16th.: A God Ordained Prayer
Some prayers were specified in the Bible.
Deuteronomy chapter 21 gives one.
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Deut. 21:1 gives the situation,
“If one be found slain in the land, which the Lord thy God gives thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who has slain him.”
Deut. 21:2-6 instructs which set of people were to offer the prayer.
The elders in the closest city were to cite,
“’Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
Be merciful, O Lord, unto they people Israel, whom thou has redeemed,
and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge.’
And the blood shall be forgiven them.” (Deut. 21:7-8).
Ephesians chapter 1 gives another.
This prayer gave the elders of those cities an idea of what they should ask God for this particular situation.
“… making mention of you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” (Eph. 1:16b-17).
Repeating some of the prescribed prayers (there are many in the Psalms)
can help us learn some of the more arcane prayers.
“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong unto us,
and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deut. 29:29)