Pleasing Prayers

Q 117: What is the kind of prayer that pleases God and that he listens to? A: First, we must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God, revealed to us in his Word, asking for everything God has commanded us to ask for.  Second, we must fully recognize our need and misery, so that we humble ourselves in God’s majestic presence. Third, we must rest on this unshakable foundation: even though we do not deserve it, God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord. That is what God promised us in his Word. The question for today struck me in a particular way: since it points out there is a way to pray that pleases God, it assumes there is a way to pray that doesn’t please him. I suppose that’s not so odd. Some of us are experts at technically obeying, but doing so in a way that is actually irritating and not in keeping with the goal. So it is that insincere, showy, babbling prayers are not the sort that please God (Matthew 6:5-8). Prayer is not an occasion to be impressive. It is not about laying out a coherent strategy and argumentation before God to convince him of something. As the Father, God simply longs to hear from his child. Pastor Kevin DeYoung put it this way: “As long as you want to talk to God more than you want to hear from yourself, God will listen to you.”

The first part of the answer today reveals the inherent connection between prayer and Scripture. If you want a robust prayer life, turn to Scripture (the Psalms are a great place to start!). Not only is Scripture the place to find the one true God, it also reveals his will. We are promised “that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15). Let us seek his will in Scripture that we might pray in accordance with it!

Second, we must be aware of who we are as we approach God. Prayer is a reverent act because of the great disparity in nature between the two parties. There’s likely a connection between our self-perspective and our tendency to babble in prayer. After all, it was the proud Pharisee who babbled on that he was “not like other people – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector.” but it was the simple, humble prayer of the tax collector – “God have mercy on me, a sinner” – that was heard (Luke 18:9-15). Humility is essential in prayer (James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6). A true act of prayer is an acknowledgement of our need for God. 

Finally, our ultimate confidence in prayer is in Jesus Christ. Prayer is not made effective by following some sort of magic formula. It is because of Christ. He is our mediator and intercessor. He is our advocate with God the Father. He is the rock, our unshakeable foundation. 

Perhaps your prayer life has felt dry and disconnected. Maybe it’s simply been on pause for far too long. Your Father wants to hear from you. Perhaps begin with a humble, honest prayer like Luke’s tax collector: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner in need of redeeming.” Come before him simply and honestly. Use his Word to direct you. Pray in confidence from Christ. He will certainly hear you. ~ Pastor Tim