Sermon Preached at Grace Community Church (EPC)
Sun City Grand, Surprise, AZ
Sunday, May 15, 2011
by the Reverend Cooper McWhirter
“Praying … Not Preying!” [Part Two]
Philippians 4:1-7
In the entire arsenal of spiritual weapons available to the believer, prayer is one of the most powerful; exceeded only by that of praise. Perhaps you’ve never thought of prayer as a spiritual weapon, but in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he speaks of our need to put on “the full armor of God” [Ephesians 6:10-18]. And this is because we find ourselves embroiled in a spiritual battle; a battle over the hearts and minds of our fellow man. It is Paul’s contention that: “… our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers of this present darkness” [Ephesians 6:12].
The word “prayer,” and its various derivatives, appears some 544 times in the Bible. It may surprise you to know that the Bible has more to say about Jesus’ prayer life than either His healing or preaching ministry! Repeatedly, the Bible speaks of Jesus going off by Himself to pray to His heavenly Father (Matthew 26:36; Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12; Luke 9:29 et. al.). For although Jesus is the Son of God, He found it imperative to pray, and to pray often.
Yes, “prayer is one of our greatest blessings, but it is also one of our biggest struggles” according to the Reverend Richard L. Pratt in his book titled, Pray With Your Eyes Open. Sadly, prayer has become burdensome to many, awkward to most and seemingly passe to a large majority of Christians. We proclaim our love of God and (we) express our desire to obey Him. Yet we spend so little time with Him. If we yearn to have a meaningful relationship with God, we must spend time with Him. And spending time with God means talking to Him, conversing with Him … praying to Him. But most importantly, we need to afford time for God to speak to us!
As one Reformed pastor declared: “Show me a church where the people are on their knees praying and I’ll show you a church where God is at work.” With this in mind let us examine our prayer life, both individually and corporately, so that we may come away with a better understanding as to why we should pray, how we should pray, and what we should pray for.
In this morning’s passage there are, I believe, three questions we must ask ourselves: first of all, WHEN WE PRAY, WHO SHOULD WE PRAY FOR? Secondly, WHEN WE PRAY, HOW SHOULD WE PRAY? Third and finally, WHEN WE PRAY, WHAT SHOULD BE THE RESULTS? Put simply, it is the WHO, WHAT, and HOW as it applies to our prayer life.
And the first question we need to ponder is this: WHEN WE PRAY, WHO SHOULD WE PRAY FOR? (repeat).
When we pray the main impetus should always revolve around the motive(s) of our heart. At some point in time we’ve all asked ourselves: “Is it wrong or is it selfish of me to pray for myself?” Or, put another way, “Are my prayers more pious and noble when I am praying for others?”
In verse 5 Paul reminds his listeners to: “Let your forebearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.” This phrase, “The Lord is near”, has two implications. Paul may well have been referring to Christ’s imminent return, which many first century Christians believed that the Lord would return during their lifetime.
However, the apostle might also have meant that the Lord draws near to us when we come to Him in prayer. I say this because throughout the pages of Scripture we are repeatedly assured of God’s promise where He says: “Draw near to Me so that I may draw near to you” [Zechariah 1:3, Malachi 3:7, James 4:8]. In a word, God is near and dear to those who seek Him! The psalmist, David, in Psalm 34, speaks of God longing to hear from His children!
So, is it wrong for us to pray to God about ourselves? The answer is “No!” God wants to know the desires of our heart. We should be mindful that God is already acutely aware of our desires, but He wants us to ask Him. And if we ask with proper motives God’s answer will always be: “Yes,” “No,” or “Later”; never “Maybe!” And the more precise we are in our petitions, the more precise God will be with His answers! We may not always like His answer, but we can be certain that He will always uphold our best interests.
As for praying on behalf of others, it is also important to address our motives. In verse 2 Paul urges these two women, Euodia and Syntyche, to resolve their differences amicably so as not to cause further strife among the brethren. Keep in mind these were two godly women who were also quite influential. They may even have played an integral part in establishing this church at Philippi alongside the woman named Lydia. So Paul pleads with them to reconcile their differences in accordance with 2 Corinthians 5:18 which speaks of our being called to the “ministry of reconciliation.”
But whether we’re praying for ourselves or for others, sometimes I think it becomes a matter of forgetfulness. And by that I simply mean we forget what to ask for! Let me illustrate. For the better part of fifteen years, I was in outside sales in the family’s commercial printing business. I distinctly remember this one print buyer who, after calling on him for several months, (he) kept refusing to give me an order.
One day I got so fed up that I drove over to his plant and marched right into his office without an appointment. I confronted him saying, “Excuse me, but what must I do to get an order?” I stepped back momentarily fully expecting to be thrown out of his office, but instead he looked up, smiled and said politely, “Perhaps you can start by … asking!” He then went on to say, “Cooper, over the last several months you’ve shown me samples of what your company can produce but you’ve never bothered to …ask for an order!”
Needless to say, I learned a valuable lesson from that person. No, I never was able to win him over, but from that point on I never forgot the importance of asking … whether it was asking for an order, or asking God for help!
Then, too, WHEN WE PRAY HOW SHOULD WE PRAY? (repeat).
Tell me, have you ever gone to a prayer meeting and felt uncomfortable? People often do; especially if they’re not used to praying aloud or in groups. I can remember occasions when I would bow my head in prayer and then when I thought it was safe, I would look up to see what everyone else was doing!
Some of you will remember one of our beloved saints, Leonard Brown, who years ago served as a ruling elder here at Grace. “Brownie,” as he was affectionately called, loathed praying out loud, especially in groups. Perhaps this was due in part to the fact that he had been a fighter pilot in WW II; first as an American volunteer for the RAF flying Spitfires over the skies of England in the summer of 1940. Then, after America entered the war, Brownie flew P-47 Thunderbolts. Years later, during the Korean War, Brownie became a squadron commander flying Sabre jets. Oh, I never doubted for a moment that Brownie knew how to pray, but he did so in a cramped, single-seat fighter!
When it comes to praying I think sometimes we get so hung up on “methodology” that we forget the importance of just being ourselves! For instance in Old Testament times, priests assumed a standing position while praying. It was also customary for people to bow down, or to lay prostrate in reverence to God.
Today, people typically bow their heads and close their eyes when praying in spite of the fact that the Bible has little to say about “how” we should pray. The best advice we have comes from our Lord in His famed “Sermon on the Mount.” But again His words were directed more towards one’s “motives” rather than “methods.”
In Matthew chapter 6, beginning in verse 5, the Lord draws a clear distinction between the religious Pharisees who prided themselves by praying in public so as to be noticed, as opposed to our need to find a quiet room in which to pray. The Lord cautions us to pray in secret, so that God, who sees us in secret, will repay us.
As to “manner and form” things haven’t changed very much over the milleniums. In some forums I’ve heard people pray aloud in what I call a “horizontal” mode. In other words, these people seem more concerned with being heard by others, rather than by God.
But through the years I have also been privileged to know genuine “prayer intercessors”; people who pray in what I call a “vertical” mode. Such people, whether alone or surrounded by others, direct their prayers solely towards Almighty God. In a word, a true prayer intercessor is oblivious to his/her surroundings. They are not in the least bit distracted when being ushered into the throne room of God!
But when it comes to prayer perhaps the most important question confronting us is this: WHEN WE PRAY, WHAT SHOULD BE THE RESULTS? (repeat).
This, I believe, is the main impetus of what Paul is saying here. Beginning in verse 4 he reminds his readers to: “Rejoice in the Lord … always; again I will say rejoice!” All too often when we pray we become singularly focused on asking God for something, rather than earnestly seeking how best we can serve Him!
Paul emphasizes the need for us to remove any and all anxiety which, in the final analysis, brings into question doubts concerning God’s ability to provide for our welfare. Instead, in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, we should let our requests be made known to God.
To my way of thinking, Paul is telling me that I must have an attitude of thankfulness before presenting my petitions. In a word, I need to put faith before sight! And when I can do this, I become enshrouded with an incomprehensible peace; an abiding peace which the world cannot comprehend.
And this “inner peace” comes as a result of knowing intuitively that no matter what I ask for, either for myself or for others, God will surely answer me at just the right time and in just the right way!
One the best ways I can describe what I mean by this kind of “inner peace”, is the time when our youngest daughter, Maggie, who was about four years of age, was riding in the car with Sammie when an endearing song came over the radio. Suddenly Sammie welled up with tears in her eyes. A very concerned little Maggie looked over at her mother and asked if she was sad. Sammie assured her, “No, dear.” Maggie then asked: “Mommy, are these the kind of tears that makes you feel good inside?” Sammie smiled and said, “Yes, dear, these are the good kind of tears; tears that make you feel happy!”
And that, my friends, is the way God will make you feel when you go to Him in prayer … when tears of joy, unspeakable joy, will overflow! So, by all means and every means … let us pray!
