Introduction

Good morning, dear friends. Let us gather together in the presence of our Lord, in the spirit of fellowship, with hearts open to the message that He has in store for us today.

We are gathered here today to reflect, to learn, and to grow in our understanding of our relationship with God through prayer. Our guiding light for today’s sermon comes from the prophet Isaiah, in the 65th chapter, verse 24:

"Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear."

How profound is this promise from our Heavenly Father! Before we even articulate our needs, He has already responded. While our pleas are still forming on our lips, He has heard us. This is the assurance that we have in our God – a God who is ever-present, ever-listening, and ever-responding.

Charles Spurgeon once said, "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness." This quote underscores the theme of our sermon today. We are not trying to convince a reluctant God to answer our prayers. On the contrary, we are reaching out to a God who is more than willing, more than ready to respond to our prayers.

We will be focusing on three main points today: Proactive Prayer, Perseverance in Prayer, and Promises in Prayer. As we turn our attention to these topics, let us remember that God is not a distant, uninterested deity. He is our Father, who loves us more than we can comprehend, and who is actively involved in every aspect of our lives.

Let us begin with a prayer.

Our Heavenly Father, we come before you today with humble hearts, eager to learn from Your word. We ask that You open our minds and our hearts to the message that You have for us today. Help us to understand Your will and Your ways more clearly. Guide us as we strive to live lives that are pleasing to You. We ask all this in the precious name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Proactive Prayer

When we consider the nature of our relationship with God, we must acknowledge His omnipresence. He is everywhere, at all times. This means that He is with us in every moment, in every situation. He is with us in our joy and in our sorrow, in our triumphs and in our trials. He is not a God who is far off, but a God who is near, a God who is intimately involved in the details of our lives.

The verse from Isaiah that we are focusing on today gives us a glimpse into the depth of God's involvement in our lives. "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear." This is a promise of God's proactive response to our prayers. He doesn't wait for us to finish our prayers before He starts working on the answer. He doesn't even wait for us to start praying. He is already at work, even before we call out to Him.

This understanding of God's proactive response to our prayers should shape the way we approach prayer. Prayer is not a ritual or a routine. It's not something we do out of obligation or out of habit. It's a conversation with our Heavenly Father, a conversation that He is eager to have with us.

When we understand that God is already at work, even before we pray, it changes the way we pray. We don't have to beg or plead for God to hear us. We don't have to shout or scream to get His attention. We can come to Him with confidence, knowing that He is already listening, already responding.

This confidence in God's proactive response to our prayers should also shape the content of our prayers. We don't have to present a detailed plan for how God should answer our prayers. We don't have to convince Him to care about our needs. We can simply share our hearts with Him, knowing that He already knows what we need and is already working on the answer.

The promise of God's proactive response to our prayers should also shape our expectations in prayer. We don't have to wonder if God will answer our prayers. We don't have to worry about when or how He will answer. We can trust that He is already at work, even before we pray, and that He will answer in His perfect timing and in His perfect way.

Finally, the promise of God's proactive response to our prayers should shape our attitude in prayer. We don't have to approach prayer with fear or anxiety. We don't have to feel guilty or unworthy. We can approach God with joy and gratitude, knowing that He is eager to hear from us and eager to respond to our prayers.

Perseverance in Prayer

As we continue to reflect on the words of Isaiah, we find ourselves drawn to the notion of perseverance in prayer ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO