Bible lessons
Published 03/23/2013
How to pray so that God will hear and help you in your need? Every person who believes in God and builds a relationship with Him wants to hear an answer to their prayers. We know from personal experience that sometimes we have to wait years or decades for answers to prayers. But sometimes the answer comes immediately, right during prayer. God answers through other people, through situations, through the understanding of something given to us, through the Holy Scriptures - the Bible, finally. It is very important to look for the answer, to wait for it, to be sure that this is exactly what God is telling you and wants from you. When an answer comes to you from God, it changes your life forever. You just can't be the same.
From the Bible we know about the will of God, at least about those things that God expects from all people. God wants everyone to repent and stop sinning (2 Peter 3:9). He wants people to believe in Him in any situation and not give up (Gospel of Luke 18:8). He wants people to put Him first in their lives and always trust Him (Luke 14:26). He wants us to care about the Kingdom and righteousness first and not worry about other things (Matthew 6:33). The Bible says that in the last days God has spoken to us through His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:2). So the entire teaching of Christ is the desire and will of God for our lives, the words of God Himself addressed to us, His answer to many of our questions.
On the other hand, we want to get answers to situations that concern only us, that occur in our personal lives. We want to hear God's answer in the area of our personal relationships with people, we want to hear God's answer in the area of our work. We ask God to show us His will in the area of ministry in the church. We ask God to help us in converting others to Christ, etc.
As we read the Bible, we see that very often God answered people's prayers through his angels. Sometimes God personally appeared to people and spoke to them, as in the case of Moses on the mountain when He gave him the well-known Ten Commandments. He gave people visions in dreams and more.
Has God's attitude towards people's prayers changed after the advent of a new order - the entry into force of a new agreement - the New Testament? Moreover, during the life of Jesus Christ on earth, many people saw that God manifests himself and clearly answers prayers, especially in the life of Jesus Christ. How we want God to answer our prayers in this way - immediately and clearly!
Let's look at a few examples from the Bible in which God answered people's prayers. Perhaps we can find some key, some quality, seeing which God answers people’s prayers more willingly? If you are a parent, you have probably noticed that we are more willing to respond to some requests from our children than others. So does it matter how we ask God for an answer? Let's look at a few examples to try to see something that will help us, imitating the examples of these people, wait for God's answer to our prayer.
I would like to place the greatest emphasis on prayers in which God himself speaks about why He paid attention to them.
How and Why God Heard Daniel's Prayers
The book of Daniel is an amazing and unique book in the entire Bible. This is the only book that describes the lives of four Jews living among the pagan world. Even the book of Esther cannot compare with the book of Daniel in this regard. According to John Ochs, author of Daniel, a Prophet to the Nations, this book served as a powerful and inspiring example for the Jews, who lived under severe persecution hundreds of years after Daniel's life. This is an example of how a person faithful to God can and must maintain his faith in times of trial, not allowing compromises with faith, even under the threat of death.
In Daniel we find an incredible example of a relationship with God. Through Daniel, God foretold many events that were fulfilled hundreds of years later. Daniel not only foretold the future of many nations and kingdoms, but also predicted the coming of the Messiah. Daniel gained the ability to interpret dreams and explain their meaning to the kings.
Daniel maintained his faith despite all the persecution that happened in his life. He maintained his faith while living in a pagan world and never once bowed his head to idols. And God answered his prayers a lot. Let's look together at Daniel's prayers, how Daniel sought an answer from God, and why God answered him.
Orthodox prayer book
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Also known as the “prayer rule.” It contains ancient prayers of the holy fathers (mostly from the 4th century), which were later transmitted to believers. It helps to acquire the correct prayer attitude.
Advice: Do not read the prayer rule mechanically and hastily for the sake of formality.
Important: According to St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, the prayer rule replenishes the believer’s soul with the missing number of correct prayerful and godly thoughts/feelings.
God hears prayers and is close to those who are righteous
How to pray so that God hears you? God considered Daniel to be a very righteous man. He was one of the three most righteous people on earth, so to speak:
“I could punish this land even if Noah, Daniel and Job lived there. By their righteousness they will save their lives, but they will not be able to save the whole country.” Thus said the Lord Almighty.” (Ezekiel 14:14)
From another passage we know that our sins separate us from God:
“But your sins separate you from God, the Lord sees your sins and turns away from you.” (Isaiah 59:2)
Daniel's righteousness was obvious to God. When we hear such things, we can, of course, be very happy for Daniel, Job, Noah or other heroes of the faith like them. But we can also fall into a kind of sadness because we cannot be like them and cannot be as righteous as them. In other words, their righteousness may not inspire, but on the contrary, saddens us. This may be because we do not understand what God means by righteousness. Let's jump ahead a little and look at another example, a prayer that God answered:
“Two people went to the temple to pray. One of them was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing aside, prayed like this: “O God, I thank You that I am not like other people: robbers, deceivers, adulterers, or even this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of my income.” And the tax collector stood aside and, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven, prayed with all humility before God, saying: “Oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you: this man, having finished praying, returned home righteous before God. The Pharisee, who considered himself superior to others, was unrighteous before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Gospel of Luke 18:10-14)
This is a very famous parable told by Jesus that describes two men praying in the temple. In verse nine, Jesus makes it clear why He tells this parable and what He wants to explain: “Jesus told another parable to those who were confident in their righteousness and looked down on everyone.”
Jesus told this parable to those who considered themselves self-righteous and believed that their righteousness depended entirely on the actions they performed. In his prayer, the Pharisee listed so many things he was doing “for God” or to become righteous. We will talk about another meaning of this parable later. Here we see that these were two very different people in their actions. Most likely, having seen a Pharisee in life, any of us could say that he is righteous, and the tax collector is a sinner. But God looks differently at these people, as well as at those like them - us. At different points in our lives, we can be both like the Pharisee in this parable and like a tax collector.
We see that the tax collector left the temple righteous. Moreover, this was not his merit. He did not become righteous because of himself, as the Pharisee tried to be. But God considered him righteous before Him. The Bible has a clear indication of how a person becomes righteous before God:
For this gospel shows how God makes people righteous through faith from beginning to end. Scripture says, “Whoever turns to the Lord through faith will find eternal life.” (Romans 1:17)
God showed us how He makes people righteous before Him. And this happens regardless of the law, although both the law and the prophets testify to this. (Romans 3:21)
God makes people righteous before Him through faith in Jesus Christ; this applies to all who believe, for there is no difference between them (Romans 3:22)
that as sin rules by death, so may grace rule by God making men righteous before Him, bringing eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:21)
Of course, there are many other passages that confirm this fact - God makes people righteous before Him through faith. It is not through actions that we become righteous, but through faith. The book of Romans says that all are sinners, so there is no difference between them, but through faith and through Christ we can become righteous:
“since all are sinners and therefore are not admitted into the glorious presence of God. But through the gift of God’s grace, all people were made righteous before God through Christ Jesus, who atoned for their sins.” (Romans 3:23,24)
Probably, Daniel, Noah and Job were truly more righteous than other people in their actions. Most likely, they hated sin and loved righteousness. Their behavior was definitely different from the behavior of the people around them. But this is not why they became more righteous than others in the eyes of God. God considered them righteous not because of their behavior or actions, but because of their faith. They were the same sinners as you and me or like any other person on earth, because: “For he who keeps the law as a whole, but stumbles even on one point, is guilty of breaking the law as a whole” ( James 2:10). They stumbled, sinned, and went against God at different points in their lives. Yet through their faith God made them righteous before Him.
Examples of God Listening to Us
There is several proofs that heaven is favorable to the requests of people. Examples have been recorded over thousands of years:
- To Sarah's prayers for a child (Genesis 16:11).
- At Israel's groaning under slavery (Exodus 2:24).
- Moses on Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 9:19).
- To Joshua in Gilgal (Joshua 10:14).
- David demanding deliverance from Saul (2 Samuel 22:7).
Jesus, who walked this earth - and listened in the flesh (John 1:14). Today, the Spirit of God hears the requests of his creation (Romans 8:26-27). Yes, God hears.
Our humility helps God hear prayers
Do you want to learn how to pray so that God hears you? Then let's examine Daniel's next quality: humility. There is a famous story in the Bible that happened to Daniel, and in which he definitely needed an answer from God and urgently! This is about the case when King Nebuchadnezzar asked his wise men to tell him about the meaning of a dream. We will not consider the whole story, read it, it is in the book of the prophet Daniel, chapter 2. But let's pay attention to how Daniel behaves after hearing the condition set by the king.
“When Daniel heard this story, he went to King Nebuchadnezzar and begged him to give him a little more time to tell the king about the dream and interpret its meaning. Daniel went home and explained the whole matter to his friends: Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. Daniel told his companions to pray to the God of heaven that God would be merciful to them and help them understand the mystery. Then Daniel and his companions would not be killed along with the other wise men of Babylon. (Daniel 2:16-18)
Having heard what the king wants, Daniel first goes to his friends to pray to God together. He does not know whether God will give him an answer or not, but through faith and under the threat of death he prays to God. We can only imagine how Daniel felt, whose life depended on God's answer. We can only guess what his prayer was. From verses 19 to 23 we see that God answered his prayer, after which Daniel thanks God:
“God revealed this secret to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel gave thanks to the God of heaven. Daniel said, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever!” He has wisdom and power! He changes the seasons and summers. He changes kings. He gives power to kings and takes it away! He gives wisdom to the wise and understanding to the understanding. He knows hidden secrets that are difficult to understand, and He knows what is in the darkness and secret places! Light dwells with Him. God of my ancestors, I thank and praise You! You gave me wisdom and strength. You have revealed to us what we asked of You! You revealed to us the king’s dream.” (Daniel 2:19-23)
After incredibly strong prayer, because of his closeness to God, because of Daniel's faith and righteousness, God answers Him. And he answers quickly. And what does Daniel do with this answer? Yes, he is going to the king, but there is one more thing to pay attention to. How he tells the king what he learned in a vision from God. Let's look at another quote from the Bible:
“The king asked Daniel (Belshazzar) a question: “Can you tell me the dream I saw and its meaning?” Daniel answered the king: “King Nebuchadnezzar, not a single wise man, not a single seer, and not a single Chaldean [astrologer] could tell the king the secret that he asked about. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. God sent King Nebuchadnezzar a dream to show him what would happen later. This is what your dream was, and this is what you saw as you lay on your bed: (Daniel 2:26-28)
What incredible humility Daniel shows when he comes to the king. Put yourself in his shoes. You've just received the answer you've been asking for. Your life is saved. Will you not rush to the king with the words: “I can tell you, king, what you asked?” Not a single person could do this, the sages told the king that no one could ever do what the king asked. And so Daniel did it! Not really. Daniel couldn't. And Daniel understands this perfectly well, that it was not he who could do it, but God revealed it to him.
Therefore, to the king’s question, “Can you tell me the dream and its meaning,” Daniel responds by beginning to glorify God. He preaches about God, who revealed to him the meaning of the dream. How does God feel at this moment? Is He watching this moment? Is God watching how we use His answers? How does God feel when he sees man giving all the glory to Him? Will God continue to answer this person's prayers in the future? And on the contrary, will God want to answer the prayers of a person who takes all the glory to himself, while all the answers, victories, life and everything else are from God? Moreover, Nebuchadnezzar himself is just such an example. We know about his pride from the book of Daniel, how God humbled him over time. It is this king who is known for the fact that he appropriated to himself all the greatness and all the merits for the construction of the most wonderful city on earth - Babylon. Here are the words of King Nebuchadnezzar at that moment: “Twelve months after King Nebuchadnezzar had this dream, he was walking on the roof of his palace in Babylon. “Look at Babylon! said the king. I built this great city. This is my home! I built this great city with the power of my might to show my greatness!”
Daniel's humility is one of the keys. We will see this soon when we look at another prayer of Daniel. But now we can say with confidence that humility before God is the key to God answering your prayer more quickly. God answered Daniel's prayer. The king got what he wanted. God continued to work His incredible plan through all of these situations.
Another amazing prayer that Daniel received an answer to is found in chapter 9 of the book of Daniel. Be sure to read it. This is a great example to follow in prayer. Daniel begins his prayer after reading a passage from the book of Jeremiah (chapter 25 verses 11-12, as we can now determine after the fact) during the fast, putting on clothes of sorrow and strewing ashes on his head (9:3). Daniel then begins to confess his sins and ask for forgiveness for the sins of the people (almost the entire prayer). And only in verse 17 Daniel asks God to save the Jewish people and change the situation. Notice why Daniel asks to do this - not because of the righteousness of the people and his own, but because of the mercy of God:
“Now, Lord, listen to my prayer. I am Your servant. Heed my plea for help. For Thy name's sake, my Lord, be kind to Thy destroyed Sanctuary. My God, hear me! Open your eyes and look at all the horrors that have happened to us! Look what happened to the city that was named after You! I'm not saying that we are good people. That's not why I'm asking for all this. I pray because I know of Your mercy. Lord, listen to me! Lord, forgive us! Lord, look and do something! Don't hesitate! Do it now! Do it for you! My God, do something now for Your city and Your people, who are called by Your name.” (Daniel 9:17-19)
Daniel confesses his sins (let me remind you that he was one of the three most righteous people, according to God). He asks for forgiveness for the sins of the people over the years. He appeals to God, to His mercy and reminds of God's promises. And at the very moment when he confessed his sins, he receives an answer from the angel Gabriel:
“I spoke and prayed to God and repented of my sins and the sins of my people Israel. I prayed before the Lord our God, who was on His holy mountain. And while I was still praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen before in a vision, came up to me. Gabriel quickly flew up to me and touched me. This was during the evening sacrifice. (Daniel 9:20,21)
Daniel asks for forgiveness for his sins, he asks for forgiveness for the sins of his people, and he pleads with God to be with them. Don't leave them. He glorifies God and appeals to His mercy. And then he heard what every believer on earth wants to hear: “When you began your prayer, a command was given, and I came to announce it to you. God loves you very much!”
This story just moves me to tears. How obvious it is that God wants us to be humble in our prayers and in our walk with Him. How much He hates pride, and how much He blesses humility. When Herod did not thank God for his magnificent speech, God sent an angel to destroy him:
“The people shouted: “This is the voice of God, not man!” Herod took this for granted and did not glorify God. For this, the angel of the Lord struck him, and he died, eaten by worms. (Acts 12:22,23)
And when Daniel asked for forgiveness for his sins, God sends an angel to say that he loves Him and answers his prayer.
But perhaps the most surprising thing we find is in chapter 10 of the book of Daniel. Once again we find the key to righteous prayer answered by God. Daniel receives another vision. Daniel again communicates with the angel and hears the most amazing words:
Then a hand touched me and I knelt down, leaning on my hands. The man in the vision said to me: “Daniel, my precious man, consider carefully the words that I will say to you. Arise, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this, I stood up, trembling with fear. And the man from the vision continued to say: “Daniel, do not be afraid. From the very first day you decided to gain wisdom and be humble before God, He listened to your prayers. I came to you because you prayed. (Daniel 10:10-12)
God answered Daniel because of his humility! From the very first day you decided to gain wisdom and be humble before God, He listened to your prayers.” Once Daniel decided to achieve wisdom and be humble before God, God decided to listen to his prayers. God listened to Daniel's prayers. God loves to hear prayers like this! It's just amazing, but it's true. God loves it when we pray like this! When we pray in a solitary place, perhaps with someone it may seem to us that no one hears or sees us. But these lines not only reveal to us the key to righteous prayer, but also give us faith that God loves to listen to our prayers. What a good lesson for us in prayer! What does God hear when we pray? Does He even hear us pray? Do we pray?
Magism
Unfortunately, in our time there are many people who are far from the Church and have a magical attitude towards prayer, i.e. when the practice of reading “correct” (actually non-Orthodox) prayers is practiced, and even in a certain quantity. When such people receive the text of some rare and mysterious prayer, they become convinced that thanks to it, everything will go well and illnesses will go away, and the husband will stop drinking alcohol, and the children will study more diligently.
There were many examples of holy fathers who prayed at night to prevent some disaster or to save someone. The prayer could be very simple, for example, “Lord, have mercy!” Did the saint utter only words or did he turn himself entirely to God? Real prayer work is hard, it’s like shedding bloody sweat, it’s not just about frequently repeated words.
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Sinners
In the Gospel of John we find the following lines: “God does not listen to sinners.” And there we read again: “He listens to everyone who honors God and does his will.”
It would seem that the Lord is a philanthropist, how can one not listen to sinners? The fact is that a sinner is a sinner:
- A sinner who does not repent of his sins will not be heard by God.
- The sinner, sincerely repenting, appeases God and has more hope that his prayers will be heard and fulfilled.
In what language should you pray in church and at home?
Most Orthodox prayers are recited in Church Slavonic , with the exception of some prayers compiled in the 19th century and written in Russian. There are Orthodox prayer books in which prayers are given with Russian translation. If it is difficult to pray in Church Slavonic, you can read the translation.
Unlike home prayer, church services are always performed in Church Slavonic. To better understand the service, you can keep before your eyes the text with a parallel translation into Russian .
