Pattern Of Prayer Series

Gladys Brown in Bucyrus, Ohio, talks about being at a midweek prayer service where someone requested prayer for a neighbor woman who was having a difficult time and was feeling “just miserable.”

Volunteering to take the request, a man fervently prayed, “O God, bless this miserable woman!” (Gladys Brown, Bucyrus, Ohio, Christian Reader, “Lite Fare;” www.PreachingToday.com)

Oh my! People don’t always know how to pray, and it comes out all wrong. Mercifully, Jesus taught us that God honors sure, simple, sincere prayers from the heart, so we don’t have to worry about using long, flowery phrases when we pray.

Even so, it would be nice to know what kind of requests to make to God, requests that He would be delighted to answer. Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Matthew 6, Matthew 6, where Jesus gives us 7 short, simple requests to make when we pray, requests which move the heart of God to respond.

Matthew 6:9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (ESV)

First, Jesus teaches us how to address God, as “our Father in heaven.” Wow! That’s a mouthful, and I could preach a whole sermon just on that phrase, but don’t worry. I won’t. Suffice it to say that when you pray, first...

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS.

Recognize that He is both near (He is our Father) and He is far (He is in heaven). Appreciate that He is both loving and holy, i.e., wholly other. Realize that He is familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He is close to His own, but very distinct. He is intimate, but also infinite.

That recognition affects how you pray, for some people treat God like the “Geek Squad.” You know, if you have a problem with your computer, you call the Geek Squad, they fix your problem, and then they leave you alone.

In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, C. S. Lewis described approaching God in a similar way. At a young age, when he learned that his mother was dying, he remembered that he had been taught that prayers offered in faith would be granted. When his mother eventually died, Lewis prayed for a miracle. Later, he wrote:

“I had approached God, or my idea of God, without love, without awe, even without fear. He was, in my mental picture of this miracle, to appear neither as Savior nor as Judge, but merely as a magician; and when he had done what was required of him, I supposed he would simply—well, go away. It never crossed my mind that the tremendous contract which I solicited should have any consequence beyond restoring the status quo.” (C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1995, pp. 18-19; www.PreachingToday.com)

When you expect God to fix your problem, restore the status quo, and leave you alone, you’ve treated Him like the Geek Squad, but God is NOT like the Geek Squad. He is your “Father in heaven.” He is the Almighty One, the One deserving your greatest respect, who wants to be in a loving relationship with you! So prayer is not just about getting your needs met; it’s about a personal relationship with an Almighty, Holy God, One that invites you to call Him “Father.”

William Barclay in his commentary on Matthew, tells the story of a Roman emperor, coming home victorious from battle. He came into Rome with all his troops at the head of a great parade, celebrating his triumph. The prisoners of war, along with the defeated kings and generals, followed in his train. The streets were lined with cheering people, and tall [guards] lined the streets’ edges to keep the people in their places.

At one point on the triumphal route, there was a little platform where the empress and her family were sitting to watch the emperor go by in all the pride of his triumph. On the platform with his mother, there was the emperor’s youngest son, a little boy.

As the emperor came near, the little boy jumped off the platform, burrowed through the crowd and tried to dodge between the legs of a guard to meet his father’s chariot. The guard stooped down and stopped him. He swung him up in his arms: “You can’t do that, boy,” he said. “Don’t you know who that is in the chariot? That’s the emperor. You can’t run out to his chariot.”

The little boy laughed and said, “He may be your emperor, but he’s my father.” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Vol.1)

That’s how God wants you to approach Him when you pray. He’s the all-powerful LORD, but He’s also your Father if you have trusted Jesus Christ, His Son, with your life.

You see, prayer is not simply making requests. It’s part of an intimate relationship with an infinite God. So when you pray, first acknowledge who God is. Then second...