The Power Of Private Prayers

The Power of Private Prayer
There has been much attention given in the last few years concerning public prayer and, sadly, very little attention has been given to private time in prayer. One of the characteristics we see concerning Jesus is that He spent many hours in prayer. As a matter of fact, Jesus is presented in the New Testament as a Man of Prayer. Here is a sampling of the verses dealing with Jesus’ prayer life.
Matthew 14:23: “And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.”
Mark 1:35: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
Luke 5:16: “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.”
Luke 22:45: “And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow.”
One of the most powerful statements about Jesus’ prayer life is found in Luke 6:12, “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”
Obviously, as children of God, we need to spend time communicating with our Heavenly Father, invoking His blessing upon our lives. As we consider the time we spend in prayer to God, what restrictions, if any, has God placed on our private devotional time with Him? Do the same regulations apply to private prayer as to public prayer? Is our private time in prayer worship or not? These are some of the questions that arise when we study this vital topic.
First, let’s consider what Jesus taught about private time in prayer. Jesus said, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matt. 6:6). In this chapter, Jesus warned us about doing any act of worship to be seen of men. Some have tried to claim that this passage of Scripture forbids the Christian from any form of public prayer. Such is simply not the case. There are far too many examples of prayer being led in public for this to be a proper understanding of this text. (See Acts 1:24 as an example of praying together in public.) It is clear from the context that what Jesus was warning against was doing any act of worship to be seen of men.
Secondly, does God place any restrictions on private prayer? As we study the teachings of the Bible concerning prayer, we find that Jesus gave us certain guidelines to follow. There is no indication that Jesus was making a distinction between private and public prayer. Jesus taught us not to pray to be seen of men (Matt. 6:5). He also taught that we should not use vain repetitions (Matt. 6:6-8). He taught us to pray to our Heavenly Father (Matt. 6:9). He also taught that we are to ask our Father in His name (John 16:23-28).
One more vital question needs to be answered, “Is private prayer worship?” Sadly, there has been such a knee-jerk reaction to the false notion that “all of life is worship,” that some have falsely claimed that worship is limited to an assembly (sometimes referred to as “corporate worship”). Both of these extremes are false. Abraham’s statement in Genesis 22:5, “Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you,” shows clearly that all of life is not worship. Concerning private prayer as worship, we find an instance of prayer in the Old Testament where private prayer is actually referred to as a form of worship (Gen. 24:26-27). We should conclude from this that private and public prayers are both a form of worship and we should treat them as such.
Finally, what are the benefits of spending time in private communication with our Heavenly Father? One of the most valuable lessons we learn from private prayer is that we are completely and totally dependent upon God for everything (John 15:5-7). We also learn that private prayer is communication with our Father (Phil. 4:6). He speaks to us through the Bible, and we speak to Him in prayer. In verse seven, Paul tells us “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” One of the greatest benefits is seen in this verse: our hearts are comforted to know that God hears and answers our prayers!
Brethren, may we never forget the power of private prayers (James 5-16-18).