Types of Prayer
Types of Prayer • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 12 viewsNotes
Transcript
Why Pray?
Why Pray?
John Wesley said:
“It seems God is limited by our prayer life - that He can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him”
If this is true - and it seems to be as you read through the Bible - then we who are to pray should know more about it.
He is how much is God in charge?
I believe He is over all in charge, but He doesn’t control everything that happens.
About a year ago Ellie fell down about 4 stairs leading to the basement. I didn’t cause that nor did I have control of what happened. I was was there to comfort her afterwards. I was with her through it. Thankfully she was alright.
Illustration:
During the Vietnam War a newspaper columnist began one column by stating that he was not a Christian.
He said that he was not an atheist because the atheist says there is no God. "I suppose you would classify me an agnostic," he wrote. "The agnostic says there may be a God, but if there is, I don't know it.
Actually, I am prone to believe there is a Supreme Being. I do not believe that everything here just happened. I believe there is a Creator somewhere.
"But I have never read the Bible. I do not attend church. One reason I don't is that what the Christians say about God doesn't agree with what I think a Creator should be, nor with what I can see of Him in nature.
"Even ministers say, 'God has everything under control. He's running everything.' "Well, if He is, He sure has things in a mess. People are killing each other. Little children are dying. Little children are hungry. Women are suffering. There are wars everywhere. "If God has everything under control, do you mean God is running those wars?"
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
If God was controlling everything then we would all get saved and Jesus would come back.
Lets go the book of beginnings. Were it all started.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
Therefore Adam had dominion upon this earth and in this world. He was originally, in a sense, god of this world.
But Satan came and lied to Adam. Adam committed high treason and sold out to Satan. Then Satan became the god of this world through the sin of Adam.
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
The phrase “god of this world” (or “god of this age”) indicates that Satan is the major influence on the
ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people. His influence also encompasses the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce. The thoughts, ideas, speculations and false religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his lies and deceptions.
Satan is also called the "prince of the power of the air" in Ephesians 2:2. He is the "ruler of this world" in John 12:31.
These titles and many more signify Satan’s capabilities. To say, for example, that Satan is the "prince of the power of the air" is to signify that in some way he rules over the world and the people in it.
This is not to say that he rules the world completely; God is still sovereign.
But it does mean that God, in His infinite wisdom, has allowed Satan to operate in this world within the boundaries God has set for him.
Unbelievers, are caught "in the snare of the devil" (2 Timothy 2:26), lie in the "power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19), and are in bondage to Satan (Ephesians 2:2).
In 2 Corinthians 4:4, the unbeliever follows Satan’s agenda: "The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ."
Satan’s scheme includes promoting false philosophies in the world—philosophies that blind the unbeliever to the truth of the Gospel. Satan’s philosophies are the fortresses in which people are imprisoned, and they must be set free by Christ.
Anything that happens to the believer God will turn it around for our good and God’s glory.
1) There are many different types of prayer that God has outlined in His word.
18 Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding on behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).
There are different prayers with different rules governing them.
There is the
prayer of faith - Mark 11:24 - based on God’s revealed will
prayer of consecratioin - luke 22:42 -if it be thy will
42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
prayer of commitment - 1 peter 5:7 - casting your care upon Him
prayer of worship -
52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
prayer of agreement - matt 18:18-20
prayer in the Spirit or praying on tongues - 1 cor 14:14-15
united prayer - acts 4:23-31
prayer of supplication
intercessory prayer
2) Praying for deliverance:
1 Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,
2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.
3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
I was reading a story of a praying mother God awakened at 2 o'clock in the morning to pray for her son.
She knew from the urgency of the Spirit that something was seriously wrong.
She did not quench that urgency, but yielded to it. She earnestly gave herself to intercession until the burden lifted.
Later she learned that at the moment God called her to intercede, the ship her son was on was struck by lightning. The medics on the warship laid her son out for dead—and put his body with others in a place for the dead. He surprised them some time later by reviving. He is alive today because his mother prayed.
A Pentecostal minister and missionary, told of something that happened when he and his wife, Blanche, were in Africa as missionaries.
His wife's parents lived on a farm in the New England states. Her father before sunup one morning he headed for the barn to milk the cows. Halfway between the barn and the house at about 5 o'clock, he set down the milk pails and came back into the kitchen.
His wife looked up from cooking breakfast. "What's wrong? You look pale. Are you sick?" He said, "No, I'm not sick." She said, "What's the matter?"
He said, "I don't know what it is, but something's wrong with Blanche. Her life is in danger. Let's pray."
He fell down on the kitchen floor and began to groan in the spirit and pray with tongues. Six o'clock came. He still was praying. Seven o'clock came. He still was praying. Eight o'clock. The cows were lowing. The chicks were cackling; the pigs were squealing; they hadn't been fed. Still he prayed, groaning and agonizing. Nine o'clock. Ten o'clock. Being 82 years old, still hadn't gotten up from the floor. Twelve o'clock. One o'clock. He still prayed.
Two o'clock in the afternoon. Nine hours without stopping, groaning, crying, and praying. Then at two o'clock the burden lifted. He laughed and sang in tongues. "Whatever it is," he said to his wife praying with him, "we've got it!"
Come to find his daughter Blanche contracted a tropical fever," It was one that when you got it, you did not survive. Blanche had indeed gone right down to the place of death. In fact, she was left for dead. But suddenly, she rose up well! They compared notes. Allowing for the difference in time, the exact time she rose up well was at 2 o'clock, when the burden left her father. He had wrestled with it nine hours.