“Getting Right For Prayer”
On last night we looked into the very first part of this particular passage of scripture which refers to God’s people as being called by His name. And from that passage, we addressed the question, “What Does It Mean to Be Called By God’s Name?”
After discovering and exploring a multitude of names for the Lord God Almighty, and the power of those names, we finally came to the conclusion that there is but one name under the heavens by which a man shall be saved. And that name is the name of Jesus. Can I get a witness?
We know that Jesus was, and is still today, the living Son of God. We know that He descended from His heavenly home to walk the face of this old earth in an earthly body prepared by God. We know that while He was here He healed the sick and He raised the dead. He fed the hungry and He even taught those who wanted to learn God’s Word. Have I got a witness?
And We even know that after his earthly mission was accomplished He climbed up on Calvary’s cross and took the weight of the world upon His shoulders, and He hung down His head and died. Yes, he died one Friday but the Bible tells us that early on one Sabbath day morning, some of Jesus’ followers went looking for Him, but He was no longer in the grave, for an angel told them that He had defied death and had rose up to live again.
All of this shows the power and significance of the life of Jesus. But we as Christians must understand that while Jesus walked upon the face of this earth, it was not His own personal heavenly power that He used to accomplish all of the healing.
And what I mean by that is that Jesus did not come down to earth with the same power that He had in heaven. But He came down to earth as a man. He walked just like you and I walk. He talked just like you and I talk. He had to eat just like you and I have to eat. He felt pain just like you and I feel pain. And He even had emotional outbursts to the point of anger just like you and I do every now and then. Have I got a witness?
Jesus was stripped of all of His heavenly power when He came down here to this desolate place called earth. But the key is He still knew where His power came from. Well Brother Preacher, how do you know He knew? Well my brothers and sisters, it was evident in the fact that Jesus was a praying man. He always went to His father in prayer.
The first thing that he did after He was baptized by John the Baptist was go out in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights for praying and fasting. It was while He was here in the wilderness that He was tempted by the devil.
And how many of you know today that if you want to have any chance in defeating the attacks of the devil, the first thing you have to do is get prayed up. Oh I wish I had some help in here.
We have to be a people of prayer. That’s how we get closer to God. When we pray we can talk to Him and tell Him all about our troubles. When we pray we can ask Him for help, and as the old folk used to say, He may not come when you want Him, but He’ll always be right on time. When we pray we can praise God for all of the things that He’s done in our lives. And I don’t know about anybody else in here, but God has done wonders in my life. If there’s anybody here who knows that God has made a difference in your life, you ought to say “Thank You.”
Some of us know how powerful one prayer can be, but can you imagine what would happen if we all got on one accord in prayer. If we stopped all of the mess and just started praying and praising God. My Bible tells me in the first two verses of this 7th chapter of the book of 2nd Chronicles, that after they finished building the temple, King Solomon gathered all of the elders and the priests together and went into prayer.
And when he finished praying, the Bible says that the Glory of the Lord showed up and filled the temple, so that even the priests could not enter into the building. Church don’t you know that if we stop all of the mess in the church and get on one accord, God will show up. And when He shows up He’ll take over. But first, we must become a people of prayer.
Once we’ve become a people of prayer, we then have to pay the price of prayer. Our text gives us one simple price that we must pay to have our prayers heard. And that price is that we must be humble.
Humility is a very hard trait to master. Too many people believe that being humble is a sign of weakness. That being humble won’t get you anywhere in this dog eat dog world. But oh, don’t you see Jesus? Walking down on this earth, but knowing that He could leave at any time. Having all of the riches in glory, but allowing himself to be spit on and beat on? Able to call a multitude of God’s army of angels to His side at any time, but willing to be humble to pay the ultimate sacrifice for mankind.
It was because of His humility that He was able to obtain more power in his death, than He could ever have in His life. For Jesus declared that all power was given to Him in heaven and in earth. In other words, He had all power in His hands.
That’s why fasting is an important element in your prayer life. Fasting makes you give up something that is important to you. It makes you stop doing something that you enjoy doing. And we must understand that fasting is not always about what you eat. It’s not always about not eating from sun up to sundown.
But fasting can be about giving up that TV that you love to watch to get into your Bible and study the word of God. Fasting can be about giving up that telephone that you love to talk on in order to get down on your knees to have a little talk with the Lord.
When you fast, you are submitting yourself to the will of God and therefore you are humbling yourself before Him. That’s why Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. He was submitting Himself to the will of God. Because I heard Him say Lord not my will, but thy will be done. Have I got a witness?
Once you’ve paid the price to get your prayers to work, you then need to know the point of prayer. You need to know why you’re praying. What you’re trying to accomplish through prayer.
And I must let you know that the reason we should be praying has nothing to do with getting a financial blessing. It has nothing to do with getting healed from your sickness. It has nothing to do with getting a new home or a new car. But when we pray we should be putting ourselves in a position to get closer to God. Our text says to seek MY face.
If you are trying to get closer to God, then you need to seek His face. You need to find out what God looks like. You need to know for yourself just how big God is. You need to find out what He sounds like. Don’t you remember that Jesus said that His sheep know His voice. But how will you know His voice if you aren’t trying to get closer to Him? This is our whole purpose our whole point for prayer.
The next thing that we as Christians need to do is to put ourselves in the right position for prayer. This passage tells us that we have to turn from our wicked ways. If we don’t stop doing all manners of evil we will never have ourselves in the right position for prayer.
Too many church folk are still lying and cheating on one another. Too many church folk are still committing fornication and adultery on a regular basis. Too many church folk are still stealing and robbing God. To many church folk are still living worldly lives and have not cleaned up where they’ve messed up. They have not become a new creature in Jesus Christ, but instead, they went down in the water a dry devil and came back up out of the water a wet devil.
But don’t you know that you can’t hide from God? God can see you and he knows your heart. If we want to be in the right position for our prayers to be heard, then we need to start cleaning up our acts. Have I got a witness?
And finally, my brothers and sisters, once we’ve become a people of prayer. Once we’ve paid the price for prayer. Once we know the point of prayer. And once we’ve gotten ourselves in the position for prayer. We will then be ready to experience the power of prayer.
How many of you know today that prayer is a powerful thing. For the Bible tells me over in Genesis the 20th Chapter that Abilmelech had unknowingly taken Abraham’s wife Sarah to be His own wife. But God came to Abimelech in a dream. And not only did He sentence Abimelech to die, but God also shut up the wombs in His house, that no more would be born unto Him. But when Abraham prayed for Abimelech before the Lord, the Bible tells me that Abimelech was healed and the wombs were opened up. Ain’t God alright?
In book of Numbers the 11th Chapter, the children of Israel began complaining against the Lord. Oh Lord. And every now and then children, you need to know that you can only push God so far. Ain’t God alright.
For the Bible tells me that all of their complaining kindled God’s anger. And we know that there must have been a whole lot of complaining going on, because the Bible also tells me that God is slow to anger. Am I right about it.
And when God got angry at the children of Israel, the Bible tells me that he rained down fire and started burning them up. Oh Lord. But Moses, got on the prayer line and he prayed on behalf of these scandalous folk. Oh Lord. And when he finished praying, the Bible tells me that God, quenched the fire. Ain’t God alright?
When Hanna could not bare any children. The Bible tells me that she prayed unto the Lord and the Lord heard her cry and gave her a son by the name of Samuel. Ain’t the Lord alright?
When Hezekiah heard his death sentence from the prophet Isaiah, over in 2 Kings, the 20th chapter, the Bible tells me that Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord God Almighty heard his cry and gave Him, 15th more years to live. Ain’t God alright?
When Jonah was disobedient to the will of God, the Bible tells me that God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah whole. Oh Lord. And don’t you know, the Bible did not say that it was a whale, but instead. Oh no. But it says that God prepared a great big fish. And don’t you know church, that anything the Lord prepares is perfect and complete. Can I get a witness?
But Jonah went into prayer until the fish spit him up on dry ground. Ain’t the Lord alright? Do you know He’s alright? Have you tried Him? Won’t He make a way for you?
For I heard, I heard, I heard that there was one last prayer that shows the power of an all powerful God. Oh Lord.
This prayer came while Jesus was hanging on the cross. Can’t you see him. Hanging on that cross, people standing around just watching Him get ready to die. People making all kinds of fun at Jesus. People call Him all kinds of names. Oh Lord.
People not believing that He was the Son of the most High God. But even in this condition, Jesus went to the GOD in prayer. He was concerned, that His daddy might get angry and strike us down with fire from heaven. He was concerned that His daddy might prepare some kind of animal to eat up all of mankind. He was concerned that God had already sentenced man to die. Oh Lord.
BUT Jesus, prayed His prayer, He said Father forgive them. Forgive them for lying on me. Forgive them for beating me. Forgive them for spiting on me. Forgive them for robbing me. For give them for everything that they’ve done that is against your will. Ain’t God alright.
But the Bible tells me that after He prayed He hung down his head and gave up the ghost. Oh Lord. And don’t you know. That on that Friday when Jesus died that could have been the end of the world. That could have been the end of mankind.
But God Heard the prayer of Jesus and early, early, early once Sunday morning He got up with all power in His hands……
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