Abiding in Prayer

What is Prayer?

Definition: Prayer is genuine communication with the God of the Bible.

“Christian prayer is not an attempt to force God’s hand, but a humble acknowledgment of helplessness and dependence. When we are on our knees we know that it is not we who control the world; it is not in our power, therefore, to supply our needs by our own independent efforts; ” (J.I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God--pg. 17)

Prayer is Natural Language for all human beings.

Every religion has some type of teaching about the necessity of prayer

Muslims ritualistically face Mecca 5 times each day to offer up liturgical prayers to Allah.

Buddhists seek to enter into “being” by centering themselves at the deepest levels of the consciousness in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life.

Where does this human tendency and need come from?

Genesis 1:26 CSB

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

Genesis teaches us that all human beings are made in the image of God. Theologians have called this the Imago Dei. This means that we have been created to be “like” God. We are not gods, but we are like God. What does it mean that we have the imago dei? We find the answer to that question in the rest of the Bible. Briefly, the imago dei means that human beings have dominion over the earth. We were created to be fruitful. God commanded Adam and Eve to “fill the earth”. Meaning that the earth was intended to be fully theirs to conquer with their offspring. We were created to hold a dynasty. As God’s children, we have been created with the capacity to rule

Dominion

Dynasty

Relationships

Creativity/Imagination

We are capable of imagining a world that does not exist. We

The Capacity for Romantic Love

Love that doesn't make sense. Transcendent type of love. Illogical type of love. Love that hurts. Love that we die for. Love that we kill for.

Relationship

Relationship with Human Beings

Relationship with God

This is where the Imago Dei most relates to the subject of prayer.

We were created to have relationship with God. God speaks to us each time we find ourselves appreciating a beautiful sky or take a sip of a satisfying beverage. He speaks to us each time we open up and read His Word. He speaks to us in our pain, when we long for a life as it was meant to be.

Prayer is our response.

Why Should I Pray?

The Call to Prayer

Examples from the First Testament

Examples from the Second Testament

How do I Pray?

The Wrong Way to Pray

The Right Way to Pray