Prerequisite – something that is necessary to an end or to the carrying out of a function.[1]
Did you know there are prerequisites for prayer, or specifically, for what we term a “prayer life”?
Anyone can call on the name of the Lord at any time to seek salvation through Jesus Christ. The only prerequisites for that are humility, repentance of sin, and faith in Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior, as the gospel of God teaches us. And this is the starting point.
But from that point on, to develop a lifestyle of prayer as a disciple of Jesus, one must meet the prerequisites for it. Without these two prereqs, there won’t be such a thing as a “prayer life” in one’s life.
Disciples Only Need Apply
The Lord’s Prayer—the prayer Jesus taught his disciples in response to the request, “Teach us to pray”—was not meant for those who do not yet know Christ as their Savior and Lord. It was and is meant for disciples, learners, followers of Jesus Christ. We’ve already bowed the knee to him in repentance and faith and want to continue on with God.
Relationship: the starting point
The first Prerequisite then, should be obvious from what we’ve just said: it is Relationship. When we come to Christ for salvation, the starting point, we enter a new relationship with God: he becomes our Father in heaven, we become his children. Everything is different. As the Scripture says, “All things become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). And that newness anticipates further growth and change. We don’t stay the way we were before. This is where the second Prerequisite comes in.
Peter said, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word [God’s Word], so that you may grow in respect to salvation” and “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18, bracket added).
These are not simply nice sounding options; these are commands to obey.
Fellowship: a new lifestyle
Growing and changing, just like babies do, involves a more intimate level of communication with God. We call this Fellowship, the second Prerequisite. And it has nothing whatever to do with coffee and donuts after the church service.
Fellowship with God has to do with what Peter said about growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Learning and obeying his word, doing his will, daily seeking him, and depending on him. It is submitting to the Holy Spirit’s teaching and guidance, developing a heart for God. And so much more.
This is just a taste of what we are calling Prerequisites for Prayer (Lesson 1). These characteristics must be present and growing in your life. We show you how to start and maintain that process as we unpack these prerequisites more completely in Lesson 1 of Teach Us to Pray, a study of the Lord’s Prayer.
Where are you on the continuum of faith? Do you have a Relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ? As a child of God, are you growing in your Fellowship with him?
If you want to pray as Jesus taught us, these are the starting points.