THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER
Matthew 6:9-13
I love the prayers of children. They are so honest and thoughtful. Maybe you’ve heard some of these letters written to God by children.
Dear GOD, Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don’t you just keep the ones you have? -Jane
Dear GOD, Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother. -Larry
Dear GOD, If You watch me in church on Sunday, I’ll show you my new shoes. -Mickey
Dear GOD, I bet it is very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it. –Nan
Dear GOD, Are you really invisible or is it just a trick? -Lucy
Dear GOD, Is it true my father won’t get in Heaven if he uses his golfing words in the house? -Anita
Dear GOD, Did You mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? -Norma
Dear GOD, I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that okay? -Neil
Dear GOD, Did you really mean "do unto others as they do unto you"? Because if you did, then I’m going to fix my brother. -Darla
Prayer is a vital part of our Christian experience. God is not afraid of our honesty. In fact, He desires it. He desires us to be more child-like in our faith than we are. Jesus said “Do not forbid the children to come to me, for such is the kingdom of God.” Paul encouraged the Ephesians church to “Be imitators of God as little children” (Eph 5:1)
Last week I talked to you about the Process of Prayer, that is, how prayer is not an action as much as it is a process OF SHAMELESS PERSISTENCE BASED ON FAITH IN GOD’S NATURE THAT RELEASES THE POWER OF GOD’S KINGDOM. However, the PURPOSE of PRAYER is even broader than that. Prayer affects us on many levels.
In our passage today, Jesus gives us what many call “The Lord’s Prayer” or “The Model Prayer”. I think it is important to remember that Jesus does not say “Now pray these words”, but rather “Pray in this way”. The elements of the Model Prayer give us real insight into the purpose of prayer. Today I would like to share with you FIVE purposes of prayer.
I. TO HONOR GOD’S NAME – 9
A. The first and primary purpose of prayer is to bring “holiness” to the name of God. “hallowed by Your name”
1. “Hallowed” means to “make holy”
2. “Name” is equivalent to His character and reputation
3. Therefore, prayer should have the reputation of God’s name as its highest goal.
B. Honoring God’s name is part of the worship of prayer.
1. Too often we race into the throne room of God and dump our shopping list of needs at His feet, but never linger to long enough to acknowledge His presence.
2. We must have a sense of the “Otherness” of God.
a. He is “IN HEAVEN” while we are on earth
b. We are the PETITIONER, while He is the PETITION GRANTER.
Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman had been holding meetings in England, but the attendance had been disappointingly small. Then he received word that John Hyde, who became known to the world as Praying Hyde, a Presbyterian missionary to India, was going to pray down God’s blessing upon him and his work. As a result of Hyde’s powerful praying, the tide soon turned and the meeting hall became packed with people. At Chapman’s first public invitation, fifty men received Christ as their Savior.
Chapman writes, “As we were leaving I said, ‘Mr. Hyde, I want you to pray for me.’ He came to my room, turned the key in the door, and dropped to his knees, and waited five minutes without a single syllable coming from him lips. I could hear my own heart thumping, and his beating. I felt hot tears running down my face. I knew I was with God. Then with upturned face, down which the tears were streaming, he said, ‘O God.’ Then for five minutes at least he was still again; and then, when he knew that he was talking with God, there came from the depths of his heart such petitions for me as I had never heard before. I rose from my knees to know what real prayer was." Roger F. Campbell, You Can Win!, SP Publications, 1985, pp. 17-18.
II. TO RELEASE GOD’S POWER – 10
A. The focus of our prayer must be on God’s plan
1. “Your Kingdom come”
a. The fulfillment of the Kingdom – future
b. The Power of the Kingdom – present
2. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
a. That God’s purpose and plan for the kingdom would be accomplished among the sinfulness of the creation.
b. Not that God cannot do it alone, but that He chooses to do it ONLY through the prayer of His people.
B. Prayer seeks the fulfillment of God’s agenda
1. Prayer petitions God to keep His promises
2. Prayer asks God to complete His plan
3. Prayer opens the spiritual gateway for God’s kingdom to be completed through us!
NOTE: The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer fetched the angel. Thomas Watson
You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed. John Bunyon
III. TO ASK GOD’S PROVISION – 11
NOTE: We must never focus on ourselves without having focused on God.
A. “Give us this day”
Note: Notice the focus on the present
1. So that we might be real and genuine in our experience
Note: A child asked, "Grandad, does God hear us when we pray?"
"Why, of course," he replied. "He hears us every time we pray."
She thought about this and asked, "Does he hear everything we say the rest of the time?"
"Yes, dear, every word," he replied.
"Then which does God believe?"
2. So that we might more clearly see His daily provision.
B. “Our Daily Bread”
1. Translated either “Give us our bread for today” or “Give us today our bread for tomorrow”
2. Demonstrates the reality of the disciple’s experience of living day to day.
3. Simplifies our experience by distinguishing between and NEED and our GREED.
C. Understanding that God is also interested in our hopes and dreams.
Psalms 37:4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
IV. TO RELATE GOD’S FORGIVENESS – 12
Note: The need for mutual forgiveness: to be forgiven and to forgive others.
A. Prayer reminds us of our common sinfulness
1. “Debt” is only used here and in Romans 4:4
“Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.”
2. It is the “debt” of sin that must be forgiven.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Note: He paid a debt He did not owe
I owed a debt I could not pay
Christ Jesus came to wash my sins away…
B. Prayer reminds us of our common humanity
This brings to mind a story about another little fellow -- one who had been sent to his room because he had been bad. A short time later he came out and said to his mother, "I’ve been thinking about what I did and I said a prayer." "That’s fine," she said, "if you ask God to make you good, He will help you." "Oh, I didn’t ask Him to help me be good," replied the boy. "I asked Him to help you put up with me." Our Daily Bread, June 15.
Note: The sins of others toward us are seen in a different perspective in relation to OUR sins toward God
1. We are all sinners saved by Grace
2. Remembering the great forgiveness of God helps us to willingly forgive others.
V. TO SEEK GOD’S HOLINESS – 13
A. Holiness in our behavior during times of temptation – “lead us not into temptation”
1. The things we choose to do
2. The willful sins we commit
B. Holiness in our reactions to the working of Satan – “but deliver us from evil (the evil one).”
1. The things that come into our lives without our choosing.
2. The pitfalls and snares that would cause us to sin.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,
Conclusion: The Purpose of Prayer (real and genuine) puts us directly in the path of God. It causes us to wrestle with our sinfulness, reflect on His holiness, and consider our relationship with others. The foremost desire is to bring honor to God’s name. The greatest need is for lives of holiness. The greatest prize is the power of the kingdom.
