Adventist University of Africa

Theological Seminary

THE THEOLOGY OF PRAYER IN THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

A paper presented in partial fulfilment

of the requirements of the course NTTS 660 Gospels

by

Yamukelani H Ngwenya

February 2016
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
BACK GROUND OF PRAYER ............................................................................................... 2
Prayer in the Old Testament ................................................................................................... 2
Prayer in Early Human History .......................................................................................... 2
Prayer in the Exilic and Postexilic Period .............................................................................. 3
Prayer in the Gospels ................................................................................................................. 6
Prayer in the Spirit of Prophecy ................................................................................................. 7
The Theology of Prayer in the Gospel According to Luke ........................................................ 9
Introduction to the Gospel of Luke ........................................................................................ 9
OCCURRENCES OF PRAYER IN THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE ................... 9
Jesus, the Man of Prayer: ......................................................................................................... 10
Jesus’s Teachings about Prayer ............................................................................................ 12
Conclusion and Summary ........................................................................................................ 13
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................ 13

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 Introduction

The Bible presents God as a person who has communicated with us and who invites us to

comunicate with Him. Of all worship acts whether public or private prayer is the most

important. Richard Rice poses that “it is universal to human experience.”1 On the same vein

Ellen G White stressing the importance of prayer in the life of a human being poses that “no

man is safe for a day or an hour without prayer.”2 There is no verse in the Bible that defines

prayer. Therefore we must discover what it is by investigating the prayers and allusions to

prayer in the Bible if we want a biblical definition. Essentially prayer is talking to God. The

word prayer in Hebrew is “tephillah in Greek it’s generally deesis or “prouseche” meaning

communion with God, consisting usually praise, gratitude or entreat.”3

It must be noted that the theological foundation takes place within a set of theological

beliefs. According to Ángel Manuel Rodríguez those concepts are

Prayer presupposes biblical theism. Prayer begins with the affirmation that there is a
God and that we can communicate with Him. This theological statement immediately
rules out deism, according to which God the absent Lord or Creator, who, after
finishing His work of creation, abandoned it. A theology of prayer will also rule out
pantheism, according to which God is conceived as an impersonal power that
permeates everything, including us. In that respect biblical prayer distinguishes itself
from eastern meditation, which seeks integration into cosmic consciousness while
prayer seeks communion with a personal God. Since the biblical doctrine of God is

1
Richard Rice, Reign of God, 2rd Edition. (Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University Press,
1997), 373.
2
Ellen. G .White, The Great Controversy (Ontario, Canada: Pacific Press, 2009), 510.
3
H “chonweiss, Prayer, The New International Dictionary of Testament Theology, ed.Collin Brown
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971), 2: 855.

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 unique, Christian prayer is also unique in a very special way. It operates within a
Trinitarian understanding.4
All the way through history human beings have realized their dependence on a higher power

and sought its power. This is evidenced by the fact that prayers or references to prayer are

mentioned in sixty-two of the sixty-six books of the Bible, beside the Song of Solomon,

Obadiah, Haggai, and 2 John. This research seeks dig deeper on the theology prayer in the

bible but mainly focusing on the gospel according Luke because of all the gospels in Luke

prayer appears to be a recurring theme.

BACK GROUND OF PRAYER

Prayer in the Old Testament

Prayer in Early Human History

This Era covers the time period from creation and ends with establishment of Israel

as a nation. The major sources of our information on this era are the Books of Genesis and

the book of Job. Prayer is first mentioned in the bible in Genesis 4:26 “and to Seth to him

also there was born a son and he called his Enos. Then began man to call up on the name of

the LORD” As people increased in number the effects sin became more apparent and the

descendants of Seth realized that they needed God hence they began to seek God and his help

in an earnest way. In Genesis 5:21-26 we find the account of Enoch who walked with God

until he translated to heaven. A close reading of the bible reveal that Enoch walks with God

through prayer and meditation.

During the early years of human history people prayed knowing that God hears their

and answers prayers if they are in agreement with His will. In Genesis 16:11 there is an

account of Hagar .In her distress she cried out God and God answered to her need with an

4
Angel Manuel Rodriguez, “Prayer: Theological Reflection,” Ministry, December 2006.6-12.

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assurance that one day she shall bear a son. The experience of Hagar reveals that God sees

our needs and afflictions and responds to them accordingly. (Gen. 16:13).

The importance of persistence in prayer appears in Genesis 32:26-29 where Jacob

wrestled with an angel. “… and he said, let me go for it is now day break and said l will not

let you go unless you bless me.” This account reveals two other important aspects of prayer.

The first is that those who are fervent are those who feels their great need (Gen. 32:9-12).

Secondly that the key to an answered is persistence in prayer. We can only be fervent in

laying hold of God, as Jacob did when we acknowledge that we are finite and that God is

infinite and omnipotent.

The Book of Job is central to our understanding of prayer and the character of God.

One challenge which Job struggled with during stormy times in his life was the silence of

God. His prayers seemed not be answered (Job 7:11-21; 12:4). Lastly God opened up and

explained that Job’s understanding of the character of was flawed that’s why he did not see

things as they were (Job 38). Job had thought that God will answer his prayers instantly but

God showed him greatness, and Job saw his place as a finite creature in relation to his infinite

God more plainly (Job 42:2-6).

Prayer in the Exilic and Postexilic Period

The books during the exilic period where prayer plays a prominent roles are the book

of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. There is no reference to prayer in Esther however there is

one reference to fast when the Jews we are about to be terminated. “Go, gather together all

the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I

and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is

against the law. And if I perish, I perish." (Esther. 4:16).

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 Prayer and fasting were interrelated in the Old Testament. Fasting means depriving

oneself food. The main aim of fasting was to devote more the time and energy in communion

with God and seeking his help. Evidences from the bible reveal that God answered such

prayers if they were genuine a practical example is the case Daniel “While l was still in

prayer Gabriel, the man l had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the

time of the evening sacrifice.” (Daniel 9:20-21).

During crisis periods the people of God offered special prayers known as prayers for

Deliverance. These prayers arose from “great human needs or distress and it will be a cry for

help”5 The Old Testament records many prayers for deliverance. One example of a prayer of

deliverance is the prayer of King Jehoshaphat when Judah under siege in 2 Chronicles 20:7-9.

O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your
people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They
have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 'If calamity
comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in
your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our
distress, and you will hear us and save us.' "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not
the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and
might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 O our God, did you not drive
out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the
descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a
sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of
judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that
bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save
us.'
God heard the cry of Jehoshaphat and delivered Judah from her enemies in a miraculous way.
Prayer in the Old Testament was not only about asking and receiving things from God

but was also associated with thanks giving for answered prayers. Rice asserts that “the

fundamental purpose of prayer is to praise God.”6 An example of prayer of thanks giving is

1Samuel 1:20 “So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She

5
H Schonweiss, 2: 855.
6
Richard Rice, 374.

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named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him." Psalms 150 is also a falls

under prayer of praise. “Let everything that has breathe in it praise the LORD” (Psalms

150:6).Therefore prayer at its best is God centred not self-centred. He deserves all our

worship. “Worship him who made the heavens, the earth the sea and the springs of water.”

(Revelation 14:6). We must praise God for who is he is? And for what he has done for us.

Therefore prayer at its best is God centred, not self-centred.

Prayers in the Old Testament also contained the element of intercession. Intercessory

prayers are “petitions that involve other people and the bible encourages such prayers.”7 It

must be noted that interceding for others can alter our attitudes and make us more liable to

regard them with affection and sympathy. A typical example of an intercessory prayers of

Old Testament is the prayer of Daniel “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his

covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, 5 we have sinned and done

wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands

and laws. In this intercessory prayer Daniel confesses his and the sins of Israel although he

had not partaken in those national sins.

It is interesting to note that the Old Testament distinguished between true and false

prayers. True prayer mean that a person come before God with his whole being that is the

heart and soul in an attitude of submission to God. God promises to answer those who come

to him in humility, “then you will call on me and come and pray to me and l will answer you

will find me if you seek me with all your heart. False prayers were those prayers which were

offered when the relationship was not right between the suppliant and God and with no self-

surrender to God on the side of the suppliant. This is the attitude God condemned in Isaiah

7
Ibid, 376.

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29:12 “these people come to me with their mouths and honour with their lips but their hearts

are far from me.”

Prayer in the Gospels

Prayer as people practiced in the New Testament especial in the gospels basically a

continuation of Old Testament practices. In simply terms it was reflection of what existed

during the Old Testament times. However it is modelled upon the prayer life of Jesus and his

teachings on prayer. Jesus devoted much time in prayer and also in teaching his disciples to

pray. It must be noted that our understanding of theology of prayer is based on Jesus’

teaching on prayer and his own prayer life. All four of the gospels give times and space to the

theme of prayer and they describe Jesus as a man who spent quality time in prayer.

During his earthly ministry Jesus was not an extremist, he did not withdraw from

society but lived a very vigorous and busy life just like another Israelite of his day. Despite

his busy life prayer occupied a very in important place in his life. The gospels describes Jesus

as a man who spent quality in time in prayer. The gospel of Mark records an instance where

Jesus begun his day by devoting time to prayer “very early in the morning, while it was still

dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark

1:35).The gospel according to Luke also narrates an incidence where Jesus was praying alone

in a solitary place and being challenged by his prayer life the disciples ask him to teach them

how to pray. “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his

disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

Jesus responded to the disciples’ request by giving them what we can term today as

the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer addresses God as Father, this address has a

profound theological implication. It implied that God is a personal father and that we should

come to him in prayer know that he loves us and is interested in our well-being. The Lord’s

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Prayer also reveal that in the gospels prayer can be about anything, from the smallest matter

to the greatest, from the affairs of today to eternity. The phrase our ‘daily bread’ denotes our

temporal needs whereas the phrase “thy kingdom comes’’ denotes our spiritual and eternal

needs

The gospels like the Old Testament warns of deterrents in the lives of the suppliants

which may make prayer unsuccessful. These may include harbouring an unforgiving spirit

“and when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them so that your

father in heaven forgive you your sins.”(Mark 11:25) Another hindrance to an answered

prayer may be the lack of faith “ have faith in God, Jesus answered .Truly l tell you, if anyone

says to this mountain, ‘ Go, throw yourself into the sea and does not doubt in their hearts

…it will be done for them.

Prayer in the Spirit of Prophecy

When Ellen White wrote extensively about prayer its power and its necessity in the

life of a Christian. Emphasizing the importance and necessity of prayer she poses that “prayer

is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual life… prayer brings the heart into

immediate contact with the Well spring of life and strengthens the sinew and muscle of the

religious experience.”8 On the same vein of the importance of prayer she wrote “pray more

than you sing. Do you not stand in greater need of prayer than of singing”9 She also puts

strong emphasis on the importance of private or secret prayer since many Christians seems to

rely mostly on public prayer. “We should pray in the family circle, and above all we must not

8
Ellen G .White, Messages to Young People (Nashville: Southern Publishing, 1930), 249.
9
_____________, Testimonies for the Church Volume One (Nashville: Southern Publishing, 1930), 513.

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neglect secret prayer, for this is the life of the soul. It is impossible for the soul to flourish

while prayer is neglected. Family or public prayer alone is not sufficient.” 10

It is interesting to note that Ellen .G White encourages young people of the

marriageable who are seeking life partners to intensify their prayers. “If men and women are

in the habit of praying twice a day before they contemplate marriage, they should pray four

times a day when such a step is anticipated.”11 Ellen White strongly believes that to every

sincere prayer there is an answer “To every sincere, earnest prayer an answer will come. The

answer to your prayer may not come just as you desire, or at the time you look for it; but it

will come, and in the way and at the time that will be for your best good.”12

10
___________,The Privilege Of Prayer, Complete Published Ellen White Writings [ CD ROM] (Silver Spring
,MD: Ellen White Estate,1999)
11
White, Messages to Young People, 460.
12
Ellen White, Gospel Workers (Hagerstown: Review and Herald, 1980), 254-258.

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The Theology of Prayer in the Gospel According to Luke

Introduction to the Gospel of Luke

Scholars are general in agreement concerning the authorship of this gospel. They hold

the view that the gospel was written by Luke. They use internal evidence from gospel to

support their position. “

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled
among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were
eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully
investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an
orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the
certainty of the things you have been taught

They also use information from the writings of the early church fathers to ascertain their

position. In about 185 A D Irenaeus wrote “Luke, the follower of Paul, put in a book the

gospel that was preached by him”13 It is believed that the book was written between AD 61-

63 and in this gospel Luke “brings Jesus into close contact with human needs, emphasizing

the human side of his nature and presents him as the friend of humanity.14”In Jesus’s practice

of prayer. Asserting the view Neil M .Alexander poses that “prayer is recurring emphasis in

Luke.”15

OCCURRENCES OF PRAYER IN THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

According to K. S. Han, Luke uses “two Greek words translated for prayer a total of

forty-one times in his gospel. The verb proseukomai, and its noun form proseuke, are used

twenty-two times while the verb deesis is used nineteen times.” 16When the use of

proseukomai in Luke is combined with that in Acts, “it totals thirty-five times (out of a total

13
Francis D.Nichol, The SDA Bible Commentary .Vol 5(Hagerstown: Review and Herald, 1980), 663.
14
Ibid, 664.

Neil Alexander et al., The New Interpreter’s Bible. A Commentary in Twelve Volumes, Volume 9,
15

Luke, John (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), 90.

16
Kyu Sam Han, “Theology of Prayer in the Gospel of Luke,” JETS 43 (2000): 675-93

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eighty-six uses in the New Testament).17 Having understood that prayer is a recurring

emphasis in Luke, it is interesting to note that the announcement of John’s birth occurred at

the hour of prayer. (Luke 1:10), God, The last verse of Luke’s gospel depicts Jesus’ followers

at the temple repeatedly praying and praising God. (24:53)

Jesus, the Man of Prayer

Jesus began His ministry through prayer (Luke 3:21-23)

In this passage, after Jesus was baptized, he was praying as the heavens opened and

the Holy Spirit descended. “When all the people were being baptized too. And as he was

praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form of a dove.”

This is indication that Luke sees the coming of the Holy Spirit as coinciding with the prayer

of Jesus, not the baptism which had already happened.

Jesus’s Mundane Prayer Life (Luke 5:16)

Unlike the other gospel writers, that is Matthew, Mark and John, Luke notes the

regularity of Jesus’ prayer life. “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayer. Mark

only says very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and

went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” It is explicit that to Jesus to pray was an

important ingredient in life of a follower of God, hence this why he was able to with stand all

the obstacles he encountered during his earthly ministry. In the same manner those who make

prayer a priority will come forth victorious amid the life challenges.

Jesus Praying before the Choosing of the Twelve (Luke 6:12)

It is interesting to note that Jesus is prays at significant junctures in his ministry. Prior

to calling his twelve disciples, Luke states that Jesus prayed all night “one of those days Jesus

17
P. T. O’Brien, Prayer in Luke-Acts, TB 97 : -27.

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went out to a mountain side to pray and spent the night praying to God. When the morning

came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated as

apostle. The lesson we derive from this passage is the church of God should spend much time

in prayer before choosing leaders so that the spirit of God will had pick men and women

appointed by God to assume the leadership of the church.

Jesus Pray and then He was Transfigured. (Luke 9:28-29)

In this account Jesus takes Peter, James sand John to the mountain to pray. As he is

praying, Luke chronicles that his appearance was transformed and he was joined by Moses

and Elijah. “About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him

and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face

changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and

Elijah, 31 appeared in glorious splendour, talking with Jesus. The story of the transfiguration

convey the message that by spending quality in prayer and communion with God a

transformation of character in life of a suppliant will be effected.’

Intercession for Peter (Luke 22:32)

In this passage, Luke states that Jesus has specifically prayed for Peter to stumble and

fall in his spiritual journey and his faith. “Simon, Simon Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.

But l have prayed for you for that your faith may not fail. The example of Jesus in praying for

Peter is worth of emulation. Followers of Christ must bear each other’s burden by

remembering to intercede for others in prayer so that they may be steadfast in their faith,

moving from strength to strength from victory to victory and from glory.

Prayer at Gethsemane before his Arrest, Trial and Crucifixion (Luke 22:39-46)

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 This passage narrates Jesus offering prayer for himself in preparation of the event

that will soon follow. It is interesting to note that this is the first time that Jesus has prayed a

prayer of entreaty for himself. God answered his prayer by sending an angel to strengthen

him “an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. It is interesting, also, to

note that Luke begins and ends this passage with Jesus entreating the disciples to “Pray that

you will not fall into temptation.” King of challenge was preparing and exhorting them ahead

of the challenges they were going to through in their ministry.

Prayer on the Cross (Luke 23:34, 46)

Of the gospel writers, Luke is the only author to record the prayers of Jesus on the

cross. The first is a prayer of forgiveness for those who were executing him. The second

prayer is described as a prayer of faith: “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.” It is not

a prayer out of distrust or anguish, rather, it is a pronouncement that the kingdom of God has

been established by the accomplishment of his earthly ministry. It is interesting to note that

Jesus began his ministry by prayer and sealed with prayer at cross.

Jesus’s Teachings about Prayer

Besides practicing prayer in his own life, Jesus taught his disciples and other people

both about prayer and how to pray. Luke took cognisance of this and devotes much of his

work to Jesus’ prayer teachings. In Luke 11 the disciples being challenged by the prayer life

of Jesus asks him to teach how to pray. Jesus responds by giving them what is known today

as the Lord’s Prayer. It must be noted that this prayer was to serve as an outline for all who

will be the followers of Jesus. In Luke 11:5-13 and Luke 18:1-8 Jesus gave two parables, the

parable of a midnight friend and unjust judge and all the two parables teaches us of the

importance of persistence in prayer.

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Conclusion and Summary
Of all the gospel writers Luke stresses the importance of prayer and make it a

recurring theme in his gospel. According to Luke Jesus demonstrated the importance of

prayer by practicing it himself. It is interesting to note that before many of the major events in

the life of Jesus (calling of the twelve, the transfiguration, his arrest and trial, the crucifixion,

etc.) he started by spending quality time in prayer. Furthermore Jesus taught about prayer so

that his followers will know how to pray as he prayed.

Bibliography
Neil Alexander et al., The New Interpreter’s Bible. A Commentary in Twelve Volumes,

Volume 9, Luke, John Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995.

Nichol, Francis, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary .Rev.ed Hagerstown: Review

and Herald, 1980.

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Rice. Richard. Reign of God, 2rd Edition. Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University

Press, 1997. Rodriguez, Angel Manuel “Prayer” Theological Reflection.” Ministry,

December 2006, 6-12.

Schonweiss .H. “Prayer,” The New International Dictionary of Testament Theology,

ed.Collin Brown .Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971. 2: 855.

White E.G, Messages to Young People .Nashville: Southern Publishing, 1930.

_________. Testimonies for the Church Volume One .Nashville: Southern Publishing, 1930.

_________. The Privilege of Prayer, Complete Published Ellen White Writings [CD ROM]

Silver Spring MD: Ellen White Estate, 1999.

_________. The Great Controversy. Ontario, Canada: Pacific Press, 2009.

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