And Now We Pray 2

As a church, we play many roles in the community. A couple of weeks ago, during Sunday class, I asked the question, “What impact would be missing from the community of Farwell if we were no longer in the community?” The answers were not surprising: " We are a congregation that is involved with the community.” One aspect of that involvement is seen in the impact on the lives of the community. There are people here who have dealt with severe family emergencies, and other than a few people, we do not know what is going on, but because of prayer, the congregation makes an impact on the lives of the people around us.

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (Eph 1:15-22).

In Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, this was a portion of the opening statement to the believers in that community… I believe much of what Paul wrote is in play with us here in Farwell. We carry the Word throughout the community, such as the Farwell schools. The work that the church does in the school has a far-reaching impact throughout the community. Involvement in events such as the fifth quarter parties in the fall. Our participation in the Bible studies in the schools. Involvement through award dinners or sports banquets stays in the minds of children and parents. Many things are going on because of the impact of those celebrations. People remember these events throughout their lives, and there has been more than one time that people in the community have sought out the church because of a connection they had as a youth. And occasionally, we see some of the people we have impacted come back as adults and bring their children.

            We need to focus on prayer this morning. While some prayers, such as intercession, serve purposes other than worship, others are directed toward God as expressions of praise, submission, and trust by worshipers. Many Psalms can be regarded as such prayers, including Psalm 51, 83, 86, 88, 130, and 141–143. Acts 2:42 notes that early Christians prayed together. In Acts 4, Peter and John joined a prayer session after their release (verses 23–31), and Acts 12 shows the church praying for Peter (verses 5, 12).

            Scripture tells us to pray without ceasing; that’s a lofty order. Should we constantly be on our knees in prayer or walking around with our heads bowed, we will walk into people and cause a scene. In a lecture to his students, Charles Spurgeon told ministry students that they should always be praying. As believers like it or not, our minds should always cry out a petition, sending up holy desires as if we are shooting arrows into the sky. Like I said, constantly walking around with our heads bowed is impractical. What we should be doing is always living in the spirit of prayer. Nothing else matters except having it in our hearts and minds that we need to exercise our dependency on God by bringing everything before Him.

            It is essential that, as believers, we make prayer a mental exercise… Prayer should be the go-to reaction before anything else. If we have a victory, pray. If we have a tragedy, pray. When we have a personal need, pray. When our whole world is falling apart, pray. The importance of prayer is emphasized by its frequent mention in the New Testament. The apostle Paul, in his letters to the early churches, often encouraged believers to engage in persistent and fervent prayer. For instance, in Philippians 4:6-7, he exhorts the Christians to "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.”  This directive underscores the integral role of prayer in the life of the church.

            We need to get to know God better, “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Eph 1.18). Getting to know God better will directly show up in our prayer life. Prayer is not only about asking God for things; it is about opening ourselves up to God and letting Him into our very existence. It allows God to work in our lives, prayer is anchored in who we are in our relationship with Christ. As we pray to God, prayer should not be focused on our outward circumstances, and focusing on how the world looks at us rather it should be focused on our inner circumstances. It should be focused on the circumstances that show our relationship with God. Think about that statement…think about Isaiah 64.7: “There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.” We continue to Mark’s gospel 5:25-34…

And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease.”

I believe this is the meaning of Isaiah 64.7, “There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.” She took hold of Jesus, essentially, she took hold of God, the way in ancient times people took hold of the clock of a great man as they appealed to him, or the way in modern times we embrace someone to show love. To have great things happen in their lives.

            How do we learn to pray? A cancer survivor said she made four practical changes in her life and in her personal devotion. First, I took several months to go through the Psalms, summarizing each one. That enabled me to begin praying through the Psalms regularly, getting through all of them several times a year. Second, was to always to put in a time of meditation as a transitional discipline between my Bible reading and my time of prayer. Third, I did all I could to pray morning and evening rather than only in the morning. Fourth, I began praying with greater expectation.

            Changes do not happen quickly, she writes and reports that after two years of this discipline, she finally started to have some breakthroughs. I believe if we practice the discipline of opening God’s Word and praying, we will begin to see changes in our lives. Keep in mind, this practice is not always flowers, puppy dogs, and sunshine; there will be some bitterness because we are going to see ourselves more clearly in the light of vital prayer. BUT we will also see ourselves in a different light. We will have a new sweetness in Christ because we will also see ourselves more clearly. The bitterness and the peace sometimes go together; at times, one stimulates the other.

The Bible focuses on God, which is why prayer is central in Scripture. Prayer reflects the glory and truth of God. Consider the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as they prayed, they were direct and familiar with God. These were the ones who were responsible for laying the foundation for the faith we have today. “‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?” (Deuteronomy 4. 6-7).  This is the God who by His presence and actions, commanded respect.

            Failing to pray to Him is a failure to treat God as God. It is a sin against His glory. “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way (1 Sam 12.23). King David composed much of the Psalms in Psalm 65.2, “O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.” There is a monumental book describing God’s wonderful grace and love at work through prayer. God instructed the friends of Job after berating Job to make an offering to God and that Job would pray for their souls. Prayers permeate the ministries of the Old Testament prophets.

            Jesus taught His disciples to pray, he healed people with prayers, and denounced the corruption of the temple worship, which should have been considered a house of prayer. Jesus insisted that some demons could only be cast out through prayer. Prayer is part of the faith conversation with God.

            Prayer is throughout the Bible; everywhere God is, prayer is there. Since God is everywhere, prayer must be everywhere as well. There are some attributes of prayer. Prayer must be pervasive in our lives. Prayer is “God’s breath in man returning to his birth.” Prayer is a natural human instinct, since we are made in God’s image; therefore, we are born to pray. Sometimes we forget how to pray. Prayer is a journey.

            Deliberately non-religious people pray at times. Prayer becomes a human instinct, reaching out for help: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Romans 1.20).