In recent months, I’ve had a growing interest in prayer, and I’ve been gathering subject matter about the reasons for it and how its continued use is critical within the believer’s life of faith and practice. Prayer is how people communicate with God, and there are many biblical examples within the Old and New Testaments concerning what that means and involves. Jesus spoke of prayer to teach His followers how to pray properly in spirit, sincerity, and truth according to individual and group needs according to God’s will and interests (Matt 6:5-15). With some further interest, I’ve brought together additional relevant titles that shall be read to understand prayer at a greater depth, but this written work is from R.A. Torrey’s short book, How to Pray.
Background
From a Protestant perspective, they are from Reformed and Wesleyan traditions to get a narrowly diverse view about what prayer is, how it functions, and its purposes by examples from within Scripture. Catholic & Orthodox perspectives are considered for further understanding and review in forthcoming separate reviews. These titles are read and closely tracked with notes to clarify what prayer is from various traditions and confessional commitments. The book, How to Pray is a public-domain classic historically read widely among evangelicals. The author has written numerous books and comes from a faith tradition relevant to early perspectives from 20th-century Western Christianity to today. The book review and summary presented here are from the unabridged text within the Moody Classics series from Moody Publishers (ISBN-13 978-0-8024-5652-6).
R.A. Torrey’s “Little Book on Prayer” is 121 pages in a 5” x 7” format, and it covers vital concerns about life in “conversation” with God. While his writing comes from the worldview of Torrey as an early 20th-century Protestant minister, it is clear that the terms and principles come from language inherent in Western civilization at the time. The book has a wild-west tone as Torrey’s spiritual development is from the late 1800s. The book was written and in circulation just after the U.S. Civil War (1861–1865) but before World war I (1914–1918) and II (1939–1945). While How to Pray was written after the industrial revolution between about 1820 through 1840, Western civilization slid into decades of moral descent while humanity underwent the historical “development” of modernity beginning about 1910. After modernism peaked in the 1960s, U.S. cultural and sexual revolutions gave a further pretext for postmodern worldviews to shape societies, governments, academia, economies, and liberalism.
Before some evangelical denominations from liberal traditions sank into moral relativism and decay through their participation in postmodern society’s interests, it surrendered biblical imperatives concerning racial, social, and economic justice with warnings about moral and sexual ethics contrary to centuries of Scriptural interpretation according to the intent of Old and New Testament writers. As R.A. Torrey’s written views come from this era, he objected to the pressures of modernity upon seminaries and the church. And while he didn’t ascribe to a single denomination,1 he was a proponent of Keswick theology,2 which was a partition of theological persuasion aside from the “Arminian strain of Wesleyan thought” and unlike Methodist leaders who dominated the Holiness Movement. As Keswick theology was more within the Calvinist tradition,3 Torrey was a congregationalist in alignment with presbyterian polity. Torrey routinely informed his audiences that he was ‘Episcopresbygationalaptist!‘
From the 19th century to today, the historical presence of Wesleyan thought, and feminist ideology among Methodist traditions of evangelicalism had a significant bearing on the development of Western Protestantism. In contrast to the social and ecclesial priorities of Methodist interests concerning capitulations to modernity, R.A. Torrey was a revivalist and anti-modernist. He was one of the founders of the fundamentalist movement4 before broader evangelicalism superseded it to import various denominations with hidden egalitarian leanings to assert progressive “unity” and soften the edge of biblical adherence of believers to Scriptural faith and practice within modern society. “Fundamentalism” had become a pariah and a pejorative within Western Christianity, just as “Protestantism” was to Catholicism for different reasons. Today, the readership of R.A. Torrey’s How to Pray is situated within evangelicalism that is largely spiritually weak, biblically illiterate to a significant extent, and either in denial or uninformed concerning what Christ expects of His church.
As indicated before, this title, How to Pray, is accompanied by further reading among other faith traditions. Namely, these additional titles shall be reviewed and cited among various others to balance how I begin with Torrey’s work. Eastern Orthodox and Puritan writings on prayer shall also get due attention, but these are well-known with favorably earned reputations.
- The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds
by E.M. Bounds – The Essentials of Prayer, The Necessity of Prayer, The Possibilities of Prayer, Power through Prayer, Prayer and Praying Men, Purpose in Prayer, The Reality of Prayer, The Weapon of Prayer - An Exposition on Prayer in the Bible
by Dr. James Rosscup – Volumes 1 through 4, Expositions from Genesis to Revelation - Fire Within
by Dr. Thomas Dubay – St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospel – on Prayer
R.A. Torrey’s book on prayer spans 12 chapters concerning methods of communication with God involving preparation, state of being, and intentionality. As Christ Jesus taught His disciples how to pray (Luke 11:2-4), He provides a model to follow (Matt 6:5-15). Moreover, he gave guidelines about what not to do during prayer. It is His prayer that sets the New Covenant baseline model for prayer, but there are numerous prayers throughout Scripture that serve as examples. Prayers offered to YHWH originate from the patriarchs and extend to kings, priests, prophets, poets, saints, and puritans throughout the centuries. God heard the prayers we read in Scripture, and believing readers are inspired and motivated to understand their meaning to pray familiarly as models for us to aspire. The prayer of God incarnate to God the Father is the pedagogical model we witness in Scripture, but we also have Jesus’ prayer within the gospels to learn much from. For example, the prayer through John 17 is for all people to marvel at its substance and beauty as the LORD’s relationship to the Father is of enormous spiritual significance.
Yet during the course of daily life, as a disciple asked Jesus how to pray, these were His words for us today.
The Lord’s Prayer
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say,
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
– Luke 11:2-3 KJV
In The Dark Hallway of Prayerlessness
The editor of this book, Dr. Rosalie de Rosset, wrote an utterly delightful introduction to Torrey’s little book on prayer, How to Pray. Dr. Rosset is a retired Literature, English, and Homiletics professor at Moody Bible Institute. She earned an M.A. in English from Northeastern Illinois University, M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, and Rhetoric from The University of Illinois at Chicago. Her summary of Dr. Torrey’s life work was also recounted with her own experiences and affections about prayer that draw the reader into the book with a fresh and open perspective. As prayer is a blessing and privilege, she reminds us that the discipline of it is a source of reward that suggests peace, joy, rest, and contentment. She read numerous books on prayer, both old and new, and she served as a wonderful and fitting editor of this book by R.A. Torrey. Her passing through the dark hallway of prayerlessness was written touchingly by her reading and heartful presentation of this little prayer book. A book that should inspire anyone who may want to draw close to God and speak.
The Importance of Prayer
As Torrey begins his book, he answers the questions about why prayer is essential. He specifically wrote that prayer must be constant, persistent, sleepless, overcoming, and necessary. There were eleven reasons Torrey listed to explain why prayer carries such an urgency to remain disciplined and continuously about it.
- There is a devil -An evil influence that seeks to ensnare believers who relax in prayer.
- Prayer is God’s appointed way of obtaining things, and the great secret of all lack in our experience, in our life and in our work is neglect of prayer.
- Men whom God set forth as a pattern of what He expected Christians to be—the apostles —regarded prayer as the most important business of their lives (Rom 1:9, Eph 1:15-16, Col 1:9, 1 Thess 3:10, 2 Tim 1:3).
- Prayer occupied a very prominent place and played a very important part in the earthly life of our Lord (Mark 1:35 Luke 6:12).
A startling quote from this section of the book: “a man or woman who does not spend much time in prayer cannot properly be called a follower of Jesus Christ.”5 - Prayer that seems if possible even more forcible than this, namely, praying is the most important part of the present ministry of our risen Lord (Rom. 8:34, Heb. 7:25).
- Prayer is the means that God has appointed for our receiving mercy, and obtaining grace to help in time of need (Luke 11:8, Heb. 4:14-16).
- Prayer in the name of Jesus Christ is the way Jesus Christ Himself has appointed for His disciples to obtain fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11, John 16:24).
- With thanksgiving, every care, anxiety, and need of life is the means that God has appointed for our obtaining freedom from all anxiety, and the peace of God which passes all understanding (Phil 4:6-7).
- Prayer is the method that God Himself has appointed for our obtaining the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13).
- Prayer is the means that Christ has appointed whereby our hearts shall not become overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life, and so the day of Christ’s return come upon us suddenly as a snare (Luke 21:34-36, Acts 4:31, Acts 8:15, Eph. 6:18).
- Prayer accomplishes the following:
a. Prayer promotes our spiritual growth as almost nothing else, indeed as nothing else but Bible study; and true prayer and true Bible study go hand in hand.
b. Prayer brings power into our work.
c. Prayer avails for the conversion of others.
d. Prayer brings blessings to the church.
Torrey doesn’t offer scriptural support on this last point (11).
Praying to God
Torrey makes the point that the recipient of prayer is God and that it is necessary to offer prayer to Him constantly. However, he begins by noting that this continuous prayer is also about how to pray with power. To at least infer that the length and intensity by which prayer is offered have a bearing on the recipient when two or more believers gather together in prayer. He elaborates further on three areas of interest.
- In the twelfth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we have the record of a prayer that prevailed with God and brought to pass great results (Acts 12:5).
- The second secret of effective praying is found in the same verse, in the words without ceasing. Rendered as “earnest” in other translations, it carries the tone of a serious, persevering, eager, fervent, and constant heart and intent.
- A third secret of right praying is also found in this same verse, Acts 12:5. It appears in the three words “of the church”; there is a special blessing as Torrey interprets Matthew 18:19. Translated quote of Christ Jesus: “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”
Note: The word “touching” (προσψαύω) rendered by the KJV, ASV, or ERV doesn’t appear in early manuscripts [4th-century Alexandria (Sinaiticus majuscule)].
The duration and intensity of group prayer appear to have a bearing on how effective prayer is in terms of power. Still, it must be said that God is not beholden to group pressure or the substance of a group’s prayer (and its persistence or intensity) to get what’s requested, even if motives are pure. God’s promises are true, and He fulfills them as recorded within Scripture; however, as He does fulfill His promises, it is by His will and sovereign intent about how He does that.
Obeying and Praying
The book comes to a critical point regarding the relationship between prayer and obedience. Torrey brings the reader’s attention to 1 John 3:22, where the biblical author makes clear a correlation between what we ask and receive to doing what He instructs and what pleases him. In this context, the term “because” is set as a conjunction, not to indicate a cause-and-effect relationship between an antecedent and result but a correlation between obedience, loyalty, and love with answered prayer.
“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” – 1 John 3:22
Torrey stresses the point that it is necessary to do what pleases God, not only that which constitutes simple obedience according to His Word through Scripture. The spirit of what pleases God in a believer’s faith and practice is a matter of principle according to what the Spirit produces as fruit (Galatians 5:22). Moreover, an internal conviction of the Holy Spirit that serves as a source of discernment shall be sought and honored to please God as well.
Praying in the Name of Christ and According to the Will of God
Consistent with each chapter of this book on prayer, Torrey structures his points in an ordered and numbered fashion. Previous chapters pertain to the reasons for prayer, prayer directed to God individually or in the corporate gathering of believers, and the necessity of obedience with a right heart of love for God. In this way, the believer is advised to pray in the name of Christ Jesus, as the name of Christ has power with God. God the Father is well pleased with Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus, the Great Advocate of believers, is heard by God the Father.
- It was a wonderful word about prayer that Jesus spoke to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
- Great light is thrown upon the subject “How to Pray” by 1 John 5:14-15: “And this is the boldness which we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His Will, He heareth us: and if we know that He heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of Him.”
To further understand the will of God either by general or special revelation from Him, Torrey draws the reader’s attention to Scripture as the Word of God (Luke 11:13, James 1:5) and by the help of the Holy Spirit. To quote Torrey’s emphasis on God’s word to discern the Lord’s will, he wrote the following:
“To study the Word to find what God’s will is as revealed there in the promises, and then simply take these promises and spread them out before God in prayer with the absolutely unwavering expectation that He will do what He has promised in His Word.”6
Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome (Rom. 8:26-27) concerning the help from the Holy Spirit as He intercedes for us. He prays for the saints according to the will of God. As the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, Torrey also draws our attention to the confidence we have in Christ, as made clear in 1 John 5:14-15. Furthermore, this love banishes self-condemnation, resulting in confidence in every believer’s relationship with God.7
Praying in the Spirit
Torrey references two passages that call attention to prayer in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:18 and Jude 20 explicitly refer to “praying in the Spirit” to indicate a person’s state of being while communicating before God. The Holy Spirit helps believers in Christ before the Father (John 14:16-17) through personal weakness (i.e., “the Spirit helpeth our infirmity” according to Romans 8:26). Torrey says explicitly that the Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray.8 And that “true prayer is prayer in the Spirit; that is, the prayer the Spirit inspires and directs.” Torrey makes this point about the authenticity of prayer because of a concern over praying for the right things in the right way. Where to accompany joy and power, prayer in the Spirit is a necessity. However, his accurate observations from authoritative Scripture appear to be about requests, supplications, or petitions and not explicitly about confession, thanksgiving, or adoration. These further categories of prayer involve praying in the Spirit yet are unaddressed in this chapter.
- Over and over again in what has already been said, we have seen our dependence upon the Holy Spirit in prayer.
- If we are to pray with power we must pray with faith.
As Torrey makes Scripturally sound points about praying in the Spirit, he also covers the point about praying with faith. Jesus informs His followers that belief is necessary for effective prayer (Mark 11:24), and Torrey includes faith or belief as a component of prayer that requires due attention. Together, prayer in the Spirit and prayer in faith work as a methodology or condition about communication with God that bears undeniable merit as the points are grounded in Scripture, and the teachings of Christ are clear and unambiguous in this area. However, it is essential to recognize that the wider context of Christ’s teachings extends to the scope and the state of the heart of prayer. Carefully observing the gospel witness accounts of prayer serve as a model for prayer, yet what Jesus further said about prayer in the context of faith and reconciliation carries enormous weight.
And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” – Mark 11:22-25
Later in the book (chapter 9), Torrey lists various hindrances to prayer. Reconciliation is one of them (Mark 11:25). However, this prayer in faith is spiritually affected by the interpersonal status of relationships we have among believers and people in general, where resentments, grudges, and attitudes of unforgiveness remain held against those who have offended. Faith, as a required state of mental and spiritual belief in the absence of doubt, represents a stable mind confident of who God is and what He can do (James 1:5-6).
It is reasonable to ask where faith comes from where there is no faith and faith is expected for prayer. Torrey points to Scripture as the origination and development of faith as supported by Romans 10:17. More specifically, the “word of Christ” produces faith where it becomes further possible to pray in the Spirit in a growing way among the spiritual lives of believers. As people read or intake the words of Christ, faith is developed to support prayer for various purposes, as outlined in chapter one of this book. It is yet unwise to let it go unrecognized that faith is a gift (Ephesians 2:8). At the same time, faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). This faith is “a confident trust and reliance upon Christ Jesus and is the only means by which one can obtain salvation.”9 The passage in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” captures the gift’s essence to include grace and faith as one gift together. There is providence and sovereignty at work in the lives of believers in this area of confidence and belief involving faith given to those who would decide to trust Christ Jesus.
In contrast to prayer in the Spirit and by faith, recited prayers and benedictions stand alongside the examples given in Scripture and what Torrey wrote about in this book. Torrey doesn’t touch upon this form of devotion expressed as prayer, but the presence of it in the lives of believers is undeniable. Psalms and prayers are sung and read from prepared materials from Scripture, the Church, Spirit-indwelt individuals, institutions, and the magisterium, where there are true and important spiritual facts and principles that contribute to the development of personal and public faith. Furthermore, fellowship and outreach have an additional effect on the development of faith as believers acknowledge every good thing they have in Christ Jesus (Philemon 1:6). A growing, effective and powerful prayer life rests upon faith as it is formed through the Holy Spirit, Scripture, fellowship among believers, and outreach toward society as belief and spiritual truth is proclaimed. There are benedictions, both written and spoken in person and written in the Word, that have significant biblical and theological meanings. More specifically, the Aaronic and apostolic benedictions commonly appear in ceremonial, worship, and instructional settings directed to YHWH God for His glory and the edification of the saints (Num 6:24-26, Rom 15:13, 2 Cor 13:14, Heb 13:20-21).10
Prayers among believers from structured writings offer a consistent and formatted use of terms, phrases, and recited truths directed inward, just as they are in prayers of sincere reflection and outward expression of petitions. Aside from confessional documents that summarize doctrines, prayer books serve as acknowledgments, devotional, and liturgical aids that help frame spiritual thought and practice. Prayer books appear among theological traditions and denominations that are recited by millions of people and across generations. The Common Book of Prayer is an example of verbiage prescribed and applied by faithful followers of Christ who follow methods of spoken words uttered and thoughts formed to communicate to God about events, instruction, devotion, and worship as a matter of recited effort. Either as empty words outward or to the inward life of the mind. Also, they are as heartfelt words claimed and recited, just as benedictions are to convey meaning and personal or corporate interest within the Church.
Prayer in the Spirit and by faith as an attitude of the softened heart given by God to commune with Him and others is an authentic mode of prayer that substantiates how prayer is formed. Prayers both as free-form thoughts to speak and as read and recited with a warmth of conviction to yield a personal heart of faith and fellowship in the Spirit. Prayers in the Spirit and by faith are not auto-repeated (vain repetitions) empty words that Christ taught against (Matt 6:7) but appropriated words that speak through us and for us by the Spirit as an expression of faith. Singing the Psalms, reciting the Lord’s prayer, and repeating the Aaronic and apostolic benedictions are just a few examples.
Always Praying and Not Fainting
In this section (chapter 6), Torrey wrote about persistence and stamina in prayer. Torrey draws upon the parables of Christ directly from passages within the gospel of Luke. Among two parables, Jesus spoke to His followers about the necessity of continuous prayer as a matter of persistence and great faith. As God is pleased by the faith of His people, it can take continued attention from a believer to press in prayer what is desired to please Him, worship Him, serve Him, and love others through service. Beginning with Luke 11:5-13, Jesus invited understanding about what it meant to ask, seek, and knock, as necessary to receive in faith what was sought. People who appear before God in prayer have, at times, a need to remain persistent as an expression of faith where their importunity demonstrates the sincerity and urgency of petitions. This importunity (Luke 11:8) is a lack of sensitivity about what is proper, and it is a carelessness about the opinion of others. It is a shameless immodesty without concern for propriety or one’s own dignity, and it ignores convention.11 In a manner of speaking, it is shameless persistence.
The example given to us about this importunity is from the Syro-Phœnician (Canaanite) woman who appeared before Jesus in desperation concerning her daughter, who was oppressed by a demon (Matt 15:21-28). While Jesus was initially unresponsive to her and then declined her request for help, she remained persistent with Him in her pleas for help. As Jesus’s disciples were disturbed about her manner of approach and wanted her sent away, her request was heard even after Jesus reasoned that she was not entitled to “the children’s bread.” Jesus’ made the point that His ministry wasn’t for the Gentiles, who were foreign to the work of the Messiah at the time. Jesus’ use of the term “dogs” was correlated to Gentile peoples (Matt 1:26), while the lost people of Israel were “sheep” (Matt 1:24). The sheep were lost, and the dogs were not entitled or eligible as they were not of the house of Israel. While she knew she was an outsider, her persistence prevailed as she confessed and proclaimed Him as Lord and Master. Jesus granted her prayer, and He acknowledged her dignity as a woman who would see her daughter delivered while her faith was made evident before God and the lost sheep of Israel.
An important takeaway in this parable of the Canaanite woman is the recognition that persistence in prayer shows “great faith” that pleases God immensely. We are reminded that without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6), and persistence in prayer is a way to exercise faith to gain what is sought, but more importantly, to please God by seeking Him continually and, when necessary, with importunity.
Abiding in Christ
When considering what it means to abide in Christ, it is easy to miss how this imperative relates to prayer. Apostle wrote to the church what he witnessed of Christ’s teaching, “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). What Jesus spoke is a conditional proposition. That is, specifically, “if you abide in Me” and “My words abide in you” results in an outcome involving prayer that pleases God (by inference from the point above). Abiding in Christ is inseparable from abiding in His words. It is impossible to abide in Christ without dwelling upon what He said. And by what was recorded in Scripture to state what He said. What Christ spoke and what the biblical writers convey to generations and all nationalities reach individuals who would appear before God in prayer with the grace and mercy to be heard. Torrey further parses the verse between phrases for readers to understand the conditions for answered prayer.
- The first condition is, “If ye abide in Me.”
- But there is another condition stated in this verse, though it is really involved in the first: “And My words abide in you.”
The words of Christ settled within and richly observed afresh in the hearts and minds of believers yield a disposition of “abiding in Christ.” It isn’t enough to become familiar with God’s Word and the words of Christ by reading the Bible once or less than infrequently and expect to be heard in prayer. It is necessary to feed upon the word. Dwelling in the Word, living in the Word, and spiritually washing oneself in the word bring sanctification (John 17:17) as a means of worship in spirit and truth. Prayers thought and spoken are in the absence of neglect of the Word for petitions to be heard, accepted, and answered insofar as God chooses.
Torrey makes a further point that is quite astonishing. He asserted, “The Holy Spirit works His prayers in us through the Word, and neglect of the Word makes praying in the Holy Spirit an impossibility” (Rom 8:26-27). In contrast to empty ritualistic words uttered by a person in dry prayer and worship, the Spirit works with believers’ meditations upon God’s Word. And by this assertion of Christ, “if you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,” we understand and sit upon the ground of faith for the Spirit to intercede before God the Father on our behalf. God answers the prayers He inspires by His Word indwelt within believers who live by faith.
Of significant interest as a counter-weight to Torrey’s assertion here, consider the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:12-14). Notice the contrast between the religious leader immersed in the Torah as Old Covenant Scripture as compared to the tax collector, an adversary of the Jewish people, who lifted his eyes and pleaded in desperation, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” That man in Christ’s parable was heard and went away justified, even as an illustration of spiritual truth, the LORD hears those who reach out to Him in faith. To further reinforce this point, consider the thief on the cross executed alongside Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you enter into your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42). God incarnate heard the man’s petition and, by His mercy, gave him the grace to die in peace assured of God’s presence to come. There isn’t a contradiction here about what Jesus teaches us about prayers heard and answered. Torrey highlights that those in a relationship with Jesus are expected to abide in His words as necessary for His people to be heard.
Praying with Thanksgiving
In addition to what apostle Paul wrote about thanksgiving during the course of prayer (Phil 4:6-7), Jesus spoke of gratitude beforehand during His ministry. Torrey points out, “God is deeply grieved by the thanklessness and ingratitude of which many of us are guilty.” He telegraphs Jesus’ experience to people today according to the healing of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19) at a village between Samaria and Galilee. As the gospel record makes clear, Jesus sent them on their way to present themselves to priests, and as they went, they were healed. As glorious as this miraculous event was, one Samaritan returned to praise God in gratitude to Jesus. Ten percent of the people who were obedient to present themselves to the priests returned to thank Jesus for the cleansing. They asked for help, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:13), and their request was answered with a miracle Jesus performed. One out of ten returned in gratitude. All could have returned to praise God and glorify Him with thanksgiving to Christ and then go to the priests as instructed. One might surmise that the Samaritan did return to Christ Jesus as the high priest in a spiritual sense because He gave the cleansed leper freedom to “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well” (c.f. Mark 10:52). In any case, the Samaritan’s attitude was of praise to express authentic, heartfelt gratitude by faith that pleased God.
While Apostle Paul stressed the necessity of thanksgiving during prayer to the church at Philippi (Phil 4:6-7), he also wrote to the church as Thessalonica, “in everything give thanks” (1 Thess 5:18). It is in these passages that we recognize that relevant, valid, and necessary methods of prayer extend beyond supplication, intercession, and petition. And even with the Lord’s model, prayer is recorded in Matthew 6:5-15 where there isn’t a specific meaning of terms to indicate a heart or words spoken of gratitude. Prayer with meaning from believers by faith includes thanksgiving as fitting the occasion for prayer. However, thanksgiving is never neglected.
Hindrances to Prayer
There are several hindrances to prayer that Torrey wrote about over 120 years ago. Taken together, they constitute selfish motives [(1) James 4:3], personal sin [(2) Isa 59:1-2], idolatry [(3) Ezek 14:3], neglect of the poor [(4) Prov 21:13], unforgiveness [(5) Mark 11:25], spousal dishonor [(6) 1 Pet 3:7], and doubt or disbelief [(7) James 1:5-7]. The following list is what Torrey offers as hindrances. While Torrey cites scripture from the English Revised Version (ERV), the English Standard Version (ESV) translation is substituted here for improved readability.
- The first hindrance to prayer we will find in James 4:3 (ESV): “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
- The second hindrance to prayer we find in Is. 59:1-2 (ESV): “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”
- The third hindrance to prayer is found in Ezek. 14:3 (ESV): “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?” Idols in the heart cause God to refuse to listen to our prayers.
- The fourth hindrance to prayer is found in Prov. 21:13 (ESV): “Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.”
- The fifth hindrance to prayer is found in Mark 11:25 (ESV): “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
- The sixth hindrance to prayer is found in 1 Peter 3:7 (ESV): “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you1 of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” Here we are plainly told that a wrong relation between husband and wife is a hindrance to prayer.
- The seventh hindrance to prayer is found in James 1:5–7 (ESV): “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;” Prayers are hindered by unbelief.
Torrey titles chapter nine, “Hindrances to Prayer.” However, when reading the verse references carefully, Torrey accurately proves from Scripture what conditions negatively affect prayer in believers’ lives. However, there doesn’t appear to be room for reading some of these verses as impediments per se as compared to prayers outright obstructed for various reasons. Apostle Peter applied the term “hindered” (ἐγκόπτεσθαι) in 1 Peter 3:7 concerning prayer impediments due to spousal dishonor, whereas that same term doesn’t appear among the other verses where Torrey makes his points about prayers going unheard or unanswered. However, there isn’t another term among these concerns that indicates “hindrance” with a wider semantic range of understanding. The term “hindrance” Torrey uses here indicates the presence of something that interferes, delays, or damages prayers accepted and heard. Compared to the loosely applied word “hindrance,” which infers a strained reach in prayer as opposed to a sense of obstruction or obstacle that altogether prevents the hearing and answering of prayers as an apparent interpretation according to the intent of the biblical authors. There is a big difference between hindered and blocked prayers, and both situations appear as biblical truths from the translations we read.
When to Pray
While not explicitly made evident, the “when” question is answered in terms of chronology, durations, intervals, and events. In this sense, Torrey indicates the circumstances in which it is appropriate and necessary to pray. He rightfully draws upon Christ’s life and ministry examples to answer questions about “when to pray.” As this classic book is entitled “How to Pray,” this chapter offers thoughts about “When to Pray.” In a limited way, Torrey’s various chapters answer questions about when, where, how, why, and what to pray. The verse passages Torrey quoted here are kept in the ERV.
- In the 1st chapter of Mark, the 35th verse, we read, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” See Mark 1:35 ESV as a comparison.
- In the 6th chapter of Luke in the 12th verse, we get further light upon the right time to pray. We read, “And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” See Luke 6:12 ESV as a comparison.
- Jesus Christ prayed before all the great crises in His earthly life. (Luke 6:12, 13; Luke 9:18, 21, 22; Luke 3:21, 22; Mark 1:35–38; Luke 22:39–46)
- Christ prayed not only before the great events and victories of His life, but He also prayed after its great achievements and important crises. (Matt 14:23, John 6:15).
- Jesus Christ gave a special time to prayer when life was unusually busy. He would withdraw at such a time from the multitudes that thronged about Him, and go into the wilderness and pray. For example, we read in Luke 5:15-16 (ERV), “But so much the more went abroad the report concerning Him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed of their infirmities. But He withdrew Himself in the deserts and prayed.” (Mark 3:20, 6:31, 33, 46)
- Jesus Christ prayed before the great temptations of His life. (Mark 26:36)
- In 1 Thess. 5:17 we read, “Pray without ceasing,” and in Eph. 6:18 (ERV), “praying at all seasons.” In the life of the mind, prayers thought and offered should accompany spoken prayers out loud. As a constant walk in communication with God, prayer should be an ever-present state or presence before God with thanksgiving, adoration, confession, and supplication.
General Revival and Its Preparatory Prayer
The final two chapters of Torrey’s book are about his views concerning a pressing need for spiritual revivals during a historical period where such events were more culturally recognized than the old-time thought of revival to modern sensibilities today. From a biblical perspective, spiritual renewal is a theologically relevant matter of interest. The sapiential value of renewal, where people become spiritually restored and reoriented toward a rightful life of faith and practice, there is repentance and a prevailing heart’s desire to return to God and remain with Him.
Torrey was an independent congregationalist educator committed to revival events with a reputation for bringing spiritual renewal to thousands of people. Known for his organizational capabilities, Torrey was an influential Christian leader in the late 1800s and early 1900s who wrote over 40 books and reminded Protestants about the fundamentals of the faith. His contributions to the Kingdom in this little book about prayer now also comes at a time today when his message and guidance are urgently needed.
Citations
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1 John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion & 2, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, vol. 1, The Library of Christian Classics (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 926.
2 Jack W. Hayford and S. David Moore, The Charismatic Century: The Enduring Impact of the Azusa Street Revival (New York City, NY: FaithWords, 2009).
3 Daniel G. Reid et al., Dictionary of Christianity in America (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990).
4 W. V. Trollinger, Jr, “Torrey, Reuben Archer,” ed. Timothy Larsen et al., Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 675.
5 St Augustine et al., Moody Classics Complete Set: Includes 18 Classics of the Faith in a Single Volume (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2010).
6 Reuben Archer Torrey, How to Pray (Chicago; New York: Fleming H. Revell company, 1900), 55.
7 John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), 1 Jn 3:21.
8 Ibid. Torrey, 58.
9 Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2265.
10 Leland Ryken et al., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 87.
11 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 63.
