40 Days of Prayer: Week 2 - Beginners Guide to Prayer

Well, the SC finally has 9 members again…it’s been a long time. The last couple of weeks have been crazy…we all agree with that, regardless what side of the political issue you are on. I’ve been fascinated by the news channels this week how each of these channels have a following. How if you are liberal politically you probably watch CNN or MSNBC and if you are conservative politically you probably watch FOX. The reality is, we all, every one of us, trust and believe people who like us, who affirm us, who tell us we are right…even if we are wrong. It doesn't matter how true it is. It reveals another thing we all share in common; our number one need is to be accepted. This need pushes our selecting the news source, we feel acceptance for our way of thinking. Some other things we all share in common. Everybody prays! Even atheists in a crisis cry out “Oh God! When they curse, who do they curse? not buddah…they curse God Why? BC it’s part of what makes us human. We have this connection with God that is part of our DNA. Solomon said it this way in Ecc 3:11 The New International Version (1984) A Time for Everything He has also set eternity in the hearts of men while we are wired to connect with God, Most people feel they aren’t that good at praying. Maybe you wouldn’t admit it if I asked you in front fo everyone, but I think everybody feels inadequate in their prayer life. Many are afraid to pray publicly Paul Not only him but the apostles who John Hobbs talked about last week when Jesus taught them the lords prayer in response to their Jesus taught them because God doesn’t want living in relationship with him to be a mystery. I know a lot of times we think God is hard to reach. He seems so very far away. But that is not true, Everything we need to know is in here. The problem is, often we come at prayer from in here…our minds. Our frustrations with prayer are caused by misconceptions And what we think about something affects how we feel about it; and how we feel about it affects our behaviors. So if we want to grow in our prayer life, we need to address how we think about prayer and that comes as we address the misconcepteions we might have. First In case you went through Chestertown this will speak to you Prayer is NOT a magic spell! Not a spell we put on God... Not about hte right words…or magic words Prayer isn’t a magic bottle to rub to get wish Prayer is NOT a get out of jail free card Only for desperate situations Get bad news: start praying! Pulled over…storm coming Treated as a LAST RESORT “All we can do now is pray” Has it come to that? Talking to God is not just for emergencies! another misconception.. Prayer is not a place to bargain You don’t have wear God down until he give in & gives you. Beg – please, please, pretty please give me Bargain – God, if you do this for me, I’ll do that for you Bribe – make a sales pitch to God Keep pestering & badgering God until he gives in You really blew it- sinned- so you have pay for it by praying a lot Not mindless ritual…repeating clichés... DURING 40 DOP I want us to build a strong healthy prayer life. Nancy Conner has agreed to take this on here in our charge. Nancy will be working with each of our churches to help us develop a healthy prayer life. But know that this 40 DOP is just the beginning of the developing healthy prayer life. So now that you know what prayer isn’t…what is it? What are the foundational pillars for us to build our prayer life upon? There are 4 I want to look at today. 4 FOUNDATIONS OF PRAYER You may say…I don’t need a foundation. I’m ready for more. Yea but…we all need to come along together. NO offense here, but what you think about prayer, may not be correct, and that’s why your prayer life isn't that healthy. So bear with me…let’s learn something: 1. GOD LOVES FOR ME TO TALK WITH HIM ABOUT ANYTHING It doesn’t have to be a “religious” topic! Anythign you are interested in, GOd is interested in. work, health, family, meetings, travel, kids, if it occupies your thoughts, take those to God. Why would God care? He has more important things to worry about than you cat. Well first yes you are right, but send, he loves you…not sure about cats…but because he loves you he cares. And actually he shaped you, he gave you your cares so YES God is interested. Finally, just like any parent, God loves to talk to his children. Psalm 103:13 NLT The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. Now I know we love our kids before they can talk and we love them when they can’t put a sentence together, but every parent looks forward to having a conversation with their kids. So they have to teach them. God loves us and wants to know us, so he has to teach us how to pray. It’s really like any other form of communication, only this one is reserved for God and his children. As you learn, you can talk about anything because it’s about having the conversation. Prayer is a a conversation, not a ceremony NOT monologue, we talk and listen to him. Listening is an important part of prayer because it’s about a relationship not a ritual. Its not intended to be this script. That’s why many of us get bored with prayer because we get caught up in our words when the point of prayer is to get caught up in the one we are praying to. JER. 29:11-12 “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” (NCV) And he’s interested in everything you are interested in because he loves you He’s interested, you don’t have to use “the right words”, just simple and sincere prayers. 2. GOD APPRECIATES SIMPLE AND SINCERE PRAYERS. Authentic. Real. Honest NOT what you think you ought to say o Ever hear people pray one request but embellish it 9 different ways BLess, sanctify, onoint, overcome, victory, defeat, lead, banner, vision, strength, bless, sanctify because longer seems stronger? “Land the plane!” Chris interrupting me saying Lord bless this food and help Gary focus. Matthew 6:5–8 NIV84 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Summarize - Don’t use prayer to show off. To impress - Be sincere. Don’t just spout clichés! - Keep it simple. Adding words doesn’t make it better Chris interrupting me saying Lord bless this food and help Gary focus. Longer is NOT stronger - Stay humble or you’ll stumble We’ll come back to this during 40DOP but the bottom line is HEB.10:22 “Let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith” Coming to God in faith because God answers prayers. 3. GOD SHOWS HIS GRACE IN ANSWERED PRAYERS With every answer, God shows he is a good, good Father ... even when the answer is NO or NOT YET! Q: Does a loving parent give a child everything they ask for? No! Many good reasons: Protection, Correction. Direction not spoil God, you didn’t answer me!” “Yes I did! My answer was no!” Always 4 possible answers: Yes, No, Wait, & Are you kidding! Jeremiah 33:3 The Message ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.’ God’s answers to ourprayers are about more than giving us a yes or a no…even though that’s what we want to hear. His answers are usually about getting us to see things more like he sees them. Praying for neighbors, I become aware of his love for them. Praying for my situation, i become aware of places he is moving. praying about my pain, i become aware of his strength. When I pray it expands my understanding of Him and my deepens my relationship with him. That points to the last pillar of prayerThat’s what prayer does, because that's the way God intended it. It expands my relationship with God and my understanding of God. Which leads to the final huge truth about prayer: 4. GOD LONGS TO BE CLOSE TO ME! Because prayer isn’t about getting things I want. He has promised to give me all I need. Prayer is about building my relaitonship with God. God is waiting for you to pray. God doesn’t get busy like you and I do, no he is th eking of multi tasking…he can do all things all the time. As the prophet isaiah wrote: Isaiah 30:18 LEB Therefore Yahweh waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he will rise up to show you mercy, for Yahweh is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. There is nothign more frustrating as a parent than a child that won’t talk to you. I know it is often a phase of growing up, but when it’s happening, man is it stressful. You are part of me…I want to know you... It’s the same for God, he designed you for a relationship He made you to love you He created you for his companionship He chose you to be his child! John 15:15 NIV84 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You were formed for a friendship with God! Does anything matter more than that? Will you treat that casually & just walk away? HOW DO I GET CLOSER TO GOD? Desire it & Make time for it! JAM. 4:8 “Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you!” (NLT) When God is close, life is better…and I’m better at life. Close to Jesus, life is better and I’m better at life. That would be good right…then join me over the rest of this 40 days of purpose. PRAYER Close - WE are sharing this 40 DOP to deepen your friendship with God. I want to connect you with as many resources as I can. I invite you to use that connection card, call me, or email me and let me know how I can help. This 40 DoP is about growing your relationship with God. And to do that we always need help; it’s not something we can do on our own. That’s not the way our faith works. In fact, that’s exactly why Jesus came to earth, to help us, to do for us, what we can’t do alone. Today we share in Holy Communion as a means of Grace, of receiving God’s real and spiritual presence in our lives. I invite you to come to the table today leaving behind all times you failed at having a great prayer life and give him your life, to receive his grace that you might grow to know the one who loves you more than life itself. -----