How biblical prayer is active

Jim Farrer Oct. 5, 2022

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It is commonplace when Christians gather for the leader to say "Please bow your heads in prayer." It is assumed that most will also close their eyes and fold their hands and sit in silence for a stretch of time. In some circles there will be responses of "Amen/Hallelujah" etc. while others raise their hands high.

How surprised I was to discover that most of the praying in the Bible is full of movement, action and noise.

1. Be still?

It might be countered that Psalm 46:10 reads in most translations: "Be still." But the term literally means "let fall" or "drop your hands." As the sheriff in Western movies says to a bad guy "Drop 'em!" this is a vivid description of letting go and letting God be God.

2. Silence?

When pastors seek to become more spiritual, they often are encouraged to spend much more time in silence. In a culture of clamor and chaos it is commendable to cultivate silence. However, Professor John Goldingay in his book Psalms Volume 2 (pg. 73) states: "Nowhere do the Psalms have an ideal of silence." God's people do have the basic responsibility to hear and obey (Deuteronomy 6:4).

3. Noisy racket

Psalm 100 reads: "Make a joyful noise" (KJV). In fact the verb tense is a command; "you must make a joyful noise." The word noise in Hebrew means racket or commotion. Along with the people shouting we presume they used sticks, drums and tambourines.

In this regard over time God's people have largely dismissed the use of the "Festal Shout" (Psalm 89:15). This may be "the Lord is King" repeated over and over. Recall St. Paul's reference to the pagans in Ephesus shouting: "Great is Artemis" for two hours.

Today Christians might repeat the cheer: "Praise the Lord."

4. Asking, seeking, knocking

Jesus' directives for prayer certainly are not for us to be quiet and static. We are to be active. The verbs in Matthew 7:7 are imperatives/commands as in "You must keep on seeking and knocking."

5. The Lord's Prayer

Even Jesus' model for our praying involves action. Experts tell us that the first three lines are "divine passive imperatives." Here we tentatively and reverently approach the Lord with a request: "Bring about your kingdom, please."

The remainder of the prayer uses verbs to the effect of "God you must give your people the sustenance they need daily because we surely don't/can't." As Walter Wink declares in his book Engaging the Powers: "Jesus teaches us to command God in the imperative mood when we pray" pg. 303.

6. Jacob the wrestler

Jacob, whose name means "the cheater," gets closer to God only in a drag-out fight with the "angel of the LORD." His name is changed to "Israel, the God wrestler." God desires honest give-and-take conversations with those in the church, the new Israel.

7. Running and boxing

In 1 Corinthians 9:26-27, Paul writes that he does not run "the race of faith" aimlessly. He says: "I pommel"—a boxing term—"my body to discipline (NASB) it."

8. Groaning

Acts 7:34 rehearses how God heard the groaning prayers of the Israel slaves while in Egypt. In John 11:38 Jesus groans angrily.

9. Movement prayers

African-style worship and liturgical dance remind us that perhaps the earliest reflection on the exodus is the song and dance of Miriam and the women (Exodus 15:20-21). Their joy burst forth in movement. Should ours?

10. Other prayer actions

It is easy to find other actions used in prayer and praise. Consider the following: clapping (Psalm 47:1), kneeling (Psalm 95:6), hands spread out (Isaiah 1:15), with tears (Matthew 6:21) and with loud cries (Hebrews 5:7).

The church has long neglected the many "prayers of lament" found in the Psalms. We may therefore legitimately and vociferously cry out together in worship: "How long, O LORD!" (Psalm 13:1).

11. Guarding in the watchtower

As part of our spiritual preparation to face the world, the flesh and the devil, Ephesians 6:10 reads: "From now on you must keep on being made strong in the Lord. You must put on the whole armor of God." Then six pieces of armor must be put on. From verses 11 through 15, four times we find variations of the phrase "stand strong." Ephesians 6:18 commands us to keep alert in prayer and supplication.

Should we, like the apostles and members of the early church, use authoritative prayer standing behind the Risen Lord Jesus Christ?

12. To war the warfare

Most commentators on Numbers 8:24 concentrate on the age limits of the workers in the wilderness tabernacle. Here they "wait upon the service" (KJV) or "do their duty in service." Only the American Standard Version of 1901 in a footnote shares that the words in the Hebrew language are "war the warfare" in the tabernacle. These tabernacle leaders were actively praying, engaging in spiritual warfare against the enemies of the LORD and the principalities and powers in the spirit world.

How much more enriching our prayer lives would be if we were to engage in the neglected action-style prayers we find in the Bible.

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Jim Farrer is the founder of Vital Signs Church Consulting and a member of the Society for Church Consulting. A broadly-trained church consultant, Jim is also a veteran of ministry positions in Canada and the U.S., he has trained leaders from 18 denominations and led seminars and coaching sessions nationwide. His articles have been published in the Journal of Evangelism and Missions and the Great Commission Research Journal. You can reach him by e-mailing revup1@yahoo.com or calling 814 629-5211. Learn More »

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