The Other Side of Prayer.

The Importance of prayer:

Colossians 4:2 KJV 1900

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV 1900

Pray without ceasing.

thes 5

Luke 18:1 KJV 1900

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" - Corrie ten Boom

"To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." - Martin Luther

"Prayer makes a godly man, and puts within him the mind of Christ, the mind of humility, of self-surrender, of service, of pity, and of prayer. If we really pray, we will become more like God, or else we will quit praying." - E.M. Bounds

No one would doubt the importance of prayer. It is the breathe of the soul. I believe all chirstians should pray and should pray often - without ceasing.

I sincerly hiope hope you all pray, wich much regulariry and devotion.

But for many people the practice of prayer becomes one dimentional. It because a stop off to unload our burdens and then we move on.

We forget that prayer is a time of fellowship and comminion between our Heavernly father and us.

That through the Lord Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit Prayer is a time of fellowship - a time of conversation - a time of dialog. In to many of our prayers, we are the only ones doing the talking.

James 1:19 KJV 1900

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

In many of our prayer moment we are swift to speak, swift to unload and swift to say goodbye.

Even in the book of Job it takes Job and his councillors 37 chapters to finally stop dong all the talking and let God get a Word in.

This listening in just as much a part of prayer as the speaking. and in many times the listening provides more comfort, peace and answers than the speaking.

This listening is what we can call the other side of the prayer conversation

God continues to speak.

He speaks to us everyday, he speaks through the means of communication that he has chosen for the church.

Hebrews 1:1–2 KJV 1900

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Hebrews 1:1 KJV 1900

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

And Jesus speaks to us in the power of the Holy Spirit every time we read and mediate of Holy Scripture.

This is God’s Word to us.

If any-man would want to year the voice of God let him read the scriptures aloud.

Proverbs 2:1–5 KJV 1900

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, And liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, And searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.

Notice the words:

Receive, hide, incline, apply, criest, liftest, seekest, searchest. - All words used to describe our attitude and method of listening and NONE of which can be done in a hurry.

Thats just the big problem right there. We have come to treat prayer as a stop at a drive through. Conveint and quick. And as a result our prays suffer and when our prayers suffer -we suffer!

We need to make a point to listen.

Matthew 11:15 KJV 1900

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

We need to have an ear that listen to the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 1:1–3 KJV 1900

Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

ps 1

We must hear as God Speaks to us through His word.

But there is one more thing:

Amen Does not mean Goodbye

Thats how we have been tough by example in both scripture and spiritual leaders to “end” our prayer, and for many its become synonamis with “goodbye” or “The End’.

But its meaning is more profound.

amen is not an english word - its Hebrew. And its said at the end of a proclamation, by the hears. and it means “So be it!”.

It shows agreement, and willingness, and submission and co-operation.

It boils down to this:

James 1:22 KJV 1900

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

When God gives a command it must be obeyed. When he gives a warning it must be heeded. When he gives counsel it must be taken.

Perhaps the reason people dont listen to God is because they dont like what he has to say.