A PATTERN FOR PRAYER
PRAYER PRINCIPLES
"When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, which is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."
(Matthew 6:5-15, NLT)
(SLIDE 2)
INTRODUCTION
A man, without consulting his wife beforehand, invited the new pastoral couple to stay for dinner. Somewhat annoyed at the short notice, his wife began hurriedly to prepare the meal. After much frustration and not a few uttered complaints in the kitchen, the wife served dinner. The man seeking to impress the new pastoral couple suggested that their young daughter give thanks for the meal. When the young girl appeared to stall, little overawed by the presence of the visitors, her mother sought to help her, prompting her “Go on, you know like mommy prayed.” The little girl’s eyes lit up with understanding. Closing her eyes she prayed “Dear Lord, why did he invite them to supper tonight off all nights!”
As children strive to imitate their parents, so the disciples sought to imitate Jesus at prayer. Luke records them as asking Jesus … “Lord teach us to pray.” Jesus then proceeds to outline in 66 words A PATTERN FOR PRAYER.
We call it the Lord’s Prayer. This is somewhat of a misnomer AS THE Lord could never have prayed this prayer. Perhaps a better name would be the Disciples Prayer or even the Family Prayer!
Notice that Jesus does not say ‘if you pray’ BUT ‘when you pray’. As we learnt last week, for Jesus …
PRAYER IS NOT
A MOUTHING OF WORDS (although words are essential in effective praying)
A RELIGIOUS DISCIPLINE (although effective praying takes discipline)
A CELESTIAL 911 (although pray does involve requesting God’s intervention in a time of crisis…
A DIVINE REQUISITION FORM (although prayer does involve making our requests known to God)
A SUPERNATURAL VENDING MACHINE (although God does supply all our needs)
A HEAVENLY HIGH (although sensing God’s awesome presence is vital, my praying should never be restricted to my mood or inclination towards feeling spiritual)
Jesus demonstrated in His own prayer life as well as in His teaching on prayer that prayer, true PRAYER IS A PATTERN FOR LIVING. When Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer, He showed us as we looked at last week that …
PRAYER AS A PATTERN FOR LIVING IS
First and foremost … A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AS our Heavenly FATHER which provides a vital…
A RESOURCE FOR PURPOSEFUL LIVING, not just saying our prayers but allowing prayer to become the way we live out our daily lives. This in turn gives us a meaningful barometer,
A RATIFICATION OF our SPIRITUAL HEALTH
Before we launch into looking at the pattern of prayer our Lord taught us, in detail, analyzing each statement, in order to mine the depths of meaning in each phrase we need to look at some fundamental principles that Jesus layed down in teaching us how to pray. Jesus gives us three …
PRAYER PRINCIPLES
• PITFALLS TO AVOID
• PRIORITIES TO ACKNOWLEDGE
• PATTERN TO ADOPT
(SLIDE 3)
PITFALLS TO AVOID
In introducing His Pattern for prayer, Jesus points us to three pitfalls we need to avoid.
A WRONG AUDIENCE
““When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
Jesus is not condemning praying in public. Jesus is not suggesting that we cease to pray in Church Worship Services. Nor is Jesus suggesting that we do not pray in public places, such as at a restaurant giving thanks before our meal. Jesus prayed publicly on numerous occasions …
• When he healed the sick.
• When He raised Lazarus from the dead.
• Before He fed the multitudes.
• On the cross.
It is not praying in public that Jesus is critical of! It is praying to the wrong audience!
The key to understanding what Jesus was saying is the ‘where’ which is the translation of the Greek word, ‘hŏpōs’ meaning ‘in the manner that’, because, how, (so) that. This is a strong indication of purpose. The purpose or intent of their prayers was so that “everyone can see them”.
This is reinforced by Jesus calling them hypocrites. This translates the Greek word ‘hupokrites’ a word used in the Greco-Roman world to denote a ‘stage actor.’ It is also interesting that ‘stage actors’ in the days prior to sound magnification systems used a large mask fitted with a mechanical device for augmenting the force of their voice so that they could be heard by the gathered audience!
When Jesus says ‘go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.’ He is not suggesting that personal, private prayer away from others is the only valid way to pray! What He is saying is that prayer is between you and your Heavenly Father. Shut the door of your mind to those around you, you are addressing God not those within earshot.
When Lyndon Baines Johnson was President, he had several guests in for a meal at the family room in the White House. LBJ had given the honor of giving thanks to journalist Bill Moyers (an ex-Baptist minister). As Moyers began to softly give thanks, LBJ - who could not understand what was being said - interrupted Moyers "Speak up man." Without looking up and barely stopping in mid-sentence, Bill Moyers replied "Mr President, I wasn’t talking to you."
How often don’t we fall into this trap? How often don’t we pray with one eye on the audience? We pray for the ears of others rather than communing with God. Have you ever prayed in a way that seeks to inform those praying with you of your insider knowledge of a particular situation? Do you think God doesn’t have all the facts at His disposal?
A WRONG AGENDA
““When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”
A young boy was observed by his pastor praying fervently; but much to the pastor’s surprise, he overheard the boy repeatedly saying: "Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo." Puzzled, the pastor approached the boy after he had finished praying and said, "Son, I was very pleased to see you praying so devoutly, but tell me, why did you keep saying ’Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo?" The boy replied, "Well, you see Pastor, I just finished taking my geography test in school, and I have been praying for the Lord to make Tokyo the Capital of France."
What Jesus is focusing on here is the use of words, many words babbled on unthinkingly as if the words carry power in themselves.
In our prayers…
• We work on using the right phrases as if knowing the right phrases assures us access to God.
• We pray with great enthusiasm as if we need to move God out of a state of apathy.
• We pray with great volume as if God needs a hearing aid.
• We pray with a holy pitch as if God is impressed with our religious fervor.
• We pray with holy language, a language that we don’t use anywhere else as if we need to have the right formula before God will listen to us.
Is this not what Jesus meant about babbling to God? The clue to understanding what Jesus meant is when He said “…your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”
Jesus doesn’t say because your Father knows what you need you don’t have to ask!
James says in his letter … “Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” (James 4:2b, NLT)
Jesus said …“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7, NLT)
What Jesus is emphasizing here is that we do not have to persuade God to hear or answer our prayers as if He was reluctant or disinterested. We do not have to justify, argue the case or prove the worth of a request. All we have to do is to ASK!
Jesus told a story to help us understand that the agenda of our prayers is not to try to persuade an unwilling tyrant but ask a loving Heavenly Father. The story is recorded in Luke 18:2-5. A widow is being harassed by some unknown villain. To get justice she approaches the local judge. Problem is the judge “neither feared God nor cared about people.” He is reluctant or just plain disinterested in her case. He tried ignoring her but eventually because she nearly drove him crazy by wearing him out with her constant requests; he gives her what she wants. Jesus is not saying we must be like the nagging widow nor is God like the disinclined judge. By using a contrast Jesus shows us a Heavenly Father who is righteous and just caring and sympathetic to our situation. He willing hears you and is able to “supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19b, NLT)
Jesus said, having spoken of the caring love of our earthly fathers … “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” (Matthew 7:11, NLT)
Abraham Lincoln said, "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go."
A WRONG ATTITUDE
Having detailed the pattern for prayer, Jesus highlights another peril to be avoided; a peril that affects our attitude in prayer.
““If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Nothing affects your life of prayer more than unresolved relational conflicts. Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said … ““So if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember there that another believer has something against you, leave your gift at the altar. First go away and make peace with that person. Then come back and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23–24, GW)
Peter underscores this principle … “In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7, NLT)
Incidentally, that also applies to wives, parents, children, in fact all relationships that we develop in this life. Nothing hinders our Walk of Prayer like broken relationships. Harboring a grudge or ill-will towards another who has wronged us blocks the grace of God flowing freely in our lives. We limit the blessings and the power He wants to shower upon us when we refuse to forgive and like Him make the conscious choice of treating the person just as if they had not injured us. God does that for us, He expects us to do it for others!
“How many are crying to God for the conversion of husbands/wives, children, friends and are wondering why their prayers are not being answered…. The whole secret to their dilemma is some grudge that they have in their hearts against someone who has injured them.”
(RA Torrey – ‘How to Pray’)
When we pray we need to ensure that we address the…
• RIGHT AUDIENCE … God the Father. With the …
• RIGHT AGENDA … Not to persuade, but to align ourselves to His Will. Ensuring that we have the …
• RIGHT ATTITUDE … Not blocking the blessing by a spirit of unforgiveness.
(SLIDE 4)
PRIORITIES TO ACKNOWLEDGE
Not only does Jesus give us some pitfalls to avoid, in his pattern for prayer He gives us a priority to acknowledge. As one studies the Pattern of Prayer given to us by our Lord, one is immediately struck by the reversal of the sequence or the priorities within the common practice of our prayer life. Jesus shows us that prayer is not about me, my needs, my requests first. Prayer is about God and His will first.
So often our prayers are inappropriate and selfish. There is nothing wrong in ‘making all our requests known to God’ but we need to ask the question ‘What is the motivation. What are my priorities?’ By forcing us to focus on…
3 AFFIRMATIONS OF WHO GOD IS AND OUR RELATIONSHIP TO HIM
• OUR
• FATHER
• IN HEAVEN
Followed by
3 AFFIRMATIONS OF HIS GLORY AND HIS PURPOSES
• HIS NAME
• HIS KINGDOM
• HIS WILL
We are then ready to make
3 AFFIRMATIONS CONCERNING PETITIONS REGARDING OUR NEEDS
• HIS PROVISION
• HIS PARDON
• HIS PROTECTION
This is reaffirmed as we consider many of the prayer recorded for us in Scripture. God, His Glory, His Will are first!
PRAYER IN THE WORD OF GOD FOCUSES ON GOD AND HIS GLORY FIRST … Look at …
JONAH ( JONAH 2) … When Jonah found himself in the belly of the great fish, he did not pray… ‘Lord get me out of here’ rather he began with a litany of thanksgiving of God goodness.
DANIEL (DAN 9) … When Daniel realized prophetically that the future was bleak, he did not pray asking God to alter the circumstances, but rather He proclaims God’s Majesty, Glory and Holiness, acknowledging that God is right and just to punish those who rebel against Him.
HEZEKIAH (2KINGS 19) … When Hezekiah is taunted by Sennacherib threatening to destroy Jerusalem as he has the other cities that opposed him, he spreads it out before the Lord God in His Temple, Praise God and seeks Glory for His name.
JEREMIAH (JER 10) … When Jeremiah’s heart is broken over the rebellion and sin of God’s people, he recites God’s Greatness.
DISCIPLES (ACTS 4) … When the disciples are threatened with persecution if they continue to preach about Jesus, the praise God.
When we come before God in prayer, whether it is in a situation of desperation or even if it is just during the course of living out the mundane, routine tasks of life, our focus should always be upon God and His Glory first and foremost.
Remember God’s purpose is the Advancement of His Kingdom and the preparation and growth of His people for life in the Kingdom. All else is secondary!
WHY? … WHEN WE FOCUS ON
SELF… WE CONCENTRATE ON OUR PROBLEM
GOD … WE CONCENTRATE ON GOD’S PLAN
When we focus on God who is willing and able, we gain a new perspective and the mountains that loom up before us become molehills.
When I pray what or rather WHO is uppermost in my mind?
Jesus has given us some Pitfalls to avoid, Priorities to acknowledge and a now …
(SLIDE 5)
A PATTERN TO ADOPT
Many like the disciples, ask How do I pray, how do I make my prayer life meaningful? When Jesus answered the disciples he did not give us a prayer to pray, an inflexible form to follow, a sort of religious chant meant to satisfy God. By saying “This is how you should pray: …(Matthew 6:9a, GW) …
JESUS DID NOT TEACH US A PRAYER TO PRAY
BUT A PATTERN OF PRAYER TO USE
Over the years I have encountered numerous ‘so-called’ formula for pray, easy ways of structuring your prayers life so that you cover all aspects of prayer. From the simplistic, such as …
ACTS … Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication
To the more complex, suggested by several wellknown writers on Prayer.
‘The Hour that Changed the World’ – Dick Eastman
Dick Eastman suggested that we break an hour into twelve segments each of 5 minutes. Each segment leads on through the process of prayer
‘Conversations with God’ – Lloyd John Ogalvie
Lloyd Ogalvie suggests that to experience intimacy with God we need in our personal prayer to go through nine phases
Preparation, Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving, Silence, Intercession, Supplication, Guidance, Commitment and Empowering
‘A Handbook to Prayer’ – Kenneth Boa
Kenneth Boa structures his handbook around the eight forms of prayer which are in the model of The Lord’s Prayer. The eight forms are …
• “Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name”— This is adoration (praise for who God is) and thanksgiving (praise for what He has done).
• “Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”— This is affirmation, (agreeing with God’s will and submitting to it.)
• “Give us our daily bread”— Here we make requests both for ourselves (petition) and for others (intercession).
• “And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors”—The principle of confession is in view taking care of our need for forgiveness of sins.
• “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”—The necessity of renewal as we face the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
• “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever”—A closing prayer that honors the Lord and completes our thoughts.
Perhaps Ken Boa has most closely touched the pulse of what our Lord intended, using the Prayer Formulae that He gave us as the very basis of our prayer life.
Whilst I in no way minimize the value of these suggested patterns, that are by their nature complex and difficult to remember. What I do suggest is that virtually all who have had some exposure to Christianity, have from childhood learnt and memorized the words of the Lord’s Prayer. This then becomes our structure of our prayer life!Whether in our personal times of prayer, or our corporate gatherings to pray or even as we live out our lives in prayer, let these 66 words that our Lord gave us be the PATTERN FOR ALL OUR PRAYERS in both sequence and in content. Each phrase becoming a cue to extended prayer!
(SLIDE 6)
Over the next weeks we are going to examine as …
A PATTERN FOR ALL OUR TIMES OF PRAYER!
GOD’S PERSON
“May your name be kept holy”
GOD’S PURPOSE.
“May your Kingdom come soon”
GOD’S PROGRAM.
“May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”
GOD’S PROVISION.
“Give us today the food we need”
GOD’S PARDON
“Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us”
GOD’S PROTECTION
"And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one."
GOD’S PREEMMINENCE
"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. “
As we consider each in turn may the pattern of prayer that our Lord taught us become our pattern for living a life of prayer!
E. M. Bounds in his book on prayer said that Stonewall Jackson was a man of prayer. Jackson said, “I have so fixed the habit of prayer in my mind that I never raise a glass of water to my lips without asking God’s blessing, never seal a letter without putting a word of prayer under the seal, never take a letter from the post (office) without a brief sending of my thoughts heavenward, never change my classes in the lecture-room without a minute’s petition for the cadets who go out and for those who come in.”
MAY OUR LORD’S PATTERN OF PRAYER BECOME OUR PATTERN FOR LIVING A LIFE OF PRAYER!
