Losing Someone to Become Smarter in Prayer
The concept of becoming smarter in prayer through losing someone is rooted in the biblical understanding that suffering and hardship can deepen one's prayer life. The Psalmist, in a state of distress, cries out to God, "My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You" [1]. This expression of sorrow and dependence on God illustrates how loss can drive individuals to prayer.
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul writes to the Philippians, expressing his desire that they "may be increased more and more in knowledge and experience" [2]. This increase in knowledge and experience is not limited to intellectual understanding but encompasses a deeper spiritual maturity, which can be fostered through prayer and hardship.
The idea that prayer is a means of seeking God's will and wisdom is echoed in various biblical passages. The Psalmist again laments, "Give thought to me, and let my prayer be answered: I have been made low in sorrow" [3]. The book of Proverbs encourages the wise to receive instruction, stating, "Impart to a wise man, and he will become yet wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase learning" [5]. This principle can be applied to the context of prayer, where one seeks wisdom and understanding from God.
The act of praying for others in their suffering is also emphasized. James instructs believers to "confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed" [4]. This communal aspect of prayer highlights the importance of intercession and mutual support within the Christian community.
In times of loss, believers are encouraged to turn to God in prayer, seeking comfort, wisdom, and healing. As one tradition interprets, prayer is "converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him" [6]. The practice of prayer, especially in the face of adversity, is seen as a means to deepen one's relationship with God and to gain spiritual understanding.
The Puritan tradition, represented by Matthew Henry, underscores the importance of prayer in times of hardship, noting that even in the face of significant challenges, such as Absalom's plot against David, prayer is a crucial response [7]. Similarly, the apostle Paul's prayers for the Colossians, that they might be "filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding," demonstrate the desire for spiritual growth through prayer [8].
Sources
- Psalms “Psalms 88:9 (BSB) — My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You.”
- Philippians “Philippians 1:9 (BBE) — And my prayer is that you may be increased more and more in knowledge and experience;”
- Psalms “Psalms 55:2 (BBE) — Give thought to me, and let my prayer be answered: I have been made low in sorrow;”
- James “James 5:16 (LITV) — Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous one has great strength, having been made effective.”
- Proverbs “Proverbs 9:9 (Darby) — Impart to a wise [man], and he will become yet wiser; teach a righteous [man], and he will increase learning.”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Prayer — Is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching the Lord" (Ex. 32:11); "pouring out the soul before the Lord" (1 Sam. 1:15); "praying and crying to heaven" (2 Chr. 32:20); "seeking unto God and making supplication" (Job 8:5); "drawing near to God" (Ps. 73:28); "bowing the knees" (Eph. 3:14). Prayer presupposes a belief in the personality of God, his ability and willingness to hold inter”
- 2 Samuel (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 15:31: Nothing, it seems, appeared to David more threatening in Absalom's plot than that Ahithophel was in it; for one good head, in such a design, is worth a thousand good hands. Absalom was himself no politician, but he had got one entirely in his interest that was, and would be the more dangerous because he had been all along acquainted with David's counsels and affairs; if therefore he can be baffled, Absalom is as good as routed and the head of the conspiracy cut off. This David endeavours to do. I. By prayer. When he heard that Ahithophel was in the plot he lift”
- Colossians (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Colossians 1:9: The apostle proceeds in these verses to pray for them. He heard that they were good, and he prayed that they might be better. He was constant in this prayer: We do not cease to pray for you. It may be he could hear of them but seldom, but he constantly prayed for them. - And desire that you may be filled with the knowledge, etc. Observe what it is that he begs of God for them, I. That they might be knowing intelligent Christians: filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Observe, 1. The knowledge of our duty is the best k”