Awareness of God
1 Peter 3:12
SCRIPTURE
1 Peter 3:12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. (NLT)
The single most important activity in our life is the time we spend alone with God.
PRAYER IS NEEDED BECAUSE MAN HAS A LIMITED AWARENESS OF GOD IN FACING LIFE.
This is a familiar story that applies to just about any young child. One night after the family had turned out the lights and had gone to bed. The child was a bit frightened and began to cry. The Mother tried to soothe the child’s fears and said, "Don’t worry, God is with us even in the dark." Then the child replied, "But I can’t see God in the dark."
Isn’t that our problem? We can’t see God because of the darkness of sin, the shadows of worry and anxiety, the shades of suffering and death, and the ghastly problems of war, disease, death, crime, and natural disasters that beset our world.
We need to remember that Jesus came to give light to those who sit in the shadows of death and who walk in the darkness. (Luke 1:79).
Through Prayer we can have a greater awareness of God in our lives. Fear is removed
PRAYER HELPS US REMEMBER WHAT GOD FEELS LIKE?
In the book Chicken Soup for the Soul. It tells the story of a little girl named Schia. When Schia was 4 years old, her baby brother was born.
"Little Schia began to ask her parents to leave her alone with the new baby. They worried that, like most 4-year-olds, she might want to hit or shake him, so they said no." Over time, though, since Schia wasn’t showing signs of jealousy, they changed their minds and decided to let Schia have her private conference with the baby.
"Elated, Schia went into the baby’s room and shut the door, but it opened a crack--enough for her curious parents to peek in and listen. They saw little Schia walk quietly up to her baby brother, put her face close to his, and say, ’Baby, tell me what God feels like. I’m starting to forget.’"
Have you grown older and forgotten what God feels like? Through prayer we can feel the presence in our lives
THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER
In our own experience, no matter how deep the pain or how great the frustration; we can find peace & comfort from being prayer with God
1. Prayer is an act of humble worship in which we seek God with all our heart.
2. Prayer is an expression of an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father, who makes his own love and resources available to us.
3. Prayer is the expression of man’s dependence upon God for all things.
4. Prayer is close communion with God, especially when one is alone with Him in its supplications
Supplication is at the heart of it, for prayer always springs out of a sense of need and a belief that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
5. Prayer produces and strengthens in the mind conscious dependence on God, faith, and love, the state for receiving and appreciating God’s blessing ordained in answer to prayer.
6. Prayer is the giving of the thoughts of God to the minds of men, women, boys, and girls.
7. Prayer is the vision of God that enables people to see in the midst of the thick, dark clouds of life.
8. Prayer is the passion of God that animates tired and listless churches.
9. Prayer overrides "good" ideas offered by people.
10. Prayer cancels Satan’s plans to kill, steal, and destroy the purposes of God for churches.
11. Prayer for Spiritual maintenance
One New Year’s Day, in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas. The amusing thing was this float represented the Standard Oil Company. With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas.
Often, Christians neglect their spiritual maintenance, and though they are "clothed with power" (Luke 24:49) find themselves out of gas.
THE ABSENCE OF PRAYER INVITES MORAL & SPIRITUAL DECAY
Two older men talking about their health problems at church. "My new doctor doesn’t just treat the symptoms, he treats both the mind and the body."
"Hmm," the second man grunted and thought for a moment; then he asked, "Does he give a discount if the mind is already gone?"
"The symptoms of spiritual decay," are like those, which attend the decay of bodily health. It generally commences with loss of appetite for wholesome food, prayer, reading the Scriptures and devotional books.
Whenever you see and feel these symptoms, be alarmed, for your spiritual health is in danger: apply immediately to the great Physician for a cure."
NO TIME TO PRAY? IS THERE ANY WONDER WE KEEP OURSELVES DOWN.
I got up early one morning and rushed right into
The day; I had so much to accomplish that I didn’t
have time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me and heavier came
each task; "Why doesn’t God help me?" I wondered
He said, "But you didn’t ask."
I wanted to see joy and beauty but the day toiled
on, grey and bleak; I wondered why God didn’t show
me, He said, "But you didn’t seek."
I tried to come into God’s presence; I used all my
keys and the lock. God gently and lovingly chided,
"My child, you didn’t knock."
I woke up early this morning and paused before
entering the day. I had so much to accomplish that
I had to take time to pray. - Unknown
ONLY WITH A SENSE OF NEED WILL WE SEEK GOD IN PRAYER
Gen 4:25-26
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, "For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed." 26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.
In Seth’s days, when Enos (frailty) was born to him, "men began to call upon the name of Jehovah. " The name Enos embodies the Sethites’ sense of human frailty urging them to prayer, in contrast to the Cainites self sufficient "pride of countenance" which keeps sinners from seeking God (Ps 10:4).
Ps 10:4 NKJV
"The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts."
GOD CALLS HIS CHURCH TO BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER
The New Testament Church can be described many ways, but probably the key to all they were was prayer.
1. The purpose of prayer is to draw us close to the heart of the Father so that our wills, our deepest desires, our passions will be those of the Father and not our own. When we draw close to the heart of the Father then He will be glorified through our lives, our words, and our works done for His glory!
In the early church, we see that prayer was a way of life.
Acts 1:14 says, “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”
In Acts 2:42 we read, “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Satan’s chief strategy. His chief strategy for your life and mine is to keep you off your knees.
The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless works, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at wisdom, but trembles when we pray.
,Without prayer we will die dwindling, and declining in purpose, passion, and power.
God is seeking men and women who cry out, "Father, make me a blessing to some suffering soul."
2. Prayer strengthens the mind and heart to face life. 1 Sam 30:6 KJV
"And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God."
3. Prayer brings restoration, healing, and reconciliation 2 Chron 7:14 NKJV
14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
