Sermon Tone Analysis

How did we learn how to pray?

Some 10 years ago I took my youth group here in Denver to San Francisco to do some inner city missions work in the red light district in downtown San Francisco.

We worked with a youth ministry organization team who I wont mention to protect the innocent.

The group name rhymes with Zicam.

Anyway, one of the most interesting things I remember is how they all prayed.

Uh I dunno.

And what they asked for was always the same.

They all did it.

The same way asking for the same things.

Now its not just the youth.

I remember when I was younger, the church I grew up in, many of them prayed in king james...“We thank Thee, heavenly Father, that in Thy grace Thou hast condescendeth to visit Thine peoples who beceech Thee to smotheth the uncircumcised.”

The thing is that they all prayed this way asking for essentially the same things.

The same way asking for the same things.

So why do I tell you this… because Christians learn to pray by listening to those around them.

So if that is the case, then one of the best ways to reform our prayers, is to turn to the prayers of the Bible and make sure we are learning to pray by hearing the prayers of scripture.

When we study the prayers of scripture then we will pray the same way asking for the same things.

This is why we study the prayers of Paul.

When we learn to pray our primary source should be the scriptures.

When we struggle with prayer, the best answer is to turn again to the prayers of the Bible.

Then we shall learn afresh what to pray for, what arguments to use, what themes on which to focus, what passion is right, how these prayers fit into a larger Christian vision, how to maintain the centrality of God himself in our praying.

Lets look at another prayer of the Apostle.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.

The thing is that they all prayed this way asking for essentially the same things.

Carson, D. A.. Praying with Paul (pp. 160-161).

Baker Publishing Group.