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Isaiah

Although Isaiah, this prince of prophets, had much to say on prayer (see Isa. 1:15; 12; 55:6–7; 62:6–7), only a few of his prayers are recorded. Immediately after his unusual revelation of God’s holiness (Isa. 6:1–4), this exchange between him and the Lord took place:

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go and tell this people: ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Then I said, “For how long, O Lord?” And he answered: “Until the cities lie ruined.… As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land” (Isa. 6:5–11, 13).

This passage consists of prayer interspersed with narrative. It records what should be expected whenever human beings receive a revelation of God. Prayer may bring one to an awesome awareness of God, and when it does, one’s reaction may well parallel that of the prophet. There is certainly no room for frivolity or irreverence in the presence of Him in whom there is no darkness at all. That awesome light of deity exposes any shades of darkness and causes the soul to cry out, “Woe to me!”

It is in God’s presence that finite humans are (1) convicted of sin (v. 5), (2) purged of sin (vv. 6–7), and (3) called to minister (vv. 8–9). Isaiah’s prayer of commitment, following the purifying of his own soul, laid the groundwork for the divine call. A yielded will and purified heart will clear the way for the heavenly commission: “Go and tell this people.” It was a difficult message, but there was hope. God would have a remnant—a “holy seed.”

Isaiah also gives us examples of prayers of praise, even when the promise has not yet been fulfilled, even while adversity is being endured. Prayers of praise give proper honor to God while at the same time they stimulate the supplicant’s faith. One measure of our prayer life is the extent to which it includes the kind of thanksgiving and praise voiced by Isaiah.

O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.… Therefore strong peoples will honor you; cities of ruthless nations will revere you. You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.… On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines.… The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces.… In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us.… Let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation” (Isa. 25:1, 3–4, 6, 8–9).

By his prayer of praise, Isaiah left us a glorious example of adoration in prayer. “Since adoration brings man into immediate and direct contact with God, in the role of servant to master, of the created to the Creator, it is foundational to all other kinds of prayer.”¹ The prophet becomes a choral leader extolling God’s deeds in the past and His victories in the future. What this covenant-keeping God has been in the past is a guarantee of what He will be in the future.

Isaiah included in one of his songs of praise the words of encouragement for the believer in times of stress and adversity. In these times the believer must affirm that God provides perfect peace.

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.… The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth. Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.… LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us (Isa. 26:3, 7–9, 12).

The Evangelical Prophet, as Isaiah has been called, was praying out of personal experience and desire, out of a mind set upon God, and out of a profound desire that all people may learn righteousness. He understood well that “the fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever” (Isa. 32:17).

But few people, no matter how sincerely they may seek the face of the Lord, escape those periods of God’s silence, when the heavens are like brass and God seems not to hear a desperate cry for help. Job experienced such times: “If I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him” (Job 23:8–9). It may seem that God has forsaken us; it seemed so to His own Son (Matt. 27:46). Yet we can be confident that everything He is doing is consistent with His unchanging love. He is only pruning and purifying us. God’s discipline does not nullify His desire or determination to bless His people.

Israel, as a nation, also experienced the silence of God. It was in such a circumstance that Isaiah prayed his last recorded prayer.

Look down from heaven and see from your lofty throne, holy and glorious. Where are your zeal and your might? Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us. But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.… Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes that are your inheritance.…

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you!…

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins.

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray, for we are all your people.…

After all this, O LORD, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure? (Isa. 63:15–17; 64:1–2, 6–9, 12).

These petitions seem more like the prayer of a nation than of a lone prophet, for the prophet is giving voice to the heart-cry of his people. One senses a passion in the latter part of Isaiah’s prayer: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down” (64:1). The petition was that God, who dwells in heaven, would break the barrier and show himself mighty on earth (64:1–3). Such intensity is always in order for God’s children.

Such impassioned praying seems to spring open the door of spiritual insight and revelation and to suggest causes for the prevailing conditions (see 64:5–7). It would certainly be fitting for the Church around the world to pray as Isaiah did, for the need for revival today is just as great as it was in the seventh and eighth centuries B.C.

Once hearts have been searched out and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, then the time is at hand for pursuit of a remedy. Conviction of sin is never intended to impose an unbearable burden from which there is no relief; rather, it is intended to lead to repentance and renewal. Isaiah’s prayer concludes with due recognition of the proper relationship between God and His people; we should be clay in the hands of the master Potter (64:8).

Jeremiah

Jeremiah “the weeping prophet” was also a praying prophet. As has been observed, tears and prayer join together very appropriately, if the former occur as indicators of humility. “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps. 51:17). Receiving an answer from God is much more certain when the petition is made with humility and brokenness.

The first recorded prayer of Jeremiah was his response to the divine call (Jer. 1:1–8). “Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child” (Jer. 1:6). At first, the response may seem to be an excuse; on second thought, it holds a humility that becomes the young prophet’s highest recommendation. For as Adam Clarke observes:

Those who are really called of God to the sacred ministry are such as have been brought to a deep acquaintance with themselves, feel their own ignorance, and know their own weakness. They know also the awful responsibility that attaches to the work; and nothing but the authority of God can induce such to undertake it.²

God’s plan in calling Jeremiah, whom he knew, set apart, and appointed before he was born (1:5), was clear: “ ‘You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you’ ” (1:7). So Jeremiah delivered God’s message to a backslidden people: “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding” (3:22). The reply God wanted to hear was: “ ‘Yes, we will come to you, for you are the LORD our God. Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills and the mountains is a deception; surely in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel’ ” (Jer. 3:22–23).

The folly of the people and the root of their backsliding were one: They had placed their trust in false gods. Jeremiah’s message was that they could not pick and choose the gods they wanted to serve. The worship of idols is implied in verse 23 (hence NIV, “Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills and the mountains is a deception”). Only the one true God, the Lord, could save the people from their sins and their difficult circumstances.

Although there is no indication that Jeremiah’s life was in opposition to God, he had received a message to deliver to Israel that the enemy was coming to destroy them (Jer. 4:5–9) and his response to God was accusatory:

“Ah, Sovereign LORD, how completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our throats” (Jer. 4:10).

Not every kind of prayer and worship honors God, nor does all praying and worship gain the requested end. Without a sincere and God-honoring life, prayer is a mockery (see Ps. 66:18 and Isa. 1:11–16). Some able commentators and scholars have sought to exonerate Jeremiah by adjusting the language of his strange prayer; we most likely get nearest to the truth about it when we take it at face value, recognizing that even the most godly may, in moments of extreme pressure and impatience with God’s calculated actions, overreact (cf. Josh. 7:7). From Jeremiah’s example we can learn a lesson for our own flawed humanity. We are never justified in tirades against the Almighty. The Lord himself said, “ ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways’ ” (Isa. 55:8). Prayer from an impure heart that presumes to know better than God is sin and must be repented of.

At the same time, we do well not to point a judgmental finger at the tender-hearted, disappointed prophet, so deeply desiring fulfillment of a prophecy on behalf of his people that the evident delay provokes a bitter outcry.

In some instances, Jeremiah’s weeping over the predicament of God’s people is described; on other occasions, his prayer’s tone carries the pain and agony.

O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent (Jer. 5:3).

The prophet here gives voice to his reasons for weeping. His heart was crushed by Israel’s unresponsiveness and failure to submit to divine, redemptive discipline. Jeremiah knew that though God was full of tender mercy and great patience there was a point at which judgment could no longer linger, for God was also a God whose eyes were looking “for truth” (cf. Gen. 6:5–7; 18:20–33; 1 Pet. 4:17).

Surely God seeks for likeminded intercessors today, those for whom the depravity in both the church and the nation is a grievous concern. Without such similarly burdened people, the clouds of iniquity and the powers of evil will not be dispelled.

The time may come, however, when people finally refuse to respond to the love God extends. Then intercession must cease and judgment begin. Consequently, God advised Jeremiah:

“Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you” (Jer. 7:16; see also 11:14 and 14:11).

In addition to agonizing for the people, Jeremiah experienced the overpowering emotion of grief, knowing that the punishment God’s people had received was well-deserved.

I known, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. Correct me, LORD, but only with justice—not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing (Jer. 10:23–24).

What beauty and perfume come out of the dirt of the earth. The color and smells of woodlands, flowers, and windblown seeds would not be known were it not for the cold earth from which vegetation grows. So it is with the odious experiences of life. A chastened spirit, uttering words of confession and submission, can bring beauty and perfume out of the worst circumstance.

This prayer teaches several relevant concepts: (1) It is good to approach God, recognizing our dependence on Him and our need for His guidance. (2) Sin deserves God’s anger, but if we come willing to submit to His correction (teaching, training, instruction), we can expect justice, which implies gentleness, fairness, and moderation. As Abraham said, “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). (3) Those who do become subject to God’s anger (because of rebellion and lack of repentance) will be reduced “to nothing,” that is, to insignificance. (Jeremiah is identifying himself with the people here, as the prophets often did. The Greek Septuagint translation made before the time of Christ has “us” for “me” in verse 24.)

Even though Jeremiah had a good understanding of God and His character, he, like other great persons of prayer, was at times greatly perplexed. While he glimpsed eternal precepts and reality with a God-given discernment (cf. 1 Cor. 2:13–14), he was still robed in human flesh, which is forever at war with the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). So it was with Jeremiah.

You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts. Yet you know me, O LORD; you see me and test my thoughts about you.… How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished. Moreover, the people are saying, “He will not see what happens to us” (Jer. 12:1–4).

Jeremiah did not doubt that the Lord would be righteous in judgment, yet his natural view provoked him to debate with God over certain issues. God’s treatment of the wicked seemed far more gracious and benevolent than His treatment of Jeremiah. And struggle as he might, there appeared to be no justification for this and no possibility of reconciling God’s actions with His character. The writer of Psalm 73 made similar observations (vv. 3–17).

How does one handle such troublesome thoughts? Jeremiah prayed. The Psalmist went into God’s sanctuary (73:17). Both faced the issue squarely. Unfortunately, many hush their doubts and thus fall victim to influences that subtly destroy a once-solid faith. To suppress doubt is to strangle openness and sincerity and generate indifference to truth. Doubt is conquered only as it is boldly confronted.

Every believer must early learn that the answer to troublesome doubts may well be far beyond the brightest human intellect; God’s ways and wisdom are far superior to the best of mortal understanding (cf. 1 Cor. 1:21). Such doubts, rather than driving us from God, must press us toward Him. Prayer is the key to the infinite wisdom. By this means alone can those multiplying doubts that crowd our minds be reduced to zero, allowing the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation” (Eph. 1:17) to open the eyes of our understanding.

God’s prophets, preaching a true but unpopular message, may suffer as they see deceived people running after false prophets. From ancient times there have been false prophets that God’s prophets and God’s people have had to deal with (cf. Matt. 7:15; Mark 13:22; Rev. 20:10). Jeremiah had to deal with prophets who were saying there would be no suffering but only peace at a time when God’s message to him was the opposite.

Although our sins testify against us, O LORD, do something for the sake of your name. For our backsliding is great; we have sinned against you. O Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night? Why are you like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? You are among us, O LORD, and we bear your name; do not forsake us!…

Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”

I said, “Ah, Sovereign LORD, the prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ”

The LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds” (Jer. 14:7–9, 11–14).

The blame for this sad state is not totally that of the false prophets. People with an appetite for falsehood, in religion or anything else, will find prophets who will accommodate them. Jeremiah’s prayer holds a twofold challenge for us: (1) Those who claim to speak for God must be true prophets, not influenced by those who speak out of their own hearts. (2) God himself will take note of and deal with those who for personal advantage cater to the whims of an errant people.

In addition to listening to false prophets, the people sometimes sought help from false gods in seeking answers or confirmations of things they wanted to hear. Throughout history, the human race has prayed to many different gods. Sometimes even God’s people turn to them when they do not seem to hear from the one true God. But Jeremiah labels these false gods accurately—“worthless idols.”

Why have you afflicted us so that we cannot be healed? We hoped for peace but no good has come, for a time of healing but there is only terror. O LORD, we acknowledge our wickedness and the guilt of our fathers; we have indeed sinned against you. For the sake of your name do not despise us; do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us and do not break it. Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, O LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this (Jer. 14:19–22).

The chief end of prayer is not the getting of desired objects, but the gradual development of a relationship with God, a relationship compatible with His character and authority. Consequently, some prayers ring with despair, while others echo obedience, submission, surrender, to the divine will. Prayer reaches its acme when it speaks forth the sincere heart-cry: “Your will be done!” God’s honor, “for the sake of your name” (14:21), must be prayer’s ultimate intent. “For Jesus’ sake,” when it comes from the heart, expresses that goal supremely well.

Jeremiah revealed his character, his faithfulness to his calling, and his struggle as he prayed concerning his persecution, his searching in God’s Word for an answer, and his unremoved pain. Scarcely can the one praying be separated from his or her prayer. They are parts of each other.

You understand, O LORD; remember me and care for me. Avenge me on my persecutors. You are long-suffering—do not take me away; think of how I suffer reproach for your sake. When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God almighty. I never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them; I sat alone because your hand was on me and you had filled me with indignation. Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable? Will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails? (Jer. 15:15–18).

Jeremiah was God’s prophet for that time, warning people to turn from their wicked ways and inviting them to receive forgiveness and restoration. The people, however, weren’t responding. In fact, the Scripture indicates that Jeremiah suffered reproach from the people (see v. 15).

For the earnest person, there is only one solid fuel for the launching of communion and petition—the Word of God, the truth—which Jeremiah realized. Until people learn to mingle their prayers with the Holy Word, they have missed a great opportunity: The best prayer is the one prayed from the Word itself. That word Jeremiah ate was his spiritual manna. It was his joy and his “heart’s delight.” No wonder the Psalmist declared, “The unfolding of your words gives light” (Ps. 119:130).

Those the hand of the Lord rests on (15:17), however, may find themselves separated from others. “Revelers” may be also translated “laughers” or “jokers,” indicating that the youthful prophet was not disposed to run with the flamboyant and sportive set of his generation. Because of God’s burden resting upon him, Jeremiah’s life took on aspects of solitude, separation, and holy concern, making him incompatible with his fellows in their unconcerned indulgence. Throughout church history, a somewhat similar experience has come to others who by the intensity of their praying entered into the very heart of God and, at times, suffered reproach or misunderstanding because of it. They found themselves so shut in with God as to render them a breed apart. John Knox, David Brainerd, and Watchman Nee are just a few examples. There is yet room and need for more such prayer warriors.

God promised Jeremiah that He would strengthen him in such a way that although the people would fight against him, they would not overcome him (v. 20). Jeremiah depended on God’s healing and salvation for himself as well as for the nation of Israel. He demonstrated a conviction that springs from a knowledge that God is alive and answers prayer. Note Jeremiah’s simple and firm persuasion: “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved” (17:14).

O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water. Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. They keep saying to me, “Where is the word of the LORD? Let it now be fulfilled!” I have not run away from being your shepherd; you know I have not desired the day of despair. What passes my lips is open before you. Do not be a terror to me; you are my refuge in the day of disaster. Let my persecutors be put to shame, but keep me from shame; let them be terrified, but keep me from terror. Bring on them the day of disaster; destroy them with double destruction (Jer. 17:13–18).

Those who pray ought always to remind themselves of the greatness of the One to whom they pray; to Jeremiah He was “the hope of Israel.” To be reminded is to find faith stimulated. In addition to helping their own faith by renewing an awareness of who God is, those who pray may also help themselves by pondering the outcome of forsaking or not forsaking God. To Jeremiah the difference was between having one’s name written in the dust (17:13) and engraved in eternal rock.

To the casual observer, the Book of Jeremiah may show Jeremiah to have a persecution complex and a readiness to call down fire from heaven (cf. Luke 9:54). The prophet, however, was praying very much in harmony with the heart of God.

Listen to me, O LORD; hear what my accusers are saying! Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember that I stood before you and spoke in their behalf to turn your wrath away from them. So give their children over to famine; hand them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives be made childless and widows; let their men be put to death, their young men slain by the sword in battle. Let a cry be heard from their houses when you suddenly bring invaders against them, for they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet. But you know, O LORD, all their plots to kill me. Do not forgive their crimes or blot out their sins from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger (Jer. 18:19–23).

We must remember that what is heaped upon the prophet delivering God’s message is actually heaped upon God. The sufferings of this prophet were the sufferings of his Master. Israel’s reactions to the prophet’s compassion, concern, pleading, and unflinching fidelity to God’s message were a virtual invitation to God’s fierce wrath. In essence, Jeremiah’s prayer represents an amen to God’s response and intentions.

However, Jeremiah again, like many who seek an answer from God but do not receive it immediately, had questions about God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises to His messenger. He even went so far as to express his discouraged feeling that God had deceived him:

O LORD, you deceived me, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me.… if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed I cannot.… O LORD Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause (Jer. 20:7, 9, 12).

What a rash prayer! Or was it? “Deceived” may be too strong a word here, for God is in no sense a deceiver. “Enticed” is another way of translating the Hebrew; nevertheless, in times of deep discouragement, one may feel deceived. But God is faithful to teach us in spite of our illusions and false persuasions. It may be that Jeremiah was alluding to his initial hesitation about accepting the prophetic office when he was first called. This is not to say that he had weakened when the pressure and consternation seemed unbearable, though he may have been tempted almost to that point (20:8–9).

When divinely called leaders become disillusioned by difficult circumstances and bend as a tree in a gale, they must lift their eyes to the One who gave the call. Courage will be renewed, as it was in Jeremiah: “The LORD is with me like a mighty warrior” (20:11). That the “mighty warrior” is with us is the sure knowledge that His enemies will be subdued, if not vanquished. The “mighty warrior” (the Hebrew indicates He is master, in control) will make known His power to defend His own.

One does not need to study many Old Testament prayers, either public or private, to observe that most of them, even those filled with intense and desperate requests, begin with a recounting of God’s majesty, His mercy, and His great deeds. After Jeremiah followed divine instructions to purchase a field, sign and seal the deed, and deliver it to Baruch as a sign that God would one day restore the land (and property would be bought and sold), Jeremiah prayed this prayer:

“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands.… O great and powerful God, whose name is the LORD Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men; you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve. You performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, both in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. You gave them this land you had sworn to give their forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law.… See … the city will be handed over to the Babylonians.… What you said has happened, as you now see. And though the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, you, O Sovereign LORD, say to me, ‘Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed’ ” (Jer. 32:17–25).

For the earnest person there is no greater encouragement or impetus than the review of God’s mighty acts. (See 1 Sam. 7:12 and Ps. 78.) Such a practice generously reinforces the conviction that there is nothing too hard for God. It is not a mere whistling in the dark or a clever psychological maneuver for developing assurance or self-confidence, but a spiritual exercise of significant meaning for every child of God. Note God’s response to such a recounting of His wonderful deeds: “ ‘I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?’ ” (Jer. 32:27).

The circumstance of Jeremiah’s lamentations is the fall of Jerusalem, as he foretold. The enemy from the north (see Jer. 6:22) had been God’s agent for punishing a rebellious, unrepentant people. The Book of Lamentations is filled with tears and prayers. Every age has had its share of sorrow and pain, but no age has produced such a heart of sorrow as is reflected in this book.

“See, O LORD, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death. People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my distress; they rejoice at what you have done. May you bring the day you have announced so they may become like me. Let all their wickedness come before you; deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my sins. My groans are many and my heart is faint” (Lam. 1:20–22).

Here is an account of true contrition. Lamentation is the manifestation of this attitude. It is the mourning Jesus referred to in Matthew 5:4—“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Prayers in the night take on the hue of the darkness around them. Yet God understands, and hears, even when the supplicant accuses Him of causing the terror and destruction; only He knows the heart as well as the words that issue from the mouth.

“Look, O LORD, and consider: Whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? Young and old lie together in the dust of the streets; my young men and maidens have fallen by the sword. You have slain them in the day of your anger; you have slaughtered them without pity. As you summon to a feast day, so you summoned against me terrors on every side. In the day of the LORD’S anger no one escaped or survived; those I cared for and reared, my enemy has destroyed” (Lam. 2:20–22).

Jeremiah’s prayer reflects a double darkness: (1) the burden of a depressing destruction in the land and (2) the spell of a spiritual darkness over the people. For people today who experience such darkness, there is the blessed assurance: “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it [not laid hold of it]” (John 1:5).

Jeremiah continued to lament about the situation of God’s people, calling out to God for answers and relief:

You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.…

Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed. My eyes will flow unceasingly, without relief, until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.…

I called on your name, O LORD, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” O LORD, you took up my case; you redeemed my life. You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me. Uphold my cause! (Lam. 3:44, 48–50, 55–59).

Along with elements of sincere sorrow, this prayer of Jeremiah (Lam. 3:41–66) contains a confident note of trust. Buried in the usual requests that God would judge those who were afflicting His people so mercilessly is the testimony, “You redeemed my life.” What descriptive language Jeremiah uses to express the fount of tears deep within! God seemed surrounded by an impenetrable cloud so that no prayer could pass through to Him; the prophet’s eyes wept rivers, his tears flowed continuously. But Jeremiah believes that because God heard and answered in the past, ultimately there will be penetration of the clouds and a divine response: God will hear; He comes near and speaks comfort to the burdened prophet, “Do not fear.”

The Israelites had experienced the horrors of war: servitude, abuse, famine, humiliation. Jeremiah faced the reality of their situation, and because of it, prayed most effectively. People who ignore or deny their situations become victims of self-deception, practicing a false religion, which can never turn the tide and resolve the difficulty.

Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace. Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, our homes to foreigners. We have become orphans and fatherless, our mothers like widows.… Those who pursue us are at our heels; we are weary and find no rest. We submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough bread. Our fathers sinned and are no more, and we bear their punishment. Slaves rule over us, and there is none to free us from their hands. We get our bread at the risk of our lives because of the sword in the desert.… The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! Because of this our hearts are faint, because of these things our eyes grow dim.… You, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure (Lam. 5:1–3, 5–9, 16–17, 19–22).

Jeremiah recounted their troubles with a starkness too plain for sacred Scripture, some might think. Yet God does not want our prayer to sugarcoat reality. There is at least one time when we must express ourselves candidly: when we come to God asking for His help and deliverance.

Through it all, Jeremiah was gripped by a passion for the revival of his people. The world today needs the same openness in bringing before the Lord the devastation of our families and our society.

Ezekiel

The prophet Ezekiel lived in complete fellowship with God. Yet the prayer and dialogue between him and God are found less frequently in his book than the prayer and dialogue of the other Major Prophets in their books. Ezekiel received his call to the prophetic ministry in the midst of a vision anticipating the approach of divine judgment: “He said to me, ‘Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.’… He said: ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me’ ” (Ezek. 2:1, 3).

Every person of prayer develops unique prayer habits, usually inspired by other godly people who have set an example. Ezekiel’s address to God as “sovereign Lord” was probably inspired by the example of Abraham (Gen. 15:2), Moses (Deut. 3:24), Joshua (Josh. 7:7), Gideon (Judg. 6:22), David (2 Sam. 7:18–20, 28–29), Solomon (1 Kings 8:53), and Jeremiah (Jer. 32:17). Undoubtedly that expression (also translated in some versions, “The Lord Jehovah”) ignited the fires of faith and enabled Ezekiel to perceive the mighty deity whom he was approaching and beseeching.

Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign LORD! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth” (Ezek. 4:14).

The Lord had described to Ezekiel what he was to do to symbolize the coming destruction of Jerusalem and subjection of Israel. He was to cook his bread over human dung, for the Jewish people would be defiled in the land of the Gentiles. Ezekiel’s response to God at this is similar to Peter’s (see Acts 10:10–14). Peter, too, was concerned that he not defile himself with what God had formerly forbidden. What great souls are those who by every means seek to avoid defilement and pollution! Pollution of the soul by sin is the greatest dread of good people. Yet there can be times when an overly tender conscience fears without cause. Ezekiel had not yet learned that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out (see Matt. 15:11). The world today, however, falls far short of that pure conscience that sincerely seeks to avoid any suggestion of defilement or pollution.

The Book of Ezekiel later recorded how Ezekiel prayed for his people with intensity. One who experiences a burden for others may sometimes feel as though God cares less for the needy than the one praying does. Yet our compassion can never exceed God’s, for it is God who gives the burden to pray for others.

While they [guardian angels] were killing [those who had committed abominations] and I was left alone, I fell facedown, crying out, “Ah, Sovereign LORD! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?” (Ezek. 9:8).

Throughout Scripture, falling facedown described the urgency of desperate intercession. Yet no matter how intense a need the person may feel, God’s compassion is greater still (see Ezek. 18:23, 32). The prospect of judgment on Jerusalem made Ezekiel feel it would be a total disaster. “God places people in situations of trial where they may fall, situations which may be disastrous: but the purpose is not disaster but triumph.”³ God would indeed preserve a godly remnant of the nation of Israel. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile were necessary in order to get rid of Israel’s idolatry and prepare the way for the eventual ministry on earth of Jesus Christ. He could hardly have taught the Sermon on the Mount if the Israelites were still worshiping idols everywhere (as in Jer. 3:13; Ezek. 6:13).

Carrying God’s message to His people is not all glamour. God sometimes gives His messengers the burdensome task of pronouncing judgment. Such an assignment is a heavy weight on the prophet. Even as the voice of judgment thunders, the heart of compassion must be breaking.

As I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Ah, Sovereign LORD! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?” (Ezek. 11:13).

God had commanded Ezekiel to prophesy against Jaazaniah and Pelatiah (Ezek. 11:2–4). Some commentators suggest that Ezekiel, like Peter in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, pronounced judgment on Pelatiah, who then suddenly died.⁴ If that is true, we have here a profound lesson for any who by the exercise of a God-given authority are used by the Almighty to bring His severe judgment. There is no place for gloating; there can be only sadness, and the plea that the same judgment not come to others.

Another burden carried by God’s messengers is that the hearers don’t always take the message seriously. Surely when God’s servant speaks the very message the Almighty has asked him to deliver, the hearers should repent and receive the instruction. But all too often the opposite happens: The messenger is ridiculed, persecuted, and rejected. At such a time it is easy to question whether one has correctly heard and announced the word of the Lord: “I said, ‘Ah, Sovereign LORD! They are saying of me, “Isn’t he just telling parables?” ’ ” (Ezek. 20:49).

Here is a lesson for all of God’s servants who are the victims of “they say” and hearsay. Surely the suggestion that Ezekiel spoke fiction rather than truth was simply a self-serving excuse for rejecting his strong and unmistakable condemnation. If people reject God himself, it is little wonder that His anointed messengers sometimes receive the same treatment.

Daniel

Daniel was a person of prayer. He stood resolute in his determination to pray, even when to do so meant being thrown into a den of lions. He also relied on God for wisdom and the interpretation of the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. To speak before heads of state with such authority and assurance comes only from extended times in the place of prayer.

In the first instance of dream interpretation, Daniel was required not only to tell the interpretation but the dream as well. The four Hebrew wise men of the king’s court in Babylon were driven to prayer. Faced with the awful prospect of having their houses destroyed and then being torn limb from limb if they could not interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams (Dan. 2:5, 12–13), Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prayed earnestly (2:18; see also 1:7). While the actual words of their prayer are not recorded, the content of the petition is clear.

Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon (Dan. 2:17–18).

Extreme circumstances have a way of refining prayer to its essence, eliminating excess verbiage directed more to human ears than to God’s ears. Furthermore, shared burdens become lighter. The union of forces produces a greater force. The dynamics of united prayer are awesome. Agreeing together in prayer for a particular need produces results. When the Early Church prayed together in unity, the place of prayer was shaken (see Acts 4:31).

As Daniel and his companions prayed, in the distress of the moment it’s unlikely that they imagined the answer would dramatically reveal the true God to the fierce king of Babylon. However, Daniel knew that God had given Nebuchadnezzar the dream in the first place. Therefore, he could confidently declare to the king, “ ‘There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries’ ” (Dan. 2:28). When we pray, though it be in the face of extreme circumstances, we do well to remember that we may be fulfilling a divine role reaching far beyond our limited vision of the moment.

Daniel so proved himself to be a man of God, interpreting another dream for Nebuchadnezzar, explaining the writing on the wall, distinguishing himself above the other administrators, that “the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom” (6:3). The jealous administrators had to devise a trap to get rid of him, since “he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent” (v. 4) and they were unable to find grounds for charges against him in governmental affairs. Knowing that Daniel was a person of prayer, they had the king sign a decree that for thirty days no one could pray to anyone but the king.

“When Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before” (Dan. 6:10). No greater line has been written about Daniel than the one that concludes this verse: “… as he had done before.” Great individuals have great habits; great habits make great individuals. Communion with God should be the foremost habit of every child of God. Daniel’s unswerving devotion in the face of vicious and bloodthirsty persecutors sprang from his long-practiced prayer habit. His habit had put steel in his soul, so that when his life was threatened for practice of the habit, he simply kept up his practice without apology. The strength of the praying person is most evident when he is under siege.

In Daniel 9, Daniel intercedes for captive Israel after meditating on the prophecies of Jeremiah, which said that after seventy years as slaves they would be restored. Daniel “turned to the LORD God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes” (v. 3). As Daniel introduced his prayer of confession, he “turned to the Lord God.” He made a total commitment to making things right with God, and he had absolute faith in the One to whom the prayer was directed. This was not a formal prayer. It was marked by supplication, intense entreaty. The sackcloth and ashes were marks of complete self-effacement.

“O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

“Lord, you are righteous, but … we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.…

“All this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.…

O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath.…

“Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name” (Dan. 9:4–10, 13, 16, 18–19).

Daniel was the nation’s advocate at God’s bar of justice. He pleaded for revival and restoration, and the basis for the plea was genuine repentance. He considered as his own sins the sins of rulers, kings, priests, and judges. His prayer could well be a pattern for all who perceive the sorry state of many nations, including ours, in this day. Prayer warriors can have greater influence over national affairs than titular heads of state. A person on knees of prayer is mightier than a king upon his throne. Those who pray as Daniel prayed have access to the audience-chamber of the Most High; like Daniel they hear the pronouncement of the divine will.

Daniel voiced his prayer so earnestly because he knew God’s purpose concerning Israel. Knowing God’s will does not render prayer unnecessary; it makes it all the more important and effective, since praying in faith always brings a response. As Daniel prayed, he fastened his eyes on God, recalling His character and attributes; as he so prayed, even greater faith arose in his heart.

The Book of Daniel closes with Daniel’s vision of endtime events. The world turns to horoscopes, fortune tellers, divination, and various types of occultic practices when seeking glimpses into the future. But that which God wants us to know about the future is contained in His Word, and we must turn to no other source to inquire about that which is to happen. “I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, ‘My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?’ ” (Dan. 12:8).

Daniel’s prayer is a guideline for those who may ponder the meaning of prophecy or may be totally perplexed when seeking to determine the prophetic timetable. Daniel’s perception that he “did not understand” led him to the One who knows the end from the beginning. How much better it is to pray to the One who knows the future than to speculate about the end and arrive at the wrong conclusions.

Daniel’s prayer for understanding was answered. Even though he was not given all the information he might have desired, he got an answer which put his spirit to rest. “ ‘Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end’ ” (Dan. 12:9). We too can expect peace concerning the future as we inquire of God alone.

Joel

Joel, the prophet through whom God gave a most memorable prophecy about a future outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28–29), was a person who knew how to pray. Though he prophesied of a future time of blessing, he lived in a time of drought and difficulty. He has left for us examples of how to pray.

To you, O LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the open pastures and flames have burned up all the trees of the field. Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures (Joel 1:19–20).

How does one pray when nature seems to withhold essential rain, or sends too much moisture, or shakes the earth with devastating quakes, or destroys and kills through tornadoes or hurricanes?

Some would suggest that it is an impertinence to interfere with natural laws and events by our prayers. But Joel’s example gives sound instruction. Whatever the catastrophe or the cause thereof, we may follow the impulse of our heart, crying out to Almighty God. The One who guides the affairs of humankind can also restrain the destruction caused by a fallen creation. He may turn devastation away and leave a blessing behind. If not, His comfort and help will come in response to the prayer for deliverance.

Joel also instructed the priests of Israel where and how they should pray, just as Jesus taught His disciples how they should approach God in prayer (see Matt. 6:9–13):

Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, “Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ” (Joel 2:17).

Dean Stanley’s vivid description of this remarkable prayer scene gives substance to this national cry for deliverance:

The harsh blast of the consecrated ram’s horn called an assembly to an extraordinary fast. Not a soul was to be absent.… It convened old and young, men and women, mothers with infants at their breasts, the bridegroom and the bride on their bridal day. All were there stretched in front of the altar.… The priestly caste, instead of gathering as usual upon its steps and its platform, … lay prostrate, gazing towards the Invisible Presence within the sanctuary. Instead of the hymns and music which, since the time of David, had entered into their prayers, there was nothing heard but the passionate sobs and the loud dissonant howls of such as only an Eastern hierarchy could utter.… They waved their black drapery towards the temple, and shrieked aloud, “Spare thy people, O LORD!”⁵

The burden of this prayer, as might well be the burden of all prayer, is God’s honor. The pagan cried out in derision, “Where is your God?” Today a similar cry rises from the ungodly. It is time for the Church to pray as Israel prayed, with intensity and earnestness.

Amos

Even In Old Testament times, a person did not need to be a prophet or a son of a prophet to hear from and speak for God. A simple shepherd-farmer, Amos was commissioned to bring a divine message to Israel (see Amos 7:14–15).

On only one occasion was a prayer directed by Amos to God recorded: “I cried out, ‘Sovereign LORD, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!’ ” (Amos 7:5). This prayer contains a line of great consequence for all who pray: “He is so small.” (See also Amos 7:2.) Israel was in great need of God’s help. In their own strength, the people were small. But their admission of utter poverty was the gateway to divine intervention. Jesus said, “ ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit [those who recognize their own destitution or poverty]: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ ” (Matt. 5:3).

Because of sin, Israel had been demoralized and defeated; God had brought judgment on them. The prayer of Amos shows his spirit. He had to preach judgment, but he preached it out of a broken heart.

Jonah

Jonah was used of God to accomplish something he had not prayed for. In fact, Jonah did not want the Ninevites to repent and be spared. But when God asks His servant to do something he would normally not pray for, the issue becomes obedience. There are times when God’s plan calls for ministry that no one feels a burden for. So Jonah and his shipboard companions were given concerns that compelled them to seek God. Caught in a violent storm at sea, and hearing from Jonah that his presence was somehow the cause of it all, the pagan sailors voiced to God a desperate prayer for personal safety: “They cried to the LORD, ‘O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased’ ” (Jon. 1:14).

These pagans were imploring the Lord, the one true God, in such a manner as to indicate at least some knowledge of Old Testament Law, which held a murderer responsible for taking the life of an innocent person. With their meager knowledge they were hardly equipped to pray with much understanding; yet, to their credit, they did pray. And, unlike Jonah, they prayed with genuine concern for a fellowman and with submission to God. God is merciful to everyone, especially to those who call upon Him, whether they be benighted pagans or enlightened saints, for they are all His offspring (see Acts 7:29).

Thrown overboard by the sailors, Jonah was swallowed by the great fish prepared by God. We can understand Jonah’s feeling that he was in “the depths of the grave [Heb. Sheol],” with no prospect of deliverance apart from the supernatural intervention of the God from whom he was running.

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord” (Jon. 2:2–9).

No more unusual prayer has ever been offered throughout the millennia of history; surely there is no record of prayer being offered in as strange a place as this. The lessons from this memorable prayer are many.

First, prayer is appropriate at any time and in any place. One does not need a cloistered chapel or a lofty cathedral to have audience with the Almighty. As a believer practices the constant presence of God, prayer can be made at the kitchen sink or on a busy street, aboard an airplane or at the wheel of an automobile, in a field or in the city, in a place of solitude or amid the surging throng, in foxholes or in prayer closets, in a sanctuary or in a fish’s belly. The place where prayer is voiced has little bearing upon God’s hearing it.

Second, one’s greatest need often becomes the inspiration for one’s greatest praying. Could it be that God in His wise providence permits distress and untoward circumstances to provoke us to prayer and dependence?

Third, that prayer, to be effective, must be coupled with submission. A rebellious spirit may bring the sea billows over our souls, but submission will bring deliverance.

Fourth, prayer is an exercise of faith. It was for Jonah. He remembered the Lord and promised to look again toward His holy temple (2:4, 7). Where there is no genuine faith in God, there will be little praying to God. Often it takes the storm to stir faith into action.

Fifth, prayer can bring assurance. Jonah “prayed through” so that even though he was still in the fish’s belly he could speak as though he were already delivered.

Finally, prayer from the depths is heard in the heights. “ ‘My prayer rose to you, to your holy temple’ ” (2:7). Depths are not uncommon to human experience. For some people it is the depth of sorrow; for some the depth of suffering; for some the depth of sin, for others the depth of mental anguish. But there is no depth from which the human cry cannot be heard on high (see Ps. 107:23–28; 139:8–10).

On the other hand, great discouragement can come when God does not act in the way a person thinks that He should. Jonah experienced such a despair, even contemplating suicide.

“O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live” (Jon. 4:2–3).

Jonah was a prophet with a reputation for fulfilled prophecies (2 Kings 14:25). If nothing happened to Nineveh, he knew what people would say. He was more concerned about his own reputation than God’s. So when God spared Nineveh, Jonah could not face what he considered a personal disgrace. Though he was disappointed, Jonah was wrong to pray to die. But he was right to bring his feelings to God. How gently God dealt with him, giving him an insight that has inspired the work of missions even today.

Habakkuk

The questions that trouble a servant of God are sometimes as big as those that trouble others. Habakkuk asked God, “Why are not the prayers of good men immediately answered?” and “Why do the wicked prosper?” Some count only two recorded prayers of Habakkuk; others count three. What may be considered two prayers (Hab. 1:1–11 and 1:12 to 2:20) may actually be the expressing of two problems in one prayer.

How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted (Hab. 1:2–4).

Though God does not respond directly to Habakkuk’s first question, “Why are not the prayers of good men immediately answered?” there are principles which provide a partial answer. Importunity is sometimes necessary before one will value the answer. In other words, if we received an answer at the first petition, the blessing may not be fully appreciated. The gift means much more when the mind is receptive to it. Delay sometimes adjusts the mind so that true gratitude and praise result when the answer is received.

Prayer itself is the best means of spiritual growth. Conscious interaction with God is essential to moral and spiritual excellence. True prayer is the means of becoming more and more like Christ. Acquiescence to the divine will must often come before a request is granted. At times, we do not understand completely what we should pray for—we may be fortunate that our prayers are not answered!

On occasion, our selfish wills must yield to the divine will. Jesus prayed that the cup might pass from him, but it did not. Instead, He yielded to a higher divine will: “ ‘Yet not my will, but yours be done’ ” (Luke 22:42). We need not be anxious about the absence of immediate answers to prayer. God will faithfully witness to our spirits that He is accomplishing a work even in the delay.

The second question, “Why do the wicked prosper?” has been asked by many of the Old Testament prophets, including Habakkuk:

O LORD, you have appointed them [i.e., the Babylonians] to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? (Hab. 1:12–13).

God knows what He is doing. When Habakkuk could not understand why God would use the Babylonians to punish Israel when they were more wicked than the Israelites, God made it clear that He knew how bad the Babylonians were. He would use them and then take care of their punishment in due time. (Cf. Isa. 10:3–12.) We must let God answer our prayers in His way, recognizing He knows best.

It seems most fitting that the final prayer of the Old Testament should be eloquent Hebrew poetry extolling the glories of the Holy One and pleading earnestly for His mercies. Habakkuk’s prayer psalm had two purposes: It was personal and it was intended for musical praise in the liturgy. (Note the musical instructions.)

LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.… [God’s] glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed. His ways are eternal.… The mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high. Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear.… You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one.… You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters. I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food.… yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights (Hab. 3:2–6, 10–11, 13, 15–19).

Of necessity, prophets prayed; sometimes they prayed for even those they prophesied against. Intimately acquainted with the divine intent for the future, they knew better than others what to pray for. Because Habakkuk had found God ready to answer prayer before, he could pray with assurance that God’s ear was inclined toward him and toward Judah. The well-known declaration of Habakkuk 2:4 (“the righteous shall live by … faith”) is quoted three times in the New Testament (see Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38) and was rediscovered by Martin Luther in the Protestant Reformation. Faith that included faithfulness was the foundation for Habakkuk’s entire life; the righteous do live by faith and by prayer born of that faith, a faith that includes faithfulness.

Although there are no commands about prayer in the Old Testament, as there are in the New Testament, the thread of prayer is prominently interwoven in the super-natural dealings of God with His people. The examples of the patriarchs, prophets, and leaders are sufficient evidence that prayer is not a later invention of imaginative individuals, but a basic means of a person’s establishing a relationship with God.