Pray According the Rules

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit... Eph. 6:18

There are different kinds of prayer, just as there are different games in sports, each with its own set of rules. Rules that apply to baseball do not apply to football. If you tried to use the same rules, you would get confused. Similarly, there are rules or spiritual laws that govern certain kinds of prayer, but do not apply to other kinds of prayer. We make a mistake by lumping together all kinds of prayer, because if we take the rules that govern one kind of prayer and try to apply them to another kind of prayer, we won't see the desired results.

For example, some people think every prayer should end with the words, "If it be Thy will." They say this is the way Jesus prayed. But Jesus did not pray this way every time. When Jesus prayed at Lazarus' tomb, He didn't pray, "If it be Thy will." He said, "... Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me" (John 11:41). When you pray to receive something or to change circumstances, never pray "if." If you do, you're using the wrong rule and it won't work. The only kind of prayer in which Jesus included an "if" was a prayer of consecration and dedication. In the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). Jesus wasn't praying to change something. He was praying a prayer of consecration and dedication. And in this prayer, we should put an "if" because we want to be ready to do what Jesus wants us to do.