The 5 P’s Of Prayer Series

Sermon on the Mount

“The 5 P’s of Prayer”

Matthew 6:5-15

Prayer; vibrant, fervent prayer: prayer that truly touches the heart of God and changes the world is the most difficult of all responsibilities we have as believers.

What’s sad is that this is something God allows us to participate in regarding His work in our midst. In Ezekiel chapter 36 God was preparing Israel for a revival and said,

“I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock.” (Ezekiel 36:37 NKJV)

It’s God’s desire that we seek to further His kingdom plans and purposes here on earth. It’s been said that no revival or work of God has ever taken off until God’s people set their hearts toward God and start calling out to Him. It’s important, therefore, that we keep an active prayer life, and that the spirit of prayer be alive in our hearts.

Six year old was an only child. One evening he asked his father for a pet. His father said it was impossible, but if he prayed really hard for the next three months God will send him a baby brother.

Well Bobby prayed, but after a month and not see a baby brother he gave up. Two months later he saw his father holding his baby brother in his arms. But next to his mother was another baby brother, twins.

Bobby father’s said, “Aren’t you glad you prayed for a baby brother?” And Bobby replied, “Yeah, but aren’t you glad I stopped when I did?”

Most of us are like Bobby. We pray but after a while we become discouraged and our prayer life suffers, and for all intent and purposes, ceases.

Prayer is the one responsibility that I find the hardest to maintain. Give me a topic and I’ll research it to death. I love finding hidden nuggets in God’s word. But I admit that my prayer life falls short of where it should be.

There are times when I have felt like Isaiah before God’s throne hearing Him speak. But there are other times when I just can’t seem to get a connection. The reason may very well be the crowdedness and noise of life drowning out God’s voice, which in turn shortens my time in prayer.

We often fall short in our prayer life because we don’t understand its importance. Jesus realized this and so right smack dab in the middle of His sermon, as He was warning His disciples about religious hypocrisy, He took time to teach about the nature and character of prayer.

For us, prayer is merely the preparation for the battle, but for Jesus prayer was the battle.

Consider the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was in agony praying to the Father about His impending death while the disciples were sleeping through it. The results was that Jesus was able to face and triumph over the agony of the cross while the disciples ran in fear.

So what is Jesus teaching us about prayer?

First, prayer should not be a public spectacle, calling attention to ourselves. The only attention we should want is God’s attention.

Second, prayer shouldn’t be useless repetition. It’s not the length of a prayer that makes it effective; rather it’s the content and the heart behind it.

Read Matthew 6:5-15

Jesus said, “In this manner, therefore pray.”

Jesus is giving us a model that we’re to build our prayers from, an outline if you would, which we’re to fill in. It’s a pattern by which we’re to follow, not an inflexible form to be repeated word for word. When that’s the case it becomes hypocritical and repetitious, two types of prayers denounced by Jesus.

John Bunyan said, “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.”

This prayer reveals the spirit by which we should pray

A Reverent Spirit – “Our Father…Hallowed by thy name.”

A Submissive Spirit – “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.”

A Humble Spirit – “Thy will be done.”

A Dependent Spirit – Give us this day…forgive our debts…lead us not into temptation.”

An Unselfish Spirit – “For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.”

The 5 P’s of Prayer

1. The Person of God

Think about the significance of the name, “Father.” It should humble us to think that we can come to God as His child, and that He is our Father.

This word means

• He’s committed to us as His children.

• He knows who we are and He’s chosen to know us intimately.

• He’s consistent. He’ll never change and He’ll always be our Father.

• He’ll provide for our needs and protects us from harm.

• He’ll listen for us when we call to Him.