Holy Prayers

Leviticus 10:1-3

Daniel 1:8; 6:10-11; 9:1-19

Holy - “set apart” - SEPARATE

Prayers from the heart

Consistent. Nehemiah 1; 2:4; Matt. 14:23; Luke 6:12

Daniel “purposed in his heart” many things about God. Obviously, he purposed in his heart to continually offer prayer to God in spite of any imposed limitations.

Nehemiah 1;2:4 - Nehemiah offered prayer consistently in private and public. He knew he needed to seek God.

Jesus’ great example of consistent prayer time.

Matthew 14:23 NKJV - And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

Luke 6:12 NKJV - Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Genuine and honest. Matt. 23:14; 6:5-6; Mk. 12:40; Lk. 20:47

No sense that Daniel was putting on a show for others. He did just as he had done before.

Matthew 23:14 NKJV - "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

Mark 12:40 NKJV - "who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."

Luke 20:47 NKJV - "who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."

When we publicly pray, we must be careful. Are we praying to be heard by men or by God?

Matthew 6:5-6 NKJV - "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

The Kingdom Citizen is not looking for worldly praise!

Prayers done in truth

Pray to God, not people or things. Isaiah 45:18-22

Daniel prayed to God, NOT king Darius. He knew that God is the source of all good.

Isaiah 45:18-22 - Many pray to “gods” that will not hear them.

Be thankful in your prayers. Ps. 139:17-18; Ps. 40

Psalm 139:17–18 (NKJV): How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

Psalm 40:1-5

Approach God with penitence. Isaiah 1:15-20; Acts 10:4

Not “perfection”, but penitence. Seeking to make things right.

Isaiah 1:15–20 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Cornelius, even though not a Christian, had the right heart that God was seeking. He did good deeds as well, such that the Lord heard him and told him through Peter what he needed to do.

Acts 10:4 NKJV - And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?" So he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.

Live so that your prayers are not hindered. Jeremiah 7:16; 14:11; 29:10-14; 1 Pet. 3:7,12; Heb. 5:1-9

As mentioned in Isaiah 1, if we are moving forward in our evil deeds, God will not listen to us.

Jeremiah 7:16 NKJV - "Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you.

Jeremiah 14:11 NKJV - Then the LORD said to me, "Do not pray for this people, for their good.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 - God listens to us when we listen to Him! Seek Him with ALL your heart!

Our prayers are hindered when we don’t get along with each other.

1 Peter 3:7, 12 NKJV - Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. ... For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil."

Jesus was heard by the Father because of “godly fear”

Hebrews 5:1-9 (7) who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,

Prayers according to the Spirit

Remembering God’s nature

God is Spirit. We consider primarily spiritual concerns, even in our prayers. Colossians 4:12

Colossians 4:12 NKJV - Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

Not praying so that they are healthy and wealthy! Praying that they may STAND.

Our concerns are spiritual even to those outside the faith! 1 Timothy 2:1-4

1 Timothy 2:1-4 NKJV - Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

We should want the same thing that God wants - the salvation of all people. Matthew 9:38

Matthew 9:38 NKJV - "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

Allied to God

Daniel was allied with all faithful Jews who were in captivity. He helped others to be faithful by keeping his mind allied to the LORD. Dan. 9:4-5

Daniel 9:4–5 And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.

Remembering fellow Christians in our prayers strengthens our allegiance and promotes our common foundation of faith. Rom. 1:9; Eph. 1:16; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:3

Romans 1:9 NKJV - For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

Ephesians 1:16 NKJV - do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:

1 Thessalonians 1:2 NKJV - We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,

2 Timothy 1:3 NKJV - I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,

Not just remembering each other, but praying for the right things. Phlm 4,9; Col. 1:9; Rom. 15:30-32; 2 Thess. 1:11-12; 3 Jn. 2

Philemon 1:4, 9 NKJV - I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, ... (9) yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ

Colossians 1:9 NKJV - For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

Romans 15:30-32 NKJV - Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NKJV - Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 3:1 NKJV - Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you,

3 John 1:2 NKJV - Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (to Gaius)

Knowing that our prayers are given to the Almighty God.

All-powerful, all-knowing. Phil. 4:6-7

Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV - Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

If we doubt the power of prayer, we doubt the power of God.

The prayers of Christians are shown to be real and tangible before the throne of God. Rev. 5:8; 8:3-4

Revelation 5:8 NKJV - Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Revelation 8:3-4 NKJV - Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand.

Our prayers will be effective if we make them holy to God! James 5:17-18

James 5:17-18 NKJV - Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.