15) WE BELIEVE IN PRAYER!
An Introduction To The Important Questions About Prayer
TEXT: 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
Introduction
Ok - so we are talking about: “...Those things most surely believed among us”,
This is something talked about and readily recorded for us Luke 1:1.
Now as part of our weekly study - We have used this as a point of focus,
And we have launched out from this text,
To begin to learn many of the fundamentals of our faith – as taught in the Bible.
We started off by discerning how - We Believe in God
Then we progressed to talk about how - We Believe in God’s Word
And now we are going to talk about the next point...
That being the fact that - We Believe in Prayer.
And brethren we do believe in “Prayer” – don’t we?
It’s just that we believe in the right kind of prayer...
Prayer that is biblically sound – and directed to the one true God!
You see, nearly every known religion in the World...
Irrespective of what so called “God’s” they worship,
Seem to believe in, and practice, some form of prayer – even if wrongly!
And I want you all to take careful note of this...
Because there is a right kind of Prayer - and a wrong kind of Prayer.
Now Brethren I need to be honest with you...
Because I am not interested in what wider Religion does,
I am only interested in the surety of our faith and what we believe– chapter & verse.
And make no mistake – because of what the Word of God teaches,
We believe in Prayer – it’s just that we believe in the right kind of prayer!!!
And it’s through today’s lesson – and in the weeks to come...
That we are going to begin to discover why!
Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Brethren, why we believe in prayer is summed up rather effectively right here.
Firstly – Prayer is seen openly talked about in God’s Word.
And Secondly – we are told and instructed by God - to Pray.
In fact, the Bible says that we are to: Pray without ceasing – verse 17
Pray and keep on praying…we are told.
Pray and continue in your prayers…
Pray and never stop Praying - God says.
And why???... why should this one action
Be important enough for us all to continue without ever ceasing?
It’s because God said so– and because this is actually His will concerning all of us
…for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
It’s God’s will that we Pray! Amen!
You see, if you Believe in God...
And if you Believe in God’s Word...and what He says here,
Then we must also Believe in Prayer – and brethren we do.
1) WHAT IS PRAYER
But what is Prayer?
Now as we have already alluded to - “Prayer” is something many people know about.
It doesn’t matter if you are a Christian or not - most people have heard about prayer,
Yet sadly most people don’t really know what it is.
Prayer is not about closing your eyes...
Prayer is not about folding or raising your hands...
Prayer is not is something religious people do.
Prayer is so much more than that.
TALKING WITH GOD
You know, God never looks to overcomplicate things for us.
He always just keeps things simple and to the point in His Word.
So lets keep things simple today.
In fact, for the purposes of this message let’s simply define Prayer
…As the means by which we “talk with God”.
Look there’s a little more to it than that – but let’s just start here.
Simply put - God talks with us through His Word,
(We’ve seen that through our previous lessons)
And Prayer is how we talk to God.
It’s that simple.
Of course, our prayers should always be given
With the utmost reverence and respect,
Recognising who God is – and the fact that He sits upon the throne,
But on its most basic level...
Prayer is how we communicate and share our hearts with God.
Remember the Lord is a “Personal God”,
In fact, God wants to have an intimate personal relationship with mankind
Through His son Jesus Christ.
For this reason – He continues to openly talk...
And to proclaim this message to us through His Word,
And, He in turn invites us to talk with Him openly through Prayer.
Now I don’t know how you Pray...
But when I pray - I just TALK to God.
I humbly and respectfully converse with the Lord in prayer.
Prayer is how I open up and share my heart with Him.
Sometimes I talk out loud…
And sometimes I speak to God in silence from my heart.
But no matter how you look at it…
Talking to God and sharing our hearts with Him - is a key part of what Prayer is.
In my prayers, I have simple conversations with God.
And because I know God personally, and have received Christ as my Saviour,
It’s not hard for me to share my thoughts, my feelings…
My fears and my frustrations with Him.
I share all my needs, my concerns, my praises and adoration for Him...
And I do it all through Prayer.
You see, Prayer on its most basic is level is about us talking to God.
For me – Prayer is an opportunity to get real with God.
Real about what I am feeling…
Real about what I am struggling with…
And real about handing my heart over to Him.
And for me - it all just makes sense.
After all, true Christianity is about having a meaningful relationship with the Lord.
And people who are in any kind of relationship
Communicate and talk to one another – don’t they.
In fact, in order for there to be any healthy relationship
There needs to be two-way communication present.
And two-way communication doesn’t just involve one person talking all the time,
But rather both parties talking and conversing together.
Did you know that Poor Communication is cited
As the number one cause for relationship failure today.
Who would have ever thought, that in order for relationships to succeed…
People need to be prepared to talk with one another – right.
Well guys when it comes to our spiritual relationship with the Lord
It’s really no different.
A healthy spiritual relationship with God requires two-way communication.
Here’s how it works…
The Lord talks to me everyday with this [The Bible]
This is His Word’s to me.
And I in turn, converse with God everyday…
Only I talk to Him through Prayer.
That is how I share my thoughts, my feelings and my praise with Him.
Prayer is not strange…
It’s not weird…
It just makes good spiritual sense from a relationship standpoint.
So far in this series of lessons we have talked a lot about us
Needing to be willing and ready to listen to what God has to say,
And the importance of us receiving His Word.
But what we haven’t talked about thus far…
Is how God is actually ready and willing to listen to us.
He wants us to talk to Him.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Not only is Prayer a critical part to our relationship with God,
But Praying is what God wants us to do.
And knowing “What” Prayer is in this regard - is a good place for this lesson to start.
But we have much more to learn don’t we.
In fact, today I want to explore four more questions about prayer...
In light of what the Scriptures teach.
In addition to the question of “What Prayer is” – I want to also ask:
Who is Supposed to Pray
When are we Supposed to Pray
Where can we Pray
And of course, Why do we Pray.
1) WHO PRAYS
So let’s start with our first basic question - Who Prays?
I mean is Prayer just something we see in the Bible…
Which the Apostles and early disciples did?
Remember God’s Word declares that we to “Pray without ceasing”
And when we look to the Scriptures...
We see people of every age
And from all walks of life – doing exactly that...Praying!
In the Scriptures - Hannah Prayed for a Son in 1 Samuel.
Daniel - Prayed to confess Israel’s Sin in Daniel 9
Habakkuk – Prayed for Mercy in Habakkuk 3
Jehoshaphat – Prays for Deliverance in 2 Chronicles 20
Solomon - Prayed for Wisdom 1 kings 3
While in the NT Saul – simply prayed “what shall I do Lord”
When walking that road to Damascus in Acts 22.
And who exactly were all these people?
Well Hannah was a Wife…
Daniel was a Slave…
Habakkuk was a Prophet…
At the time Saul was a Pharisee…
While Jehoshaphat and Solomon were Kings.
So what we have here is a broad spectrum of both men and women,
Ranging from Sinners and Saints
Slaves to Kings…
And Pharisees through to Prophets,
All being engaged in the Act of Prayer.
In fact, there are just so many examples of prayer found in the Bible
Coming from all kinds of people…
From across all walks of life – they’re just too many for us to follow this morning.
Needless to say – there are a lot.
But guys lets not forget What Prayer is...
Because it’s really just the means by which
Real people... have real conversations... with a Real God.
Simply put - Prayer involves people just like you and me,
Talking to God about where they’re at…
And about what is taking place in their lives.
It’s not an exclusive right reserved for a select few…
But rather something that can be expressed by anyone.
And It’s incredibly easy to do.
So easy in fact - that even my own kids do it.
Every night before tea and every night before bed
My boys Pray. And they pray the neatest prayers sometimes
Because they just open their hearts and talk to God.
This past week Eli prayed – “Thank you Lord that we love each other”
And Josiah prayed “Dear Lord I can’t wait to see what Heaven is like”
Kind of simple all this prayer stuff – right.
Because even children can do it.
Jesus said: Suffer [or rather permit] little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19:14)
God’s entire kingdom is made up of people just like these – Jesus said
People not of a particular age – but those who exhibit open hearts & child-like faith.
You know, kids can be brutally honest sometimes – and overwhelming with their questions,
But God is not afraid of our honesty. Neither is he baffled by our questions.
He just wants us to talk with Him...
And to exhibit some child-like faith in our Christian walk.
Paul encouraged the Church at Ephesus to:
“Be followers of God, as dear children” (Eph 5:1)…
And how do we do that – well prayer is always a good place to start
So then simple question – “Who Can Pray?”
Simple answer – Anyone and Everyone…
Your gender, background, position and age – doesn’t matter to God
Because Prayer is available to all.
And that brings us onto our next question which is…
2) WHERE DO WE PRAY
Is it better to pray in some places rather than in others?
Does the Lord have a certain expectation about these kinds of things?
Well 1 Timothy 2:8 answers that for us saying:
8 I will therefore that men pray everywhere,
Now in the immediate context here
We can see and understand how Paul is writing to Timothy saying
“This is my personal will and my desire.”
However, on a deeper spiritual level…
We know and understand that this is in fact God’s Word,
And therefore what He is saying to us.
“It’s my will that mankind would engage in prayer everywhere” - God says
Not just in Church…
Not just in Sunday School…
Not just in bed before you go to sleep – but everywhere.
And everywhere is a pretty big place.
In fact, there is nowhere I have been that everywhere doesn’t cover.
I mean the term “everywhere”
Just kind of removes any and all physical boundaries – doesn’t it.
There is no place out there…
That everywhere doesn’t include.
And so it should really come as no surprise
That through the Scriptures we find all kinds of examples
Of people fulfilling God’s will in this manner by - Praying everywhere.
Jesus of course can be seen praying in a variety of places Himself.
He can be seen praying privately in the Garden – Luke 22
And up on top of Mountains – Luke 6.
He can be seen praying publicly...
While teaching His disciples among the multitudes – Matthew 6.
And we even see Him Praying as He uttered His last words from the cross
Saying “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” – Luke 23
We see the disciples praying out on the sea from a boat
Paul and Silas prayed from a prison cell
We are even told that Hezekiah King of Jerusalem
Prayed with his face to the wall - 2 Kings 20:2
So you tell me – what are our options when it comes to prayer?
Well there’s the gardens, the mountains and the seas
There’s privacy of your own home like Hezekiah did
Or you can do so in a more public place
Like Jesus did with His brethren.
Or you can simply mix it up and do it somewhere else.
Simple question – Where Can we Pray?
Simple answer – Everywhere.
3) WHEN DO WE PRAY
And following on from these “Who” and “Where” questions…
The next logical step is to ask When do we pray?
Well lets look at some examples concerning Jesus and His prayer life:
When did Jesus pray - Mark 1:35
35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
So here we see Jesus getting up early in the morning
Even before daybreak – to pray.
Luke 6:12
12 And it came to pass in those days, that He [speaking of Jesus] went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
So now we see Jesus praying all night.
We are also able to see Daniels example in the OT
Where even after king Nebuchadnezzar outlawed praying...
Daniel still paryed faithfully
Daniel 6:10
…kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
And we see that the Psalmist doing something similar - Psalms 55:17
17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud:
And then we have the words of the Apostle Paul
Who proclaimed his joy for the brethren in the Church of Thessalonica
Lets see this in 1 Thessalonians 3:10
10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face,
Gosh, there is only so much time in a day - right
And I think we have just about covered it all.
Firstly, from early in the morning – before the sun rises
And then again very late – and throughout all the night we see Jesus Praying,
Daniel prayed repeatedly throughout the day,
While the Psalmist prayed a combination of morning, noon, and evening together.
Paul prayed both night and day,
So simple question – When Should We Pray?
Simple Answer - You can pray anytime – day or night.
4) WHY DO WE PRAY
So that’s the Who, Where and When of it all
But I think we still need to talk about Why we Pray – don’t you?
And on this note I got to thinking why do I pray
I mean why do any of us pray right?
And the simple truth is we only ever really pray for two reasons:
1) To Request Something from God
2) To Give Something back to God
1) PRAY TO GET FROM GOD
So lets break this down.
Firstly, we pray to Receive something from God.
And please understand that I don’t at all mean this
In a selfish or inappropriate way.
Its ok to pray to the Lord if you need something.
In fact, Philippians 4:6 tells us to:
6 Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
When it comes to everything we need…
We are to pray to God.
a) GET HELP
I don’t know about you…
But one of the biggest things I pray for,
The one thing I seem to need more of than anything else from God is – Help
I pray because I need God’s help.
You see - life can test us.
Life can bring with it problems, trials and tribulations.
There are storms out there on the horizon
And we’re all going to need help from the Lord
If we are going to weather them.
Lets turn to Psalms 34:17
17 The righteous cry [they pray and pour out their hearts before God], and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
The storms, the floods and the fires…
It doesn’t really matter what form our trouble takes
Because when we need help…
God will be there to give it.
Isn’t it ironic though, that even in understanding this…
Sometimes the one time we need help the most,
Is precisely the one time when we can’t bring ourselves to ask for it.
There is an interesting dialog from James in the NT about prayer
And He simply says: “…You have not, because you ask not” (James 4:2)
Guys its not hard to ask God for Help is it.
Listen to just a fraction of the following prayers
We see given God in the Scriptures – requesting His help:
“Save us oh Lord” – Psalm 106:47
“Rescue me speedily” – Psalm 31:2
“Redeem me” – Job 6:23
“Oh Lord Deliver my Soul” – Psalms 6:4
“Oh my God Protect me” – Psalms 59:1…and
“Strengthen thou me” – Psalms 119:28
To all of which the David simply Prays
Make haste to help me, O Lord - Psalms 38:22
(Provision)
b) GET BLESSED
Do you know what else I pray to God to get is
Is it wrong to want to be blessed?
Is it wrong to ask God for a Blessing?
Because I don’t think it is.
Perhaps I wouldn’t advocate doing what Jacob did though
Because remember Jacob wrestled with God all night long
And refused to relinquish until He received a blessing.
Now I don’t think we need to go to those extremes…
Because what I am talking about is praying for something good from the Lord
What I am talking about is praying God’s best in your life.
We know that God is good – right
So then how can it be wrong to pray for good things from God?
In Fact, Jesus said in Matthew 7:11:
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Remember what James said – “You have not because you ask not”
I wonder are you at all familiar with the Prayer of Jabez?
Because in the book of 1 Chronicles
We find him praying to God and asking for a blessing.
I want you to notice what he says - 1 Chronicles 4:10
10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me,
“Lord I want to be blessed by you” - Jabez prayed.
Kind of makes you think – doesn’t it
I mean when was the last time I earnestly prayed
And sincerely asked God for a blessing?
Do you ever pray like this?
“Lord, all I want – is to be blessed by you.”
Lord I want you to shower my life with good things.
I want to be blessed in my work
I want to be blessed in my walk
I want to be blessed in my worship
I want to be blessed in my marriage
I want to be blessed in everything I say and do.
And heck while we are asking for blessings…
I don’t want God’s goodness to just stop with me
Because I want others to be blessed of God too.
I want my family to be blessed…
I want my kids to be blessed…
I want my brethren to be blessed…
And I want this Church to be blessed.
As Jabez said – “I want to blessed indeed.”
I want my boarders enlarged and I want God’s hand to be upon me.
2) PRAY TO GIVE BACK TO GOD
So then – its quite obvious that when it comes to praying
We often pray first and foremost to GET things from God,
Be it - to receive Help or to receive a Blessing.
However, our prayer lives would be a little one sided don’t you think
If all we ever did was just pray to GET things from God,
So that’s why it’s also important that we pray to GIVE back to God.
And you say well what do you mean
How can I possibly give back to God?
What would the Lord ever want to receive from me.
a) GIVE THANKS
Well how about our thanks for one?
SLIDE 26 – Child Praying
Remember what Paul said in our opening text
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
So not only are we to pray to God continually
But we are to pray to God…
And give Him thanks - for everything.
SLIDE 28 - Verse
Colossians 4:2 adds to this saying:
2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
So again we see that our prayers are to be an ongoing action,
And something that is to be filled with thanksgiving.
In fact that term Watch used there really means to: “give attention too”
So Paul says: “Look – continue in your prayers…
But give special attention to Thanksgiving”
Have you ever stopped and tried to give account
Before the Lord of all that you are thankful for?
Because I tell you what it is a never ending task.
I mean we just have so much to be thankful for.
And when we have thanked God for everything last week and even yesterday,
We then need to remember to give thanks for today…
And even for tomorrow – knowing that there is more good things to come.
Thank you Lord.
You see we do all have something to give back to God
In the form of thanksgiving.
b) GIVE PRAISE
Of course it doesn’t stop there
Because we also have something else we can give to the Lord
Through our prayers – and that’s our Praises to Him.
SLIDE 29 – Praise God
You know, sometimes I think people kind of believe
That you just go to Church to Praise God.
And we do – but that doesn’t exclude you from praising God
In other ways like through our prayers.
In fact, I enjoy praising God when I pray.
Just taking the time to reflect and to verbalise in my own way
Just how awesome He is.
Of course, I am not the only one who does this:
SLIDE 30 - 2 Samuel 22:4
4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised:
Psalms 109:30
30 I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth;
Do you ever just Pray to the Lord
So that you can Praise Him for who He is…
And for what He has done in your life?
You see we can give back to God
With 1 Chronicles 29:13
13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
CONCLUSION
So this then is the challenge…
If we are going to connect with God this year
We need to PRAY.
In fact, we need to Pray without ceasing.
That means that its to be an ongoing action in our lives.
This morning we have answered
Many of the fundamental questions that exist regarding prayer.
They were simple questions…
And thankfully the Bible has provided us all with some simple answers.
Who Prays – Anyone
Where can we Pray – Anywhere
When can we Pray – Anytime
And Why do we Pray
Well its either going to be to Receive something from God
Or to Give something back to God.
Firstly, we pray to get Help from God…
And to be Blessed by God.
And having received these things of Him
It then only makes sense to Pray and give God Thanks
And to Praise Him for just how truly great a God He is.
And both are equally as important in a balanced
Prayer life of a Child of God.
And guys this is an easy as I can make it…
But for all the questions we have asked and answered so far
We are still lacking one…
And its perhaps the greatest question of them all
The disciples asked it of Jesus when they said
Teach us how to Pray.
Join us next week…
And we will be taught by Christ Himself – How to Pray.
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
