Is Prayer a Formula?

Our biblical theology of prayer teaches us to pray to the Father through the Spirit in the name of the Son. So, what happens if I pray to Jesus, or to the Holy Spirit instead of to the Father? What happens if I mess up the formula? I believe that God still hears our prayers. Theology describes how prayer works, but it does not dictate a formula for prayer for three reasons.

First, there are at least two examples in the scriptures of exceptions to this theology of prayer. Revelation 22:20 says, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” John was speaking directly to Jesus, not to the Father. John didn’t  say, “Father send the Lord Jesus.” He said to Jesus, “Come.” In John 14:13-14 Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do . . . . If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” Jesus taught his disciples in John 14:14, “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” He didn’t say, “If you ask the Father anything in my name…” He will say that in the next chapter, but here he says, “if you ask me.” He tells the disciples that they can ask him directly. So it at least appears that the scriptures themselves indicate exceptions to any formula that might be suggested by the biblical theology of prayer.

Second, the Lord’s Prayer should be viewed not as a prayer to be quoted, but as a model upon which to build our prayer life. In Luke 11 prayer is worship initiated, “Father, hallowed be your name” (Lk 11:2a). It is kingdom oriented, “Your kingdom come” (Lk 11:2b). Matthew adds, “Your will be done” (Mt 6:10). Prayer is need directed, “Give us each day our daily bread” (Lk 11:3). Prayer is relationship affected, “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us” (Lk 11:4a). Prayer is spiritually focused, “And lead us not into temptation” (Lk 11:4b). Finally, we learn from verses 5-10 that prayer is persistently presented, and from verses 11-13, that prayer is confidently submitted.

The Lord’s Prayer and the verses following in Luke 11 indicate that our prayer ought to be worship initiated, kingdom oriented, need directed, relationship affected, spiritually focused, persistently presented, and confidently submitted. Additionally, in Matthew 6:7, Jesus taught that prayer should not be meaninglessly repeated. Thus, prayer is not so much about a formula, but about every aspect of life.

Prayer is not about getting the formula right because even the scriptures have exceptions to any formula for prayer suggested by a correct theology of prayer, and because the Lord’s Prayer is a model, not a formula. Third, prayer cannot be a simple formula because Romans 8:26 tells us that we do not know what to pray. Because we do not know what to pray the Holy Spirit is there to help us, interceding with “groanings too deep for words.” The verse does not say that the Holy Spirit helps us when we do not know what or how to pray. It simply says, “We do not know what to pray for as we ought.” If prayer was a simple formula then this verse would not be true. We would pray the formula. We would know what to pray and the help of the Holy Spirit would be unnecessary.

Prayer is not about getting it right. It is just about praying. What happens if I pray to Jesus, or to the Holy Spirit instead of the Father? God still hears our prayers. He is more interested in our heart than in whether we get our words right. Ultimately prayer is simply about being with God. Magic requires a recipe of right words. False religions require the right prayers, the right amount of prayers, or both. God simply invites us to come confidently before his Throne of Grace because we have been accepted in Jesus. God is not nearly as concerned that we pray right as he is desirous that we just pray. So, as believers in Jesus Christ, may we make the disciples request our prayer as well, “Lord, teach us to pray.”