In describing the whole armor of the Christian, prayer is seen as a covering over all of the defenses. Prayer has been described as the Christian's living breath. While prayer has been a part of the human experience since the creation and common to all men, not all prayer is acceptable to God. Only Christian prayer may be described as God honoring, and this prayer presupposes that God is both willing and able to help as we draw near in order to obtain relief. Right prayer may be offered in many ways: privately as one seeks the Lord in individual worship, in the family as common needs are spoken, socially when many pray together, or corporately when an elder prays with and behalf of an entire congregation assembled for worship.
Our Catechism teaches that prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of His Spirit, with confession of our sins and thankful acknowledgement of His mercies. Prayer is Trinitarian and is made to the Father in the Name of Christ with the help of the Spirit. Prayer is not simply petitioning God for our desires, and we should not narrowly understand the meaning of “desires.” Prayer in the Name of Christ includes praying according to the will of Christ. For example, Christ would have us to desire the good of His name, work, and the expansion of His kingdom. The Spirit searches the hearts of the saints and offers petitions perfected in accordance with the will of God; it is the Spirit presenting our petitions to the Lord and praying for us.
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Nathan Eshelman holds a Master of Divinity degree from Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI, as well as a Doctor of Ministry degree from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA. He serves as clerk of the Pacific Coast Presbytery (RPCNA),...
