I TAUGHT A LESSON ON PRAYER A WHILE BACK & THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE IT WITH YOU GUYS. HOPE YOU WILL FIND SOME USEFUL INFORMATION IN THERE. ITS A LITTLE LONG THOUGH. THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER If you ask a Christian if prayer is important they will answer and say yes. If I were to ask you if you pray as much as you know you should your answer will more than likely be no. The interesting thing is that we are all that way. Isnt it interesting that we all know that we should pray, but we do not pray enough? Why is that? Why dont we pray as much as we should? Perhaps a more important question to ask is: Why do we pray? Prayer is something that all Christians have heard about. We hear sermons on the right and wrong ways to pray or how to pray. We know that prayer is important, but why should we pray ? The people who work for me usually do a better job if they know why they are doing something. If we knew why we are supposed to pray, maybe we would pray more often. Prayer is so important that it is mentioned over 250 times in Scripture. Jesus talked about prayer quite often and even taught us how to pray. We know prayer must be important to God or it would never have been such a weighty issue in the Bible. Perhaps it has a lot to do with communication. Communication is a part of any vital and growing relationship. One of the first things people point to as evidence that a marriage is in trouble is a lack of communication. The same is true for our relationship with the Father. As I read through the Bible I notice that a very interesting thing happens when people communicate with God. I noticed who did the majority of the talking.....GOD When people communicated with God, God talked the most. People did very little talking to God, they mostly listened and then obeyed. Before we get into why we should pray, we need to understand what prayer is. The word pray is the Greek word “προσενχομαι - proseuchomai” which literally means “to give thanks, to make requests.” When we pray, we need to modestly come before God, adore him, bow down and pay homage to him in worship. This is part of how we involve God in our lives. We worship what we love the most, whether it is God, money, a person, or things. Philippians 4:6 says in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. In other words, when we pray we need to come to God in an attitude of worship. Prayer does not inform God, it involves God. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. (Matt. 6:8) God is already informed about and knows ahead of time what we need. Why we should pray if God already knows what we need? These are actually valid questions and many of us have asked them. This verse should not be used as an excuse not to pray. God wants us to admit our needs to Him and to show Him the concerns of our hearts. He wants to be involved in our day-to-day affairs. In Genesis chapter 15 the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. In the vision, Abram told God that he was without a child. God knew that Abram needed a child, but it allowed the two of them to talk. God wanted to be involved in Abrams life. Abram believed the promises of God and was considered righteous. Abram involved God in his life and his life was changed forever. Abram was changed because of his interaction with God. When God met Moses at the burning bush, it became a time of communication. God gave Moses his calling and Moses gave his excuses as to why he was inadequate. Every time Moses gave an excuse, God gave an answer. God already knew everything about Moses, but Moses needed to get involved with God. Moses needed to communicate with God and become accustomed to talking with Him. As a result, Moses became a changed man. God then used him to change his world. God wants to get involved in everything we do. Prayer is how we involve him. As a result. we can change our world. God wants us to involve Him in our day-to-day lives. By spending time daily in prayer and worship, we invite God into our lives. God wants to hear from us, and get involved with us. But he will not intrude, instead, he waits for our invitation. Prayer is an opportunity that everyone should take to invite God to become involved their lives. Prayer does not change God, it changes us. Gideon had an army of more than 30,000 people to fight the army from Midian which had 135,000 men. That is about a 1:4 ratio. One Israelite for every four Midians. Those are not good odds on the battlefield. God told Gideon he had too many people and reduced his army to 300 men. Only 300 men! The ratio is now 1:400. There is now one Israelite for every four hundred Midians. Would you fight an army of 135,000 with only 300 men? Gideon spent time in prayer and as a result, believed Gods promise of victory. The Lord delivered the incredible victory to Gideon just as he had promised him. Gideon was a changed man. Prayer does that to us, it changes us, if we listen to God and believe Him. As we learn what it means to truly pray, and start to pray this way, it will be impossible for us to not change. Just think what the church would be like today if Christians prayed for God to change them according to His will. Prayer does not get our will done in Heaven, it gets Gods will done on earth. At Gethsemane, Jesus prayed “not my will, but yours be done.” How often it is when we want our own will to be done in our lives, but not Gods will. We should be seeking Gods will and not our own. The hard part is learning to trust Gods will for us. Jeremiah 29:11-14 says “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord,… We need to start putting our trust in the Lords will for our lives. n Matthew 6:10 Jesus taught his disciples to pray “…thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” I think it is important that we tell God what it is we think we need. It is also important to let God know our wants and our will. But, (heavy emphasis on the word but) we need to listen to God and find out what He thinks and what He knows we need. This opens a conversation between you & God. We must remember that Gods will is more important and much better for us than our own. “not my will be done, but let your will be done.” It comes down to will power. Whose will do we want to be accomplished? We really only have two choices: our will, or Gods will. Many times we think we know better, or know more than God, and desire for our will to be done. There is only one thing that God gives us complete control over & that is our own free will. We need to surrender our will as a sacrifice to him for all he has done for us. God is sovereign, and that means that He is God and we are not. His will is important and His will is in our best interests. The best thing that we can do is to get our will in line with Gods will. We do that through prayerful listening. Prayer is not because God needs us, but because we need God. God made us to serve him, not for God to serve us. God is complete in himself, if there were no other creatures in the universe, God would still be complete because he needs no one else. God created the human race not because He needs us, but rather for His pleasure. He created us to worship Him. Galatians 6:3 says “For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” We should not fool ourselves into thinking God needs us. We however desperately need God. God is not made complete in us, but we are made complete in him. Colossians 2:10 says “and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.” Prayer is the key to being made complete in Christ Jesus. In the book of ACTS, whenever the church came together in unity and prayed, God moved miraculously. We need God to move miraculously in our lives,and this can only happen through prayer. This is why we pray, not to inform God, not to change him to our way of thinking, not to get our will done, not because he needs us, but because we need him, love him, and long to worship him. Mark 14:32-41 New International Version (NIV) 32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” 35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba,[a] Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Jesus knew the value of prayer & the consiquences of not praying) 39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. 41 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT AFTER THIS ? John 18:10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. After that he denied Christ 3 times. If Peter would have been praying, I believe he would have made better choices. Jesus even warned Peter in verse 38 We should pray because we are in a fierce battle.We are told that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph. 6:10). We are in a battle and we need the help of God. When we neglect prayer, we go into battle unarmed. Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, found it necessary to pray? If He did not feel He could face the battle in His own strength . . neither should we. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is Prayer? It seems that the first question we must ask is this: what is prayer? The simple answer is this: prayer is talking with God. We pray when we open our heart to the Almighty. As simple as this is, it is also something people need to hear. Too many people feel that prayer is a certain sound . . . Shakespearean English, rich in theological terminology very often spoken VERY loudly. Others feel prayer is something that takes place in a certain place or with a certain posture. But none of those things are requirements for true prayer. In fact, you can sound holy and not be doing anything other than talking to yourself. True prayer is honest, humble and personal. It is a great privilege to have an audience with the One who rules over ALL creation? We have been invited to talk with the one who put the stars in place. Prayer is a privilege purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. Christ died for this end, it cost him the shedding of his blood, so that we, through him, might have entrance to the throne of grace. Prayer is a deterrent to sin in our lives. Prayer makes a difference. circumstances change when people pray. I know that when I pray for others it helps them. But I also know that when I pray, I am changed. Prayer is the best way to communicate with God. Daily prayer is a way to acknowledge who is really in control of our lives Daily prayer gives us an opportunity to share all aspects of one’s life with God. Jeremiah 33:3 states, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” James 4:8 tells us to “draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” God wants us to be close to Him at all times. Daily prayer gives us the chance to express gratitude for the things in life that He provides. In 1 Chronicles 16:34, we are commanded to “give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Daily prayer is an act of worship and obedience. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overcoming Obstacles to Prayer Before I conclude this all too brief discourse on this vital issue of prayer, let me confront two obstacles to prayer. TOO BUSY One of the biggest obstacles to prayer is our schedules. We say we have a hard time finding time to pray. We need our sleep in the morning so we can function during the day. We are busy in family activities after our work. We stay up late because we need to finish our work for the next day. We want to pray, we say, but we dont have time. Let me ask you some pointed questions. Do you stop to eat each day? Do you wash? Do you read the paper or watch the news? Do you have time to watch the big game on television? Do you have time to take a nap? Do you have time to exercise? Which of these things is MORE important than building your relationship with the Father? Which of those things has an eternal dimension to it? If you really dont have time to pray . . . substitute prayer for one of those things you DO make time for. TROUBLE CONCENTRATING If we are honest, many of us would admit that one of the greatest obstacles to prayer is the difficulty that we have in concentrating. We start out in prayer but then our minds begin to wander. It seems futile, so we stop praying. There are several ways to help a wandering mind. Pray at a time when you are most mentally alert. (Generally praying while you are lying in bed isnt very effective.) Pause to remember who you are talking to. The more important we believe the conversation to be the more attention we give it. Have you ever noticed that though students may goof off during most class periods, they will give rapt attention when the teacher is telling them what to expect on an exam. Go to a quiet place where you will not be interrupted Speak out loud Use a prayer list Keep a pad of paper handy. When reminded of something you need to do . . . write it down and then go on. Conclusions If all we have done is gained more information about prayer we have wasted our time. 1) Set aside a time for prayer. 2) Discuss your life with the Father. 3) Use the Word of God as a starting point. Read through a passage of Scripture and then apply that scripture to your life. When you read a command to forgive others ask God to help you release the bitterness and the hurt that makes you resist that command. When you read about the importance of thinking pure thoughts confess the areas where your thinking is polluted and ask God for help to think better. This practice will help you focus on the deeper issues rather than the superficial. 4) Keep a prayer list. Be specific. 5) Take time to notice Gods answers to prayer. What I desire most of all today is not that you feel guilty about your lack of a prayer life. I want you to feel hungry for a greater prayer life. I want you to come to see prayer not as a duty but as a privilege. I want you to pray because of the sweetness that comes from spending time with the Father. Conclusions If all we have done is gained more information about prayer we have wasted our time. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.” It’s God’s will for His children to rejoice in Him, to pray to Him and give thanks to Him. To pray without ceasing simply means that we should make prayer a regular habit and never stop doing so. Prayer also is an act of worship because by praying to Him we are showing Him how much we adore Him. 1 Chronicles 29:11). God is our great King and as such He controls every aspect of our lives. Each day we should acknowledge His proper place in our lives humbly and with a reverence reserved for such a great and awesome King. Finally, prayer is something that we all should want to do on a daily basis. Yet for many Christians it can be a challenge to humble one’s self in daily prayer. Daily prayer with God is daily fellowship with our heavenly Father. It is truly amazing that God would want to have fellowship with us at all. “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:4). Daily prayer is a good way to understand this incredible truth and the marvelous privilege God has given us.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 01:45:03 +0000
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