A man who prays

The Scriptures continually speak about the importance of prayer and how we should pray. Paul said, ‘I desire therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting’. 1Tim 2:8. Remember that Paul described himself as a ‘Hebrew of Hebrews’. When he spoke of lifting up holy hands, he was effectively quoting from the words of the great psalmist. ‘May my prayer be counted as incense before You; the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.’ Psa 141:2. So, Paul was talking about more than uttering a few words in prayer. He was talking about a whole lifestyle of offering and prayer, symbolised in the lifting up of holy hands. This is the evidence of a man’s life wholly given to God.

We cannot lift up holy hands if we are filled with wrath. That’s an interesting one. We cannot pray if we are angry. The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about an angry man. ‘A man of great anger will bear the penalty, for if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.’ Prov 19:19. The wise man was saying, to some degree anyway, ‘Don’t waste your time, because unless the person chooses to be delivered of their anger, you will not be able to help them’.

Paul also said that prayer needs to be ‘without doubting’. That doesn’t imply that a Christian man’s prayer life is filled with positive thinking, positive pursuits, or expectations of getting everything that he wants. A praying man demonstrates a demeanour, and has a tone about him, that’s manifesting the aroma of Christ. Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians, ‘Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place’. 2Cor 2:14. When a man prays, lifting up holy hands, he will know triumph. We could say in the first instance, it’s triumph over anger and doubting. A praying man is yielding his anger and yielding his doubting. He has given himself to prayer. It’s the action of genuine surrender. Prayer is the antidote for anger and doubting. Do you have doubts on a matter? You will need to know the will of God and what He’s asking of you, by prayer.

Peter makes an interesting practical and relational statement. ‘Live with your wives in an understanding way ... and show her honour… so that your prayers will not be hindered.’ 1Pet 3:7. In relation to prayer, that’s a very interesting verse isn’t it? He’s saying that the effectiveness of a man’s prayers, and the way he manifests the aroma of Christ, is largely dependent on properly relating to his wife. It’s important that men from the youngest years, know how to relate to women properly, not in a patronising or a dominating way, but in a godly manner. This is obviously for the success of marriages, but also for the purpose of prayers being answered. Peter said, ‘So that your prayers will not be hindered’. 1Pet 3:7.

Geoff Smith

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Feature Articles
November 2008

Understanding your way

The words of eternal life

Every good gift

The song that counts

Be fruitful and multiply

A man who prays

Amazing grace

The secret place

Perspective on tribulation

Bearing the yoke

The problem of evil