Make Prayer Your Priority

1. INTRODUCTION. ALL OF US HAVE THINGS THAT WE HAVE MADE A PRIORITY. OUR CAREERS, OUR RELATIONSHIPS, OUR EDUCATION; THERE ARE MANY WHO HAVE ASPIRATIONS OF FAME, WHO HAVE MADE WEALTH THEIR PRIORITY, WHILE OTHERS SEEK THE ACCUMULATION OF THINGS AND WORLDLY POSSESSIONS. THERE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE MADE GETTING OUT OF THE PROJECTS THEIR TOP PRIORITY. THERE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE MADE THEIR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN THEIR CHIEF PRIORITY. BUT, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, AS A CHILD OF GOD, WE NEED TO MAKE PRAYER OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. BECAUSE WHEN PRAYER IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, GOD WILL BECOME OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ELEMENT IN THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER IS FAITHFUL PRAYER. AS BELIEVERS, WE MUST GET TO THE POINT THAT WE VALUE PRAYER AS MORE THAN WORDS THAT WE UTTER. PRAYER IS MORE THAN CALLING ON GOD IN TIMES OF DESPAIR. PRAYER MUST BECOME A LIFESTYLE, THAT IS EXERCISED ON A REGULAR BASIS. BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE AN IRREGULAR PRAYER LIFE, THEN YOU HAVE IRREGULAR FAITH; AND WHEN YOU HAVE IRREGULAR FAITH, YOU ALSO HAVE AN IRREGULAR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. MY AIM TODAY IS TO ENCOURAGE AND CHALLENGE YOU TO MAKE PRAYER YOUR PRIORITY!

2. THE TEXT. DAVID FINDS HIMSELF IN DEEP DESPAIR DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES THAT HE IS FACING.

a) HIS SOUL IS PERPLEXED AND HIS MIND IS IN AGONY.

b) DAVID IS BEING PERSECUTED, SLANDERED AND HATED, SO MUCH SO THAT THE TERROR OF DEATH IS UPON HIM.

c) HIS HEART SEEMS AS IF IT WERE MELTING WITHIN HIM.

d) WICKEDNESS SURROUNDS HIM.

e) AND TO COMPLICATE THE MATTER, HIS ENEMY WAS NOT A FOREIGN STRANGER, BUT SOMEONE THAT HE WALKED WITH, WHO WAS HIS ADVISOR, SOMEONE THAT HE CALLED FRIEND.

f) MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, SOMETIMES IT’S THOSE WHO ARE CLOSE TO US WHO HURT US THE MOST.

g) DAVID FINDS HIMSELF IN A DISTRAUGHT DISPOSITION AND HIS ONLY RECOURSE WAS TO CRY OUT TO GOD.

h) NOW, IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT DAVID, HE WAS A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART.

i) DAVID SPENT TIME WITH GOD ON A REGULAR BASIS.

j) DAVID PRAYED IN THE EVENING, IN THE MORNING, AND AT NOON.

k) DANIEL MADE IT A PATTERN OF PRAYING THREE TIMES A DAY.

l) MAKE PRAYER YOUR PRIORITY!

3. PRAYER SHOULD NOT BE…SOMETHING THAT WE DO HAPHAZARDLY.

a) SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A GOOD LUCK CHARM THAT IS ONLY USED IN THE TIME OF DIRE NEED.

b) SHOULD NOT BE SEEN AS A MYSTICAL ENCHANTMENT THAT SEEKS MAGICAL RESULTS.

c) SHOULD NOT BE USED TO GET GOD TO DO THINGS THAT WE CAN DO FOR OURSELVES.

d) SHOULD NOT BE AN OCCASIONAL OCCURRENCE FOR ANY BELIEVER!

e) SHOULD NOT BE PLACED AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR LIST OF PRIORITIES, BECAUSE IF PRAYER IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST; SO IS GOD!

f) SHOULD NOT BE FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPRESSING AND PLEASING OTHERS, OR SOUNDING GOOD TO THE MASSES, BECAUSE THAT’S NOT EDIFICATION, THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT.

4. PRAYER IS... FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD AND THE WORSHIP OF GOD.

a) PRAYER IS DESIGNED TO BRING GLORY AND HONOR TO GOD, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME EDIFYING THE BODY OF CHRIST.

b) PRAYER IS THE METHOD THAT GOD IMPLEMENTED IN ORDER FOR US TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIM, AND HOW HE COMMUNICATES WITH US, OTHER THAN THROUGH HIS WORD.

c) PRAYER IS EXPECTED BY GOD OF HIS CHILDREN.

d) PRAYER IS INTERTWINED WITH FAITH. HOW MUCH FAITH YOU HAVE WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH PRAYING YOU DO. AND HOW MUCH PRAYING YOU DO WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH FAITH YOU HAVE.

e) PRAYER IS AS IMPORTANT TO US AS AIR IS TO US. WITHOUT AIR WE WILL SUFFOCATE, WITHOUT PRAYER, WE WILL SUFFOCATE.

f) PRAYER IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON IN THE BELIEVER’S ARSENAL.

5. IN ORDER FOR PRAYER TO BE EFFECTIVE IT MUST…COME FROM A REPENTED HEART.

a) IT MUST BE BATHED IN FAITH, WITH THE CONFIDENCE THAT GOD WILL GIVE FAVOR TO THE PRAYER. DAVID HAD CONFIDENCE THAT GOD WOULD NOT ONLY HEAR HIM, BUT ANSWER HIM.

b) PRAYERS THAT ARE PRAYED WITHOUT EXPECTATION ARE NOT WORTH PRAYING.

c) IT MUST BE PRAYED IN THE SPIRIT OF SINCERITY.

d) IT MUST COME FROM A PERSON WHO HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

e) THERE ARE MANY UNSAVED PERSONS PRAYING UNFRUITFUL PRAYERS, BECAUSE THE ONLY TIME THAT GOD LISTENS TO THE PRAYERS OF SINNERS IS WHEN THEY ARE REPENTING OF THEIR SINS!

f) IT MUST COME FROM A SURRENDERED AND HUMBLE HEART.

6. SINCERE AND PRIORITIZED PRAYER WILL…WILL SOOTHE A EMOTIONALLY TROUBLED MIND.

a) IT WILL GIVE GUIDANCE IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY.

b) IT WILL GIVE COMFORT IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS.

c) IT WILL GIVE STRENGTH IN THE MIDST OF WEAKNESS.

d) IT WILL GIVE HOPE IN THE MIDST OF HOPELESSNESS.