Prayer Involves The Word
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INTRODUCTION
It is my desire to spend at least 30 minutes in prayer per day, for at least 3 days a week
This does not have to be 30 minutes in one sitting, but at least a total of 30 minutes in the day
The fact is this, we cannot truly claim to be a follower of the Lord Jesus if we ourselves are not willing to do the things that He did.
Luke 5:16 (ESV)
he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
The verse before this tells us that things were starting to get busy for Jesus.
His fame was increasing, the crowds were increasing, and their requests were increasing.
Yet, He made prayer a priority.
Despite the busy-ness of our lives, we need to make prayer a priority
Not just praying for our wants/needs or the wants/needs of others
We need to be praying for God’s will, and that we would be okay with that
We need to be interceding on the behalf of others, that God would be merciful toward them
The next few weeks, we are going to examine a time of prayer in the life of Daniel
Read Daniel 9:1-3
Take Time To Be In The Word
Take Time To Be In The Word
We see here that Daniel was taking time in the books
In order for Daniel to be a spiritual leader and example among his people, he needed to be faithful to be in the Word
In order for us to be a spiritual leader and example in the Church, we need to be faithful to be in the Word
This principle is made evident for us in Scripture.
I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
Don’t just skim read either, really take it in. Meditate on the Word so that you are internalizing it.
but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Daniel was a great leader because He spent time in the Word and He also spent time practicing it.
This is ultimately what we need to be doing ourselves.
I have had conversations with people about the importance of discipleship and the fact that they ought to be involved with it
Typically, a lot of Christians feel they are not “qualified” to disciple someone else
However, according to Scripture, every believer is expected to mature and become a teacher
Hebrews 5:12–14 (ESV)
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
In order for us to be teachers of the Word, we must be familiar with it ourselves.
Take Time To Seek God’s Will
Take Time To Seek God’s Will
Daniel, after having spent time with God in the Word, sought Him through prayer.
Our seeking the Lord through prayer can be for any number of reasons:
Perhaps, while reading the Word, we may not always get it or comprehend it, so we need wisdom.
James 1:5 (ESV)
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
We may need comfort due to the afflictions of life
2 Corinthians 1:3–5 (ESV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
In our prayer, we are believing God to bring us comfort during our time of distress.
It is also possible that through our prayer that God will lead us to others who need the same comfort that God has granted us
We may need peace in order to accept difficulties that have come up
Philippians 4:6–7 (ESV)
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Often times in prayer meetings at church, people pray for someone to be cured of cancer or to be healed after a heart attack or stroke
But what do we do when those people are not cured or healed? Do we shake our fist at God?
What do we do when someone who is in their 20’s dies in a car accident or is diagnosed with a terminal disease?
Do we conclude that because something has happened that we did not pray for to happen, that God is not in control? Or, even worse, that God does not exist?
The answer is a resounding “No!”
John 14:13–14 (ESV)
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
Christians have interpreted this to mean, “As long as we pray “in Jesus’ name,” then He will do it.”
However, that is not what He is saying. Let’s look to another passage that helps us clear this up a bit.
1 John 5:14–15 (ESV)
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
So ultimately, when we pray, it does not come down to “what do I want?” It comes down to, “what does God want, and am I on board?”
This is why it is vital that we are in the Word while we are praying
In order to pray according to his will, we need to know His will.
In order to know His will, we need to be in His Word