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Prayer (4335) (proseuche from pros = toward or immediately before + euchomai = to pray or vow) is the more general word for prayer and is used only of prayer to God. The prefix pros would convey the sense of being immediately before Him and hence the ideas of adoration, devotion, and worship. The basic idea is to bring something, and in prayer this pertains to bringing up prayer requests. In early Greek culture an offering was brought with a prayer that it be accepted. Later the idea was changed slightly, so that the thing brought to God was a prayer. In later Greek, prayers appealed to God for His presence. Proseuche is used 37 times in the NT (see below). Note the concentration of prayer in the early church! (Acts) What has happened to us as a church in America? How might this relate to how infrequently we see the power of the Lord at work in our midst? Below are the NT uses... Matthew 21:13 And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a robbers' den." Comment: Where is His house today? Yes the local church building, but where else? Paul says our physical body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. How might Jesus' exhortation regarding His house, the Temple in Jerusalem, relate to believers in the NT? Are you as convicted as I am? Notice this is one of those passages that is repeated in all 3 synoptic gospels, which makes it even more convicting. Matthew 21:22 "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." Comment: All things in the will of God, not our whims! Mark 9:29 And He said to them, "This kind (of unclean spirit ~ demon) cannot come out by anything but prayer." Comment: Interesting! Mark 11:17 And He began to teach and say to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations '? But you have made it a robbers' den." Luke 6:12 And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. Comment: This prayer was just before He chose His 12 disciples. Luke 19:46 saying to them, "It is written, 'And My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a robbers' den." Luke 22:45 And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, Comment: This prayer was just before He was taken captive by the Romans, falsely tried and Crucified. Acts 1:14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. Acts 2:42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. Acts 6:4 "But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." Acts 10:4 And fixing his gaze upon him and being much alarmed, he said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God....31 and he said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Acts 12:5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently (from a verb picturing one laying or stretching out!) by the church to God. Acts 16:13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled... 16 And it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortunetelling. Romans 1:10 (note) always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. Comment: Note how Paul "qualifies" his prayer request. Romans 12:12 (note) rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, Romans 15:30 (note) Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together (sun + agonizomai) with me in your prayers to God for me Comment: Strive indicates prayer is agonizing hard work...but you knew that didn't you! 1 Corinthians 7:5 Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self-control. Ephesians 1:16 (note) do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; Ephesians 6:18 (note) With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Colossians 4:2 (note) Devote (present imperative = make this your habitual practice!) yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving... 12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. 1Thessalonians 1:2 (note) We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; 1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 1 Timothy 5:5 Now she who is a widow indeed, and who has been left alone has fixed her hope on God, and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day. Philemon 1:4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers... 22 And at the same time also prepare me a lodging; for I hope that through your prayers I shall be given to you. James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly (proseuche - literally "he prayed prayer") that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 1 Peter 3:7 (note) You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. 1 Peter 4:7 (note) The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Revelation 5:8 (note) And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 8:3 (note) And another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand. Proseuche is used 62 times in the Septuagint (LXX) (Note concentration in the psalms which is not surprising - many of the uses are in the context of asking God to give ear to or to heed his prayer) (2Sa 7:27; 9" class="scriptRef">29" class="scriptRef">1Ki. 8:29, 38, 5" class="scriptRef">45, 54; 9:3; 2Ki. 19:4; 20:5; 2Chr. 6:19f, 29, 35, 39; 7:12, 15; 30:27; 33:18, 19; Neh. 1:6, 11; Ps. 4:1; 6:9; 17.1" class="scriptRef">17:1; 13" class="scriptRef">35:13; 39:12; 42:8; 54:2; 55:1; 61:1; 65:2; 66:20; 69:13; 80:4; 84:8; 86:1, 6; 88:2, 13; 90:1; 102:1, 17; 109:7; 141:2, 5; 142:1; 143:1; Pr 28:9; Isa. 38:5, 9; 56:7; 60:7; Jer. 11:14; Lam. 3:8, 44; Da 9:3, 17, 18, 20, 21; Jon. 2:7; Hab 3:1, 16) Psalm 84:8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; (Hebrew = tephillah = prayer; Lxx = proseuche) Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah. Spurgeon comments on this Psalm: Give me to go up to thy house, or if I may not do so, yet let my cry be heard. Thou listenest to the united supplications of thy saints, but do not shut out my solitary petition, unworthy though I be. Give ear, O God of Jacob. Though Jehovah of hosts, thou art also the covenant God of solitary pleaders like Jacob; regard thou, then, my plaintive supplication. I wrestle here alone with thee, while the company of thy people have gone on before me to happier scenes, and I beseech thee bless me; for I am resolved to hold thee till thou speak the word of grace into my soul. The repetition of the request for an answer to his prayer denotes his eagerness for a blessing. What a mercy it is that if we cannot gather with the saints, we can still speak to their Master. Selah. (Selah = pause. A pause was needed after a cry so vehement, a prayer so earnest.) Paul is saying believers are to present worries in prayer, going to God with a sense of conscious dependence upon Him (like the psalmist in Psalm 84 above) to fulfill His responsibility toward us, pleading with Him even as Jacob did. God has promised to take care of us so we are not trying to get God to assume an obligation that is not His. Lawrence Richards writes that proseuche (and the verb form Proseuchomai)... In classical Greek was the technical term for calling on a deity. The NT transforms the classical stiffness into the warmth of genuine conversation. Such entreaty in the NT is addressed to God or Jesus and typically is both personal and specific. (Richards, L O: Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Regency) Wuest picks up on this meaning translating it by prayer whose essence is that of worship and devotion The idea is setting one's focus on God (Read Hezekiah's response to a potentially "big" anxiety producing problem) and so of exhibiting a worshipful attitude. The first priority when we find ourselves worrying, should be to get alone with God and express our love, and adoration to Him, focusing on His glorious and majestic attributes such as His unchangeable character (Immutable), His sovereign control (Sovereign) and His omnipotence (Omnipotent). Then God Who may have seemed too "small" or "indifferent" is seen as Jehovah (Jehovah), the great "I Am"..."I Am anything and everything you will ever need!" (See also - Name of the LORD is a Strong Tower- Summary and Summary - The Attributes of God) Too often we rush into His presence, blurting out our supplications and requests, instead of approaching His throne of grace with the sense of wonder and reverential fear pictured by the use of the noun proseuche. So the first thing Paul instructs the saints at Philippi to do is focus on God. A fruitful discipline is to take some time to study His names (click) or His attributes (click). We are to worry about nothing because we can pray about everything. C H Spurgeon succinctly summed up Paul's words saying that we should have... No care but all prayer. No anxiety but much joyful communion with God. Spurgeon goes on to exhort us... Carry your desires to the Lord of your life, the guardian of your soul. Go to Him with two portions of prayer and one of fragrant praise. Do not pray doubtfully but thankfully. Consider that you have your petitions, and, therefore, thank God for His grace. Ray Stedman I think there is nothing more prevalent in the age in which we live than the increasing problem of tension. It isn't for nothing that the ulcer has become the badge of modern life. Worry is a powerful force to disintegrate the human personality, leaving us frustrated, puzzled, baffled, bewildered by life. Sometimes you hear the expression: "sick with worry", and anyone who has experienced it knows it is no empty expression. You can be literally sick with worry. Paul's answer to this is a blunt, "Have no anxiety about anything." These are not just Paul's words. This reflects the position of scripture from Genesis through Revelation. The entire Word of God is a constant exhortation to believers to stop worrying. It is everywhere forbidden to those who believe in Jesus Christ, and I think one of the most serious areas of unbelief is our failure as Christians to face the problem of worry as sin. Because that is what it is. Worry is not just something everyone does and therefore it must be all right. It is definitely labeled a sin in the scriptures, and the exhortation is everywhere: stop it! Have no anxiety about anything. I frequently have people come to me about this problem and in talking with them I sometimes detect that they are looking for some way for the circumstances that cause worry to be removed from their lives. God never promises that. I find frequently people are justifying their worry, finding excuses for it, covering them over with the idea that if they don't worry someone else will have to, or the circumstance will somehow get out of control so they can't properly handle it. So we continually justify the sin of worry. I sometimes have to say, "Look, you'll never get over this until you face it for what it is, a sin for a believer to worry. It is a sign of unbelief, and calling God a liar." That is why scripture says, "have no anxiety about anything." Well you say, this is all very well to say don't worry, but how do you stop it? Every time I try to stop worrying I worry all the more. Some has said, "I've joined the new Don't Worry Club, and now I hold my breath. I'm so scared I'm going to worry that I'm worried half to death." You can't stop it just by the exercise of will power. No, take a good grip on the cable. That's the secret of running the race. Here it is: "In everything by prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." I love that word "everything". That means there is nothing too small to bring to him. Someone asked, "Is it all right to bring small things before the Lord? Is he concerned about the small things in our lives?" The answer is: is there anything that looks big to God? Everything is small to him, so take everything to him in prayer. Prayer is the expression of our dependence upon His promises. It isn't necessarily on your knees, or in the closet, but it can be just that quiet, arrow prayer of the heart, in continual recognition that you need to lean back upon His grace and strength. In everything constantly relating to that indwelling life of God the Son in you. "Supplication" means, keep it up, over and over again. Whenever problems develop lean back again in prayer to the one who is able and competent within you through His indwelling life. Thanksgiving is that forward look of faith that thanks God for the answer before you see it. Knowing His character, you know something will be done. I think we can use instruction in the practice of prayer. God is not saying we should ask for everything we want. We're to ask for everything we need. Frequently we find ourselves praying for things He never promises. For instance, if you are up against some kind of trial, some catastrophe strikes in your life, our perfectly understandable, natural human reaction is to say, "Lord, take this away." But God never said He would do that. He does not always want us to have it taken away. Sometimes he will, sometimes not. That kind of prayer must always have appended to it what our Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done." But there are things for which we can immediately ask, and know that we will receive. His grace, his strength, insight, wisdom , patience, love and compassion. And as we lean back upon him in that inner dependence of faith which is prayer, we can also begin to give thanks that the answer has come, and in our thanksgiving we discover the experience of it as well. So as in everything we let our requests be made known to God, the result is peace. The peace of God that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. I'm not sure whether or not I related this story to you, but it bears repeating. Just the other day a new Christian, a business man, was telling me of the peace that he is enjoying in resting upon the competency of Christ within to handle his problems. He said that the one thing an American business man fears more than anything else is a call from the Internal Revenue Department. He said the other day the phone rang, the secretary picked it up and said, "It's the Internal Revenue Department. What will I tell them?" He said his immediate reaction was what he once would have said: "Tell them anything-tell them I'm not here, I'm out of town." Then he remembered Christ within, and that he was there to meet the problems of life through him. He said his second reaction was well, what an interesting time this will be to see how he solves this problem. I don't know what they will ask me about, but it will be interesting to find out. So he took the phone, and when he did he found it was a friend playing a joke on him. He said if he hadn't taken the phone he would have been all week dodging up alleys and hiding behind cars, afraid someone would put a subpoena on him. Ah, but you see that rest upon one who is adequate brings peace. Sometimes it is a peace that grips you in the midst of the most distressing circumstances, and you ask how can you explain it. The answer is you can't. It's a peace that passes understanding. I don't understand it. I've experienced it many times. There is something about it that undergirds, sustains and strengthens, and the heart is quiet and peaceful even in the midst of the pressures, demands and harassments of life. It comes from committing our way unto Him. "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/philippians_46-71.htm#Prayer%20proseuche

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