When we think of prayer, many of our ideas may be more cultural than biblical. For example, different cultures hold their hands in different ways in prayer. But the examples of prayer we find in the Bible rarely speak of how the hands are held –and when they do it is usually to say that the praying person’s hands were outstretched to the heavens rather than in the manner with which most of us are familiar.  How we extend our hearts in prayer is clearly more important than how we hold our hands.
    
In the same way, when we think of prayer we may think of closing our eyes, but this is not necessary or  biblical.  We can certainly pray with our eyes closed just as well as with them open, but the reverse is also just as true.  In some parts of the world, where Christianity is outlawed and punishable by severe penalties, believers routinely pray with their eyes open to avoid unnecessary arrest and punishment.

In fact, praying with open eyes was probably the norm in biblical times.  On two occasions when Jesus prayed to the Father, we are told that he looked up to heaven.  In the first instance he was giving thanks: “Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me’” (John 11:41), and in the second he was making a request: “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father … Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you” (John 17:1). Interestingly, the only other time a praying person’s eyes are mentioned in the New Testament is in the story of the repentant tax collector who was so distraught that when he prayed “… He would not even look up to heaven” (Luke 18:13), indicating that looking up to heaven would have been the normal way to pray.

There is a great deal of corroborating evidence to show that prayer in the Bible and in the early Church usually involved praying with open eyes, but acceptable prayer has nothing to do with whether our eyes are open or closed – any more than how we hold our hands.  Sometimes we may wish to close our eyes in order to not be distracted by things happening around us, but often we may prefer to keep our eyes open to see that for which we are giving thanks or to feel a closer connection with the One who is “near to all who call on him” (Psalm 145:18).

“Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’  And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’  I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need” (Luke 11:5-8).
 
The parable of the Friend in Need (or the Friend at Midnight) appears in the Gospel of Luke immediately after Jesus gives his disciples the “Lord’s Prayer” and is clearly a continuation of his teaching on how to pray.  Three cultural aspects help explain the details of the parable. First, in the ancient Near East, ovens were fired and bread was usually baked in the early morning hours before the heat of the day – so by nightfall there might well be no bread left in a home, and people would borrow from their neighbors if more was needed. 

​Second, and also because of the heat of the days, it was not unusual for people to wait till evening to set out on a journey and to arrive at their destination later in the night. Finally, Near Eastern custom was such that if someone arrived at one’s home after a long journey, it would be regarded as shameful not to offer the person food.  This seems to be the situation in which the man in the parable finds himself, so he goes to his friend’s house late at night to request food for his guest.

The obvious lesson in the parable is that of persistence in prayer, something Jesus taught on multiple occasions, and in other parables such as that of the Persistent Widow.  But perhaps we may find other lessons in this particular parable as well.  For one thing, we see in the action of the friend that he was doing everything he could do himself – going to a friend’s house, even late at night, and asking tirelessly until he received a positive answer.

The Greek word which is translated “boldness” or “persistence” in some translations, regarding how the man continues to ask his friend’s help, is well translated as “shameless audacity” in the NIV – it really does convey an attitude that goes beyond simple persistence to a level which might even seem audacious or rude.  This, Jesus tells us, is the kind of persistence we should have in prayer — a confident boldness we also see in the story of the woman of Syrophoenicia who persisted in asking Jesus’ help till he rewarded her for exactly this attitude (Mark 7:25-30, Matthew 15:21-28 and see also Hebrews 4:16). 

But we should also remember a final detail of this parable: that it is not based on the friend needing bread for himself, but for someone else.  So an additional lesson we can  draw from this story is that we can often be the answer to someone else’s need.   That is what intercessory prayer is all about, and this small parable reminds us to pray for others not only tirelessly, but also with true boldness.

​Paul frequently urges prayer in his writings (Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6, etc.), but in his instruction to Timothy he gives the most complete guidance in this regard. 

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:1-5).

The apostle begins his instruction with the words “I urge, then, first of all…” and if we are studying Paul’s writings carefully we see that he does not follow with a “second” or “third” exhortation – the “first” is not the first of many, but something he feels is first in importance.  Paul tells us it is of primary importance that we are active in four forms or “dimensions” of prayer: “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving.” Although there is some overlap, each of these four aspects of our conversations with God carries a different nuance of meaning. 

The word “petitions” (Greek deésis) indicates prayer for a particular need – simply asking for something.  Although prayer should never be just a list of requests, God’s word shows he does want us to look to him for our needs, of course (Matthew 6:11, 1 Peter 5:7, etc.), and when we do ask for something  it should be in the firm confidence that this word implies.

“Prayers” (proseuche) is a more general word for prayer, but it often carries the idea of worship and praise. The same word is found in Matthew 21:13 where Jesus said of the Temple, “My house will be called a house of prayer.”   

“Intercessions” (enteuxis) represents what may often be an urgent request on the behalf of others.  But this intercession with God can be either for or against someone or something.  We see this in Romans 8:26, 34 “… the Spirit himself intercedes for us … Christ Jesus … is also interceding for us” and in Romans 11:2 “Elijah … appealed to God against Israel.” The word can mean to intervene or to interfere in a situation, and the central idea is one of strong pleading for justice, mercy, or some other aspect of God’s intervention.

“Thanksgiving” (eucharistia) conveys expressions of gratitude which are a vital dimension of fully effective prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It is also important to understand that our expressions of thankfulness should be for the good things that have been given not only to us personally, but also to others – as Paul stresses in telling us that all these forms of prayer are to be made “for all people.”

Paul then specifically mentions prayer for “kings and all those in authority” (vs. 2a) so that believers “may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (vs. 2b).  But there is probably another reason Paul mentions kings in regard to prayer.

Although the Romans permitted the peoples of their empire to worship their own gods, they insisted that conquered peoples demonstrate their loyalty to Rome by also praying to the goddess Roma and the spirit of the emperor. Because the Jews worshiped only one God, the Romans allowed them to pray and sacrifice for the emperor rather than praying and sacrificing to him. When we remember this situation, Paul’s exhortation to pray for kings so that we “may live peaceful and quiet lives” takes on clearer significance  and reminds us that  we too should pray regarding the political and legal aspects of life that affect this world and God’s people in particular.

Finally, in these verses, Paul makes the point that our prayers should be offered through (or in the name of) the “one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”  The pagan peoples of the ancient world believed in many intermediaries between humans and the gods, but Paul stresses the fallacy of this idea in presenting his guidelines for full and acceptable prayer.
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In saying these things, Paul stresses the importance of both our right approach to God as well what we say in our prayers.  And we should remember that the four aspects of prayer he enumerates show our prayers should never be “one dimensional” – they should often include all these forms of address for full communication with God.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).

It’s a verse we all know and love. It seems to promise unbounded wisdom and that if we just ask for it, God will generously give it to us. But is that what this verse means?

Certainly, it is in God’s power to grant unbounded and universal wisdom to anyone he wishes, but does God really work that way?  Put the question in human terms. If you walk into your local bank branch and tell the manager “I want a big loan, just give me money” – is the banker likely to help or will he or she ask “How much do you need and for what purpose?”

What we often miss in James’ words on asking for wisdom is their context. If we look carefully at the immediately preceding verses, we see James is writing about a very specific situation. He says:  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

James’ context is one of persecution.  He tells believers that trials can bring about spiritual maturity in which we do not lack anything needed to deal with such problems (vs. 4). But if we do lack wisdom – implying wisdom in dealing with matters of persecution and patience – we can ask God and he will help us.

Take another example – that of the archetypal story of God granting wisdom to King Solomon.  When God appeared to Solomon and offered him anything he wanted, Solomon did not simply ask for wisdom. Notice his request to God: “give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 7:9). Because Solomon asked for wisdom in a specific context – to do the work of ruling Israel – God was well pleased and granted him great wisdom (1 Kings 7:12, 29-34) as well as other blessings.
 
But we should remember that Solomon asked for the wisdom he needed in a specific situation. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that in the compositions believed to be written by Solomon, he often ties wisdom to particular contexts. Notice the wording of just one example: “Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure” (Ecclesiastes 8:5).    Here, we see wisdom relating to “proper times” and “procedures,” and in many of the proverbs of Solomon, wisdom is tied to other specific needs and circumstances. 

So when we consider the wider biblical context, the words of James regarding wisdom become clear.  God rarely, if ever, gives unneeded gifts.  If we desire wisdom, his word indicates we should not ask to be funnel fed wisdom without specific purpose.  But we can humbly take our needs to God and ask for wisdom in the areas of life where we need it in order to best fulfill his will and our calling – and then, as James affirms, God will gladly give it to us.