Praying Anyway: Finding Words When Words Fail

Reading of the Word

Matthew 6:9–13 NASB 2020

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’

Prayer of Illumination

We are waiting, O God, to hear your Word., for in your Word is our hope. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may we hear your voice and be attentive to what you will say to us today. In the name of Christ, we ask this and all things. Amen.

Introduction

Imagine a child, lost and frightened in a bustling marketplace. The noise, the confusion, and the overwhelming sea of faces only add to their distress. In the midst of this chaos, the child spots their parent in the distance. With relief and desperation, the child calls out, "Mom! Dad!" Instantly, the parent recognizes the cry and rushes to their child, offering comfort, guidance, and a sense of safety.

In many ways, this scenario parallels our own lives. We navigate through the complexities and challenges of our daily existence, often feeling overwhelmed, lost, or uncertain. It is in these moments of need that we can turn to a higher power, seeking comfort and guidance just as the child did in the marketplace.

Sometimes, in the midst of our struggles, we might not even know what to pray or how to begin. Our minds might be clouded with worry, fear, or confusion. Yet, in these moments, we can still pray. We can reach out with the simplest of words, or even no words at all, and trust that God understands the cries of our hearts.

The Lord's Prayer, taught by Jesus to his disciples, is a perfect example of this cry for divine help. It is a simple yet profound way for us to reach out to God, our heavenly parent, expressing our needs, our gratitude, and our desire for His will to be done in our lives. This prayer encapsulates the essence of our relationship with God, offering us a direct line of communication to our Creator.

As we go through the Lord's Prayer today, let us reflect on its powerful simplicity and how it can transform our approach to prayer and our relationship with God. Just as the parent in the marketplace responded to their child's call, God hears our prayers and responds with love, guidance, and support. Even when we don’t know what to pray, we can pray this prayer, confident that God knows our hearts and hears us.

Before we go any further, we have to set up the scene before the Lord’s Prayer by looking at the verses preceding today’s text.

Matthew 6:5–8 NASB 2020

“And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

They prayed for all the wrong reasons.

-To be seen

-To complete their obligation

-To bring attention and glory upon themselves and not God.

-To lead people astray

When the disciples asked them to be taught to pray (in Luke’s account), he countered the wrong with the right.

- The disciples did not know how to pray. They didn’t know what to pray. So they asked Jesus to teach them to pray.

- The desire to learn how to pray was there. They just did not know what to pray.

-Is the desire to pray there for us? Or do we just get it done so another obligation is out of the way? Or because the desire isn’t there, we just don’t pray? Pray anyway!

-You want to know how important prayer is? Jesus retreated often to be in prayer with the Father. Jesus is GOD! If God himself in the flesh needed to pray, then we as his followers need to pray!!!

Acknowledging God as OUR Father

What a wonderful Sunday to look at God as our Father!

-Men, if we want to follow the example of any father, it has to be our Heavenly Father.

The Bible presents God as a father who cares for, provides for, hears, answers, disciplines, receives, forgives, and rejoices over his children. God is the ultimate example of a righteous father, whose love is complete and endless, even when his children fall short. Here are some ways that fathers can follow God's example:

Be loving: God is compassionate and wants what's best for his children.

Be forgiving: God forgives wrongdoing and doesn't hold it over his children's heads.

Be firm and fair: God disciplines his children out of love, and fathers should do the same.

Empower your children: God guides and gives his children wisdom, and fathers should encourage, support, teach, and lead their children.

Lead blameless lives: Fathers who abide by God and seek his will benefit their children

-We also follow those fathers who have left us a legacy of faith and fatherhood that had a huge impact on our lives.

In our spiritual lives, following a father’s legacy of faith can pass onto us things that are priceless. It’s about more than just adopting practices or rituals; it’s about embodying the principles and beliefs that have been handed down to us. Just as the son learned to fish from his father or how to deal with the heartache life brings, we learn to walk in faith by observing and embracing the examples set by those who came before us. This legacy of faith becomes a guiding light, helping us navigate life’s challenges and inspiring us to pass on these values to future generations.

-For those who aren’t fathers, God is still using you in this role. He still provides people in your path to show the love that our Heavenly Father does and to love and take on the role of a father, especially for those who maybe never had a father on earth that loved and nurtured them.

-Young men, he is preparing you for this role. Embrace learning from your father. It will mold your life and change you forever!

-It is easy to forget that God has taken on this fatherly role for us. God is our Father and we are his children. Jesus made this relationship possible through His precious Blood.

Magnifying & Acknowledging God’s Glory

True prayer begins with adoration.

1. God is Holy.

- God is completely pure and perfect.

- Jesus shows the importance of this by making it the first thing he mentions.

- This is the #1 attribute that God drives home through Scripture.

2. God’s Kingdom Matters: Let His Will Be Done

- The importance of God's Kingdom is significant.

-Jesus didn’t come to restore an earthly kingdom but to bring a heavenly Kingdom to earth.

- It's essential that God's desires for us are fulfilled.

-We only find these out through prayer.

3. His will for us stretches from the heavens to earth.

The Christian must submit to God’s will.

This is very comprehensive in its scope. It takes in all relationships of life—domestic, community, national, international; economic, religious, social—as well as one’s own thoughts, words, and deeds. There is no greater prayer that anyone can pray. Jesus Himself set the example in Gethsemane (26:42).

4. I spoke last week about the difference between being washed and cleansed. We are washed when God begins the work of transforming us at the moment of salvation. We are cleansed when we submit to God’s will and let Him have His way in our lives.

Aligning Our Needs with God's Will

For the average Christian, these are not things that they would necessarily be praying for.

- How can I say this? Because Jesus in this position of the prayer shows the disciples to not pray for what they want, but for what God’s sees that they need in order to submit to God’s will.

- There is 4 statements I want to focus on that Jesus tells us we need to pray for when asking for our needs to be met. They should drive the daily prayer life of a Christian.

Give Us.

-Not what we want, but what we need.

God is interested in our needs. Jesus includes this to make sure we know this. He reminds us as well that we must place our dependence upon him to see these needs met.

Have you ever found yourself with only a dollar left in your bank account, bills looming, and no idea how you'll manage to pay them? Then unexpectedly, a check arrives in the mail—a deposit from an unknown source. It's in these moments that God meets our needs in ways we never imagined possible.

I love Don Moen’s song that states what we need to remind ourselves everyday when it seems like all hope is lost. Listen to this chorus:

God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me

He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With love and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way

-God is not a genie we make three wishes to.

-But what we need. What God’s best can only provide.

-For today.

-Tomorrow isn’t promised and today’s problems are enough.

Forgive Us.

-KJV says “our debts”

-Sin is a debt that we cannot repay.

-Forgiveness is the antidote to sin.

-Sin is overwhelming and it is why we need forgiveness.

-It is why I focused on that so much last week. Sin can send us into a downward spiral that leads to nothing but misery and pain.

-Jesus adds a stipulation after the Lord’s Prayer that requires us to forgive in order to God to forgive us. We have to do our part so God can do his part in us.

Lead Us.

Lead us so that we can overcome evil.

When the tempter comes, may we place Jesus’ example at the forefront of our minds to remind us that we can overcome temptation through Christ. He makes it possible!

The Holy Spirit won’t lead us astray but the devil is looking for every opportunity to.

Let this be our simple prayer each day: "Lord, guide our steps each day, lead us in Your perfect way."

Deliver Us.

He has already delivered us from evil through His Blood at Calvary. We just have to be willing to seek divine strength to place our trust in it for protection and deliverance.

Even if we give into temptation, He will come beside us and deliver us from the shame and guilt sin brings and give us freedom to live as His child.

Ending Where We Started

- The last line when we pray the Lord’s Prayer is not included in the prayer found in the Gospels.

-The KJV has it but later manuscripts that were found suggests that it was not a part of Scripture.

But the Church is correct to add it.

- It can be looked at as a benediction of praise to God.

It says this: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

It’s His Kingdom that matters! We yield the power and the glory to God alone. We recognize that this is not a temporary reign but that all of the above will be for all eternity.

It is a beautiful benediction giving praise to God for teaching us how to pray. Our prayer each day should end where it began: in praise to God.

Application: How do we pray when we don’t have the words to pray?

-Use Scripture!

-The Psalms are a great place to start.

-Use a written form of prayer.

-There is nothing wrong with this! It won’t work for everyone. But wow does it draw me close to Jesus.

I do this 4 times a day. It keeps me focused so I don’t get distracted. I listen as Scripture is read and have times of prayer where it is nothing but silence or me sharing my heart with the Father. Some prayers are written but they are meshed with my prayers. I get more out of a structured prayer life that covers all the bases.

It allows me to “pray without ceasing” and keeps me in the attitude of prayer all day long.

The top function of a pastor and especially a pastor in the Church of the Nazarene is to pray. It is rightfully listed first in the manual as my number 1 function in this divine office and without it, everything else is not even worth mentioning.

-Ask the same thing the disciples asked Jesus. Lord, teach us to pray.

- We must remind ourselves daily that prayer is one of the greatest forms of worship that we are given. Are we going to let this greatest form of worship sit idle or will we use it to glorify God and to draw closer to Jesus.

To Sum It Up: If you have no words to pray, praise God. If you have no words to pray, thank God. If you have no words to pray, trust God. Pray anyway: God will meet you there!

Conclusion

In times of uncertainty and when words fail us, remember that prayer is not about having the perfect words, but about expressing our hearts to God. Even when we struggle to find the right words, our Heavenly Father understands the whispers of our souls. Just as a child reaches out to a parent in trust, we can come to God with our honest thoughts and feelings.

Illustration: Imagine a quiet beach at sunset, where the crashing waves and gentle breeze speak a language of peace beyond words. In the same way, our heartfelt prayers, even in their simplicity, resonate deeply with God, who listens with infinite understanding and compassion.

Let us take comfort in knowing that God hears every prayer, spoken and unspoken, and responds with love and grace beyond measure.

Prayer After Message

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the reminder that in times of uncertainty and when words fail us, we can still come before you in prayer. You understand the whispers of our hearts and the depths of our needs, even when we struggle to express them. Help us to trust in your understanding and to lean on your grace when we feel inadequate. May our prayers, simple as they may be, always reach your ears and find favor in your sight.

Grant us the courage to come to you with honesty and vulnerability, knowing that you listen attentively and respond with compassion. As we leave this place today, may the truth of your presence and the power of prayer continue to resonate in our hearts. Strengthen our faith, deepen our trust in you, and empower us to walk in your will each day.

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen.

Benediction

As we go forth, may we find peace in knowing that God hears our hearts, even when words fail us. May His presence surround us with comfort and His Spirit guide our prayers. Trust in His understanding and grace, knowing that He listens and responds to our deepest needs.

May the Lord bless and keep you, fill you with His peace, and empower you to walk in His will.

Amen.