If asked to define prayer, most of us would respond with something like “it is talking to God” or “it is communication with God.” We do it every day; often multiple times per day. We are comfortable with it. But, have we become so comfortable that we don’t focus? Just as the human body has a specific construct (anatomy) so does prayer. In this devotion we will look at a few “bones” of prayer (thus the title). I will share some thoughts based on how I understand the scriptures at this point in my journey.
Each person of the Trinity is involved with our prayers; each in a specific way.
God the Father
Our prayer must be offered to God the Father. The opening of our prayer should indicate to whom we are praying. This may seem obvious, but some pray to Jesus, the Holy Spirit or even Mary. Jesus prayed to the Father. In the LORD’s prayer, Jesus instructed His disciples to pray to the Father (Matthew 6:9). As He hung on the cross, He prayed to the Father asking the Father to forgive those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34).
God the Son
The New Testament declares that we have access to God the Father through Jesus. When Jesus was crucified, the veil of the temple that separated off the Holy of Holies (where only the high priest could go—once a year—to meet God on the people’s behalf) was split in two from top to bottom. Hebrews (10:19-20) tells us that we all now have access to God through the veil that is His flesh. So, our access to God the Father is in coming through Christ and his righteousness. In John 14:16 Jesus says, "Whatever you ask in my name that will I do that the father may be glorified in the son." So, from that we realize that there's an explicit passage about praying in Jesus' name. But more importantly, the truth it points to is the larger truth found in the New Testament that we have access to God the father through Jesus. It is through the death of Jesus that we have access to God, and praying in Jesus name is a theological shorthand for expressing that. To pray a prayer in Jesus' name is to recognize that we're coming in the righteousness of Christ, not our own. We don't deserve to be heard by God, but Jesus does. And we come in his name, we come presenting him and all that he is. God hears us because of Jesus.
Jesus’ name is precious and powerful. Philippians 2:9-11 says “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Food for thought:
If we close our prayer with “in His name,” is it because we are reluctant to say the name of Jesus?
If we close our prayer with “in Your name,” doesn’t that mean we are praying in the Father’s name (since we are praying to the Father)?
God the Holy Spirit
Have you ever felt like you just didn’t know how to pray about a particular situation? I certainly have. Thankfully, we have help! Romans 8:26-27 says: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
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