Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part 1 Series

*Louisiana is well known for hurricanes, especially Katrina that devastated New Orleans in 2005. But in 2004, Hurricane Ivan was a monster storm headed straight for Baton Rouge.

*Louisiana dodged the bullet that time. But we didn't know until the last minute, so they evacuated Baton Rouge on a Wednesday. Our daughter Katie had to work late the night before, and we anxiously waited for her to come home.

*Like many college students, Katie was out of money, but she did have an Exxon card, and went to fill up there. Unfortunately, they were out of gas due to the evacuation, and so was she. That's why she was in a bit of a panic when she called me that Wednesday morning.

*I went straight to her bank and put some money in for her. And I thank God for the friend who took Katie to the bank, and then to find a gas station with some gas. BUT I WOULD HAVE CRAWLED TO THE BANK TO GET SOME MONEY TO KATIE! So would any decent dad. And if we "Joe Average Dads" would do that, how much more will our Heavenly Father do for His children? Infinitely more!

[2] IF GOD IS OUR FATHER, WE HAVE A FATHER WHO LOOKS OUT FOR US. -- WE ALSO HAVE A FATHER WHO LISTENS TO US.

*One of the things I admire the most about my dad is that he was always willing to patiently listen to his children. In that way, my dad was a picture of our Heavenly Father, because God the Father always listens to His children.

*Our Heavenly Father urges us to talk to Him many times. And He surely will listen to us, because of what Jesus did on the cross for us. Dying on the cross, Jesus tore open the barrier between God and man. That barrier was caused by our sins. But Jesus took all of the punishment for our sins when He died on the cross for us, and He gave us access to His Heavenly Father.

*That's why when Jesus died, God the Father miraculously tore open the curtain that walled off the Holy of Holies in the Temple. And in Ephesians 2:18, Paul tells Christians that through Jesus, we "have access by one Spirit to the Father."

*Christians: We have a Heavenly Father who listens to us, and He will answer our prayers in just the right way at just the right time, even in miraculous ways.

*My wife Mary used to work at Lakeshore School with a lady named Jan Ramsey. I think she was a member of First Baptist Church in Swartz. Jan gave this prayer testimony about her dad, James, and I think he was 81 at the time.

*One day James was on a 4-wheeler spraying grass around their catfish pond. Suddenly, the 4-wheeler flipped over and threw James into pond. That was a giant emergency because James couldn’t swim.

*He was over his head, and went down 4 or 5 times. James fought and thrashed around, but in his panic, he was only getting farther from the bank. That old man was completely worn out when he noticed a willow tree hanging low over the water. It was about 40 feet away, and James prayed this prayer, "Now God, either you’re going to have to take me home or let me get to that willow tree."