INTRODUCTION
• Johnny and Chachi VIDEO
• SLIDE #1
• In our series, WHY DO WE DO THAT, we are going to examine the issue of prayer.
• Why do we pray in church, why do Christians pray?
• I am not sure that Johnny and Chachi would be much help; however, through their video we can see some references to how some folks view prayer.
• Prayer is something that offers us a great blessing if we will use it.
• One of the things Jesus did during His ministry is pray. Jesus spent a great deal of time in prayer, Jesus modeled for us the importance of prayer.
• I feel that one who was as close to God as Jesus felt it was important to pray, then it should be something we ought to consider as important for us.
• Prayer is not mindless, worthless babble, it is a power blessing.
• I have said in jest before that I will not pray for patience because God will help teach me about the art of patience. That view sees prayer as something that God uses to punish us, when that is the furthest thing from the truth.
• Are there times when we need to learn the art of things such as patience; however, if we reduce prayer to something that God will use against us, we are cheating ourselves out of a beautiful gift.
• Prayer is our way of being able to communicate with God. Think about this, if you see communication with someone as a bad thing, your relationship with that person may not be very solid.
• On the other hand, when you truly love someone, you want to communicate with them, you want to share your sorrows, your joys, your victories and even your defeats.
• The simple answer to the question, WHY DO WE PRAY, is simple, Christians should desire to communicate with God, the God we love, the God who loves us so much that He gave His only begotten son so we could enjoy eternal life!
• Today, we will examine three specific reasons we pray.
• Let’s begin by looking at Psalm 66:18-20
• SLIDE #2
• Psalm 66:18–20 (HCSB) — 18 If I had been aware of malice in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 However, God has listened; He has paid attention to the sound of my prayer. 20 May God be praised! He has not turned away my prayer or turned His faithful love from me.
• One of the reasons we pray is…
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. Prayer is a way to know God.
• Can one really get to know someone if they do not ever communicate with the person they want to know?
• We can read books, watch videos, in the information age, we can learn a great deal about another person; however, without some form of communication with the person, your knowledge is limited to facts and figures.
• We can fall into the same trap with God, we can read a lot about Him, know a great number of facts about Him, yet we can be in a position where we do not know Him.
• To KNOW God requires us to communicate with God through PRAYER!
• Unfortunately, God does not text, is not on Twitter, or Facebook, God does not have an Instagram account, nor does He carry a cell phone.
• We will not see a bunch of God selfies on the Internet.
• For a relationship with function, trust has to exist. Without trust, which is built upon knowing someone, there is no chance for a true healthy relationship.
• In Psalm 66, the Psalmist is speaking of the prayer he offered up to God, and that God heard his prayers.
• Sometimes I wonder if we are not as dedicated to prayer because we are fearful that God will know us better than we are comfortable with.
• I have news for you, God knows you better than you know yourself, what prayer does it helps us to get to know Him better, this allows us to learn to trust Him, which in turn will led to us turning to Him during times of joy as well as sorrow.
• When you take the step to get to God better, it makes you a better person.
• Look at verse 18 once again.
• SLIDE #4
• Psalm 66:18 (HCSB) If I had been aware of malice in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
• What the Psalmist is says is that if he had been aware of his sin, yet done nothing about it, that the Lord would not have listened to his prayer.
• The implication is that because the Psalmist had a relationship with God, he was aware of his sin and not only was he aware of his sin, he took steps to correct the problem.
• The desire of the Psalmist to live in a way that was pleasing to God showed God that the Psalmist loved the Lord, that his relationship with God made a difference in his life.
• When you look at the rest of the passage we opened with, one can see the Psalmist does not see a relationship with God as something to be afraid of, but rather, something to be embraced.
• A relationship with God can be a scary prospect, but the more we know Him, the more we can trust Him.
• It is possible that one may recognize the God who is over all and still stand in a detached and impersonal relationship, regarding him only as their God.
• Or, one may have been frequently in fellowship with the people of God, sharing with them a common faith, and joining with them in service and praise.
• God is now meaningful in Psalmist’s life as he considers together with others the divine nature and gives thanks for divine blessings.
• When you get to God, it will change you. You do not have to fear it, God already knows you and loves you! The Psalmist understands that, look at verse 20 again!
• SLIDE #5
• Psalm 66:20 (HCSB) May God be praised! He has not turned away my prayer or turned His faithful love from me.
• Another reason we pray is…
• SLIDE #6
II. Prayer is a way to find the direction we need.
• When you need direction in life, where do you turn? I know when we were teens, we understood that our teenaged friends were the guardians of all knowledge.
• When we hit our 20’s our fellow 20 year olds could help us be drawing from there vast experience in life.
• There are so many places where we can go to find direction for life, but for those who trust God, they know that they can turn to God for direction.
• Where one receives direction in life is important, because the source of your counsel.
• If you are having marital issues, would it be wise to go to someone who has not been a good spouse themselves?
• When you need your computer fixed, would you go to someone who knows how to fix your computer, or to someone who has never used one before?
• Usually we will turn to those we trust when we seek direction in life.
• Like a needle on a compass, prayer helps us navigate life’s toughest obstacles. Heroes of the faith from the beginning to the end of the Bible have used prayer to determine their actions. (Believe, p. 198).
• Sometimes the direction they received was a bit unorthodox. March around the city one time for six days, then on the 7th day march around it 7 times and the walls of Jericho will fall (Joshua 6).
• How about when God tapped Gideon on the shoulder and told him to lead an army of 300 against thousands of their enemy (Judges 6-7).
• One of the reasons we pray is that we know that God is the creator of all things, therefore, He can give us the direction we need in life.
• SLIDE #7
• Psalm 86:11 (NET) O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! Then I will obey your commands. Make me wholeheartedly committed to you!
• Since God does not have email, Facebook, Twitter, or texting, we receive His direction through prayer.
• I wish I could draw you a picture of how God imparts direction through prayer. It is like trying to describe love, it is not easy to do; however, Proverbs 3:5-6 offers some insight.
• SLIDE #8
• Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
• It begins with trust, if you do not trust God, you will not communicate with Him. Trust leads to leaning of God’s understanding versus your own.
• If I was Gideon, I stated off with 32,000 troops to lead into battle, then I listened to God, and that number dropped to 10,000.
• O.K., 10,000, we can still work with that. Then I listen to God again!
• Jeff, that is too many. Ok God. Take the to the water watch how they drink. O.K. Lord.
• Jeff, you are down to 300!
• Hum. GOD ARE YOU CRAZY? No, in all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight.
• Even when we are not sure what we need, the Spirit intercedes for us!
• SLIDE #9
• Romans 8:26 (HCSB) In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings.
• A final reason we pray is…
• SLIDE #10
III. Prayer is a way to lay our requests and hearts before God.
• When you love someone, do you enjoy speaking with them? When you have someone who loves you, do you want them to come to you in your time of need?
• God desires us to come to Him, He wants us to lay our hearts and requests before Him!
• God wants us to lay our requests before Him, He wants us to trust Him enough to pour our hearts out to Him.
• SLIDE #11
• Philippians 4:6–7 (HCSB) Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
• The results of prayerfully laying our requests before God is peace!
• When you know someone has you back, you can experience peace. When you know God has your back, you can experience peace that surpasses all understanding!
• The apostle Paul understood this, he endures unbelievable hardships, persecutions, wrongful imprisonment, beatings, near death, shipwrecks, yet he experienced peace.
• Peace transcends circumstances.
• WE can go to God because He cares for you!
• SLIDE #12
• 1 Peter 5:6–7 (HCSB) Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.
CONCLUSION
• So there you have it, that is why we pray. We do not pray because it is some religious exercise, we do it because we believe we have a God in heaven, the creator of all things, who loves us and hear us.
• We pray because we want to get to know God better and we seek His direction in life. We pray because He will give us peace as we cast our cares upon Him.
• God has some big shoulders to lean on!
• Are you not yet a prayer warrior? Maybe today can be the beginning of something wonderful in your life as you begin to spent time in prayer to the God who loves you and sent His son to die for you so you can possess eternal life.
