WRONG AND SINFUL WAYS OF PRAYING TO GOD: VIOLENT PRAYERS PART 4. 4 mins read.

In last week's article, we talked about how Christians pray violently during a vigil at the expense of their neighbours' peace and quiet. Matthew chapter 6:5-6 was quoted showing how praying violently flies in the face of everything Jesus taught about prayer.

This article will continue from its predecessor as part of an ongoing series of write-ups with the aim of depicting what the Bible truly says about the appropriate mode of prayer.

Still on violent prayer, let's look at an example from the scriptures.

[b]I Kings 18:22-29
Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

Here, we see Elijah putting up a challenge with the prophets of Baal: whose GOD (god) was to answer when called upon. This was a prayer to a deity. However, notice the different approach these two groups used while praying. Please, read further.
26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded[/b]

The peculiarity in which the the prophets of Baal prayed is unmistakable; they prayed violently. They first shouted, then they leaped upon the altar, then they cut themselves with knives, and blood trickled out. They prayed violently, they prayed in a frenzied manner that is quite similar to the way Christians pray today!

After careful study, it has been observed that Christians pray violently in an attempt to become physically spent and exhausted, having the false notion that the amount of energy dissipated in prayer is proportionate to the speed, and the power at which GOD answers.

Contrastingly, let's see how Elijah prayed to GOD.

And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
37 people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

As proven in the texts above, Elijah called on GOD once, and in an instant the fire fell from heaven. He did not resort to a violent mode of praying.

Prayer may not be answered instantly in all situations, but praying violently will not make it happen either. In fact, its scripturally wrong, and in addition, there's no scriptural example for this sort of contradicting pattern of prayer in the entire Scriptures. So why continue to follow this erroneous mode of prayer after seeing this glaring example from the Scriptures?

Next week, we shall see what the Bible says in Matthew 11:12 about "the kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent taketh it force," as a justifications for praying violently. Till then, have a lovely week.
GOD Bless you. To be continued...