Spiritual Disciplines (3)

Spiritual Disciplines-Prayer-How to Pray

Last Sunday we began to move from what prayer is, and from the importance of prayer into the part where the rubber meets the road from a prayer standpoint, and that is: How To Pray. We began by looking at the truth that Thankfulness is to be a component of every aspect of prayer. Then we looked at some of the key aspects of prayer and how to incorporate each aspect into our prayer life. Next Slide

P-raise & Adoration

R-epentance

A-cknowledge God’s Lordship in your life.

I-ntercession for others and their needs

S-upplication for myself

E-quip me for Christian service.

Praise & Adoration

Using among other things the Names of God and praying through the Psalms.

Repentance

How repentance isn’t just confession, it is a change of course, an about face and how we need to keep in mind that our repentance and ultimate forgiveness from God is a bi-product of our forgiveness of those who have wronged us.

Acknowledge

1st we acknowledge God’s Lordship in our life, then we acknowledge God’s goodness to us in the past. In that area we closed out last week’s message hearing from Pam and how she has used prayer journals for over 27 years and the incredible impact they have had over the years in providing us a clear picture of God’s answers to our prayers. How He went beyond just specific needs we brought before Him and even blessed us with some unexpected and even un-prayed for blessings.

Before I move on to the last 3 specific aspects of prayer this week, and how we can incorporate them into our prayer life, I do want to say one more thing in reference to Pam’s prayer journals.

As I was thinking this week about her prayer journals, a thought came to me. I am not convinced that Pam and I are here without her journals. We have always seen and understood God’s powerful Hand on our lives, but her documentation of her prayers over the years, and the specific ways in which God has answered those prayers, has literally given us a picture of the way God moves. You know what that has done for us? It has given both of us a huge amount of confidence. Not confidence in ourselves. What we know of ourselves is that we are not qualified, but God’s call on our lives is clear. And when you team God’s call, with journal after journal of God’s clear answers to our prayers, it brings an incredible amount of confidence in the power of God’s move when we, His servants, are surrendered to Him and are devoted to prayer.

So why do I bring this up this morning? Because of the 27 years Pam has been journaling her prayers and the way God has specifically answered them, more than 19 of them we were just like most of you, working normal jobs, raising a family, providing a taxi service to the kids, coaching their sports, attending their concerts....just living the day to day life of normal people. I bring this up because there is nothing special about us, and by nothing special, I mean NOTHING. We didn’t drink a secret elixir that enabled us to do things other people can’t. We prayed, God answered, and Pam recorded both. What we did, you can do, and I am here to tell you that if you do, your confidence in our God, and His power to answer your prayers will grow in ways you never dreamed.

Now let’s move to the next aspect of prayer on our acronym: Next Slide

Intercession

Specifically, this is the: Next Slides

Time we devote to praying for others.

As I spend time talking with others, and as I am made aware of their prayer needs, I am amazed at the incredible prayer needs of others. A couple things happen as I listen to them share their prayer needs. One, I am reminded how fortunate I really am. Most of the time, my true prayer needs pale in comparison to the needs of others. Two, I am profoundly aware of the great privilege as well as the responsibility it is, to be able to pray for others. Because of that, I never want to forget to pray for someone when I am asked. Unfortunately, this happens all too frequently among believers. Not purposely, but more by accident. Someone asks us to pray and we say we will, but then as we move on with our busy schedule, we simply forget.

Pam mentioned our Pastor Jake when she was sharing last week. Pastor Jake was one of the greatest shepherds I ever had the privilege of serving alongside. He and his wife Sherrie and Pastor Allen & Diane have been friends for decades. One day, a member from our church asked me to pray for them. Next Slide

Like any good youth pastor, I assured them I would pray for them.

A few moments later, Jake quietly pulled me to the side. His challenge was that at every opportunity I had, when someone asked me to pray for them that I should pray with them right there on the spot. The best way to not forget to do something is to do it right then and there. I have sought to make a habit of praying on the spot ever since. I simply ask, Next Slide

“Do you mind if I pray with you right now?”

I’ve got to tell you, some of the most powerful encounters I have had with other believers is when I pray with them on the spot. Interestingly, we aren’t used to praying one on one with each other. Next Slides

Intercession in non-church settings.

We’re used to corporate prayer, prayer at church gatherings or small groups, you know, church prayers. But we aren’t used to praying one on one with each other outside of our designated church functions. Think about it for a second, when was the last time you prayed one on one with another believer in a non-church related activity. I’m not talking about praying before a meal when you are out to eat with a friend from church, I am talking about a situation where they, or you share a specific prayer request, let’s say it’s at work, or the grocery story, Walmart, driving down the road on a way to a game, and the 2 of you stop and pray on the spot. My guess is that the majority of you are racking your brain right now and coming up empty. In my eyes, what is rare among us needs to be the norm. Next Slide

Keeping our eyes open for opportunities to pray.

What about when you’re not asked?

Have you ever been talking to a friend and without them saying a word, you know their heart is heavy, you can see it in their eyes. I am guessing a few of you are pretty good about asking your friend what’s wrong, but do you then stop and say, Next Slide

“Hey, how about we pray for that right now?”

You know what frequently takes place when you do that? Their spirit is instantly lifted. It’s like they are in the depths of despair, as if they are lost way back inside a cave so dark, they can’t see their hand in front of their face, and your prayer suddenly turns the light on. Interestingly, nothing has changed in their circumstances, but your prayer gives them hope. Your prayer takes their eyes off of the circumstances they are in the middle of and fixes them on the Sovereign God, Who is in complete control. I really believe that this is a habit we all need to develop, to the point that it becomes our second nature.

Now you will find my next question the most challenging: Next Slides

What if they are not a believer?

That leads me to a question. Why should that stop us? In Matthew 5:13-16 we read: Next Slides

Matthew 5:13-16

Matthew 5:13–16 ESV

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

You would be hard pressed to find a more powerful way for the light of Christ to shine through you than when you pray with someone that does not have a relationship with Christ. Next Slides

I have discovered 2 very important principles the past 19 years as I have sought to pray with people that do not have a relationship with Christ:

2 very important principles take place as you pray with people that do not have a relationship with Christ:

It gets easier as you make it a habit.

Your non-believing friends begin to seek you out when they are faced with difficult situations.

Let me share with you one of those examples. Jason had been our #1 Financial Advisor, he and my boss, Jim, both had very strong personalities and as a result about 2 years earlier, Jason had taken his entire unit of 15 Advisors and left our company for a different one. On this particular day I was sitting on my bosses’ deck with he and Jed, a company VP from Boston. We were done with our business for the day and were just talking. My cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and saw it was Jason. I stepped away to take the call. Jason shared with me that his dad was being life flighted to Des Moines and things didn’t look good. “Jim, would you pray with me? I don’t know what to do.” Standing there in my bosses’ driveway I bowed my head, closed my eyes and prayed with Jason. Jim and Jed watched from the deck as I prayed. When I was done and joined them on the deck, Jim asked me what was up. When I told him I had been praying with Jason and what was going on with his father, well let’s just say he was less than thrilled. It infuriated him that I was still in contact with Jason. But he also understood me and my heart, and both he and Jed knew this is who I am. By the way, on a side note, Jason’s dad lived for several more years and he has called me on several other occasions to ask me to pray since then for other important things, including just a couple months ago.

Fast forward about 6 months. Similar scenario, Jim, Jed and I are once again sitting on his deck having just finished a day of important meetings. Over the years Jed, who was an orthodox Jew, and I had established a very close relationship. Jed looks across the table at me and says;

“Jim, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Not at all, Jed

Based on what you read in Scripture, If I were to die today, would I go to heaven or hell?

Knowing me very well, my boss Jim quickly interrupted; “Well I believe that if you are really sincere in your belief in God, it really doesn’t matter what God you believe in, you will go to heaven.”

Jed responded; “Yes, but I didn’t ask you.”

I’ve got to tell you, I don’t know that I had ever seen Jim more nervous than he was at that moment. And honestly, I was a little nervous myself. Jed had the power to fire me on the spot. I prayed to myself quietly and replied;

“Jed, I would be thrilled to one day find out I was wrong, but based on what I read in Scripture, I believe that if you died to day, you would spend eternity in hell because you have rejected Jesus as the Messiah.”

Thanks Jim, I appreciate your honesty.

So why do I tell you this story? Because over the years I had become known as someone who was devoted to my faith and devoted to interceding for needs of others through prayer. Both Jason and Jed had seen that pattern and that is why they sought me out. By the way, I want to make one thing very clear here, both had seen me make mistakes, they knew I was far from perfect, still they sought me out.

Can I challenge you to do the same? Please understand something, there was and is nothing special about me. At that time I worked and every day job just like the rest of you, and at first praying with others was a struggle, but over time, as I mentioned earlier, it became easier and easier. The same will happen with you if you begin to make a habit of interceding for others. I would love it if Liberty Chapel became known as a church that intercedes for the needs of others.

Ok, so here we are on the last 2 aspects of prayer, and only now are we getting to praying for our own needs. Next Slide

Supplication for Self

I don’t want you to think that I put it here because we shouldn’t be praying for our own needs. By all means we should be. The Psalmist makes it pretty clear in Psalm 62:8 that we should be pouring our heart out before Him. Next Slide

Psalm 62:8

Psalm 62:8 ESV

8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

There is certainly nothing wrong with bringing our personal requests before the throne of the very God Who has the power to answer our prayers. I am just wondering if we don’t have a tendency to put our personal requests a little high on our prayer list? In many instances the only requests we have on our prayer lists are personal ones. I also wonder sometimes if we don’t put more emphasis on our wants than on our needs. Again, I don’t want you to think you can’t bring your wants to Him, you certainly can and should. What I am saying is that if day after day your prayer requests to God are filled with.....things…possessions... that raise you really feel you need…I’m pretty sure most of you could add quite a few things to this list. Next Slide

If we spend most of our time praying for things and no time praying for our spiritual needs, something is out of kilter.

At the top of our personal prayer list there should be things like.

God help me to love You more today, help me to live a life today that is pleasing to You, to honor You with what I do and say. God, I have really been struggling with my attitude towards Jonathan lately and I know my attitude isn’t pleasing to You. Would You strengthen my resolve today?

I honestly believe that the more our personal prayer requests are like the one I just shared, the more we are apt to see God answers those other personal prayer requests. You know why? Because the more our prayer life is filled with those significant personal spiritual needs, the more our life becomes in tune with what is pleasing to God. We got a good picture of that when Pam was sharing last week. As she prayed, she began to see God go way beyond just our needs.

This brings us to the last aspect of our prayer life, the aspect of Next Slide

Equipping

In many ways this is actually tied to the previous aspect of Supplication. You see the more our personal supplication is transformed from giving God our personal shopping list, into Him moving in our lives in the ways I mentioned earlier in my example, the more natural it will be for us to seek Him to equip us to serve Him more fully. Our prayers will become more like the following:

God, will you give me eyes like yours today, so that I won’t miss opportunities today that You have placed before me to share Your love with others. Give me ears like yours that can hear heartache as people speak, that I might be used of you to encourage them. And God, don’t let me make it through 2019 without sharing the Good News of Your love with others, and being used by You to see at least one person put their faith and trust in You.

I want to close our time today, and the topic of the Spiritual Discipline of Prayer with a quote out of the book Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life:

“Prayerful people become godly people, for prayerfulness with God cultivates godliness in all of life. My ministerial experience concurs with the words of J. C. Ryle: “What is the reason that some believers are so much brighter and holier than others? I believe the difference, in nineteen cases out of twenty, arises from different habits about private prayer. I believe that those who are not eminently holy, pray little, and those who are eminently holy pray much.”[23] Whitney, Donald S.. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (p. 100). NavPress. Kindle Edition.

He finishes the chapter by writing:

“Would you be like Christ? Then do as He did—discipline yourself to be a person of prayer.” Whitney, Donald S.. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (p. 100). NavPress. Kindle Edition.