In verses 18 and 19, the writer exhorts the Hebrews. He has said some very hard things to them regarding the danger of not believing in Christ. He has issued five warnings to them throughout the course of the letter, but after everything is said and done, the writer makes it known that he is confident of their spiritual condition before the lord. He begins,'pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.' The term 'Pray for us' is in the present imperative. It is something they are to be doing continually. This phrase carries the idea that they have been involved in the ministry as true believers.

The Bible is clear that God only listens to true believers when they talk to him (Pray). Many people, in our society, are confused over this concept. They say, I pray all of the time. That is great, but the issue is not if one prays, but 'is God is listening.' The Scripture says that only God's children have access to the ear of God (Proverbs 28:9). Jesus Christ intervenes on behalf of believers as our high priest. Only by the grace of God, through Jesus Christ and his death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, are we sanctified, and able to draw nearer to the throne of God (Hebrews 2:17, 4:14-16, 7:25, 10:10-14, 10:19, 10:22.

Some people say, 'How can God be so exclusive? I cannot believe he would refuse to listen to everybody.' It is only exclusive in the fact that some people refuse to come into God's presence through faith in the person and work of Christ. We do the same thing on a human level. We welcome those who come and knock on our front door, but what do we do with those who refuse to enter through the door and try to sneak in the back window? We would probably hit them over the head with a pan and call the police. We would say, you cannot come into my house that way. If you want to come in, come in through the front door. God has provided Jesus Christ as our front door, but many people refuse to enter through Him. Instead they try to sneak in somewhere else, and then wonder why God will not listen to them.

The writer exhorts the Hebrews to pray for him. Why? In verse 19 he says, 'And I urge you all the more to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.' The term 'I urge you all the more' indicates something that must be done with intensity. The writer wants the Hebrews to pray intensely for him. Why? So that he 'may be restored to use the sooner.' He desires to come back to them as soon as possible and be restored in fellowship with them.

The writer believes that the prayers of the Hebrew will be effective. When we pray, we generally commit two errors. First, we tell God what to do. Anyone who has been a believer for very long has done this. We ask God for something, and when we do not get what we want, instead of excepting God's will, we become irritated that God did not come through with our request.

Secondly, we do not pray earnestly enough. We think our prayers will make no difference. We assume He will accomplish His purposes with or without us, so what is the point and praying all the time? The truth is, we are commanded to pray with fervor. James 5:16 says, '... the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.' Prayer is parallel to the doctrine of election. This doctrine states that God has elected some people to be saved through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So although God has predetermined who will believe the gospel, the gospel must be preached so that those who are elected can hear and believe. In like manner God will accomplish his purposes, but God responds to our prayers to accomplish those purposes.

Paul believed in the power of prayer. Romans 15:30-32 says, 'Now I urge you brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints; so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company.' Paul did not just ask for prayer if they happened to remember. He urged them 'by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the spirit' to pray for him. Paul believed that the prayers of the Saints at the Church of Rome would accomplish something that needed to be accomplished, therefore they were to be fervently and continually praying for him. We must have that same attitude today.

See also 2 Corinthians 1:10, Ephesians 6:18-20

As believers, we have the privilege of having an intimate relationship with the living God. We are able to share the burden of our hearts or items of praise with Him. This is why it is essential that we know the Word. We must know what He is like, so we can praise Him, and pray in accordance with what He has revealed. There are all kinds of prayers-personal prayers, prayers for others, praise to God for what He has accomplished, etc., but there is no single correct way to pray. The only prayer that is correct is the one that is a true confession from the heart of the believer to God.

This is the question that many people have. They ask, 'Is there a certain way to pray?' Verse 18 gives us some guidelines. The writer says 'we are sure to have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.' These characteristics are essential for biblical prayer. If we have the wrong motive for prayer, we are not functioning correctly. The writer gives some insight into some of the problems that may have existed among the Hebrews. They may have wondered about the motive of the writer. If he had the wrong motive, the Hebrews may have been apprehensive about praying for his ministry.

The 'conscience' is that faculty that passes judgment on our actions. It does not dictate our actions, but it tells us if our actions were 'right' or 'wrong.' We have all had a 'guilty conscience' at some time in our lives. Usually what we do is try to cover up our guilt by making someone else look bad. We try to take the pressure off ourselves by putting pressure on someone else's shoulders. As Hebrews 9:9-14 says, only a true child of God can have a clear conscience. Salvation through faith in His death on the cross is the only tool that can cleanse us from our sin, and clean our evil conscience.

It is important to understand that our conscience is not always a reliable guide to what is right or wrong. It depends on what standard is fed into it. If we have a perverted standard our conscience will not be reliable. For example, you may have been raised in a church that said you had to say a certain prayer, perform a certain ritual, and do certain things, and then you would receive salvation. But when you compare it to the Word of God, you see that the standard is perverted. When our standard is the Word of God and that only, our conscience conforms to the standards God expects us to follow. Therefore we are to function with a 'good conscience.' We maintain our conscience as a believer by living our lives in accordance with the Word of God. When we have a 'good conscience' our motivation in prayer will be correct.