We often see people praying. People can add prayer to every need under the sun. I would imagine even atheists pray, given that they imagine themselves to be the center of the universe as they know it in hopes to sway fate in their chosen direction.
On the other hand, there is Christian prayer by which we pray through Our Lord, Savior and High Priest, Jesus Christ. We prayer to God who is Sovereign, who is the source of all good blessings, and who is the Creator of Life.
In the Bible in Proverbs 28, we can learn something about what prayer should not be based on and how God deems some prayer, attitudes and behaviors as abominable. Needless to say, believers in Christ should alert themselves to what is abominable and what may be blessed by God.
Proverbs 28 – an excerpt
Prayers from those who turn away from the Law.
The wicked flee when there is no one pursuing,
But the righteous are secure as a lion.
2 By the transgression of a land many are its princes,
But by a man who understands, who knows, so it endures.
3 A poor man who oppresses the lowly
Is a driving rain which leaves no food.
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
But those who keep the law strive with them.
5 Evil men do not understand justice,
But those who seek Yahweh understand all things.
6 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than he who is crooked—double dealing—though he be rich.
7 He who observes the law is a son who understands,
But he who befriends gluttons humiliates his father.
8 He who increases his wealth by interest and usury
Gathers it for him who is gracious to the lowly.
9 He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,
Even his prayer is an abomination... – Proverbs 28:1-9
Pick up your Bible and feel free to read the remainder of Proverbs 28, it contains an extensive list of actions that are abominable to the Lord.
To add more color to how people might pray, It helps to know the character of God and what God considered things worth praying for. The idea is not to be asking for that which does not glorify God, or aid in the Sanctification or Justification of others. As much as we may desire material wealth and vengeance, or even more desperately, the endangered lives of the people we love, our prayers change as we are filled with the knowledge of who God is and especially the eternal perspective provided by Salvation through God’s Grace in His Son Jesus Christ.
7 “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you measure, it will be measured to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. – Matthew 7:1-5
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! – Matthew 7:7-10
You may continue to pray in whichever way you know how, for whatever you need. The knowledge of God tempered and liberates both what we pray for and what we expect.
One of the hallmarks of a Christian is being on the path of giving up things we once thought were important before surrendering to the Lord. This is often something we pray for: for God to help us change our selfishness into selflessness, to change our foolishness to wisdom, to change our cowardice to courageousness.
We always submit to God’s ultimate plan, regardless of our desire to have a specific outcome, most of our growth comes in the process of being patient or the necessary humility that transforms a stone-like or unwilling heart, or a pride-full heart to one of humility.
How to begin a prayer that is iess likely to be abominable
How to begin a prayer that is less likely to be abominable
Now, a talk about prayer would not be complete without the necessary acknowledgement of Who you are addressing. And if you do not know who you addressing, you may make that a priority of your prayer life, for God to reveal Himself to you.
The first part of a prayer needs to be one of Worship. Unless you are an uncouth person, you would not first address an important person without respect to their title. Even if it is simply Heavenly or Eternal Father, this helps your heart reset if you truly have a sense of the gravity of the address you are about to embark on. So opening your prayer with some worshipful acknowledgments of relevant attributes of God’s Glory is important.
Second, show thanks for what God has already blessed you with. In other words, show some gratitude for the immensity of what you’ve already received before you embark on another request.
This should not be a laborious kind of discipline. If you understand the sacrifice that Christ has made on your behalf and if you know that all good things that you have experienced and possess are gifts from God, then these simple prerequisites should be rathe natural, easy, and also humbling. Being humble before God is a good thing.
Alternately, as the model prayer illustrates, pray for God for continued feeding of our soul through God’s wisdom and truth, and how to be less of a hypocrite that we were today yesterday.
As you study the Bible, you will get to know more about the many characteristics of God. You will get to know what kind of things are of God’s will and which are not. Aligning your prayers along these lines will be a natural development of continuous study of the Bible, which is the inerrant and authoritative work of God.
It’s virtually impossible to know who God is without regular devotional reading of the entire Bible. Involving yourself in a Bible study with other believers that highlights the authority and inerrancy of God is also valid for a believer. In other words, it would be virtually impossible for you to get to know someone by simply imagining who they are.
The Bible needs to be the lens through which all other experiences are judged or interpreted. Furthermore, if you are surrendered to God, if you live as a servant to the will of God, you would want to know what kind of instructions God would give and how He would guide you.
Seeking to focus your prayer life in this way will help make what you ask for less abominable and more Christ-like.
The Disciples asked Jesus how to pray
5 “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore, do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
9 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]
14 For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. – Matthew 6:5-4
I would recommend you read all of Matthew Chapter 6 as it has more to do with ones attitude in service, being mindful of the image you are projecting and knowing where your heart is, as well as your attitude towards prayer.
For a one minute explanation of the Gospel from the late Pastor John MacArthur, watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCP9UcC7BzE
For a review of the Ten Commandments: https://www.challenyee.com/the-ten-commandments/
ACT LIKE MEN a short talk given by John MacArthur (click on the link)
All quoted excerpts have footnotes removed, usually from Legacy Standard Bible (LSB), sometimes from New International Version (NIV), on rare occasion the Amplified Bible (AMP).
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