Matthew 6__5-18 THE WAY TO PRAY
In my youth, I was very active in a Church that practiced only extempore prayer. On rare occasion someone might bring a written prayer to a Bible study, but other than the Lord’s Prayer, there was no prayer routinely used in worship, and no one who was a prayer leader or preacher would use a prayer book.
In fact, on occasion there were comments by some of our leaders that prayer books led to vain repeitition; that written prayers were not heartfelt, or sincere. Some of our leaders appreciated the value of the treasury of prayers the church had preserved from ancient times. A seminary professor commented that written prayers could be and should be heartfelt. He said if one could not find the exact words to express himself, perhaps written prayers would be helpful.
Jesus apparently thought that his followers needed help with prayer since he provided us with a model. He said, “When you pray, pray this way.”
I noticed, as a child, that I could predict what our elders would say in their prayers as they took their turns leading the communion service. Each one had his own litany of petitions and thanksgivings. I found that my personal remembrance of Christ was laced with their communion meditations, some of which seemed in appropriate.
Somewhere in my late teens or early twenties, I found a prayer book and discovered ancient prayers that could help shape my prayer life.
I learned that there was a vast treasury of prayers, both ancient and modern that added depth and eloquence to our prayers.
1) What is prayer? 2) Where or with whom we should we pray? 3) And why should we pray?
We will focus on Jesus’ concerns in order to give will give unity and depth to our efforts in prayer.
1) What Is Prayer?
I heard some psychobabble in the 1950’s in which a man said prayer was our higher selves talking to our lower selves, rather like giving oneself a pep-talk. Sometimes our minds know a course of action is right but our lower selves aren’t motivated enough to get off the couch. Praying that one would have moral strength to overcome inertia is hardly prayer.
Talking to oneself is not prayer. Shakespeare knew that hundreds of years ago. In Hamlet, the King of Denmark, who had been complicit in his brother’s death, knelt in his chapel, trying to pray. His higher self spoke to his lower nature, and he knew that he was not praying, because he wasn’t willing to talk to God, fess up, and clear the corruption out of the his administration of government which was the basis of the immortal words: "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
As long as a person denies any guilt whether he be peasant or king, the results will be the same as for the King of Denmark who gave up praying and said, "My prayers go up, but my thoughts remain below. Prayers without thoughts, never to heaven go."
So prayer is not talking to oneself. One must be engaged, as best he can with all of his faculties, but he does not pray alone. He prays in and with the Holy Spirit’s aid. That is why we pray together. When two or three are gathered together, the gathering becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit. When I ask you to pray with me, I’m not mouthing words, I really mean it. I don’t come here simply for the purpose of delivering messages. Virginia and I made this move to assist in prayer and to share a prayer life with you.
What is prayer then?
Prayer is intentionally conveying a message to God.
Why say "intentionally conveying a message to God? Why not just say that prayer is talking to God? Because Romans 8:26 says, "The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."
There are Spirit inspired groans of our hearts that are wordless. Though prayer is sometimes talking to God, there are times when you can’t talk and can still pray, still convey a message or intention to God.
Or why didn’t I just say, that prayer is communicating with God? I don’t say prayer is communicating with God because that sounds as if I’m talking to him and he is talking to me. But that is not what prayer is. God talking to me is never called prayer in the Bible. When God communicates something to us, we call it revelation or illumination. It is not prayer. For clarity, we don’t use the word prayer for when God speaks to us.
Why then don’t I just say that prayer is conveying a message to God? Well, because people are conveying messages to God all day long, but we don’t call it prayer. People are conveying messages like, God is not important to me. Or, God is irrelevant to this situation. Or, God doesn’t exist. But these messages are not intentionally sent to God. They are clear, and God always discerns them, but they are not prayer.
Intentionally Conveying a Message to God
Prayer is intentionally conveying a message to God. And that prayer can be at least five different kinds of message:
· The basic meaning of prayer is asking God for help."Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7).
· Praise is also prayer. "Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable" (Psalm 145:2-3). This kind of prayer is life altering = it changes us from being cranky old folks to gracious ladies and gentlemen. The difference is in the attitude of gratitude.
· Thanking God for his gifts and his acts is also prayer. (This is not the same as praising him for his nature). "We give thanks t o you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign" (Revelation 11:17). Again, praise and thanks giving changes our outlook = makes us optimistic.
· You can confess your sins and tell the Lord that you are sorry. "I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin" (Psalm 32:5). This too is life altering. Nothing can pinch a character or lead to deeper depression than the knowledge of failure. When we are cross purposes with our family, with ourselves and with God, we know the whole world is against us.
A popular song has the refrain "Running against the wind, I’m still running against the wind. I’m older now, but I’m still running against the wind."
The wisdom of ancient Israel is found in Proverbs, which contains this line: "The way of the transgressor is hard." It is hard to live at cross purposes with the universe - hard, very hard to constantly run against the wind.
The wind to which I refer, is the Holy Spirit of God that has a purpose for each life. Running with the wind is so much easier. That purpose may be discerned through prayer, reading God’s word and waiting for illumination. The light will come on.
· Confession and expressions of complaint are also prayer. "With my voice I cry out to the Lord. . . . I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him" (Psalm 142:1-2).
We are to trust God in all his sweet and bitter providences. So why then do you say we should complain to the Lord? Because often we don’t understand the circumstances God has given us; we should communicate our confusion to God, asking for understanding and the strength to follow God’s will. Prayer is intentionally conveying a message to God. That message may be asking for something, praising God for something about him, thanking him for some gift, confessing your sins to him, or complaining to him.
By voicing our complaint, we come to a posture where we can articulate our problems, and this very act may help us to see beyond the unpleasantness to see answeres, or at least gain understanding and patience.
At an early age I realized how little I understood about other people, what they thought, suffered or experienced. I began regular Bible reading at age 12, and the reading of Shakespeare and other play-writers a few years later. I Knew even then, that God had a claim on my life, but that I couldn’t possibly be a minister unless I understood people. I emulated Solomon, and prayed for understanding. I had a quick temper and knew that I was capable of violence. There were people that I despised. I prayed for understanding, and for the ability to love. I thought often of the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner and the lines, "He prayeth best, who lovest best all things great and small. . .for the great God who made us, he loves and made us all."
I prayed for a pastor’s heart, a shepherd’s patience and quiet strength.
The Scriptures taught me, "As a man thinks in his heart. . .so is he."
I learned to pray without ceasing as St. Paul teaches. I learned to carry on a never ending conversation. Learning to sort out my thoughts, learning to meditate on Scripture . . . thy word have I hid in my heart. . . not only that I might not sin against God, but that I would live life as He intended.
Those things do help shape character.
There were other learning experiences that came out prayer: Learning to listen not only to Scripture but to conscience; learning not to approve of the evil around, learning to resist; learning to be patient with others, learning to follow, learning to lead; learning to rely on God to send the right words, the right ideas, the right answers. As I left home, at 17, to begin new studies, new work, and to live alone in a large city, the long practice of prayer gave me confidence and allowed me to be unafraid.
Continual Communion with God
quote Romans 12:12
Paul admonished the Roman Christians to keep their spiritual fervor,
". . .serving the Lord, being joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer." To the church at Thessalonica Paul wrote (I Thess 5:16) Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
Pray before every email, every car ride, ever phone call, every conversation, every shower, every night’s rest, every meal, everything you read. Convey your heart’s longings to God before and after everything you do. Let it be the way you breathe. Be in communion with God continually. This will change your life.
Life is never boring when lived in communion with God, trusting Him for daily bread, for where we shall sleep, what we shall wear, and for our shelter.
Life is never boring, following where He leads, not worrying about tomorrow, but living, enjoying and being thankful for this day that the Lord has made.
Say with me a psalm that should adorn everyday of your life. It will change you if you say it every morning.
"This is the day the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it!"
2) Where or With Whom Should We Pray?
Alone in Your Private Room
Pray alone in your private room. The word in Matthew 6:6 means "inner room" or "storage room for storage or treasures." Verse 5-6: "When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Here is Jesus’ call to everyone of us at the beginning of 2008 to set aside a place where we convey our hearts to God privately and in a focused way. This sacred space both in time and geography.
Do you have a place? Do you use it as regularly as you do other less important things such as News, Email, Eating or Sleeping? Find a place to dedicate for prayer, and pray there alone regularly.
With Your Family
If you live with your family, pray with them every day, and not just mealtime prayers. "Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered" (1 Peter 3:7). Unhindered family prayer is a good barometer of whether you are living together as fellow heirs of the grace of life. And where better for a child to learn to pray than in watching his father and mother pray? If a child does not see his father pray, it is very unlikely that he will think prayer is important.
In Small Gatherings
Pray in small gatherings of Christians small groups and prayer meetings. Jesus said, "If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them" (Matthew 18:19-20). Just two or three and the world can be moved. God’s hand is not shortened by the size of a prayer gathering. He has his reasons for calling us to pray in groups. And we should do it. Here’s a great example of what can happen. In Acts 4:29-31, the church is together praying. "Lord, . . . grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness. . . . And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness." God has special blessings for those who meet with each other to pray. Do you have a group of people with whom you regularly pray?
For your joy and your wholeness and your fruitfulness, I plead with you, pray with other Christians regularly.
In Worship Services
Pray in worship services. Our corporate worship is mainly prayer structured around the word of God to us. It has to do with displaying the greatness of God—which is what worship does. Our songs and hymns are spiritual songs; they are prayers addressed to God. We mean them as prayer, not simply as ornaments to a service. When hymns are about God, sing them consciously before God as prayers of praise.
The only significant change in our worship service is the increased amount of Scripture reading. My preference is that the readings would be performed not only by the celebrant and the leaders but also all members of the congregation in turn. This too is worship. Scriptures should be read prayerfully with the realization that these are words from God to us. Pray for understanding as we worship in this way. Messages from God will change our lives if we allow them to illuminate us.
We have moments of silence in the liturgy. Fill them with prayer. Speak to God about the longings of your heart and petitions for the well being of others. Our public prayers are called liturgy, which literally means work. Our liturgy is the work of worship. You are the Body of Christ. At this sacred moment you are the Christ, once again the Christ has taken on flesh and making strong prayers to the Father as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Christ offers prayer to the father on behalf of our families, church, our nation, and the whole world.
The sermon should be viewed as worship. It is if we all, this entire Christ that is gathered, recognizes that it is worship if everyone participates by applying the word of God to his life, allowing his life to be changed. The hearer is to meditate on the word of God, turn the sermon into his personal prayer as in his or her heart she says Amen to the thoughts the preacher offers. Pray with the preacher before and during the sermon. Prior to the sermon the prayer should be, "May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable, Oh Lord, our strength and our redeemer. " Pray that the Christ who is our truth will be properly presented and that the truth will work toward the salvation of our people. Pray that the preached Word will be empowered by the Holy Spirit so that we all will see more of Christ and be conformed to Him.
Pray everywhere and always. Let the most natural breathing of your heart be Help, Lord! and Thank you, Lord! Like Peter when the storms of life threaten to sink your little ship, pray, "Lord, save me" (Matthew 14:30). The father of an epileptic boy cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24).
Pray for faith that our faltering steps will inevitably be in the path cleared by Jesus who said, "I am the Way." He beckons us to follow HIm on the journey to our Father.
Anywhere, any time, cry out to him. Live in his presence so that prayer is not an awkward moment with a strange, unknown OTHER. Speak to him often so that your conscience does not condemn you as a fox-hole Christian only talking to God now and then to save your skin. He loves to save your skin, but he loves even more be your friend.
What is prayer? Prayer is intentionally conveying a message to God to ask, or praise, or thank, or confess, or complain. And where should we pray? Privately in our room, with family, in small gatherings of Christians, in worship, and everywhere and anywhere we need help and feel thankful.
Why Should We Pray?
The brother of Jesus wrote,
· James 5:16: "Pray for one another, that you may be healed."
Paul wrote: 1 Thessalonians 5:1\7: "Pray without ceasing."
· Luke 22:40: "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."
Jesus said, Luke 18:1: "He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart."
· Luke 6:28: "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you."
· Matthew 6:9: "Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven . . ."
We pray because it is designed to increase the fullness of our joy. Jesus said in John 16:24, "Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." That your joy may be full. God did not create prayer to make us unhappy.
God the Spirit is with us at these moments and brings confidence, peace and joy that we would not otherwise know. If we are joyless, it may be a sign that we have stopped praying. Pray . . . that your joy may be full.
We pray because it is an awesome privilege. We don’t inform God of anything he doesn’t know. Our liturgy is real work, part of the way God intends us to work with Him in recreating this blessed earth. Prayers do matter. Scripture makes it clear the consequences of not praying.
We tend to take our failures as being the will of God. We don’t take responsibility for our own lack of foresight, for our laziness, failure to be grateful for the opportunities that God provides. I hope we have learned from our experiences of this past year.
When we had the opportunity to move forward, there was no outpouring of thanks giving for what God provided. Instead, there were expressions of doubt and fear. And so we passed up an opportunity to provide more services not only for our members and their children, but also we could have provided library and educational resources for other Christians and other Anglican bodies in Central Indiana.
I don’t know what dark shadows rose in the mind of our members that blotted out the sun that briefly revealed a role for Good Shepherd late last summer. But in this winter of our discontent it is possible that God will again in another way illumine a path of service for us. . . .if we ask and if we dare embrace answers to our asking.
God has ordained to make our prayers real causes of real events. Real causes. The words of James 4:2, "You do not have because you do not ask," do not mean, "You would have had anyway, even if you didn’t pray, since God had a plan and your prayers don’t matter." "You do not have because you do not ask" means prayer causes things to happen that do not happen if the prayers don’t happen. This is breathtaking. And if you neglect this privilege to participate in God’s moving the world you are acting very foolishly. We pray because it is an awesome privilege.
Dare we pray for guidance? Dare we pray that this Church have an opportunity to be of service to this community and other Christians? If such prayers are answered, what will we do with the answers?
Prayer Glorifies the Father and the Son
We pray because prayer glorifies the Father and the Son. Jesus said it clearly in John 14:13: "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." Paul put it like this to the disciples of his day. "You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many" (2 Corinthians 1:11). We pray because it brings thanks to God when the answers come. Otherwise, we tend not to see God’s hand anywhere when in fact it is everywhere.
Glorifying God benefits us. . . .it is one more way God brings us to maturity and understanding of our place in the universe.
The psalmist pictures God instructing His people how to pray. In Psalm 50:15. God says, "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." You call. I answer with power. You give me glory."
That’s why we pray. We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. Therefore, we obey this command: Call on me; I will act; and people will glorify me.
Hallowed Be Your Name
Matthew 6:9.
Jesus said, "Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’"
"You can tell how your theology is changing by the way your prayers are changing."
The first thing that Jesus tells us to ask God to do; The head of the list
is that God would cause his name to be hallowed. The phrase "hallowed be your name" (hagiastheto to onoma sou) in Matthew 6:9 means "Cause your name to be hallowed." It is a plea that God would do something about his name. And what does hallowed mean? It means literally sanctified. It means that we are praying that his name be set apart in people’s hearts and minds and lives as the infinitely great and beautiful and valuable reality that it is.
If all mankind would recognize that God is in his heavens and live every moment with the full knowledge that God is Good, God is moral and holy, then we would have peace in the family, in neighborhoods and cities, between countries. The Kingdom for which our Lord has us pray would be a reality.
In the Lord’ prayer we ask that God would display His greatness and that God would overcome mankind’s spiritual blindness and indifference to God.
When our race is born anew into Christ’s kingdom, our mental framework is renewed in the image of Christ; then Jesus’ prayer that God would make his name holy makes sense. Then we see that if this petition is granted, their will be unity, harmony in all creation; we gain a profound and wonderful sense of vocation, of calling to pray and see the Kingdoms of this World become the Kingdom of God.
And now to God almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be ascribed as is most justly due, all might, majesty, power and dominion, now and forever more. Amen.
Charles Scott
http://www.goodshepherdindy.org
crscott@email.com
