It’s strange that every time someone announces, like we have in the bulletin and up on the overhead and in the announcements, that we’re going to talk about prayer, we all get a little uncomfortable. You may notice in your bulletin that it says, "Leave your guilt bags at home." Because when we talk about prayer, typically people bring their ’guilt bags’ so we can all fill up our ’guilt bags’ together on how little we pray and how bad we are because we don’t.
Years ago, we were in a church service in Wheaton, Illinois (Wheaton Free Church), the pastor Ivan York was preaching and he announced in the sermon, "I am going to tell you the secret of a successful Christian life." And in that group you could almost feel the anticipation build as this great announcement that was going to be made. And so we were all sitting on the edge of our seats and he said, "The secret to the Christian life is prayer." And you know what? It was almost like somebody had opened the back doors and everything just went whoosh. All the joy, all the anticipation, just went out the back door. "Oh, no. Prayer." When we talk about prayer, we all think in our minds, "Yeah. I don’t pray enough." So, let’s get that over with. On the count of three let’s say, "I don’t pray enough." One, two, three, "Yeah. I don’t pray enough." Doesn’t that feel good?
Now, let’s put that behind us, because we can explore some reasons for that sad fact and hopefully, get beyond this constant self-flagellation that we undergo when we talk about prayer. It’s my goal during this four weeks of talking about prayer, not to fill up anybody’s ’guilt bag’, including mine. Not to stand up here thundering back and forth across this platform, like I tend to do, getting in our faces about the fact that we should pray more. Okay. So, feel free to come, because it’s not going to happen. I almost feel like preaching this sermon sitting down on the front step like Chris did with the kids because the biblical picture of prayer is different than the one we have developed. We call prayer a discipline, and it may be, but I don’t find it listed as a discipline in the Word of God. Prayer could be a natural act of loving communication with a God who we know loves us and who is eager to hear what we have to ask Him. My goal is to free us, and myself included, to a life of confident, powerful, faithful prayer that is in agreement with the plan and purpose of God.
Prayer is a real mystery. When you think about the sovereign God who knows everything and who had ordained everything, what do our prayers matter? Have you ever wondered about that? Why should I even pray? The script has been written. I can’t change a thing. Yet, in the middle of that mystery, there’s this one large truth: God invites us, calls us, to pray. So, you’re not going to figure out this week (because I’m not going to figure out this week) how prayer works with the will of God. I think that’s a mystery that we will never understand. All I know is God has called us to pray.
So, let’s get started at one of the critical points. The thinking that we need to examine, to free us, to even consider coming to God in the first place. That’s why we’re starting here in Matthew 7. Here’s the first truth we need to realize about prayer, that prayer is at it’s foundation, a statement of neediness. Prayer is, at it’s foundation, a statement of neediness. If you do not feel needy, you’re not going to ask for anything.
I don’t know why eighth grade stands out in this particular memory, but it is. And a particular class in eighth grade, what we used to call core, which was English and Social Studies. It seemed like every day in that class, as I sat there about three or four seats from the front, the teacher would say something that made it clear that we needed to take out a piece of paper and a pencil. In fact, I think she said, "Take out a piece of paper and a pencil." That would be pretty obvious. And every day, like clockwork, I would turn to (I sat between two girls, fortunately, for me), and I would turn to one and say, "Can I borrow a pen?" And then to the other one and say, "Can I borrow a piece of paper?" Now, I didn’t give the paper back, but I think I did give the pencil back or the pen. I was needy in a lot of ways. Like, organizational skills would have been a good thing. God has graciously given me a wife who almost always has a piece of paper and a pencil for me. But, I was in need. And people who are in need ask for things. You drive down to Phoenix on any given day and stop at a light and you’ll see people who hold up a sign, "I need a job. I need food. I need money." Neediness is the foundation.
Sometimes we ask our circle of friends if we have a need. If we are well to do enough and things are going along well, if a need comes up we’ll ask people who we’re not embarrassed to ask. Because, there’s a certain embarrassment, isn’t there, in saying, "Hey, I need your help." Because what you’re really saying is, "I can’t do this. I can’t solve this problem. I can’t meet this need." If we get really desperate, we will go beyond our circle of friends, but by and large we will stick with our circle of friends. But it’s hard, isn’t it? It’s hard to ask anything from anyone because there is a recognition that we are manifesting neediness. We are saying, "I can’t. I can’t do something. I need your help." We may fool ourselves and we may fool other people into thinking that we can do it all, we can handle this. But, we don’t fool Jesus.
So, He says in verse 7, "Ask… seek… knock." These commands, and they are in the imperative voice, these are commands, and they are in the present tense, so they should be translated, "Keep on asking, keep on seeking, continually keep on knocking." You know what that means? That means that Jesus isn’t saying, "When you’re in need, knock. When you’re in need, ask." Because He’s really saying, "You’re continuously in need, so continually ask." Jesus said, "I know your needs. I know who you are. I know your heart. What you need is a reestablished line of communication to God in which time you are constantly seeking His provision."
It’s interesting that just a few days short of two years ago, an event of such horror took place in our nation when terrorists crashed planes into three buildings and a field, that our whole nation finally felt like we needed God. Now, it didn’t last very long, but for a while people said, "Man, the world has just gotten really scary and we need to pray." Isn’t it interesting that back during those few weeks no one was barking about trying to shut up the prayers? Prayers were even almost politically correct for a short time before we got over it and got back to our self-reliant selves. The foundational attitude to prayer is humility, the admission of need, the humble approach of a person in need to Someone who has the means to help. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says this, "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land." Humble themselves. That’s not easy to do. Not easy for a proud nation. It’s not easy for a proud people. It’s not easy for a people who have it all. We don’t have the needs. We’re not in a state where we need to ask God for a meal because we have our freezer full. As long as the electricity keeps going, we can keep eating. As long as the microwave keeps frying, we can eat. So, we don’t need God. But, asking for anything requires humility and who we ask is vitally important. Prayer starts with humility. If we are not needy, if we are not aware of needs, we won’t pray. And if we don’t feel like we are in a state where we can’t do it ourselves, we won’t pray. We’ll just do it ourselves. And many times our problem is we are in over our heads. We just don’t know it. And so we keep on trying to do it ourselves. Humility, neediness is the foundation of prayer.
The second truth is this, from this passage: prayer is an act of faith. Prayer is an act of faith. I remember years ago when we live up in Minnesota, and our little family; just Jan and I and Amy and Jill (who is twenty now, but then she was about one). We were having Christmas at our house there in Minnesota. And Jan is always good at…. You know, I’m, "One big present, good. Christmas is over." Jan is one of those who makes ornaments for the kids every year, you know, and does all of those little stocking stuffer things. We gave Jill that year an ornament that was a gumball machine. And on top of this little antique stand that Jan had gotten was a little plastic bubble filled with little tiny things that looked like gumballs, and so we gave this to Jill and she liked it. And while we were turning to other matters, we discovered she liked it so much she wanted to get into those little gumballs. So, she just ate the little ball. Christmas in the ER – you should try it. Because when we saw the little stand there and a couple of little tiny miniature gumballs around her mouth and everything else was gone, neither her or I knew what to do except pack her in the car and take her to St. Frances Hospital in Shakopee and so we did. We believed that someone at that hospital could help her. We didn’t worry about humility at that point or neediness. The neediness was obvious. The humility and the pride went flying out the window and we spent Christmas looking at x-rays. It was just plastic, so it wasn’t a problem. But, it’s interesting to look at your child’s stomach and see these little tiny pieces of glass and also little tiny gumballs.
We exhibit faith when we take our needs to someone. "I got a problem. It’s beyond me. I need to take it somewhere to someone who can help." Because we have choices, don’t we? We always have choices to where to go, or who to go to with our need. And beginning with Adam and Eve and their choice, our tendency has been to exhibit faith in what? In me. In my plans. In my strength. In my purposes. In my abilities. And so, instead of taking things to God, where it really belongs, our faith is not in God it’s in me. "I believe in me." That’s a good p.c. phrase, "I believe in me. I can do anything. I don’t need God." Well, we have little phrases, "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. I’m the master of my fate, the captain of my own ship. You can do anything you put your mind to." But the gentle words of Jesus, "Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened." Now, I want you to notice something in those statements. Notice what’s not there. It doesn’t say, "Ask, and what you ask for will be given to you." Does it? It doesn’t say, "Seek, and what you are seeking, you will find." It says, "Seek and you will find." Now, that’s interesting because when we come to God and we seek and we ask and we knock, we will ask for something. "Hey, I want this. I want this to happen. I want this to stop happening." And we think that the only time God answers is when He gives us exactly what it is that we want. You know what that is? That’s putting ourselves on the same level as God and saying, "You know what? I’ll tell you what to give me and because I’m at least as smart as you are, you’ll give it to me because the Bible says, ’Ask, and you will receive.’" Yeah, you will receive what your Heavenly Father, wise and all-knowing and all-loving wants to give you. He calls us to ask. He calls us to seek. He invites us to Himself.
As I was working on this message and thinking and praying about prayer, I looked back on the history of our church here – nearly seventeen years in existence – and recognize that one of the things (and I take full blame for this) has been prayerlessness. We’ve prayed when we needed God. We prayed to get this land and this building. But, many times, our church is a reflection of maybe what our own lives are, to go along with our own plans and purposes and not to ask our Heavenly Father, not only for His provision, but for His wise input. And I pray that that will change, and in fact I believe that it will change as we begin to seek the heart of God. And not change out of shame or guilt with the leaders of this church lashing themselves and everyone else into some kind of a prayer frenzy, but because we will understand the character of the One who invites us and we will come to Him because He invites us.
Because the third truth that we’re going to look at is this: Prayer manifests confidence. Prayer manifests confidence. It doesn’t take very long, does it, for babies to learn the system? Here’s what babies learn. When they cry, someone comes. This is cool! This is like auditory remote control. You cry, and you don’t even have to identify what the problem is. When you’re two weeks old, you cry and some person comes to you and they do a number of system checks. Sometimes you just get in the room and don’t even have to make the system check. You know the problem olfactorally. But, if that’s not the case you check here and you do this, and you look at the…. It’s time for food or something. So, you do those system checks and you take care of the need. And the baby learns real fast that if they’re uncomfortable all they have to do is make this noise and this wise person comes, sometimes running, in to not only see what the problem is and to administer comfort, but also to take care of the need. What a great system. As they get older, the crying graduates to whining, and then they can actually verbalize the problem. And then, as they get older yet, the whining graduates to something that is approaching a polite request. What a wonderful system. They still come to you. Because why do they come to you with those requests? "Dad, can I drive the car?" "No, you’re only six." Why do they come to you? Because they have discovered they can bring their problems to you with confidence and they can take advantage of the relationship that they have with you. I doubt when you’re child is sixteen years old and ask if they can drive their neighbor’s car because they’ll get a ,"You’re kidding?!" But, they come to you and they ask and as a parent you say, "Okay." There’s a confidence that when a person comes and asks you something, there is a confidence that you’re going to be able, that you are at least going to consider their request carefully. And that’s what Jesus does here in this passage, verse 9, "Which of you, if his son asks for bread will give him a stone?" Now, if your son asks the neighbor for bread, he might give him a stone, but not you because you are his parent. And there is a love relationship that exists there that when the son asks the father for bread, there’s a confidence there that says, "And I betcha he’s gonna give it to me too." And then Jesus says, in verse 11, "If you, then, though you are evil…" Isn’t that nice? As good a parent as you are, as carefully as you watch over the welfare of your child, as carefully as you plan to provide for your child, you’re still evil. You’re still way down there. And you can do this thing, just imagine, He says, how much greater your confidence can be in the mighty, righteous God who really does love you beyond any way we could ever imagine.
Why do we have a hard time coming to God? Maybe because we think we’re bad and that we don’t deserve it. Parents, do you realize that your kids come to you when they don’t deserve it? Amen. With requests, and what do you do? "You don’t deserve it." Maybe. But sometimes you say, "Go to your room. Go to your room without supper." And then at nine o’clock you’re sneaking them something. That’s parents. And Jesus says, "And if you’re that good, just imagine how great God is." "If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts how much more will your Father give good gifts to those who ask him."
Now, we may quibble with God as to what good gifts are. Isn’t that a problem? "Hmmm. I’m not so sure, Lord, if I would identify this as good." And He says, "Trust me." I’m sure our children say, "Dad, I’m not so sure that the way you’re treating me is good, that this broccoli covered with cheese is good." And we say, "Trust me." "I don’t think it’s good that you won’t let me hang out with those kids." "Trust me." "I don’t think it’s good that you take me to Sunday School on Sunday morning when I could be at home watching football." And God says, "Trust me." As we grow in our confidence and as our confidence grows, that we can come to this great God and ask Him for things and know that we will get in return for our request something good. Even learn to be so confident that even what we get doesn’t look so good we’ll say, "I trust You."
One of my favorite writers, A.W. Tozer, has written this, "The truth is that God is the most winsome of all beings and His service one of unspeakable pleasure. He’s all love and those who trust Him need never know anything but that love. He is just, indeed, and He will not condone sin. But, through the blood of the everlasting covenant He is able to act toward us exactly as if we had never sinned. Toward the trusting sons of men His mercy will always triumph over justice." We’ve got to change our view of God if we’re going to make prayer a natural part of our lives and change our view of our Father.
You know, whatever view we might have of how God looks at us, the fact of the matter is that the biblical picture of God is this, "Come here. Come here." Or maybe it’s this: "Come here. Come here. I love you. I love you. I want to communicate with you. I want to listen to your concerns. Do I already know them? Okay. But, come here." God doesn’t have somebody at the door checking your credentials, checking if you’ve been a good boy. We’ve got to get rid of the Santa Claus mentality of God and get the biblical view of God, arms out, "How can I help you today? What need can I meet for you today? What pain can I ease for you today? What questions can I answer?" That’s the picture of God. Our enemy hates this. Our enemy wants to keep us as far from God as possible so he has directed a whole wall of lies to keep us thinking that in order to ever pray to God we have to get cleaned up on Sunday morning, make sure we haven’t done anything bad that week, come into church, sit in the pew and maybe God will listen to us. But probably not. That’s not the biblical view.
One preacher, who obviously was raised in the country, tells this story. He says, "Thinking about prayer always sends me back to the family farm because we raised pigs. We raised about a thousand pigs a year. In one field we had two or three hundred little oinkers running around. Every day at four in the morning as I walked into the fields to feed those guys, they’d scatter. But once a little pig came up and began to chew on my foot. So, I picked him up and began to pet him but soon he wanted down. I said, "No. I’ll let you down when I’m ready." And at that moment he let out a squeal such as I never heard. And in about two seconds, thirty mama pigs weighing five or six hundred pounds each were headed my way. I put him down and headed for the fence. I barely made it over and all the mama pigs were snorting and walking back and forth, daring me to come over there and bother one of their kids again. I looked back at that little pig and realized that he wasn’t intimidated at all. He was out of control, but he wasn’t intimidated. Why? Because one squeal away he had a resource." And this pastor goes on to say, "Now let me ask you something. If one of God’s creatures is that sensitive to the cry of it’s own, how much more sensitive is the Heavenly Father to the cry of His own? Just one squeal away. One squeal away. We have resources."
Don’t be afraid to squeal. Your Father invites you to squeal. Your Father invites you to come. Your Father knows all about you. There’s no surprises. When we confess sin, He doesn’t say, "Wow! I never knew you did that. How could you?" No surprises. Just a calm, loving Father, whose question is, "How can I meet your needs?" To pray, to bring our requests to God is one of the best ways to glorify Him. All of us men love it when our wives bring us the jar and say, "I can’t open this." Bringing your husband a jar that you have tightened down so that only he can open it gives him the opportunity to glorify himself. And it’s glorifying just for her to bring it. "You’re stronger than me." "I know." We glorify God when we bring Him our problems and say, "Lord, I need some help here." And he goes, "Alright! I’m gonna show you. I’m gonna flex my muscles and take care of that for you." And next time when you have another problem, you’re gonna say, "You know the last time I took that problem… pow! I’m bringing it to Him again." We can’t make prayer into this gigantic thing, this intimidating mountain. "Oh, if I could only learn to pray." Maybe the Nike commercial is good at this point, just do it. Just do it because our Heavenly Father invites us.
