We read somewhere that we are not to pray for people with a reprobate mind or a sinner.  Now we cannot find it.

Sincerely,
Verse Seeker

Dear Verse Seeker,

The verse you are looking for is 1 Jn 5:16.  That verse states that there is a certain time in which we shouldn’t pray that someone be forgiven.  When someone is “sinning unto death”, we shouldn’t ask God that they be forgiven.

Any time someone does something contrary to God’s Word, they sin (Rom 7:7).  However, many times christians sin inadvertently, accidently, or in a moment of weakness.  These sins can and are forgiven by God (1 Jn 1:9).  However, if someone chooses a lifestyle of sin, that is a different story.

When we reject God’s Word and flagrantly commit sins in full knowledge that it is rebellion against God, there is no longer a sacrifice for our sins (Heb 10:26).  If you know someone who has actively turned away from God, you are not supposed to pray that God forgive them; they have committed the “sin unto death”.  Their only hope is to turn again and repent of their sins (Acts 3:19).

Is it wrong not to pray before a meal?

Sincerely,
Let’s Eat

Dear Let’s Eat,

It is easy to get caught up in constantly asking, “Is it wrong to...”; in many circumstances, thinking about things in the negative can be the wrong approach.  Christianity isn’t merely about avoiding bad choices but also about making good choices.  So the positive version of this question is, “Should we pray before meals?”  The answer to that question is: yes.

Christians are to imitate Christ (Col 2:6).  Our lives are supposed to be modeled after His pattern of living (1 Pet 2:21).  Jesus gave thanks before eating a meal (Matt 15:36).  The apostle Paul also told us to imitate him (1 Cor 11:1).  Paul gave thanks before he ate (Acts 27:35).  Paul even told Timothy that we are to receive food with thanksgiving (1 Tim 4:3-4).  Jesus told us to pray for our daily bread (Matt 6:11), and then later we are told that whatever we pray for we should also give thanks for once we’ve received it (Col 4:2).  It is appropriate and godly behavior to constantly give God thanks for the blessings we receive in this life.  After all, all our blessings flow from Him (Jas 1:17).

James 5:14 talks about praying for someone who is sick and "anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."  I frequently hear of people praying for the sick today, but I've never seen the elders of a church anoint a sick person with oil. Why don't we continue this practice today?

Sincerely, Olives On My Mind

Dear Olives On My Mind,

Anointing with oil was a medicinal practice to remove pain and speed up the healing of a sick person. Olive oil was used in the first century for everything from food to alleviating sunburns. We have to understand the statement in the context of the culture in which it was written. A first century christian would have understood James 5:14 as a call to prayer and a call to make sure the medical needs were taken care of for the ill person.

It is very similar to an earlier statement by James concerning faith and works. In Jas 2:14-17, James addresses the problem of a person that offers kind words without doing what they can to help another. An elder that prayed for a sick christian but didn’t use his authority within the church to get the needy person the necessary medical attention would have been neglecting his duties to shepherd the flock (1 Pet 5:2). Today, we don’t use olive oil to meet people’s medical needs, but the principle of doing what we can to care for them still applies.

Is it okay to read a prayer, like a script, instead of it all coming from your heart at the moment you pray?

Eloquently,
Memorized

Dear Memorized,

Every prayer should come from your heart - but not necessarily off the top of your head.  We have all sorts of examples of prayers in the Bible.  Nehemiah prayed silently in his head as he stood before the king (Neh 2:4).  On the other hand, David wrote many, many prayers down in the Psalms.  Some prayers are spontaneous; some prayers are meticulously written down.  In either case, if it is sincere, it is valid (Eph 6:24).  If you write it down beforehand, it still came from your mind just as much as if you'd thought it up on the spot.

Does God want us to ask Him for things over and over or just once and leave it with him?

Sincerely, Don't Want To Bother Him

Dear Don't Want To Bother Him, He wants you to ask over and over - until He gives you an answer.  David prayed vehemently for the life of his child until the child died (2 Sam 12:22-23).  Paul prayed for his sickness to be removed three times until God told him to accept the pain (2 Cor 12:8-9).  Cornelius' prayers were constantly before the Lord until Peter was sent (Acts 10:4-5).  Even our Lord prayed in the garden repeatedly that He might not have to die on the cross (Matt 26:39).  The key in all these circumstances was that the requests ceased when God answered. Once God made His decision apparent, whether it be yes or no, acceptance began. God never gets tired of hearing from His children.  Christians are to constantly seek Him in prayer.  The most direct example of this is Christ's parable of the unjust judge in Lk 18:1-5.  Christ taught that parable so that "men ought always to pray, and not to grow weary".  God wants to hear from His people.  So don't stop asking for help, He is listening.