Pray (verb)

I believe many Christians agree with prayer as a noun but less engage to pray as a verb.

James 1:22 (ESV)

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Resist the temptation to check out, or (if watching online) to literally tune out.

Jesus has given us an example of prayer.

Through his life and his teaching

Prayer is a major theme in Luke’s Gospel.

In fact, we see prayer at every major point in Jesus’s life:

baptism

Luke 3:21 (ESV)

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened,

selection of the Twelve (all night praying)

Peter’s confession

Jesus’ transifguration

Teaching on prayer (that we will look at shortly)

Prays to give thanks for the cup and bread of the New Covenant

In the Garden the night before the Crucifixion

from the cross:

Luke 23:46 (ESV)

46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

Jesus prays for:

preparation for ministry

big decisions (choosing disciples)

salvation

Luke 9:18 (ESV)

18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

spiritual strength and growth

Guarding against temptation

Forgiveness for his enemies

*If the Son of God found prayer to be of such importance to pray this often, how can we think it sufficient to pray any less?

In His Word

Matthew 6:9-13

Luke 11:2-4

Rules:

Pray with humility and authenticity

“Fear not because your prayer is stammering, your words feeble, and your language poor. Jesus can understand you.”

— J. C. Ryle

Pray with boldness

Pray with expectancy (prayer is real)

Pray until you pray

Please use this tool for prayer as a guide not as a formula or as a rule. Remember, God is a Person.

Praise

Worship God for who He is.

Praise reminds us of the One to whom we pray.

Creator, Sustainer, Savior, Father, King, Miracle-worker, Healer, Teacher

Isaiah 6 — Isaiah claims he is ‘undone’ in the presence of God.

Revelation 1:17 (ESV)

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,

Matthew 6:9 (ESV)

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Matthew 6:9–10 (ESV)

9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

Father

This prayer is for those who are followers of Jesus

notice how it is corporate

The Father loves you, knows you, and chose you.

Ephesians - God knows everything about you and chose you before the world began. This means there is nothing you did, could do, can do to affect Gods’ choosing you.

Adoption does not happen without baggage.

The gospel says, “I know your sin, your pain, your struggles - and I choose you.”

hallowed be your name.

This is cannot be praying that somehow we can make God’s name holy.

“May your name be understood as holy”

This is not statement against using God’s name in vain.

This is a strong statement that we would see the holiness of God displayed more

Praise tunes our hearts to the frequency of effective prayer.

Praise makes sure our hearts are seeking God and not something or someone else.

We are reminded that our prayers are to be aligned to His will and not simply our desires.

*PRAY* (5 min)

1 Chronicles 29:11–13 (ESV)

11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

*What character quality of God holds the most meaning for you?

Psalm 100 ESV

A Psalm for giving thanks. 1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 103

Repent

Confess your sin and tune your will to God’s.

Matthew 6:12 (ESV)

12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Confession of sin

Your prayers will be hindered if they are prayed with sin or self:

Sin:

Psalm 66:18 (ESV)

18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Self:

James 4:2–3 (ESV)

2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Matthew 6:10 (ESV)

10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Tuning of my will to God’s will

Too often, our prayers ask for ‘my will be done.’

ILLUST - tuning forks — if they are set to the same frequency, they ringing of one will cause the other to ring as well.

Psalm 139:23–24 (ESV) (of David)

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

*PRAY* (5 min)

Personal prayer of confession / reflection.

*Has the Holy Spirit been speaking to you recently about:

something you’ve been doing and justifying but really you know it is a sin.

a grudge you’ve been holding.

an area of your life you know you need to work on but don’t know how or don’t want to:

tongue, and what you say to others

eyes, what you’ve been looking at this past week.

mind, the anger, bitterness you’ve been holding on to.

Who do you need to forgive?

Ask

Intercede for your needs and the needs of others.

“The primary point of prayer is not to get something, it is to know Someone.”

— David Platt

We do not pray to inform God; we pray to reform our hearts toward God.

When we bring requests to God it is not so that we can inform him of something he didn’t already know.

Matthew 6:7–8 (ESV)

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

So prayer has less to do with getting things and more about being with Him.

So does prayer affect anything?

Sam Storms puts it well: “We must never presume God will grant us apart from prayer what he has ordained to grant us only by means of prayer.”

Matthew 6:11-13(ESV)

11 Give us this day our daily bread,

“daily” has caused interpretive problems - could be translated as “needed”

Point is still the same - Jesus never taught us to pray to take care of our needs for next week, next month, next year. But how often do we pray for these things?

Jesus didn’t teach us to pray for overflowing bank accounts. He taught us to pray for provision for TODAY.

ILLUST - We were trained as foster parents to expect children to come into our home and hoard. They grew up with a lack of trust in the authority figures in their lives so we, as new authority figures, would likely be no more trustworthy. It takes time to trust that their daily needs would be met.

*PRAY*(5 min)

Share one request with someone near you and pray as a group together.

Yield

Surrender your heart to God’s work through prayer.

Prayer is how we surrender and prayer is what we surrender it to.

How often do you pray about a problem and then pick the problem right back up after ‘Amen?’

Prayer leaves the care there.

1 Peter 5:7 (ESV)

7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Philippians 4:6–7 (ESV)

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.