Imperfect Prayer: Learning From Biblical ExamplesSample

How Prayer Begins

At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD. (v. 26)

Do you remember your first prayer? What did you say? I remember a childhood prayerlike poem that began, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.” I remember my parents prayed before meals, at bedtime, and whenever we traveled. My first intentional prayers came after I received Jesus at age thirteen. I remember the attempts, but not what I said.

Genesis 4:26 marks the beginning of prayer. “At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD.” We don’t know if they knelt or stood, if it was praise or petition, confession or thanksgiving. We use the name LORD in English for “Yahweh” (corresponding to the four Hebrew consonants YHWH). It appears more than 6,000 times in Scripture and is the covenant name by which God revealed himself to Moses in Exodus 3. The first people to call on Yahweh are Seth’s descendants. Seth’s genealogy is the line through which God’s covenant passed. Noah, Abraham, David, and eventually Jesus all trace their roots to Seth.

The most important thing for us to know is that from this point forward, God’s people call on his name in prayer. Maybe you are new to prayer, like I was long ago. It’s not important to know exactly what to do. The important thing is to begin. Over the next week, we will learn more about prayer from people in Scripture and from people I have prayed with. For now, just begin.

As you pray, simply call upon the name of the Lord.