Illustration: A heart-broken little girl began to kneel and pour out her heart to God in the altar at her local church. She did not know what to say. As she wept speechless, she began to remember what her Father had told her, "God knows your needs even before you pray, and he can answer when you don’t even know for what to ask." So she began to say her alphabet. A concerned adult from that church knelt beside her and heard her sobbing and saying her ABC’s and inquired what exactly she was trying to do. The little girl told this caring adult, "I’m praying to God from my heart." But the adult answered, "It sounds to me more like your are saying the alphabets!" "Yes," she said, "But God knows more about what I need than I do, and he can take all these letters and arrange them in just the right way to hear and answer my prayers!"
Introduction: What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better,... From the beginning of time, men have prayed, Genesis 4:26. In all types of places, at all times and in every conceivable situation, men have prayed. Christian and heathen alike have spent massive amounts of time in the pursuit of prayer. However, few people have made prayer their supreme priority. Those who have, stand out as bright lights in a dark world. Many have chosen to pray when it was convenient, or when they were undergoing a time of great stress and trial. Yet, it is clear from this verse that Jesus wants prayer to hold a preeminent place in our lives. Today, we are going to consider learning the place of Prayer in our lives. We are going to see that God expects us to be in constant contact with Him.
Before we begin to talk about the place prayer ought to hold in our lives, we need to understand exactly what prayer is. Knowing what prayer is will help us to see that it deserves an elevated place in each of our lives. What is prayer?
1. Prayer Is An Invitation To God - Not coercion, not coaxing, but simply inviting God to take over. It is I admitting my weakness and yielding to His power. (e.g. Jarius - Mark 5: 22-23)
2. Prayer Is Warfare - Satan does not fear nor withstand our prayerlessness, but he will bitterly oppose our prayer efforts. Prayer is our greatest weapon in the battle between good and evil. [Ephesians 6: 12 & 18 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms…. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”]
3. Prayer Is Power - (Ill. Moses, Daniel, 3 Hebrews, Elijah, Paul and Silas, Edwards, Mueller, Etc.) Prayer is the greatest power we have upon this earth.
4. Prayer Is A Developer - Prayer is that essential ingredient that completes the character. It is impossible to grow in grace without the aid of prayer!
5. Prayer Is The Fragrance in Christian Activity - (e.g. Artificial flowers) True prayer envelopes all that we do in the breath of Heaven.
6. Prayer Is Communication With Heaven - There is an unbroken line between earth and the Father. When we pray, we are brought into His presence; we are in touch with God Himself.
With these facts in mind, let’s look together at what should we do in order to have a prayer life.
Background: Look at Luke chapter 17: 20 – 37 (the coming Kingdom of God) & Luke 18: 9 – 14 (comparison of 2 people’s prayer).
I. PRAYER MUST BE A PRIORITY (v 1 – 3)
A. This theme is repeated throughout the Bible - Luke 18:1, Rom. 12:12; 1 Thes. 5:17. (We are to remain in a constant spirit of prayer. e.g. Fisherman and storm)
B. Many in the bible have placed a high priority on prayer:
1. Job - Job 1:5
2. Abraham - Genesis 12:7, 8; 13:4, 18; 22:9
3. Moses - Exodus 33:11; Exodus 17:11
4. David – e.g. The Psalms are filled with many references to David’s prayer life. [Illustration: 2 Sam. 12:22-23. Prayer is also the secret of David’s fearlessness.]
5. Elijah - 1 Kings 17:1; 18:36-38
6. Daniel - Daniel 6:10
7. Jesus - Matthew 14:23, 26:36-39; Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12, 9:18, 29, Etc. Jesus relied on prayer. Ill. If the Son of God had to pray, how much more people like us?
C. Jesus takes it for granted that His people are going to pray - Matthew 6:5
D. Is prayer a priority in your life? It should be, for it is your lifeline to the Father - Ill. Jesus Matthew 11:25-26.
II. PRAYER MUST BE A PRE-REQUISITE (v 4 – 5)
A. We should do nothing in any area of life without first taking the time to saturate the matter in prayer.
B. Even Jesus preceded His activity with prayer.
1. Before feeding the 5,000 - John 6:11
2. Before raising Lazarus from the dead - John 11:41
3. Before His trial and crucifixion - Luke 22:41-45
4. Before becoming sin on the cross for us - Luke 23:34
C. Especially in the realm of spiritual activity is prayer important! When we attempt to perform spiritual work in the power of the flesh, we are doomed to failure, or self-glorification. However, if we will carry out God’s work in the power of prayer, we will certainly succeed and He will get all the glory! (Illustration: D.L. Moody said, “We are not told that Jesus ever taught his disciples how to preach, but he taught them how to pray. He wanted them to have power with God; then He knew they would have power with man.”)
D. The Preparation gained in the closet of secret prayer is far more valuable than that gained in the study!
III. PRAYER MUST BE PRACTICED (v 6 – 8)
A. Prayer Gurus - It isn’t enough to know prayer formulas, rules and promises. To make prayer truly effective, we must practice prayer. We must get ourselves busy in the business of prayer! (Ill. There are too may needs and too little time!)
B. When we are not in the custom of praying, we may need to pray desperately and not know how - (Illustration: Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. Immediately they ran toward the nearest fence. The storming bull ran after them in hot pursuit, and they realized that they were not going to make it. Terrified, one man shouted to his friend, “Say a prayer, John. We’re in trouble ” John said, “I’ve never prayed out loud before. I don’t know what to say. “But you have to ” yelled his companion; “The bull is catching up to us.” “All right,” said John, as he ran with all his might; “I’ll say the only prayer I know. My father used to say it at the table: Oh Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.”)
C. Weak praying begets weak living! We must be diligent in our praying if we want to be effective for the Lord.
D. On a scale of 1 - 5, how would you rate your prayer life?
1 = Nil / Poor; 2 = below average; 3 = Fair; 4 = Good; 5 = Excellent
Conclusion:
Illustration: In one region of Africa, the first converts to Christianity were very diligent about praying. In fact, the believers each had their own special place outside the village where they went to pray in solitude. The villagers reached these “prayer rooms” by using their own private footpaths through the brush. When grass began to grow over one of these trails, it was evident that the person to whom it belonged was not praying very much. Because these new Christians were concerned for each other’s spiritual welfare, a unique custom sprang up. When ever anyone noticed an overgrown “Prayer path,” he or she would go to the person and lovingly warn, “Friend, there’s grass on your path! Let’s agree together right here that we will make praying our top priority!
There’s no “trick” to developing a prayer life, unless you consider opening your mouth and letting words come out a “that’s the trick”. You learn to pray by praying.
