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Prayer is a subject of endless Bible investigation. Its depths may be devoted to understanding by constant revelation, and yet never reach a full perception of its effects. More than ever, prayer is important to the "Elect in Christ" (the remnant of faithful Israel) who in these last days find themselves a minority living in a world gone mad, run by self glorifying men who have become their own god. This article is most assuredly only the "tip of the iceberg" (if even that) concerning prayer. The importance of our prayers is not to be measured by how many prayers we count as "answered prayers". The importance and purpose of prayer ultimately rests on the truth that it is Yahweh God's choice that prayer is a vital part in His plan for manifesting the complete redemption of Adam's family. Yet even though man is an integral part of the prayer, it should be kept in mind that it is The Almighty who initiates prayer, and not man. When a person feels an urge for prayer communication with Yahweh, it is the will of our Heavenly Father drawing that person close, and we must grasp the truth that this is He working through man for His own good: "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;" (Philip.2:13-15) "But by the grace of God I (Paul) am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (I Cor.15:10) It is necessary that we remain constantly on guard against our carnal mind which wants to receive self gratification to our harm above all else. We see this lower trait of man's sinful side even in the most subtle of manners such as the "born again religion" which adherents claim that "THEY have chosen Jesus", and that "THEY have accepted Christ", and that "THEY have found God" (as if He was ever lost in the first place). Christ declares, "Ye have NOT chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you." (Jn.15:16) Notice the stipulation to prayer manifested --- an understanding that it was Jesus who chose you, not the other way around. This truth applies to prayer as well. Without Yahweh sending The Holy Spirit into our hearts and The Holy Spirit initiating prayer, we would have no valid prayer at all. Has not Yahweh even chosen the exact prayers to be said by His people before the prayer comes to mind? And that the real mystery of prayer is that it actually precedes the implementation of a specific event by His hand? Note that Yahweh tells us that He Himself predicted and foreordained the prayers that blessed Israel to be prosperous with a numerous population (referring to the Saxon trek westward into Europe then to the New Jerusalem of America). "Thus saith the Yahweh God; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock." (Ezek.36:37) Likewise in these last of the last days, the advancement of the Christian Israel Kingdom message within America over the past 20 years was the result of earnest prayer by a few teachers of the Word who sowed seeds and prayed that those would take hold. Their prayer was actually an announcement of what Yahweh Himself had already planned to do. Even though the present generation at large has rejected divine law, the remnant has been called out by Yahweh for their security against the judgment to come upon a rebellious America. We should all be encouraged to keep up the prayer chosen for His remnant of today and as predicted by Jesus Christ. "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:36) However prayer must not emulate the denominational churches of Mystery Babylon by praying to the "The Lord" ( A blasphemous name and title of a pagan god ... see the main article this web site entitled "God's Name"). All prayers are by direction of The Holy Spirit, to the Father Yah, through the name of Yahshua Messiah. According to the divine law that two or three witnesses are required to establish a matter (Mat.18:16; I Cor. 13:1) this name was given in three languages depicting Israel's westward travels. 1)Hebrew --Yahshua Messiah 2)Greek -- Iesous Christo 3)English -- Jesus Christ. Contrary to some well meaning people who suggest that the name "Jesus" came from the Greek god "Zeus", it most certainly did not, and such a claim shows a lack of comprehension of the first century Greek language in use at the time of the writing of the Newer Testament Scriptures. (See related paragraph about the Name "Jesus" in another article. Use your 'back arrow' to return here) Nevertheless, the way of prayer is only though the Son. (Jn.14:6; 10:9) Is anyone in need of divine help about a personal problem? The Bible teaches us to pray for others first, then for our personal need. Studying Job 42:7-10 we see that God did not bring Job out of his misery until after Job prayed for his friends! An interesting observation about prayer is it's meaning in the Greek text. The word "prayer" in Greek is "Pros-yoo-khay" (Strong's ref.# 4335) The first part of this word is PROS or "toward". The second part YOO-KHAY may be broken down into two root meanings. YOO is the Greek prefix EY containing the letters epseelon and upseelon, which in English is equivalent to EU meaning "well". English words based on this root include EULOGY (praise well), EUPHONIC (sound well), EUPHORIA (feel well). The last syllable is KHAY from the Greek letters XH (Chee, Eyta). This syllable is based on the first letter "X" which in its syntax is itself shortened from "EX" meaning "have". We realized then, that prayer is: PROS -- toward EU -- well Khay -- having Thus prayer is a gift given to us by our Heavenly Father that is to be for us a "TOWARD WELL HAVING". Any discouragement or doubt we have about prayer is always on our part and never on the part of Yahweh. "Toward Well Having" however is not a reference to material gain and luxury. The Bible abounds with stories about the faithful who were blessed with financial prosperity, and other faithful who lived in hardship without material gain. Both types of people were faithful, but neither considered material gain as having come from prayer. There are those today who use the perverted measuring rod of wealth to supposedly determine the extent of one's faith. We are commanded to not fellowship with such false brethren as the Bible reveals that God's truth is not in them: "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Master Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself." (I Tim.6:3-5) There is nothing wrong with having money or not having money if both are kept in perspective of loving the brethren. What the gift of prayer (toward well having) means is that we participate in it to find Yahweh's will for our lives, and live thereby regardless of the circumstance. We are not capable of knowing the far reaching effects of our prayers, even the ones which we hastily determine as being "unanswered". The Scriptures tell us to "pray without ceasing" (I Thess. 5:17), and "That men ought always to pray, and not to faint."(Lk. 18:1) Here then is the reason we stay committed to prayer --- we pray because we are told to pray, not in order to see how many "things" we receive. Prayer is ordained of Yahweh Almighty as being of great influence in the lives of men and in the outcome of events. It is part of the higher discipline as a follower of Jesus to participate in daily prayer, for it is our great advantage over the adversary system of the worldly order, and a source of closeness to our King Eternal. |
