Do you have difficulties with Prayer. If so, then there are two possible reasons: a) Some people don`t really KNOW that God loves them and wants to bless them. b) Some people pray in the wrong way.
LUKE 11.5 Jesus is teaching His Disciples how to pray and uses two homely illustrations: 1. A friend has come to visit you unexpectedly, and there`s no food in the house. You go next door to ask for help, but it`s late and your neighbour has gone to bed.
After much knocking on your part, he pokes his head out of the window and says: "What do you want at this time of night. It`s after midnight". But, though he`s reluctant, he`s still your friend. Friends help out when you`re in trouble, so down stairs he comes, opens wide his fridge door, and says, "Help yourself".
And if reluctant human beings are prepared to help when you`re in trouble, GOD IS MUCH MORE WILLING THAN THAT - there`s NEVER any reluctance on His part, SAYS JESUS.
2. The next story - your son comes home from school and says: "Dad, I`m starving. Can I have a bit of last night`s left overs, or that fried egg that we didn`t eat at breakfast. What do you do? BITE HIS HEAD OFF? No, you love him, and, because you`re his father, you give him what he needs.
Now, says Jesus, if earthly fathers are generous enough to do THAT, HOW MUCH MORE OUR DADDY IN HEAVEN! Why He`s willing to give the good things of His Spirit to us, pressed down, shaken together and running over.
And I haven`t gone all irreverent calling God "DADDY" - for THAT was the concept that Jesus was constantly trying to get across to His Disciples. When Jesus spoke to His Father, His title for God wasn`t "GREAT JEHOVAH", or "ALMIGHTY GOD", or "THOU WHO ART BEYOND THE FURTHEST MORTAL EYE CAN SCAN"............. It was an Aramaic word, "ABBA" - AND THAT WORD WAS A VERY INTIMATE WORD.
David Pawson, a Baptist Minister, explains, "I was in in Israel when, one afternoon, I passed a School just as it was letting out. I saw one little boy walking through the gateway, when suddenly he saw a man who was quite obviously his father. As soon as he saw him the little boys through out his arms, and ran towards him shout "Abba, Abba, Abba". He through himself towards the man who caught him up and swung him round and round, laughing and loving. And I saw that, if this had been England (or America), the boy would have shouted, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy".
THAT`S what Jesus is saying - THAT`S what Jesus is trying to communicate. The word "ABBA" literally means "DADDY, DEAR DADDY". St. Paul tells us, that, when God`s Spirit enters our life he enables us to call God "ABBA - DADDY". We are to ask and receive from a LOVING DADDY, who is longing to pour out blessing upon us.
However, there are certain blockages to our receiving:
1. First there is our attitude towards God. In one of my Parishes a choir member used to say, "Oh, I don`t believe in asking things for myself" - she thought she was being very humble. If we don`t think God wants to bless us, then we`ll not come to Him for blessing. But Jesus says, "ASK" - "SEEK" - "KNOCK"
2. The second is our attitude towards ourselves: if we don`t think we`re WORTHY to receive, then we won`t come for blessing. Now, let`s get it straight, of course, in one sense, we`re not worthy. No-one ever is - but we`ve been assured that it was while we were yet SINNERS that Christ died for us. Do you think He`s going to do that great thing for us whilst we we`re full of sin, and then, from that point on tell us, "I`m not going to give you anything or do anything for you, because you`re not worthy". Christ DIED to give - He`s dying to give to you now - you are a SON OF GOD - ALL of God`s blessing are waiting for you to claim them.
3. The third blockage is our attitude towards others: God forgives us, and wants to bless us. But remember the Lord`s Prayer - it says, "Forgive us our sins AS WE FORGIVE those who sin aganist us". If we are not willing to forgive those who hurt and harm us then we are actually saying to God, "I haven`t forgiven them - Treat me the way the same way, Father". What a way to pray.
THAT`S GOT SOME BLOCKAGES OUT OF THE WAY!
Now let`s step out in faith and learn how to GROW IN THE STEPS OF FAITH. There are certain opriciples we need to learn which will lead us to a greater experience of answered prayer.
1. BE HONEST WITH GOD about what we believe and what we don`t. You`ve probably heard some great prayers prayed at Prayer Meetings: "Lord, convert the world"!
Do we REALLY believe that it will happen?" I doubt it - no! we pray it because it makes us look big - look good. "What a wonderful faith he has" - but it cuts no ice with God.
God doesn`t do business with people who LIVE BEHIND MASKS - the attitude which says, "Thank God I`m not like the rest of them here. I go to Prayer Meetings - pray big prayers - believe big things. You`re lucky to have me as one of your followers".
But God looks and sees a little man in the corner praying, "God have mercy on me, a SINNER - and it`s THAT who goes home with his prayer heard, says Jesus. It`s THAT man who gets his prayer answered. WHY?
Because it was an HONEST prayer................ we must pray HONEST PRAYERS. God I know your will is for healing, but I haven`t the faith to pray for this particular thing - but I`m willing to be CHANGED".
That`s what Jesus was saying about that man who said, "Lord, I believe. Help me where my believe is lacking". If you don`t believe TELL GOD SO - ask Him to help you - to change you - and then He`ll give you just A LITTLE BIT OF FAITH.
If you`ve only got a little bit of faith, TELL HIM - He`s big enough to stand the truth - then ask for more faith. If you only have MUSTARD SEED FAITH, God can take it and make it grow and grow.
2. The SECOND STEP: Pray for what you CAN believe.
A friend of mine was once invited to run a Mission to a Youth Group. The young Curate who invited him suggested they met to pray for the Group.
My friend said to him - "Do you believe the whole of the Youth Group will be converted?" "No!" said the Curate.
"Then how many do you believe will be converted? 12?" "No!" said the Curate.
"TEN?" - "NO!".
"Well, what about ONE" said my Friend. "Yes, I can believe for ONE" said the Curate.
"How about TWO" - "YES, TWO"........ "FOUR?" "YES!"... "FIVE?" "YES".
"EIGHT? Said my friend. "NO! NOT EIGHT"
So they prayed: "LORD, GIVE US FIVE"................. Do you know how many were converted - EIGHT!, BECAUSE gOD CAN DO MORE THAN WE ASK OR THINK!
3. STEP 3. When you`ve prayed THANK HIM for what He is going to give - and wait for it to be produced. You may not see it yet, but wait patiently and God will respond in His own time and in His own way.
4. FINAL STEP. Be prepared to be the answer to your own prayer.
A man called David Smith had a friend called Roy - Roy came to see David one day with a problem. "I`ve been praying for the conversion of my next door neighbour for years - but nothing`s happened."
David said, "Praying for your neibour`s conversion is a BIG prayer. Maybe there are a lot of little prayers that need to be prayed before God can save your neighbour. Let`s pray that God will open a way for you to contact him". So they did.
A few days later Roy came round all excited, "My neighbour asked if he could borrow my Lawnmower" he said to David. "Right. Now let`s pray that God will give you an opportunity to talk" said David.
A few days later the neighbour called again to bring the Lawnmower back. "Would you like a cup of coffee" said Roy. "Yes" said the neighbour. Roy was getting more and more excited, and told David so. David said, "Now let`s pray, `Lord give me the chance to speak naturally about SPIRITUAL THINGS`" - and they did.
Some days later Roy and his neighbour were talking together, when the neighbour said,
"Now Roy, you`re a religious bloke. Answer me this......" ........" But Roy said, `I`m not RELIGIOUS"................ "But you go to Church" said the neighbour" - "Yes, I do, but I`m not RELIGIOUS" said Roy. "WHAT`S THE DIFFERENCE" said the neighbour..............
and Roy began to tell him - he told him that there is a very great difference between going through a ritual, and following Jesus - loving Him - giving yourself over to Him and letting Him run your life. One thing led to another.
SIX WEEKS LATER THE NEIGHBOUR BECAME A CHRISTIAN.
THAT`S HOW GOD ANSWERS PRAYER:
when a) we`re honest about what we believe and pray honestly.
b) we ask ONLY for what we can believe in.
c) we thank God for what He`s going to give, even if we haven`t got it.
d) we are prepared to be the asnwer to our own prayers,
e) we see God answering and our faith grows to ask for something BIGGER.
FAITH GROWS - and so does prayer.
