Prayer That Works: Prayer of The Righteous "Ingredients of Answered Prayer." (2 Chronicles 7:12-22)

Introduction

One of my biggest pet peaves is walking down the street and seeing an oncoming person, speaking to the person and they don’t respond. How can you not speak to someone? We have a relationship because we are Humans.

I speak to my wife daily.

Many might say congratulations on that.

But, I speak to my wife daily not because of proximity but because of personal relationship.

My wife is my new closes human relationship outside of my parents.

So, I speak to my wife because of our relationship. (I desire to speak to her)

It's not simply her PRESENCE but my PASSION to interact with her.

For many prayer doesn’t work because we simply don’t talk to God.

Speaking to someone only when you need something is not a sign of an intimate relationship

Some talk to you in their free time, and some free their time to talk to you.

Solomon was one who talked to God.

Just like his father David, they regularly communicated with God

God regularly communicated with them.

There are ingredients for effective Prayer. Prayer that works.

A man by the name of Harold Lamb told this story of a sales presentation he made at a church board meeting:

"My co-worker and I were making a sales call to a rural Baptist church. We gave our presentation to the church committee, and then the group’s chairman walked to the altar and knelt down.

After a minute of silent prayer, he returned and announced in a solemn tone, “The Lord tells me we should wait.”

My colleague responded by walking to the altar and kneeling down himself. Then he returned to the group, looked at the chairman and declared, ’He wants to talk with you again.’”

I’m not really sure EITHER man was ACTUALLY praying, but I found it interesting that both men saw prayer as a way of getting what they wanted.

And there’s nothing wrong with using prayer to get what you want.

James tells us that this is a perfectly acceptable function of prayer.

In James 4:2 that one of the reasons we don’t receive what we desire is we don’t pray.

In other parts of his letter he tells us:

If we lack wisdom we should pray

If we are troubled we should pray

And if we are sick, we should call for the elders to anoint us with oil and pray for us.

In other words: If there’s something you want from God - you should pray, or have others pray for you!

God’s Presence in Prayer (v 12)

God is everywhere but doesn’t have a body. Omnipresent(God has His own place, yet is in all of space. You can be in God, yet He dwells in You)

God hears but doesn’t have ears. Anthropomorphism

God meets with his people (v 12)

God hears His people (v 12)

He is God and Father (Prayer is intimate)

In todays world full of distraction. We are always told to BE Present! Its easy to be in proximity but not be PRESENT.

God is present when you pray!

Answered Prayer Belongs to the Family of God (v 14)

A few years ago at Christmas, a woman wondered into Sam’s Club. She wasn’t a member. She got a cart full of items and came to the slef check out. She went to scan but couldn’t because she wasn’t a member. I allowed her to use my card. But, after she scanned her grocery, she try to pay with cash and the machine only took cards. She wanted the benefit that Sam’s provided but she simply could not casue she wasn’t a member.

This verse communicates OWNERSHIP “my people, who bear my name”

Answered prayer only belongs to those who belong to the Family of God (The Repentant) “my people, who bear my name.”

Those who have the Lord’s name have the Lord’s ear.

Psalm 66:18 CSB

If I had been aware of malice in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Answered prayer/Effective prayer is extended only to the members of God’s family

Answered prayer Belongs to the Humble (v. 14)

Prayer has to do with recognition. (Who is God? What can He do?)

You are asking a person to do something in your life that you are powerless to do.

Prayer recognizes God as Sovereign (ruler of all people and circumstances)

Humility is submitting to God. (setting your will aside)

In “The Lord’s Prayer” Jesus teaches us to say “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10)”

Humility is a recognition that God is in control of everything and that you ACCEPT His plan for your life.

Prayer that works belongs to the HUMBLE

Answered Prayer Belongs to those who PRAY

What does the word PRAY mean?

Pray means “to intervene”, “to advocate”

So when you Pray you are saying you need an intervention. You need an advocate! Simply, I NEED HELP!

Too many simply don’t PRAY.

C.H. Spurgeon once said,

"Prayer pulls the rope down below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly;

others give only an occasional jerk at the rope.

The text says “Pray and Seek my face.”

“seek my face” means to get into God’s presence, enter his space.

When you need something specific you go to a specific place.

Do you want your prays answered? Then Pray! (Ask for God’s Help)

Do you want your prayers answered? Then seek His Face (Enter His presence)

Answered Prayer belongs to those who Pray and enter God’s Presence.

Answered Prayer Belongs to The REPENTANT

(V. 14) and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Answered prayer is rooted in REPENTANCE.

REPENTANCE is abandoning evil and returning to God.

If God wants you to see His face, then you must turn your back on the things of evil.

Then will he hear you. (respond to you and provide you a favorable answer.)

Conclusion

One man once said:

“To become more effective in our praying, we need to remember:

It is not the arithmetic of our prayers, how many they are;

nor the rhetoric of our prayers, how eloquent they be;

nor the geometry of our prayers, how long they are;

nor the music of our prayers, how sweet our voice may be;

nor the method of our prayers, how orderly they may be;

nor even the theology of our prayers, how good the doctrine may be - which God cares for.

It’s the fervency(intensity/passion) of our prayers/ the constant faithfulness in prayer that wins the day and unleashes the power of God.”