Essentials of Prayer Part-5
The Essentials of Prayer
Selected Scriptures
Wednesday Evening 6/13/07
Introductory Verses
Ephesians 6:18-19 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.
Colossians 4:2 states, Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;
1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing;
Introduction
These Scriptures and many others like them make it clear that God’s people are to be a praying people. In the series on the Essentials of Prayer which I was discussing with you previously, a few months ago, I never completely finished our discussion. Tonight I would like to finish up that series.
As we continue to consider the Essentials of Prayer, let me remind you of the outline we were following for this study: The Reasons for Prayer; The Requirements of Prayer; The Rudiments of Prayer; A Restraint to Prayer.
The Reasons for Prayer
We have already discussed the Reasons for Prayer in detail. Remember we should pray because:
It is the Example of Christ
It is the Exhortation of Scripture
Prayer Exhibits God’s Glory
Prayer Enlists Us in God’s Plans & Purposes
Prayer is an Effective Activity
These are the reasons for prayer we discussed previously and then we looked at:
The Requirements for Prayer
Under that heading we considered two main points: The Principles of Answered Prayer; and The Problems Resulting in Unanswered Prayer. Concerning The Principles of Answered Prayer we noted several Scriptural requirements for effective praying. They are:
Ask in God’s Will
Ask in Christ’s Name
Ask in Faith
Ask with Earnestness
Ask in Awareness
Ask with a Clean Heart
Next we discussed:
The Problems Resulting in Unanswered Prayer
Overall—The overall answer to this question is Sin. Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: KJV
Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.
(Expound – sin blocks the prayer channel). The overall hindrance to prayer is sin, but the Bible also identifies some specific sins that particularly hinder prayer. Note:
Specifically
· Self-centeredness & Selfishness – James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
· Indifference – Proverbs 21:13 He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be answered.
· An Unforgiving Spirit – Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.
· Marital Troubles – 1 Peter 3:7 You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
· Doubt – James 1:5-7 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.
This brings us then to the third major point:
The Rudiments of Prayer
What I am referring to here are the elements or content of our prayers. Here I want to suggest 3 things that the Scriptures indicate ought to be included in our praying. First:
Confession
Note how the following verses indicate that confession should be a part of our Christian lives:
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Note these examples of prayers of confession:
Judges 10:6-16 6 Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him. 7 And the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the sons of Ammon. 8 And they afflicted and crushed the sons of Israel that year; for eighteen years they afflicted all the sons of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in Gilead in the land of the Amorites. 9 And the sons of Ammon crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was greatly distressed. 10 Then the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against Thee, for indeed, we have forsaken our God and served the Baals.” 11 And the Lord said to the sons of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines? 12 “Also when the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hands. 13 “Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will deliver you no more. 14 “Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress.” 15 And the sons of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned, do to us whatever seems good to Thee; only please deliver us this day.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them, and served the Lord; and He could bear the misery of Israel no longer.
Note the prayers of confession in verses 10 and 15 above. Here we see Israel once again driven to confession and repentance by the misery of their sin. How often must we learn this lesson? How often must God use the miseries brought on by our own sin to break us and draw us back to Him?
Let us guard ourselves against the sin which so easily entangles us and be careful that we serve God and God alone. By so doing we can avoid many miseries.
But note also the tender mercy of God toward us when we sin. Note how upon Israel’s confession we are told in the last phrase of verse 16 that God “could bear the misery of Israel no longer”. What a comforting and convicting thought to realize that our Lord hurts when He sees us hurting, even when our hurt is brought on by our own sin. What a marvelously compassionate God we serve.
Job 42:1-6 1 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 2 “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”
In the previous example we noted that often times we are driven to repentance by the miseries which we suffer as a result of our own sin. The example of Job teaches us something about life’s miseries in general. We know that Job’s sufferings were not a result of any specific sin on the part of Job. Job’s miseries were brought on by Satan with God’s permission. The results of Job’s sufferings are seen in verses 5 and 6 above, where we see Job confessing and repenting before God.
The point is that God used suffering in Job’s life to help Job see the unfathomable “otherness” of God. Job knew God, and believed in God, and was obedient to God, yet it took the awful miseries that Job went through for him to see his God for whom He really is. It was through his miseries that Job came to really understand the difference between himself and the one true God.
It was through his sufferings that Job came face-to-face with the holiness of God and it was this awareness of God’s holiness that led Job to the confession and repentance that we see in verses 5 and 6 above. It was the awareness of God’s holiness that let Job see things in their true and proper perspectives.
When we encounter the difficult providences of this life may we likewise be reminded of the infinite difference between ourselves and the perfect perfectness of Holy God. Remember, all of our suffering can be traced ultimately to the fall of man. Our suffering should remind us of the awfulness of sin and the absolute perfection of our God and should bring us to our knees in repentance as it did with Job. And then like Job, we shall know the blessing of God in double portion.
Matthew 6:12-15 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.]’ 14 “For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
In the model prayer Jesus makes it clear that we are to seek God’s forgiveness for our sins. Whenever we sin we need to confess and repent of our sin and ask God for forgiveness. We should not presume forgiveness, we should ask for it.
This is to be a daily activity—as often as we sin. Reflect on your own life. Is confession, repentance and asking for God’s forgiveness a regular part of your life?
Also, having been forgiven by God for your sins against Him, are you ready and willing to forgive others when they sin against you? It would be the height of hypocrisy to ask God to forgive us and then be unwilling to forgive others. We must have a forgiving spirit, being always ready to forgive any who sin against us when they ask.
Nehemiah 1:4-11 4 Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “I beseech Thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6 let Thine ear now be attentive and Thine eyes open to hear the prayer of Thy servant which I am praying before Thee now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Thy servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against Thee; I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 “We have acted very corruptly against Thee and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which Thou didst command Thy servant Moses. 8 “Remember the word which Thou didst command Thy servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’ 10 “And they are Thy servants and Thy people whom Thou didst redeem by Thy great power and by Thy strong hand. 11 “O Lord, I beseech Thee, may Thine ear be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant and the prayer of Thy servants who delight to revere Thy name, and make Thy servant successful today, and grant him compassion before this man.” Now I was the cupbearer to the king.
Note this prayer of confession by Nehemiah. Note how Nehemiah takes responsibility for his and Israel’s sin. Note his deep remorse for offending God. Note how Nehemiah defines sin in terms of the broken commandments of God.
Note also how Nehemiah is more concerned for God’s name than he is for his and Israel’s loss. Also note how Nehemiah acknowledges that he and the people deserve what has happened to them and thus vindicates the judgment God has brought on the nation for its sin.
When we confess our sins it should be with great remorse for offending God and bringing reproach to His great name. Our confession of sin should always reflect that we acknowledge complete responsibility for our sin and that God is just in any discipline He might bring against us.
In my opinion, the single best example of confession in Scripture is David’s confession in Psalm 51. Note this Holy Spirit inspired confession of sin:
Psalm 51:1-17 1 A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. 4 Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, And done what is evil in Thy sight, So that Thou art justified when Thou dost speak, And blameless when Thou dost judge. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. 6 Behold, Thou dost desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part Thou wilt make me know wisdom. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which Thou hast broken rejoice. 9 Hide Thy face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Thy presence, And do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, And sustain me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Thy ways, And sinners will be converted to Thee. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Thy praise. 16 For Thou dost not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; Thou art not pleased with burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
Finally note:
Luke 18:10-14 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”
True confession will always be marked by great humility. A daily reflection upon our sin and its deserved rewards should keep us humble and contrite of heart. Daily and often confession of our sin reminds us of God’s great mercy and compassion in withholding our just desserts while providing instead, the great and many blessings that we receive and which are totally undeserved.
Apart from such daily recognition of our own unworthiness, pride will quickly move in on us and in short order our prayer will be more like that of the Pharisee in Luke 18 rather than the tax-gatherer. God save us from all such haughtiness! Bless us instead with a broken and contrite heart which He will not despise!
So, Confession should mark our prayer lives, and probably be the starting place of every prayer. The second element of prayer I would suggest then is:
Praise
Psalm 22:23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.
Psalm 50:23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”
Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(Expound–reciting the attributes and works of God is a good way to praise Him and of course thanking Him is a form of praise). The final element I would suggest to you is:
Petition
Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
(Expound – there is nothing wrong with asking God to meet our needs as long as it is done with a right heart and motive).
The final point I would like us to consider this evening is:
A Restraint to Prayer
In this matter I am not interested in discussing the hindrances to prayer that we all battle like sin, laziness, business, lack of commitment, etc.. What I want us to consider is a restraint to praying when our hearts are right and we want to pray earnestly and still we fail to pray as we should. So why do we fail to pray even when our hearts are right and we are properly motivated? I think the answer is boredom! (Expound – we pray the same things over and over until we get to the point that we feel like our praying is just vain repetition).
Let me suggest a cure for this problem—pray Scripture. (Expound and give an example using a few verses from Proverbs 21).
Proverbs 21:1-9 1 The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes. 2 Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts. 3 To do righteousness and justice Is desired by the Lord rather than sacrifice. 4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked, is sin. 5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty. 6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue Is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death. 7 The violence of the wicked will drag them away, Because they refuse to act with justice. 8 The way of a guilty man is crooked, But as for the pure, his conduct is upright. 9 It is better to live in a corner of a roof, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
Also, prayer books like the “Vision of Valley” will help vitalize your prayers. (Expound).