Genesis 20:6, 7 “And God said unto him in a dream, yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine”. Should we pray for those that are not God’s children? What should we pray for? How should we pray? Questions! Questions! Questions! I will try to answer some of the questions.
In the scripture that was just quoted you see Abimelech king of Gerar (not God’s child) being told by God that Abraham (God’s chosen) will pray for him. The reason for Abraham to pray for Abimelech is because in protecting Sarah and Abraham God closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because Abimelech took Sarah to be his wife. Since Abimelech did what God ask Abraham pray for Abimelech and God healed Abimelech, his wife, his maidservants; and they bare children. So when Abraham prayed for one that was not one of God’s chosen it worked. So we can pray for others and God can answer prayer. You may notice that God did not ask Abimelech to pray.
Is there away we should act or be so that prayer might be answered? I Samuel 7:3-5 “and Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only. And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord”. Here we see Samuel willing to pray for the people while they are willing to follow the Lord. I don’t think the same prayer would have been said if the people were not following the Lord. I don’t even know if he would have wanted to pray for them. From this writing we should surmise that we should follow the Lord when asking in prayer and for prayer.
What happens if we have sinned? I Samuel 12:19 “and all the people said unto Samuel, pray for the servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto our sins this evil, to ask us a king”. Here the people are asking Samuel (the prophet) to pray for them because they have sinned. They did not want to die (receive their just reward) for the bad things they had done. So they are asking Samuel to pray for them. So Samuel prays for them.
Are we to stop praying for someone just because they did something wrong? In I Samuel 12:23 it is written “Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way”. Samuel says it would be a sin against the Lord if he ceased praying for the children of Israel (God’s chosen). He wasn’t talking about all people. So we are not to stop praying just because someone (child of God) did something wrong or wrong to us. It also said he would teach them and I think we should teach also.
Does God accept prayer from certain people? Job 42:7,8 says “and it was so, that after the Lord had spoken these words unto Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, my wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offerings; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job”. It looks like God will accept Job’s prayer but not Eliphaz. By this we can conclude that if you are doing right God is more likely to answer your prayers.
Are there some things or people we should not pray for? Jeremiah 7:16 says “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee”. What caused God to tell us not to pray for these people? If we would have read before this, these people had left off from following him, but still wanted to be called by his name. They went about to destroy and hurt the children but wanted to be called the children of God. How can we let this happen? How can we even think this is good or that they are good? It makes me sick to see someone say they are a child of God and walk completely the other way! I burn inside because of it!
Matthew 5:44 says “But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”. I don’t think when he says to pray for them that this means that when you pray you should say “kill them Lord”. I believe what he is saying is do not come down to their level. The Lord is our example not them. They are the ones doing evil, it shouldn’t be us. We should set a better example that they do. We are not letting our light to shine if we are doing the same things they are doing. In Matthew 26:41 it says “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. We are to watch out and pray. We are to avoid evil and pray that we are not tempted. We are to pray that we do not go down the wrong path, that we don’t do the evil that others do. Also that we don’t desire to do the evil others do.
What are we to pray for? Psalm 122:6 says “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee”. Here we are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (God’s holy city) (the church). I think we should pray for our church, our sister churches, the pastor (he needs it a lot), our members, those that we come in contact with, and the future of our church. John 16:24 “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy maybe full. We are to pray that our joy may be full. We need to talk to our God. We need to know that he answers prayers. We need to know that he hears us. Mark 11:24, 25 “Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses”. When we pray we are to believe that he does answer prayers because he does. Believe in God. Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered”. So we know not how or what to pray for, so is there any help? I Corinthians 14:15 “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also”. So let God’s spirit that is in us pray to God. As it says enter into the closet and shut the door or lock out the flesh and search your inner self.
How often should we pray? Luke 18:1 “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint”. Also in I Thessalonians 5:17 it says “pray without ceasing”. So we should always pray even when we think it is not worth it.
What happens if we pray without ceasing? Acts 12:5 “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and raised him up, saying, arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me”. When prayer is made without ceasing prayer is answered and things happen. Praise the Lord Almighty.
Can we help others? II Corinthians 1:11 “Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. Also in James 5:15, 16 “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”. So prayers do help us and others when we or they are down so pray for others. Help others.
So we are to pray and to pray for others, but we are not to pray for them that want to live in sin and know the different. There is also a way to pray and a way to live so that our prayers will be heard.