Intro: most of the sermons on prayer generally emphasize the need of prayer, the how to of prayer, the outcome of prayer. Tonight, I would like to simplify this subject by looking at, "Definitions of Prayer." The bible is full of verses that include the words pray, prayed, praying—in examining these verses we gather real insight into the meaning of prayer.
· Matthew 6:6—A Secret Situation—Jesus gives an alternative to the showy, religious prayer of the day. Instead of making prayer a spectacle for others to witness, Jesus encourages prayer to become a private time, a secret meeting with God. Jesus goes on to explain that real answers to prayer come when they are done in a personal way. One on one with God, in a secret place, having a holy encounter. If you are known for your prayers you are rewarded by man, but if God knows your prayers you are rewarded by Him.
· Matthew 9:38-A Master’s Commission—prayer is a time where God gives us direction in our lives. It is the place where we invite God to lead our lives in His service. It is a sending place, it is the place where His will for our lives is revealed. We are sent to the fields of harvest, where we can come back rejoicing bringing in the sheaves. If someone is satisfied with no fruit in their lives, it is because of a lack of prayer. Jesus cursed the fig tree because of fruitlessnes, and in our walk with God we must be careful never to be satisfied with just merely existing for God. We are called to production and harvest, the longer something doesn’t produce the more unlikely it ever will.
· Matthew 26:41-A Spiritual Protection—it is a place where we are strengthen for the tests and battles of life. We gain spiritual fortitude to be able to withstand all the wiles of the devil. Temptations will come our way, but prayer is the preparation time for us to go through in victory. You may not know what you may face tomorrow, but prayer is the preparation for the storm. If you wait till the test arrives to pray, you may fail, but if you have already prayed, you will overcome.
· Mark 11:24—A Confident Expectation-prayer isn’t just about asking, but a deep belief in receiving from God. We pray in confidence, that God will answer, God will come through for us. We believe the mountain will fall, the enemy will be defeated and the blessing will come down. Prayer isn’t about our ability to pray, but His ability to answer. If we who are evil can gift good gifts, how much more can the heavenly Father give good things to them who ask.
· Luke 18:1- An Everyday Opportunity—we now move into the challenge of making prayer more than a week-end event, more than a 9-1-1 emergency call, into a lifestyle of prayer. Prayer isn’t a last ditch effort, or a last resort, it is the first call, it is the most important thing. Jesus gives us this simple formula for prayer, pray about everything. I like the part that says we will reap if we don’t faint. Many times people give up on prayer because they don’t see immediate results. But the true prayer warrior and intercessor presses on to completion. A general rule of any trial is this: it will get worse before it ever gets better. So if you didn’t get the answer today, don’t despair, God is faithful who has promised.
· I Thessalonians 5:17—A Continual Connection—pray without ceasing, means that prayer isn’t something we do, prayer becomes something we are, an attitude of the heart. As Smith Wigglesworth said one time, “ I don’t have to get prayed up to pray for someone, I am always on ready when it comes to prayer.”
God would have us meet every challenge with prayer, not intellect, not ability, but prayer. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.
· I Timothy 2:8—An Everywhere Event- prayer isn’t something that is done in a particular place with a particular group. Prayer is an anytime, anywhere, in any situation thing to do. Paul says, pray in jail, pray on the road, pray in the desert, pray in the ocean, the main place to pray is to pray wherever prayer is needed.
· Acts 4:31—A Supernatural Sensation—things don’t get shaken until we pray, if something isn’t moving then someone isn’t praying. As the old quote says, “prayer changes things.” If prayer didn’t get any results, there would never be a need to pray, but a supernatural prayer produces supernatural results. Religion can become stagnant, but God is an ever flowing stream. You will never exhaust the power of God. As we have said many times before, seeking God isn’t about you getting all of God, but God getting all of you.
· Matthew 17:21— A Demonic Demolition -you won’t get the devil out until you pray him out. You can’t sing him out, shout him out, dance him out, or preach him out, but you can pray him out. Jesus says, this type of devil won’t leave until someone prays and fasts. The stronger the devil, the stronger the prayer will be needed to move him. We live in a bound society, and the chains are stronger. But the devil will never make a chain that God cannot break. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. A close friend of mine use to tell me that if you fight the devil on his level you will always lose, but if you go higher in God, when the devil arrives he can’t handle the altitude.
· James 5:15- A Faith Demonstration—if prayer isn’t based on faith, it won’t be effective with God. If you don’t first believe in your prayer, it will be impossible for God to believe in it either. You don’t need a mountain sized faith to move molehills, you need a mustard seed sized faith to move the mountains in your life. For faith to be proven, faith must be tried.
· James 5:16-A Fulfilling Fervency-- of course this goes with verse 15, if you don’t have faith the prayer won’t work, if you don’t have fire in the prayer, it will never reach heaven. As I have stated many times before, if your prayer doesn’t mean anything to you, it won’t mean anything to anybody else, especially God. Fervency has urgency in it. A prayer on fire is one that is burning in your heart and soul. A cold formal prayer will turn to ice, but a red hot prayer will explode into a revival. One old saint told me years ago, the ice wagon never has any followers, but the fire engine will always bring a crowd. You can feel fire from a distance, and you can sense God in a fervent prayer. Years ago a young marine at Bible college prayed every morning in the orange groves before classes. Sometimes I would walk to my first class about the time he was coming out of the orange grove. You could sense the presence of God when you walked with him.
* James 5:16-A Significant Other-pray for one another that ye may be healed. God has a very important law that everyone should know, as you pray for others God will bless you. So many times we can become self centered in our prayer lives and everything can be about what we are facing. But there is a simple principle that God has instituted where you will be blessed while you are praying for others to be blessed. Because Solomon wanted wisdom to help other people, God blessed him with so many things that he wasn’t even asking God to give him.
· Revelation 5:8—An Aromatic Arrival—this is so exciting to know, that your prayers aren’t stagnant things that lay dormant, but living things that rise to God. When they arrive before God’s throne they become the perfume of heaven. Not even the worship of angels will ever take the valued place of the prayer of the saints. Our praise, worship and prayer is so precious to God that he keeps a journal of every time we mention His name, he bottles up the tears of our life and draws near to us as we draw near to Him.
· Jude 1:20—Holy Ghost Habitation—just like true worship is Spirit and Truth, prayer is a working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we don’t know what or how to pray, we allow the Spirit of God to make intercessions through us. Prayer isn’t from the head, as much is as it is from the heart. When you have a Spirit aided, Truth guided prayer, you won’t just move the mountains, but your prayer will shake the heavens, and His glory will pour down. Years ago I couldn’t start my lawn mower and a neighbor saw me struggling. He came over with a bottle of spray called, "Super Charged Carb Cleaner". Just a quick spray and my lawnmower started on the next pull. The Holy Spirit super charges our prayers. As we submit to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, He takes us into areas of prayer that the carnal man is not allowed to enter. Years ago an old saint said to me, you need to keep praying until the Spirit takes control. I think they termed it, praying through.
* 2 Chronicles 7:14--A National Treasure--prayer can be individual, corporate or national in scope. God has promised to bless and heal nations that pray. He will destroy nations that forget God, but will bless nations that remember Him. It is the duty of every Christian, every citizen to pray for America, or whatever nation to whom they belong. It is also a command that all people pray for the peace of Israel, and that God will bless His covenant people. If you don’t pray for your national leaders don’t complain about their decisions. If you don’t like the direction you see the nation going in, pray that God will give us a new direction. A national revival will not take place until our nation wants God more than prosperity, more than prominence, and more than world power.
Close: I read a quote on Sermon central taken from Charles Spurgeon. He said, “ he would rather teach one person to pray, then ten people to preach.” E.M. Bounds states it best when he said, “ the devil doesn’t mind people teaching on prayer, preaching on prayer, having conferences on prayer, or singing songs about prayer, what he cannot stand, what he will fight against with all of his might, are people who pray.
Ill) a man had a dream of shelves in heaven. To his amazement there was junk on the top shelves, trivial things on the middle shelves, but gold, silver and precious things on the bottom shelves. He asked an angel in his dream, why are the valuable things all on the lower shelves. The angel replied, everything great that you receive from heaven, you get on your knees.
You want every good and perfect gift that comes from above, get on your knees, bow before the throne of grace and mercy, and you will receive help in your time of need. Years ago I heard John Osteen say, good preaching won’t build a church, but simple faith, and sincere prayers will build the kingdom of God.
If this sermon has touched your heart, let God turn you into a prayer warrior
