Not every prayer is acceptable, for some prayers are not considered as prayers.
The prayer of the Pharisee, for instance, was unacceptable, whereas the prayer of the contrite tax-collector was acceptable and he was justified by it (Lk 18:14). Other examples of unacceptable prayer are that of those whose hands are full of blood, about whom the Lord said, “When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear.” (Isa 1:15). This also applies to the prayer of the hypocrites and of those who for a pretense make long prayers (Mt 6; 23:14).
You may raise a prayer and one of the twenty four presbyters take it in the golden censer and offer it to God as incense (Rev 5:8), while someone else may pray all the day long but to the wonder of the angels none of his prayers rises up.
What then are the conditions of the acceptable prayer?
Many are the conditions, of which we can mention the following:
· A prayer ought to be with the spirit, so as man’s spirit speaks to God’s Spirit, and man’s heart is attached to God’s Heart. It is a prayer from the spirit and from the heart. It opens the gates of heaven, and comes to God’s presence with familiarity to enjoy being in His presence and receiving its wishes. It is a prayer that satisfies the soul, as the Psalmist says, “I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness.” (Ps 3: 4:5).
With such a prayer from the heart a person meets with God, either he ascends to God or God descends to him, or the Holy Spirit lifts him up with mind and heart unto God. Such a spiritual prayer the holy people describe as the descending of heaven into the soul, or the turning of the soul into a heaven!
· A fervent prayer is a prayer with love and emotion. It is kindled with the fiery Spirit, like that of Ss. Maximus and Domadius which came out of their mouths like beams of fire, or like the prayer of St. Shenouda the Archmandarite who fingers radiated when lifting his hands in prayer.
· A spiritual prayer is characterized by understanding and concentration.
On the other hand, praying without emotion or understanding may distract the mind in worldly matters which prevail even at time of prayer and defile the prayer. That is why St. John of Assiut, when asked about pure prayer, said, “It is death to the world.”
· A spiritual prayer should be in awe of God.
Our love to God should not make us forget God’s awe, glory, and reverence. We should know how to speak to God. Our awe is not the fear of servants, but of children revering their father… not a mere natural father but our Father who is in heaven, before whom the angels stand in awe, with two wings covering their faces, and with two their legs (Isa 6:2) Mar Ishak once said :
“When you stand for prayer, be as one standing before a flame of fire.”
And Abraham the father of fathers and prophets said:
“I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord.” (Gen 18:27) therefore, when you stand before God, say to Him: Who am I, O Lord, to stand before You, amidst the angels, the archangels, the Gerubim and the Seraphim, and the innumerable multitude of the heavenly hosts?!
Your awe is submission of the spirit and the body.
The submission of the body is represented by standing, kneeling down, or prostration, without slackness or laziness, giving no chance to the devil to make one feel tired, sick, exhausted, or sleepy during prayer. Some people feel tired when standing for prayer, but this feeling does not attack them when they spend hours with their friends! Beware then such a delusive feeling which is a diabolic war. St. Basil the Great says in this respect, “Do not abstain from prayer under the pretext of illness, for prayer is a means of healing.” And Mar Ishak says, “If you start a pure prayer be ready for whatever may happen to you.” He means the diabolic wars that aim at preventing us from prayer.
The submission of the spirit is represented in the submission of the body because the body shares the spirit its feelings, whether submission or slackness. This appears in the movements of the body and its occupation with other things during prayer by sight or hearing and the like.
The submission of the spirit requires us to pray with a contrite heart.
Remember that the Lord is near to those who have contrite hearts, and do not forget that you are dust and is speaking to your Creator, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16). Do not forget that you have sinned and grieved God’s Holy Spirit, that you were disloyal to His love and ungrateful. Stand therefore before Him and say the prayer of Daniel the Prophet: “O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face… because we have sinned against You… rebelled against You.” (Da 9: 7-9)
Say to Him, “I do not deserve anything, but in spite of all my of all my sins and ungratefulness I am encouraged by Your long suffering and comforted by your kind heart that has no pleasure that the wicked should die but turn from his ways and live (Ezek 18: 23,32). In me, the falling, the greatness of Your mercies appears.
· Let your prayer be with faith.
Trust that God loves you, hears and responds as far as it is good for you; for the Lord says, “Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Mr 21:22) If you do not have such faith, ask for it in your prayer, as the father of the child with the demon said to the Lord, “I believe, help my unbelief.” (Mk 9:24), or as the apostles said to Him, “Increase our faith.” (Lk 17:5) Remember that great promise, “All things are possible to him who believes.” (Mk 9:23).
Trust that faith gives power to the prayer, and prayer strengthens faith. But do not demand a quick response; rather wait for the Lord even if it seemed that He slackens. Be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart (Ps 27:14).
· Let your prayer be deep and with understanding.
If you mean every word you say, your prayer will be deep, as the Psalmist cries out, saying, “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice!” “With my whole heart I have sought You.” (Ps 130:1; 119:10 Pray then from the depths of your heart, your mind, your faith, and your need. The depth of the prayer will give it fervor.
Exercises on prayer :
1- Train yourself to spend more time in God’s presence :
Ask yourself how much time you spend with God! You spend much time in talking and amusement, but this is waste of time. Therefore, give more time to God and give it priority.
2- Train yourself to wake up early and begin the day with prayer.
In the morning the heart is free and the mind is not yet occupied, and the house is calm. There are no hindrances, and God will be the first to talk with and to receive blessing from him for the whole day.
3- Do not neglect the “Agpeya” Prayers :
If you cannot pray the whole Hour Prayer, at least pray the passages and the absolutions. These will only take a few moments in which you lift your heart to God to support you throughout the wars and involvements of the day. Learning some psalms and passages by heart will enable, you to pray easily without anyone noticing you.
4- Try to pray everywhere to comply with the words of the Scripture: “Men always ought to pray and not lose heart,” “Pray without ceasing.” (Lk 18:1; 1 Thess 5:17) Pray while on the way so as not to be distracted by the scenery. Pray while with others especially if their talk is offensive or you are not interested in it. Pray everywhere to benefit from your time and to have success in whatever you do.
5- Train yourself in short repeated prayers, like :
“O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me,” “Make haste, O God to deliver me! Make haste to help me!” “I love You, Lord Jesus Christ, and I bless Your name.” “I give thanks to You, O Lord, for everything.” You can also compose a prayer that suits you and expresses your feelings. Repeating such a prayer will implant it in your subconscious, so it will accompany you even in your sleep, as the Psalmist said, “I remember You on my bed.”
6- Pray for those who are in need; for your relatives and friends and colleagues; for the whole church and your church in particular; for the ministry, for the sick and the departed; for those who need to repent; for the whole world and for your country; and grow as to pray your enemies and opponents.
7- Train yourself to let God interfere in every matter or problem, so as not to be alone amidst your hardships. Do not rely solely on your intelligence or the help of others. You cannot dispense with God. Prayer will give you a feeling of security and inner peace. Trust that you have put your problems in a strong safe hand. When you pray God may solve the problem, or give you peace concerning it, as if it has no existence.
8- Do have your private prayers in addition to the liturgical prayers. In your private prayer you can speak to God frankly and to reveal your heart to Him. You can say: O Lord, I love You, but I love other worldly things that hinders my way to You. I am too weak to remove them away, and I know that the love of the world is enmity to God (Jas 4:4). O Lord, give me the ability to love You with perfect love, and deliver me with Your power from any love against Your love.
Let not your prayer be mere selected fabricated words or mere routine, but rather express words from the heart representing your state and your emotions without hypocrisy.
9- In order that your prayer be with understanding, train yourself in meditating on the Psalms and the Hours Prayers. As far as you go into the meaning of these prayers, you will reach its depths that will accompany you at the time of prayer. You will also learn how to speak to God, as the disciples asked the Lord to teach them how to pray (Lk 11:1)
10-If you have not yet attained pure prayer, do not stop praying; for prayer, like any other virtue, can grow gradually unto perfection. Mar Ishak said : If you wait till you attain pure prayer, you will never pray, for pure prayer can only be attained by prayer
11-Train yourself to continue in prayer when you want to end it. A sign of successful prayer is the impossibility to stop it, as if you were saying to God: “Stay with me, O Lord”, or say with the Song “I held Him and would not let Him go.” ( Song 3:4) Every request or word you utter, you feel its sweetness, so you do not want to leave it. One of the fathers said about the prayers of the saints: The word is so sweet on their mouths that they cannot move to another word!!