Prayer Warriors from the Past

Throughout the centuries, God's people have recognized the importance of prayer.

One of the greatest prayer warriors of all time, Israel's King David, told the Lord, "I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done" (Psalm 143:5). We can learn a lot about where we are now by remembering "the days of long ago." "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4).

Let's take a quick look at some ways God's people have practiced prayer over the centuries.

Old Testament Prayer Warriors

According to the book of Genesis, "men began to call on the name of the Lord" at an early time in human history, and Enoch enjoyed such intimate fellowship with the Creator that his life was summarized with the statement, "He walked with God" (Genesis 4:26; 5:24).

Moses' frequent prayers included an angry prayer of complaint (Numbers 11:10-15) and a praise song that made it into the Hebrews' hymnal (Psalm 90). His sister Miriam led a song of praise as well (Exodus 15:20, 21), and his brother Aaron and the rest of the priests prayed a special blessing over the people: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26).

Solomon's dedication service for the temple includes one of the longest prayers recorded in Scripture (1 Kings 8:22-53). Elijah prayed, and God sent fire from Heaven (1 Kings 18:36-39). Nehemiah prayed before returning from exile to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:4, 5), and the book of Esther pivots on a three-day fast the Jewish people conducted when the wicked ruler Haman threatened to destroy them (Esther 4:12-17).

Job was a man of prayer. So were prophets like Daniel, who knelt down three times a day to give thanks to God (Daniel 6:10); Jonah, who prayed from the belly of the great fish (Jonah 2:1-9); and Habakkuk, who wrote, "the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him" (Habakkuk 2:20).

New Testament Prayer Warriors

During Jesus' early years on earth, he rubbed shoulders with people who prayed, from his faithful mother Mary to the aging saints Simeon and Anna (Luke 1:46-55; 2:13-40). Since Jesus prayed so often and taught about prayer so frequently, the early church followed his example. Before Pentecost, Jesus' apostles and members of his family "joined together constantly in prayer" (Acts 1:12-14). An atmosphere of prayer surrounded the early church. The disciples prayed on a roof (Peter), by a river (Lydia), in the stifling air of a prison cell (Paul and Silas), and on a beach under the open skies (see Acts 21:5). They prayed in times of singing, weeping, eating, and fasting; while enjoying the favor of all the people, and while enduring persecution.

The apostle Paul's letters overflow with prayer. He prayed for his Christian friends and coworkers, told them he was praying for them, and mentioned specific requests he was making on their behalf (Philippians 1:4; Ephesians 1:16; Colossians 1:9, 10). He unashamedly asked others to pray for him ("Brothers, pray for us," 1 Thessalonians 5:25). He practiced what he preached—he said to pray without ceasing, and he did it. He prayed what he preached—the great themes of Paul's preaching (grace, joy, the redeeming work of Christ) appear in his written prayers. He practiced what he prayed—he prayed for his unsaved loved ones, then preached the Word to them at every opportunity (Romans 10:1-17); he prayed for the spiritual maturity of his fellow believers, then wrote them letters and visited them to help them grow strong in the faith.

The rest of the New Testament underscores the importance of prayer. James 5:16 reminds us that "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." First Peter 4:7 urges, "Be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." John reminds us that we can approach God with confidence that he will hear and respond (1 John 5:14). Jude says to "pray in the Holy Spirit" (Jude verse 20). And the Bible's final book has a beautiful portrait of the prayers of the saints rising in the throne room of Heaven like incense, which are the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5).

Prayer Warriors in Church History

In the period following the first century, the men history calls "the church fathers" had a lot to say about prayer.

Around A.D. 95, Clement of Rome wrote a letter to the Corinthian church that includes this simple, earnest prayer: "We pray you, Master, be our helper and protector. Save those of us in affliction, have mercy on the humble, raise up the fallen, manifest yourself to those in need, heal the sick, bring back those of your people who are straying. Feed the hungry, ransom our prisoners, raise up the weak, comfort the faint-hearted. Let all the nations know that you are God alone . . . ."

In A.D. 155, Justin Martyr wrote that those who accepted Christ were "taught to fast, pray, and ask God for the forgiveness of past sins, while we pray and fast with them." Irenaeus (A.D. 130-200) prayed for those who strayed from sound doctrine: "We indeed pray that they may not remain in that pit which they themselves have dug. . . . May we be able to persuade them to cease from their error." Written records of other early Christian prayers can be found on archaeological remains like pottery, papyrus, tombstones, and the walls of houses and church buildings. A common art form found in the catacombs was an orans, a painted or carved figure showing a person with hands uplifted in an attitude of prayer.

Unfortunately, as years went by, some Christian leaders began to prescribe rules that tended to take away the individuality and joy of prayer. Origen (A.D. 185-254) urged believers to pray facing east (which he considered the preferred direction), with hands and eyes uplifted (which he considered the preferred posture). He acknowledged, however, that it's not a good idea to pray while standing with arms outstretched if you're sailing on a boat! (Evidently he didn't want anyone to "go overboard" in their praying!)

Tertullian (A.D. 160-220) wrote a major treatise on prayer that contains one of the earliest known commentaries on the Lord's Prayer or Model Prayer. He believed that Christians should pray three times a day (at 9:00 A.M., noon, and 3:00 P.M.). When you get up in the morning, Tertullian urged, don't eat any food or take a bath until you have prayed. Why? Because, he argued, the things that refresh and nourish the spirit should take precedence over things that refresh and nourish the body. In the fourth century, Basil of Caesarea encouraged monks to observe eight times of prayer each day, including one at sundown known as "vespers."

The Reformers placed a great deal of emphasis on prayer. Martin Luther said, "If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith." In 1535, he wrote a booklet called A Simple Way to Pray for his barber, Master Peter. The longest section of John Calvin's major work, Institutes of the Christian Religion, deals with prayer. And in 1746, Jonathan Edwards published a book on "concerts of prayer" and called for Christians to pray in united, concerted efforts.

Students of Restoration history will be interested to know that Alexander Campbell wrote several articles about prayer in his journal, the Millennial Harbinger, including an 1839 article on "Occasions of Prayer" in which he observed that "Griefs and sorrows . . . are diminished when uttered into the ears of a kind and sympathetic friend." And in 1833, Barton W. Stone wrote in the Christian Messenger, "Let each Christian be often engaged in secret prayer. Let each congregation often meet for prayer. If more time were spent in prayer and less in public speaking when we assemble together, happier effects would be felt and seen among us."

For centuries, God's people have recognized the importance of prayer. Are you and I willing to be prayer warriors in the present?