Why Pray?

Why pray?.

After all you can’t see anything happen, no angel suddenly appears before you with written instructions on what to do next.

No door opens in front of you revealing a mystical world full of riches, peace and power that you can use to achieve what it is that you are seeking to achieve.

No bad situation suddenly is completely undone and becomes what you wanted it to be.

That is how it often feels when you pray.

But actually all these things may be happening.

The angel may actually be waiting to give you instruction on what to do next.

There really is a mystical world full of riches, peace and power waiting for you to open the door and enter in.

Bad situations may be transformed, or your heart transformed to cope with them.

We pray because we believe that these things can happen.

What we so often lack is an understanding of the forces at work when we pray.

There is heavenly opposition, there is a heavenly outcome, the Power of the Holy Spirit is at work and our activities will actually be more fruitful than we could have ever hoped for.

But if we are to pray, we need to have an understanding of what it is we are dealing with.

We are not dealing with an automatic teller machine.

Prayer isn’t like the debit card which you put into the machine and with the right code you get money out.

Firstly God’s resources are inexhaustible, unlike your bank balance they will never run out.

Secondly with prayer you don’t make a withdrawal whenever you feel like it. God is sovereign and the things you ask for are not “on demand” they are when God decides.

Thirdly you don’t need to go looking for a machine from the right bank that doesn’t charge a withdrawal fee. You don’t need to walk to the other end of the shopping center because you forgot to get the cash when you walked past the first time. Nor do you need to check if the machine has been tampered with and a skimming device fitted to steal your card details.

God is everywhere, he doesn’t charge you a withdrawal fee. Jesus paid the cost. He is always there with you, you don’t have to go looking and he won’t rip your details off and take all your money.

He already owns you.

He wants to pour out his blessing upon you to minister to others so that they too will glorify his name.

We pray because there is a heavenly opposition which needs to be addressed

Because of the Heavenly Opposition

There is a very real and unseen battle which is being waged. The final result is certain but the path is often unclear and deeply painful for those who wrestle to see God’s victory here on earth.

In Daniel 10 but especially Daniel 10:2 and Daniel 10:12-14 we see this spiritual battle.

I don’t want to go into all the eschatology, which is a fancy theological word for end times, which these verses are addressing.

What I do want us to pick up on are two simple truths.

Daniel’s prayers in verse 2 were described as being made in mourning.

There was a cost to his prayers. He felt a great burden as he prayed for the state of his home land.

Daniel 10:2-3

Daniel 10:2–3 NLT

When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.

Daniel was grief stricken about the state of his homeland. For 70 years they had been in exile and while things had improved and the new King Cyrus of Persia had allowed some exiles to return home to Jerusalem things weren’t going so well and they had become discouraged.

There is a question here for us.

How grief stricken are we about the state of our land?

Do we feel a real burden for the spiritual state of our people.

It is easy for us to complain about the political and ideological battles, but do we feel the burden of the truth that all these battles are because of the underlying spiritual state of a people who do not know God.

Here is the first simple truth from Daniel chapter 10.

Daniel was burdened by the state of his people and his homeland, so should we be about the state of our people our homeland here in Redland Bay.

The second simple point is found in verses 12 to 14

Daniel 10:12-14

Daniel 10:12–14 NLT

Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”

Regardless of all the eschatological meanings of what this vision is talking about there is a simpler point.

Daniel’s sincere prayers were heard, immediately!

There was a response to those prayers, but that response took a while to arrive.

There is a heavenly battle being waged.

There are spiritual forces which have some authority.

It is a battle which we can not see, but which we must be aware of and understand.

Our prayers do make a significant difference.

God’s sovereign purposes will be achieved.

He has heavenly powers, the Archangel Michael and perhaps Gabriel is also included as the messenger in this passage, we can not be sure.

But whoever the messenger is the simple truth is that there is a heavenly battle going on.

The victory is already won but the truth is that there are spiritual powers that seek to disrupt our understanding, to prevent us receiving the message that God has for us.

The Apostle Paul reminds us of this truth in Ephesians 6:10-20

Ephesians 6:10–20 NLT

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

We need to pray because of the Heavenly opposition we face but also because of the heavenly outcomes which result.

Because of the Heavenly Outcomes

Sometimes you have no idea what God is going to do next.

You might think you have it all planned out.

Today I will do this, tomorrow that and then I will go to this place.

So often I have a plan for the day and it changes.

Now usually that is because I get distracted or are procrastinating but sometimes it is because God has a different plan.

When I listen good things happen.

Recently I was intending to spend a day in the Army office catching up on some tasks that were required.

Instead I spent a significant amount of time talking with an individual about the meaning of Grace and how it differed from the concept taught by their religion.

I do not yet know the outcome of that conversation, but it was an opportunity that God brought across my path.

We find a heavenly outcome in Acts 10.

In Acts 10:1-8 We read about Cornelius a man who was seeking God but did not yet know Christ. He was praying. He was seeking God and as a result an Angel was sent to him with a message, a message which lead him to Peter the one who would preach the Gospel of Christ so that they could be saved.

In Acts 10:9-16 we read about Peter a believer with some prejudices to overcome.

Peter is praying and God reveals to him a path which he otherwise would not have identified, an opportunity he would not have seen.

In Acts 10:17-29 we read of a situation which unfolds. A situation which God had just prepared in the lives of Cornelius and Peter.

Only God could bring these two together, it was impossible in human terms the barriers of prejudice, social status and enmity divided these two men and their circles of influence.

In Acts 10:30-43 We see a heavenly outcome, because these men were seeking God.

Acts 10:30–43 NLT

Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me. He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God! Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.’ So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.” Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

The Gospel is proclaimed. Opportunity for salvation is offered.

And we read in Acts 10:44 that the power of the Holy Spirit is evident.

Because of the Power of the Holy Spirit which results

Not just as a sign to Peter and those with him that these people to are welcome to receive the Gospel of salvation but also as an indicator of the Power which results when we seek the Lord and his agenda.

We pray because just like the prayers of Cornelius and Peter there is an outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit.

We find the same thing in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit is poured out on the believers who are gathered together.

Acts 2:1–13 NLT

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”

Peter sees the Lord at work and he joins in with what God is doing.

He could have kept quiet, but he saw that God had opened a door and he jumped through it and declared the Gospel to the gathered crowd.

Because of the activities which become fruitful

It is so easy for us to miss this crucial understanding.

The foundational requirement of the activities of the church is that God is at work.

He creates the opportunities, we are to seek his leading; in essence to create through time in prayer the line of communication so that we can see what is really going on and grasp the opportunities which will be fruitful because he has been preparing peoples hearts to hear his message.

Strategy and good planning are important, but these things flow out of the spiritual activities. They do not replace them. They flow from them and become a tool which helps us to manage the results of what God is doing.

We are surrounded by people who do not know Jesus.

15530 people in Redland Bay right now.

15530 people who are going to an eternity separated from God.

15530 people who will not hear about Jesus unless we tell them.

Why do we pray?

We pray because of heavenly opposition, opposition which wants to send these 15530 people to hell.

Why do we pray?

We pray because of heavenly outcomes, God is looking to set up opportunities for us to share the Gospel of salvation with those who are searching.

Why do we pray?

We pray because we will see the Power of the Holy Spirit at work in peoples lives empowering them to serve him and as evidence of the work of the Gospel in peoples lives.

Why do we pray?

Because our activities will become fruitful as we understand the reality of the opposition we face, the positive outcomes which will result when we look for God’s leading and the power of the Holy Spirit which we will see at work in peoples lives.