The purpose of prayer

Another look

Gen 24:15 And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah...came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.

Background & Context

The servant is a type (symbol) of the Holy Spirit sent by the Father to win a bride for the "heavenly Isaac," the Lord Jesus. The narrative carefully records the preparation for the journey, the gifts carried by the servant, and the sign by which he would know the Lord's chosen woman. Murdoch Campbell elaborates: "It was a sign that was calculated to throw much light on the character and disposition of the girl worthy of his master's son. He was merely to ask her for "a sip"--as the Hebrew word may be rendered--of water for himself; but the one whom God had chosen to be the mother of a great people and a remote ancestress of Jesus Christ would reveal her generous nature and her willingness to serve others by offering him not a mere "sip" of water but an abundant "drink." To this she was also to add the astonishing offer of drawing water for the camels also." Now when we consider that these ten beasts, after the toil of the long desert, were prepared to empty at least four barrels of water in all, the spontaneous willingness of the girl of his prayers to serve man and beast would point to a kindly and unselfish disposition and also to a character of the highest order.

A battle of wills

Here is an example of prayer being answered. An unnamed servant, praying sincerely, who is in the will of his master, notice that she (the answer to his prayer) was already on the way to answer, before the question could be asked. Here is the root of prayer, it is not to get what we ask for, rather to ask for what we will get. There is no doubt, if the servant had just sat there and waited; Rabeka still would have been chosen. It just would have taken a little more time.
There are many people out there who have been disappointed by prayer. Their prayers have gone unanswered, not because of a lack of faith, but rather a lack of understanding. When praying there is a check list to follow:
• Is it in the will of God?
• Is there a relationship with God?
• Are all answers acceptable?

Is it in the will of God?

A prayer outside of the will of God, no matter how heartfelt, will never succeed. Too many times prayers are self serving wish lists, rather than heartfelt desires to align the recipient's will, with that of the Lord's.

Common problems - trials

A trial will no doubt cause the recipient a lot of pain, but there is a meaning to that pain, an appropriate prayer is to ask for strength through the trial, not a pass around it.
Trials come in many different forms, sickness, financial problems, deaths; they never come at a convenient time, which is why they are both helpful, and potentially troublesome. Helpful, because they allow time for the recipient to exercise their faith and test their understanding. Troublesome, because many times the recipient fails the test.
Trials, while very common, are not the only concern. In day to day life an active prayer life is expected. In daily prayers, the Lord's will should be foremost in our minds. A prayer for anything in excess over basic needs should never be seriously expected.
Faith to move mountains, will never change the will of God, nor should it. God is just, God is righteous; His will takes into account factors we can not fathom. Only God, who is outside time and space, can discern the beginning from the end, and set things into motion which will complete the work of God.

Is there a relationship with God?

Another factor that relates directly to prayer, is a personal relationship. In times of trouble, everyone calls on the Lord, that's human nature. However, without a prior relationship, the Lord's reply is sorry "I don't know you." The provision of prayer is for those who have chosen a life of servitude to the King of Kings, not for skeptics and mockers.
One, to truly understand the sin problem, needs to understand what sin is and why God needs to separate Himself from it. Sin is the faithless rebellion of creatures against the just authority of their Creator. God inherently, can not allow his authority to be mocked, if He were too, His very nature would be violated.

Are all answers acceptable?

Finally, God answers prayers in three ways, the recipient needs to both be aware of the answers and willing to accept those answers.
• Wait
• No
• Yes

Wait

God has a wonderful plan for every person ever created. We need to remember that our timeline may not coincide with His. At times someone may ask for the right thing, just not at the right time. In those cases, He will answer "wait."
Faith is not blindly hoping something will workout, instead faith is knowing it will workout and waiting patiently for it too. Blind faith, is ignorant faith; there is enough physical evidence to not be ignorant what God has said will happen. Faith in that should not be blind, believers should be able to recognize the signs for each event. It is only non-believers that will be surprised.
If the answer to the prayer is wait, the initiator of the prayer should not become discouraged, if the prayer is aligned with the will of God, and the initiator is sincere in the asking, then extra time may be needed, although the asker may think they are ready, in Gods timing they may not.

No

It is the hardest thing to say to a child. However, some things may not be suitable for some people. It would be absurd to grant the wish of an uncoordinated five year old, who is asking for a Harley Davidson motorcycle. So true it is with adults, not everyone is capable of making the complex decision of whether or not something is right for them. A person may have all the confidence to do something, yet still be unable to be successful at it.
So true is this in prayer, and when one prays this answer must also be acceptable. Again, within the will of God is a purpose, to do anything outside, or contrary to His will; would be unrighteous. It pains the Heavenly Father, as much as it pains any father to say no to a child; but the safety of a child is more important than the happiness of getting what they ask for.

Yes

The word every child loves to hear. Yet, sometimes this can have unforeseen consequences. A child may ask for a pet and receive it with open arms, to only later find out, that caring for pet can be hard work. Sometimes, a parent might even say yes to a child to teach a lesson, as they get what they ask for, they may not succeed at it due to their own limitations. While some may see this as cruel, it is sometimes the best lesson to teach.
Which is why it is important to also look forward to this answer. Many people recite the old adage "be careful what you wish for, it may come true" and indeed it will; and when it does, that is not a sign of failure on God's part, but a completed lesson on our part.
A yes answer can be very exciting, yet may not always be the best. Just when a person prays, they need to be mindful of the other possible answers.

When prayer doesn't work

Too often there, are stories of people stating they lost their faith, due to an unanswered prayer. This is unfortunate and manly due to lack of information. Prayer as seen by this brief paper, is for the spiritual need of setting the will of humanity on the will of the creator. Too often, people are too focused on selfish things to notice the needs of others.

What about Intercessory prayer?

Intercessory prayer, while it is important is also subject to these concerns. A lifetime of prayer could yield no visible effect, yet it could change countless lives. There is a study that has been recently done on intercessory prayer, which concluded that because no physical ground had been gained, that prayer does not work.
The problem with this line of thought, does not take into effect the spiritual aspect of prayer. A dying person, who is being prayed for, may have a spiritual awakening, yet still die. This can not be measured by any means; but the change can still be life saving. It is a theme that runs deep in the Bible and summed up in Ephesians 6:12:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places
Yes this is the complete power of prayer and the focus of it. To eliminate this from the action of prayer is to strip the entire process of any meaning. Prayer is not for finding lost car keys, or to keep you healthy, no the purpose of prayer is for spiritual warfare, understanding, and spiritual health.

In conclusion

While this short paper does not even scratch the surface of this subject, an exhausted study would yield the same basic understanding. To an unbelieving world caught up on traditions and assumptions this sounds to oversimplified.
Prayer is not to be taken lightly, it has been a shame that the Christian church has been so careless these past few years and let other doctrinal issues get in the way of a solid core of a praying congregation. A non-praying Christian, is weak and ineffective. The unbelieving world is watching; and today a Christian needs to be spiritually stronger than ever before.
The Christian doctrine is based on being a point of light in an otherwise dark world, the fuel for that light is prayer.