Sermon Tone Analysis

Prayer as a way of life

(Mention guest speaker [Rex Yoder?] next week, if it wasn’t already announced.)

For the last few weeks we have been talking about “The Way.”

Specifically, we have been talking about the way Jesus lived His life.

Jesus was always busy, always serving and teaching people.

People were always following Him around and asking for things.

Jesus cared so much for people that He even gave up His life for all of us.

Even though Jesus was SO BUSY, He never once responded to someone by saying, “Sorry, I’m just too busy.”

“Hey, Jesus!

How have you been?” “Oh man, it’s been busy around here!

Things have been crazy lately.”

When you think about it, Jesus was at least as busy as we are today.

Even so, He never complained or made excuses.

He never tried to get out of helping someone.

In fact, He would go out of His way to help others.

Unlike us, He had all of this going on, and He didn’t even have a good pickup truck to get around in.

Even if God had have popped a vehicle out of thin air for Him, He probably still would have walked.

In week two we talked about the fact that Jesus walked everywhere He went.

He didn’t get in a hurry.

Instead of being rushed, He made sure He had time for people.

Last week we talked about Jesus being fully present in every encounter.

He wasn’t just “here today” helping people, He was HERE! Connecting with people.

Giving them His full attention.

Listening to their deepest needs.

During this study, we’ve been thinking about the way we do life.

How we tend to get busy and stressed, then let that busyness get in the way of the people we care about.

The people who need us.

We can even get busy and stressed trying to help those people.

Trying to serve our friends, family, or even at church.

We can get so overwhelmed with the busyness of life that we feel trapped.

We can get to the point of realizing that the way we are working for God is actually destroying God’s work in us.

What do we do?

There has to be a better way.

How did Jesus do it?

How did Jesus manage life and busyness?

How was He able to have a deep and meaningful relationship with the Father, even though life had to be getting in the way?

Today we are going to finish up this series by talking about the way Jesus prayed.

Before we talk about the way Jesus prayed, think about your own prayer life for a second.

There’s no need to respond to these questions, but think about what you believe about prayer.

Would you say that you believe in the power of prayer?

Would you say, “Yeah, I believe in the power of prayer, but I really don’t pray that often.”

Maybe you believe and you pray all the time, but sometimes if seems pointless.

Your prayers don’t seem to work.

Between 2008 & 2017, the Pew Research Center conducted surveys around the world asking people if they prayed daily.

This study wasn’t limited to Christians, but any religion.

This is what they found…

The highest percentage of people who prayed every day were in Nigeria at 95%.

Not surprisingly, the lowest was in China at 1%.

In the middle, at 55%, sits the God fearing, Christian nation of the United States.

We are looking at the way Jesus lived.

Specifically, today, the way Jesus prayed.

Jesus prayed constantly and consistently.

If there was anything in Jesus life that was constant and consistent, it was the way He sought the Father in prayer.

He prioritized the presence of God in prayer.

No matter what was happening at the time, no matter how crazy things were, no matter what people expected from Him, no matter what was going on with the Roman government or the religious leaders, Jesus constantly and consistently prayed.

Jesus lived a better way.

If we want what Jesus had, we have to pray like Jesus prayed.

Earlier I asked you to think about your prayer life.

If you struggle with prayer, take that thought a step further and identify why you struggle.

Why do I have a difficult time praying consistently and effectively?

Here are 3 common reasons people struggle with prayer.

First…

Some of us lack focus.

This is probably the one I struggle with the most.

It’s hard to focus on praying.

I get distracted by things constantly.

I don’t have ADD, but my prayers are sometimes ADD prayers.

My mind will start to wonder.

Sometimes I will get bored.

Raise your hand if you have ever fallen asleep while you were praying!

It’s hard to focus, I forget what I am praying about, I get distracted, then I fall asleep.

Maybe you can stay focused, but you just aren’t as good at praying as so-and-so.

You might say you lack confidence…

Some of us lack confidence.

“My best friend, she is a prayer warrior.

When you hear her pray, she sounds like a professional prayer!

In one prayer she will quote 7 different names of God & 5 different verses!”

When we sit down to bless the food, all I can say is, “Good food, good meat, good God, let’s eat.”

You might say that you don’t really know how to pray.

Some lack focus, some confidence, and some lack faith…

Some of us lack faith.

You tried praying, but it didn’t work.

You doubt God really even hears your prayers.

Even if He does, you don’t really think He cares.

You prayed all the time for your marriage, but it still failed.

For healing, but the illness remains.

For an addiction that still has a hold of you.

If that’s you, you might even say that prayer could work for others, but it just doesn’t work for me.

You’ve simply given up on prayer.

As we dive in and study what prayer is, we should start by understanding what prayer IS NOT.

Prayer is NOT:

A formal presentation to God.

It’s not a check list of things we have to say and things we have to avoid.

There isn’t a special code that, if repeated correctly, God will grant all of your wishes.

Speaking of which, it’s also NOT…

Giving God a wish list.

God isn’t a genie with phenomenal cosmic power in an itty bitty living space.

He isn’t a spiritual vending machine.

Prayer is not…

A spiritual negotiation.