see all different types of people pray in a plethora of places in times of personal need, worship and consecration, and as the story of God’s chosen people develops, the skeleton of most prayers remains constant. At the root of prayer, there is an acknowledgement of God’s power and tendency of salvation. In the beginning, in Genesis, Adam searches for and speaks to God while walking around the Garden of Eden. We see Moses communicate with God as a burning bush in Exodus, and King David is constantly praying to God in worship and lamentation. Jesus talks to his father, and encourages his disciples to pray. Paul asks for prayer in his letters. Throughout the multiple writing styles, authors, themes and genres in the Bible, speaking to God through prayer and God speaking to his people is constant; when characters are in times of great need, sorrow, joy or anger, they pray.
Speaking to God is an exchange that is not restricted to the elite. In the Old Testament, there seems to be a certain distance between God and his unholy people, and with the design of the tabernacle including the veil, men were reminded of this separation. Despite this, there are multiple instances of ordinary people at prayer. Ordinary prayer is the widow Naomi asking the God to bless her daughter-in-laws, “May the Lord deal kindly with you” (Ruth 1:8), or the quickly mentioned Jabez, praying for good fortune, “‘that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm’ and God granted what he asked for” (1 Chronicles 4:10). In the New Testament there are reoccurring appearances and mention of Jesus preaching to the Gentiles, encouraging the idea that salvation is for everyone, not just the Jews. In the gospel of John, Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman with no husband— someone who would regularly be disregarded and looked down upon— but he shares the good news of “living water” with her. We also see people of higher status speaking to God. Moses has a constant dialogue with God on Mount Sinai (Exodus), David approaches Goliath in the name of the Lord (1 Samuel 17), Solomon asks God for wisdom (1 Kings 3), and Jesus prays to his father while on the earth. It’s quite clear: prayer is for everyone.
One of the most prevalent reasons for prayer throughout both the Old and New Testaments is a cry for help in a time of need, and in these prayers God’s qualities of strength and power of deliverance are made obvious. When Jonah was swallowed by a fish in the sea, “Jonah prayed to the Lord of his God from the belly of the fish, saying, ‘I called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me’” (Jonah 2:1-2). In this conversation with God Jonah is asking for help while simultaneously recognizing the Lord’s power of deliverance. Jonah has to acknowledge that God has the power to save for him to ask him to do so. A prayer in a time of need shines a light on how the Lord cares for the well-being and salvation of his people. When Paul is writing to the people of Thessalonica he requests prayers that “[followers of God] may be rescued from wicked and evil people; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:2-3). Once again, for Paul to pray for release from evil, he has to recognize that the Lord the has strength and power to do so. A common aspect of the letters of Paul, and most books in the Bible, is a prayer of deliverance in a time of need.
The book of Psalms, 150 chapters, are all mostly praise and thanksgiving of God, and this theme of worship is common throughout the dialogue between God and his people. In Deuteronomy, Moses tells his people, “He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things” (Deuteronomy 10:21). When the people of Israel, and future inhabitants of God’s kingdom recognize the good in their lives, they look to God. The prophet Habakkuk is able to worship God, even through hardship, “yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will exult in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18). The characters of the Bible’s inclination to praise and thank God for the good in their lives is unwavering. This instinct to worship God continues throughout the New Testament and into the visions within the apocalyptic book of Revelation. A foresight of heaven describes winged creatures singing, “‘Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come’” (Revelation 4:8). These prayers and declarations of adoration only exist because the ones who utter them believe that praise is necessary, they believe that God has blessed them with hope and all things good because he has the power to do so.
Finally, it is quite common to see prayers of consecration throughout both the Old and New Testaments. In this conversation, one vows dedication to God. For example, Hannah, wife of Elkanah, gives birth to her son Samuel and prays, “therefore I have lent him to the Lord as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:28), the name Samuel even means “He is who from God”. Also, in one of Paul’s letters, he states his devotion to a life with God, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,” (Philippians 3:10). The act of consecration through prayer signifies humility; when Paul says he wants to know Christ, he is committing to suffering in confidence that God has power over his life. If people like Hannah and Paul thought God was small and incapable, they wouldn’t devote their life, or their child’s life to him. Consecration can be considered as the ultimate recognition of power and trust in God— those who consecrate themselves are saying that they are going to live their life for God and with his intentions, instead of their own, and making this vow is not possible with out speaking to God.
On the other end of the conversation, God is very prolific in communicating with his people, although it is not always direct dialogue. The main way that God speaks in the Torah is directly conversing with the patriarchs and other important figures like Moses. As the Old Testament moves from the books of the law to those of the prophets, God uses the prophets to communicate with his people; he speaks to the prophets, and the prophets tell others what God has told them. God communicates through the prophets in many ways. Ezekiel experienced the spirit and a voice, “Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me” (Ezekiel 2:2). Daniel, on the other hand, had visions of God speaking to him, calling it a “great vision” (Daniel 10:8) and later in the Bible, Joseph had a vision of sorts when an angel appeared to him in a dream, telling him to stay with Mary (Matthew 1:20). In Kings, the prophet Elijah hears an audible voice (1 Kings 19:13-14). God also speaks in an audible voice in the New Testament when Jesus is baptized, “And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased’” (Luke 3:22). Another way God speaks to his people is through supernatural occurrences, for example Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-4) or Saul and the blinding light on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:1-5). Despite differences in experiences, these people were aware that God was communicating with them.
The ways that God speaks to his people are not always obvious, but they are purposeful, and in response, his people are able express emotions and craft a set of characteristics of God, and at the center of this, is his power. In his letter to James, Paul quite eloquently summarizes the prayer relationship between God and those speaking to him, “Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them… pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being just like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest” (James 5:13-18). Paul is claiming that prayer is not restricted to anyone or to anytime, and that God will answer in due time.