HOW SHOULD WE PRAY
P.U.S.H.
MATTHEW 6:5-7
I WANT TO ANSWER THREE QUESTIONS CONCERNING PRAYER:FIRST,WHAT IS PRAYER? SECOND,WHY PRAY? THIRD,WHAT IS THE SECRET OF SUCCESSFUL PRAYING?
WHAT IS PRAYER? FIRST PRAYER IN IT’S SIMPLEST FORM IS NOTHING MORE THAN JUST ASKING FOR THINGS.ASK AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN YOU,SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND,KNOCK AND IT SHALL BE OPENED UNTO YOU.BUT PRAYER IS FAR MORE THAN ASKING FOR THINGS. PRAYER IS ALSO CONFESSION.WHEN WE GO INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD,I FIND THAT I OFTEN HAVE TO BEGIN BY ASKING HIM TO FORGIVE SO MUCH IN MY LIFE.JESUS TAUGHT US THAT CONFESSION IS VERY IMPORTANT IN PRAYER.WHEN YOU PRAY,SAY OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN HALLOWED BE THOU NAME,THY KINGDOM COME THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. GIVE US OUR DAILY BREAD AND FORGIVE US OUR SINS,FOR WE ALSO FORGIVE EVERY ONE THAT IS INDEBTED TO US.AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. WHAT A WONDERFUL THING IT IS TO KNOW THAT IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS,HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS,AND TO CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUNESS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.BUT PRAYER IS MORE THAN JUST ASKING,MORE THAN CONFESSING.PRAYER IS AN OFFERING OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING. IF SOME OF OUR PRAYING WERE ANALYZED WE WOULD PROBABLY BE SURPRISED HOW MUCH TIME IS TAKEN UP IN ASKING FOR THINGS AND WHINING (GIVE EXAMPLE) AND HOW LITTLE TIME IS GIVEN IN PRAISING GOD AND IN THANKING HIM FOR HIS GOODNESS.THE PSALMNIST SPOKE THE TRUTH WHEN HE WROTE IT IS A GOOD THING TO GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD AND TO SHOW FORTH THY LOVING KINDNESS IN THE MORNING. BUT PRAYER IS NOT ONLY ASKING,CONFESSING AND PRAISING. IT IS INTERCESSION PRAYING ON BEHALF OF OTHER PEOPLE. IT IS A WONDERFUL PRIVILEGE TO PRAY FOR OTHER PEOPLE. BY OUR PRAYERS WE CAN REACH OUT TO THE VERY ENDS OF EARTH AND TOUCH PEOPLE.BUT PERHAPS MOST WONDERFUL OF ALL IS THAT IN PRAYER WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP AND COMMUNION WITH GOD. WHEN JESUS WENT TO THE HOME OF MARTHA AND MARY. MARTHA WAS CUMBERED ABOUT MUCH SERVING (YOU KNOW THE STORY) BUT MARY SAW THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL WAS FRIENDSHIP AND COMMUNION WITH JESUS SO SHE CAME AND SAT AT THE FEET OF JESUS AND HEARD HIS WORDS,I DON’T THINK THAT MARY WAS NEGLECTFUL,NOR DO I THINK THAT SHE HAD PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST AND HAD DECIDED THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT COULD NOT WAIT. IN ASKING,WE ARE TAKEN UP WITH OUR NEEDS,IN CONFESION WE ARE TAKEN UP WITH OUR SINS,IN PRAISING WE ARE TAKEN UP WITH OUR BLESSING, IN INTERCESSION WE ARE TAKEN UP WITH THE NEED OF OTHERS.BUT IN FELLOWSHIP AND COMMUNION WE ARE TAKEN UP WITH THE LORD.
2ND POINT:WHY PRAY? I WANT TO SUGGEST TWO REASONS,FIRST WE NEED TO PRAY BECAUSE PRAYER LIKE NOTHING ELSE DEEPENS OUR KNOWLEDGE IN GOD. PRAYER IS THE MAIN LINE OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN US AND HEAVEN.PRAYER IS COUPLED WITH READING AND MEDITATING ON THE WORD OF GOD.THROUGH PRAYER I TALK TO GOD,THROUGH THE BIBLE GOD TALKS TO ME.AND WHEN I PRAY AND READ MY BIBLE MY PRAYER TIME,MY QUIET TIME IS A TIME OF COMMUNION WITH GOD.SECOND WE NEED TO PRAY BECAUSE PRAYER LIKE NOTHING ELSE BRINGS DOWN BLESSINGS UPON OUR HEART AND LIVES.I STAND HERE AS A WITNESS TO JESUS CHRIST BECAUSE PEOPLE PRAYED.MY BROTHER DERRICK WHO IS A MINISTER ALSO PRAYED FOR ME TO BE STRONGER IN MY MINISTRY(ELABORATE) WE THE (CHURCH NAME) SHOULD MAKE A SOLEMN COVENANT WITH GOD THAT OUR CHUIRCH WILL HAVE A GREATER UNOIN BETWEEN ONE ANOTHER.
3RD POINT:HOW CAN WE PRAY EFFECTIVELY? TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION I HAVE SELECTED THREE SIMPLE YET POTENT WORDS. THE FIRST WORD IS OBEDIENCE.THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT GOD SAYS I MUST DO AND CERTAIN THINGS THAT GOD SAYS I MUST NOT DO. IF WE REFUSE TO OBEY GOD’S WORD,IS IT ANY WONDER THAT WHEN WE KNEEL IN PRAYER AND ASK HIM TO DO THIS AND THAT,HE DISREGARDS OUR CRY? THE SECOND WORD IS FAITH.FEELINGS HAVE NO PART IN PRAYER,FAITH IS ALL IN PRAYER.OFTEN WE DO NOT FEEL AS IF GOD IS LISTENING TO OUR PRAYING,AND IF WE RELY ON THOSE FEELINGS WE MAYALLOW OUR PRAYER LIVES TO BE RULED BY OUR FEELINGS.WHEN WE START TO PRAY BY FAITH AND TO QUIT TROUBLING ABOUT OUR FEELINGS,WE ARE LEARNING HOW TO PRAY.HE THAT COMETH TO GOD MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS AND THAT HE IS A REWARDER OF THEM THAT DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.THAT BRINGS ME TO THE LAST OF MY THREE WORDS(CLOSE)PERSEVERENCE:IT MAY BE EASY TO START A PRAYER LIFE IT IS DESPARATELY DIFFICULT TO GO ON WITH A PRAYER LIFE.WE HAVE GOT TO P.U.S.H.AND JESUS SPOKE A PARABLE TO THIS END,THAT PEOPLE OUGHT ALWAYS TO PRAY AND NEVER LOSE HEART.ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS THAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT PRAYER IS HOW TO PERSEVERE OR CAN I SAY P.U.S.H. HOW TO GO ON PRAYING UNTIL THE ANSWER COMES TO GO ON PRAYING UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS P.U.S.H.
