Expert: Elder Greg Madden - 5/21/2009

Question
Elder Madden,
Myself and another coworker have been lead to pray at work and would like to invite all that are interested to join.  However, when the subject of prayer was brought up to another woman that teaches Sunday school, she stated that without bible study or in a corporate setting, prayer is "out of order".  She stated if non believers were to come and someone spoke in tongues or if we have different ways of expressing our faith or if demons from the non the believers were present that would make it out of order (I hope I'm explaining it correctly)  My question is, can we pray even with the circumstances stated above and till be in line with God's will?  I've been taught that when two or three gather in his name He's amidst to bless, is that different when there is a non believer in the link?  Does prayer outside a corporate setting have to be done prior-during-and ending the study?  She also mentioned this is written in Acts and I've yet to come across what she's talking about.  Please advise.  Thanks & God Bless

Answer
Crystal,

Thank you for the opportunity to help. I have had similar situations in the past. You see, where I once worked a group of Christians and I also had a Bible study. Before we began the study, about four of us who were more mature Christians decided on a few ground rules first like no arguing of doctrines, sticking with a particular subject (not rambling from one subject to the next while not completing a thought), having a time of prayer, and most importantly finishing in time to let out before lunch break was over (we wanted to do all things in order to reflect Christ).

In my case, no one ever had an issue with prayer. There were several times that people would join or group out of curiosity that were not Christians,and they never voiced a problem with prayer.

As to what this person is saying, I both agree with her, and disagree. I agree that prayer (especially praying in the Spirit [tongues]) should never be the cause of confusion. Therefore perhaps you could speak to those in the Bible study about using wisdom when praying during the Bible study. And yes, a Spirit-filled Christian can hold their pease and not pray in tongues when the situation is not appropriate.

1 Cor. 14:32
And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

I also disagree with this woman that we as Christians cannot pray unless we are in a "bible study or in a corporate setting". First of all, she has the wrong concept of prayer. For instance, the Bible teaches us that prayer for the Believer is never to cease...

1 Thes. 5:17
Pray without ceasing.

And that prayer can (and should) be done without intimidation as to where...

1 Tim. 2:8
I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

If what she is saying is true, then Christians would not be allowed to pray alone. And this is just simply wrong. Consider these things I have learned about prayer...

Far too often, prayer is viewed as a “magic formula.” Some believe that if we do not say exactly the right things, or pray in the right position, God will not hear and answer our prayer. This is completely unbiblical. God does not answer our prayers based on when we pray, where we are, what position our body is in, or in what order we word our prayers. We are told in 1 John 5:14-15 to have confidence when we come to God in prayer, knowing He hears us and will grant whatever we ask as long as it is in His will. Similarly, John 14:13-14 declares, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” According to these and many other Scriptures, God answers prayer requests based on whether they are asked according to His will and in the name of Jesus (to bring glory to Jesus).

So, what is the proper way to pray? Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to pray without being anxious, to pray about everything, and to pray with thankful hearts. God will answer all such prayers with the gift of His peace in our hearts. The proper way to pray is to pour out our hearts to God, being honest and open with God, as He already knows us better than we know ourselves. We are to present our requests to God, keeping in mind that God knows what is best and will not grant a request that is not His will for us. We are to express our love, gratitude, and worship to God in prayer without worrying about having just the right words to say. God is more interested in the content of our hearts than the eloquence of our words.

The closest the Bible comes to giving a “pattern” for prayer is the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Please understand that the Lord’s Prayer is not a prayer we are to memorize and recite to God. It is an example of the things that should go into a prayer—worship, trust in God, requests, confession, and submission. We are to pray for the things the Lord’s Prayer talks about, using our own words and “customizing” it to our own journey with God. The proper way to pray is to express our hearts to God. Sitting, standing, or kneeling; hands open or closed; eyes opened or closed; in a church, at home, or outside; in the morning or at night—these are all side issues, subject to personal preference, conviction, and appropriateness. God’s desire is for prayer to be a real and personal connection between Himself and us.(gotquestions.org)

Crystal, please let me know if this helps or if you have any further questions.

Elder Greg Madden