The dynamics of prayer
Luke chapter 11:1-13
Matthew 6:9-13
Introduction-
Wednesday, we were in Bible and looking at prayer and the Lord’s Prayer from Luke chapter 11. As we were discussing and looking at these verses, it became clear to me that as a body of believers, we need to look at prayer.
We need to stop- Now I lay me down to sleep prayers and start praying prayers that make a difference in our lives and the life of the church.
It is where we are as a church, because without prayer, we will not move forward to go to the next level the Lord is preparing for us.
The Lords prayer is recorded in 2 places.
Luke chapter 11 is a paraphrased way with an illustration of a man knocking on a neighbor’s door for bread and being persistent till he came to the door and gave the man what he needed.
Matthew 6 is the Lord’s prayer that most of us memorized as a kid and ends with the fact if we don’t forgive others, God won’t forgive us.
Matthew 6”9-13 (Read from Bible.)
(5) “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogue and on street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”
Here are some questions you need to ask yourself.
1. Do I have to be taught to pray?
2. If I am praying, am I praying for the right reasons and to the right person?
3. I s there a wrong way to pray? Is there anything wrong with memorizing recited prayers?
To answer the first question, I would have to say yes, we have to be taught to pray.
John the Baptist was Jesus cousin, but he was also a man of prayer.
He taught his disciples to be men of prayer.
Jesus disciples saw the value of prayer and asked Jesus to teach them to pray!
Jesus gave them a model prayer- one that can teach us many lessons about prayer.
It is for our guidance.
Prayer is communication with God- God’s children talking to their heavenly Father, and Jesus their redeemer.
Some stinking thinking is why pray?
If God knows everything, then prayer would be worthless and we would be letting God know about things He already knows.
God tells his children that they should come to Him like little children to their Father.
He tells us James 1:5- (paraphrased)God tells us He desires to give us wisdom and (6) “But when we ask, he(we) must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. He is a double-minded, unstable in all he does.”
Kids prayers (childlike faith)
Dear God, I would like to live 900 years like the guy in the Bible.
Dear God, if you watch me on Sunday Morning, I’ll show you my new shoes.
Dear God, I bet it is very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in my family and I don’t know how you do it.
My brother is a rat. You should have given him a tail.
Dear God, please send me a pony. I never asked for anything before, you can check.
The longer we are Christians, and the longer you study God’s word. It should change the way you pray and the things that you are praying for.
God word promises us:
I will never leave you- (His presence) even thou we have problems.
I am your shield- (His protection) though bad things sometime happens.
I will strengthen you- (His power) He strengthens us by some of the things we go through.
I will help you- (His provisions)
And those times that the world seems to be springing out of control- he says:
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Does everyone pray the same way-no!
Is there anything wrong with memorized recited prayers- no !
Provided that you have a relationship with the Lord that you are praying too.
C.S. Lewis said- most people he counseled over the years acknowledged that they knew they needed to pray, but they just didn’t know what to pray.
They did not know what to pray because they were not in the habit of praying.
They were not in relationship with the Lord.
If the only time that you attempt to communicate with God is when you are throwing up a prayer of desperation, A hail Mary if you will- you will not find the words to say.
Prayer is communication with God. It is God’s children talking to their heavenly Father.
Luke 11- when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray- Jesus did not say they had to stand, or sit to be correct. He did not tell them that their hands had to be in a certain way.
Because we should be in a constant relationship with the Lord all day long.
I am in a relationship with my wife. I don’t only talk to her standing, or sitting. I don’t have to have my hands in a certain position, because I am comfortable talking to her in any situation.
People that pray, begin with prayer, it is not an afterthought.
We should never be too busy to pray.
Prayer is not a special gift only given to a select few, it is God’s desire that we all want to communicate with the Lord.
Illustration
Prayer to some is like a parachute. Your happy you have it but hope that you never have to use it.
God is our steering wheel, not our spare tire.
He is not our co-pilot. He is our pilot.
God word says- “Thy kingdom come”- what we really mean is anointed one, please bless my mess in this world that I live in now.
Illustration-
Astronaut James Erwin said- “ What is more important than man walking on the moon is that God should walk on the earth.” Amen!
Prayer is communication with God- did you get that- repetition is good.
“Thou shall love the Lord our God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.”
God is God! He is not a force. Wind is a force and God controls the wind!
Let me run these thoughts by you this morning!
We pray because we are in a relationship with God- “Our Father in heaven,”
God’s children to God the Father.
Payer is not to force God’s hand. It is based on God’s love though His Son Jesus Christ.
We pray because of respect for God- “Hallowed be thy name.”
We recognize who God is. He is God and we are not.
You place God at the rightful position. At the throne of your heart.
We pray because of a new priority- “Your kingdom come.”
We acknowledge God s ruler of our lives.
We submit to God’s authority.
We pray because of submission- “Your will be done on Earth”
We cannot do God’s will without submission.
We ask for God’s will, not for Him to bless our mess.
Prayer is a discipline. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
Frustration comes when we say we want God’s will for our lives and then do what we want and hope that God will bless it.
Praying because of our dependence on God- “Give us this day our daily bread.”
God controls our lives if we will let Him.
It is our belief that God shall supply all of our needs, according to His riches in glory.
When we awoke today, it was not if we will eat, it is what we will eat. Some will complain about that.
Our daily bread- it is not bending God’s will toward ours. It is taking a hold of God’s will and applying it to our lives;
Matthew 6:33- “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Praying on God’s pardon- “Forgive us our sins.”
We want our daily bread, but we forget our need for daily forgiveness.”
Christians till sin and need to confess daily their short comings and sins.
Praying for God’s protection- “And lead us not into temptation.”
To win the battle of temptation, you need to know that you are in a spiritual battle.
We need to acknowledge to God that we cannot win that battle without Hm.
Closing
Exodus 3 tells us that God repented and did not do to Israel what he said He would do.
Let me give you a character of God.
Every 24 hours, we are faced with light and darkness from the sun. the sun stays in one place. God put it there. It does not have to be recharged, plugged in, re-positioned. God put the sun in one spot. The earth is turning, it is why we face light and darkness. God does not move, we move away from God. Israel turned back to God, and when they turned back into the light, God said, because you are again in a right relationship with me, I will not do what I would have done if you continued to turn away from me.
Although Satan appears to control this present world, he does not have to control us as children of God.
“Deliver us from evil.”
You want to learn how to pray? Start praying! Build a relationship with the Lord
Illustration-
We have a church in Columbia that has over 10,000 on a Sunday morning.
The church is small and the crowd is big. The sides drop down of the building so people can come and exit between services.
Why do we see that in a drug infested country and not n America?
Because they believe that God can do anything and it is not based upon our resources it is based upon God.
Large church in Seoul, Korea, communist country. The pastor only preaches on two things. Prayer and witnessing. If churches only preached on those two topics, they would be run out of town.
God is doing amazing things here at Rosedale. The next level is going to come as we as a church are praying in one accord for God to work through us.
Praying churches will see signs and wonders, salvations, healings.
Doubts have to go, God’s power has to be operating.
Illustration-
Before refrigerators, people used ice houses to preserve their food. Ice houses had thick walls , no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the ice houses, and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer. One man had lost a valuable watch while working in the icehouse. He searched for it, but didn’t find it. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the man asked how he found it. I closed the door, the boy replied, lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.
Often the question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are listening.
Altar Call
