John R Rice "Prayer is asking"; "If it is not asking, it is not prayer in the Bible sense."

[Ekklesian]

The imperative mood is for commands. Do you think you can command God to give you anything?

In some things, we are commanded to come boldly with the expectation to receive. Not command Him, but expect from Him.

'forgive us' vs 'I beg thee to forgive.'

And maybe it's an offense not to come with that expectation, like Joash who angered the prophet with his hesitation.

 

[Bob Jones VI]

So it appears to me that John R Rice was inconsistent in practicing separation. He rejected "secondary separation", but that's exactly what he practice when he separated from Billy Graham.

He was practicing something else there. Billy agreed to send people at his meetings who identified as Roman Catholic, and made a profession of faith, back to their RC churches. If you believe what I believe, that Roman Catholicism is not even Christianity (see J. Gresham Machen Liberalism and Christianity), then he was opposing something horribly Satanic.

 

[Bob Jones VI]

In Jonah's prayer there is no asking for anything but simply praising God for his deliverance. Christians go to prayer for many different reasons and it isn't always asking for something.

Jonah's Prayer

Jon 2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,

Jon 2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

Jon 2:3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

Jon 2:4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

Jon 2:5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

Jon 2:6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

Jon 2:7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

Jon 2:8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

Jon 2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

Jon 2:10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

True. But the word pray means to ask. The word thank means to thank. He was not excluding thanks or praise or adoration or confession. The book has some blind spots, but it was very good.

 

[biscuit1953]

True. But the word pray means to ask. The word thank means to thank. He was not excluding thanks or praise or adoration or confession. The book has some blind spots, but it was very good.

I don't deny what you say. I was only trying to point out that sometimes Christians just want communion to praise and worship Him without asking for anything.