The version used is KJV
Please see the first post on this which sets the context for what the rest of this writing is. The context is a message from a brother delivered at an Amish funeral.
This is my study notes on prayer and its nature, based on few statements I made in the first post. They are:
- since The Most High and Jesus our High Priest are outside of time domain in the heavens, the prayers once raised in purity will stay in record. Hence if prayers are offered in purity and sincerity, they are preserved
- implication is that, we need to offer prayer in purity and aligned with the Word of God due the above.
Greek and Hebrew words
The word pray has been used to refer to these Greek and Hebrew words
- to pray (deomai - δέομαι)
- to pray/wish for (euchomai - εὔχομαι)
- to pray (proseuchomai - προσεύχομαι)
- prayer (proseuchē - προσευχή)
- petition (deēsis - δέησις)
- a vow/prayer (euchē - εὐχή)
and
- to pray (a.tar - עָתַר)
- to pray (pa.lal - פָּלַל)
- to pray (tse.la - צְלָא)
- prayer (te.phil.lah - תְּפִלָּה)
For this writing I will only use the common Greek and Hebrew words typically used for prayer, highlighted above.
Tephillah תּפלּה
This is the Hebrew word used for prayer. In KJV its translated as prayer or prayers 77 times. Its part of speech is feminine noun. Its from the root word verb, palal, ָפָּלַל This word has various meanings from pray, judge, intercede, intreat and make supplication.
The first major occurence of this word is in 1 Kings 8 when Solomon makes intercession for Israel at the Temple dedication. Solomon pleads with God to
- harken to the prayer of His people, when they pray and come to Him, so as to hear them (using the hear/guard/regard word of shama) and forgive/pardon them. 1 Kings 8:30
- justifying the righteous to give according to his righteousness. 1 Kings 8:32
- to forgive the sins of the people, when they repent and turn from their sins, confess them. 1 Kings 8:33-34
- even a stranger who calls on the name of The Most High YHWH, to hear and bless them. 1 Kings8:42-43
In Jeremiah 11:14, YHWH tells Jeremiah to not intercede for the people as He will not hear their prayers, showing the power of intercession/prayer.
Hosea 14:2 to call on YHWH to take away our iniquities and to receive us graciously and our sacrifice is that of the calves/bulls of our lips. This is the best example along with 1 Samuel 15:22, where God The Most High desires our prayer, our obedience and our repentent heart rather than burnt offerings and sacrifices.
In summary:
- YHWH, the Most High desires our prayers more than burnt offerings and sacrifices.
- Prayer has a notion of repentence and obedience tied to it.
- If prayer is pure then it will be heard.
- Prayer will cause YHWH to forgive our iniquities.
Building on the above theme, we see the everlasting nature of prayer -
- Daniel in Daniel 9 prays invoking the promises based on Solomon's prayer from 1Kings8.
- This means that what Solomon prayed 400+ years before still was valid and ringing in the heavens, for Daniel to call up on it
- This is what David and others in the Psalms reaffirm to call on the name of YHWH. Best described by Joel 2:32, whosoever shall call on the name of YHWH shall be delivered. This again is reaffirmed in Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13.
Therefore, pure hearted prayers seems to have permanence in the halls of Heavens for the Most High to be heard. This permanence can be regarded as either being a ringing kind, once offered up by the saint or being recorded in some form of heavenly record. In either of the case, prayers have permanence from my study so far.
Proseuche προσευχή
This is the Greek word used to describe prayer. And again it is both singular and plural. Proseuchomai is the verb form and the root for this noun prayer. This is the same set of words used in Septuagint in 1 Kings and other references to prayer (which we covered before as Tephillah)
The Lords prayer has these words as do any references around prayer as spoken by our Messiah and Master Jesus.
Acts 10:31, a stranger Cornelius' prayer is heard and is told by a man in bright clothing to call on Simon Peter to hear the gospel, confirming what Solomon prayed almost a 1000 years ago, that even prayers of strangers will be heard.
Sweet savor
We get further understanding that prayers of the saints is the sweet savor offered onto God upon the golden altar in heavens. Revelation 5:8 and Revelation 8:3-4.
We dont know when these prayers were offered up on earth and what stage the saints were in. Revelation 8:3 adds the qualifier that the sweet incense was the prayers of all saints. This further raises the questions, does this include fallen saints who are still asleep from before Christ's first appearance and saints sleeping since Christ's appearance.
My thinking at this point is that, its an aggregate of prayers offered up across time and across periods and places by set-apart people, who are the saints of the Most High.
Ezekial 20:41 further confirms the statement in Revelation8 that, the Most High will accept our prayers (sweet savor) when we are gathered out of the nations and through this He will be sanctified before the nations.
These further clarifies to me that pure prayer offered by saints, earnestly with supplication unto the Most High, will be part of the sweet savor He will smell as described in Revelation, even if many of the prayers are answered in the interim.
Hence coupled with the permanence aspect of the prayers of saints, we also have it being used in ministering to the Most High as part of sweet savor offered up.
Praying
Since the prayers have an eternal or complex nature to them, as in, they are not one and done, I need to make sure I take these lessons seriously in praying...
- praying according to the Word of God, so my prayer is not contrary
- praying as my Messiah taught and not with show, vainity or repetation or loudness
- be united with my wife in covenant, so my prayer is not hindered
- praying for others first then my self
- repent of my sins in prayer before I pray for anything or any favors of my self or others
- intercede for others even if the situation looks bleak
- patience in prayer as it may be answered in His time or in eternity and not in our life time
- think deeply about prayer before praying knowing the eternal nature
- fall down or kneel as much as possible with raising hands to pray, as Solomon did
- pray continuously and incessantly, like the old widow in Luke 2:37
- have faith that YHWH's eyes is towards the righteous and His ears inclined to our pleas Psalm 34:15.
- every time I pray I should have the view of a Hebrew taking his animal for sacrifice whether for sin or thanksgiving to his high priest, as my prayers will be treated as the calves of my lips, which will be offered by my High Priest in the heavens, Jesus Christ, and The Most High willing, be sweet savor unto Him.