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Prayer – Have we forsaken it?
This morning during my Bible study and prayer time, the Holy Spirit pointed out that my prayer life was lacking. It is not that I don’t often pray throughout the day as the Spirit moves me, but it is not dedicated prayer time.
I confess my sin to you because I feel that it is a much bigger problem than just me. I hope you may be more committed than I am, but I would not be surprised if you were not.
Jesus Prays
We have many examples of Jesus separating himself to spend time in prayer. Was it His sin that caused Him to feel a need for prayer? Of course not! He desired to be closer to His Father as we should.
Jesus dwelt in a fleshly body and faced the same temptations we face. The burden He carried of reaching a lost world and turning them back to the Father was heavy. It is the same responsibility that we should feel for the lost.
John records one of Jesus’ prayers in John 17. It is an excellent example of how we should pray. It is partly about His life and upcoming death, but He also prays for His disciples and all believers. He prayed for our unity.
The Apostles
We find examples of prayer by the apostles as they tried to complete their work of spreading the gospel message. They needed it for themselves and for the new believers for which they were responsible.
Paul especially admonishes the believers to pray in many of his letters to the churches. You can find one of my favorite Scriptures about prayer in Ephesians. I love it because it emphasizes our need to be always in prayer.
Paul says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. I ask God that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions, not just when we need something. Sometimes we treat God like a Santa Claus. Give me, Lord! Me first! Is this not true?
There is nothing wrong with calling on God in our times of need. Remember what Jesus did. He asked His Father to remove the cup of His death on the cross from Him. However, He set us another example in His prayer. He asked that the will of God be done.
Our Prayers
How should we pray? Jesus points out a few things in Matthew 5 and 6. First, He tells us how not to pray. When we pray, Jesus says that we are not to be like the hypocrites, who pray in public to be seen by others. He says, “when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to you, Father.” Matt. 6:6
He also tells us, “when you pray, do not keep on babbling like the pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. We are not praying to inform God of our needs but align ourselves with His will for us.
He gives us this example:
“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have
Forgiven our debtors, and lead us not
Into temptation, but deliver us
From the evil one.”
Our prayers should be simple:
- Glorify God
- Pray for His will to be done
- For our needs
- Our forgiveness
- Deliverance
God Answers Pray
The point we need to remember is that God answers our requests. Answering prayer is not new to Him. We see prayers being answered all through the Bible.
One characteristic of all God’s servants is that they talk to God. You spend time with the One you love. And the wonderful part is that God answers the prayers of the faithful.
There are times that God even answers the prayers that we do not think to pray.
I have seen God respond many times as His people call on Him for different things. He is willing and able.
He Answers Our Hearts
There are times when He takes our wishes and dreams and answers them without us, even asking. I want to share this experience in my life.
Reba is now gone to be with the Lord, but this is a good example from our second year of marriage.
Reba and I were looking at a double-oven kitchen stove in a Sears Catalogue, one Sunday afternoon, and she said she really would like to have it. It was bright yellow, a popular color at the time. What she wanted was the double oven so she could have two ovens to bake in.
Knowing that we could not afford even a cheaper one, I said that maybe God would give us one someday. We laughed and went about our Sunday business.
The next morning Pastor Darnel called me and said he had received a strange call from Col. Bell. Col. Bell was a little confused because they had purchased a new kitchen stove before he got his overseas orders. He and his wife felt the Lord wanted them to give it to Reba and me but didn’t know if we needed one. He then asked his Pastor to check with us.
It was the exact stove I had said God might give us someday. I still get emotional when I think about the great and loving God we serve.
Conclusion:
Jesus felt He needed to pray, and we certainly need it more than Jesus. So let us start today by committing ourselves to devote ourselves to prayer. We need it, and so does the world.
You cannot serve God effectively without prayer. It is a time when God can speak to your heart and give you the guidance you need.