Prayer is a major topic in Scripture. Readers are instructed to pray. Suggestions are made on how to pray, related to reliance and authority with God. Believers in a personal God are firm in their belief that prayer is meaningful, and there is something about it that initiates reverence in us when we pray. Devout Christians are disappointed that there is so little prayer, corporate or private. One would think that, given the common views of devout persons, that there would be more prayer offered than there seems to be, both personal/private and public/scheduled prayer. However, it is likely that people pray more than they believe they do. The eminent Gallup pollsters felt that there might be high incidence of prayer. A major reason for living is to pray.
A main purpose in going to church (entering the sanctuary) is to pray, but prayer is not as common in church as once it was. The public prayer meeting (groups at prayer) has declined in church schedules. It has fallen into slumber, perhaps naps, for many congregations, maybe most.
The context of the verse above relates to Moab, where the people wore themselves out (v.12) by multiplying prayers, but those petitions were not heard by God. The reason for failure is found in their pride (v.6) which led to various excesses and oppressions listed in the passage. (Chapters. 15-16) Some persons were not caught in the pattern. (15:9; 16:3-4; 14) We are well reminded that there are always faithful believers, and that God always hears their prayers. Our concern is in maintaining faithfulness, if prayers are to be meaningful – if they are to be answered to appropriate purpose.
Even though we identify this or that specific historical event in which something is described in Scripture, we need to remember that, by extension, the meaning is directed to and for us. For us, this information relates: to similar not the same causes, to similar not the same meanings, and to similar not the same results as it did for this or that person, or tribe or people we read about in the Bible. We do not escape because we are of a modern country, and not from Moab. We too can say prayers unheard by God. If we do, we waste valuable, limited time – missing purpose.
Some historians and sociologists presume prayer meaningless, except to give self-comfort to the person in prayer. Their views are supported by the implication of the verse that there are prayers that mean nothing at all except for psychological lift. Meaningless prayers may be in large quantity, and much that we believe is based on time dimensional conducts. The minority view is explained away by fabricated or paradoxical rationales. There are prayers that do change things, but they meet Divine criteria to purpose. We can influence matters, but can’t determine how they will play out. We know too little about what is best for us in nature. We need to believe that, through appropriate prayer, one does influence God. The secret is to know what righteous prayer is. It is uttered in godly faith; it is found in God’s will for good; it is humble, without judgmental arrogance; it is balanced with genuine worship, which acknowledges truth that all things come from God; and, as requested and mediated in Christ’s authority. It is some comfort to believe that no proper prayer is discarded. This assumes the person at prayer is asking in the belief that, if the request is amiss, it will be amended by God so to become useful for purpose. Every prayer, in Christ, is heard and used in the wisdom and plan of God. There is a concept of prayer little understood, and that is the building of it. As a house may be built board by board, so the most effective prayers are those intensified by time commitments – in Christ. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020