When Is It Wrong Tp Pray Series

Annual Sermons: Vol. 6 No. 12

Text: Deut. 3:23-26

Concord Baptist Church: 1992

Bob Marcaurelle: Pastor

bmarcaurelle@charter.net

WHEN IS IT WRONG TO PRAY

"Moses, say nothing else to me about this.” (Deut. 3:26).

Jesus told us we should always pray (Lk. 18:1) and Paul said, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Th. 5:17). The paradox of this is that sometimes God prohibits pray¬er and tells us prayer is improper. In our text God said to Moses, "That is enough! Say no more to me about it" (Dt. 3:26). Today, let's look at this and other examples when God says prayer is improper.

A. WHEN IT'S TIME TO ACT (Ex. 14:15)

The scene is the Egypt side of the Red Sea. Moses and his three million slaves have left Egypt. Phar¬aoh, after letting them go, has a change of heart and comes out with his army in hot pursuit. The Israel¬ites, between an army and an ocean, blame Moses. They cry out, "Is it because there are no graveyards in Egypt that you have brought us out to die in this ilderness?" (Ex. 14:11).

As Pharaoh drew near, God said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the peo¬ple of Israel to go forward. Lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it." (14:15,16). In other words, don't pray, go forward in obedience and faith.

God's people are always substituting prayer for action. We do not have to pray about whether or not we are to witness to someone. We have a mandate to WITNESS to anyone and everyone. We may pray about the HOW and about the OPPORTUNE TIME, but not about the act itself.

I have heard people say the Lord hadn't "led" them to witness to cer¬tain people. Yes, He has. All they had to do was read Matt. 28:18-20. It's not nice to hate, but I have a real problem not hating child abusers. Early in my ministry I told God He would have to get someone else to love them and witness to them. That was not my "ministry."

Well, God has placed two such people in my life, during the past thirty years. Forced by my job to go to them, I went like Jonah went to Nine¬veh, with a lot of bitterness and nothing that resem¬bled love. I am here to tell you that God gave me agape love (which is spelled h-e-l-p Lk. 10) for both of these individuals and it was my privilege to help one of them die and I fully expect to see him in heaven, fully forgiven and fully delivered.

Also, it is not right to pray over whether or not to WITNESS, to give one tenth* of your income to the work of God through the local church.

I have heard people say God led them to give part of their tithe to peo¬ple like Billy Graham and part to the church. I do not believe it, because God will not lead you against what He has revealed in His word. And he taught Israel to bring its tithes to the Temple storehouse (Mal. 3:10) to be distributed by the priests.

*(Later in my ministry I asked people to decide what they can give, in their financial situation and WORK TOWARDS tithing as God blesses them. The first time I did this, in a stewaedship service our offerings went up $1,000 a week,)

And in the New Testament we are told that the church is to put aside offerings to help God's people (1 Cor. 16:2). Thank God for Billy Graham, the American Cancer So¬ciety, American Leprosy Missions, St. Jude's Hospital, etc. Help them! Support them! But don't disobey God's Word and steal from God's church to do it. Let that be your offering above your tithe to the church.

There are other areas - qualified young men, called to preach, free to pursue an education, don't need to pray about GOING TO SEMINARY, they need only to pray where they should go. People of God don't need to pray about whether or not to ATTEND CHURCH, but where to attend. To pray when action is called for is improper. It is also improper. . .

B. WHEN GOD HAS SAID NO (Deut. 3:23-26)

Jesus Christ puts great value on persistence in prayer. He used the present tense and said, "KEEP ON asking and you will receive KEEP ON seeking and you will find. . ." (Matt. 7:7). Two of His parables pic¬ture this. One is the pesky neighbor who kept on yelling in the middle of the night until his neighbor gave him some food. Then, drawing a parallel, Jesus said, "KEEP ON ASKING" (Lk. 11:9). The other pictured a pesky widow who kept badgering a crooked judge until he gave her justice in court. Jesus drew this para¬llel, "Now will God not also judge in favor of His own people who cry to Him day and night for help?" (Lk. 18:7).