LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY
Introduction: Last week we considered the differences between a little boy named David and a great king, named Saul. If you remember, King Saul had been told the Word of God by the prophet Samuel. But King Saul disobeyed Samuel and the Word of the Lord. The result was that King Saul lost the anointing on his life, and a “distressing spirit” came upon him and filled his life with fear and depression.
As a result of Saul’s disobedience to God’s Word, the Lord sent the Prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint his youngest child, David to be the new king of Israel. The Prophet Samuel poured THE HORN OF OIL over the head of David and brought the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon his life.
This morning, we should know that there have been thousands of books written about the little boy, David who became the king of Israel. Perhaps what David is most known for is recorded in Acts 13:22 - David became the “a man after My (God’s) own heart, who will do all My (God’s) will.”
Although that was certainly true (of David) we should also note that David’s life was not a perfect life.
In reality, David’s life was no different than ours.
His life was filled with blessings and failures, good times and not so good times. He learned early on in his life how to cry out for God’s mercy when he was lost and lonely, rejected and afflicted.
David’s life was filled with lots of emotions. Many times he would declare God’s goodness, and the next day he would ask God where He had gone.
David’s life is an example for all of us not just with his experiences in life, but (as well) his experiences in prayer. If there was anyone in the Bible who really understood the ups and downs of prayer it had to have been David.
There are many prayers of David we would want to use ourselves with what we face each day.
This morning - Let me list for you three of the six prayers that have impacted my life…
1. The Prayer of Relying on God.
There are times in life when we have made the mistake of going through certain difficult situations but we do not consult with the Lord. If we do not ask for God’s direction and help, we will find ourselves doing things on our own without God’s help.
Notice the prayer habits of David in this passage-
I Samuel 23:2 - David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”
David relied upon the Lord with his prayers. He actually asked God’s permission to do what must have seemed to be the obvious. The Philistines were the enemy and they needed to be destroyed.
Perhaps our response would have been to say,
“Let’s go get em’! The Philistines are a nuisance, a threat to God’s people & we need to destroy them.”
In this same particular story, King Saul also asked the same question of God but did not get an answer.
David’s prayer was answered, but Saul’s was not.
David was a humble servant of the Lord and learned how to rely on God’s plan.
But Saul was arrogant and did not obey the Lord.
Therefore we must ask ourselves…each of us…
“Why are the prayers of some people answered when the prayers of others are not? Could there be an issue of disobedience to God’s Word?”
Perhaps you are like me in that whenever you hear of someone praying for a need in their life you want to agree with them and see the need met.
But what would you have done if someone (as defiant and disobedient as Saul) would have asked you to help them pray?
That’s a difficult question to answer for any of us. Some of us are faced with that question from time to time.
Both Saul and David prayed and asked God for the same thing…but God did not answer the prayer of King Saul. David was obedient to the Word of God and God did answer David’s prayer. It was answered quickly, it was simple and directly to the point:
“Go attack the Philistines…”
Listen to another similar situation that happened to David just a short while later:
I Samuel 30:8…
So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”
Again, God’s answer to David’s prayer was quick, simple and direct…
And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
I trust that you can easily see the pattern here in how God chooses to answer prayer…
Question:
• Do you rely on the Lord by praying to Him and getting an answer from Him in every difficult situation in your life?
• Or, do find yourself praying like King Saul did, and not hearing an answer from God?
• Are you first/foremost obeying the Word of God in your life?
2. The Prayer of God’s blessings.
It is also very important that whenever we have received a blessing from the Lord that we take time out to pray. Oftentimes, we don’t because we are much too excited with the blessing that God has given us.
II Samuel 7:18 gives to us another model from the life of David that can help us in this area. The Prophet Nathan had just spoken into David’s life about the abundant promises coming his way.
These blessings were so great that they have been referred to as the “Davidic Covenant”.
David was careful to not get caught up in the moment of this great blessing in his life. Nor did he gloat/brag to all his friends about God’s pleasure with him.
This is an area that many of us have missed the opportunity to pray to the Lord. We may speak to others and tell them what God has done, and we think we are glorifying God…and, sometimes we are.
But oftentimes what we really need to do is what we can see in this passage:
Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said:
“Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?
King David was overwhelmed in what God had done for him and his house.
• Are you often overwhelmed with God is doing in your life and the life of your family?
• Do you find yourself taking for granted the blessings that God brings to your house?
We may need to sit down with the Lord in prayer and begin to “Count the many blessings” he has brought to our house (i.e., family). Cry out to the Lord and ask Him, “Whom am I, O Lord God?”
3. The Prayer of My Failures.
So far we have found David to be a real true man of God, but he also had many failures. One thing David learned through prayer was how to repent of his failures. This is best illustrated by the chapter in his life when David had an illicit relationship with Bathsheba.
Unfortunately, the David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba has become so acceptable in our day. Many people think nothing of having an affair with someone else’s husband or wife.
So what we can learn here is very important.
Especially in that adultery seems to be one of life’s greatest temptations, and one of life’s most deadly sins.
Listen carefully.
As a result of David committing adultery with Bathsheba, there was a child born who eventually became very sick. As a result of David’s sin there were other people’s lives that were destroyed.
Bathsheba’s husband and her baby both lost their lives as a result of David’s sin.
David knew what he had done was wrong, but that did not stop him from praying to the Lord.
II Samuel 12:16
David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
What can we learn from this?
Even when we have committed the most ungodly of sins, it is still time for us to pray. If ever there is a time to pray it is when we first realize that we have sinned.
We must make full repentance and reconciliation with the Lord. No matter what sin we have committed.
But oftentimes we do not.
One of our greatest hindrances in life is our unwillingness to pray when we have failed God, failed others, or failed ourselves.
We are either too embarrassed over the sin, or too proud to admit that we have failed.
But that is exactly what David knew that he had to do.
The next verse tells us that “the elders of (David’s) house…went to him…and tried to raise him up. But he would not…”
David was so sorrowful of his sin of adultery that he laid on the ground for seven days without food and water.
David knew the importance of prayer even though God did not answer his prayer, and the child died.
No matter what we have done, and no matter how God chooses to answer our prayer of repentance, no matter how long we feel we should have to pray, we must pray!
There are many things that become obstacles in our lives that keep us from praying as we should.
Satisfying our own desires is perhaps number one.
(This is when we decide to do other things instead of praying.)
Second only to this is when we have committed sin and
• We don’t feel worthy,
• We are too embarrassed,
• We know that others have suffered from the results of our sins,
• We are to prideful to admit we were wrong.
Listen carefully. There isn’t a sin out there that is too great to keep us from praying.
If we have failures in our life, or if we have sin in our life, we must still pray as David did.
Close and Transition:
The consequences of our sins must never keep us from praying but oftentimes they do.
I would suggest this morning that this is the primary reason why many people do not pray.
Many people believe they don’t pray because –
• They don’t know how,
• They don’t have the time,
• They are too tired,
• They don’t have a desire to pray.
I am convinced these reasons/excuses are seldom (if ever) the reason why people do not pray.
These same people will somehow know how to cry out to God in a time of crisis.
Many will often wait until –
• Their back is against the wall,
• Time has ran out,
• There simply is no one else to turn to.
Then they will teach themselves how to pray.
My friend, far too many people wait and learn how to pray in a hospital chapel room when a loved one is hanging onto life by a thread. This is not the plan of God for our lives. God wants us to know how to pray, and He wants us to pray to Him for all of life’s situations.
I have met many people who never attend church, who have never read the Bible, who have never been taught how to pray, and yet they tell me that they have been praying and asking God to help them.
The fact is everyone really does know how to pray…
My point is there has to be a reason why most people seldom, if ever, pray. More often than not in order for some people to pray and get an answer from God, they will first have to repent of the sin their lives and come to Jesus and ask His forgiveness.
My objective in bringing this message is to help us to have a greater desire to pray, but first we need to tear down any obstacles in our lives that will prevent us from praying.
I ask that we all come down to this altar and find a place to pray. And as we do, I want you to know that I am greatly impressed that repentance is where we all must first start.
That is, in order for us to reestablish prayer in our homes, in our church and in our personal lives, let us ask God to give us a greater desire for prayer.
