Intro: Chorus: ”God answers prayer in the morning, God answers prayer at noon, God answers prayer in the evening, so keep your heart in tune.
Of all the disciplines of the Christian walk, perhaps the most important, the least practiced and the least understood is prayer. Prayer is absolutely key in or success as children of God—both in the way we overcome the devil in battles we face, and in the way we overcome our own flesh. If there is one thing the devil will try to undercut in your life—it is your time of prayer. He does not want you spending time with God—you become stronger, you better understand the purposes of the Kingdom, and you gain wisdom and courage to resist the devil in your life.
Satan will do everything he can to fill your life with people, circumstances and crisis to eat up your time and keep you from your life of prayer and important time with the Lord. That is why every child of God must decide what part of the day they will give to God. It should be the time with the least amount of distractions—a time that will be regular from one day to the next.
1. WHEN SHOULD I PRAY?
Don’t wait one minute. Don’t put it off. Often people look for someone else to tell them what the best time of the day is to pray No one must tell us when to spend time with our best friends—we look for every opportunity to be with the ones we love.Furthermore, when we meet with loved ones, we want no distractions. It should be the same with the Lord Be driven to prayer by your desire. Look for the times that give you the most freedom in your schedule and are virtually distraction-free.
My wife is a morning person. She loves to get up early. Usually, I will wake to find her with her Bible, because she is most alert at the first part of the day. For me, things are different. I tend to be more of a late night person. My study and prayer times are in the afternoons . The time to pray is when you are alert and have the least distractions.
Now, I’ve heard many say, “I’m busy all the time—kids, work, house duties; there is no time for prayer. Well, if you are too busy to talk to God—you are on a pathway to spiritual and emotional collapse You will be drained in your emotions, and the roller coaster of life will begin to speed out of control. Find time. Make time. You decide whether to get up early, or go to bed later. You know when your mind is most alert. Put down the remote control; hang up the telephone; unplug from the voices of our generation and make time to get alone with God. If you don’t, you will be committing spiritual suicide.
ILL: The words of an old chorus comes to mind. Shut in with God in a secret place, there in the Spirit beholding His Face, finding more power to run in lifes race, for I long to be shut in with God.
2. HOW LONG SHOULD I PRAY?
Pray until you break through—until you know you have touched God. (Push) Pray until something happens. Remember, prayer is an important part of keeping our friendship and relationship with God alive. When you call your best friend on the phone, or spend time with a close family member, you don’t stop to think, “How long should this call be; or how much time should I spend visiting my mother?” You relax, spill out your heart; laugh a little, cry a little; talk seriously—and when you are ready—you finish your visit. That’s the way it should be with God. If we look at Biblical examples, Daniel prayed three times each day. David rose early in the morning to talk with God and communed with Him on his bed at night; he praised the Lord all day long. Paul “prayed without ceasing” (See Romans 1:9).
These great men enjoyed relationship with God. For Daniel it was regimented and disciplined; for David it was like a continual song all day long; and Paul was so active in the work of the Lord, his prayer life remained constant and regular because of the intensity of his ministry battles. When you spend time with God; as you get to know Him, your hunger and desire to know Him more will increase. At first you may pray only fifteen minutes then one day you will look up from your time of prayer and find an hour has passed and you didn’t even know it.
Don’t make one or three hours your goal in prayer—make touching God your goal. When you have enjoyed sweet communion with the Father, you have reached your goal for the day.
3. WHAT SHOULD I PRAY ABOUT?
Some people make lists. The value in a list seems to be the ability to keep record of God’s answer to prayer. Lists are a good starting place; but if we only pray through a list, our prayer can become mechanical and dry. Jesus in fact said not to make vain repetitions as the Pharisees did (See Matthew 6:7). Perhaps Jesus was steering us away from religion of form and drawing us toward a walk of power. He wanted His disciples to know the Father as He did. Jesus prayed. He prayed with regard to specific cases; He prayed for direction; He prayed for blessing; he prayed for emotional strength; He prayed for His disciples; He prayed just to be in communion with His Father. Whatever was on His heart, Jesus brought it to God. That life of communion with His Father was the source of power in His life.
This is the way a prayer should be for us“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).This verse shows the content of prayer—”everything that concerns us”; and the goal of prayer—”peace, or knowing we have touched the Living God.” The end result of a healthy prayer life is power.
Sometimes we know exactly how to pray. We don’t need a list; it’s written on our hearts. But other times we feel hindered in prayer—that’s when the baptism of the Holy Ghost begins to pray through you. The Spirit searches the heart and begins to pray according to the will of God. Look at Romans 8:26-27: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” The important thing is not what comes out of our mouths; but what comes out of our hearts. Prayer is spending time with God.
Do you remember when you first fell in love? You wanted to spend time with that beautiful young lady, but it just seemed you were very awkward every time you wanted to say you loved her? The feelings were all there, but the words sometimes sounded strange. People who love us don’t care what our words are, they just want to know that we love them enough to spend time with them and value them as individuals. It is no different in our relationship with God. He is most interested in knowing that you love Him and want to spend time with Him: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).
With regard to prayer, remember that good relationships involve two people giving and two people receiving. If you have a friend who does nothing but take from you, more than likely that friend is not high on your list. If you want a close relationship with God, make sure you know how to give as well as receive. While it is true we can never outgive the Lord, remember He longs for relationship—and a key part of our giving to Him is our thanksgiving, our praise, our worship and our love gifts. God inhabits the praises of His people. “..but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God..” (Philippians 4:6).
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He taught them to: 1.) Glorify God—”Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” 2.) Reverence God—”Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” 3.) Ask God—”Give us this day our daily bread.” 4.) Repent to God—”Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” 5.) Commit to God—”And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” 6.) Worship God—”For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” This outline for prayer is found in Matthew 6:9-13.
Remember, Jesus gave us an approach to God. He was showing His disciples how to enter into relationship with God. If you will notice, only a small portion of that prayer deals with needs. Much of the prayer involves praise, honoring God and worshipping Him. Our relationship with God is more important than relationship with other people. No one should hold greater respect in our hearts—ours is a special relationship to be specially nurtured.
4. WHAT MAKES PRAYER POWERFUL?
This is an important question. Prayer can be mechanical and weak, or prayer can be powerful and effective. Prayer cannot be powerful without faith: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6-7).
If Jesus is the Door or Way to God; then, faith is the key that unlocks the Door to God. You and I should not even try to pray unless we pray in faith. The Bible says that faith believes that God is—this is fundamental. When we pray, we do not pray to a “higher power” or to a “force.” We are praying to the Eternal, One and Only true God, the Lord Jehovah, the Mighty One. Faith believes that God is.
faith believes that God rewards our diligence in prayer. This is what I like to call confidence. I know God’s nature and character so well, that when I pray, I pray with confidence. God is greater than an earthly father. Yet, Jesus said if an earthly father, being evil, is asked for bread, he will not give his child a stone. God is a good God, from whom comes down every good and perfect gift. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” If I don’t have this confidence when I pray, my prayer cannot be effective. I must not doubt, I must pray in faith: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16b).
The Book of James mentions the one who doubts in prayer, calling that man “..unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). If a person is filled with doubt, his life will be unstable. Satan loves to fill our hearts with doubt to weaken our faith. A weak, powerless Christian is no threat to the enemy’s domain. That old liar will put doubts about believers and God’s faithfulness into your mind and heart. Those doubts are easy to recognize; sometimes those doubts take on a form of worry. In this condition, we can’t pray in faith—our prayer will be powerless. How do you gain power in prayer? Build your faith: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).Ill:Have you ever heard of George Mueller? One day he looked down the streets of Bristol, England, & saw 100’s of homeless children. He was so moved with concern for them that he decided that something had to be done. He had only two pence in his pocket. That’s two cents. But he decided to start an orphanage. In 60 years, beginning with two pence, George Mueller took care of 10,000 orphans. He looked out & saw homeless kids. He could have said, "But, I don’t have any money. But, there is no way to care for them, to meet their needs, to buy the food." Instead, he looked at them & said, "Therefore, I will reach out & help them." And God blessed his efforts in a mighty way. He told amazing stories of answered prayers. He kept a record of his prayers, & his prayer records filled more than 3,000 pages. His notes show that more than 30,000 prayers were answered. One night there was no food in the orphanage to give to the children for breakfast. But at 3:00 in the morning a baker called him up & said, "I just can’t sleep. I’m going down to the bakery to bake some bread. Would it be all right for me to bring some over to you this morning?" One time a milk truck just happened to break down in front of the orphanage on a day when they had no milk. The truck driver came in & said, "This milk is all going to spoil. Would you like some of it?" And their need was met. Time & time again, 30,000 times in 60 years, God answered George Mueller’s prayers.
If you need more power in prayer—get alone with your Bible and start meditating on God’s Word. If you are sick in body—get out all the verses you know about God’s healing power. If your children are giving you problems, get out every passage you know that deals with children and families. Meditate on the Word of God—rehearse the verses that speak of His mighty power. The Bible itself will be a daily source of energy for powerful prayer.
Your faith grows through praying. The more you spend time in God’s presence, touching Him, and receiving comfort from Him, the stronger your faith and trust grows in your Heavenly Father. Your prayer life may seem a little weak; your prayer language a little rusty. That’s because you only pray in church and around the supper table. It’s time to get alone with God. Start meeting God daily for prayer and you will increase your faith and power by hearing directly from the Lord.
5. WHY DOES IT SEEM GOD HASN’T HEARD ME IN MY HARD TIMES?
There is no doubt about it; we live in very difficult times. The Coming of the Lord is near, and Jesus said there would be an increase of all things difficult (see Matthew 24). Jesus asked this question, “..when the Son of Man comes, will he really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) Jesus had a concern, that as there was an increase of sorrows and difficult times, many would lose their love for the Lord, stop praying and walking with God, many would weaken in faith.
If we are walking and talking with God daily, God can give us warnings about which person to receive counsel from—when to say “no” to a child—when to say “yes” to a business deal. In fact, God may have been trying to get you alone for a while He knows the road ahead and He wants you to be successful. But, hear me, THERE IS NO WAY TO BE SUCCESSFUL APART FROM GOD’S PLAN. We must hear from God. We must be in daily prayer.
