Luke 11:1
1 Once when Jesus had been out praying, one of his disciples came to him as he finished and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
Matthew 6:9-13
9 Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be honored.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done here on earth,
just as it is in heaven.
11 Give us our food for today,
12 and forgive us our sins,
just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, Forever. Amen.
( Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.)
How To Experience The Power Of Prayer
Part I
Luke 11:2-4; Matthew 6:9-13
-Abundance of books on Prayer
-Prayer in integral to our faith
-Prayer is the communication factor in our relationship with God.
-It is our "lifeline" to the Father
James 5:16 "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results."
(The New Living Translation)
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (KJV)
As with any relationship, if you want to get the most out of it you must first understand the dynamics which make it work. What is, or is not, expected. A relationship with God absent of prayer is like a marriage without love. Form, but no substance. Saying the words, "I love you," but never displaying affection. Think of what your relationships would be like if nobody paid attention to you. Prayer, simply stated, is talking, or conversing, with God. And yet as simple as this may be, it is one of the more difficult areas for Christians to deal with. It is replete with questions; "How long should I pray?", "Should I stand, sit, or kneel?", "What should I pray about?", "Does God really hear my prayers?"
I. Our Abundant Misconceptions About Prayer Prevent Us From Experiencing Prayer’s Full Potential.
5 Misconceptions About Prayer
1. Prayer Is Asking God For Things.
Philippians 4:6 "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." (New Living Translation)
1. Forgiveness of sin
2. Healing James 5:14 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (RSV)
3. Spiritual maturity James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him." (RSV)
4. Material blessings
Matthew 6:8 "... your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!" (New Living Translation)
Always praying and asking constant intercession, but failing to praise, or develop personal relationship.
*Example: Two lovers wanting to spend all their free time together. They come together for a private breakfast. dinner. One has come and sits enjoying the presence of the other; the second, however, has come with a list of duties for the other to fill and while the first attempts to enjoy the moment, starring deeply into the eyes of the second, the second callously reads the list for the other to fulfill. "I’m glad we could get together. I love spending time with you. Oh, but before I forget, Tommy’s at the hospital and I need you to go visit him, Dad’s having trouble with his back again and needs help around the house. Jack is stuck at the church and needs a ride home, oh, and I almost forgot, I’ve got a big project in Dallas next week on Tuesday, so don’t call me at home. And did you hear about that earthquake in Seattle?" on-and-on. Eventually the romance is going to fade. Relationships require two way communication. Talking and listening.
Matthew 6:8 "... your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!" (New Living Translation)
Instead of requests we should rather pray, "Our Father, who art in Heaven, how are you doing today?" And with no further ado just sit and listen.
2. There Are Certain Positions For Prayer.
Matthew 14:19 "..and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven." (RSV) (Cf. Mark 6:41)
*We’re taught that we are suppose to bow our heads an close our eyes. Jesus broke rule #1.
How Valerie prays
II Chronicles 6:13 Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court; and he stood upon it. Then he knelt upon his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven; (RSV)
Mark 7:34 "and looking up to heaven..." (RSV)
Luke 18:10-13 "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector. The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don’t sin, I don’t commit adultery, I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ (New Living Translation)
*When you talk with someone, look them in the eye.
Exodus 12:27; 4:31 "...the People bowed their heads and worshiped." (RSV)
Revelation 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, (RSV)
3. Only Prayers Of Spontaneity Are Sincere.
Matthew 6:7-8 "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (RSV)
*Poetry, cards ready made-Birthday, Valentines, Anniversary
We use another’s words to convey what we feel and think; written prayers are the same.
*Praying with St. Francis
All-powerful, most holy, most high
and supreme God,
Holy and just Father,
Lord, King of heaven and earth,
we thank you for yourself
for through your holy will
and through your only Son
with the Holy Spirit
you have created all things
spiritual and corporal
and, having made us
in your own image and likeness,
you placed us in paradise.
And through our own fauld we have fallen.
And we thank you
for as through your son you created us
so also, through your holy love,
with which you loved us,
you brought about his birth
as true God and true man
by the glorious, ever-virgin,
most blessed, holy Mary,
and you willed to redeem us captives
through his cross and blood and death.
( Armstrong, Regis J. & Brady, Ignatius C., trans. Praying with Saint Francis. (Grand Rapids, Michigan, William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982). p. 7.)
*Serenity prayer
4. Mature Christians Know How To Pray.
Romans 8:26 "The Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words." (New Living Translation)
*Important to say, but not sure how to say it.
After years of relationship, not knowing what to say at times;
*how to say, "I ran over your cat."
even trying to communicate "I love you"
5. Prayer Increases The Chances Of Getting What We Want.
Matthew 21:22 "Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." (RSV)
Luke 11:9-10 "I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (RSV)
*Publisher’s Clearinghouse here we come
John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. (RSV)
*With power like that there’s not a slot machine in Vegas that can defeat you.
*If you want a Jumbo jet, you just have to ask for it right?
James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." (RSV)
"And even when you do ask, you don’t get it because your whole motive is wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure." (The New Living Translation)
