Who's Praying?

After watching Jesus pray, his disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). In response, he taught them The Lord's Prayer, as well as other important lessons: that we should pray with persistence (Luke 18:1), with faith (Matt. 21:22), for those who persecute us (Matt. 5:44), and in his name (John 14:13). Numerous prayers are recorded throughout Scripture as believers fervently petitioned God. See if you can match the following prayers with the person who offered them.

Possible answers: Abraham, Elijah, Moses, Daniel, Elizabeth, Jacob, Nehemiah, Jonah, David, Hezekiah, and Samson.

1. Repenting of his sin, this man prayed, "Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow … Create in me a pure heart, O God"?
   
2. Who interceded on behalf of Israel, saying, "O Sovereign Lord, do not destroy your people … Overlook the stubborness of this people, their wickedness and their sin."?
   
3. Because he prayed faithfully, three times a day, an angelic messenger told him, "As soon as you began to pray an answer was given … for you are highly esteemed."
   
4. This man sent his servant on a mission, for which his servant prayed, "O Lord, God of my master … give me success today."
   
5. When his enemies tried to frighten and discourage him from completing God's work, this person prayed, "Now strengthen my hands."
   
6. He asked for a miracle to demonstrate God's power, then prayed, "Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God."
   
7. Who prayed this song of praise in response to answered prayer? "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor."

Answers to Test Your Bible Power

1. David (Psalm 51:7, 10). Confronted with his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the cover-up murder of her husband, David repented and asked God's forgiveness. Scripture promises that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
   
2. Moses (Deut. 9:26-27). Because Israel was a "stiff-necked people," Moses often had to intercede for them before God. Such intercessory prayer on behalf of others is both a Christian's privilege and responsibility (Eph. 6:18). While we intercede for others, "Christ Jesus . …is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us" (Rom. 8:34).
   
3. Daniel (Dan. 9:23). Like Daniel, whom God honored for his faithfulness in prayer, Cornelius also "prayed to God regularly" (Acts 10:2-4). Jesus taught his disciples the parable of the persistent widow "to show them that they should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1).
   
4. Abraham (Gen 24:12). Praying for a successful errand might seem trivial, but Jesus taught us to ask God for our everyday needs. Scripture teaches " … in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God" (Phil. 4:6).
   
5. Nehemiah (Neh. 6:9). God strengthened Nehemiah so he could rebuild Jerusalem's wall, showing that "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak" (Isa. 40:29).
   
6. Elijah (1 Kings 18:37). God sent fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice. King Hezekiah also asked God to show his power, praying, "deliver us from [the enemy's] hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God" (2 Kings 19:19).
   
7. Hannah (1 Sam. 2:8). Hannah praised God for his answer to her earlier prayer for a son. Jesus taught his followers to begin their prayers with praise, saying, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name" (Matt. 6:9).

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