EFP Part I: How NOT to Pray (a)

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16)

Today we begin a series on EFP - “Effectual Fervent Prayer”. I don’t know yet how many parts this series will take, so let’s just say that today is Part I (actually it will be Part 1(a), since we were only able to cover one aspect of “How NOT to Pray” in the classroom). Let’s start by looking at the definitions for those first two adjectives:

Effectual: 1. Producing, or able to produce, the desired effect. 2. Having legal force; valid.

Fervent: 1.hot; burning; glowing. 2. having or showing great warmth of feeling; intensely devoted or earnest; ardent. SYN – passionate

Actually, in the original Greek “effectual fervent” was just one word: energeō (en-erg-eh'-o) - to be active, efficient. My desire is to see our prayers become like Jesus’ prayers – active, efficient - producing the desired effect. So, what better place to begin that discussion than with Jesus’ lesson on prayer? Let’s go to Matthew’s Gospel:

And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Truly I say unto you, They have their reward. But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly. But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore like them: for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask him.

After this manner therefore pray: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:5-13)

Sometimes when you are “laying a foundation for life” you have to start by tearing down a shaky or unstable foundation that may already exist. We see that Jesus did exactly that in verses 5 through 8 – before he gave his model for prayer, he had to teach on how NOT to pray. Am I saying that God will never answer your prayers if you pray the wrong way? Not necessarily – God is bigger than that. But remember that "man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). So let’s get to the heart of the matter - Jesus taught that there is a wrong way and a right way to pray, so we will begin today like Jesus did, by looking at how NOT to pray.

Verses 5 and 6 have today’s Key Point: Hypocrites Love to Pray

Hypocrites love to pray – they love to pray in public – they love to be seen by men as they pray. They love to impress people with their knowledge of Scripture. They love to show off how spiritual and/or holy they are. And what does Jesus say about these folks? “They have their reward.” One way to be truly ineffective in prayer is to pray in a manner that is more concerned with what other people will see, hear and think about you, rather than what God is concerned about. I’ll come back to this truth in a moment, but let me address verse 6 first: Is Jesus saying that we should never pray in public? No, not at all – as a matter of recorded fact, we only need to look at the start of Luke’s account of this same event to see that Jesus had been praying in public, and that is what led the disciples to ask Him how to pray:

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When you pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. (Luke 11:1-2)

So it isn’t public prayer that Jesus is teaching against, but our motive in prayer – if our motive is to have people notice us, that people would be impressed by how “spiritual” or “religious” we are, then that is all that we should expect. People may be impressed with us, but our prayers are going to be ineffectual. We say it in these studies over and over again: Motives Matter!

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

Matthew 6:6 does tell us to enter into our closets and shut the door – that is a good way to eliminate the possibility of being motivated by being seen by others. Again, I don’t believe that this was meant to be a formula or an ordinance or a law – instead it was meant to teach us that when we pray in secret, not to be seen of men, God will reward us openly.

I could put it this way: God is more concerned about your Motives for prayer than in your Methods in prayer! Does it really matter how many minutes or hours you pray each day? Do we need to measure up to some other human’s standards for prayer? Do we need to bow our heads and close our eyes when we pray in church? Are we doing it out of reverence for God, or just to appear reverent to other people that may see? I’m not saying that any of these methods is bad, but if the motives are bad, to impress people, remember that Jesus says “they have their reward”.

Again, am I saying that God will never answer your prayers if you pray the wrong way? Not necessarily – God is bigger than that. But let’s be aware of our motives as we go to prayer, recognizing that if our desire is for Effectual Fervent Prayer, prayer that is active, efficient – producing the desired effect, then we need to keep our motives pure. Praying with the wrong motives, praying for visibility and/or human response, is a time waster – it is NOT going to be Effectual Fervent Prayer.

Join us next week as we continue this lesson: EFP Part I: How NOT to Pray (b).

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