In the book, Steps Toward Spiritual Growth, the story is told of a man who was opening an adult bookstore in a small town despite the objections of many people in the community. A group of Christians from a neighboring church decided to gather for an all-night prayer meeting to ask to somehow block the establishment of this store. That evening there was a tremendous thunderstorm in the area. During the storm, lightening struck the adult bookstore building and it burned to the ground.
The owner of the bookstore brought a lawsuit against the church that claimed they were responsible for the fire. The Christians hired an attorney who denied that they had anything to do with it. When the case was brought before the judge, he stated, “No matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear; the bookstore owner believes in prayer and the Christians do not.”
Today we continue our series, “Bible Jeopardy: You know the answer, but what is the question?”
Today our topic is. . . . Well, let’s find out. Ready?
It has been called talking to God.
What is prayer?
It is one of the ways that we develop our own relationship with God.
What is prayer?
It is one of the spiritual habits that we can practice anywhere.
What is prayer?
Our study this morning is on prayer. But, what is prayer? Here is a suggested definition.
Prayer is a means by which we establish, deepen, and sustain our relationship with God.
Prayer is a much-discussed topic and a sometimes-frequent source of discouragement and despair. It also is sometimes the source of great insight as we study the prayers of others, especially children, like the four year old who was heard to pray, “And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.” Keen insight isn’t it?
Early in his earthly ministry Jesus sat down with His disciples and took time to instruct them in several important areas and topics. We read that instruction in Matthew chapters 5 through 7. It has been called, “The Sermon on The Mount” because it took place on a mountainside.
Among those topics addressed was prayer and Jesus’ comments on prayer are found in Matthew 6:5-18.
There are five sections to this passage on prayer that we need to be aware of:
Verses 5 and 6 – The Correct Attitude of Prayer
Verses 7 and 8 – The Correct Practice of Prayer
Verses 9 – 13 – A suggested pattern of prayer
Verses 14 and 15 – Prayer and Forgiveness
Verses 16 – 18 – Prayer and Fasting
All are important in understanding and practicing prayer. But today, I want to focus on the suggested pattern because it is here that we learn how to establish, deepen, and sustain our relationship with God.
Dale Galloway has given us a wonderful illustration and thought on prayer that we are going to us as a guide through this passage that we now know as the Lord’s Prayer.
Dale calls prayer “the hand that moves the hand of God.” And so, we are going to use our right hand as a guide in understanding how the elements of Jesus’ model prayer help us establish, deepen, and sustain our relationship with God.
Here is a diagram for you to follow:
To establish something means to put it on a firm basis. Prayer is a very important means in establishing our relationship with God and we establish our relationship with God when we tune into God in and through praise as we say “Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored.”
What does it mean to praise God? We say that a lot. We sing it, “Let’s just praise the Lord!” But what does it mean to praise God?
Two important things: First of all praise is thanking God for who He is. Who is God? Words fail us in answering this question. But, we establish our relationship with God as we thank Him for who he is. We must thank Him and acknowledge Him for His holiness, for His purity, for His power, for His majesty, and other aspects of His being. This kind of praise gives God His rightful place in our lives and thus establishes a relationship with Him.
We also praise God when we thank Him for what He has done for us and His mighty acts through history. Once again acknowledging God’s work in our lives and the lives of others in words of praise and thanksgiving create the environment by which we establish our relationship with God.
Psalm 103:1-2 “Praise the Lord, I tell myself; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me.”
But there is more to prayer than saying “Thank you God!” We also establish our relationship with God when we connect with God through cooperation as we say, “May your kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven.”
What does it mean to cooperate with God? Well for one thing it means to obey God and do what he tells us to do. We cooperate through obedience.
But, Jesus also tells his audience, and us, to cooperate as we pray for God’s kingdom to come to our lives, homes, schools, workplaces, communities, nation, and world. We establish our relationship with God through cooperation as we realize that we are not here for our own benefit. We are here to cooperate with God in the establishment of His kingdom.
Now the Kingdom of God is not a political group. It is spiritual, not governmental, in nature. God’s kingdom is about the redemption of humankind. It is about bringing people to a right relationship with God.
And prayer is important in that because we are on a mission. Our mission is about people and their souls. It is about helping others find and experience God and His forgiveness and life. So when we pray, we must also pray for God’s plans and purposes to be accomplished. And that also means that we must individually submit to God’s plans and purposes for us.
However, we must not only establish our relationship with God we must also deepen our relationship with God. And we deepen our relationship with God through prayer when we petition, when we ask for and receive God’s provisions for us as we pray, “Give us our food for today.”
Elsewhere in this major segment of scripture, Jesus tells the disciples not to worry about their need for food and clothing because He will provide. But one thing that Jesus is underscoring is, that as we trust and ask God for what we need and believe that He will provide, such faith and trust deepens our relationship with God because we believe that God will provide for our immediate needs.
In Philippians 4:6 Paul has said, “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.” Prayer deepens our relationship with God because it deepens our trust in Him.
A man returned to his car in a parking lot and found a note under the windshield wiper. The note read as follows: “I just smashed into your car. The people who witnessed the collision are watching me. They probably think that I am writing down my name and address. I am not. They are wrong.” There was nothing more written on the note.
Two things about confession stand out to me in this story. First of all, the man admitted the truth about what he done. But, second, he failed to take responsibility for what he did. Confession and forgiveness are both about admitting the truth and additionally about taking responsibility for one’s action.
Another way we deepen our relationship with God is by confession and forgiveness as we pray, “forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.”
Now a case can be made for this aspect of prayer being a primary way of establishing our relationship with God. Through a sincere prayer of repentance we are able to receive forgiveness of our sins and establish our relationship with God.
However, confession also serves to deepen our relationship with God through the years because telling the honest truth about our self and taking responsibility for our actions and thoughts, keeps our hearts and minds open to God. But, there is also another aspect to forgiveness in prayer, “just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.” And there’s the rub. And Jesus does not let it go unnoticed as we read in verses 14 and 15.
For forgiveness to freely flow from God to us, there cannot be anything blocking its path: our own sin and our unwillingness to forgive others. It is not that God won’t forgive our sin; it is that He can’t because He will not force us to forgive. Forgiveness, real forgiveness, is freely given. And when we refuse to forgive others, God is unable to forgive our sins because we are block the flow of forgiveness.
Now, I know, I know that many, many people have trouble forgiving others because of the terribly tragic things that have been done and said to them. Forgiveness seems an impossibility.
I am reminded of the story of Dr. Dave Gyertson. Dave is the President of Taylor University. He grew up in an extremely dysfunction family. In fact, he ended up in the local Free Methodist pastor’s home after his mother threw him out.
This wonderful couple, by the name of Poynter, took Dave in and raised him not just to manhood but Christian manhood. Many years went by and one day Dave came face to face with the reality of forgiving his father who was known to be living in Toronto. (Dave is a native of Canada.)
If I remember correctly, Dave had re-established contact with his dad after many years. But, in the re-establishment of that contact, all the memories came flooding back. Dave Gyertson had to make a choice – forgive and learn to love his father or allow his spirit and his life to be poisoned by unforgiveness. One of the things that Dave said was that he became willing to be willing.
I believe that as Dave Gyertson was willing to forgive his father his relationship with God the Father grew and grew and grew and deepened. I also think that had he not made the decision to forgive that Dave Gyertson would not be where he is today.
Forgiveness for a Christian is not option. It is a requirement. It is also, in some situations, a process because sometimes it takes time.
Finally, we sustain our relationship with God through what Dale Galloway calls the “can-do” step – victory as we pray “and don’t let us yield to temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”
Last week, we studied the wonderful truth and beautiful reality that God can help us live victoriously over temptation and sin! Such victorious living is sustained as we actively ask for and accept, through prayer, God’s help and protection in resisting temptation and delivery from the influence of Satan.
Have you ever stopped to consider that, at the beginning of His earthly ministry in this larger segment of Matthew, and, at the end of his ministry, in the John 14 – 17 passage, that Jesus repeated some things to his disciples?
One thing, perhaps the most remembered thing, is that there will be trouble and persecution. Matthew 5:11 and John 15:21 speak of this reality. “God bless you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers.” “The people of the world will hate you because you belong to me, for they don’t know God who sent me.”
Jesus understood and knew that they would be engaged in a struggle, a battle, which had nothing to do with human issues. They instead had everything to do with spiritual issues.
These troubles and persecutions came because the disciples were following God and the other side did not want that to happen. The same holds true for us. If we are going to follow God, then there will be opposition – direct as we sense and experience evil and indirect through temptation.
What is required of us is prayer that allows us to seek victory over and resistance to temptation as we read in James 4:7-8. “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.” This kind of relationship includes praying for strength and willingness to resist temptation and be led in the right direction.
Prayer is an essential part of our relationship and life with God. It is important for us to develop and maintain a strong prayer life as we seek to establish, deepen, and sustain a strong relationship with God.
A gospel song came to my mind as I prepared this sermon. It speaks directly both to the place of and the necessity for prayer in our relationship with God and why that it is important:
How long has it been since you talked with the Lord and told Him your heart’s hidden secrets? How long since you prayed? How long since you stayed on your knees till the light shone through? How long has it been since your mind felt at ease? How long since your heart knew no burden? Can you call him your friend? How long has it been since you knew that He cared for you?
How long has it been since you knelt by your bed and prayed to the Lord up in heaven? How long since you knew that He’d answer you and would keep you the long night through? How long has it been since you woke with the dawn, and felt that the day’s worth the living? Can you call Him your friend? How long has it been since you knew that He cared for you?
How is your prayer life? How is your relationship with God today? They are very closely connected together. Our prayer life influences the quality and depth of our relationship with the Lord. But, just like every other area of our lives, God is more than willing to help us in our prayer life. All we have to do is ask.
Prayer is important. Prayer is essential to our lives. Prayer is sometimes frustrating and challenging. However, prayer is worth it. Prayer is like the mining equipment that digs out precious stones. It goes through a lot of resistance but when it gets to where it needs to be the riches are unbelievable! May you this day, may we this day, “find the riches,” as Paul put it, “that are in Christ Jesus” as we pray and establish, deepen, and sustain our relationship with Him. Amen.
