Points on Prayer
Notes
Transcript
Just one verse for our text 1 Thess 5:17
17 Pray without ceasing.
Tonight I just want to share with you some personal things I have learned about prayer. Nothing extremely profound - but just some acquired personal knowledge that I feel needs to be passed on.
Prayer is a way to communicate or talk with God.
In life we sometimes have just a short window to speak with someone.
I have met a few famous people in my life -
I was at a luncheon put on by I believe the Chamber of Commerce here in Wichita a few years ago - and they had invited Senator Jerry Moran to speak. We were seated at round tables, very similar to our camp dinning hall. I happened to be seated at the table next to him. As the meal proceeded we went around the room and everybody introduced themselves and who they represented. Afterward we had a meet and greet and I was able to more formally meet with him. But my respect for him had already grown substantially - as during the course of the meal, I had dropped a utensil - which I was finished with- on the floor. Not wanting to cause a scene, I was going to wait until it was over and pick it up - it wasn’t in the way of anyone tripping on it. Senator Moran quietly slipped over and picked it up of the floor and handed it to me. I thought that was so thoughtful and kind. Here he had some access to the President of the United States, and he picked up my fork.
At another luncheon put on I think by Wichita Independent Business Association they had invited then congressman Micheal Pompeo to speak. While I did not get to sit very close to him, I was able to go up and shake his hand and talk to him privately a few moments. How was I to know he would later go on to become the United States head of CIA and Secretary of State.
There have been a few others, but my whole point in sharing these, is that while yes, you may meet famous people, you only have a terribly small and temporary window to speak with them - and more than likely due to the nature of their work, the meeting will be far more memorable and impacting to you than it ever will be to them.
But prayer...
Prayer, on the other hand, isn’t just a small, temporary window into somebodies life who may never remember the meeting - it is an audience with the King of kings and Lord of Lords who is not only going to remember the time together - but will know about it before it ever happens.
As you enter into your time with God in prayer - you don’t need any introductions -
Prayer is an ongoing conversation!
At times we think saying “Amen” is the same as “goodbye” but it’s not.
“Amen” is a word that means - “So be it” or “let it be” It is an affirmation that is even used occasionally in scripture as designations for God.
Isaiah 65:16 “16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; And he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hid from mine eyes.” {“the God of truth” in the Hebrew means “God of AMEN”}
Revelation 3:14 “14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;” {Jesus is the AMEN}
When we say “Amen” at the end of the prayer we are only continuing the prayer by affirming what we have said, or by praying, “let it be” we don’t ever have to sever the connection.
I liken it to the old dial up internet and the broadband we have today. In the 90’s It wasn’t common for people to have constant access to the internet. You had to dial up and unless you had an extra phone line - you couldn’t browse the web and talk on the phone at the same time.
But now (okay most of us don’t even have land lines anymore) but you can put your cell phone on speaker and look up things while you are talking - or text the person, or email, or whatever you want to do.
Some locations are easier than others - but theoretically you can be constantly connected to the online world 24/7
This is how I view prayer.
When we are told to pray without ceasing - we have that constant contact with the God of the universe - this ongoing chat thread if you will that just continually grows and is going.
Going when you go to sleep at night, when you wake up in the morning, as you go throughout your day - this conversation just continues all day long.
Prayer is a meeting with God.
I guess as a child I was always fascinated with leadership. While it hasn’t been my main study - and I don’t consider myself a very strong leader - it seemed my gifts often took me to that side of things.
One of my first leadership paid roles was in management at Hardees in Troy, MO. I was pretty much thrown into it. One of the requirements of being a shift leader was to attend the monthly and quarterly management meetings. These were often dubbed, “the gripe sessions” but it was a time where usually upper management scolded lower management for what they were not doing correctly - but it was also open for anyone to express any concerns or grievances they had.
It was here I began to pick up on the importance of communication being a time of sharing - and articulating clearly, precisely, and exactly what you needed or wanted.
While I would never want to equate prayer with “gripe session” Prayer can be a time to voice your grievances, your pain, your suffering, your wants, your wishes, your visions, plans, intentions, your dreams, and those that have gone up in smoke, or crumbled at your feet.
Even if you can’t put your words in a neat tidy articulate format - God reads the heart and knows the language of tears
Prayer is a direct address to God - E. M. Bounds Possibilities of Prayer.
I’ve told it before - but I remember shortly after Angie and I were married, we were out of town and staying with some other people. While we were there a crisis to us popped up that we were not expecting or knew how to deal with. I remember kneeling in the room we were staying and whispered it all to Jesus. And I knew he heard everything - because I heard back confirmation from Him he was going to take care of it and He has.
Prayer is talking with God - not to God
As a young person I somehow got it in my head that the only way to pray was to pray loudly.
I remember even being told as I was seeking to “close my eyes tight, look up, raise my hands high, and holler loud”
that may work for some people but my mind I was always wondering if I was hollering loud enough, saying the right things. Was my heart in the right place - I’ve always overthought things and I still struggle with that.
But communicating with God is just expressing what you need.
If we need forgiveness - the Bible says “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” 1 John 1:9.
If we need cleansing - Just ask
If we need protection, strength, boldness, courage, resources, opportunities, just ask.
Don’t worry about asking in the right way, or with the right words, or loud enough, or in old English with all the thees and thous I mean that is fine if you use them - but its just ask - just tell Him, just express it to Him.
And you don’t have to wait until the next monthly or quarterly meeting to do it - remember you have constant contact with him. He is always there - You don’t always have to even say it outloud.
Prayer is our source of grace, mercy, and resource
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
E. M. Bounds wrote,
We affirm with absolute certainty that Almighty God answers prayer. The vast possibilities and the urgent necessity of prayer lie in this stupendous fact that God hears and answers prayer. And God hears and answers all prayer. He hears and answers every prayer, where the true conditions of praying are met. Either this is so or it is not. If not, then is there nothing in prayer. Then prayer is but the recitation of words, a mere verbal performance, an empty ceremony. Then prayer is an altogether useless exercise. But if what we have said is true, then are there vast possibilities in prayer. Then is it far reaching in its scope, and wide is its range. Then is it true that prayer can lay its hand upon Almighty God and move Him to do great and wonderful things.
(Bounds, E. M. (2004). The possibilities of prayer (pp. 17–18). Logos Bible Software.)
He goes on to say:
The Possibilities of Prayer IV. Prayer—Its Possibilities
Prayer is a direct address to God. “In everything let your requests be made known unto God.” Prayer secures blessings, and makes men better because it reaches the ear of God. Prayer is only for the betterment of men when it has affected God and moved Him to do something for men. Prayer affects men by affecting God. Prayer moves men because it moves God to move men. Prayer influences men by influencing God to influence them. Prayer moves the hand that moves the world.
He exclaims, “The utmost possibilities of prayer have rarely been realized.”
An older hymnwriter expressed it this way:
1 THERE is an eye that never sleeps
Beneath the wing of night ;
There is an ear that never shuts,
When sink the beams Of light :
2 There is an arm that never
When human strength gives way ;
There is a love that never fails,
When earthly loves decay
3 That eye is fix'd on seraph throngs;
That arm upholds the sky ;
That ear is fin'd with angel songs ;
That love is throned On high.
4 But there's a power, which man can wield,
When mortal aid is vain,
That eye, that arm, that love to reach,
That listening ear to gain.
5 That power is prayer which soars on high
Through Jesus to the throne,
And moves the hand, which moves the world,
TO bring salvation down. Amen.
Prayer is God's ordained way to bring His miracle power to bear in human need.
Wesley L Duewel
He goes on to say - “Prayer is the master strategy that God gives for the defeat and rout of Satan.”
Tonight I know it’s Sunday night and we’re tired, we’ve had a long day, we are just ready to go home and get back to our lives - but tomorrow is a day off for many of us -
Let’s spend some time talking to Jesus -
If you have a need tell him about it
If you have a problem tell him about it
Whatever is on your heart tell him about it.
Don’t pray to be heard by us - talk to Jesus.
Don’t worry if it’s quiet or loud - just talk to Jesus.
You don’t have to pray long - this is just an extra in your ongoing conversation with God.