Do You Pray?

- Ps 27:7

* Muslims pray because they are commanded to (5 times a day) and strict guidelines are laid down for this.

- Fox News 12/6/06 Residents of a southern Somalia town who do not pray five times a day will be beheaded, an official said Wednesday, adding the edict will be implemented in three days. (After three days they "will definitely be beheaded according to Islamic law,"

* Buddhists don’t (strictly speaking) pray. They are seeking something within themselves.

* Hindus pray and offer gifts to one of their many gods.

* Christians meet with God in prayer, as a child would meet his parent, because they have a direct relationship with Him. God, in the person of Jesus Christ, expressed His love to us by living as we would, and ultimately giving His life on the cross in our place so that we can have this relationship.

Video "Do You Pray" has good man in the street interviews --- http://www.sermonvideos.com/

- Why Is There No Prayer?

- People live their lives without God

- We can do without prayer - We are fine just the way that we are

- Job 21 - Zophar being answered by

Job his third friend

- Job 21:14-15 Therefore they say unto

God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

- Yet the most essential thing in our lives began with Prayer

- SALVATION

- Life can be exhausting & disappointing

- Prayer is essential for life

- The fuel for Jesus’ ministry was love.

- Jesus drew from the power source of His Father’s love through prayer

- Ps 27:7

- Hear Me — Has a Focus

- One that can answer

- To listen to attentively

- To give a cause as before a judge

- Have Mercy upon Me — Has a Plea

- Spurgeon Mercy is the hope of sinners

- Mercy is therefuge of saints.

- Answer Me — Has an Expected Response

- An acknowledgment

- Wanting the Lord’s agreement

1. Hezekiah’s Action 2 Kings 18

- 2 Kings 18:3 – He did

- 2 Kings 18:4 – He removed

- 2 Kings 18:5 – He trusted

- 2 Kings 18:6 – He followed

- 2 Kings 18:7 – He Prospered

2. Hezekiah’s Problem

- 2 Kings 18:9-11 – Saw the Assyrians destroy Samaria

- 2 Kings 18:13 – Judah Attached

- 2 Kings 18:15-16 Paid ransom - $1.5 million dollars

- 2 Kings 18:17-37 - Now Surrender

- 2 Kings 18:34-35; 19:11-12 = Plus your God will not help

3. Hezekiah’s Prayer (Like David’s Ps. 27:7

- Hear me 2 Kings 19:14-16

- Have Mercy Upon – Me - 2 Kings 19:17-19

- Answer me 2 Kings – 19:20;32–34

4. Result of Hezekiah’s Prayer

- The atom and it’s explosive force is the greatest force known to man.

- It can’t be compared with the Power of Prayer

5. Man & Prayer

- Manhattan Project would eventually employ more than 130,000 people

- Cost a total of nearly $2 billion

- On August 6, 1945 the USA dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and three days later on Nagasaki, Japan.

- These two atomic bombs dropped over Japan killed around 92,000 people, and brought an end to World War II, now talk about power?

- That was great power, but God has more power than that.

- In one prayer a hopeless King Hezekiah prayed over Jerusalem’s entrapment

- 2 Kings 19:35

- God sent one angel and killed 185,000 of the enemy

- Prayer has explosive power

- 2 Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.