THE SPIRIT OF THE PETITIONER

It is of the utmost importance that we understand what our disposition should be when approaching the Father in prayer. Let us consider the example of Eliezer when he went to look for a wife for Isaac at the request of his master, Abraham

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Genesis 24:14-21

14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.

15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.

20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

There are a few characteristics of the petitioner that we must consider.

A. THE SERVANT’S HEART: The petitioner never lost sight of the fact that he was on a mission for his master, Abraham. Though he was in a foreign land and among strangers, his devotion and love for his master was always the motivation for his prayer.

B. UNSELFISHNESS: Eliezer wanted nothing for himself. He only wanted the Father to do that thing that would bless his master. His submission to Abraham’s will and desire caused the Lord to grant his requests. His requests always remained within the boundaries of his purpose.

C. SPECIFIC AND DETAILED: The fact that Eliezer created a detailed scenario in which he requested the Father to work inside illustrates even more vividly his belief that God was listening to him.

D. FAITH: After he prayed, he waited for the answer to manifest. It is important to remember that he waited inside of the scenario that he was attempting to bring God into. He was not discouraged or distressed. He did not go off on rabbit trails to create another alternative just in case the Lord did not answer. Instead, he waited for God’s response.

BOUNDARIES FOR PRAYER REQUESTS

1 Timothy 6:8-11

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

These are just a few of the verses of scripture that tend to set the boundaries for the things we are to request in prayer. I also feel a need to inject here that “want” is a platform as well as “contentment.” We need to consider that the Father is very much aware as to which one of these platforms we stand on as we approach Him in prayer. You may want to ask the question, “How do I know when a simple desire to have something has become wantonness?” One of the definitions of wantonness is “insolent luxury.” The key word here being “insolent.” When the heart “longs for” something contentment has become void. Thus the “longing for” becomes an insult to the faith.

Consider the following.

Revelation 3:15-22

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

We must not allow the posture of prayer to cause us to become legalistic in our approach to the Father. We are the children of God. We are not strangers. We must not lose sight of the Father-Son love relationship. To do so, would cause us to become standoffish, fearful and unbelieving. Therefore, those things that we ask for pertaining to ourselves must be relative to needs that enable us to fulfill our calling in the Body of Christ. We simply confine our requests to those things that provide us with the natural and spiritual provisions necessary to fulfill purpose.