These are my notes/thoughts from John R. Rice’s Prayer: Asking and Receiving.
These next two chapters are a couple of my most favorite in this book. These two chapters lay the foundation for the book.
In chapter three, Mr. Rice repeats over and over that “Prayer is asking.” Nothing else is prayer. Adoration, Praise, Thanksgiving, Confession, Meditation — these are all good and necessary, but these are not prayer. In Scripture, every time someone prayed, they asked for something.
“Ask, and it shall be given you” (Matt. 7:7).
“For every one that asks receives” (Matt. 7:8).
“Ask, and you shall receive” (John 16:24).
He starts the chapter off talking about women window shopping. They go out, spend all day in the shops, but they don’t come home with anything. Mr. Rice says that people pray the same way. They pray and pray, but they don’t expect to come home with anything, and their prayers often go unanswered.
He then continues his illustration, showing how he buys shoes: He goes into a certain shop, picks out the same kind of shoes that he’s been wearing for years, pays, and walks out with new shoes. When he goes shopping, he buys something. “And that is what prayer is. Prayer is asking something definite from God.”
He talks about modernists who do not believe that prayer is asking and receiving. Instead, they teach that prayer gives you the strength to get the things you want, or to help you be content to do without. They ignore the fact that “God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
In the Church today, there is a lot of teaching on communion with God, just being in His presence. We need to do that. We need to worship God. We need to meditate on the Bible. But just spending time in God’s presence is not praying.
Prayer is not a lovely sedan for a sightseeing trip around the city. Prayer is a truck that goes straight to the warehouse, backs up, loads, and comes home with the goods. Too many people rattle their trucks all over town and never back up to the warehouse! They do not go after something when they pray. They do not ask, therefore, they do not receive. Much of our so-called praying is not asking, and so it is not really praying.
Another author I like, Russ Johnston, teaches people to make a list of what you want God to do for you over the next few months, year, or however long. In our school of prayer, why don’t we do this? I’ve already mentioned keeping a prayer journal. How about in the front of that journal, make a list of some of the things you need over the next 3 months, 6 months, year, and 5 years? It could include things such as get of debt or get a raise (or get a job, if you need one). Have you been longing to take your wife on some romantic vacation? Add that to the list. We especially need to add the salvation for our children and other family members.
Leave some comments of what you’re adding to your journal and to your list. Let’s join together in praying for each other.
Thanks for reading!