Biblical Basics - Prayer

Jackie

Last time we met, 3 weeks ago, we watched a video about the Bible, and we talked about how it’s made up of 66 books, written by different people at different times, but it has an overarching story.

And if you look at it from start to finish it follows a family, and shows the brokenness of humanity and our tendency to sin and be selfish. And it also shows that even from the beginning this book points to Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross. The plan to set things right again.

And we talked about the 10 commandments and how it looks like a list of rules, but if you understand the heart of God, it’s really evidence of how much God cares for us. He cares so much that he wants the best for us, and thus he has given us some guidelines so we can have a satisfying relationship with Him, with our parents and one day our children, that we can have an amazing marriage, and be a good friend, have satisfying/successful friendships.

So scripture continually tells us over and over that we have a creator who cares for us, loves us, and desires to be in relationship with us, connected to us.

And through Jesus we now have the ability to do just that.

Now I ended that week by explaining that the next 4 weeks we are going to learn how to have a relationship with an invisible God. It seems like it would be impossible, but in reality, we can have a satisfying relationship with God, even though we can’t see him. So each week we are going to dive into how to have a relationship.

This week we are going to focus on prayer.

So we are going to start by a show of hands, who feels like they are really good at praying?

Who feels like it’s awkward and you’re not good at it?

Well let’s dig in so we can maybe by the end of this feel a little bit better about it.

Prayer is talking to God.

And I think too often we overcomplicate prayer. Really at its core it’s a conversation. Sometimes talking, sometimes listening.

Now there is a belief that has made its way into our churches that has almost completely destroyed our prayer lives.

A lie, about prayer, that has caused many to stop praying or simply not see the need.

Can anyone guess the lie?

The lie is… our prayers don’t matter.

The universe is set, our paths are already formed, nothing can be changed, it just has to run its course.

If we believe that, then what’s the point of prayer?

If nothing can be changed, why even try? Why even talk about it?

As Christians we believe that the Bible is our guide. When we need clarity, we can look at scripture and it will help us. When we need to figure out what is true, we turn to the Bible.

We are going to break off into groups. So form a group of x number and find a leader. They have a story you are going to read through and talk about

BREAK FOR SMALL GROUPS

Do the people in those stories believe their prayers matter? Do they believe their prayers can change something?

The Bible teaches us that we are co-laborers with Christ. Meaning we are working with God to determine the outcome - we have a part to play in it all.

**Examples from small group stories**

Issac’s wife becoming pregnant Genesis 25:19-23

Sun stand still Joshua 10:1-14

Elijah calling down fire 1 Kings 18:19-39

Paul & Silas in prison Acts 16:22-36

Jehosaphat 2 Chronicles 20:1-24

God does nothing but in answer to prayer. He needs us to do our part so he can do his part. We get to work alongside him.

That’s what the Bible teaches.

It teaches us that certain things will happen in history if we pray for it! We have the ability to change the world, if we will simply pray.

The Bible gives example after example of people who prayed BELIEVING that what they were asking for was possible. BELIEVING that the God they were pleading with, COULD and WOULD change the outcome.

Prayer isn’t like rubbing a lamp and a genie pops out and grants you whatever you want.

James 4:1-3 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Here in James he’s teaching on prayer. And he says you guys fight over stuff because you’re jealous, but you don’t have it because you didn’t ask. And then he takes it a step farther and says, and if you asked but you didn’t receive it’s because you asked with the wrong motives. You asked for it because of pleasure.

So when you feel like maybe you are praying wrong, there’s some truth to that. Here is an example of praying wrong.

If your prayers sound like this “Dear God please give me a big truck, just dump it off in my driveway. Amen.” You might be doing it wrong.

If your prayers sound like this “Dear God, please make the girl who sits in front of me in history class, you know, the really hot one, yeah, please make her fall in love with me. Amen.” You might be doing it wrong.

See Jesus actually taught us how to pray.

Matthew 6

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

He actually starts by telling them how not to do it. He calls people out who pray just for show, they do it publicly so that other people see it and see how “holy” they are.

Prayer is something between you and your creator. It’s about connecting with Him.

The next thing he calls out is the belief that you have to pray for a long time. You don’t. It can be short. Just talk to him. Prayer isn’t so that you can impress people, it’s so you can get to know God better.

Matthew 6

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

If you break this down He starts by glorifying God. He says, Father you are holy. Holy is your name.

Jesus says to start from a place of reverence, recognizing that God is greater than we are.

Recognizing that he alone is holy.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. This line right here, this is important. Jesus is teaching these disciples, that their prayers should be about God’s kingdom, God’s will, God’s plan.

This is where we get it wrong.

We pray for the stuff we selfishly desire to have. Instead we should pray that what God wants, actually happens.

Looking back at the examples we all worked through, God’s desire was for us to populate the earth, have babies. Isaac was praying for Rebekah to have a baby - to continue their family.

God’s desire for Judah was that it would prosper, they were God’s people, so he delivered them from battle, he didn’t want them wiped out.

God’s desire was for Paul and Silas to be free so they could continue to preach and teach.

God’s desire was for the world is to know that he is the one true God, the only one who can truly help. And Elijah proved that when he prayed for fire to fall from heaven.

No one got a new truck. When these people prayed, they prayed for God’s will to be done. They prayed for his kingdom to expand. For people to know him.

Prayer means we have the heart of God in mind.

Next Jesus tells them to pray for what they need - Give us this day our daily bread. Ask God what you need.

And finally he ends with forgiveness. If we want to receive forgiveness, we must give it.

Jesus is instructing us to ask for forgiveness for the things we’ve done wrong and forgive the people who have wronged us.

Prayer will bring us closer to God if we are doing it right. If we are recognizing that He is God, that He is holy. If we pray for His will to be done, for His plan to take shape. If we ask for forgiveness and admit when we’ve screwed up. If we forgive other people for the ways they’ve hurt us.

You guys if you do this. You won’t be able to stop it. You will start to think about people and situations differently. You will begin to see God’s heart.

Prayer draws us closer. And yes, sometimes it’s because we need something. Sometimes it’s because we need clarity, we need advice. But we have to get into a practice of doing it regularly, not just when there’s a crisis.

This needs to be something we work on every single day.

There is so much more I could say about this. I could preach for a month on prayer. But I don’t want to leave here tonight without taking some time to do this.

Maybe it’s the first time you’ve ever prayed. That’s ok. Maybe it feels awkward. That’s ok. I promise it gets easier if you stick with it.

I want you to pray. If you don’t know what to say, say that. If you need advice, ask. If you need a miracle, ask.

Matthew 7:7-8 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

I want you to go into this time expecting God to do something. Pray like the people we studied here tonight. Pray believing that God can and will do something, even if it isn’t immediately. Expect it.

Spread out, there’s paper over here if you want to journal. Leave it in the prayer wall if you want to.