Youth Day Questions on Prayer

Is true prayer ever unanswered? What type of faith is that?

True prayer is a prayer “from the heart,” and is a prayer by faith. It is a prayer which is acceptable to Cod, and which He will hear. That is what our Heidelberg Catechism says, but this is also told us in Cod’s Word, for we read in Psalm 65:2, “O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come.” The Lord certainly hears such prayers, which please Him. He hears the prayers of the poor, humbled sinners who know that they are not worthy that He hear them.

But that does not mean that we will receive everything for which we ask. That could be very dangerous and harmful for us. A wise parent will not give his child everything that he asks for. Also the Lord does not answer at their time, but when it is His time — sometimes after many trials. Think of Abraham. The Lord fulfilled His Word, but at a time when Abraham could no longer expect it. God answers, but sometimes in a different way than we have asked for. For instance, God’s people can ask for God’s instruction and for discovering, but when He gives them lessons in which they see so much of their ignorance and corruption, they cannot see that as gracious answers to their prayers. But yet it is God’s answer.

A true prayer is supplication made by true saving faith, with childlike reverence for, and confidence in, God. We then may be sure that he “will much less deny us what we ask of Him in true faith than our parents will refuse us earthly things.” My dear young friends, ask the Lord to teach you to pray as Hannah did, who, although oppressed and tested, was not put to shame. This will be experienced by all poor beggars at His throne: “This poor man cried and the Lord heard him, and delivered him out of all his troubles.” May that also be your experience by grace.

Is it wrong to ask the Lord for a boyfriend?

No, certainly not, if we may really do it in order to know God’s will and to see His way. Did not the Lord Himself say, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths?” I hope that you may truly ask the Lord to give you a boyfriend, in His favor.

But do you know what we do so easily? We ask the Lord if He will do or give us what we want to have. But may the Lord give you grace to do what He wants you to do and to go the way which He demands that you go. Isaac was praying in the field while Eliezer went out to seek a wife for him. That is a good example. May the Lord give you that place to acknowledge Him also in your daily matters and in the smallest things of this life. When the Lord comes in your life with His grace and you begin to seek His grace, you will need Him for everything and ask Him also for His help in so many minor things.

What does the Bible mean when it says that the prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord?

It is a serious warning that not all prayers are acceptable unto Cod. If we are disobedient to Cod, and we despise His ordinances, we must not expect any blessings.

The Lord is displeased with an attitude wherein we show that we love the world and the paths of sin, mixed with a little religion and requests for His help or wisdom only when we feel that we need some extra help. No, that is not an upright prayer in which God is really honored.

This does not mean that wicked sinners, which we all are by nature, must not pray. For it is God’s command to seek Him upon our knees and to acknowledge Him. But ask the Lord if He will make you sincere and upright, and then also wicked sinners, who may come ashamed and unworthy, will not be sent empty away.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all other things will be added unto you.” What does this really mean?

This is what the Lord says unto His disciples, who are so often concerned about this life and fearful for the future. The Lord says that you must not be as the heathen who say, “What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” The Lord says: “Your heavenly Father knows all your needs.” But seek now first the kingdom of God. That is what Mary did at Jesus’ feet. That one thing needful must have priority. Seek first to be a subject of this gracious King, to receive His grace, to experience His favor and blessed communion, to serve and glorify Him.

“Seek”—this means that we live outside of that kingdom by nature, serving the prince of darkness and are subjects of that tyrant by our own choice in Adam. It means that we must become interested and that there must be a true longing in our soul, a desire to belong to that happy people who serve God. It means also that we diligently use the means of grace. May we do as the woman who had ten pieces of silver, but lost one piece. She lighted a candle and swept the house and sought diligently till she found it.

Seek ye first means in your youth, when you are young — today, not tomorrow. As you read in Ecclesiastes 12:1, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.”

It means with all your strength, diligently: “O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee” (Ps. 63:2).

It means also before other things, as the most important, indispensable thing—for all other things will be added unto you! The Lord takes care for soul and body. If you really, through the new birth, may become one of those happy, blessed people, you will see that He provides with everything you need for this life. Dear young friends, God is so good for unworthy sinners; He is so faithful for an unfaithful, rebellious people; He is so worthy to be served in your young life. Do not spoil your precious time and your strength in the vain service of the world of sin. Those that seek Him early shall find Him. You may ask God’s people what they found in Him. They will not be able to tell you exactly how good and great He is, but they can tell you what God graciously has given unto them. May that be also your desire and your portion.

When praying, is it wrong to ask for signs from God, and if so, why?

It is not always wrong to ask for a sign from God in order to be assured that you go in the right way and do what God commands you to do.

For instance, Gideon asked the Lord for such a token when he put a fleece of wool in the floor. The Lord was not displeased with that. He answered him graciously and gave him a clear token by which to encourage him. But Zacharias also asked for a special proof of the truth of the message of the angel, saying, “Whereby shall I know this?” And you know that the Lord punished him. Why this difference? It was because Gideon asked for a sign to strengthen his faith, which was still weak, but Zacharias asked for a sign in unbelief. He could not see how that, which the angel had spoken of, could be realized. We must be careful when asking for signs. If it truly is to make sure that it is God who has spoken, to know His will, then we may ask for a special token of His guidance. And God can speak, in the first place by His Word, but also by special circumstances in your daily life.

Is it wrong to pray for people who claim themselves to be atheists?

No, for also atheists can be converted and be made true believers. And do not forget that we are no better than they. For practically speaking we, by nature, also live as if there were no God, no judgment, no death, no eternal condemnation and salvation.

Pray to the Lord for yourselves and for others, that you may learn what Manasseh knew in the prison, namely, that the Lord is God, and may bow before Him.

How do you know when you are praying in earnest?

It is true, our prayers must be sincere, humble, and upright. But that does not mean that a true supplicant always sees that for himself or herself. God’s people often have to ask: “Make me true and upright, also in my prayers unto Thee.”

The most important thing is for us to come as we are. That is grace, for we do not like to come in such a way before God. We are much too proud for that. In a prayer which is acceptable to God, we pray from the heart to the one only true God, as one who rightly and thoroughly knows his need and misery, so that he deeply humbles himself in the presence of divine Majesty (see Lord’s Day 45, Heidelberg Catechism).

In such prayers you will receive access to God and confidence that He will hear you. Ask the Lord to teach you to pray in this way. My dear young friends, do you know something of the place of Daniel, before windows open toward Jerusalem? That is a precious and necessary place, also for you.

Would there be a possibility of having prayer meetings on week-day evenings, once a month or so, to share each other’s burdens, if this were done under the proper leadership?

It would be a rich blessing if we could have something of the practice of the young Christian church after Pentecost, “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’s doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). And it is to be recommended that God’s children come together, not only to speak of the things of God’s kingdom, but also to pray together, to bear each other’s burdens before God’s throne. I wish we had more of that fellowship, that practical religion. It is certainly good to have our annual Prayer Days, and also some evening prayer services for special needs and circumstances. But we must realize that we are utterly dependent on the operation of the Spirit for grace and supplication. If that Spirit were poured out upon young and old, we would have an inner room as Hannah had, a place such as Daniel had, but Cod’s house would also be a house of prayer indeed, and Cod would do wonders. But without the leading of the Holy Spirit, it would develop in the direction of false enthusiasm or unbiblical emotions, or just become a pharisaical, legalistic, formal custom wherewith we do not please God, but only ourselves.

Oh, young friends, ask the Lord for His Spirit, that you may be beggars at the throne of His grace.

Do you not think that in prayers the soul’s needs have to take the preeminence?

Certainly, it is most important that our souls be saved. I really hope that the needs of your soul may be known and felt so that you realize that you not only have to go through this world, but also have to leave this wilderness to appear before God. One thing is needful, also for you. Ask the Lord often to convert you, but then your soul also will have to be nourished, comforted, and instructed. The Lord knows most perfectly all the needs of your soul, what is the best for you, and above all what will serve His honor.

But in the Lord’s prayer we see that the Lord Jesus also taught His disciples to pray for their daily bread. He knows how weak and poor we are. He said: “Without Me, ye can do nothing.” So we must ask the Lord for His supply of all our needs, both for soul and body.

Often on Sundays before the prayer the minister or elder says, “Let us try to ask God’s blessing.” Why is this? We can ask for this, can we not?

By this expression we confess that we need to be enabled by God Himself in order to pray and to ask in the right manner. Without Him our prayers are not true supplications, and although we use nice, humble words, the Lord knows how it is in our heart. No, we cannot even ask for God’s blessing in truth without His Spirit and His grace.

Ask the Lord: “Teach me to pray as Thou teachest all Thy children.” God’s people know a little of how dependent they are, also in their prayers.

Many times I find myself cold in prayer. It feels as though there is no sincerity in it, and many times my thoughts wander. Have you any remedies?

Herein you see how dependent we are and how unable we are to pray with respect, love and sincerity. We are prayerless people. Remember your Creator and ask the Lord to give you many impressions of His greatness, majesty, holiness, glory, and goodness.

When the prophet Isaiah saw something of the holiness of God, he said: “Woe is me, for I am undone.” If we may be in this frame our prayers will not be so cold and formal, but respectful, reverent and humble.

Ask the Lord also to show you who you are: unworthy, small, weak, guilty, and needy. For if you really feel how much you need the things you ask for, you will cry, beg, and lay it all before Him. Then you will also seek a solitary, quiet place where you can have an opportunity to pray. Oh, if we only had something of the frame of heart of Abraham when he said: “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes.” Such a place is precious, and such a heartfelt confession pleases God.

Should we pray to God the Father, to Jesus, or to God in general? What is the reason the Holy Ghost is needed so little?

The Lord Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman by Jacob’s well near Sychar. When she asked about the right worship of God, He said: “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). That was impossible for her unless the Messiah would teach her. The Lord Jesus is the way wherein we may come unto God, through the Holy Spirit, and may make known all our needs unto Him.

They are happy and highly privileged in whom He excites “a childlike reverence for, and confidence in God, namely, that God is become our Father in Christ” (see Lord’s Day 46 of Heidelberg Catechism).

May you by grace pray to believe what the psalmist said, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him” (Ps. 103:13).

The reason that the Holy Ghost is so little needed can be that we do not understand thoroughly our inability to pray as we ought. The Pharisee in the temple did not feel he needed the Holy Ghost, for he himself could thank and pray, and he was quite satisfied with it. But God teaches His children, and may you see that too: “for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26). Helpless, poor, humble people who cannot pray, cannot believe, cannot serve God, cannot accept the Lord’s benefits in their own strength, will need the Holy Ghost in order to pray, thank and serve Him who is so worthy to be honored.

Must all prayer be concluded with “for Thy will be done” or “for Jesus’ sake” or “in Thy Name”?

It is not necessary that you always conclude your prayer with the precious expression of submissiveness: “Thy will be done.” But it is a wonderful experience if we may truly pray with complete submission to God’s will. And that is necessary, for Christ Himself taught His disciples that petition.

The Lord Jesus says in John 14:13: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do.” That does not only mean that we make use of His Name in our prayers, but also that we ask for such things as are conformable to His will and for His glory.

Yes, then we must pray in His Name, realizing also that the Lord can only hear for the sake of the merits of Christ. Oh my young friends, even our prayers are so imperfect, so sinful, that the Lord will never do it for our prayer’s sake. But “for Jesus’ sake” or “in Thy Name” says that that which is impossible with men is possible with God, out of free grace, for His Son Jesus Christ’s sake only. May that by grace also become your only hope.

We should thank God in everything, but we cannot do that. Are we disobedient?

Yes, we are, for we should praise and thank the Lord for His many undeserved blessings. Our unthankfulness is a very great evil.

There are many texts in the Bible which tell us this. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” In Paradise we always praised and thanked the Lord, but now we are unthankful, dissatisfied, rebellious creatures. The Lord, however, still has a right to it and is worthy to be thanked and honored.

Dear boys and girls, may you be jealous of that people of whom the apostle says that they are “a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9). No, it was not the Pharisee who really thanked Him there in the front of the temple, but the leper, a Samaritan, falling at His feet. The Lord can bring you there too, and He can give unto us what we never could give unto Him, and then we would render thanks unto Him in humility. Then also the world could see something of it in our lives and others could be made jealous — and God’s Name would be glorified.

Rev. C. Vogelaar is pastor of the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of St. Catharines, Ontario.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen