The Importance of Prayer
Prayer: Fighting the Invisible Battle • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewPrayer is our vital life-giving connection to God.
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Transcript
Good Morning! Welcome to church this morning.
Pray
There once was a young man who became a Christian in his teenage years. His parents, however, did not share his faith, and his mom dabbled in the occult. One day, a warlock came to their home (which was a fairly common occurrence) to help his mom go deeper. The young man sat in the living room, while the warlock and his mother sat in the kitchen. Now, being a new Christian and a bit of a trouble maker, the young man thought “Ok, let’s see if prayer actually works.” So, sitting in the living room he silently prayed “Jesus, please don’t let this work!”
Suddenly the warlock turned around and said “you better stop doing that!” The young man’s mom said, “hey, you better stop or I’ll kick you out! (not forever, just while this was happening). They went back to what they were doing, and the young man thought, “Ok, let’s try this again.” So He prayed “Jesus, please don’t let this work!” Again the warlock’s head snapped around and he told the young man to stop that! His mother had had enough and ordered him outside. So off the young man went outside. Now alone, he thought “Ok, that was in my head… let’s try it out-loud.” So out loud he prayed “Jesus, please don’t let this work!” Suddenly the warlock screamed, got up, and ran out of the house, never to return again.
Quite the incredible story, isn’t it? Do you believe it? I can’t blame you if you’re a little sceptical. But this story is completely true. The mom in this story was Katie’s Granny, who passed away last year. And the young man was my father in law, Katie’s dad, who many of you had the chance to meet just a few weeks ago.
I have shared this story with his permission, to illustrate a point: Prayer is powerful and foundational to our faith. Not only that, prayer works.
We’re starting a five week series together on prayer. (if you haven’t noticed from the bulletins and Facebook yet). We’re calling it “prayer: Fighting the Invisible Battle.” Together what I want to do is look at why we pray, what it means to pray, and some of the reasons we do pray. But most of all, I am prayerfully hoping that through the next few weeks looking at this together, we will come away with a deeper hunger for God’s presence. I am further praying this manifests itself in men and women and boys and girls who make prayer a top priority, because we need to in our lives!
Oswald Chambers said the job of every Christian is to pray. He called it our only business, a holy occupation. Why? According to Oxford Languages, prayer is “a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God.” But I think that definition misses the importance of the two-way relationship that prayer sustains. So we’ve defined prayer, but not explained yet its importance in our lives. Why do we pray then? Why is it so important?
Well, our theme verse for this series is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Would you read it with me?
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
We are supposed to always be about the business of prayer. Why is it so important?
Prayer is our vital life-giving connection to God.
The psalms are prayers, King Solomon prayed for wisdom. Jesus prayed, Paul prayed, the prophets prayed… we see prayed interwoven throughout Scripture as a foundational way through which they communicate with God. And the most amazing thing is: Jesus has made a way for us as His children to come to him in prayer. Literally, we can enter the throne room, talk with the Almighty God, whenever! Today I want to explore three reasons for why prayer is our vital life-line to God. The first is that:
Prayer Connects Us to God
Prayer Connects Us to God
We are commanded to pray. God’s Word states on multiple occasions the imperative for God’s people to pray. Read Romans 12:12 with me:
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Paul, speaking about how Christians ought to be characterized, gives three practical statements for living spiritually passionate, focused on Christ and our eternity with Him. We are to rejoice in the hope Christ brings, being patient even when we suffer. But why pray? Because, as Robert H. Mounce puts it:
“No man should be surprised when life collapses if he insists on living it alone.” Most Christians will confess the difficulty of maintaining a regular and effective prayer life. The reason is not difficult to discern. If Satan can keep us out of touch with God, he will not have to worry about any trouble we might cause for his evil kingdom.
Prayer is our life-line to God. The Bible recognizes that we cannot do life apart from God - He is our help and our salvation! We have to be in constant communication with Him in order for our spiritual lives to be in tact. Especially in the midst of the spiritual war that is all around us. Prayer is how we do battle! No wonder Paul commands in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Likewise, in the Old Testament, King David says:
1 Chronicles 16:11 (ESV)
Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
King David in this Psalm tells us to come in God’s presence when? Not monthly, or weekly, or even hourly… but continually! We are called to seek God - an important theme in Chronicles - not just for direction, but in a dependant way. Saying “God, I am dependant on you. Without you I don’t have anything!” And expectantly - waiting in faith for what God is going to do. Here David recognized the importance of prayer as our way of coming to God expectantly, and with dependancy upon our Creator and Saviour. This does not mean that we sit 24/7 in our bedrooms praying in tongues until we pass out from exhaustion. No one has the ability to be always praying in such a way. But, we can all cultivate a life in which we recognize our dependancy on God, and thereby spending our days in a spirit - we could also use the word posture - of prayer. That means we have a heart-posture that is constantly in tune with where God is leading, what God is saying, and being aware of His presence going with us. If that sounds like a taller order, that’s ok. It’s a discipline, and something that we must cultivate.
The Bible commands us to pray because it recognizes and shows us that we need to be connected to the One who made us, and redeemed us. In fact, we are dependant on Him. The Bible says
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
How do we expect to do anything, let alone “all things” if we are not linked to the One through whom we are given everything that we need in order to live our lives for God’s glory. He gives the gift of faith, perseverance, strength to fight spiritual and physical battles, and so on. How do we expect our faith to survive if we are not connected
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
For our faith to survive and thrive, for us to serve God as we ought, we must be connected to the vine. We are fed, and sustained through Jesus. Prayer is the time in which there is a two-way connected takes place: Where you and God meet, in which your relationship to God is strengthened. This is why the Bible commands us to pray unceasingly. Our first point shows us that we need to have a spirit - a posture - of prayer because we are dependant on God, and prayer is our life-line to God. Coupled with that, the second point to consider is that:
Prayer Is Our Standard
Prayer Is Our Standard
How is prayer our standard, or benchmark if you will? The Bible sets Christ as our example that we are to live by. Throughout the New Testament, we are called to live as Christ lived, and to follow in the footsteps of our Lord. In 1 Cor 11:1 Paul says
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Paul is an imitator of Christ. Moreover, he tells the Ephesians:
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
The Apostle John, writing to the churches in Asia minor said
whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Jesus Christ, our Saviour, and our Lord, is our example to live by. And Jesus prayed… a lot. He was constantly praying, and in communication with His Father. Jesus would join with other in prayer:
Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.
He also prayed for others, as we see in:
Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
And Jesus also spent time alone, in close communication with the Father by Himself.
But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened,
There’s a lot of different Scriptures we have just looked at. But through these we see that our Lord prayed, constantly. If the Bible tells us to cultivate a life in which we are constantly praying, constantly working to be in communication with the Father, you can be sure Jesus was doing no less.
What we see from the life of Christ is a demonstration of the foundational nature of prayer. Christ was always talking with His Father. It was a relationship. We are likewise invited into this relationship with God in which we get to talk with God. Because it is foundational to our walk with Christ that we seek His presence and draw near to Him.
The president of our college back in Edmonton had this saying: “Don’t have to, get to, really ought to.” What a great way to view prayer! If you don’t pray at all for a day, will you die? No… but I can promise you that when you start to pray again it will feel like you have been needing a drink for day and finally found water. If you were to stop praying for a long period of time, I would get concerned for your spiritual health. Just as the body needs water so our soul needs prayer.
Jesus was always talking to His Father about stuff, and we need to as well. This leads us to our third point.
Prayer Equips Us for Battle
Prayer Equips Us for Battle
We are living in the midst of a battlefield right now. Our story at the beginning of this message showcases how we are at war with forces we can’t always see. I’m sure many of you would could tell me a story of when you have come against the forces of the enemy in some way. Maybe it was as observable as our story. Maybe it was more subtle: the battlefield of your own mind. Or maybe you noticed something creeping in, like the spiritual of division we prayed against on Wednesday. However you have encountered spiritual warfare, you can be assured that there is a battle going on out there. Even though Jesus has won the ultimate victory, Satan and his forces will try in vain to wreck as much of the church and derail as many people as they can on their way to hell. It is crucial therefore for us not only to be aware of the Spiritual battle, but to be ready and actively engaged in it.
How is that done?
As Martin Luther once said, “prayer must do the deed.” Truthfully, prayer is a crucial part of what it means to do spiritual warfare. That’s what we’re going to look at in this point, and to do that I want to read Ephesians 6:10-18. Would you read verses 10-18 with me?
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
We see that Paul tells the Ephesians church to stand ready, praying on our armour in anticipation of the war which we fight. But as is noted in verse 12:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
The forces that are arrayed against us are ones that no human army can fight. The romans empire, the nazi regiem, the USA’s military might, or China’s army. We simply do not have the tools by ourselves to fight this other-worldly battle. It requires supernatural aid. So for us to emerge victorious in battle, we need to look to the One who already won the war - Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, and because Jesus has won the victory. Because it is God who sits on the throne of the universe, we have a hope and victory through Jesus.
So Paul tells us to get ready for battle - to put on our armour. Paul frames our defensive and offensive weapons in the metaphor of a suit of armour:
The belt of truth - We proclaim and live in the truth of Jesus’ victory over sin and death.
The beast plate of righteousness - Through Jesus, and only through Him, do we stand right before God, cleansed of our sin and in right relationship with Him
The shoes of the gospel of peace - The Romans used to where hobnailed shoes in battle to help them have good grip. Likewise, the gospel is our sure foundation of peace for our hearts and in our lives, no matter what is raging around us.
The shield of faith - our faith and hope in Jesus Christ is what give us strength to continue, shielding us from attack of the enemy in all its many forms and strengthening us right to the end
The helmet of salvation - showcasing both our salvation from sin and God’s divine power to protect us from sin. And even, our final hope of being delivered completely from the presence of sin in this world.
And the sword of the Spirit; the Word of God - God’s Word, infallible and inspired by the Holy Spirit, is our only offensive weapon. It separates truth from lies, bringing judgement and salvation. The Word of God, given by God’s Spirit to us allows us to fight the good fight, and take a stand against the enemy.
Paul says that as we put this armour on, we should be praying at all times (Like we discussed in the first point). In effect, Paul is saying that we should pray the armour on. But it doesn’t stop there, but we see that no matter what we come up against, we should be committing it to our command-in-chief, and submitting it God for His direction and help. If we are to fight the spiritual battle that we are a part of - wether we like it or not - we have to pray on our armour. We need to be inconstant, life giving connection with the only One who has the power to defeat the forces of the enemy. We must focus our hearts on the One who supernaturally helps us to stand firm. Prayer makes us aware of the spiritual battle all around us, but it also is the means by which we are connected to the One who gives the supernatural help we need in order for us to be conquerers. Wether we like it or not, we are in a war of the spiritual, and we must have our vital life-line to God open at all times in order that we might have strength and courage to walk in the salvation of Jesus. So prayer is vital to our fight, and therefore vital to our life.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We’ve looked at today how
Prayer is our vital life-giving connection to God.
Further to that, we’ve examined three reasons for why prayer is so vital:
Prayer connects us to God
Prayer is Our Standard
Prayer Equips Us for Battle
Where does this leave us today? As a body of believers, we need to be convicted in our hearts of how needed and vital it is for us to pray daily, and to cultivate a lifestyle that positions us for constant communication with God. We can choose to say “oh yeah, prayer is good” or “yep, I do that when I get a chance.” That’s not enough. We must realize how important prayer is to our lives. It means everything!
My prayer as we continue in this series is that as a church we will become more focused on prayer. I was encouraged this week when we had 7 people come out to pray and walk through our town. It was an amazing time and I felt the Spirit of God rest heavy! But my prayer is that something like that is only the beginning. My prayer is that as people and a congregation we will be characterized as people who pray. Pray before you eat, pray with your kids. Pray with your spouse. Take time to pray on your own. Call up a brother or sister in our church or a friend and pray with them. Do you know of someone who is unwell in our church? Phone them or text them and offer a word of prayer. Pray for our town, and province. Our leaders desperately need prayer! Pray for our school, and for parents who are working to disciple their kids well. There is nothing too small or too big for God! And He cares deeply about you.
Are you in need of prayer? I want you to know that if you need to pray with someone today I would be happy to pray with you. This week we have actually put together a prayer team. Myself, Katie, or Sarah are here for you this week. If you want to pray with us after the service, or need prayer throughout the week you can can reach out to any of us via these numbers. This is for anyone who need prayer support.
Pastor Josh: (780) 690-2100
Katie (403) 741-9098
Sarah (306) 716-4014
Prayer is vitally important. It connects us with God, it is part of a Christ-like life, and it is integral to fighting and conquering in the spiritual battle we are in. If we are not connected to the vine of Jesus Christ, we will die. This week, I implore you to draw near to God. When you do, I know He will draw near to you.