A ‘Yes’ For Everyone [v259]

SEPTEMBER 2020

Everyone wants THEIR REQUESTS to be answered with a “YES” all the time. However, is that the best thing for them in the long run?

Everyone in the world wants to be happy, and most believe that one can achieve it if they get everything they want. Is getting everything you want a ‘good’ thing? Is more better all the time?

Well, I’m thinking that one CAN have too much of a good thing. The most obvious things are food and alcohol, an excess of either can make one fat or drunk. Vitamin C, for example, is good for the immune system, however, taking several pills above the recommended dosage causes more damage than actually increasing the efficiency of your immune system.

But there are other, less tangible things, such as information and medication, that can also negatively impact our quality of life if we ‘consume’ too much of them.

 

I can’t think of a single thing that can’t become ‘toxic’ if you get too much of it. Pure oxygen at 15 psi is toxic. Too much water causes hyponatremia, which can kill you (it ‘messes up’ one’s electrolytes). Ironically, the symptoms mimic thirst so people can actually end up drinking even more water!

 

One of the two basic motivations of life is the desire for happiness (and the desire to avoid suffering and death is the other). Although we all want lasting happiness, it is not easily found. We think that ‘reward’ or ‘pleasure’ will allow us to achieve happiness.

The reason for desire or want is pleasure. This pleasure, found in external things, is always in the form of self-satisfaction. However, “Too much of a good thing isn’t good,” as they say.

 

The movie “Bruce Almighty” presents a Hollywood version of what might happen if God entrusted—what ALL of us would want to make us ‘happy’—supernatural power.

Bruce Nolan (played by Jim Carrey), is a television reporter from Buffalo, New York, who rages against God after a series of mishaps: “He could fix my life in five minutes if he wanted to,” Bruce complains. Summoned to an abandoned building, home of Omni Presents, Inc., Bruce encounters God himself (Morgan Freeman), who has decided to let Bruce try being God for a week to see if he can improve matters.

Bruce uses his divine power capriciously, commanding a clear path in traffic for his new sports car, and getting his dog to use the toilet correctly. He also works revenge on fellow employees and on the ruffians who once beat him up. To impress his girlfriend (Jennifer Anniston), he lassoes the moon and pulls it near in order to enhance the romantic mood—simultaneously causing a tidal wave in Japan.

Later, God appears and informs Bruce that he is hearing the sound of people PRAYING. Bruce tries various ways to deal with all the prayers, finally using a computer program that downloads everybody’s prayers like an e-mail. He tries to deal with the blizzard of requests one at a time, but finds it an impossible task. Giving up, he hits the ‘Enter’ key and yells, “Yes to all!” Unfortunately, this means that everybody who was praying to win the lottery, all win, so each winner only gets $17—and then chaos ensues.

 

In short, Bruce learns an appreciation for the ‘complexity’, ‘interconnectedness’, and ‘power’ of prayer (as well as a new humility and sense of inadequacy)—all things that every Christian should learn, too!

 

‘WHAT’ IS PRAYER
Prayer is simply ‘communication’ with God. The very word “prayer” comes from the Latin root “precarius”—a linguistic cousin to “precarious”—which means to obtain by entreaty.

Prayer is universal because it speaks to a basic human need. As Thomas Merton put it, “Prayer is an expression of who we are a living incompleteness. We are a gap, an emptiness that calls for fulfillment.”

 

Often we talk about prayer as the time when we ‘connect’ to God. While this is not incorrect, it is incomplete. Prayer is more than talking to God in a one-directional one-directional monologue. Prayer is engaging with the three Persons of the Godhead so completely that it becomes more of a ‘collaboration’ than a ‘soliloquy’. Prayer is not something we say to God; it is something we do together with our God!

Prayer is just ‘pouring out’ your ‘heart’ to God about what one “really cares about,” and is really important to them—and hopefully, THE MOST IMPORTANT thing is God Himself!

 

‘WHY’ PRAY?
The believer prays to ‘communicate’ with their Creator, thank Him for providing their daily needs, ask for forgiveness of their sins, and ask for things they need and desire. They pray to develop a ‘personal’ relationship with Him.

After all, any relationship with cannot exist without communication. Everyone knows of couples who have stopped speaking to each other. A marriage in which communication has ceased is a marriage in which intimacy and fellowship have disintegrated. That marriage is headed for destruction. Human desires, needs, and feelings must be expressed. There must be an interchange, a flow of ideas and feelings, in order for a marriage relationship to be vital. The same is true of a relationship between ourselves and God.

Prayer is an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY in the interchange of a ‘child’s’ heart with God the Father. A story is told of a father and teenage son who lived in a Spanish village some years ago. One day, they had a terrible argument, and both the father and the boy, José, said angry, hurtful things to each other. The son said, “I’m leaving this house, and I don’t ever want to speak to you again!” The father responded, “You won’t have to—because you are no longer welcome in this house!” Young José stomped out of the house and was gone.

Years passed. The father regretted the things he had said and, in that moment of intense emotion, he ‘longed’ for his son. Finally, the pain of separation became too much for him to bear. He left home and went searching across the entirety of Spain—but his son seemed to have disappeared without a trace.
Finally, arriving in the capital city of Madrid, he went to a newspaper office and took out a personal ad in the classified section. It read, “My son, José—I am sorry for the pain I’ve caused you. Please forgive me. I have forgiven you. I’ve looked everywhere for you and haven’t found you. I just want to see you again. I will be at the plaza fountain every day this week at noon. Please meet me there. Your father.”

It is said that hundreds of young men named José came to the plaza fountain that week, hoping to re-establish a relationship with their fathers!

 

That is the relationship we all long for—fellowship with the Father and prayer is the true expression of a living faith relationship. Without prayer, without talking to the Father and listening to Him, what kind of relationship is it? How can we claim to have faith in God while failing to communicate with Him?

 

Prayer SHOULD BE the most important ‘aspect’ of a believer’s life. One might pray and not be a believer, but one cannot be a believer and not pray. Prayer is to the Christian what breath is to life. [ YET, no ‘duty’ of the Christian is so neglected! ;^( ].

Prayer will ‘fulfill’ your life!

 

‘HOW’ TO PRAY
Before I suggest ‘what’ to pray, I would like to give you some ideas of ‘how’ to pray.

First off, give prayer adequate ‘TIME’. Can you imagine two people in love with each other, who talk only if they need something? Isn’t that absurd? No relationship will grow if you get on the phone, give the person a list of requests, then hang up. If a husband and wife speak to each other only five minutes every day about just their needs for the day, the marriage would probably ‘crumble’ fast. Yet, FIVE MINUTES is—on average—how long most evangelical Christians spend in daily prayer! Only five minutes! Be warned, however: you reap exactly what you sow! (2 Corinthians 9:6; Galatians 6:7).

Then, give prayer adequate ‘SPACE’. Jesus did not tell us ‘where’ to pray only that we are to pray consistently and give prayer our full attention. Not many of us today will climb a mountain in order to spend time with God. But we can seek the solitude of a lesser kind. To pray properly, we need to go into a ‘place’ where we can concentrate without being disturbed. You may be the kind of person who can pray at the ironing board, with the television and stereo going, and with a telephone jammed against one ear—but I can’t believe that you can give your FULL attention to prayer in that situation. When Jesus advised us to go into an “inner room,” He meant for us to find a place where we can focus on God and not be distracted.

Finally, give prayer adequate ‘ATTENTION’. You can pray standing up or sitting down or lying in the bath. But to pray effectively, you will have to prioritize your prayer time. I know that is not welcome news to people with demanding jobs and small children, but there is no way around it. Prayer should be an ‘appointment’ on your calendar, to give it the proper ‘importance’ and attention.

 

Personally, I follow Jesus’ example of rising early in the morning for prayer. There is no scriptural command to do that, it’s just best for me because it lets me offer my ‘first fruits’ of the day to God. It’s been my experience that if I don’t give that early part of my day to God, my day tends to start off a little ‘rocky’.

Now, of course, early morning prayer does not allow us to check it off out ‘to do’ list as “done.” We should pray in every situation—before meals, before meetings, playing softball, getting into the car—because prayer is both a discipline and a lifestyle.

 

So, is there a right and wrong time for prayer? Well, the prophet Isaiah talks about the morning as the time when God gives the desire to pray on a daily basis (Isaiah 50:4).

Like anything in life that is ‘important’ to you, you make a ‘commitment’ to learning everything you can about it, and then spend as much time developing your skills to become proficient at it.

This pertains to prayer the same way. We like the idea of prayer but most of us oversell and underperform. We are just not so good at putting it into ‘practice’ (and I think that has to do with desire and commitment).

Most Christians pray like sailors when they need to use their bilge pumps because the ship is leaking. When something ‘bad’ happens, they pray furiously. The rest of the time they don’t feel it is ‘necessary’.

When everything is going well, they tend to put prayer on the ‘back burner’. It is not a priority. They aren’t committed to it.

Everyone loves to pray when it’s convenient and it doesn’t get ‘in the way’ of their busy lifestyle and getting things done.

However, God is not impressed by our ‘activism’ as much as He is impressed by our spending our ‘valuable’ time with Him. God does not desire our success or achievements as much as He desires our ‘dependence’ on Him in prayer. After all, God is the one who gives us the breath to go out and achieve and succeed. If we are not ‘connected’ to God in prayer, all our feverish activity will ultimately come to nothing (John 15:5).

 

When one is in close fellowship with God—at peace with Him, intimate with Him, and ‘walking’ daily in the Holy Spirit—then one will know how to pray and what to pray.

 

‘PREPARATION’ FOR PRAYER
After one ‘commits’ to doing prayer, they then need to ‘prepare’ for it—they are going to talk with the Creator of the universe, right?! So, here are a few suggestions.

A PREPARED ‘PLACE’
Many people believe that every believer needs a ’sacred’ place set aside to be alone with God to pray. A comfortable and quiet place where one’s Bible(s) are, maybe some devotionals and a prayer list, and some pads of paper and some writing implements—so one doesn’t have to be searching around for them beforehand.

PREPARED ‘ITEMS’
Now, since God is omnipresent, one doesn’t really ‘need’ anything to pray to Him—since prayer is just communication with God, However, most people find it helpful to read their Bible, since that is the ‘primary’ way that God ‘speaks’ to the believer.

[ For more specific details about ‘why’ and ‘how’ to study your Bible, view last month’s “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/love-letter-v258/ ].

It’s been said that is valuable to read a bit out of the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Psalms, and Proverbs. [ My Bible is the MacArthur “Drawing Near” Devotional Bible” that has a monthly-themed devotional every day, a reading out of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Psalms. I supplement it with “Wisdom From the Proverbs: A Daily Devotional” ]

A PREPARED ‘TIME’
It’s best that one sets aside a time to ‘meet’ with God, to help one ‘anchor’ their faith in God. It is like setting one’s spiritual ‘compass’ for the day.

Now, even though God is omnipresent and you can pray to Him at any time during the day, most believe that getting up early in the morning—before life ‘happens’—is the best time. It will get one started off on the right ‘foot’.

An illustration of this is like the violinist tuning their instrument BEFORE the symphony, so its sound is the best it can be. Why tune the instrument ‘after’ the performance?

With the same reasoning, most believe it’s best to BEGIN one’s day with prayer to ensure they will be living ‘in sync’ with God the entire day. (Why would one spend time only in the evening after they had ‘stumbled’ throughout the day?). Now, while it’s great to pray at the end of the day (usually to thank God for what He did), might I urge you to get up a bit earlier than everyone else in your house so you can pray when the day is a ‘clean slate’—so God can help you start to develop your ‘list’.

A PREPARED ‘ATMOSPHERE’
I’ve never met any ‘royalty’, like the Queen of England—and probably never will—but I understand that before you meet her, you need to learn some rules of proper etiquette of what to do or say, and not to do or say in her presence. So, I’m thinking that if you are meeting with the King of the Universe, you might want to have some proper ‘etiquette’.

If one can—without having any ‘major’ physical limitations—they might want to consider kneeling for at least some of the time.

Looking up might even help one to focus, being reminded that the God of the universe is really important to them.

A PREPARED ‘ATTITUDE’
The difference your outward position (kneeling) makes upon one’s inner attitude might be surprising—helping to create an attitude of humility, reverence, submission, and allegiance to the One who is SO MUCH greater than them and ANY earthly King, Queen, or world leader.

Another suggestion would be to get in the habit of giving ‘thanks’ to God—cultivating an attitude of gratitude—despite being a part of any circumstance that are less than ideal.

The key to thankfulness is not to view God through the ‘lens’ of one’s circumstances, but to view one’s circumstance through the ‘lens’ of God’s love and sovereign purpose.

[ FYI: There is a memorable method of Christian prayer that uses the acrostic “A.C.T.S.,” which means Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. More details about this below. ].

 

‘PURPOSES’ FOR PRAYER
Prayer is not simply a ‘soliloquy’, a mere exercise in therapeutic self-analysis, or a religious recitation. Prayer is ‘DISCOURSE’ with the personal God Himself.

In a sermon titled “The Most High, a Prayer-Hearing God,” theologian and pastor Jonathan Edwards gave two reasons for prayer:

“With respect to God, prayer is but a sensible acknowledgment of our dependence on him to his glory. As he hath made all things for his own glory, so he will be glorified and acknowledged by his creatures; and it is fit that he should require this of those who would be subjects of his mercy… [it] is a suitable acknowledgment of our dependence on the power and mercy of God for that which we need, and but a suitable honor paid to the great Author and Fountain of all good.

“With respect to ourselves, God requires prayer of us… Fervent prayer many ways tends to prepare the heart. Hereby is excited a sense of our need… whereby the mind is more prepared to prize [his mercy]… Our prayer to God may excite in us a suitable sense and consideration of our dependence on God for the mercy we ask, and a suitable exercise of faith in God’s sufficiency, so that we may be prepared to glorify his name when the mercy is received.”

So, believers are to pray to ‘prepare’ their heart to talk with the Creator of the universe, express their dependence on Him, and to give Him ‘glory’.

Sometimes prayer is ‘birthed’ under pressure and is a ‘pouring out’ of one’s deepest emotions, grief, and desperation. It can be triggered by a disappointment, unanswered prayer, or the consequences of a past failure. It is a ‘plea’ for something you intensely long for to take place, but has not taken place yet.

 

Another reason to pray is—as I mentioned last month—God ‘speaks’ to us primarily through His Word, the Bible, and sometimes a verse ‘jumps’ off the page and I know that it is God ‘speaking’ to me. Believers need to learn to listen to His ‘voice’.

One way to prepare one’s spiritual ‘ears’ is to pray before you read your Bible. Talk to God about what’s on your heart and mind. Then open the Bible and listen with your ‘eyes’. He may not speak to you every time you read the Bible, but if you are patient, He will ‘speak’!

 

So, how do you read your Bible? Do you read it to increase your knowledge of the facts and information only? Or do you read it listening expectantly for God to speak to you, then listen to him about what he has said, basing your prayers on it?

[ For more specific details about how to read your Bible, view last month’s “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/love-letter-v258/ ].

 

For some people, prayer merely expresses their wishes or wants to God. To be candid, it is perfectly acceptable for you and me to tell God what we want or what we hope for. He knows it anyway, and sometimes it just helps to talk it out with Him.

Prayer that changes a believer’s life is based on God’s Word. If you have a specific need, want, wish, or hope, put it in the form of a request, then open your Bible and ask God to ‘speak’ to you about it. He may change the ‘way’ you are praying, or He may ‘confirm’ the way you are praying.

Ask Him for a promise upon which you can base your prayer. God loves to be held to His Word. I am continually encouraged by the way is God consistently demonstrates His faithfulness to me via His Word.

 

PRAYER IS LIFE’S ‘COMPASS’
Prayer can be a ‘compass’ for your life. Focusing on God as your true ‘North’ will help you see beyond your temporary circumstances here on earth, and remind you of God’s unchanging character as well.

If you address God as the ‘fountainhead’ of your blessing, the giver of every good thing, it’s amazing how the simple exercise of putting your focus on Him helps put your prayer back into perspective. Your problems don’t seem so overwhelming. Your questions don’t seem so critical. Your worries don’t seem so all-consuming. Your fears don’t seem so paralyzing.

Focusing on God brings peace and calmness to your spirit. In the quietness you very often you will ‘hear’ God whisper as He directs you out of what Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, terms as the “laurel thicket.”

Anne says that, if she begins her prayer time focusing on “the doctors grim prognosis for my loved one, or on the probability of a conflict with my child’s teacher, or on the impact of the company is downsizing of my job, or on the seemingly nonstop environmental disasters in our nation, or on the increasing prevalence of active shooters, or on the raw savagery of radical militant jihadists, [then she becomes] overwhelmed to the point that I have no faith whatsoever that my prayer will make any difference at all. The outcome of my focus makes my worries and fears appear to be inevitable. The enemy just seems too powerful. The result? I developed a nauseous not in the pit of my stomach, and I get lost emotionally and spiritually and the laurel thicket.”

Anne suggests that one needs to “set their compass” and refocus on the priority of “centering” attention that is singularly and ’laser-focused’ on God.

 

Prayer can be for many different purposes. Here are a few examples, from the Bible, that demonstrate the variety:

– Genesis 18: Abraham’s plea for Sodom
– Exodus 15: Moses song to the Lord
– Exodus 33: Moses meets with God
– 2 Samuel 7: David’s response to God’s promises
– 1 Kings 8: Solomons dedication of the temple
– 2 Chronicles 20: Jehoshaphat prays for victory
– Ezra 9: A prayer for the people’s sins
– Psalm 22: A cry to God tor help
– Psalm 104: A prayer of praise
– Daniel 9: A prayer for the salvation of Jerusalem
– Habakkuk 3: A prophets prayer of acceptance
– Matthew 6: The “Lord’s Prayer”
– John 17: Jesus’ prayer for his disciples
– Colossians 1: Pauls prayer of thanksgiving

 

‘HOW’ TO PRAY
Okay. I finally am getting to ‘how’ to pray. There are many ‘patterns’ of prayer that are given the Bible to help one ‘focus’:

– ‘Centering’ (Revelation 4:1-2)
– Compelling (Jeremiah 2:9)
– Confident (John 11:40)
– Contrite (Hosea 14:1-2)
– Clear (James 4:2)
– For ‘battle’ (Ephesians 1:18-19)

When the disciples came to Jesus and asked if He would teach them to pray, He didn’t give them a specific prayer to ‘recite’, but instead gave them a ‘framework’, a ‘model’, a ‘pattern’ to use, and follow. It has been called the “Lord’s Prayer.”

 

‘THE’ PATTERN FOR PRAYER
The disciples begged Jesus to “Teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). I’ve got to believe that they clearly saw the inseparable relationship between the power Jesus manifested and the hours He spent in solitude, conversing with His Father—and they wanted the same thing.

The instruction Jesus gives regarding prayer comes to us both from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 and from Luke 11. Jesus prefaces His remarks on the pattern for prayer with these words:

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“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. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this.” [ Matthew 6:5-9) ].

Notice that Jesus said, “Pray then LIKE this,” not “Pray this prayer” or “Pray these words.”

Jesus was not so much giving them (and us) a prayer to recite, but a ‘pattern’ to show the way in which to pray. Jesus was providing an ‘outline’ of priorities.

 

THE “LORD’S PRAYER” (The Disciples’ Prayer)

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us today our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
[ Matthew 6:9-13 ].

 

The “Lord’s Prayer” is arguably the most famous prayer in the world, however, it should more accurately be called the “Disciples’ Prayer,” since the prayer asks for forgiveness of sins, and Jesus never sinned. It has been called the “Lords Prayer” because Jesus taught it, not because He prayed it for Himself.

[ FYI: The ‘true’ “Lord’s Prayer” has been suggested to reside in John 17:1-26. It is generally known as Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer,” in which Jesus prays unto the Father when His hour had come and as His intercession for the coming Church (Discussed in detail later in this post) ].

 

The Lord’s Prayer is perfectly ‘balanced’. It teaches us to look first to God, then to ourselves. It teaches us to forgive and receive forgiveness, and teaches us to depend wholly upon God for everything.

When we look at the Lord’s Prayer, we see adoration at least implied in the petition “Hallowed be Your name.” Jesus acknowledged that God’s name is holy. We certainly see confession in the petition “Forgive us our debts.” Then there are supplications. However, it seems that thanksgiving is conspicuously absent. Where in the Lord’s Prayer do we find any overt expression of gratitude to God? It’s not there. That’s strange, for as the Apostle Paul taught, thanksgiving should always be included in our prayers: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” [ Philippians 4:6 ].

Even though thanksgiving is not explicitly mentioned in the Lord’s Prayer, I think it is implied in the petition: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). My reason for making this assertion is simple: we are to be alert not only to the need that we have daily for food, but to the reality of God’s daily provision for our needs. That realization, of course, should induce us to an attitude of thanksgiving.

 

Jesus didn’t give us this prayer so that we would memorize it and repeat it as a mindless ritual. Again, He gave us this prayer as a ‘model’ to follow when we pray. There are no rigid ‘rules’, nor is it a religious ‘ritual’. So, just ‘talk’ to God. Tell Him about your gratitude for what He has done for you. Tell Him what you feel. Tell Him your needs, and ask Him to fulfill your ‘heart’s’ desires. Most of all, God just wants to HEAR FROM YOU!

 

A DETAILED ‘EXPLANATION’ OF THE LORD’S PRAYER
So, let’s look at the ‘sections’ of the “Lord’s Prayer” one at a time.

“OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN”
This is not something to be taken lightly. Every time one says the Lord’s Prayer, every time we open our mouths and say, “Our Father” the believer should be reminded of their ‘adoption’, that they have been ‘grafted’ into Jesus and have been allowed this intimate relationship with God the Father—a relationship that we did not have by nature. It is a relationship that has been ‘won’ for us by the perfect obedience of the Son, who received an inheritance that was promised to Him from the foundation of the world, and an inheritance He shares with His ‘brothers and sisters’ who are ‘in’ Him.

When Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer, with its use of “Our Father” as the form of address, He gave us the unspeakable privilege of addressing God in the same terms of filial familiarity that Jesus Himself had. However, we must always remember that God is our Father—the Patriarch of the ‘brotherhood’, adopting those who believe ‘in’ His Son as His ‘children’.

The believer’s heavenly Father is not a cold, distant, angry Father (as some believe). He is their “Daddy,” one with whom they can have an intimate, joyful relationship.

Jesus was the first on record to take prayer and make it a personal discourse with God. Jesus, who spoke Aramaic, used the Aramaic word “Abba,” best translated “Dad” or “Papa.” “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” [ Romans 8:14-17a ].

Paul teaches that it is only by the Holy Spirit that we can call God our Father.

It is only because we are in Christ and Christ is in us that we have the privilege of addressing God as our Father and of approaching Him in a filial relationship.

The word our signifies that the right to call God “Father” is not mine alone.

 

God is attentive to our needs 100% of the time. In prayer, the believer acknowledges that…

– God is your heavenly ‘Daddy’ and He loves you more than you can ever imagine.
– He accepts you, forgives you, and restores you (even though you are often like the rebellious prodigal son or his self-righteous brother)
– He removes your fears, gives you hope, and becomes your dearest companion.

 

It is a wonderful privilege to call God Father—a privilege we easily take for granted. In the Old Testament, the people of God did not individually address Him as Father. The word “Father” for God was rarely used, and when it was, it always referred to the relationship of God to the nation of Israel.

As far as we know, none of the outstanding Old Testament saints—Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel—ever dared to address God as his Father. Yet in the New Testament, at least 275 times, that is how we are instructed to speak to God. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, when we come to the sovereign majesty of the universe the word that should fall readily from our lips is “Father.”

 

“IN HEAVEN”
To be sure, God is omnipresent. There are no finite restrictions to His divine presence, yet Christ spoke of the Father’s being in Heaven. Why? Well, Jesus was speaking about God’s transcendence—above and beyond the finite limits of the world.

At the outset, we need to know who we are praying to. According to Jesus, when we come to the God of the universe in prayer, we can call Him “Father.”

Although we are to come before God in an attitude of intimacy, there is still an element of separation. “In Heaven” points to His ‘otherness’, His being set apart. The point is this: When we pray, we must remember WHO we are and WHOM we are addressing!

 

The writer of the book of Hebrews said: “Let us therefore come boldly to His ‘throne’ of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (4:16).

The fact that we come to a ‘throne’ should fill us with awe. But because it is a throne of grace, it is approachable. The almighty God of the universe has allowed us, because of Jesus, to approach Him in prayer and address Him as Father.

 

No matter how close God invites us to come, there still is an INFINITE ‘GULF’ between our sinfulness and His majesty. He is the heavenly one; we are of the earth. He is perfect; we are imperfect. He is infinite; we are finite. He is holy; we are unholy. We must never forget that God is wholly ‘other’ than we.

 

“HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME”
By placing this as the first petition of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus was giving it a place of priority. He was saying that a proper attitude toward God’s name is the basis of everything, because how we live before God is determined by our attitude toward Him and our view of who He is.

There’s a psychological truism here. How is it possible for someone to have a high regard for God, an authentic reverence for God, a genuine fear of God, and at the same time have a frivolous attitude toward the use of the name of God? Jesus says here that the way in which we regard the name of God reveals the state of our hearts with respect to our attitude toward God Himself.

So when Jesus says we should pray that God’s name be regarded as holy, He is saying we should regard Him as holy, and that such a posture of reverence, awe, and respect for God should define everything in our lives.

 

In Bible times, a person’s name explained who that person was. A name was one of a person’s most prized possessions. This was doubly true of God. His name was foremost in people’s prayers.

Prayer turns our eyes away from ourselves to honor God’s person, identity, character, and reputation. Through our prayers, we build a ‘house’ for God to dwell in.

 

Being positioned here at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus established is that the name of God to be top priority and that it should be hallowed, honored, and exalted.

So when we pray “hallowed be Your name,” we are talking about the character and person of God. To hallow means “to sanctify, to set apart, to make special.” When we say, “hallowed be Your name,” we are praying that God may be God to us, that He will be set apart in our prayers in such a way that it will be clear that we reverence Him.

 

However, sometimes our thoughts about God are dangerously close to a blasphemous distortion. We can be more in awe of an employer, a professor, a loved one, a friend, or a government official than we are of the God in Heaven! We can fear a person more than we reverence and respect the God to whom we pray.

Especially in the ancient times of Jesus, someone’s name was not just a title, it described ‘who’ they were—the totality of the person. Here’s a few examples of the more ‘popular’ people in the Bible:

– Aaron: “Exalted”
– Abraham: “Father of many”
– David: “Beloved”
– Issac: “To laugh”
– Israel: “God contends”
– Jacob: “Supplanter, deceiver”
– Jesus: “Yahweh is salvation” [ also “Joshua” ]
– Job: “Persecuted, hated”
– John [the Baptist]: “Yahweh is gracious”
– Joseph: “He will add”
– Lazarus: “My God has helped”
– Mary: “Beloved”
– Moses: “Deliverer”
– Noah: Rest, repose”
– Paul: “Humble”
– Peter: “Stone, rock”
– Samson: “Sun”
– Satan: Adversary”
– Saul: “Prayed for”
– Solomon: “Peace”
– Stephen: “That which surrounds”

[ FYI: If you are interested, here’s a web page of many more biblical names and their meanings: https://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/biblical ].

 

So, now let’s now talk about God’s name/names, to help you understand the ‘fullness’ of who He is.

He is called “Elohim,” which acknowledges Him as Creator (the third
word used in the Bible).

He is also acknowledged as “El Elyon,” which means “the God most high.”

He is called “Jehovah-jireh,” which means “The Lord will provide” (Genesis 22:14)

He is called “Jehovah-nisi,” which means “The Lord our victor” (Exodus 17:15)

He is called “Jehovah-rapha,” which means “The Lord that heals” (Exodus 15:26)

He is called “Jehovah-shalom,” which means “The Lord our peace” (Judges 6:23-24)

He is called “Jehovah-raha,” which means “The Lord our shepherd” (Psalm 23:1)

He is called “Jehovah-tsidkenu,” which means “The Lord our righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6)

He is called “Jehovah-shammah,” which means “The Lord is present” (Ezekiel 48:35)

He is called “Jehovah-mekaddishkem,” which means “The Lord who sanctifies you” (Exodus 31:12-13)

 

All of these names sum up who the Jews were referring to when they used the tetragrammaton “YHWH,” since they were forbidden to say the name “God.” (They later used the word “Adonai” which means “Lord”).

[ In recent times, the Jews have even gone beyond the original superstition and say “Ha-Shem” instead of either “Yahweh” or “Adonai.” “Ha-Shem” means “The Name.” So, by replacing the name Yahweh with the title Ha-Shem, Jews feel that they are giving honor and respect to God by insuring that no person misuses His name ].

 

St. Augustine said that, “It’s not that God’s name is not already holy, but we pray that men may regard it as holy and that God may become so near and dear to us that we esteem nothing more reverent than Him.”

 

“YOUR KINGDOM COME”
There is a sequential ‘logic’ that runs like a ‘ribbon’ through the Lord’s Prayer. Each of the petitions is ‘connected’ to the others. The first ‘petition’ Jesus taught us was, “Hallowed be Your name,” which is a plea that the name of God would be regarded as holy. Manifestly, unless and until the name of God is regarded as holy His Kingdom will not and cannot come to this world. However, we who do regard His name as holy—believers—then have the responsibility to make the Kingdom of God manifest.

Theologian John Calvin said that, “It is the task of the Church to make the invisible Kingdom visible.” Believers do that by living in such a way that they bear witness to the reality of the ‘kingship’ of Jesus in their jobs, their families, their schools, and even their checkbooks—such that God ‘in’ Jesus is King over every one of these spheres of a believer’s life. The only way the Kingdom of God is going to be ‘manifest’ in this world before Jesus comes back is if believers manifest it by the way they live as citizens of Heaven and subjects of the ‘King’.

 

When one accepts Jesus as their Savior, they are ‘adopted’ into the Kingdom of God. Citizenship in His Kingdom confers tremendous rights and privileges but also demands responsibilities.

When God invites you into His Kingdom, the believer in turn…

– Invites His Kingdom to dominate every facet of one’s life—their plans, friends, marriage, children, job, career, and finances
– Surrenders themselves to God and asks Him to dethrone Satan in their life
– Prays that God’s Kingdom will come to the lost, setting them free from Satan’s bondage
– Eagerly waits for Jesus’ Second Coming

 

The Kingdom of God is a central ‘motif’ in the Scriptures, and was the main thrust of Jesus’ teaching and preaching. Jesus came as the fulfillment of John the Baptist’s message, which was clear, precise, and simple: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).

Jesus focused on the Kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount, the ‘keynote address’ of His preaching. Because of this focus, the Sermon was more than simply an ethical presentation of principles for good living. Jesus was talking about the character traits of people who live a redeemed lifestyle within the Kingdom of God.

So when we pray “Your Kingdom come” we look toward that glad time when God’s messianic kingdom prophesied throughout the Old Testament will be established by Jesus’ return to earth. As we pray, we direct our gaze to the day when the kingdom of this world will become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ. We look forward to the climax of history when God’s will shall be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

When we pray “Your Kingdom come” we also ask for something else. We plead that on the small bit of earth we occupy now, we submit our will to God’s will.

When we pray “Your Kingdom come” we acknowledge God’s right to rule all people, including us. I cannot pray these words with integrity unless we are sufficiently concerned about God’s sovereignty to make our life His throne and make it our daily purpose to bring every individual whose lives we ‘touch’ into willing and glad submission to Him. We dare not pray for His rule over others unless we honestly desire His rule over us.

 

“YOUR WILL BE DONE”
There are two different Greek words in the New Testament that are translated by the English word “will.” These words, “thelema” and “boulema,” have several nuances of meaning so it is not always immediately apparent by looking at a passage from the New Testament exactly what is meant by the will of God. However, there are three ways in which this concept is most commonly understood.

The first is what we call the ‘sovereign’, efficacious will of God. When the Bible speaks of the will of God in this sense, it is describing the will that causes whatever He decrees to come to pass. When God willed the universe to be created and said, “Let there be light,” that expression of His sovereign will was instantly fulfilled. As Genesis says, “there was light,” God spoke and the ‘lights’ came on. Likewise, when Jesus commanded Lazarus to rise from the dead and come out of his tomb, that command was efficacious—Lazarus obeyed instantly and immediately. The sovereign, efficacious will of God is the will that brings to pass whatsoever He decrees.

Secondly, the Bible speaks of the will of God with respect to what we call His ‘preceptive’ will. The preceptive will has to do with His law and commandments, the precepts He issues to remediate the behavior of His creation. It is the will of God that you have no other gods before Him, that you honor your father and your mother, that you remember the Sabbath Day, and so forth. Please note that the preceptive will of God can be violated—and is violated every day—since being sinners, we disobey the will of God.

Thirdly, the Bible speaks of the will of God in terms of His basic ‘disposition’ or inclination. In this sense, God’s will has to do with what is pleasing or displeasing to Him. So, even though humans do have a free will, but it is always ‘limited’ by God’s sovereignty. When there is a conflict between our will and God’s will, ours has to give way.

 

As I mentioned earlier, when we come before God, we must remember two simple facts—who He is and who we are. We must remember that were talking to the King, the Sovereign One, the Creator, and we are but only creatures. If we will keep those facts in mind, we will pray ‘respectably’.

Just remember, it was Jesus, after all, who, in His moment of greatest passion—immediately following the Last Supper—prayed regarding the will of God, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” [ Luke 22:42 ].

It is important to see what Jesus prays here. He says, “Not my will, but Yours be done. Jesus was saying, “Father, if there is any other way—all things being equal—I would rather not have to do it this way. However, it is my will to do Your will.

 

It is the highest expression of faith to submit to the sovereignty of God. The real prayer of faith is the prayer that trusts God no matter whether the answer is, and trust Him to give the answer that is best for us. That is what Jesus did, and that is what the believer should do, too!

Jesus didn’t just give us words to show us how to pray, He gave us His life as an example of praying that the will of God would be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

 

So, doing God’s will means that you will…

– Consciously ask that His will be done in every area of your life
– Seek His glory and His honor
– Trust Him to do what is best for you

 

Praying for God’s will to be done provides a ‘foundation’ for our prayers. We are basically asking that God’s will be done in our lives and in the world. We often get it upside down, though, and pray as if we expect God to change the way He is running the universe because we have given Him our petitions. This is prayer at its worst, treating God like a genie in a lamp. When we rub it and make a wish, we expect God to change the universe to give us what we want.

Prayer is not getting God to do my will; it is asking that God’s will be done in my life, my family, my business, and in my relationships, as it is done in Heaven!

 

God is using all things for the furtherance of His Kingdom, even if it is not the way we would prefer it be done. So, we can pray that His name will be hallowed, that He will be God to us, that His Kingdom will be established on earth, that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that His will be accomplished on earth as it is in Heaven.

 

“ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN”
There is a sense in which the first three petitions are all saying the same thing. The honoring of God’s name, the visibility of His Kingdom, and the obedience to His will are virtually the same concept repeated three different ways. They are inseparably related. God is honored by our obedience, His kingdom is made visible by our obedience, and quite obviously His will is done when we are obedient to that will. These are the priorities Jesus laid down.

We should not come rushing into God’s presence arrogantly, assaulting Him with our petty requests, forgetting whom we are addressing. We are to make certain we have properly exalted the God of creation. Only after God has been rightly honored, adored, and exalted do the subsequent petitions of God’s people assume their proper place.

 

“GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD”
When Jesus taught His disciple to pray, He gave them (us) a comprehensive blueprint to follow. The first three requests deal with God’s glory praying about “Your name,” “Your kingdom,” and “Your will.” The last three requests have to do with us: “Give us,” “forgive us,” and “lead us.”

Adlai Stevenson remarked, “Understanding human needs is half the job of meeting them.” Perhaps the other half is the ability to meet them. The thing is, God ‘scores’ on both counts. He understands our needs and can truly meet them. That is why Jesus said that we are to pray to the Father about them. After praying about the cosmic and eternal, we are to pray about the temporal.

 

It is important to note that there is a synergistic relationship between divine providence and our own labor. Jesus didn’t tell us to ask the Lord for our daily bread so that we can sleep in each morning and make no effort to bring forth the fruit of honest labor. On the contrary, God commands us to be productive in our labor and with respect to the provision of our daily needs. The Apostle Paul tells us that if anyone does not provide for his own—and especially for those of his household—he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8). So on the one hand, we have to trust in the benevolent providence of God to give us our daily bread, and on the other hand, we are to be industrious, doing all that we can to provide for our families. God typically works through ‘means’, and He normally provides through the means of our labor.

 

All this is to primarily teach the believer that they need to acknowledge their dependence on the providence of God to sustain us day to day. He was saying that we should live in a daily dependence on the provision that God gives, and NOT to be ‘anxious’.

This was a recurring theme in the teaching of Jesus. In the same Sermon on the Mount where Jesus taught the Lord s Prayer, He also said:

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself” [ Matthew 6:25-34a ].

 

In that same context, Jesus also said: “What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” [ Matthew 7:9 ]. Jesus taught that God is willing and able to meet our daily needs.

 

We have a tendency in this modern age not to live from day to day in terms of the things we need to eat. We stock up on food. We have refrigerators and freezers that extend the life of our food and keep it fresh. So, it is not urgent to face each new day with the fresh need to find food for our sustenance (as it was in Jesus’ day). However, in light of this, we need to ‘force’ ourselves to pray this petition, and grasp our constant dependence on the provision of God to sustain our very lives.

The word “bread” refers to the food that sustains our bodies. However, in the larger sense, of course, bread refers to all that we must have to live in our ‘environment’.

 

In Jesus’ time, the word “daily” meant, “enough for the coming day.” The implication is, of course, that God will supply what we need to honor Him and do His will—the necessities for life, not the luxuries. So, ask for bread, not ‘cake’. Ask for the essentials to take us through tomorrow, not through the next decade.

Notice also that when we pray, “Give us our daily bread,” we should ask for others in our family as well as ourselves. If the believer prays this prayer with sincerity, it delivers them from selfishness and hoarding. If God supplies them with two loaves and my ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ with none, they should understand that God has indeed answered our prayers—the extra loaf is not for storing, but for sharing.

God wants to ‘free us up’ from worrying about our sustenance, but to be concerned about spreading the ‘news’ about His Kingdom to come—and how people can be sure that they are going to be a ‘part’ of it!

We can bring our small requests to God. We can place before Him our need for bread, a coat, or pair of shoes—all those items that matter to us. If we need them, then they matter to our heavenly Father as well.

 

So, overall, this petition teaches the believer to come to God in a spirit of humble dependence, asking Him to provide what we need and to sustain us from day to day. We do not have ‘license’ to ask for great riches, but we are encouraged to make our needs known to Him, trusting that He will provide exactly what we need.

 

God tells us to MAKE HIM our number one priority, and He has promised to make us His top priority. We are not to be consumed or obsessed with physical needs. When we worry about our needs, we are saying that we do not believe God will really provide for us.

Trusting God means to…

– Refrain from worry and anxiety
– Recognize that His priority is to take care of you
– Trust completely in His promise to meet your needs
– Petition Him to meet those needs

Our Father has invited us to go to Him and ask Him for our daily bread. He will not fail to provide it!

 

“FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS”
First off, we owe a ‘debt’ to God, and the Bible makes it clear that our debt is so great that we could not possibly ‘pay’ it! (Since all of us have sinned against God and His perfect holiness multiple times since we got out of our beds this morning, how great is our debt after a lifetime of sin?)

Theologian Jonathan Edwards, in his famous sermon, “The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners,” said that any sin is more or less heinous, depending on the honor and majesty of the one whom we have offended. Since God is of infinite honor, infinite majesty, and infinite holiness, the slightest sin is of INFINITE CONSEQUENCE. Such seemingly trivial sins are nothing less than what theologian R.C. Sproul calls “cosmic treason.”

 

As I mentioned, each petition is a ‘link’ to the previous one (just like the Beatitudes are). Jesus links the two petitions, “Give us our daily bread” with “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” In that way, when we think of our need for food, we will recognize our need for pardon as well. In addition to that, as we confess our guilt, we consider how we have handled our relationships with others.

Think of how the confession of sin works. If I honestly pray for forgiveness, then I revise my estimate of myself downward on the scale by admitting my own sin and guilt. If I see the ‘pollution’ of my own life, then I see the sins of others in a different light. Without that, I can regard myself as so important, so dignified, so honorable, that it would be unthinkable to forgive anyone who dared offend someone as righteous as me. That is self-righteousness.

Pastor and author R. Kent Hughes tells us, in his study on the Lord’s Prayer, what this might look like: “I beseech You, Lord, deal with me as I deal with my neighbor. He has been ungrateful to me (though not one-hundredth as ungrateful as I have been to You), yet I will not overlook his ingratitude. Deal with me, Lord, as I do him.”

If you honestly ‘know’ God as your Father (are “born again”), you are part of the forgiven ‘fellowship’. While you may find it hard to forgive some particularly damaging thing done to you, your own sin against God—for which you ask forgiveness—reveals offenses done against you as much more trivial.

Even though one’s forgiveness does not cause God to forgive us, it is evidence that we have ‘entered’ into God’s forgiveness. We are never closer to God’s grace than when we admit our sin and cry out for pardon! We are never more like God than when, for Christ’s sake, we extend forgiveness fully and freely to those who have sinned against us!

 

The supreme warning from Jesus is that God WILL JUDGE us according to how we have judged other people! Since man is saved ONLY by grace, what better evidence could there be of a man’s salvation than that he offers to others the grace he himself has received? If such grace is not conspicuous in our lives, we may validly question the genuineness of our own alleged conversion!

 

“ALSO HAVE FORGIVEN OUR DEBTORS”
Notice that Jesus attaches a ‘condition’ to the previous petition. He doesn’t simply tell us to pray, “Forgive us our debts,” but the believer is to ask God to “forgive us as we forgive our debtors.”

This, in my opinion, is one of the most ‘frightening’ lines in the Lord’s Prayer. If this condition is to be taken literally, I am ‘toast’! The thing is, if God forgave me in exact proportion to the manner in which I distribute forgiveness to other people, I would perish! I just cannot be as forgiving as God—and none of us can. BUT, thank God that this is an ‘aspiration’ rather than a ‘requirement’. Jesus is teaching us to ‘aspire’ to mirror and reflect His kindness of God, and to stand ready to forgive anyone who has sinned against us or offended us when they repent.

Jesus makes this point in some of His parables, stressing that since the believer has been forgiven much, then they should have a deep spirit of charity toward other people. How can the believer refuse to forgive someone who has offended them when the whole reason they are able to live in the Kingdom of God is that they have received forgiveness?

Forgiveness is the only way a believer can ‘stand’ in the presence of God. Since God is willing to forgive them when they have sinned so much more radically and efficaciously against Him than anyone has ever sinned against us, how can they not be willing to forgive others?!

 

The point is that the believer should be as gracious toward others as God has been to them, so that if someone does sin against them and then they acknowledge their guilt, repents, and apologizes, then the believer is duty-bound to forgive them. Jesus said we are to forgive our brothers “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22) if they sin against them that many times! (essentially forever!). If they keep repenting over and over again, the believer must keep forgiving them over and over again!

Still, as I said, it is terrifying to pray, “Oh God, please forgive me proportionately to the way in which I forgive people who have offended me.” That scares me, because I know I have not been anywhere near as gracious in dealing with people who have offended me as God has been in dealing with me, nor am I capable of being so gracious. I would be in deep trouble if God provides forgiveness for me only to the degree that I am willing to provide it to others—but that isn’t a concern for the believer!

 

This petition, then, reminds us of the ‘depth’ of our sinfulness, our need to daily confess our sins (1 John 1:9), and our need for forgiveness. The believer is to keep short accounts not just in our ‘vertical’ relationship with God, but in our ‘horizontal’ relationships with others.

Now, yes, the believer’s sins have ALL been ‘paid for’—once and for all—on the Cross by Jesus. However, Jesus taught the believer to pray for forgiveness as part of their ongoing communion with God. They need a fresh ‘experience’ of His grace and of His forgiveness every day. There is no greater state than to get up from your knees knowing that, in God’s sight, you are ‘clean’, and that He has forgiven every sin you’ve ever committed! Without that grace and forgiveness, I don’t think I could live in this world for another second. This is something we all desperately need, and we just have to ASK FOR IT!

 

So essentially, this implements the Golden Rule in practical terms—the Christian is just a forgiven sinner.

Now, some may ask at this point, “If God has already forgiven us, why should we ask for forgiveness? Isn’t it wrong to ask for something He’s already given us?”

Well, the Apostle John tells us that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” [ 1 John 1:9 ]. The verb tense in the Greek indicates that this is an ‘ongoing’ process. The desire for forgiveness sets the believer apart. The unbeliever rationalizes his sinfulness, but the Christian is sensitive to his unworthiness (Confession should take up a significant portion of their prayer time).

 

As I mentioned, I find it a bit frightening to ask God to forgive me to the extent I have forgiven others—it’s almost like asking God for justice. Well, theologian R.C. SprouI used to warn his seminary students by saying, “Don’t ask God for justice. You just might get it!”

 

The mandate to forgive others as the believer has been forgiven applies also to the matter of self-forgiveness. We have God’s promise that whenever they confess their sins to Him, He will forgive them. Unfortunately, believers don’t always believe that promise, since confession requires humility on two levels: the actual admission of guilt, and the humble acceptance of the pardon.

 

Just remember, being a Christian means that you…

– Recognize your need for cleansing
– Confess your sins to your ‘Daddy’, and thank Him for His cleansing
– Forgive others to the same extent that you have been forgiven

 

“LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION”
Having taught the disciples how to deal with their past sins in the previous petition, Jesus turns His attention from the past to the future and addresses their vulnerability to sins beyond the present. By teaching His followers to ask, “deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13b), Jesus showed that we are to ask God to spare them from the temptations and the spiritual attacks that can lead them into new sin. Essentially, Jesus is saying that we should pray that the Father will never cause us to undergo a severe test of our faith or of our obedience.

God, however, sometimes deems it best for His children to go through testing. For this reason, we see examples in Scripture of God delivering someone to be tested, to go through trials in order to purify that person’s faith, and to refine their righteousness.

 

There sometimes is some confusion when the believer fails to distinguish between ‘temptation’ and ‘testing’. Temptation comes from Satan or our fleshly nature and leads to sin and disobedience. Whereas testing comes from God to develop our character and results in glory to Him.

Temptation enters into the believer’s life through those areas that are not surrendered to God’s control. This usually starts with confusing our will with God’s will, which then appeals to our natural desires and finally persuades us to disobey God. This then brings shame, discouragement, and the feeling that there is no use in trying to repent—just what Satan wants!

 

The thing is, not all temptation is from Satan, for James says that we are “tempted by our own lust” (James 1:14). Enticement and temptation to sin arises from within, from our own evil inclinations and desires The evil inherent within the heart of man is capable of tempting man without Satan’s help! However, the plea to avoid temptation and the petition for deliverance from evil are one and the same.

 

In Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” (which I will discuss later in this post), He asked the Father not to take His disciples out of the world, but rather to “keep them FROM the evil one” (John 17:15). Jesus was asking God the Father to build a ‘hedge’ around the disciples (and us), and be a ‘redemptive presence’—because without that presence, they (and we) are easy prey for the enemy.

[ This is evidenced by Jesus telling Peter that Satan has demanded to “sift him like wheat,” and Jesus predicting that Peter will deny Him three times (Luke 22:31-34), and then Peter actually succumbing to Satan’s temptation (Luke 22:54-62) ].

 

American writer, Rita Mae Brown, has been credited to have said, “Lead me not into temptation; I can find the way myself.” This raises a question, “What are we really praying for when we ask, ‘Do not lead us into temptation’?”

Christian scholar and professor D. A. Carson suggests that Jesus is using a figure of speech called a “litotes,” which expresses something positive by negating its opposite. For example, if I say, “This is no small matter,” I really mean it is a BIG matter. So, when one prays, “Lead us not into temptation,” then they are really crying out, “Keep me away from temptation!” In essence, we are praying, “Don’t let Satan ambush us.” We are recognizing that God has the power to lead us past all the lures to sin that confront us, and we are asking, “If the opportunity to sin presents itself, grant that I won’t have the desire. If the desire springs up, grant that I won’t have the opportunity.”

Let’s face it, most people seldom want to be delivered from temptation. It usually promises too much ‘fun’. I’ve heard it said that some people say, “Don’t resist temptation. It may go away and not come back.” Hmmm.

 

Temptation stirs the blood and inflames the imagination. (If we were revolted by it, it would not be temptation at all). Usually, temptation doesn’t seem very bad, so we ‘play’ with it and ‘invite’ it into our lives. However, when we then sit down and pray about our sins, it’s not ‘temptation’ that bothers us, it’s the ‘consequence’ of our disobedience that we want to be removed!

If temptation brought ‘chains’ to bind us, we might resist it on our own. Instead, it brings ‘flowers and perfume’, and promises good times and satisfaction. It bribes us with prosperity and popularity and entices us with promises of unbounded freedom. The thing is, only God can keep us from its ‘charms’, and this petition of the Lord’s Prayer reminds us to ‘fear’ the strategies of Satan!

 

Years ago, German theologian Helmut Thielicke said of postwar occupied Germany, “There is a dark, mysterious, spellbinding figure at work. Behind the temptations stands the tempter, behind the lie stands the liar, behind all the dead and bloodshed stands the ‘murderer from the beginning.’”

When we pray “lead us not into temptation,” we recognize Satan’s power, affirm our weakness, and plead for the greater power of God.

 

So, when you are in your ‘prayer time’ today (Yes, today!), totally yield to God’s control and ask that the enemy has no ‘foothold’ in your life. Think of one area where Satan usually tempts you. Ask God to help you recognize it, and resist Satan’s tactics in that area. Ask God to transform that temptation into a test, and to build your godly character when facing difficulty.

 

“DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE”
Jesus does not simply teach us to pray that God would deliver us from testing. He gets very specific in the second part of this petition. This part of the petition both reinforces and expands what Jesus is teaching us in this petition, for we find here a Hebrew literary strategy called parallelism, a technique that links two statements so that the second illumines the significance of the first.

As mentioned previously, God often uses Satan to bring testing on His children. Thus, when Jesus teaches us to pray, “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,” He not only is teaching us to pray for deliverance from testing, but teaching us to seek divine protection from the wiles of Satan. He is calling us to pray that we would not be exposed to the Devil’s onslaughts, to his attempts to entice us to sin, or to destroy our confidence in Jesus, our Savior, by accusing us of our failures and of our imperfections.

 

Although there are many examples in the Bible of people being tested, three come to mind right away:

– Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
– The patriarch Job
– The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness

Now, none of us has probably never been tested like Adam, Eve, Job, or Jesus, yet church history is replete with examples of Christians being put to the test, even to the point of martyrdom.

We can find many examples of God calling believers to endure the worst, then giving them the grace to endure it. For instance, even before Jesus died on the Cross, John the Baptist had his head chopped off. Then, after Jesus’ death, Stephen is considered to be the first “Christian” martyr (directed by Saul of Tarsus, whom would become the Apostle Paul, and also be martyred himself).

[ There are many more that have been martyrs, and if you are interested, probably the best source for this would be “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs” ].

 

The point is, when Satan brings his accusations against us, we should respond: “Yes, Satan, I have sinned, but my guilt has been covered by Jesus’ blood, and my sin is washed away. So, be gone, Satan!” (just ‘respond’ to Satan the way Jesus did in the wilderness, by quoting Scripture to him, “It is written…” and then recite a verse of Scripture that pertains to that accusation).

 

The Apostle Peter referred to Satan as the believer’s adversary (1 Peter 5:8), and James assured the believer that when they resist the Devil, “he will flee” (James 4:7). Prayer is a key ‘weapon’ in the believer’s resistance.

The thing is, there are also other ‘weapons’ that God has provided to defend ourselves from the ‘onslaught’ of the Devil, and they are called the “Armor of God” (Ephesians 6).

[ FYI: I went into detail about the “Armor of God” in this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/ready-for-battle-v235/ ].

 

I often ask myself how I would measure up if God allowed me to be severely tested (like some of the martyrs or even Christians in the Middle East and China today). I honestly don’t know, and I don’t want to have to find out! So, I often pray this petition of the Lord’s Prayer, asking: “Oh Lord, please keep that hedge around me. Don’t put me in that place of testing. Deliver me from the evil one, who ‘prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour’” (1 Peter 5:8). I pray for divine protection from all the forces of evil that surrounds me, and I believe this petition should on every believer’s lips EVERY DAY!

 

God’s Word tells us that ‘pride’ is behind every sin we commit, and that total surrender to God moment by moment is the only antidote to pride. It also says that Jesus—and the Holy Spirit—intercede daily for us as we face temptation.

So, God will help you resist Satan’s attempts to make you proud. Tell your heavenly Father once more that you surrender yourself control, and thank Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, that He is interceding for you today!

 

“YOURS IS THE KINGDOM”
The Lord’s Prayer, as we commonly recite it, concludes with a ‘trumpet blast’ of praise: “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Evidently this doxology was not part of the prayer as Jesus originally gave it (since the sentence does not appear in the earliest and best manuscripts of either Matthew or Luke). In fact, it appears for the first time in the second and third centuries.

Yet, I agree with the early Church ‘fathers’ that rather than finish on a cold and frightening note, they added this affirmation of praise, came ‘full circle’ to shift the focus from us back to God once again.

Doxologies like this have historical precedence. After King David assembled the building materials for the future temple, he declared: “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty;… Yours is the Kingdom” (1 Chronicles 29:11).

Echoes of this doxology also vibrate at the end of time in the chant of the four living creatures: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” [ Revelation 5:13 ].

 

It is important to see that the pronoun that is used to identify God here, “Yours” is in the ‘possessive’ form. With these words, believers affirm that the Kingdom of Heaven, supreme power, and ultimate glory ALL belong properly to God alone. He reigns supreme over all things and His Kingdom shall have no end. His Kingdom waits as the sun waits for the clouds and darkness to melt away.

 

So, thank God for His vast power. Give Him glory for placing His resources at your disposal. Confess to Him that you often depend on your own power instead of His. Identify one area in your life today where you need His power, and ask Him to exhibit His power in that area.

 

“AND THE POWER”
This tells us that we should acknowledge in prayer that ALL power is God’s. The Greek word that is translated as power here is “dunamis.” It is the same word from which we get the English word “dynamite.” This line of the Lord’s Prayer reminds us that God possesses all power in Heaven and on earth—power to create, power to save, and power to enable believers to live the Christian life.

 

“AND THE GLORY FOREVER”
This instructs us to affirm, in prayer, that the glory is rightfully God’s, and it is unending. The Apostle Paul declares that, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever” [ Romans 11:36 ]. As servants of God, we should desire that He be magnified over all things, including ourselves. Our prayer should be that of John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease” [ John 3:30 ].

Finally, God’s sovereignty, omnipotence, and glory are not temporary things. They will last into eternity. From everlasting to everlasting, He is God (Isaiah 43:13). From everlasting to everlasting, it is His kingdom, His power, and His Glory, FOREVER! (1 Chronicle 29:11; Psalm 145:13; 1 Timothy 1:17).

 

“AMEN”
The Lord’s Prayer concludes with that simple word that is so familiar to us, the word we use to close all our prayers but hardly ever consider: “Amen.” This is an Old Testament word, derived from the Aramaic, that means “truly” or “so be it.” Having prayed according to Jesus instructions, the believer can declare it to be so!

Following King David’s instructions, the people of Israel brought offerings for the construction of the temple. When that great offering was gathered in, David stood before the people, but he did not praise them. Instead, he lifted his eyes up to Heaven and said, “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” [ 1 Chronicles 29:11 ]. King David ascribed the Kingdom, the power, and the glory to God, and so all believers must do the same, every day of their lives!

[ FYI: For more details about the “Lord’s Prayer,” get Pastor Michael Youssef’s book, “The Prayer That God Answers–Experiencing the Power and Fullness of the Lord’s Prayer.” Purchasing details are in the “Resources” section below ]

 

SO, PRAY WITH…

… DEPENDENCE
It seems to me that, at its core, prayer is very simple. Prayer is acknowledging our dependence upon God. It is accepting in our own hearts and minds what God already knows—that we NEED Him!

With the very act of prayer, we declare that we are inadequate and that God alone is completely and eternally adequate—and if life and experience are not sufficient to teach us our inadequacy, the Scriptures clearly underline this.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God” [ 2 Corinthians 3:5 ]. Jesus declared, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” [ John 15:5 ]. Just as in Jesus’ parable of the vine and the branches, the branches are totally dependent upon their connection to the vine for everything. In the same way, so is the believer—totally dependent upon God for His care and His supply.

Believers are called to be people of prayer because they need God desperately—and the sooner they embrace that fact, the sooner they will begin to understand that this dependence is not a curse or a handicap, it is one of the greatest blessings they have been given!

One day, Anne Sherwood Hawks, as a young wife and mo­ther (37 years of age), was bu­sy with her reg­u­lar house­hold tasks. Sud­den­ly, she be­came so ‘filled’ with the sense of near­ness to God that, won­der­ing how one could live with­out Him ei­ther in joy or pain, she wrote the lyrics to the hymn, “I Need Thee Ev­e­ry Hour.”

Years lat­er, af­ter the death of her hus­band, she wrote: “I did not un­der­stand at first why this hymn had touched the great throb­bing heart of hu­man­i­ty. It was not un­til long af­ter, when the sha­dow fell over my way, the sha­dow of a great loss, that I un­der­stood some­thing of the com­fort­ing pow­er in the words which I had been per­mit­ted to give out to others in my hour of sweet se­ren­i­ty and peace.”

“I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.

“I need Thee every hour,
Stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power
Thou art nigh.

“I need Thee every hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.

“I need Thee every hour;
teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
in me fulfill.

“I need Thee every hour,
most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son.”

 

As the believer lives in a perpetual state of personal insufficiency and a perpetual state of recognizing their dependency on God, they will live continually thankful for everything God does for them.

 

… INTENSITY
With Jesus being the believer’s ‘model’ for how to pray, the one great classic illustration we have of the intensity of His praying comes in the garden prior to His death, where we see Him praying there sweating blood in agony.

It also strikes me that Jesus repeated the process of His pleading in the garden three consecutive times! In fact, these ‘sessions’ were so prolonged that the disciples fell asleep! (Matthew 26:38-46). That’s intensity!

 

… PERSISTENCE
Jesus tells some parables about how ‘persistent’ the believer should be when praying for something.

The first was a neighbor that had a friend arrive from a long journey at midnight, and he didn’t have any bread to give him. So, he goes next door to ask his neighbor for some.

Well, the entire family was sleeping when he came over, and the neighbor didn’t want to bother his family to get him some bread (You have to know that in those days when it was cold the whole family got in the same bed for the sake of warmth, and they were all tucked in and warm since it was midnight, and this was not a time to get out of bed).

But, because of his ‘persistence’, the neighbor finally does get up and get him some bread. In other words, what he wouldn’t do for friendship, he will do for sleep—because the neighbor won’t go away until he gets his bread.

Jesus is teaching about the benefits of persistence. However, the point He is really making here is that when you consider how UNLIKE the reluctant friend God is, the parable becomes all the more striking. If a reluctant friend will do something for you because you are persistent, imagine what a God—who is not reluctant—will do for you if you are persistent!

The second parable is about a widow that is asking a judge for legal protection (apparently someone was doing everything possible to take away her meager substance in life). She was persistent in coming back asking the judge for help—however, he was unwilling for a long time.

But, after many times of her returning, the judge finally gives her the protection she was seeking because, as he said, “because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming” [ Luke 18:5 ].

Again, because of her continual pleading, the ‘unjust’ judge gave in. So then, how much more will a ‘just’ God do for one of His ‘children’. These parable promise that God will hear and answer the believer!

 

… SINCERITY, NOT MEANINGLESS ‘REPETITIONS’
Just before Jesus gave the “Lord’s Prayer” to the disciples, He mentioned that they should not pray repetitiously like the Gentiles with “empty phrases.” God is looking for sincerity, passion, and the desire of the believer’s heart, not some formula, religious ritual, mantra, chant, or some sequence of beads.

Now, Jesus wasn’t forbidding ‘meaningful’ repetition, He was forbidding empty ritual and heartless ‘babble’.

So, when the Apostle Paul says to pray without ceasing, he’s not in disagreement with Jesus, he is simply supporting the principle taught in the two parables (Luke 11 and Luke 18) that prayer is to be ‘incessant’. The believer is not heard simply for our many words, but for the cry of their ‘heart’.

 

‘MOTIVES’ FOR PRAYER
What ‘motives’ move you to pray when you desire fellowship with God? When you desire your needs be met by the One who alone has the resources? When you desire wisdom and discernment from Him? When you desire deliverance from the troubles of life? When you desire relief from fear anxiety and worry? When you desire to offer thanks for all His past and present blessings? When you desire to be freed from guilt and sin? When you desire the salvation of others, or when you desire the development the growth of other believers?

The following detail the ‘reasons’ to those questions:

– A Desire for Fellowship with God
As one studies the Word of God and with it ‘fellowships’ with God, He reveals more of Himself. One then learns more about His person, His character, and the majesty of who He is. It then gives one a greater desire to fellowship with Him.

– A Desire for Needs to be Met
As one studies their Bible and find all of God’s promises and all the things He longs to do for His ‘children’—meeting all of their needs—one is prompted to pray to that end.

– A Desire for Wisdom
As one reads Scripture, one will find God’s majesty revealed in His wisdom and amazing discernment. He has a perfect understanding of everything. It will cause one to longed for that same wisdom, and to gain discernment to be able to work their way through this difficult world.

– A Desire for Deliverance from Trouble
As one reads Scripture and sees the chronicle of the times that God has delivered His people over and over, the promises that He has given, and that He has always done the same for His people, it will prompt one to pray for deliverance from the troubles of their own life and the lives of those around them.

– A Desire for Relief from Fear and Worry
When one looks at the Scriptures and finds out how many of God’s special beloved servants were delivered from fear, worry, and anxiety—singing hymns in jail and walked out of a fiery furnace—because they so completely trusted Him. It allows one to be relieved from their own fear and worry. One will realize that they can cast all their care on Him knowing that He perfectly cares for them, and will deliver them from anxiety.

– A Desire to Offer Thanks for Past Blessings
As one studies their Bible, they will also find the record of all God’s past blessings and His past deeds. They will find the glories of all of redemptive history and all that he has done to bring redemptive history to where it is right now. Also, they will find the blessings of His indwelling Holy Spirit and the treasure of His Word that will cause them to offer thanks for His blessings.

– A Desire to be Freed from the Guilt of Sin
As one looks at Scripture and sees the perfect forgiveness provided in Jesus and the majesty of the plan of atonement—and how it has worked out by grace through faith in their own life—they will see how they have access to complete forgiveness and cleansing every moment of their life. It will lead them to confess their sins.

– A Desire for the Salvation of the Lost
As one see the ‘tears’ of God in Jeremiah and of Jesus that are shed for those that refuse salvation and he goodness of God, it will make them desire the salvation of the lost even as God does.

– A Desire for the Spiritual Growth of Believers
As one sees the longing revealed in Scripture of God’s heart for His people to grow spiritually and to live in obedience and holiness, it reminds them to pray for the spiritual growth of fellow believers.

So, if you want to have a persistent prayer life, you will have to have certain desires in your heart that generate ‘motivations’ to pray. Those desires produce in your life ‘fruit’ because of your faithful study of God’s Word, which will reveal things to you in fresh new ways every time you study it, therefore prompting you to pray more fervently.

 

PRAYING FOR THE ‘RIGHT’ THINGS
When you pray, what do you typically pray for? Well, most people pray for health, happiness, and success. We pray for personal comfort. We pray for solutions to remedy all the physical problems of life, such as healing, a husband or wife, children, a job, a place to live, a car, a promotion, more money, and so on. As important as those are, they are very LOW on the priority list on God’s Kingdom.

We live in a world that knows little about what’s truly valuable. People all around us are pursuing things that have no ‘lasting’ value!

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians that one should “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” [ Colossians 1:10-11 ].

The following is a partial list, from the New Testament, of all that encompasses a worthy ‘walk’ as a believer:

– Humility (Ephesians 4:2-3)
– Purity (Romans 13:13)
– Contentment (1 Corinthians 7:17)
– Faith (2 Corinthians 5:7)
– Righteousness (Ephesians 2:10)
– Unity (Philippians 1:27)
– Gentleness (Ephesians 4:2)
– Patience (Colossians 1:11)
– Love (Ephesians 5:2)
– Joy (Colossians 1:11)
– Thankfulness (Colossians 1:3)
– Light (Ephesians (5:8-9)
– Knowledge (Colossians 1:10)
– Wisdom (Ephesians 5:15-16)
– Truth (3 John 3-4)
– Fruitfulness (Colossians 1:10)

The Apostle John said that, “whoever says He abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked” [ 1 John 2:6 ].

 

‘METHODS’ OF PRAYER
Christians often use a simple acrostic as a guide to prayer, “A.C.T.S.” Each of the letters in this acrostic represents a vital ‘element’ of effective prayer:

A – Adoration
C – Confession
T – Thanksgiving
S – Supplication

Not only does this acrostic remind us of the elements of prayer, it shows us the priority we ought to give to each.The complete acrostic suggests that prayer is ‘action’.

The Bible tells us that it is the “prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” [ James 5:16 ]. Again, fervency characterized Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane, where His sweat fell to the ground as droplets of blood. Fervency describes Jacob’s all-night wrestling match with the angel at Peniel. Prayer is an exercise of ‘PASSION’, not of indifference!

 

ADORATION
The most appropriate way to begin prayer is with adoration. Sadly, we are most often moved to prayer by our desires and needs. We are in such a hurry to mention our requests and articulate our needs (which God already knows) that we omit adoration altogether or skip over it quickly in a perfunctory manner. To omit adoration is to cut the ‘heart’ out of prayer.

Our hesitancy and weakness in expressing adoration may have two root causes. The first is that we tend to be inarticulate. Another great barrier to articulate praise is ignorance. This is a lack of knowledge of God.

Consider the love-struck teenager who writes love notes to his girlfriend during study hall. The youth may be shy and reticent, but give him a pen and time to reflect on the object of his romance, and suddenly he’s another Shakespeare. Oh, the love notes may be ‘gushing’ and less than sophisticated from a literary standpoint, but there is no lack of words. The boy is in love. His heart ‘moves’ his pen.

So, how does one pen love letters to an unknown God? By immersing themselves in the Psalms. We will not only gain insight into the how of praise, but also enlarge our understanding of the One whom we are praising.

[ FYI: Last month’s “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post discussed the “love letter”: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/love-letter-v258/ ].

Why is adoration so important to us in practical terms? Well, because the whole life of the believer—which is to be a life of obedience and service—is motivated and enriched when holiness and the dignity of God are etched into their minds. Before one can be motivated to do something difficult for someone, they need to have a certain amount of respect for that person.

When we begin our prayer with adoration and praise, we acknowledge the One to whom we are speaking. The grammar need not be perfect, nor the words lofty and eloquent, but they must reflect the respect and the honor due God. There is a sense in which adoration introduces us into the proper mode by which we confess our sins, give our thanks, and make our supplications.

True prayer presupposes an attitude of humble submission and adoration to the Almighty God.

 

CONFESSION
After expressing adoration, we must come to God with hearts of confession.

Confession is not a frivolous matter to be engaged in only at appointed times and dates throughout the year. Confession should be a daily activity for the believer, whose entire ‘pilgrimage’ is characterized by the spirit of repentance. The principal reason why confession must be on a daily basis is because our sins against divine law are committed on a daily basis.

We run up a daily ‘indebtedness’ before God. Consequently, our daily prayers must include genuine acts of confession.

The Apostle John tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” [ 1 John 1:9 ]. To ignore or to neglect this promise is to steer a perilous course.

There are two kinds of repentance: attrition and contrition. Attrition is ‘counterfeit’ repentance, which never qualifies us for forgiveness.

Attrition is repentance motivated strictly by a fear of punishment. The sinner confesses his sin to God, not out of genuine remorse but out of a desire to secure a ‘ticket’ out of Hell.

True repentance reflects ‘contrition’, a godly remorse for offending God. Here the sinner mourns his sin, not for the loss of reward or for the threat of judgment, but because he has done injury to the honor of God.

Our confession tends to be superficial, often not characterized by earnestness or a sense of moral urgency.

In an example of a contrite sinner’s prayer for pardon, Psalm 51, King David composed it after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. David did not approach God with excuses. He did not ask God to consider the circumstances that produced his sin or the loneliness of his government position. David did not seek to minimize the gravity of his sin in God’s presence. There were no rationalizations and no attempts at self-justification, which are so characteristic of guilty people.

David said, “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me… you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment” [ Psalm 51:3-4 ]. In other words, David believed that God was absolutely justified if He gave him nothing but absolute punishment. David exhibited what God has said He will not despise: a broken and contrite heart.

David then pleaded for restoration to God’s favor: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit” [ Psalm 51:10-12 ]. He understood the most crucial element of confession: total dependence on God’s mercy. There was nothing he could do and nothing he could say to undo what he had done. There was no way for him to “make it up to God.” David understood what Jesus later made clear—that we are debtors who cannot pay our debts. Confession is like a declaration of ‘bankruptcy’.

God requires perfection. The slightest sin blemishes a perfect record. All the “good deeds” in the world cannot erase the blemish and move us from imperfection to perfection. Once the sin has been committed, we are morally ‘bankrupt’. Our only hope is to have that sin forgiven and covered through the atonement of the One who is altogether perfect (Jesus).

We must come before God in contrition. King David put it this way: “You will not delight in sacrifice… The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” [ Psalm 51:16-17 ].

The perfect atonement was offered by the perfect Lamb without blemish. To avail ourselves of the atonement of Christ, requires that we come before God in brokenness and a contrite heart.

 

THANKSGIVING
Thanksgiving should be inseparably related to our petitions of supplication. Thanksgiving is an acknowledgment of God and His benefits. King David said, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all His benefits [ Psalm 103:2 ].

Ingratitude is a serious matter. God is honored by thanksgiving and dishonored by the lack of it. All that we have and all that we are we owe ultimately to the benevolence of our Creator. To slight Him by withholding appropriate gratitude is to exalt ourselves and debase Him.

Jesus’ encounter with the ten lepers illustrates the importance of thanksgiving. Jesus healed ten lepers, but that only one of them was thankful: “Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks” [ Luke 17:15-16 ].

Like the leper, all of our prayers are to include thanksgiving. We should be so indebted to God that we can never exhaust our opportunities for expressing our gratitude to Him!

The ‘born again’ believer has already been blessed enough to be moved daily to thanksgiving. Nevertheless, God continues to bless them—because of their atonement.

 

SUPPLICATION
Nothing is too big or too small to bring before God in prayer, as long as it is not something we know to be contrary to the expressed will of God as made clear in His Word. (It would obviously be quite inappropriate to ask God to make us competent thieves).

So, why do some of our prayers for ‘things’ we think we need seem to go unanswered?

There are several reasons. Some of the more important ones are:

– We pray in vague generalities—too universal in scope. Having a broad scope of interest in prayer is not wrong, but if all prayer is so general, then no prayer will have specific and concrete application.

– We are ‘at war’ with God, or in open rebellion toward Him, we can hardly expect Him to turn a benevolent ear toward our prayers. His ear is inclined to those who love Him and seek to obey Him. Thus, an attitude of reverence toward God is vital to the effectiveness of our prayers.

– We tend to be impatient. It is not uncommon for us to wait years, sometimes decades, for our most sincere petitions to be answered! God is rarely in a hurry.

– We need to learn patience, asking God for His peace.

– We have short memories. It is easy for us to forget the benefits and gifts given by the hand of God and doesn’t require a fresh one each hour to keep his faith intact.

The believer should be able to rejoice in God’s benefits even if we never receive another benefit from Him. Remember the Lord will not give you a stone when you ask Him for bread! (Matthew 7:9).

 

HOW TO ‘APPROACH’ GOD

HUMILITY
The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector shows how one should approach God with humility. The Pharisee was bragging about how he fasted and tithed—very self-righteous—whereas the tax collector prostrated himself on the ground in shame and ’lowliness’. Jesus summarizes God’s attitude about their actions by saying, “I tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” [ Luke 18:14 ].

Because God does not just listen to our words when we pray, He evaluates our ‘attitude’ in prayer. He is not impressed at all with our reputation—who we think we are or who others think we are. He looks on our ‘heart’.

In case there is any doubt, Proverbs clearly states, “The Lord detests all the proud of heart” [ Proverbs 16:5 ]. On the other hand, God confirms that, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at My Word” [ Isaiah 66:2 ].

It’s interesting how pride can creep into our attitude when we pray. We think if we keep all the rules, if we are good, moral, helpful, thoughtful, then somehow God owes us the answer we want. When something bad happens, like a diagnosis of a terminal illness, or a financial downturn, we angrily feel God has somehow let us down.

Do you think God has let you down in some way? Could it be that there is pride lurking like a ‘cobweb’ in the dark inner recesses of your heart? Do you have any pride that suggests God owes you something? That you deserve better from Him?

Well, might I suggest you ask yourself, “Do I deserve anything from God?” Your answer will say ‘volumes’ about your humility and pridefulness.

 

SINCERITY
Forsaking everything to make the time to get alone with God and pray is a form of “fasting.” Fasting simply means to go without anything or everything to make time to pray. We associate it most often with abstaining from food, but it can also be abstinence from business, emails, phone calls, entertainment, web surfing, meetings, housework, shopping, cooking, talking, television, technology—the list is unlimited. While in prayer we ‘turn’ to God, in fasting we ‘turn away’ from everything else.

As I mentioned last month, we are all over-scheduled and over-amused. So let me ask you again, HOW ‘IMPORTANT’ is all this for you?

[ FYI: These previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” posts discuss ‘margin’ in one’s life:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/mar-05-v73/
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/apr-05-v74/ ].

 

NECESSITY
God honors our ‘crying out’ to Him when we have no one else to turn to and nowhere else to go. When we feel there is no other person who can understand our pain, God is there for you.

Desperation is a terrifying ‘place’. God is waiting for you to say something like, “God, I need you. If you don’t answer my prayer and keep your promise, I have no hope. There is no one else I can turn to. My hope is in you, and in you alone.”

No pretense or pride, no indifference or independence, no self-reliance or self-righteousness, and no ‘Plan B’ if this doesn’t work out. Just cry out, “I’m in trouble, help me!” (Just as Peter did to Jesus when he started to sink while walking on the water.)

 

CONFIDENCE
Anne Graham Lotz wrote the following as an alphabetical list based on Ephesians 1-2 focused on the believer’s ‘birthright’:

“Acceptance by God, with access to Him 24/7,
Blessing upon blessing upon blessing because I am His beloved,
Confidence that I have been chosen by Him,
Deliverance from the penalty and the power of sin,
Enlightenment to understand spiritual things, and eternal life that will never end,
Forgiveness of all my sin—past, present, and future,
Grace for every situation and need,
Hope for my tomorrows, and a Heavenly Home being prepared for me,
An Inheritance that is kept for me in Heaven,
Justification so that in God sight I am right with Him,
Knowledge of the truth…
His love that will never let me go,
His life that is abundant, full, and free,
His mercy that gives me less than I deserve,
His nearness regardless of where I am or what I am doing,
Oneness with Him,
His power that’s unlimited and
His peace that passes all understanding,
His quickening into new life within,
Redemption from the meaningless, empty, superficial existence,
The divine seal of His Spirit placed within me,
…and the list keeps going on and on.”

The believer can have a confident faith in God’s character, so when they pray, they are actually communicating with a ‘living’ Person who has eyes to see us, ears to hear us, feet that swiftly come to our aid, hands to hold us, a mind that thinks on us, and a heart that loves us!

 

SIMPLICITY
The simplicity of just stating the need is beautifully illustrated by Peter walking on water. When he was sinking, he screamed out, “Lord, help me!“

God knows everything, so, just lay your burdens at His ‘feet’. Place them in His capable hands. Sometimes no words are necessary. Wail if you must. He can interpret the tears.

 

SENSITIVITY
The Holy Spirit will bring to your mind the Scripture on which you need to base your prayer (John 14:26).

However, the Holy Spirit cannot bring to our remembrance things we have never known. Which is one reason it is so important to read and saturate ourselves in the Bible, so that it is available for the Holy Spirit to pull up from the recesses of our memories as we pray.

[ For more specific details about how to ‘satiate’ yourself with your Bible, view last month’s “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/love-letter-v258/ ].

So, when you are in prayer, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to teach you how to pray, and what to pray.

 

CONFESSION
Looking again to the Lord’s Prayer as a ‘pattern’, we note that confession is an integral part of prayer. Without the confession of sin, says, there is no forgiveness of sin (1 John 1:9).

In fact, the more ‘godly’ we are, the more painfully aware of our sin we will be. It is much the same as walking toward a mountain. The closer we get to that mountain, the bigger it appears.

The ‘closer’ we are to God, the more the slightest sin will cause us deep sorrow.

One of the marks of a true Christian is that he never quits fighting against sin.

In the Sermon on the Mount, the first beatitude is “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” The great English preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon said that, “the proud sinner wants Christ, and his own parties; Christ, and his own lusts; Christ, and his own waywardness. The one who is truly poor in spirit wants only Christ, and he will do anything, and give anything to have him!” The very idea of a person trying to pray while cherishing some sin, casts a dark ‘shadow’ of doubt on the validity of their being a Christian or not.

When we petition God with unconfessed—hence ‘unpurged’—sin lurking in our hearts, we are like the irate college student who confronted his professor about a failing grade. The professor listened politely to the student’s frustrations, but remarked that, in his honest professional estimation, the student had received the grade he deserved. The student countered that not only he but also several others in the class felt it was unfair.

The professor, with understandably aroused curiosity, asked what they thought should be done. To that, the student explained: “They’ve decided that you should be shot. But there’s one small problem. Not one of them owns a gun.” The professor breathed a sigh of relief and expressed his deepest regret over the “plight” of these students. “But you own a gun,” the young man said. This student then had the audacity to ask the kindly professor whether he could borrow the professor’s own gun so that the students might shoot him.

In a similarly audacious manner, if we see iniquity in our lives and harbor it in our hearts when we pray, we are asking God for the strength we need to curse Him. We are petitioning God for more strength to disobey Him further. Just as the professor was not about to lend his gun to those who would kill him, God is not about to honor our requests made out of sinful hearts!

As I mentioned last month, sin will restrict God communicating with you. “Break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness and you” [ Hosea 10:12 ].

We must look into our own hearts—in the spiritual ground—that has perhaps been hardened over time. If we find it this way, we must ‘plow it up’!

To see what God sees, you may want to list your sins. Here is a list of suggestions (in no particular order):
– Pride
– Ingratitude
– Losing love for God
– Neglect of Bible reading
– Unbelief
– Neglect of prayer
– Lack of concern for the soles of others
– Neglect of family
– Love of the world and material things
– Envy
– A critical spirit
– Slander
– Lack of seriousness toward God
– Lying
– Cheating
– Hypocrisy
– Robbing God
– Wasting time on things that have no eternal value
– Temper
– Bad temper
– Arrogance

Yes, That’s quite a list, but you can probably add many more to that.

God will use this list of things to shine the light of his truth deep down into the dark inner recesses of your heart where Cindy is lurking. It will be like having a spiritual ‘angiogram’. The sins revealed will go farther in broader than just those on the list. Hopefully, this will be a time of conviction, confession, and cleansing.

I think one reason some believers don’t examine their hearts for sin is because they are so afraid of what they will find! It takes courage to look deep within to see what God sees. It is painful to acknowledge that they are not as good, righteous, pure, or holy as they thought they were!

But like cobwebs in the corners of a dusty, unkempt attic room, our ‘heart’ had held unconfessed sin. But, for saved sinners, the blood of Jesus never runs out. It never loses its power to cleanse and to watch us as white as snow! (Isaiah 1:18).

So, confess your sin. Tell God you are sorry. Ask Him to cleanse you from all of your sins!

 

TRANSPARENCY
So, instead of flowery oratory, our conversations with God should be marked by the genuineness of honesty and transparency.

Why do honesty and transparency matter in prayer? The simplest answer is that God already knows the true condition of our hearts, and He is not deceived or impressed by spiritual language or churchy jargon.

This transparency of heart is not limited to the prayers of prophets and Kings. Jesus Himself modeled that in the garden of Gethsemane. As He anticipated the anguish of the Cross, He said to His disciples, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death” [ Matthew 26:38 ]. He then went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” [ Matthew 26:39 ].

No lofty words of piety here. No bravado to impress any who might overhear Him. With brutal honesty, Christ bares His soul to His Father.

This powerful modeling of prayer should remind us that communion with the God of the universe is not something to be taken lightly! In the place of the olive press, only total commitment will do.

Perhaps that was the example Paul was following when he wrestled with God in prayer over his “thorn in the flesh.” This undefined source of struggle was not something that could be settled by having a brief chat with the Savior. It could only be dealt with as Paul fully engaged with the God of his heart, committed to whatever His purposes might be.

It is the honest expressions of our heart and a resolve to accept the good purposes of our good God that see us through life’s darkest moments.

 

HOW ‘NOT’ TO PRAY
One should avoid hypocritical practices. Jesus said tot he disciples, just before He gave them the “Lord’s Prayer,” “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“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.”
[ Matthew 6:5-7 ].

Even though the disciples were looking for instructions on HOW to pray, the first thing Jesus chose to tell them was HOW NOT to pray. In these verses, He laid down two restrictions on prayer, and we need to take these restrictions seriously because God is neither honored nor pleased by prayer of the type Jesus addressed here.

The first type of prayer Jesus condemned is “hypocritical” prayer. The term “hypocrisy” in the New Testament is drawn from the culture of the day, where a hypocrite was one who engaged in drama, in the theater. He was play-acting. What he was doing was not real. So the original meaning of the term had nothing to do with insincerity (we don’t charge actors today with being hypocrites or insincere simply because they re playing a role that does not correspond to their real lives). But Jesus applied the word to people who were going through the ‘motions’ of prayer, making a great external show of piety, but whose real ‘internal’ state did not match this outward show. Their piety was a sham; it was phony and fraudulent. It was a fake form of godliness—one that had been mastered by the Pharisees. Prayer, for them, was a business. Prayer was something that was expected from people in their positions, so they made a public display of their piety.

Just as Jesus warned against praying publicly in a hypocritical fashion, He also encouraged private prayer. He said, “Go into your closet, shut the door, and get on your face before God, and the Father who hears you in secret will reward you in public.” God is not interested in our public displays of piety. He’s not interested in religion in terms of the outward show. He s interested in godliness. Our spiritual lives are means to the end of godliness, and prayer is one of the key aspects of our spirituality.

The second kind of prayer Jesus condemned is “pagan” prayer. He said: “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Jesus was saying here that we must not regard prayer as some kind of magical ‘incantation’, for that is how pagans pray. They recite certain phrases over and over again, with no understanding of what the words mean. In these contexts, prayers are used as ‘mantras’, with the hope that they will change the environment or the circumstances in which a person lives. New Age thinking is filled with this type of thing. Jesus did not commend such exercises as godly forms of prayer, rather, He linked the use of vain repetitions to paganism.

Sadly, some believers treat the Lord’s Prayer this way. Since the Lord’s Prayer is an integral part of the worship services, it is often include the services’ recitations. Now, the use of the Lord’s Prayer has a rich history in the church, and whenever we pray it or hear it, we are reminded of those priorities that Jesus sees before us as objects for prayer. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer. I’ just saying that there is a ‘danger’ that it’s use may be nothing more than a recitation—becoming as mindless and as vain a repetition as the magical incantations and mantras that pagans use.

Of course, repetition has great value. Hearing it over and over again ‘may’ lead us to mindless repetition, but it doesn’t have to. It can also ‘burn’ these words and the underlying principles into our minds. Repetition in and of itself is not a bad thing. In fact, its one of the most important ingredients of learning, because it’s the rare person who masters a concept or a principle by hearing it once.

That’s the benefit of paying a prayer like the Lord’s Prayer over and over again. It becomes part of the fabric of our thinking. It begins to become a part of our souls, so that we fall back on it when we are at a loss as to how we ought to pray. We can always pray the Lord’s Prayer.

THE “SINNER’S PRAYER”
Many people have been deceived into believing that since they “prayed a prayer” one time in their life (usually called the “Sinner’s Prayer,” asking Jesus into their ‘heart’), that they are going to Heaven.

This is “easy believeism.” It’s easy just to say a ‘prayer’, sign a ‘card’, raise your hand, and ‘join’ the religion. Follow the crowd. It’s easy—and they are headed for Hell!

The thing is, you WILL NOT find that anywhere in the Bible! What one needs to do is ‘grapple with’ authentic repentance (turning away from sin, hatred of for things that God hates, a love for the things God loves, and an intense desire to become holy and like Jesus). Then, after all that, believing in Jesus alone as your Savior, and committing to being faithful to what He leads you to do/act as long as you are on this earth! (Mark 1:15). You WILL NOT be saved by some ‘magic formula’ or some words you repeated after someone else! You will ONLY BE SAVED if you have repented of your sins and put your trust in Jesus!

It IS NOT enough to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” and have a religious ‘experience’. It IS NOT enough that you go to church. It IS NOT enough to be a good person and to do your best and to be moral and to do good deeds. The ONLY ‘door’ into God’s Kingdom (and ultimately Heaven), is through a personal relationship with Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

The thing is, in many countries today, becoming a Christian may cost them EVERYTHING—even their life!!! (Luke 14:25-33).

[ FYI: For more details on the ‘cost’ of becoming a Christian, view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/it-will-cost-you-v233/ ].

‘PROHIBITIONS’
There are very few prohibitions regarding prayer that are found in the Scriptures. One of them is from the Psalms (the Bible’s “prayer book”): “If I had iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have heard” [ Psalm 66:18 ]. So, if I look at my life and see sin and nurture it, my prayers are an exercise in futility!

This does not mean that if sin is present in our lives, God will refuse to hear our prayers. It does mean that if our hearts are ‘hardened’, with a spirit of impenitence, our prayers are not only futile but a mockery of God.

Proverbs then says, “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous” [ Proverbs 15:29 ], and that “the prayer of the disobedient or rebellious is an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 28:9).

Sin is disgusting and loathsome to God, so when you are aware of it, repent and ask for forgiveness IMMEDIATELY (1 John 1:9), and God WILL FORGIVE YOU and then ‘hear your prayers!

 

PRAYER CAN BE A ‘BATTLE’
Believers need to pay attention not only to God’s Word, but to this very serious aspect of prayer. We need to know who our adversary is, what his strategy is, and how we are to protect ourselves defensively while going on the offensive against him. Our adversary, Satan, is serious!

The Bible gives us a very descriptive picture of our adversary. The Apostle Peter reveals that our real enemy is the Devil himself who is “like a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8).

The Apostle Paul was also well acquainted with spiritual warfare. His entire Christian life was comprised of one battle after another, and thankfully, one victory after another. So, when he gives us clear instructions on how to fight the Devil, he is speaking from first-hand experience!

The thing is, our ‘armor’ is also serious! These pieces are described in Ephesians 6 as follows: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit (Scripture).

Victory in spiritual matters is similar to military strategies. Victory comes when you identify the enemy, resist their attacks, and then take the initiative against them. The believer’s ‘enemy’ is Satan (the Devil), and God has provided them some “armor” to resist his attacks. The Bible tells us that the believer has every ‘resource’ necessary for spiritual victory.

Now, spiritual ‘warfare’ can be intense, but God’s grace enables the believer to prevail against Satan’s attacks—and the “Armor of God” needs to be ‘on’ at all times, because Satan wants to catch the believer off-guard! Spiritual warfare isn’t as much a ‘frontal’ attack as it is a ‘defensive’ posture (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8-9).

The first ‘piece’ of armor mentioned is the “belt of truth” (Ephesians 6:14). Truthfulness is the best defense against Satan’s lies, and true practical righteousness begins with a ‘right’ relationship with God and a moment-by-moment obedience to God. The best way for the believer to defend themselves against the cunning deceptions of Satan is to ‘gird’ themselves with a thorough knowledge of the truths of the Bible.

The Roman soldier—which the Apostle Paul was chained to when he was writing this passage—would often engage his enemy in hand-to-hand combat. At such times, the weapon of choice was a short sword, with which he sought to penetrate his opponent’s vital organs. For his protection, he wore a molded “breastplate” that extended from the base of his neck to the top of his thighs—which helped deflect ant attacks aimed at his heart and/or abdomen. The believer is to then don the “breastplate of righteousness.”

Standing firm while involved in the conflict requires the proper kind of spiritual ‘footwear’. The believer’s spiritual footwear is the “Gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). God has reconciled the believer to Himself through the death of His Son, Jesus (v. 10). So, since once the believer was an ‘enemy’ of God, they are now His ‘child’. Once God opposed the believer, but now He is on their ’side’. So, now the believer can ‘stand’ firm in the confidence that the ‘Great Ally’ will fight for them!

An on-duty Roman soldier was always dressed for battle, but he didn’t employ his shield, helmet, or sword until the fighting started. But the believer must be ready to battle at all times, because Satan is relentless—they can’t afford to overlook a single ‘piece’ of armor or to slip into complacency or neglect. That’s why the shield was of utmost importance (Ephesians 6:16). As a believer, the ’shield’ that protects them is their faith in God. Faith will protect the believer from Satan’s “flaming arrows,” which come in many forms: solicitations to impurity; selfishness; doubt; fear; disappointment; greed; vanity; and covetousness. These are why the believer’s faith must be mature and strong not to yield to Satan’s devious schemes.

The Roman soldier’s helmet was a crucial piece of their armor, designed to deflect blows to the head—especially the potentially lethal blow of a broadsword. So, to protect a believer from Satan’s crushing blows, the believer is provided the “helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17). The ‘true’ believer has the assurance that they are secure ‘in’ Christ, and the ‘helmet’ protects them from discouragement and despair.

All of the ‘armor’ I just mentioned are ‘defensive’. However, God has provided the believer with an ‘offensive’ weapon: the “sword of the Spirit” (the Bible). The Bible is a powerful and effective weapon (remember that Jesus responded to Satan in the wilderness with Scripture). The believer’s attitude toward Scripture will determine their effectiveness in any spiritual ‘battle’!

The Apostle Paul then goes on to tell us that the most important way to adequately prepare for spiritual victory is PRAYER! (Ephesians 6:18). Instead of Paul listing it as another piece of spiritual armor, he makes it ALL-PERVASIVE by instructing the believer to “pray at all times.” Prayer is the believer’s spiritual ‘lifeline’—the ‘air’ their spirit breathes.

Now, the effectiveness of each piece of armor is DIRECTLY RELATED to the ‘quality’ of a believer’s prayers! “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” [ Ephesians 6:18 ]. Even when you are clothed with the armor of God, you need to bathe it all in prayer. Prayer brings you into communion and fellowship with God so that His armor can protect you.

Just remember that Satan is a defeated foe (1 John 3:8), and the same ’power’ that defeated him ‘indwells’ the believer! Consequently, the believer is never alone, especially when they have donned their spiritual armor. Most importantly, prayer unleashes the Holy Spirit’s ‘power’ in the believer’s life (James 5:16).

God never intended for the believer to live in spiritual defeat. SO, I PRAY that you will take advantage of the resources God has supplied you to be VICTORIOUS against Satan!

So then, how does one ‘PUT ON’ the whole armor of God? Well, it’s really not as difficult as you might think. All the ‘pieces’ of the armor are found in a relationship with Jesus. When you give yourself to Jesus and ‘put on’ His righteousness, you are clothed in the whole armor of God. The Apostle Paul said it like this: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ” [ Romans 13:14 ].

Do you sometimes feel weak? Do you find yourself giving in to temptation when you really want to overcome? Are you ever discouraged? We all face these moments. But clothed in the whole armor God, the weakest of His children is more than a match for Satan. In Jesus, clothed in God’s invincible armor, you will “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,” and you will “be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil” (Ephesians 6:10, 11).

[ FYI: For in-depth details about the “Armor of God,” view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/ready-for-battle-v235/ ].

 

‘THE’ INTERCESSOR
Jesus’ prayer life was very different from ours. Jesus ‘lived’ prayer. It was just as important as breathing to Him! It was even more important than food to Him, too: “I have food to eat that you know nothing about” [ John 4:32 ].

In the final moments before being handed over to be crucified the Lord Jesus was found earnestly praying to His Father about His forthcoming betrayal and crucifixion. Jesus had called His weary disciples to be earnest in prayer as well, so that they would not fall into temptation. As the appointed time for the work of redemption drew ever closer, the Lord Jesus is found on His face beseeching the Father: “If you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” [ Luke 22:42 ].

The Father always hears the prayers of His only begotten Son, and had there been an alternative way to secure the redemption of mankind, God would surely have interjected. But, on this occasion, the heavens remained silent—for there was NO OTHER WAY!

There was no other good enough to pay the price for sin. Only the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ—where the floodgates of God’s wrath were to be poured out on His innocent Son—could satisfy the righteous requirement of a holy God.

Throughout His life, Christ had learned obedience by the things that He suffered, and so He was able to pray in spirit and truth: “not My will, but Yours, be done.” The believer must also be this earnest in prayer so that they will not fall into temptation! (remember to put on the ‘armor’ of God, specifically, the ’sword of the Spirit’).

When we face the struggles, needs, and burdens of life, we can know rest in Christ because He engages with us in our prayers. One of the great prayer—promises in the Scriptures is based on Christ’s intercession: “He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” [ Hebrews 7:25 ]. The Apostle Paul also assures us that Christ is, at this moment, at the Father’s right hand, “interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).

This ‘excites’ me for a couple of reasons. Jesus Himself is interceding with and for His own, and believers can be at rest because in His perfect wisdom. He will always intercede with perfect knowledge and in perfect relationship with the Father.

Also, we don’t have to be filled with fear or anxiety in our prayers. We can be at rest when we pray for the Father sees and hears, and the Son, who is with us always, perfectly intercedes on our behalf!

In addition to that, the Holy Spirit also helps us pray. As the Apostle Paul told the church at Rome: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” [ Romans 8:26-27 ].

Notice that Paul says that the Spirit’s significant role in our prayer lives kicks in when, “we do not know how to pray as we should.”

The Holy Spirit also helps us in our prayers in a special way. Since He perfectly knows the Father’s will, He intercedes for us as if taking our prayers and interpreting them to embrace the purposes of the Father who loves us.

In fact, we can know a wonderful sense of peace and rest in our hearts as we pray because the Spirit of God is our interpreter and He always gets it right!

Just imagine this: the Creator of the universe responds to our prayers, and we find in Him, and Him alone, the rest we can find nowhere else—what a ‘resting’ place!

Now, as the believer abandons themselves to our loving heavenly Father, aided by the intercession of the Son and the interpreting ministry of the Spirit, they can find, in prayer, a place of peace and rest—for, there, they find Him!

“HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER”
Probably the most important ‘intercessory’ prayer in the Bible is commonly called the “High Priestly Prayer,” prayed by Jesus. It was His final instructions to the disciples and before He was betrayed, arrested, and crucified. First, Jesus prays for Himself, then He prays for His disciples, and He closes the prayer by praying for ALL believers—throughout history—even for believers today and into the future.

The office of “high priest” was instituted at Mount Sinai when God gave the Law to the Israelites through Moses. Aaron, and subsequently his descendants, were chosen to be priests, who were responsible for interceding for Israel before God (Exodus 28-29). One priest was selected as the high priest who would enter the “Holy of Holies” in the Temple on the “Day of Atonement” to offer the sacrifice that would temporarily cover the sins of the people (Hebrews 9:7). However, when Jesus came, He offered His life as the ultimate sacrifice that would not only ‘cover’ the sins of the people, but completely ‘cleanse’ His people and save them—once for all the ‘elect’. So, Jesus is the ultimate High Priest, and His intercession for us in John 17 is a wonderful, multilayered example of His love.

As Jesus begins His High Priestly Prayer, He reveals that His purpose in coming to earth was to glorify the Father by giving eternal life to those who believe in Him. Now, the hour had come when Jesus’ work on earth would be finished (John 17:1), and Jesus asks the Father to glorify Him as He prepared to finish the work that would “give eternal life” to those who believe in Him (John 17:2).

Jesus continues His High Priestly Prayer by praying for His disciples. Jesus prays that the Father would protect the disciples since He will no longer be present in the world. He prays not that they will be removed from the world but specifically that they would be protected from the evil one (John 17:15). Jesus prays that His disciples would be sanctified by the truth, which is God’s Word (John 17:17), and that they would be unified (John 17:11).

After praying for His disciples, Jesus also prays for everyone who will believe in Him through their message (John 17:21). Jesus’ desire, expressed in His High Priestly Prayer, is that all of His followers would be in complete unity, just as He and the Father are in perfect unity (John 17:21). Jesus also prays that all who believe in Him will be with Him and see His glory (John 17:24). Jesus affirms that, whereas the world does not know the Father, He does, and He has made the Father known to His disciples. Jesus will continue to reveal God to His followers so that God’s love will be in His disciples and that Jesus Himself will be in them (John 17:25-26).

Jesus says that He prayed the High Priestly Prayer because He was going to the Father soon, and He wanted His disciples to “have the full measure of my joy within them” (John 17:13).

As every believers’ Great High Priest, Jesus continues to intercede for them (Hebrews 7:25), and His High Priestly Prayer is an example of what His intercession looks like. Jesus “is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25). His High Priestly Prayer, with its themes of unity, indwelling, glory, and giving, shows the profound extent of a believer’s salvation.

 

‘INTERCESSORY’ PRAYER
Quite simply, intercessory prayer is the act of praying on behalf of others. Our English word “intercession” is derived from the Latin for “to come between,” which means both “obstruct” and “to interpose on behalf of” someone.

The role of mediator in prayer was prevalent in the Old Testament, in the cases of Abraham, Moses, David, Samuel, Hezekiah, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Jesus is pictured in the New Testament as the ‘ULTIMATE’ intercessor, and because of this, all Christian prayer becomes intercession since it is offered to God through and by Christ. Now, because of Jesus’ ‘mediation’ (on the Cross), we can now intercede in prayer on behalf of other Christians or for the lost, asking God to grant their requests according to His will. Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is “at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).

A wonderful ‘model’ of intercessory prayer is found in Daniel 9. It has all the elements of true intercessory prayer. It is in response to the Word (v. 2); characterized by fervency (v. 3) and self-denial (v. 4); identified unselfishly with God’s people (v. 5); strengthened by confession (v. 5-15); dependent on God’s character (vv. 4, 7, 9, 15); and has as its goal God’s glory (vv. 16-19). Like Daniel, Christians are to come to God on behalf of others in a heartbroken and repentant attitude, recognizing their own unworthiness and with a sense of self-denial. True intercessory prayer seeks not only to know God’s will and see it fulfilled, but to see it fulfilled whether or not it benefits us and regardless of what it costs us. True intercessory prayer seeks God’s glory, not our own.

The following is only a partial list of those for whom we are to offer intercessory prayers: all in authority (1 Timothy 2:2); ministers (Philippians 1:19); Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6); friends (Job 42:8); fellow countrymen (Romans 10:1); the sick (James 5:14); enemies (Jeremiah 29:7); those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44); those who forsake us (2 Timothy 4:16); and all men (1 Timothy 2:1).

All Christians are called to be intercessors since they have the Holy Spirit in their hearts and, just as He intercedes for us in accordance with God’s will (Romans 8:26-27). We are to intercede for one another. “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you” [ 1 Samuel 12:23 ].

The Apostle Paul exhorts the Ephesian believers on the fundamentals of the Christian life, which includes intercession “on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:16-18). Clearly, intercessory prayer is part of the Christian life for all believers.

What a wonderful and exalted ‘PRIVILEGE’ the believer has in being able to come boldly before the ‘throne’ of Almighty God with our prayers and requests for others!

The prayer of intercession, wherein we experience the privilege and responsibility of praying for others and their needs. Few things say as much about the depth of our care for others as does our commitment to pray for them.

So, then, what does it look like to intercede in prayer for others? What does it mean to pray for one another? In Philippians 1:3-11, the Apostle Paul models for us a wonderful example of intercession.

Paul’s model for intercession is strikingly different, for he overwhelmingly focuses on spiritual concerns, spiritual goals, and spiritual desires. A model that each believer would be wise to learn, develop, and implement.

As Paul interceded for the Philippians, he went to that deeper reality by praying for their spiritual development. His requests are far from the ‘grocery lists’ of wants and wishes that often mark our prayers, for they reach into the hearts of his friends and their relationship with God. Notice what Paul prays for on their behalf:

– That their love might abound more and more.
– That their love might be marked by knowledge and discernment.
– That they might be able to reach for the excellent.
– That they might be sincere and blameless in their living for the Savior.
– That the righteousness of Christ might bear fruit in their lives for His honor.

Paul was not opposed to praying for the ordinary, everyday needs things of life, but above all he was committed to praying for believers’ spiritual well-being and was also committed to helping them work toward it. Paul’s passion for Christ was matched by his passion for their Christlikeness. His prayers reflect that loftiest of goals and desires, and His example can point our hearts in the right direction as we pray.

Paul set the example for intercession with his prayers for the church at Philippi, but, as always, our ultimate example is Christ Himself, who “always lives to make intercession” for us (Hebrews 7:25).

So, does intercessory prayer ‘work’? Well, prayer will ALWAYS ‘WORK’ if it lines up with God’s will, His desires, as expressed in His Word. If we are praying for other people to the glory of self rather than the glory of God, if we are living in the flesh rather than the Spirit, then our prayer has not achieved the purpose to which it was given us. As intercessors, we will not be heard by God.

Intercessory prayer is effective when we remember what it is for: Begging God with “passion” to save the lost, even though our boldness is audacious. We don’t measure up, but Christ does, and through Him, God hears us.

If we are grateful for this lavish gift, then we understand we have both privilege and power in prayer. It is not that prayer itself has the power, but that we have access to the One who has the power.

So then, is intercessory prayer ‘necessary? Well, intercessory prayer is not only a privilege but a ‘COMMAND’: “Continue steadfastly in prayer” (Colossians 4:2) [ and “imperative” in the Greek ]. Persistence in prayer is not an option for the Christian, but an ‘order’ from the Lord Himself.

Jesus means for us to understand and take seriously the fact that our prayer is a MAJOR ‘FACTOR’ in advancing God’s Kingdom in this world! We aren’t ‘necessary’ to God’s work, but God ‘wants’ to use us to reach this world for Him!.

 

THE ‘POWER’ OF PRAYER
There is no power over temptation nor victory over sin without spending time with God in prayer. Scottish-born writer and poet James Montgomery, wrote a hymn titled “Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire,” which a portion of the lyrics reinforce spending time in prayer: “Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath. The Christian’s native air; His watchword at the gates of death; He enters Heav’n with prayer.”

[ FYI: A video of the entire song is in the “Songs” section below ].

Here are some examples of prayer’s ‘power’:

– Abraham, who prayed for and received a son at the age of one hundred years
– Daniel prayed, and God closed the lions’ mouths
– Daniel, who was able to interpret dreams after prayer
– Elijah prayed, and fire rained down from heaven
– Moses prayed, and water flowed from a rock
– Moses prayed for the Israelites, and they were delivered from Egypt
– Moses, received help at the Red Sea
– Joshua prayed, and the sun stood still
– Solomon, who received great wisdom as the result of prayer
– Hannah prayed, and God gave her a son
– David prayed, and Goliath fell
– David, who escaped the treachery of Saul by prayer
– Jesus prayed, and 5,000 people were fed and satisfied with a little boy’s lunch
– Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the demons shook with terror

There are many more examples, but God’s boundless power and strength are ours when we pray and align our will with His perfect plan. People were delivered from peril, healed from diseases, saw loved ones cured, and witnessed innumerable miracles as the result of fervent prayer. “Come near to God and he will come near to you… Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:8, 10).

The ‘power’ of prayer is neither automatic nor magical. Conditions are attached to the promises of the Bible regarding prayer.

God is not a celestial ‘bellhop’ ready at our beck and call to satisfy our every whim. In some cases, our prayers must involve travail of the soul and agony of heart such as Jesus Himself experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane.

There is more to receiving what we desire from God than merely asking. Trust in God is not enough. There must be proper reverence for God, obedience to His will, and an on-going communion with Jesus. The request must be made in accordance with the revealed will of God, and in accordance with His nature and character.

Now, prayer should DEFINITELY be our first option rather than the final effort. When trouble approaches, we need to run to God in prayer. If you are weary and feel heavy-laden, take time to pray. When life is joyful, take time to praise God for His goodness through prayer. God WILL ‘empower’ you!

 

WHY PRAY IF GOD ‘KNOWS’ ALL THINGS?
God is always present in our lives and aware of our needs, but He wants to ‘partner’ with us and invite him into our struggles. God says, “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

One of the most frequently asked questions in the theology of prayer is, “Does prayer change things?” The answer is evident. The New Testament makes it clear that prayer changes all kinds of things. I will explore this issue more deeply later, but the next question that comes is, “Does prayer change God s mind?”

What would induce God to change His mind? Perhaps new information, some knowledge He lacks until we communicate it to Him for His consideration? That’s RIDICULOUS! However, the Bible does tell us that when we come to God in prayer, He already knows what we are going to ask for and He knows what we need better than we do. We have to remember that this One were talking to—He is omniscient. He doesn’t learn anything new. So if you re going to ‘change’ His mind by your prayers, it won’t be because you give Him any new information. It will be because He ‘prompted’ you to pray that way!

In short, no prayer of any human being ever uttered in history has changed the mind of God in the slightest, because His mind doesn’t ever need to be changed. Sadly, when I say that to people, they react in horror. They then say: “Why should we pray? What good is prayer if we can’t change Gods mind? Why should we even engage in this exercise? It’s an exercise in futility.” At that point, I have to remind them that, as I mentioned above, prayer does change things, all kinds of things. But the most important thing IT CHANGES US! As we engage in this ‘communion’ with God more deeply, and come to know the One with whom we are speaking to, that growing ‘intimate’ knowledge of God reveals to us all the more brilliantly who we are and our need to change in conformity to Him. Prayer changes us profoundly!

God did not give prayer to the Church for His benefit. He has ‘condescended’ to give us an audience. He has invited us into His heavenly ‘palace’. He has lifted the ‘scepter’ and told us to enter. We have access to His very ‘throne’! BUT, sometimes we come into His presence far too casually. We come to Him and say, “Hi. God, how are you doing.” We talk to Him with the kind of familiarity that breeds contempt. It’s a familiarity that reveals we have forgotten who He is and who we are. We have forgotten that we are ‘peasants’ in the presence of the King. Not just a king, but THE KING, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the One who is absolutely sovereign!

I want you to notice that in the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, there is a word that recurs. The petitions speak of “Your name,” “Your Kingdom,” and “Your will.” The word “Your” keeps coming up in reference to things that are God’s.

Finally, in the fourth petition, we read, “Give us this day our daily bread.” We have to go a long way into this prayer before we find any attention or concern given to us. The attention at the beginning of these petitions is on the exaltation of God and His concerns. In the initial phrases of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus fixes our gaze not on ourselves but on God.

People ask: “What are the rules for prayer? How should we approach God in prayer? What is the right way to pray?” Well, there are really only two ‘rules’ that you have to keep in mind when one is in prayer, two things that should drive and govern and control your prayer life with the Almighty: You should remember who is being addressed and who is doing the speaking. That is, the first thing you are to remember in prayer is who it is you are talking to, because nothing will condition your prayer life more deeply than remembering that you are in conversation with God, the sovereign Creator, and Ruler of the universe. Secondly, you are to remember who you are. You are not God. You are a creature. So prayer is not a conversation between peers. It is not a ‘fireside chat’ among equals. This is the creature speaking to his sovereign Creator.

 

DOES PRAYER ‘CHANGE’ GOD?
Amazingly, God’s sovereign plan is brought about through our actions. In God’s Providence, at the same time, He chooses and ordains the ends, but He also uses us in the means to bring those ends to fruition. It’s a ‘mystery’ how sovereignty and freedom go together.

The mystery is that when we pray specifically, we petition God according to His sovereign plan! So sovereignty and prayer and petitionary prayer go hand-in-hand. Never shall the two be separated. Scripture holds them together and we must hold them together in our thinking and in our practice

It’s a paradox. We volitionally, willfully choose to act in a certain way and yet—as it says in Acts 4:28: “to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” That’s hard to understand. That’s inscrutable!

 

WHY DON’T MY PRAYERS GET ‘ANSWERED’?
How many of us have prayed for something again and again and nothing has happened? I’m thinking ALL OF US. So then why does this happen if, as the Bible says, God hears ALL of a believer’s prayers?

Well, the thing is God DOES ANSWER, but sometimes the believer doesn’t like how it was answered—“No” or “wait”—not getting a “Yes” every time.

An unknown teenager said that God answers prayer four ways: “Yes, no, wait a while, and you’ve got to be kidding!” ;^D

I remember years ago I read a story about a man who was being pursued by a roaring hungry lion feeling the beasts hot breath on his neck—and knowing his time was short. He began to pray as he ran he crying out in desperation, “Oh Lord, please make that lion a Christian.” Within seconds the frightened man became aware that the lion had stopped the chase. When he looked behind him, he found the lion kneeling and his lips were moving in an obvious prayer. Greatly relieved at this turn of events, the young man went to join the lion in his meditation. As he approached the king of the jungle and he was near enough to hear the lion, it was praying, “Oh Lord, bless this food which I am exceedingly grateful for!” ;^D

Let’s be honest, there’s nothing really funny about praying, and not feeling like your prayers are getting answered. Daniel’s chapter 10 does give us some insight in this, as well as other areas of the Bible. The following are what I have gathered as the most relevant reasons:

 

NO ‘RELATIONSHIP’!!!
Well, first off, the Bible says that God does not hear and answer the prayers of those who do not belong to his ‘family’—because you don’t have a ‘relationship’ with God. Only a follower of Jesus can have a ‘relationship’ with God the Father (John 14:6). The only prayer that God does hear from an unbeliever is, “God be merciful to me a sinner,” and the heartfelt, sincere request to become “born again.”

We are NOT all ‘children’ of God by birth. We have to be “born again” to become a ‘child’ of God. In fact, there’s a verse in Proverbs, Proverbs 15:8 which says, that the sacrifices, which would have included prayers, the sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord. But the prayers of the upright are His delight!

So, for someone who is not a believer to assume that God will hear them because of their sincerity, or the depth of their need, or whatever, is the greatest possible offense to God!

For anyone to presume that they can come in their own righteousness, and God will answer, is a Gospel issue, because it implies, I don’t need Jesus, thank you very much. “I am righteous enough.”

That is why prayers made without Jesus ‘in the mix’ are an abomination to the Lord, because it strikes at the ‘heart’ of the Gospel.

However, God welcomes ALL prayers believers, who will come to Him ‘THROUGH’ His Son, Jesus.

 

UNPRAYERED PRAYERS
Another reason that our prayers are not answered is because of unprayed prayers. James said, “You do not have, because you do not ask” [ James 4:2 ]. Sometimes we don’t get what we want from God simply because we don’t ask for it!

Pastor David Jeremiah tells of a drama that his church performed that had a man coming to heaven and the file cabinets were the vestibule of heaven. when he got to heaven St. Peter welcomed him and he asked Peter what are all these file cabinets. “oh, there’s a drawer in one of these cabinets for you that contains all the things that God wanted to give to his people for which they never asked. (I want my cabinet drawer to be empty when I get to Heaven!)

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” [ Matthew 7:7 ]. We have not because we ask not. Know that in the original Greek it is a it’s a continuous ongoing process. That means you “keep” asking, “keep” seeking, and “keep knocking. You don’t ‘back off’. You continue on in your prayers. You should never stop praying!

The Devil doesn’t want you to pray because he knows there’s power in prayer. He knows things happen when we pray. (Just remember in Ephesians 6 that it talks about putting on the ‘armor of God’, because we’re in a spiritual battle). The Devil will do everything he can to cut you off from praying. Remember this that, “greater is He that is in us and he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

 

UNCONFESSED SIN
Many times, unconfessed sin can hinder one’s prayers from being answered.

Puritan preacher William Grinnell said, “When people do not mind what God speaks to them in His Word, God does not mind what they say to him in their prayers.” John Bunyan (author of “The Pilgrims Progress”) once said, “Prayer will make a man cease from sin or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.”

One of the most famous verses about this subject says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” [ Psalm 66:18 ]. ‘Practicing’ sin as a believer will
bring your prayer life to a screeching halt!

Now, everybody sins every single day, and we sin in ways we are not even aware of. That’s why it’s always a good idea to pray, “Lord forgive me of my sin” even if you’re not aware of any particular sin you’ve committed.

But, there’s a difference between ‘unintentional’ sin and ‘intentional’ sin—and a person who is on a path of habitually continuous deliberate sin is “of the Devil” (1 John 3:8).

Proverbs says that the “Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous” [ Proverbs 15:29 ], and that, “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law even his prayer is an abomination” [ Proverbs 28:9 ].

The prophet Isaiah said, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!” [ Isaiah 1:15 ].

The Apostle Peter said, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” [ 1 Peter 3:12 ].

As I have mentioned previously, the prayer God wants to hear from us when we have sin in our lives is: “If we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” [ 1 John 1:9 ].

It’s what we do with sin when it happens that God cares about. He’s opened a ‘way’ for us to have instantaneous forgiveness, but if we harbor something that we know is evil something that’s sinful, and then when we try to pray, we will often find it to be very difficult sometimes our prayers are not answered.

So, if you really love the Lord you will be conscious of sin and you will be unhappy while you’re living in sin and you will want to confess that sin. BUT, unconfessed sin will absolutely hinder your prayer life!

 

AN UNBELIEVING MIND
Sometimes our prayers are not answered because of unbelieving minds. James says, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” [ James 1:6-8 ].

To be double-minded is to, at first, give the issue to God, but to take it back as we try to work out the solution ourselves, instead of trusting God. God is just going to wait for you to trust Him fully before He intervenes!

 

UNRIGHTEOUS MOTIVES
Sometimes our prayers don’t get answered because of unrighteous motives. Again, James says, “You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” [ James 2d-3 ].

God is not there in Heaven just waiting for you to ‘ping’ Him so He can give you everything you have ever dreamed of (no matter what you’ve heard on television or on the radio by the “Word of Faith”/prosperity preachers).

The Apostle John tells us that, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us” [ 1 John 5:14 ].

King David said that, “If you delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” [ Psalm 37:4 ].

The proper ‘motives’ will get God listening to your prayers!

 

UNFORGIVENESS
Another reason that prayers don’t get answered is unforgiveness or unresolved conflicts.

Mark tells us that, “When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” [ Mark 11:25 ].

Jesus is saying that is you are holding anything against anyone, you must first forgive them so your Father in Heaven may forgive you of your sins. You need to remember that God has forgiven you in the same way

Again, Matthew says that, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift” [ Matthew 5:23-24 ].

The Bible says that if you are harboring resentment, unforgiveness, or anger in your heart toward another brother or sister, it may not ‘shut down’ your prayer life, but it will DEFINITELY HINDER IT!

 

SELFISHNESS
Then there is selfishness, which can also hinder your prayers. Again, James 4:3 says when you pray and you do not receive it’s because you ask the wrong motives that you may spend it on your pleasures—just like a wrong motive.

Another reason that we fail to see the desired answers to our prayers may be because we are praying for things the believer already has ‘in’ Christ.

 

AN ‘IDOL’
One’s prayers may not be answered because they have an idol in their life—they’ve embraced things that make them fall into sin.

An ‘idol’ a god with a small “g.” It is anyone or anything that takes the place of the true and living God in your life. An idol can be an object you can drive, you can live inside, or even a relationship. An idol is what you are more passionate about than God.

 

AN ‘UNCOMPASSIONATE’ HEART
Having an uncompassionate heart will also ‘hinder’ a believer’s prayers.

Proverbs tells us that, “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered” [ Proverbs 21:13 ].

Now, this is NOT about trying to feed the world’s hungry—although we ought to be concerned about—this prayer barrier is about failing to have compassion for those WE KNOW who are in need.

When you don’t ask God to make you sensitive to people you can help, then it will be hard for you to have the relationship in prayer that you desire.

 

SUPERNATURAL ‘BATTLE’
Another reason that ones prayers are not answered is that there may be a supernatural battle raging behind the scenes.

“But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia” [ Daniel 10:13 ]. this is something that you might not even know the is happening, but does. The believer must just trust that God will protect them.

 

THE ‘BLESSING’ OF UNANSWERED PRAYER
Well, as a reminder, I started this post off with a snippet from the movie, “Bruce Almighty,” where Bruce said, “Yes” to everyone’s prayer—and mayhem ensued!

Someone asked Mahatma Gandhi, “lf you were given the power to remake the world, what would you do first?” He replied: “I would pray for power to renounce that power.”

Well, Jesus actually did renounce His power while He was on this earth, refusing Satan’s three offers: to dazzle the crowds with a miracle, to rule the world, and to protect Himself from harm. Even though He did exercise supernatural power—at times for very specific reasons—He did so on a local scale and not on that global ‘stage’, prompted by compassion and not the spectacle, and never for self-promotion or self-protection.

Jesus’ life, in fact, shows the delicate balance required when supernatural power impinges on this world. Immature persons like the fictional Bruce Nolan and mature persons like Mahatma Gandhi soon realize they lack the wisdom to balance the will, divine intervention, and self-sacrifice—the very wisdom Jesus demonstrated during His time on earth.

Most of us learn, over time, that some prayers prove better off unanswered. As a child, Amy Carmichael used to pray for God to change her eyes from brown to blue. Later, as a missionary, her brown eyes made her less ‘foreign’ and intimidating to Indian children.

Country singer Garth Brooks had a hit song in which he recalls his impassioned prayers for God to melt the heart of a high school sweetheart, later apparent to him that it would have been a terrible choice. Garth said, “Just because He doesn’t answer doesn’t mean He doesn’t care. Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”

From these unanswered prayers, I gain a glimmer of insight into the riddle of prayer. What if King David’s son had lived and reigned as King instead of Solomon? What if the prophets’ prayers had been answered and Israel had established itself as a world power, its citizens holding their religion tight to their chests, unshared with the world? What if the Apostle Paul had been healed, making him a more agile missionary but perhaps one of insufferable pride (as he feared). Finally, what if Jesus had received the answer He prayed for in a moment of dread—to remove the ‘cup’ of suffering, and not have to die on the Cross? His rescue would have meant humanity’s ruin!

Christian author and lay theologian C.S. Lewis observed that,

“The essence of request, as distinct from compulsion, is that it may or may not be granted. And if an infinitely wise Being listens to the requests of finite and foolish creatures, of course He will sometimes grant and sometimes refuse them. Invariable ‘success’ in prayer would not prove the Christian doctrine at all. It would prove something much more like magic.

“It is not unreasonable for a headmaster to say, ‘Such and such things you may do according to the fixed rules of this school. But such and such other things are too dangerous to be left to general rules. If you want to do them you must come and make a request and talk over the whole matter with me in my study. And then we’ll see.’”

As Lewis acknowledged, the real problem lies not in the fact of refusal but in the Bible’s lavish promises. In a nutshell, the MAIN DIFFICULTY with unanswered prayers is that Jesus seemed to promise that there need not be any.

I have a book titled, “Prayer of the Martyrs,” which reproduces actual prayers of martyrs from AD 107 (Ignatius of Antioch) to 1980 (Archbishop Oscar Romero). I find it shocking how few prayed for deliverance, as in the background lions roared, gladiators sharpened their swords, or, in Romero’s case, assassins fastened ammunition clips onto their automatic weapons. The martyrs prayed for families left behind, for the steadfastness of their faith, for strength to endure death without shame. Some thanked God for the privilege of suffering, surprised they would be counted worthy, and some forgave their persecutors. VERY FEW asked for a miracle!

Theologian Ronald Goetz calls himself an “occasionist,” and believes that God acts in response to prayer, but with “baffling unpredictability.” (Of course, most of us pray with baffling unpredictability, too.)

Reviewing the alternatives, God could act alone, ignoring us and our prayers, or He could leave matters entirely in our hands with no direct involvement from Him in human history. The first option contradicts the whole motive behind creating personal beings made in God’s image, and the second option is too ominous to contemplate!

We have, instead, a relationship with God based on constant ‘negotiation’. We inform God what we think should be done in the world, and in the process, God reminds us of our role in making it happen (desiring to ‘work’ with humans instead of just dictating it Himself). Rarely do we get everything we want, and I imagine the same holds true for God.

The ‘trail’ of God at work rarely follows a straight line, which means our prayers may well produce different answers than we expect. For whatever reason—God’s sense of irony, antagonistic spiritual powers, and the vicissitudes of a fallen planet—produce prayers that get answered in ways we could neither predict nor imagine.

Although some believe the Apostle Paul was ‘superhuman’, he did grow ‘weary’. In his most important letter, Romans, in a very passionate passage, he goes through a verbal wrestling match with God in which he struggles openly with this the great unanswered prayer of his life—the Jews’ rejection of Jesus as their promised Messiah.

Paul acknowledges one important side benefit—the “surprise factor”—of this most distressing development: the Jews’ rejection of Jesus led to his acceptance by the Gentiles. It seems strange, he admits, that the Gentiles who did not pursue God’s ‘gift’ attained it, whereas the Jews who did pursue it had not attained it—not at that time anyway (They will, however, at the end of the Great Tribulation—which is what the Tribulation is all about—bringing the Jews back to God).

[ FYI: For more details about what will happen to the Jews during the Tribulation, view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post, and look for “Petra”: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/final-tribulation-v246/ ].

 

Paul is trying to make sense of history, a very personal history. Sometimes his passion interrupts: “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved” [ Romans 10:1 ]. He plows over the same ground, looking for something he may have missed. And he concludes that God hasn’t rejected the Jews, to the contrary, they have the same opportunity as Gentiles. God has widened, not closed, the embrace of humanity.

The prose begins to soar as Paul steps back to consider the big picture. Then comes this burst of doxology in the midst of Paul’s dissertation on an unanswered prayer:

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”

“‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen”
[ Romans 11:33-36 ].

In the end, unanswered prayer brings me face-to-face with the mystery that silenced Paul: the profound difference between my perspective and God’s:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts”
[ Isaiah 55:8-9 ].

An unknown Confederate soldier is believed to have written the following in response to his unanswered prayers:

“I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey …

“I asked for health, that I might do great things.
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things …

“I asked for riches, that I might be happy.
I was given poverty, that I might be wise …

“I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God …

“I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things …

“I got nothing I asked for—but everything I had hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

“I am, among men, most richly blessed.”

I’m thinking that some believers will have to wait until they get to Heaven before they know what some of their prayers were unanswered!

 

THE ‘MYSTERY’ OF PRAYER
When we pray, we are not praying to a weak, undecided Being who is wringing His ‘hands’ and hoping everything will turn out okay in the end. We are praying to the sovereign Ruler of the universe, who is planning to accomplish His ultimate ends for our good and for His own honor, and who will accomplish His purposes in His time and in His way.

The Apostle Paul said that we are God’s “fellow workers” (1 Corinthians 3:9). Why? Well, because we participate with Him in making His purposes accomplished in the world, and we do that, in part, as we pray.

It has often been said that any truth taken to an extreme can become a form of heresy. This also can occur when we ignore the two elements of the Bible’s story of God’s dealings with mankind—God’s will and our will. If we fail to do this, we are likely to lose our ‘balance’. In fact, failure to balance both truths—God’s sovereignty and our participation—can actually lead to a warped and unhealthy view of prayer.

Pushing too hard on the side of God’s sovereignty can lead followers of Jesus to become apathetic or even fatalistic about the value of prayer, saying, “Why should I even bother to pray if God is going to do whatever He wants anyway?”

Pushing too hard on our participation in prayer can cause believers to think that their prayers must direct and determine the outcomes for which they pray, to the point of even manipulating God Himself.

This is the fundamental reality and the mystery of prayer: God is in control and will accomplish all His purposes in the world, and at the same time, the effective prayer of righteous men and women accomplish much and make a difference! (James 5:16). When we humbly allow for this mystery, we learn to ‘rest’ in God’s wisdom and trust His resolution of the things, and that we would not be able to sort it out on our own. So, we are instructed to just leave it in His ‘hands’.

The God of mystery calls us to trust in Him and depend upon Him—and join Him in His work. He is a God worth serving, worth knowing, and with whom we can entrust our prayers, mystery and all.

 

‘CONFIDENCE’ IN GOD
At the core of a believer’s confidence—laid out for them in the Book of Hebrews—is “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” [ Hebrews 4:15-16 ].

This is the nature of the God to whom we pray, the nature of the Son, and His care for His flock. “We can draw near with confidence to the throne of grace” because of who God is and how much He loves us.

Sometimes we feel that confidence should be rooted in what we can do and how we can perform, but nothing could be further from the truth! The confidence that we carry into our prayers is not in ourselves or our faith or our skill as prayers. Nor is it a confidence that everything is going to work out as we have planned, hoped, or desired. It is the confidence that God guarantees that His purposes will ultimately be accomplished. It is the confidence that in our God we can find help when you need it!

When we go to the “the throne of grace,” we find God much more than sufficient for the heartaches, challenges, disappointments, and pains. We can trust in that because our trust is in Him. That trust is key because trust is the opposite of worry! Jesus repeatedly challenges us, “Do not worry!” (Matthew 6:25-26). Over and over He repeats that theme. Then Paul reaffirms it: “Be anxious for nothing!” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Then, the Apostle Peter adds his voice to the chorus, saying that “He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Instead of fear, doubt, worry, or anxiety, we can go to God in prayer with confidence that He is more than enough for whatever we are facing!

When we go to God in prayer, we do so because we are confident that He can help. However, that help does not always take the shape we might have chosen or anticipated, but as the writer of Hebrews makes it clear (4:16), when the believer goes to Gods ‘throne’, they can be confident of His help: Because of His ‘invitation’ to the believer; Because of His ‘heart’ for the believer; and because of His ‘promise’ to the believer.

When we pray, we are merely going to where we have been invited, by the God who cares for us more deeply and understands us more profoundly than we can ever begin to grasp. We come to the God who is able to do something about our every concern and need.

It is often the very absence of that confidence that discourages us from praying. The irony is that this lack of confidence keeps us from the very ‘vehicle’ (prayer) that God has provided so that we can have confidence. In fact, Jesus taught His followers a parable about prayer for that purpose: “Now He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” [ Luke 18:1 ]. In this parable He told them of a widow who was being treated unjustly, but hearing her cries for help, the judge gave up and gave her what she wanted: “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?” [ Luke 18:6-7 ].

Jesus’ point was that if this woman could have confidence that she could get a hearing and help from an unjust judge, how much more should we have confidence in the God who is altogether righteous in all that He does. How much more can we trust Him to come to our aid as we cry out to Him for help? That is the core of our confidence—God cares, God is able, and He is very much engaged in the deepest needs of our hearts!

It is in the spirit of that same confidence that hymn writer William Walford wrote words that continue to stir our trust and confidence in our God today:

“Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare,
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!”

[ A video of the entire hymn is in the “Songs” section below ].

 

The believer also needs to be confident in God’s ‘perspective’, since our perspective is like looking through a ‘pinhole’ and we don’t see the whole picture. If we could, we would see that what we long for may not be good for us or for those we love. (How many times I have been thankful that God has not given me everything I’ve asked Him for). The believer needs to temper their prayers with the awareness that it is only when they get to Heaven that they will see the whole picture. Then we “shall know fully just as [we are] also known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Scottish theologian P. T. Forsythe wrote, “We shall come one day to a heaven when we shall gratefully see that God’s great refusals were sometimes the truest answers to our prayers.”

In addition to this, the believer should also be confident in God’s wisdom, since He knows our deepest need(s). I heard of a story that tells of a single mother who prayed to God for $2,000—to bring her financial relief. However, God denied the request as she expressed it. Instead, God ‘gave’ her a job that she was good at. Then He ‘arranged’ for her to befriend a lady who helped her learn to manage her finances herself. In time, she was able to look back and see that God did answer her request, but in a way that reflected His wisdom—and she was much better off than just getting the $2,000! The best part it was that she GREW in her faith and trust in God!

This also ‘speaks’ to having a confidence in God’s timing. The house sells later than we wanted or the baby arrives two weeks sooner than we expected. But, come to find out, God’s timing is always best because of His ability to orchestrate the circumstances of our lives in the best way, since He knows the future. None of us like to wait (for ANYTHING), but when we do, God works out the BEST resolution!

Baptist pastor Oswald Chambers understood that waiting is part of prayer, and commented about the verse, “Men always ought to pray and not lose heart” [ Luke 18:1b ]. He wrote, “Jesus taught His disciples the prayer of patience. If you are right with God and God delays the answer to your prayer, don’t misjudge Him. Don’t think of Him as an unkind friend, or an unnatural father, or an unjust judge, but keep at it. Your prayer will certainly be answered, for ‘everyone who asks receives.’ Pray and do not ‘cave in’. Your heavenly Father will explain it all one day. He cannot just yet because He is developing your character. “Forget the character,” you say. “I want Him to grant my request.” God then says, “What I am doing far exceeds what you can see or know. Just trust Me!”

The psalmist Asaph also learned to overcome such disillusionment when he was reminded of the wider perspective of God:

“Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men… Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children. When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me—until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awakes, so, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind. I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

[ Psalm 73:1-5,13-26 ].

As we learn to wait for God, we can begin to find delight in what we already know about Him. We can accept the invitation of the psalmist to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!” [ Psalm 100:4 ].

Another way to be confident in God is to rejoice in the promises He gives us about prayer. The Apostle Paul named promises in his classic prayer passage: “Do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7): Peace that surpasses understanding, and one’s heart and mind will be guarded.

 

DEFER TO GOD’S ‘PERSPECTIVE’
Sometimes it seems that God has put us ‘on hold’. However, most of the time He is doing something in our lives. But, from our perspective, our deepest, most cherished request is not being granted. We know He’s listening, but He has simply decided not to respond—at least in our timing.

In the Old Testament, Hannah knew what it was like to feel rejected by God (1 Samuel 1:1-18). She was one of two women married to a man named Elkanah. Peninnah, the other wife, had borne him children, but Hannah was barren in a day when childlessness was considered a sign of God’s displeasure. To make matters worse, Peninnah took cruel delight in mocking Hannah’s barrenness whenever the family made their annual trip to the house of God to offer a sacrifice.
Hannah’s distress lasted for years even though she was a devout and faithful woman. She prayed and prayed. Yet God didn’t answer. On one trip to the house of God she wept so hard and was so beside herself that the presiding priest accused her of being drunk.

However, Hannah’s story continues. In God’s time—at just the RIGHT TIME—God gave Hannah a son. She became the mother of Samuel (verses 1:19-20), who, in time, would become a priest and prophet who would CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY!

In God’s time, Hannah’s sense of spiritual rejection was changed to joy. In an overwhelming song of praise to God, Hannah showed that her deepest longing was not for a son, but to know that she was accepted and approved by God (1 Samuel 2:1-10). Hannah’s bitterness was then turned into undescribable joy!

So, for every generation to come, her experience would show that what counts is not whether God immediately answers our prayers. The issue is whether we are humbly waiting on His wisdom and timing.

When Hannah’s experience is combined with the rest of Scripture, we begin to see some of the many reasons for deferring not to our emotions, but to the wisdom of God.

 

PRAYER IS ‘HOPEFUL’
In John Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” a ‘fallen’ Adam and Eve wander the earth disconsolate, wondering at their deeds that have seemed to knock the entire planet off its ‘axis’. Wondering whether God would ever ‘incline’ toward them again. Then Adam saw a ray of hope:

Eve, easily may faith admit, that all
The good which we enjoy from Heaven descends;
But, that from us aught should ascend to Heaven
So prevalent as to concern the mind
Of God high-blest, or to incline his will,
Hard to belief may seem; yet this will prayer
Or one short sigh of human breath, upborne
Even to the seat of God. For since I sought
By prayer the offended Deity to appease;
Kneeled, and before him humbled all my heart;
Methought I saw him placable and mild,
Bending his ear; persuasion in me grew
That I was heard with favour; peace returned
Home to my breast, and to my memory
His promise, that thy seed shall bruise our foe;
Which, then not minded in dismay, yet now
Assures me that the bitterness of death
Is past, and we shall live. Whence hail to thee,
Eve rightly called, mother of all mankind,
Mother of all things living, since by thee
Man is to live; and all things live for Man.

To whom thus Eve with sad demeanour meek.
Ill-worthy I such title should belong
To me transgressour; who, for thee ordained
A help, became thy snare; to me reproach
Rather belongs, distrust, and all dispraise:
But infinite in pardon was my Judge,
That I, who first brought death on all, am graced
The source of life; next favourable thou,
Who highly thus to entitle me vouchsaf’st,
Far other name deserving. But the field
To labour calls us, now with sweat imposed,
Though after sleepless night; for see!the morn,
All unconcerned with our unrest, begins
Her rosy progress smiling: let us forth;
I never from thy side henceforth to stray,
Where’er our day’s work lies, though now enjoined
Laborious, till day droop; while here we dwell,
What can be toilsome in these pleasant walks?
Here let us live, though in fallen state, content.”

As Alexander Pope well said in his poem, “An Essay of Man,” “Hope springs eternal,” the feeling of hopefulness endlessly renews itself when one is ‘connected’ to God!

His poem was an effort to “vindicate the ways of God to man” (l.16), and was a variation of John Milton’s claim in the opening lines of “Paradise Lost,” that he will “justify the ways of God to men” (1.26). It is concerned with the natural order God has decreed for man. Because man cannot know God’s purposes, he cannot complain about his ‘position’, and must accept that, “Whatever IS, is RIGHT” (l.292):

“Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions soar;
Wait the great teacher Death; and God adore!
What future bliss, he gives not thee to know,
But gives that hope to be thy blessing now.
Hope springs eternal in the human breast:
Man never is, but always to be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come”…

“Cease then, nor order imperfection name:
Our proper bliss depends on what we blame.
Know thy own point: This kind, this due degree
Of blindness, weakness, Heav’n bestows on thee.
Submit.—In this, or any other sphere,
Secure to be as blest as thou canst bear:
Safe in the hand of one disposing pow’r,
Or in the natal, or the mortal hour.
All nature is but art, unknown to thee;
All chance, direction, which thou canst not see;
All discord, harmony, not understood;
All partial evil, universal good:
And, spite of pride, in erring reason’s spite,
One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.”

 

PRAYER IS ‘RESTFUL’
Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” [ Matthew 11:28-30 ].

Notice that Jesus does not try to minimize the harshness of life. Instead, He candidly describes the challenges of life with two visceral, descriptive words: “labor” and “heavy-laden.”

These words speak specifically to just how difficult life is. It is hard work, and in life we are often greatly burdened. That is why Jesus pleads with us to come to Him and to find in Him our source of rest. That, in part, is why we have been given the privilege of prayer. When life is sometimes too ‘big’ for us, we are ‘prompted’ to be dependent upon God. However, that dependence is only part of the equation.

Jesus calls us to Himself and we respond in prayer—where we find rest. In prayer, we not only engage with Jesus, but with all three Persons of the Godhead, who work on our behalf to relieve our problems and help us in our seasons of struggle and weariness.

 

PRAYING ‘THROUGH’ THE BIBLE
The Scriptures were written by people who felt the same desires and faced the same discouragements as we do. They too were dismayed at times by their circumstances. They knew what it was like to cry out to a ‘silent’ God, to come to the ‘end’ of themselves, and to feel their emotions going ‘over the edge’. YET, the people of the Bible are important to us because they lived long enough to tell us that they recovered their sense of joy and confidence in God. As we struggle through our own fears and disappointments, we can find renewed hope by using their thoughts as a reflection of our own hearts and prayers.

Praying the Scriptures is so important in the Christian life. If we don’t form the habit of doing so, our prayers will almost certainly degenerate into vain repetitions that eventually revolve entirely around our immediate private concerns, rather than God’s larger purposes.

First off, we should notice that the early church prayed the Scriptures (in Acts 4:24 and following). In fact, they explicitly quoted the Scriptures. Even though threats had been made against them, it says, “They lifted their voices together to God and said, ‘Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them’” [ Acts 4:24 ]. They are exulting in what they know from God in Scripture. Then they said, “Who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’” [ Acts 4:25-26 ]. That is a quotation from Psalm 2. So, we know that the early church prayed back to God the very words that God had given them—for example, in the Psalms.

Secondly, don’t forget the obvious: many parts of the Scripture are prayers in themselves. So, one just needs to simply read them to pray.

Thirdly, remember that the Apostle Paul has numerous prayers that he prays for the people that he is writing his letters to. So, every time one reads those verse, they are praying ‘with’ Paul.

Fourthly, a great portion of the Psalms are prayers, and finally, Jesus gave us some prayers—primarily the one I am featuring in the post: the “Lord’s Prayer.”

 

Pastor John Piper uses the acronym “I.O.U.S.” from the Psalms to guide how he prays the Scriptures (and you may want to try using it, too):

I – Incline my heart to your testimonies (Psalm 119:36)
O – Open my eyes to see wonderful things (Psalm 119:18)
U – Unite my heart to fear your name (Psalm 86:11)
S – Satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love (Psalm 90:14)

So, the Scripture ‘models’ for us about how to turn it into prayers.

Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology Andy Naselli said that, “if we pray Scripture as we read through the Bible, that will force us to pray about a rich variety of issues in scriptural proportion.”

He then goes on to suggest four ways to pray using Scripture:

1. Recognize the Context
Read several chapters or verses before and after the passage to ensure you understand what the passage is about.

2. Select Applicable Passages
Some parts of a passage will be more useful for your own prayer than others. Consider, for example, David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 17:16 – 27. We’re not kings over Israel, yet like David we can say, “Who am I, LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” and “There is no one like you, LORD, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears” (verses 16, 20).

3. Pray from Your Perspective
When we pray a passage, the perspective might differ from that of the original speaker or writer. For instance, David prayed, “You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him” (1 Chronicles 17:25). While God has not promised to build us a house like David’s, he has promised that in his own house are many rooms and that he is preparing a place for us (see John 14:1 – 4). We have to be careful about twisting the texts in a way that transforms their meaning. But when we pray Scripture we can include our own context in a Biblical way.

4. Personalize Your Praise
One of the best uses of praying Scripture is to expand our methods for praising God. By personalizing a passage, we can make almost any passage of Biblical adoration our own.

When it comes to prayer, a primary stumbling block is the idea that when speaking to God we should be original and impromptu, that our prayers should be spoken “from the heart” and done without preparation. But when we look in the Bible we find Christians—even Jesus Himself—praying using the Psalms: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (His dying prayer on the Cross was a quotation of Psalm 22:1 – See Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).

Pastor Ben Patterson recommends an approach to praying the Psalms that can work for other Bible passages: “Rejoice, Repent, and Request.”

So, to pray using Scripture, ask the following three questions:
1) What about a passage gives you reason to REJOICE, to give thanks and praise?
2) Is there something about this passage that reveals sin in my own life that should lead me to REPENTANCE?
3) Does the passage lead me to make a REQUEST of God for myself or others?

The German martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that when we pray Scripture, we are praying ‘with’ Jesus:

“All prayers of the Bible are such prayers which we pray together with Jesus Christ, in which he accompanies us, and through which he brings us into the presence of God. Otherwise there are no true prayers, for only in and with Jesus Christ can we truly pray. If we want to read and to pray the prayers of the Bible and especially the Psalms, therefore, we must not ask first what they have to do with us, but what they have to do with Jesus Christ.”

Praying ‘through’ Scripture can be a helpful way to ensure our prayers are ‘shaped’ by God’s Word.

[ FYI: In the “Resources” area, there is a great book I have read through titled, “Praying the Prayers of the Bible” by James Banks. It is well worth picking it up! ]

 

YOUR ‘NEXT’ PRAYER!
Your next prayer could change your life—for here on earth and for eternity!

So, after all of what I’ve presented, if you are NOT A BELIEVER, I implore you to ACT RIGHT NOW! Ask God to help you make the decision to push through your mental ‘roadblocks’, overcome any hindrances, and begin a personal ‘relationship’ with God—the ONY WAY to get your prayers answered!

Take the most basic step of all and realize that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23), and you can’t save yourself (Ephesians 2:8-9). You need a ‘Mediator’ to make peace between you and a holy God—and Jesus is that Person.

Jesus, the sinless Son of God, lived the perfect life that you could never live (1 Peter 2:22), and He died on the Cross to pay YOUR PENALTY for all your sins (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). His resurrection was then the proof that His sacrifice was acceptable to God the Father (Revelation 1:4-6), and you can RECEIVE FORGIVENESS for your sins by placing your trust in Jesus as your Lord as our Savior by faith (John 3:16).

So, ask God to ‘SAVE’ YOU from the deserved penalty of your own sins. Trust Him to rescue you. You will find that this request will be the MOST IMPORTANT PRAYER you will ever pray—to become “born again” and a disciple of Jesus—which will then affect every area of your life, especially the commitment to pray.

This prayer for salvation then provides an UNSHAKABLE FOUNDATION for all of the other prayers you will offer up to God!

[ FYI: For more details about become one of God’s ‘children’, read this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post and look for the header “Becoming One of God’s ‘CHILDREN’!”: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/got-your-attention-yet-v255/ ].

 

WRAP UP
So, what is prayer? Well, it’s essentially ‘conversation’ with God, that specifically includes things like worship, ‘communion’, surrendering one’s will, making requests for supply, confessing one’s sins, giving thanks, forgiving, asking for ‘protection’, interceding for others, and ‘celebrating’.

The idea of talking ‘to’ God can be intimidating. BUT, it doesn’t have to be! In fact, prayer can be a wonderful experience if we know how to do it God’s way. Fortunately, as I have just shown above, we have the Bible to teach us how to pray.

The Bible instructs the believer to pray all time, in any posture, in any place, for any reason. In addition to that, it does not matter what words that are used, whether it is formal, informal, of somewhere in between. God only desires that the believer pray from a pure and sincere ‘heart’.

The disciples observed the profound effect prayer had in Jesus’ life. They witnessed the way that Jesus would go off by Himself to spend time in prayer with His heavenly Father. They saw the power and peace that emanated from His life, giving Him the ability to stay calm in troubled circumstances. Jesus’ prayer life so impressed His disciples that they asked Him to teach them to pray. He gave them what is referred to as the “Lord’s Prayer” (Luke 11:1-13). Certainly, if the perfect Son of God often took time to pray during His life here on earth, how much more should the believer—mere humans—need to pray?

Because prayer is an essential ‘ingredient’ to ‘walking’ with Jesus, the believer needs to examine its ‘elements’ intensely—which are all found in the Bible. Some are:

– Praying for God’s guidance (Psalm 27:11-12)
– Prayer increases our spiritual knowledge and maturity (Jeremiah 33:3)
– Prayer enables us to seek forgiveness (Hosea 14:1-7)
– Pray and wait confidently for God’s help (Micah 7:7)
– Christ modeled for us how to pray (Matthew 6:5-15)
– Prayer is not a solitary experience (Romans 8:26-27)
– Prayer helps us overcome worry (Philippians 4:6-7)

Now, before someone becomes a believer, they might have prayed before meals, on holidays, or perhaps during a time of crisis. However, as a believer, prayer should become second nature. Prayer is no longer an ‘option’, but should become part of all they do.

As one integrates prayer into every aspect of their life, they will not always see their prayers answered the way they want them to be. When this happens, it is easy to grow discouraged and give up praying. BUT, Jesus ‘implored’ the believer to “pray and never give up” (Luke 18:1-8). The Apostle Paul also instructed believers to “never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). When the believer fails to pray, they miss out on one of the greatest blessings of the Christian life—fellowship with God Himself—the believer’s ‘power source’ for living. In addition to that, the believer is actually going against what God has instructed them to do, when they don’t pray!

The Bible gives the believer some perspective on how to experience the ‘power’ pf prayer in their lives. The following is a partial list of what should characterize the believer’s prayers:

– Pray persistently (Luke 18:1-8)
– Pray effectively (Acts 12:1-17)
– Pray boldly (Hebrews 4:16)
– Pray for what pleases God (1 John 5:14-15)

Communicating with God is not about speaking the ‘right’ words of finding the most effective ‘formula’ to please God, It is about communicating from the ‘heart’ and being open and honest with Him. If you follow the ‘model’ of the “Lord’s Prayer,” you will be able to communicate with Him most ‘efficiently’.

The following is author Philip Yancey’s summary of the “Lord’s Prayer” in his book, “Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?”

“Consider first the Lord’s Prayer, or the “Our Father. Jesus taught it to his disciples, who were already well trained in the Jewish prayers of their day. Yet they recognized a new approach in Jesus’ style of praying and asked for help. In response, he gave this model prayer.

Like most churchgoers I have prayed the Lords Prayer hundreds of times, so that I say it without even thinking. It helps me to slow down, reflect on each phrase, and even add my own personal application.

“Our Father, who art in heaven”
I begin with an endearing term of relationship, “Father” Remind me today that you live and reign, not in heaven only but all around me and in my life. Make me aware of your active presence all day, in all my undertakings and in the people I meet.

“Hallowed be yow name”
How can I recognize you—in the splendor of nature, in the odd mix of people I meet, in the still voice that calls me to be more like you ? May I hallow what lies before me, by consciously referring it to you, and also honor your perfection, your holiness, by seeking to become more like you.

“Your kingdom come”
Yes, and allow me to be an agent of that kingdom by bringing peace to the anxious, grace to the needy, and your love to all whom 1 touch. May people believe in your reign of goodness because of how I live today.

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
I see that will most clearly in Jesus, who healed the sick and comforted the grieving, who lifted up the downtrodden, who stood always for life and not death, for hope and not despair, for freedom and not bondage. He lived out heavens will on earth. Help me be like Jesus.

“Give us today our daily bread”
We have no guarantee of a day beyond this one. May I trust you for what I need today, nourishment for both body and soul, and not worry about future needs and wants. May I also be ever responsive to those who lack bread today-

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”
Remind me of my true state, as a debtor who can never buy my way into your favor. Thank God, I do not have to. Grant me the same attitude of forgiving grace toward those who owe me, and who have wronged me, that you show toward me.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”
Let me not slide mindlessly toward evil today. Make me alert to its temptations and strong to resist it, with neither fear nor regret.”

 

If you let the “Lord’s Prayer” serve as your ‘framework’, you will discover that its elements have a purifying effect on what you pray for. You won’t be able to pray for things that would exalt your name, advance your ‘kingdom’, or promote your will. To ask for daily bread if you are living in defiance would be like a traitor asking for strength to betray his country. You won’t be able to ask God to forgive you when you are not willing to forgive someone else, and to ask God for His protection from the evil one would be contradictory if you are cultivating temptations.

Prayer is an effort, but a believer’s communication with God is as essential to their spiritual well-being, just as breathing is to their physical life!

 

A CONVERSATION? REALLY?
Perhaps you are wondering if a conversation with the God of the universe is really possible. After all, most people say they pray, but when you press them about whether they truly believe that God hears and answers them, they reply, “I hope so.” They may not have confidence that He will respond because they don’t really trust His character, or they may doubt that they are even worthy of His attention.

Let me assure you, God never intended the believer to approach Him with a “hope so” attitude. He wants an “absolutely” attitude—to wholeheartedly trust Him. Our good, loving, and powerful heavenly Father is always available to hear and answer the prayers of His children. His response to us may not be what we expect, but He never fails to reply if we are willing to listen!

So, when people ask me if I really believe that a conversation with God is actually possible, I can answer truthfully, “Yes, I absolutely do,” because God promises, “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know” [Jeremiah 33:3 ]. God has never gone back on, and He NEVER WILL (Joshua 21:45; 1 Kings 8:56). We can trust Him to answer us ANY of His promises (Psalm 91:15).

God actually DESIRES to ‘communicate’ with us. “He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” [ Hebrews 11:6 ]. The Father wants you to know Him in a profound way and walk in intimate fellowship with Him. God wants a ‘personal’ relationship with you.

God wants to be your constant ‘Helper’, faithful ‘Friend’, worthy ‘Warrior’, wise ‘Leader’, and great ‘Redeemer’. The best part is, you don’t need to ‘do’ anything extra to experience His love and wisdom—just an open ‘heart’ that hungers to know Him.

YOUR PRICELESS PRIVILEGE
Prayer is a priceless ‘privilege’ for the believer! I am constantly amazed at the insights and principles the Father shows me in His Word during periods of quiet, prayerful meditation. When I’ve had to face painful trials, His loving comfort and guidance have helped me emerge stronger and victorious, rather than weaker and defeated. I can only attribute anything productive or effective in my life to His wisdom and power.

One must ‘respect’ the great privilege of prayer, and use this ‘gift’ every day of their lives. However, one must also realize that, though this honor is free to us, it was ‘costly’ to God—Jesus (God) had to die to provide it!

A believer’s conversation with God is the way in which they grow closer to God. But, if they don’t have a relationship with Him, to begin with, then their prayers will be powerless. How does one enter into a relationship with the Father? It is very simple, and it all begins with Jesus (John 14:6; Rom. 5:1).

The thing is, no one can know God until they first allow His Son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile us with the Father:

“And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the Cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”
[ Colossians 1:20-22 ].

The believer is holy and blameless and beyond reproach!

[ FYI: For more details about what the Bible says about Jesus being the ONLY ‘WAY’ to God the Father, read this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/the-only-way-v253/ ].

 

ARE YOU LISTENING?
Once you have a ‘relationship’ with Jesus, the Holy Spirit then ‘indwells’ you (Ephesians 1:13-14). “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” [ John 14:26 ]. Also, His goal is to reveal God’s ways—communicating God’s will and enabling you to accomplish all He ‘calls’ you to do.

The Holy Spirit strengthens Your intimacy with the Father by continually ‘drawing’ you into His presence. However, He does not usher you to the ‘throne of grace’ simply so you can give the Lord a list of your demands. He is there to deepen your relationship. This means He encourages you to share your heart with God, but also directs you to pay attention to what the Father is teaching you.

If you desire to experience the ‘ultimate’ conversation, you must be an active listener, purposefully seeking the Fathers will and doing as He says, “You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul, When you are in distress… return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you” [ Deuteronomy 4:29-31 ].

So then, how do we ‘actively’ listen to God? How can we get to the place u/here we know God’s voice and have the confidence to follow Him? Well, it so happens that I wrote an entire post dedicated to discussing the “presence” of God.

When I am tempted to complain about Gods lack of presence, I remind myself that God has much more reason to complain about my lack of presence. I reserve a few minutes a day for God, but how many times do I drown out or ignore the quiet voice that speaks to my conscience and my life? “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock,” have become familiar words from those words to a church full of believers. How many times have I failed to hear the soft knock on the ‘door’ and thus missed God’s invitation?

Every relationship involves two free partners. With my computer I have a ‘mechanical’ bond: I turn it on and expect it to respond in predictable, programmed ways. However, relationships with human beings don’t work that way, whether between friends, husband and wife, work colleagues, or parents and children. Each involves missed cues, conflicting schedules, varying moods, and that might be called arid. Indeed, most people gauge the strength of a given marriage more by how the partners handle the rough patches than by their reports of romantic highs.

So, if the relationships we have with humans are fraught with ‘issues’—because of us—how might a relationship with God have ‘issues’ because of us?

[ FYI: For more details about what the Bible says about God’s “presence,” view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/presence-withdrawn-v257/ ].

 

INTIMACY WITH GOD
The ultimate conversation is all about ‘intimacy’ with God. When one fellowships with the Father, learns His ways, and enjoys His company, they can ‘walk’ with Him through the mountains and valleys of life—always trusting that He will lead them in the best way possible. As they do, He reproduces His life in them, conforming them to His character, and filling them with His joy.

So, is this your strong desire? Wouldn’t you like to hear the Father say to you, “My child, I love you and have everything under control. I am going to guide you through each difficulty. I will strengthen and empower you through every circumstance. I’ll work through whatever situation you face in order to reveal Myself to you and transform the lives of others.” Do you long to hear Him say that to you personally? Well, then, be comforted—THIS IS exactly what He wants to give you, as it says throughout Scripture (Genesis 28:15; Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; Isaiah 41:10; 1:8, 19; 15:20; Matthew 28:20). It is what He wants you to ‘hide’ in your heart today—a comfort when life turns ‘sour’.

God wants you to ‘know’ Him. He would love for you to sit quietly in His presence and say, “Lord, today I don’t desire anything but You. I hunger to know You better and understand You more. I long for a deeper relationship with You and to give myself to You fully.” Intimacy with God is more than what the believer can do to make Him happy or what He does in answer to our prayers.

Intimacy says, “God, here is my heart. I am willing to be vulnerable before You in every way my soul, my spirit, and everything I am. I am holding absolutely nothing back.” The relationship is intensely personal and profound. It is about who we are—our personalities, our character, our skills, and everything else about us—being totally devoted to who He is, just as He is to us.

Just think about the amazing privilege the believer has in this life—to talk, one-on-one, with your heavenly Father about anything in your heart! In addition to that, you can overcome any problem as you talk with Him—and you will know Him “fully just as [you] also have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

I do hope and pray that you will know the Father in this way, and that you will be motivated to entrust Him with every area of your life—because there is nothing so beneficial or freeing as experiencing an intimate relationship with God. Then, when you open completely to His unfailing love, He will ‘build’ stability, security, spiritual understanding, sensitivity, and serenity within you, and you will, hopefully, desire to share your joy with other people who do not yet understand His love:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.”
[ 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 ].

Finally, your continuing conversation with God is the ‘key’ to your serenity. Another way to say that is that peace with God is the “fruit of oneness with Him.” Even in difficult times, or when awaiting the fulfillment of your heart’s desires, your spirit is calm and tranquil. You are confident that everything reaching your life is permitted by your holy, loving, Father, and your situation is in His capable ‘hands’.

Each time you face a challenge or time of sufferings, you will look forward to the increasingly profound and meaningful ways God will reveal Himself to you—because you trust His promise of “causing all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” [ Romans 8:28 ]. The more you leave your circumstances in His ‘hands’ and obey Him, the more He will give you.

Opening yourself to an intimate relationship with God can seem daunting, but I can assure you, there is nothing in the world more worthwhile or wonderful than knowing Him and experiencing His love. You will find that as you increasingly devote yourself to God, your desire to be in His presence will grow as well.

The Sovereign of the universe has all power to meet your every need, to answer your prayers, and give you direction. God is willing to ‘speak’ if you’re willing to listen. Engage in the ultimate conversation with Him, trust His unfailing care, and allow Him to pour His unconditional love into your heart—because that is life at its very best!

 

IT REQUIRES ‘COMMITMENT’
I doubt there is a single person reading this post who doesn’t feel a little guilty about prayer, who doesn’t think, “Well, I know my prayer life could improve some.” If that resonates with you, then I beg you NOT TO WAIT to do something, and next month you won’t recall a single thing God might have ‘said’ to you through this post right now!

Instead, make a commitment TODAY! Begin God’s ‘course’ of prayer (read the Bible). Resolve to look deeply into Jesus’ teachings so that you can pray effectively, because if believers fail to learn both the “how” and the “what” of prayer, they will be in for a ‘rough time’. (I know, because I’ve been there. I was praying the wrong way a while back, and God had to put me right).

So please, make an absolute decision that you will change your lifestyle and your habits. Whatever it takes for you to get up and spend time with God, do it! The Holy Spirit will help you, but ONLY YOU can make that initial decision to change!

 

HELPFUL ‘REMINDERS’
Jesus lived before the invention of clocks and watches. At His time, the bells from the Roman forum tolled ‘divisions’ during the day—at 6:00 am, 9:00 am, noon, 3:00 pm, and 6:00 pm. So, devout Jews adopted this schedule for their daily prayers, and early Christians continued the practice. The book of Acts depicts that Peter and John healed a man on the steps of the Temple on their way to observe afternoon prayers, and that Peter received a vision on the rooftop while he was saying his noon prayers.

Over the years, Christian communities formalized what is called the “Prayers of the Hours,” which are based on fixed-hour prayers. It was for this reason that the church produced such collections as the “Liturgy of the Hours” and “The Book of Common Prayer,” spelling out prayers and Bible readings for the appropriate hours of each day.

However, in recent years, Christians acquainted mainly with free-form, spontaneous prayers have discovered rich rewards in following the “Divine Hours” at set times during the day, praying the collected wisdom of a hundred generations of believers as a kind of passing of the spiritual ‘torch’.

[ FYI: I have created my own version of this by sending an e-mail at 8 am, noon, and 4 pm, that has my ‘mashup’ of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and a Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12), that I call the “Fruits of the Beatitudes.” If you are interested in receiving them, sign up here: http://fruitsofthebeatitudes.org/get-started/ (and you can unsubscribe at any time) ].

 

A ‘LEAP’ OF TRUST
There are times that I still go through a period when it feels like God is ‘absent’. However, if God were to truly be absent, everything in the universe would cease to exist! So, I’ve learned how to recognize when I am going through a particular ‘season’, and try not to judge reality based on how I am ‘feeling’ right now. [ Which could have been some ‘bad’ pizza I ate last night  ;^D ].

As I read the Bible, I see a ‘pattern’ that operated between God and some of God’s ‘favorites’. Abraham goes through tests of faith; Job suffers unjustly; Jacob wrestles through the night; and Jesus Himself feels abandoned. I certainly don’t compare myself to these people, but if it happened to them, it can happen to me.

Reformer Martin Luther said that Deuteronomy 6 teaches us to trust that God will take care of us in good and bad times, and we shouldn’t become overconfident in times of plenty, but we also need to patiently endure times of adversity. God will NEVER ‘LEAVE’ US, and He will be near us in our troubles. Unbelievers don’t have this confidence in God, because they put their trust in ‘earthly’ things.

So, if what we need isn’t available to us, we have to rely on God’s promises. If we don’t rely on God, we are testing Him. This is what Moses was writing about when he said, “as you did at Massah,” when Israel was ‘complaining’: “Is the LORD among us or not?” [ Exodus 17:7 ]. The people didn’t trust God’s promises because He hadn’t fulfilled them in the time, place, or manner they expected. Therefore, they gave up and stopped believing!

Reformed Martin Luther said, “When we try to dictate to God the time, place, and manner for him to act, we are testing him. At the same time, we’re trying to see if he is really there. Doing that is putting limits on God and trying to make him do what we want. It’s nothing less than trying to deprive God of his divinity. But we must realize that God is free—not subject to any limitations. He must dictate to us the place, manner, and time.”

This also works for us today in the same way. When we try to dictate to God the time, place, and manner for Him to act, we are testing Him to see if He is really ‘there’. When we do this, we are putting ‘limits’ on God and trying to make Him do what we want. Really bad ‘move’!

SO, if you are a believer and are discouraged and despondent. Then pray. Do you feel defeated by sin? Pray. Does it seem as if your life and personal relationships are falling apart? Pray more! Your greatest needs can be met through prayer. Continue to pray!

Whenever you are unable to express the deep feelings and emotions of your soul or when you are completely unclear about what you ought to be praying, the Holy Spirit WILL intercede for you! “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” [ Romans 8:26-27 ].

The thing is, prayer can become a form of the very “meaningless repetition” that Jesus warned us about. He warned us that repeating phrases and using religious vocabulary is not the heart and soul of prayer. He then gave His own ‘model’ for the elements of true prayer (Matthew 6:9-15):

– Prayer recognizes the worthiness and wonder of the God to whom we pray
– Prayer embraces His Kingdom rule in our lives for all the tomorrows that stretch before us
– Prayer seeks and receives His provision for our needs
– Prayer understands that our communion with Him (and others) is affected by repentance and forgiveness, or the lack thereof
– Prayer sees the dangers of life and gladly submits to His gracious rescue from the Enemy and from our own brokenness

Jesus’ example then ‘lifts’ the believer to the best ‘place’ to begin their prayers:

– We begin with His greatness, not our wants
– His purposes, not our goals
– His rule, not our demands
– His protection, not our self-sufficiency
– We begin by being reminded that He is God and we are not, for nothing will shape our communion with the Father quite like a fresh awareness of the One to whom we speak
– We begin by cultivating the heart and soul of a life of prayer that appreciates the wonder of this remarkable privilege
– We begin by seeking His aid and even to be able to pray for His help
– We begin by beginning

The concept of prayer is INCONCEIVABLE—the most incredible ‘condescension’ on the part of the God of the universe! You could probably never talk one-on-one with the President of the United States in the “Oval Room,” yet the most highly ‘placed’ Person in all of the universe—“the boss of the whole shebang”—waits patiently to hear what the believer has to say to Him!!! Do you find that as AMAZING as I do?

So remember, this and every day, the believer has the GREAT PRIVILEGE OF PRAYER. They can “take to the Boss,” and tell Him your worries and cares, and also share with Him their triumphs and joys. He ALWAYS has time to listen!

So, using one of my suggestions of “praying ‘through’ the Bible, here’s some suggestion on HOW to pray from Colossians chapter one:

1) Pray CONTINUALLY (v. 9)
2) Knowledge of God’s WILL (v. 9)
3) Spiritual WISDOM (v. 9)
4) Their CHARACTER (v. 10a)
5) Be FRUITFUL (v. 10b)
6) Spiritual GROWTH (v. 10b)
7) Increase your KNOWLEDGE of God (v. 10)
8) ENDURANCE (v. 11)
9) PATIENCE (v,,. 11)
10) Be JOYFUL (v. 12)

So, to answer the ‘conundrum’ I posed at the beginning of this post, since everyone wants their requests (prayers) to be answered with a “Yes” all the time, is that best thing for them in the long run? I’m thinking that one WOULD NOT want to get everything they asked for—especially if you are a believer in Jesus, and believe in God’s promises in the Bible.

Specifically, if you trust and submit to God, He will “show you the path to take,” (Proverbs 3:5-6; Proverbs 16:9), He will work out things “for the good who love Him” (Romans 8:28; Philippians 2:13), and He will do it “in the proper time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11; Habakkuk 2:3).

I believe with all of my heart that the God of Heaven will grant success to His ‘children’ who seek for His will in their lives. Remember, success doesn’t mean health, wealth, fame, or fortune. When God uses the term success it means the fulfillment of His plan for your life—and for that to happen, you MUST TRUST Him!

For me, there’s not anything in the world like the joy of watching God form and fulfill His plans for one’s ‘dreams’ to be happy and fulfilled. Author Catherine Marshall wrote a poem titled, “A Prayer for a Dream,” that does a great job of formulating a ‘prayer’, for the believer to pray for God’s ‘work’ in their lives:

“Father,

Once I had such big dreams,
so much anticipation of the future.
Now no shimmering horizon beckons me:
my days are lack-lustre
I see so little of lasting value in the daily round.
Where is your plan for my life?

Father in heaven, I ask You to deposit
in my mind and heart that particular dream,
the special vision You have for my life.
And along with the dream, will You give me
whatever graces, patience, and stamina it takes
to see the dream through to fruition?

I sense that may involve adventures
I have not bargained for.
But I want to trust You enough to follow
even if you lead along new paths.
I admit to liking some of my ruts.
But I know that habit patterns that seem cozy
nests from the inside, from Your vantage point
may be prison cells.

Lord, if you break down any prisons of mine
before I can see the stars and catch the vision,
then, Lord, begin the process now.
In joyous expectation.

Amen.”

 

At this point, I’m going to say to you—as Catherine did—I DARE you to pray that prayer! I dare you to bring God into your life and make Him the focus of ALL YOU DO, and ALL YOU ARE!

He’s your Creator, and when YOUR PRAYER ‘coordinates’ with His, He will lead you to the realization of everything He puts in your ‘heart’ to do!

 

So, PREPARE your ‘heart’ for God’s plan; PRACTICE spontaneous prayer; and PRAY about your ‘dreams’ day and night. Then prepare for God to do AMAZING THINGS things as you PRAY FOR HIS WILL IN YOUR LIFE!

 

I’m going to pray that I TRUST GOD enough to allow Him to give me what is best for me—to make me “happy” in, with, and for Jesus! (Psalm 94:19; Proverbs 16:20; Romans 15:13).

 

I PRAY that YOU CAN DO THIS, TOO!

 

[ Excerpts from: Anne Graham Lotz; John MacArthur; R.C. Sproul; Bill Crowder; Charles Stanley; Greg Laurie; Philip Yancey; Michael Youssef; Zac Poonen; Elisa Morgan; Candice Lucey; Ray Stedman; Haddon Robinson; Shala Nicely; Ron Leifer ]

 

 

>>> SUMMARIZATION OF POST <<<

‘WHAT’ IS PRAYER
Prayer is simply ‘communication’ with God. The very word “prayer” comes from the Latin root “precarius”—a linguistic cousin to “precarious”—which means to obtain by entreaty.

Prayer is universal because it speaks to a basic human need. As Thomas Merton put it, “Prayer is an expression of who we are a living incompleteness. We are a gap, an emptiness that calls for fulfillment.”

‘WHY’ PRAY?
The believer prays to ‘communicate’ with their Creator, thank Him for providing their daily needs, ask for forgiveness of their sins, and ask for things they need and desire. They pray to develop a ‘personal’ relationship with Him.

‘HOW’ TO PRAY
First off, give prayer adequate ‘TIME’.
Then, give prayer adequate ‘SPACE’.
Finally, give prayer adequate ‘ATTENTION’.

‘PREPARATION’ FOR PRAYER
A PREPARED ‘PLACE’
PREPARED ‘ITEMS’
A PREPARED ‘TIME’
A PREPARED ‘ATMOSPHERE’
A PREPARED ‘ATTITUDE’

‘PURPOSES’ FOR PRAYER
Prayer is not simply a ‘soliloquy’, a mere exercise in therapeutic self-analysis, or a religious recitation. Prayer is ‘DISCOURSE’ with the personal God Himself.

PRAYER IS LIFE’S ‘COMPASS’
Prayer can be a ‘compass’ for your life. Focusing on God as your true ‘North’ will help you see beyond your temporary circumstances here on earth, and remind you of God’s unchanging character as well.

‘HOW’ TO PRAY
Okay. I finally am getting to ‘how’ to pray. There are many ‘patterns’ of prayer that are given the Bible to help one ‘focus’:

– ‘Centering’ (Revelation 4:1-2)
– Compelling (Jeremiah 2:9)
– Confident (John 11:40)
– Contrite (Hosea 14:1-2)
– Clear (James 4:2)
– For ‘battle’ (Ephesians 1:18-19)

When the disciples came to Jesus and asked if He would teach them to pray, He didn’t give them a specific prayer to ‘recite’, but instead gave them a ‘framework’, a ‘model’, a ‘pattern’ to use and follow. It has been called the “Lord’s Prayer.”

‘THE’ PATTERN FOR PRAYER
THE “LORD’S PRAYER” (The Disciples’ Prayer)

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us today our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
[ Matthew 6:9-13 ].

A DETAILED ‘EXPLANATION’ OF THE LORD’S PRAYER

“OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN”
“IN HEAVEN”
“HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME”
“YOUR KINGDOM COME”
“YOUR WILL BE DONE”
“ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN”
“GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD”
“FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS”
“ALSO HAVE FORGIVEN OUR DEBTORS”
“LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION”
“DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE”
“YOURS IS THE KINGDOM”
“AND THE POWER”
“AND THE GLORY FOREVER”
“AMEN”

SO, PRAY WITH…
… DEPENDENCE
… INTENSITY
… PERSISTENCE
… SINCERITY, NOT MEANINGLESS ‘REPETITIONS’

‘MOTIVES’ FOR PRAYER
– A Desire for Fellowship with God
– A Desire for Needs to be Met
– A Desire for Wisdom
– A Desire for Deliverance from Trouble
– A Desire for Relief from Fear and Worry
– A Desire to Offer Thanks for Past Blessings
– A Desire to be Freed from the Guilt of Sin
– A Desire for the Salvation of the Lost
– A Desire for the Spiritual Growth of Believers

PRAYING FOR THE ‘RIGHT’ THINGS
When you pray, what do you typically pray for? Well, most people pray for health, happiness, and success. We pray for personal comfort. We pray for solutions to remedy all the physical problems of life, such as healing, a husband or wife, children, a job, a place to live, a car, a promotion, more money, and so on. As important as those are, they are very LOW on the priority list on God’s Kingdom.

We live in a world that knows little about what’s truly valuable. People all around us are pursuing things that have no ‘lasting’ value!

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians that one should “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” [ Colossians 1:10-11 ].

‘METHODS’ OF PRAYER
“A.C.T.S.”

A – Adoration
C – Confession
T – Thanksgiving
S – Supplication

HOW TO ‘APPROACH’ GOD
HUMILITY
SINCERITY
NECESSITY
CONFIDENCE
SIMPLICITY
SENSITIVITY
CONFESSION
TRANSPARENCY

HOW ‘NOT’ TO PRAY
One should avoid hypocritical practices. Jesus said tot he disciples, just before He gave them the “Lord’s Prayer,” “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“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.”
[ Matthew 6:5-7 ].

The first type of prayer Jesus condemned is “hypocritical” prayer. The term “hypocrisy” in the New Testament is drawn from the culture of the day, where a hypocrite was one who engaged in drama, in the theater. He was play-acting. What he was doing was not real. So the original meaning of the term had nothing to do with insincerity (we don’t charge actors today with being hypocrites or insincere simply because they re playing a role that does not correspond to their real lives). But Jesus applied the word to people who were going through the ‘motions’ of prayer, making a great external show of piety, but whose real ‘internal’ state did not match this outward show. Their piety was a sham; it was phony and fraudulent. It was a fake form of godliness—one that had been mastered by the Pharisees. Prayer, for them, was a business. Prayer was something that was expected from people in their positions, so they made a public display of their piety.

The second kind of prayer Jesus condemned is “pagan” prayer. He said: “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Jesus was saying here that we must not regard prayer as some kind of magical ‘incantation’, for that is how pagans pray. They recite certain phrases over and over again, with no understanding of what the words mean. In these contexts, prayers are used as ‘mantras’, with the hope that they will change the environment or the circumstances in which a person lives. New Age thinking is filled with this type of thing. Jesus did not commend such exercises as godly forms of prayer, rather, He linked the use of vain repetitions to paganism.

THE “SINNER’S PRAYER”
Many people have been deceived into believing that since they “prayed a prayer” one time in their life (usually called the “Sinner’s Prayer,” asking Jesus into their ‘heart’), that they are going to Heaven.

This is “easy believeism.” It’s easy just to say a ‘prayer’, sign a ‘card’, raise your hand, and ‘join’ the religion. Follow the crowd. It’s easy—and they are headed for Hell!

The thing is, you WILL NOT find that anywhere in the Bible! What one needs to do is ‘grapple with’ authentic repentance (turning away from sin, hatred of for things that God hates, a love for the things God loves, and an intense desire to become holy and like Jesus). Then, after all that, believing in Jesus alone as your Savior, and committing to being faithful to what He leads you to do/act as long as you are on this earth! (Mark 1:15). You WILL NOT be saved by some ‘magic formula’ or some words you repeated after someone else! You will ONLY BE SAVED if you have repented of your sins and put your trust in Jesus!

PROHIBITIONS

PRAYER CAN BE A ‘BATTLE’
Believers need to pay attention not only to God’s Word, but to this very serious aspect of prayer. We need to know who our adversary is, what his strategy is, and how we are to protect ourselves defensively while going on the offensive against him. Our adversary, Satan, is serious!

The Bible gives us a very descriptive picture of our adversary. The Apostle Peter reveals that our real enemy is the Devil himself who is “like a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8).

The Apostle Paul was also well acquainted with spiritual warfare. His entire Christian life was comprised of one battle after another, and thankfully, one victory after another. So, when he gives us clear instructions on how to fight the Devil, he is speaking from first-hand experience!

The thing is, our ‘armor’ is also serious! These pieces are described in Ephesians 6 as follows: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit (Scripture).

Victory in spiritual matters is similar to military strategies. Victory comes when you identify the enemy, resist their attacks, and then take the initiative against them. The believer’s ‘enemy’ is Satan (the Devil), and God has provided them some “armor” to resist his attacks. The Bible tells us that the believer has every ‘resource’ necessary for spiritual victory.

Now, spiritual ‘warfare’ can be intense, but God’s grace enables the believer to prevail against Satan’s attacks—and the “Armor of God” needs to be ‘on’ at all times, because Satan wants to catch the believer off-guard! Spiritual warfare isn’t as much a ‘frontal’ attack as it is a ‘defensive’ posture (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8-9).

‘THE’ INTERCESSOR
Jesus’ prayer life was very different from ours. Jesus ‘lived’ prayer. It was just as important as breathing to Him! It was even more important than food to Him, too: “I have food to eat that you know nothing about” [ John 4:32 ].

In the final moments before being handed over to be crucified the Lord Jesus was found earnestly praying to His Father about His forthcoming betrayal and crucifixion. Jesus had called His weary disciples to be earnest in prayer as well, so that they would not fall into temptation. As the appointed time for the work of redemption drew ever closer, the Lord Jesus is found on His face beseeching the Father: “If you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” [ Luke 22:42 ].

The Father always hears the prayers of His only begotten Son, and had there been an alternative way to secure the redemption of mankind, God would surely have interjected. But, on this occasion, the heavens remained silent—for there was NO OTHER WAY!

“HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER”
Probably the most important ‘intercessory’ prayer in the Bible is commonly called the “High Priestly Prayer,” prayed by Jesus. It was His final instructions to the disciples and before He was betrayed, arrested, and crucified. First, Jesus prays for Himself, then He prays for His disciples, and He closes the prayer by praying for ALL believers—throughout history—even for believers today and into the future.

‘INTERCESSORY’ PRAYER
Quite simply, intercessory prayer is the act of praying on behalf of others. Our English word “intercession” is derived from the Latin for “to come between,” which means both “obstruct” and “to interpose on behalf of” someone.

All Christians are called to be intercessors since they have the Holy Spirit in their hearts and, just as He intercedes for us in accordance with God’s will (Romans 8:26-27). We are to intercede for one another. “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you” [ 1 Samuel 12:23 ].

THE ‘POWER’ OF PRAYER
There is no power over temptation nor victory over sin without spending time with God in prayer. Scottish-born writer and poet James Montgomery, wrote a hymn titled “Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire,” which a portion of the lyrics reinforce spending time in prayer: “Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath. The Christian’s native air; His watchword at the gates of death; He enters Heav’n with prayer.”

WHY PRAY IF GOD ‘KNOWS’ ALL THINGS?
God is always present in our lives and aware of our needs, but He wants to ‘partner’ with us and invites him into our struggles. God says, “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

One of the most frequently asked questions in the theology of prayer is, “Does prayer change things?” The answer is evident. The New Testament makes it clear that prayer changes all kinds of things. I will explore this issue more deeply later, but the next question that comes is, “Does prayer change God s mind?”

What would induce God to change His mind? Perhaps new information, some knowledge He lacks until we communicate it to Him for His consideration? That’s RIDICULOUS! However, the Bible does tell us that when we come to God in prayer, He already knows what we are going to ask for and He knows what we need better than we do. We have to remember that this One we’re talking to—He is omniscient. He doesn’t learn anything new. So if you re going to ‘change’ His mind by your prayers, it won’t be because you give Him any new information. It will be because He ‘prompted’ you to pray that way!

In short, no prayer of any human being ever uttered in history has changed the mind of God in the slightest, because His mind doesn’t ever need to be changed.

DOES PRAYER ‘CHANGE’ GOD?
Amazingly, God’s sovereign plan is brought about through our actions. In God’s Providence, at the same time, He chooses and ordains the ends, but He also uses us in the means to bring those ends to fruition. It’s a ‘mystery’ how sovereignty and freedom go together.

The mystery is that when we pray specifically, we petition God according to His sovereign plan! So sovereignty and prayer and petitionary prayer go hand-in-hand. Never shall the two be separated. Scripture holds them together and we must hold them together in our thinking and in our practice

It’s a paradox. We volitionally, willfully choose to act in a certain way and yet—as it says in Acts 4:28: “to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” That’s hard to understand. That’s inscrutable!

WHY DON’T MY PRAYERS GET ‘ANSWERED’?
How many of us have prayed for something again and again and nothing has happened? I’m thinking ALL OF US. So then why does this happen if, as the Bible says, God hears ALL of a believer’s prayers?

Well, the thing is God DOES ANSWER, but sometimes the believer doesn’t like how it was answered—“No” or “wait”—not getting a “Yes” every time.

An unknown teenager said that God answers prayer four ways: “Yes, no, wait a while, and you’ve got to be kidding!” ;^D

NO ‘RELATIONSHIP’!!!
UNPRAYERED PRAYERS
UNCONFESSED SIN
AN UNBELIEVING MIND
UNRIGHTEOUS MOTIVES
UNFORGIVENESS
SELFISHNESS
AN ‘IDOL’
AN ‘UNCOMPASSIONATE’ HEART
SUPERNATURAL ‘BATTLE’

THE ‘BLESSING’ OF UNANSWERED PRAYER
Well, as a reminder, I started this post off with a snippet from the movie, “Bruce Almighty,” where Bruce said, “Yes” to everyone’s prayer—and mayhem ensued!

Someone asked Mahatma Gandhi, “lf you were given the power to remake the world, what would you do first?” He replied: “I would pray for power to renounce that power.”

Well, Jesus actually did renounce His power while He was on this earth, refusing Satan’s three offers: to dazzle the crowds with a miracle, to rule the world, and to protect Himself from harm. Even though He did exercise supernatural power—at times for very specific reasons—He did so on a local scale and not on that global ‘stage’, prompted by compassion and not a spectacle, and never for self-promotion or self-protection.

Jesus’ life, in fact, shows the delicate balance required when supernatural power impinges on this world. Immature persons like the fictional Bruce Nolan and mature persons like Mahatma Gandhi soon realize they lack the wisdom to balance the will, divine intervention, and self-sacrifice—the very wisdom Jesus demonstrated during His time on earth.

THE ‘MYSTERY’ OF PRAYER
When we pray, we are not praying to a weak, undecided Being who is wringing His ‘hands’ and hoping everything will turn out okay in the end. We are praying to the sovereign Ruler of the universe, who is planning to accomplish His ultimate ends for our good and for His own honor, and who will accomplish His purposes in His time and in His way.

The Apostle Paul said that we are God’s “fellow workers” (1 Corinthians 3:9). Why? Well, because we participate with Him in making His purposes accomplished in the world, and we do that, in part, as we pray.

‘CONFIDENCE’ IN GOD
At the core of a believer’s confidence—laid out for them in the Book of Hebrews—is “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” [ Hebrews 4:15-16 ].

This is the nature of the God to whom we pray, the nature of the Son and His care for His flock. “We can draw near with confidence to the throne of grace” because of who God is and how much He loves us.

Sometimes we feel that confidence should be rooted in what we can do and how we can perform, but nothing could be further from the truth! The confidence that we carry into our prayers is not in ourselves or our faith or our skill as prayers. Nor is it a confidence that everything is going to work out as we have planned, hoped, or desired. It is the confidence that God guarantees that His purposes will ultimately be accomplished. It is the confidence that in our God we can find help when you need it!

DEFER TO GOD’S ‘PERSPECTIVE’
Sometimes it seems that God has put us ‘on hold’. However, most of the time He is doing something in our lives. But, from our perspective, our deepest, most cherished request is not being granted. We know He’s listening, but He has simply decided not to respond—at least in our timing.

PRAYER IS ‘HOPEFUL’
In John Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” a ‘fallen’ Adam and Eve wander the earth disconsolate, wondering at their deeds that have seemed to knock the entire planet off its ‘axis’. Wondering whether God would ever ‘incline’ toward them again. Then Adam saw a ray of hope: …

As Alexander Pope well said in his poem, “An Essay of Man,” “Hope springs eternal,” the feeling of hopefulness endlessly renews itself when one is ‘connected’ to God!

PRAYER IS ‘RESTFUL’
Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” [ Matthew 11:28-30 ].

Notice that Jesus does not try to minimize the harshness of life. Instead, He candidly describes the challenges of life with two visceral, descriptive words: “labor” and “heavy-laden.”

These words speak specifically to just how difficult life is. It is hard work, and in life, we are often greatly burdened. That is why Jesus pleads with us to come to Him and to find in Him our source of rest. That, in part, is why we have been given the privilege of prayer. When life is sometimes too ‘big’ for us, we are ‘prompted’ to be dependent upon God. However, that dependence is only part of the equation.

Jesus calls us to Himself and we respond in prayer—where we find rest. In prayer, we not only engage with Jesus, but with all three Persons of the Godhead, who work on our behalf to relieve our problems and help us in our seasons of struggle and weariness.

PRAYING ‘THROUGH’ THE BIBLE
The Scriptures were written by people who felt the same desires and faced the same discouragements as we do. They too were dismayed at times by their circumstances. They knew what it was like to cry out to a ‘silent’ God, to come to the ‘end’ of themselves, and to feel their emotions going ‘over the edge’. YET, the people of the Bible are important to us because they lived long enough to tell us that they recovered their sense of joy and confidence in God. As we struggle through our own fears and disappointments, we can find renewed hope by using their thoughts as a reflection of our own hearts and prayers.

Praying the Scriptures is so important in the Christian life. If we don’t form the habit of doing so, our prayers will almost certainly degenerate into vain repetitions that eventually revolve entirely around our immediate private concerns, rather than God’s larger purposes.

YOUR ‘NEXT’ PRAYER
Your next prayer could change your life—for here on earth and for eternity!

So, after all of what I’ve presented, if you are NOT A BELIEVER, I implore you to ACT RIGHT NOW! Ask God to help you make the decision to push through your mental ‘roadblocks’, overcome any hindrances, and begin a personal ‘relationship’ with God—the ONLY WAY to get your prayers answered!

Take the most basic step of all and realize that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23), and you can’t save yourself (Ephesians 2:8-9). You need a ‘Mediator’ to make peace between you and a holy God—and Jesus is that Person.

Jesus, the sinless Son of God, lived the perfect life that you could never live (1 Peter 2:22), and He died on the Cross to pay YOUR PENALTY for all your sins (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). His resurrection was then the proof that His sacrifice was acceptable to God the Father (Revelation 1:4-6), and you can RECEIVE FORGIVENESS for your sins by placing your trust in Jesus as your Lord as our Savior by faith (John 3:16).

So, ask God to ‘SAVE’ YOU from the deserved penalty of your own sins. Trust Him to rescue you. You will find that this request will be the MOST IMPORTANT PRAYER you will ever pray—to become “born again” and a disciple of Jesus—which will then affect every area of your life, especially the commitment to pray.

This prayer for salvation then provides an UNSHAKABLE FOUNDATION for all of the other prayers you will offer up to God!

WRAP UP
So, what is prayer? Well, it’s essentially ‘conversation’ with God, that specifically includes things like worship, ‘communion’, surrendering one’s will, making requests for supply, confessing one’s sins, giving thanks, forgiving, asking for ‘protection’, interceding for others, and ‘celebrating’.

A CONVERSATION? REALLY?
YOUR PRICELESS PRIVILEGE
ARE YOU LISTENING?
INTIMACY WITH GOD
IT REQUIRES ‘COMMITMENT’
HELPFUL ‘REMINDERS’
A ‘LEAP’ OF TRUST

At this point, I’m going to say to you—as Catherine did—I DARE you to pray that prayer! I dare you to bring God into your life and make Him the focus of ALL YOU DO, and ALL YOU ARE!

He’s your Creator, and when YOUR PRAYER ‘coordinates’ with His, He will lead you to the realization of everything He puts in your ‘heart’ to do!

So, PREPARE your ‘heart’ for God’s plan; PRACTICE spontaneous prayer; and PRAY about your ‘dreams’ day and night. Then prepare for God to do AMAZING THINGS things as you PRAY FOR HIS WILL IN YOUR LIFE!

I’m going to pray that I TRUST GOD enough to allow Him to give me what is best for me—to make me “happy” in, with, and for Jesus! (Psalm 94:19; Proverbs 16:20; Romans 15:13).

I PRAY that YOU CAN DO THIS, TOO!

>>> END OF SUMMARIZATION <<<

 

RELATED POSTS:

“Love ‘Letter’”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/love-letter-v258/

“‘Presence’ Withdrawn?”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/presence-withdrawn-v257/

“‘Protection’ Removed?”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/protection-removed-v256/

“Got Your ‘Attention’ Yet?”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/got-your-attention-yet-v255/

“Two ‘Choices’, One Way”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/two-choices-one-way-v254/

“‘Benefits’ Of Assurance”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/benefits-of-assurance-v244/

“Knowing ‘Assurance’”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/knowing-assurance-v243/

“‘Outworkings Of Grace”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/outworkings-of-grace-v241/

“‘Growing’ In Grace”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/growing-in-grace-v240/

“Ready For ‘Battle’?”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/ready-for-battle-v235/

“What Does God ‘Desire’?”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/nov-06-v93/

“Meant To Live How?”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/may-05-v75/

 

‘PRAYER’ OF REPENTANCE
In the Bible, there is a parable that Jesus told about a Pharisee and a tax collector praying in the Temple. He notes that the tax collector didn’t even dare to lift his eyes toward Heaven as he prayed. Instead he “beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner’”—and Jesus said that the tax collector “went home justified,” he had been “born again” and ‘reconciled’ by God. (Luke 18:9-14).

If you are ‘sensing’ something like that right now, let me strongly encourage you to HUMBLE YOURSELF, CRY OUT to God, and PLEAD for Him to mercifully ‘SAVE’ YOU! None of us have a ‘claim’ on our salvation, nor do we have any ‘works’ that would cause us to deserve it or earn it—it is purely a gift of Divine grace—and all any of us can do is ask. So, CONFESS YOUR SINS and acknowledge to God that you have no hope for Heaven apart from what He provides through Jesus.

There is no ‘formula’ or certain words for this. So just talk to God, in your own words—He knows your ‘heart’. If you are genuinely sincere, and God does respond to your plea, one will usually have a sense of joy and peace.

Jesus said, “He that comes to Me, I will not cast out” [ John 6:37 ].

[ FYI: This is a great sermon on the “Call to Repentance” by John MacArthur from his book “The Gospel According to Jesus”: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-22/the-call-to-repentance
(Transcript: http://www.spiritedesign.com/TheCallToRepentance-JohnMacArthur(Jul-27-2019).pdf) ].

[ NOTE: If you have ‘tasted the kindness of the Lord’, please e-mail me—I would love to CELEBRATE with you, and help you get started on your ‘journey’ with Jesus! ].

 

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RESOURCES:

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“Life-Changing Prayers”
By: Michael Youssef

They were just ordinary people–a loyal servant, a woman who desperately wanted a child, an old man who still had hope, and a young teenager who couldn’t quite believe God’s great love. Ordinary people who prayed extraordinary prayers to an extraordinary God. They weren’t always eloquent. They weren’t always the type of person you might think God would listen to. But they trusted God and his plans for their lives, and that made all the difference.

Life-Changing Prayers tells their stories and shares their desperate, hopeful, and gratitude-filled prayers, inspiring and emboldening readers to ask God for the desires of their own hearts. Anyone who desires to pray life-changing prayers, as well as anyone whose prayer life has grown stagnant or nonexistent, will find here the encouragement to pray confidently and expectantly to the God who always hears–and always answers.

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Prayers-Michael-Youssef/dp/0801077869/

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“Lord, Teach Me to Pray: An Invitation to Intimate Prayer”
By: John MacArthur

Discusses the importance of adoration, petition, confession, and supplication [ “A.C.T.S.” ] in a person’s relationship with God, sharing examples of prayer from the author’s own spiritual life including classic Puritan prayers, pages for personal prayers, and God’s answers.

https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Teach-Me-Pray-Invitation/dp/1404100245/

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“Alone with God: Rediscovering the Power and Passion of Prayer”
By: John MacArthur

For over 30 years trusted pastor and teacher John MacArthur has delivered practical, Biblical insights for helping Christians grow in their own journey of faith.

Now David C Cook is offering the very best of John MacArthur’s Christian living titles in a repackaged and revised format. Based on the timeless originals, these new editions feature a fresh look and study guides for both personal and group reflection, all centered on topics and issues that matter most to believers.

We all know that spending time with God is essential to an intimate, growing relationship with Him. Yet many of us struggle to make prayer a consistent, dedicated part of our daily lives. Alone With God offers powerful encouragement for anyone longing for a deeper, richer time of prayer. Here John MacArthur turns to the perfect mentor on prayer, Jesus Christ, as he explores the profound insights found in the Lord’s Prayer.

https://www.amazon.com/Alone-God-Rediscovering-Passion-MacArthur/dp/0781405866/

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“The Prayer That God Answers: Experience the Power and Fullness of the Lord’s Prayer”
By: Michael Youssef

Everyone wants power. But where can it be found? Dr. Michael Youssef shows the amazing power found in prayer as he reveals the secrets to the prayer power of the Lord’s Prayer, which he has used daily in his own prayer life. “Once we learn to pray as Jesus taught us, our lives begin to change,” Dr. Youssef says. “Certainly mine has. Through this prayer pattern we bring His perspective to every issue of our lives. And when crises arise, we can truly tap into His power.” At the end of each chapter, readers have the opportunity to input their own prayers, according to the Lord’s prayer pattern.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-That-God-Answers-Experience/dp/0785271058/

—————-
“Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?”
By: Philip Yancey

Philip Yancey probes the very heartbeat of our relationship with God: prayer. What is prayer? Does it change God’s mind or ours or both? This book is an invitation to communicate with God the Father who invites us into an eternal partnership through prayer.

Polls reveal that 90 percent of people pray. Yet prayer, which should be the most nourishing and uplifting time of the believer’s day, can also be frustrating, confusing, and fraught with mystery.

Writing as a fellow pilgrim, bestselling author Philip Yancey probes such questions as:

Is God listening?
Why should God care about me?
If God knows everything, what’s the point of prayer?
Why do answers to prayer seem so inconsistent?
Why does God sometimes seem close and sometimes seem far away?
How can I make prayer more satisfying?
In this powerful read, Yancey tackles the tough questions and, in the process, comes up with a fresh new approach to this timeless topic.

“I have learned to pray as a privilege, not a duty,” he says, and he invites you to join him on this all-important journey.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Does-Make-Any-Difference/dp/031034509X/

—————-
“Prayer, Praise & Promises: A Daily Walk Through The Psalms”
By: Warren W. Wiersbe

The Psalms have always been a special source of inspiration, comfort, and strength for believers. In his classic Prayer, Praise & Promises, beloved teacher Warren Wiersbe offers readers a daily dose of the Psalms and all of the instruction, motivation, inspiration, and blessings they provide.

Unavailable for the past decade, this Wiersbe favorite is now repackaged for a new generation hungry for God’s Word.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Praise-Promises-Through-Psalms/dp/080101607X/

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“Prayer 101”
By: Warren W. Wiersbe

The disciples once asked Jesus, “Teach us to pray.” Like us, they had questions about why and how God calls us to pray.

In Prayer 101, Dr. Warren Wiersbe addresses our deepest questions about prayer and gives us practical tools for incorporating prayer into our lives. He explores God’s will, how our relationships with God and others affect our prayers, and what it means to pray for our enemies. Throughout this deeply spiritual book, Dr. Wiersbe points us away from legalism and toward joy as we practice the daily rhythm of conversation with God.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-101-Warren-W-Wiersbe/dp/0781414474/

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“Praying the Lord’s Prayer for Spiritual Breakthrough”
By: Elmer L. Elmer Towns

Each chapter, examining a line from the Lord’s Prayer, reveals power points for believers desiring a more dynamic prayer life. Towns says that Jesus’ model prayer “includes everything you need to ask when you talk to God.”

https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Lords-Prayer-Spiritual-Breakthrough/dp/076421604X/

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“Breakthrough Prayer: The Power of Connecting with the Heart of God”
By: Jim Cymbala

From the Book Meet three who discovered the power of “breakthrough prayer.” “My husband and I had a dream of helping desperate young women. But no banker in his right mind would finance such a venture. So we prayed and God broke through every single obstacle we faced. That was just the beginning of the wonderful roller-coaster ride we call ‘faith.’” —Grace (chapter 7) “Voices inside my head were constantly screaming at me. I became like an animal in the street, muttering or yelling out a stream of profanity as people passed by. One day I screamed out, Jesus, help me! O God, you’re my only hope! That was the breakthrough prayer that saved my life.” —Danny (chapter 2) “Talk about breakthrough prayer! I was buried under 110 stories of steel and concrete after the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers when God heard my cry for help.” —Genelle (chapter 3)

https://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Prayer-Power-Connecting-Heart/dp/031025518X/

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“Prayer That Works”
By: Jill Briscoe

Through studying the lives of Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 17-19 and parts of 2 Kings), readers will be challenged to pray bold prayers rather than settle for meek prayers not offered in deep faith. Readers will learn to cultivate their prayer lives, surrender to God’s timing, and plan and persist when prayers seem to go unanswered.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-That-Works-Jill-Briscoe/dp/0842319190/

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“Power in Prayer: Classic Devotions to Inspire and Deepen Your Prayer Life”
By: Andrew Murray

Drawn from Andrew Murray’s classic writing on prayer, these devotionals will inspire and instruct those who love his work as well as introduce new readers to him. The meditations include selections from Believing Prayer, The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer, Waiting on God, Living a Prayerful Life, and more. Readers will find a wide range of topics, such as the importance of morning devotions, intercession, Jesus’s prayer life, boldness in prayer, and prayerlessness. Each of the more than 150 readings includes a related brief Scripture passage. The language has been updated for today’s readers.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Prayer-Classic-Devotions-Inspire/dp/0764209310/

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“The Disciples’ Prayer”
by John MacArthur

What if someone said you needed to cut down on your prayer time? You might call him a bad teacher, but consider this: Prayer can be a waste of time if you don’t understand its purpose.

Question is, what is the purpose of prayer? Is it possible to pray the wrong way? What is the substance of a powerful, purposeful prayer life—principles that Christ Himself wants us to put into practice?

John MacArthur answers those questions in The Disciples’ Prayer, an up-close, phrase-by-phrase look at the prayer Christ modeled for His followers of every era.

[ Matthew 6:91-5 ]

https://www.amazon.com/Disciples-Prayer-MacArthurs-Bible-Studies/dp/0802451292/

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“Prayer: The Ultimate Conversation”
By: Charles F. Stanley

A definitive book on prayer from New York Times bestselling author Dr. Charles Stanley—springing from Dr. Stanley’s life-long study and personal application on the topic.

Have you ever considered what it means to talk to God? Is it really possible to communicate with the Creator of all that exists and be able to understand His plans and purposes for your life?

Perhaps there are questions you desperately need answered. Maybe you are facing a trial that is too large or difficult to face on your own and you yearn for divine direction. Or it could be you are simply curious about what He would say to you.

In Prayer, The Ultimate Conversation, which is based on a lifetime of walking with the Father and fifty-five years of ministry founded on prayer, Dr. Charles Stanley not only teaches the disciplines of intercession but also explains how to fight life’s battles through intimate communion with the Lord. Dr. Stanley discusses how to truly know God through communication with Him.

He explores topics such as:

– Learning to recognize the sound of the Father’s voice
– Recognizing how your perception of God shapes your prayer life
– Winning your battles through prayer
– Finding true peace and joy through intimacy with the Lord

No matter what confounding questions, perplexing circumstances, or seemingly insurmountable dilemmas you are facing today, the solution to them is absolutely obvious to God—and He longs to share His answers with you. Draw closer to the Father. Get to know God by engaging with Him in Prayer, The Ultimate Conversation.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Ultimate-Conversation-Charles-Stanley/dp/1451668600/

—————-
“The Prayer of the Lord”
By: R.C.

The Bible teaches us to pray without ceasing, but many Christians struggle with prayer. Is there a right way to pray? How should we address a holy God? Does prayer really change things? Even Jesus’ disciples understood there was something lacking in their prayer life after they observed Jesus in prayer. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He gave them a model of prayer as an example to follow in communing with God.

In The Prayer of the Lord, Dr. R.C. Sproul helps us understand how to pray according to the pattern Jesus set for us. Each chapter focuses on a single line of the Lord’s Prayer, shedding light on God’s holiness and our need to humbly depend on Him. Dr. Sproul reminds us that as adopted children of God, we have an unspeakable privilege in prayer—to call upon our heavenly Father.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Lord-R-C-Sproul/dp/1567699944/

—————-
“100 Prayers Inspired by the Psalms”
By: Julie Ackerman Link

The book of Psalms has offered encouragement and comfort to many. Written by David and other psalmists, these songs of prayer express the deepest emotions to the Lord. In 100 Prayers Inspired by the Psalms, you’ll find words to help you talk with God and reflect on His promises. From praise and thanksgiving to cries for help and protection, these passionate prayers show you how to pour out your own heart to the Lord.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayers-Inspired-Psalms-Julie-Ackerman/dp/1627077316/

—————-
“Dear God, It’s Me and It’s Urgent: Prayers for Every Season of a Woman’s Life”
By: Marion Stroud

Women want to talk about what’s going on in their lives. Dear God, It’s Me and It’s Urgent will show them how to have honest conversations with God—the One who is always available to listen.

In this collection of 80 prayerful meditations, you will gain a better understanding of what it means to confide in God. Learn how to express your thoughts, feelings, and emotions in a practical way. Be reminded of His love and constant presence. Strengthen your faith as you spend time with the Lord through the privilege of prayer.

Enriched with Scripture and relevant quotes, this insightful prayer guide will help you deal with the everyday issues that matter most in a woman’s life. You’ll discover how to talk to God anytime, anywhere, and about anything.

https://www.amazon.com/Dear-God-Its-Me-Urgent/dp/1627079351/

—————-
“Prayer: 90 Devotions from Our Daily Bread”
By: Dave Branon

Spending time with God is the best way to strengthen your relationship with Him. And the best way to spend time with God is through prayer. In this collection of meditations, you’ll find inspirational thoughts that encourage you to invite God into every day of your life. Written by Our Daily Bread contributors, each devotion includes a Scripture passage with a highlighted verse and a prayer tip. Discover how you can grow closer to the Lord and experience the joy of being in His presence.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Devotions-Our-Daily-Bread/dp/1627075186/

—————-
“The Possibilities of Prayer”
By: E. M. Bounds

“The Possibilities of Prayer” by E.M. Bounds focuses on guidelines for establishing and maintaining a vital prayer life. Bounds does a masterful job of explaining that we have not because we ask not: God’s promises are dependent and conditioned upon prayer. He also discusses how God’s promises are specific, personal and directed towards individuals. The answers to His promises are the result of earnest prayer. Nothing is too hard for God! God can withhold nothing from faith and prayer. Undue worry and anxiety about earthly concerns can be eliminated by prayer. God is concerned about the smallest things in our lives. Bounds also explains how Great faith enables Christ to do great things. In the anxious world of today, our Heavenly Father can, through prayer, quiet every distraction, hush every anxiety, and lift every care from care-enslaved lives. Other points brought out by Bounds include that God’s presence and power will be most felt in the prayer closet, answers to prayer result from abiding in Christ, and that Christ requires specific praying and responds to specific prayers with specific answers. In this book, readers will also learn that prayer is simply asking God to do for us what He has promised us He will do if we ask Him. A lot of power is packed into this small book. Read, enjoy, and be challenged and encouraged!

https://www.amazon.com/Possibilities-Prayer-Christian-Classic-McKendree/dp/1468099361/

—————-
“Does Prayer Change Things?”
By: R.C. Sproul

When a Christian prays, does it make any difference? Does it change anything? Though our prayers do not change God’s mind, He ordains prayer as a means to accomplish His will. We can be confident that prayer does change things—including our own hearts.

In this booklet, Dr. R.C. Sproul argues that prayer has a vital place in the life of the Christian and calls us to come before God’s presence with joy and hope. Dr. Sproul shares practical wisdom and helps us understand the purpose, pattern, practice, prohibitions, and power of prayer.

The Crucial Questions booklet series by Dr. R.C. Sproul offers succinct answers to important questions often asked by Christians and thoughtful inquirers.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Change-Things-Crucial-Questions-ebook/dp/B07NZ1J2ZM/

—————-
“Dangerous Prayers: Because Following Jesus Was Never Meant to Be Safe”
By: Craig Groeschel

Do you ever wonder, “Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?” Do you wish you could see the evidence that prayer changes lives? Are you tired of playing it safe with your faith? In Dangerous Prayers, New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel helps you unlock your greatest potential and tackle your greatest fears by praying stronger, more passionate prayers that lead you into a deeper faith.

Prayer moves the heart of God–but some prayers move Him more than others. He wants more for us than a tepid faith and half-hearted routines at the dinner table. He’s called you to a life of courage, not comfort.

This book will show you how to pray the prayers that search your soul, break your habits, and send you to pursue the calling God has for you. But be warned: if you’re fine with settling for what’s easy, or you’re OK with staying on the sidelines, this book isn’t for you. You’ll be challenged. You’ll be tested. You’ll be moved to take a long, hard look at your heart.

But you’ll be inspired, too.

You’ll be inspired to pray boldly. To pray powerfully. To pray with fire. You’ll see how you can trade ineffective prayers and lukewarm faith for raw, daring prayers that will push you to new levels of passion and fulfillment. You’ll discover the secret to overcome fears of loss, rejection, failure, and the unknown and welcome the blessings God has for you on the other side.

You’ll gain the courage it takes to pray dangerous prayers.

https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Prayers-Because-Following-Jesus/dp/0310343127/

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“The Light of His Presence: Prayers to Draw You Near to the Heart of God”
By: Anne Graham Lotz

The beloved Bible teacher and daughter of Billy Graham shares a rich treasury of her personal prayers to guide you into deeper, more intimate daily conversations with God.

Why is it that as soon as we bow our heads to pray, we start thinking of other things we need to do? How do we make time to pray in the middle of our busy lives? And how do we know what to say and how to say it?

Like many of us, Anne Graham Lotz has struggled with prayer. Over the years, she discovered that writing out her prayers draws her into deeper, more intimate conversations with God. The Light of His Presence offers forty of these tender, honest prayers for real-life situations as an invitation to deepen your own prayer life through worship, confession, thanksgiving, and intercession. You’ll be encouraged to lean more fully into God’s promises through this power-packed devotional resource, which includes inspiring quotes from Christians throughout the ages and also has space to journal your own words to God.

As Anne writes, “My prayer for you . . . is that God will use my struggle with prayer to help you overcome yours. And that, as a result, you will be drawn nearer to the heart of God.”

https://www.amazon.com/Anne-Graham-Lotz/dp/0525651179/

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“The Daniel Prayer: Prayer That Moves Heaven and Changes Nations”
By: Anne Graham Lotz

Bestselling author Anne Graham Lotz will teach you how to pray effectively for your nation, for your families, and for yourself.

Many people today find that their prayers don’t “work.” And like a broken cell phone, DVD player, or TV remote, they throw prayer out as unnecessary “clutter” in their busy lives. Anne Graham Lotz has found that while prayer does work, sometimes the “pray-ers” don’t. So she has turned to the prophet Daniel for help.

The Daniel Prayer is born deep within your soul, erupts through your heart, and pours out on your lips, words created by and infused with the Spirit of God quivering with spiritual electricity. It’s really not an everyday type of prayer. It’s a prayer birthed under pressure. Heartache. Grief. Desperation. It can be triggered by a sudden revelation of hope. An answer to prayer, a promise freshly received, a miracle that lies just over the horizon.

Join Anne in a thrilling discovery of prayer that really works.

For extended study into The Daniel Prayer message, Anne has also created The Daniel Prayer video study and study guide.

https://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Prayer-Heaven-Changes-Nations/dp/0310351391/

Study Guide: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310087147/ref=emc_b_5_i

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“Praying Through the Tough Times”
By: Lloyd John Ogilvie

How often Christians find themselves worn down by circumstances, worn through by relationships, and worn out by their own heart struggles! God seems distant…their prayers have become platitudes.

Pastor and bestselling author Lloyd Ogilvie comes alongside readers to offer words where their own words fail them, gently guiding them to pray for God’s desires:

– the confidence that anything that happens will bring them closer to Him
– the Spirit’s filling, so they can love even difficult people with His unlimited grace
– God’s perspective on the new person He wants them to be…however tough their circumstances are

As they reconnect with the Father, Christians will be able to see with His vision…and grasp what the future can be if they put it in His hands.

https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Through-Tough-Times-Ogilvie/dp/0736927719/

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“Let’s Talk – Praying Your Way to a Deeper Relationship with God”
By: Bill Crowder

Communicating with God can sometimes be difficult and even unsatisfying. In Let’s Talk, Bill Crowder presents fresh viewpoints that remind you of what an extraordinary privilege it is to enter into the throne room of God. Encouraging you to enlarge your view of and appreciation for prayer, Crowder offers biblical insights into who God is and why prayer matters. Let’s Talk motivates you to make prayer a priority in their walk with God. You can find a renewed sense of dependency on the Sovereign God and desire to pursue a more intimate relationship with Him through prayer.

https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Talk-Praying-Deeper-Relationship/dp/1572937874/

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“Pray Big: Learn to Pray Like an Apostle”
By: Alistair Begg

Inspiration from the Apostle Paul on how to pray bold, exciting prayers.

So many of us struggle with prayer. Many books have been written on the subject and there’s a reason for that. Prayer comes hard to most of us, in most seasons. And when we do pray, we often don’t know what to say. What is it that my Father loves to hear about? What are the best things I could pray for my family, my church, and myself?

I want to pray bigger, and better. And I want you to enjoy praying like that too. And to do that, we need to discover how to pray as the apostle Paul did. Paul clearly enjoyed prayer, and was excited about it. He expected his Father in heaven to hear what he said, and to act in other people’s lives accordingly. He prayed and then was “watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4 v 2), ready to see how God would be pleased to answer his prayers.

This book focuses on Paul’s prayer for his friends in the church in Ephesus, that he recounts to them in Ephesians 1 v 15-23 and 3 v 14-21. The truths that underpin and shape his prayers for them will motivate us to pray and set us an example.

So be inspired by the Apostle Paul to pray bigger and pray better as we look to our heavenly Father to do more than all we ask or imagine!

https://www.amazon.com/Pray-Big-Learn-Like-Apostle/dp/1784983365/

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“A Hunger for God (Redesign): Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer”
By John Piper

“We encourage you to read this book, asking great things from God.” ―David Platt and Francis Chan, best-selling authors

Our appetites dictate the direction of our lives―whether it be the cravings of our stomachs, the passionate desire for possessions or power, or the longings of our spirits for God. But for the Christian, the hunger for anything besides God can be an archenemy, while our hunger for God―and him alone―is the only thing that will bring victory.

Do you have that hunger for Him? As John Piper puts it: “If we don’t feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.” If we are full of what the world offers, then perhaps a fast might express, or even increase, our soul’s appetite for God.

Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence is this path of pleasant pain called fasting. It is the path John Piper invites you to travel in this book. For when God is the supreme hunger of your heart, He will be supreme in everything. And when you are most satisfied in Him, He will be most glorified in you.

https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-God-Redesign-Desiring-through/dp/1433537265/

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“Prayer, the Great Adventure”
By: Dr. David Jeremiah

In this Gold Medallion award-winner, Dr. David Jeremiah addresses the challenges to prayer that we all face and the answers to prayer we often miss.

Prayer, the Great Adventure gently encourages us to take the first steps toward fostering a rewarding relationship with God. Drawing from his prayer journals and decades of work, Dr. Jeremiah shares his experiences – blessings, struggles, and insights.

Inside Prayer, The Great Adventure you will:

– Find answers to the questions, “How can I find time to pray when I’m so busy?”
– Discover the detailed roadmap for prayer that Jesus gave us — The Lord’s Prayer
– Read reflections from Dr. Jeremiah’s personal journal on his prayer journey

Get ready to embark on the most satisfying of trips, the great adventure of prayer.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Great-Adventure-David-Jeremiah/dp/159052182X/

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“The Majesty of Prayer: Encounters with God’s Amazing Grace”
By: John MacArthur

The God-centered prayers of beloved pastor and author John MacArthur are profound and moving. They inspire believers to come to the Father―the Lord God Almighty―with their praises, thanksgiving, and requests. Dennis Frates’s stunning landscape photography is a beautiful testimony to this same God, the God of all creation. In picture and words, the reader is drawn into the full worship experience.

Whether given, received, or purchased for personal use, this select collection of Scripture readings and heartfelt prayers encourage the reader to approach God’s throne of grace…and receive His blessing.

https://www.amazon.com/Majesty-Prayer-Encounters-Amazing-Grace/dp/0736938419/

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“At the Throne of Grace: A Book of Prayers”
By: John MacArthur

For more than 40 years, John MacArthur has steadfastly committed himself to the careful and faithful teaching of God s Word at Grace Community Church in Southern California.A special outgrowth of this ministry one that has particularly blessed the congregation at the church is the heartfelt and God-centered prayers that precede his sermons. In this book, prayers and Scripture readings from across John s years of teaching have been brought together to stir Christians toward more edifying communion with God. This book will guide readers, in the most intimate way possible, before God s throne of grace…so that they expand the horizons of their prayers as they pour out their praises, confessions, and thanksgiving to the Lord. These prayers are highly personal and filled with content that will encourage believers toward a richer and more meaningful prayer life.

https://www.amazon.com/At-Throne-Grace-Christian-Originals/dp/1594154406/

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“A Year of Prayer: Approaching God with an Open Heart Week After Week”
By: John MacArthur

Every Christian to know greater fulfillment in his or her prayer life. That’s natural―as God’s children, we should yearn to draw closer to our Father and commune more intimately with Him.

This book is filled with weekly inspiration that will greatly enrich your prayer life. You’ll find your prayers becoming more focused, more powerful, more God-centered in ways that are truly life-changing.

This collection is comprised of prayers lifted up to God by John MacArthur on the Lord’s Day. They speak of God’s majesty and His wonderful love and care, and make transparent the deepest longings of the human heart. Through these prayers you’ll find yourself lifted up…in true worship, praise, and thanksgiving.

“We need to pray more; we need to give more careful thought to the content of our prayers; and we need to spend more time preparing our hearts and our tongues for prayer. It is with that in mind that I offer this book.”
―John MacArthur

https://www.amazon.com/Year-Prayer-Approaching-Heart-After/dp/0736958657/

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“The Lord’s Prayer LuxLeather Prayer Journal – Matthew 6: 9-13”
By: Christian Art Gifts

The elegant The Lord’s Prayer Prayer Journal is designed for the prayer warrior in each of us. The Prayer Journal is covered in quality man-made material with the look and feel of real leather (trade name LuxLeather). The front cover design features include gold foiled and debossed corner borders, tile and filigree detail. The Lord’s Prayer, taken from Matthew 6: 9-13, is debossed on the back cover and accented with gold foil. The volume has a lay-flat spine and an attached ribbon page marker.

The inside offers 240 lined pages to record your prayers. Additional prayers are printed in the margins to assist in meditation. A Prayer Journal is perfect for gift-giving and has a presentation page in the front. This brown LuxLeather prayer Journal is an ideal gift for any man or woman in your life that prefers to commune with God through writing. Wrap this prayer journal for birthdays or Christmas for a meaningful gift.

Size: 8.56″ (L) x 6″ (W) x 0.56″ (H) (217mm x 152mm x 14mm)
240 Pages
Faux Leather Flexcover Bound
Lay-Flat Binding
Attached Ribbon Page Marker
Debossed Cover Text & Design
Gold Foil Cover Text & Accents
Presentation Page for Gift-Giving

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Journal-Leather-Flexcover-Bound/dp/1432114832/

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“The Power of a Praying Wife”
By: Stormie Omartian

God Can Work Powerfully
Through a Praying Wife

Now in easy-to-read 18-point font!

Today’s challenges can make a fulfilling marriage seem like an impossible dream. Yet God delights in doing the impossible if only we would ask! Stormie Omartian shares how God can strengthen your marriage as you pray for your husband concerning key areas in his life, including…

his spiritual walk
his emotions
his role as a leader
his security in work
his physical protection
his faith and his future
You will be encouraged by Stormie’s own experiences, along with the Bible verses and sample prayers included in each chapter. Join the millions of women who have been blessed by this life-changing look at the power of a wife’s prayers.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Praying%C2%AE-Wife-Large-Print/dp/0736981373/

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“Praying Girls Devotional: 60 Days to Shape Your Heart and Grow Your Faith through Prayer”
By: Sheila Walsh

Praying girls are strong girls, brave girls who know that their worth lies in who God says they are, girls who trust him and know that he always comes through. But how do we get our girls to see prayer as more than just a thing they do when they go to bed? How do we encourage them to see each moment spent with God as part of a larger conversation and a deepening of the most important relationship of their lives?

With Praying Girls Devotional, bestselling author Sheila Walsh offers girls ages 11 to 14 the tools to begin a life of prayer. She helps them learn

– to talk to God in a simple and honest way
– how to pray when they don’t know what to say
– that God is listening and that no problem is too big and no prayer too small
– that prayer is a powerful weapon for every girl
– and so much more

If you long to see your daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and other girls in your life develop a strong prayer life, this beautiful two-color devotional makes the perfect gift for every girl.

https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Girls-Devotional-through-Prayer/dp/1540900673/

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“Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer”
By: E. M. Bounds

Learn the secrets of effective prayer for every need. The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer is the definitive Bounds collection in modern English. Eight classic explorations cover every aspect of prayer in a readable way. Included in this volume are 120 entries on what this great pastoral leader taught about the essentials, necessity, possibilities, power, purpose, reality, and weapon of prayer. Because Bounds so diligently practiced what he preached, he was able to capture the essence of prayer and his works live on to call today’s Christians to higher discipleship and more energetic prayer lives.

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Works-Bounds-Prayer-Experience/dp/0801064945/

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“Praying the Names of God”
By: Christian Art Gifts

Learn about the names of God from the Bible and what they all mean with the Praying The Names Of God Gift Book. Each page features a name of God, such as God, Mighty Creator and The Good Shepherd, along with a corresponding Bible verse and prayer. This prayer book makes an endearing gift for your daughter who is eager to learn more about her Almighty Father or your husband, who is participating in a Bible study and desires to know more about his Creator.

The Gift Book: Praying The Names Of God has a padded cover with the names of God and the verse, Trust in the name of the Lord our God from Psalm 20:7. With 48 full-color pages, this Christian book also includes a bold title, Praying The Names Of God in brown foiled text.

https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Names-Christian-Corporate-Author/dp/1432127276/

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“Praying the Names of God”
By: Ann Spangler

A twenty-six-week devotional study by the bestselling coauthor of Women of the Bible. Names in the ancient world did more than simply distinguish one person from another, they often conveyed the essential nature and character of a person. This is especially true when it comes to the names of God recorded in the Bible.

Praying the Names of God explores the primary names and titles of God in the Old Testament to reveal the deeper meanings behind them. El Shaddai, Elohim, Adonai, Abba, El Elyon–God Almighty, Mighty Creator, Lord, Father, God Most High–these are just a few of the names and titles of God that yield rich insights into his nature and character.

Praying the Names of God shows readers how to study and pray God’s names by focusing each week on one of the primary names or titles of God:

Monday: Readers study a portion of Scripture that reveals the name.
Tuesday-Thursday: Readers pray specific Scripture passages related to the name.
Friday: Readers pray Scripture promises connected to the name.
By incorporating the divine names and titles into their prayers–and learning about the biblical context in which the name was revealed–readers will gain a more intimate understanding of who God is and how he can be relied on in every circumstance of their lives. Praying the Names of God is a unique devotional, one that offers a rich program of daily prayer and study designed to lead people into fresh encounters with the living God.

https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Names-God-Ann-Spangler/dp/0310345812/

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“The Essentials of Effective Prayer”
By: Kay Arthur David Lawson, and BJ Lawson

Do you sometimes wonder if God hears–let alone answers–your prayers? Do you ask yourself, What’s the point of praying? Do you long to experience the power of prayer in your daily life?
Find the keys to an effective prayer life in this compelling study that explores both God’s expectations of you and His promises to you when it comes to prayer. Through a detailed examination of the Lord’s Prayer and other examples of prayer throughout the Bible, you’ll discover a model for talking with God. You’ll also learn key principles of prayer and gain a deeper understanding of how prayer can draw you closer to His heart.

https://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Effective-Prayer-40-Minute-Studies/dp/0307457702/

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“Good Morning, Lord… Can We Talk?: A Year of Scriptural Meditations”
By: Charles R. Swindoll

Timeless Bible wisdom from renowned pastor and teacher Chuck Swindoll.
Do you long for daily encouragement and inspiration? Do you wish your quiet times were filled with power and purpose? Discover the joy and ease of meeting with God each day in a meaningful way with this year-long devotional by the world’s premiere Bible teacher. Filled with daily insights from Chuck Swindoll, Good Morning, Lord … Can We Talk? will give you a glimpse of the living power of God in your own life―and connect you to the restorative promises God speaks in his Scriptures.

https://www.amazon.com/Good-Morning-Lord-Can-Talk/dp/1414380682/

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“Prayers for Victory in Spiritual Warfare”
By: Tony Evans

Who is the one who overcomes the world,
but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:5

If you believe in Jesus and have accepted the life He offers through the cross, then the world and its ways shouldn’t be able to drag you down. But do you still find yourself uncertain how to pray and experience victory?

Pastor Tony Evans stands ready to help you “put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11). In this collection of spiritual warfare prayers that correspond with each piece of armor, you’ll find hope for your struggles with…

fear and anxiety
broken relationships
financial issues
negative habits and addictions
pain and illness
Satan’s influence is not the final word for those who, through Jesus, overcome the world. God has given you the resources you need to be victorious—and you can access them now through prayer!

https://www.amazon.com/Prayers-Victory-Spiritual-Warfare-Evans/dp/0736960589/

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“Covering Your Life in Prayer: Discover a Life-Changing Conversation with God”
By: Erwin W. Lutzer

Every Christian longs for a better and more intimate prayer life. And one of the most effective ways to grow more powerful in prayer is to learn from the prayers of others. In this way they discover new ways to pray―new requests, concerns, and thanksgivings they can bring to God’s throne of grace. That’s what makes Covering Your Life in Prayer so special. It’s an opportunity to “listen in” to a wide variety of personal and heartwarming prayers―prayers for…

– personal peace and faithfulness in difficult situations
– wisdom when making tough decisions
– a better understanding of our place in God’s plans
– a willingness to cease struggling and let God be God
– God’s work in the lives of both loved ones and unsaved friends

Readers will find this a wonderful resource for expanding their prayer horizons and enriching their relationship with God.

https://www.amazon.com/Covering-Your-Life-Prayer-Life-Changing/dp/0736953272/

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“Jesus in Red: 365 Meditations on the Words of Jesus”
By: Ray Comfort

This inspirational daily devotional allows you to experience God’s peace and presence as you reflect on the awe-inspiring teachings of Christ. Start each day off on a positive note by letting the words of Jesus speak to you and your heart.

If anything in this life deserves our undivided attention, it’s the powerful words of Jesus. Jesus in Red is a daily devotional, including:

Jesus’ words highlighted in red
short meditations
soul-searching questions
inspiring prayers

https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Red-365-Meditations-Words/dp/1424558840/

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“The Power of Prayer in a Believer’s Life”
By: Charles Spurgeon

Considered by his peers then and now as “The Prince of Preachers,” Charles Spurgeon built London’s Metropolitan Tabernacle into the world’s largest independent congregation during the nineteenth century. While many factors have been highlighted that help explain the effectiveness of Spurgeon’s preaching, the foremost secret that empowered Charles Spurgeon was his devotion to prayer.

When people would walk through the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Spurgeon would take them to the basement prayer room where people were always on their knees interceding for the church. Then Spurgeon would declare, “Here is the powerhouse of this church.” That statement is backed by the amazing number of sermons that Spurgeon preaced on prayer.

Spurgeon was a great believer and teacher in passionate, Holy Spirit-directed prayer. His word pictures of the majestic throne of grace that God calls believers to be privileged to come before is well worth the price of the book alone. You will be inspired and challenged in your prayer life, especially if you experience struggles in prayer.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Believers-Christian-Living-Classics/dp/1883002036/

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“Spurgeon on Prayer & Spiritual Warfare”
By: Charles H. Spurgeon

Prayer is the Christian’s lifeline to God, and with it, lives are changed for eternity! Charles Spurgeon knew the secrets of prayer—divine principles and promises that God established for our every need. He reveals these principles and shares how God has answered the prayers of men and women since early biblical times.
This anthology includes six of Spurgeon’s classic books on prayer:

– The Power in Prayer
– Praying Successfully
– The Golden Key of Prayer
– Finding Peace in Life’s Storms
– Spurgeon on Praise
– Satan: A Defeated Foe

Because God keeps His promises, every Christian can have a prayer life that produces lasting results, both personally and in the kingdom of God. Discover how you, too, can develop essential characteristics required for power-packed prayer!

https://www.amazon.com/Spurgeon-Prayer-Spiritual-Warfare-Charles/dp/0883685272/

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“When We Say Father: Unlocking the Power of the Lord’s Prayer”
By: Adrian Rogers and Steve Rogers

Adrian Roger’s last written manuscript before his passing in 2005, has been edited and brought together by his son Steve, as a final joint work. When We Say Father takes the Lord’s Prayer and breaks it down to its most basic components for readers to easily learn how to pray from the ultimate source, Jesus himself.

https://www.amazon.com/When-We-Say-Father-Unlocking/dp/1462771300/

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“Praying: Finding Our Way Through Duty to Delight”
By: J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom

Praying is an action. Praying is an action that is of the essence of Christian existence. It involves our beliefs, emotions, values, hopes and fears, certainties and uncertainties, knowledge and ignorance. As J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom explain, this book “is a heart-to-heart affair, in which two Christians who try to pray and wish they prayed better share thoughts about what they are doing with people whom they envisage as being like themselves. . . . Our aim is not just to clarify Christian understanding but to foster Christian living. In real praying, head, heart and hands go together.” With wisdom, humility and sincerity the authors lead us through different moods of praying, including brooding, praising, asking, complaining and hanging on. In Praying the authors offer hope for those of us who daydream when we try to listen to God and stumble when we try to speak. Yet they don’t just teach us about prayer; they challenge and inspire us to do it by pointing us to a clearer realization of the reality of God and his character. Let Packer and Nystrom come alongside you to encourage and guide your active praying to our powerful God, and let him move your praying through mere duty to delight.

https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Finding-Through-Duty-Delight/dp/0830833544/

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“Praying the Lord’s Prayer”
By: J. I. Packer

Praying is a problem for many people. Christians often go through the motions of prayer because it is expected of them, but they are often left wondering, “Did God hear me? Does he even care?”

In his book Praying the Lord’s Prayer, an excerpt from Growing in Christ, J. I. Packer presents a powerful truth: prayer is a natural activity between the Heavenly Father and his children. As Packer works through each phrase of Christ’s pattern of prayer, readers will begin to grasp the basic principles and guidelines of prayer. As readers apply the truths of this book to their prayer lives, they will experience intimate communication with God and will strengthen their own conversations with their Father in heaven.

https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Lords-Prayer-J-Packer/dp/1581349637/

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“Everyday Prayer with John Calvin”
By: Donald K. McKim

Prayer is central to the Christian life, which is why John Calvin spends more time on prayer than on any other topic in his Institutes of the Christian Religion.

Drawing from the Institutes and Calvin’s Old and New Testament commentaries, Donald K. McKim comments on Calvin’s biblical insights on prayer and intersperses his short readings with Calvin’s own prayers. Reflection questions and prayer points help you to meditate on Scripture, understand Calvin’s teaching, and strengthen your own prayer life.

https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Prayer-Calvin-Donald-McKim/dp/1629956708/

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“A Call to United, Extraordinary Prayer: An Humble Attempt”
By: Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards was the foremost leader of the Great Awakening in North America in the 18th Century. His writings continue to have a marked influence today on the life of the church, his example stands as a beacon to guide us from the shallows of our low levels of spirituality to the deeper waters of life. This classic book by Jonathan Edwards was first published to promote unity in prayer amongst all believers.

https://www.amazon.com/Call-United-Extraordinary-Prayer-attempt/dp/1857928601/

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“Prayer”
By: John Bunyan

Two works on prayer are here brought together. In Praying in the Spirit Bunyan defines what it means to pray with the spirit and with the understanding, and deals with difficulties in prayer. In The Throne of Grace, he explains how to approach God s throne in prayer and opens up the blessings God s people receive from the high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Puritan-Paperbacks-John-Bunyan/dp/0851510906/

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“Answers To Prayer”
By: George Muller

Answers to Prayer is George Muller’s public testimony of the power of prayer, spirituality, and a strong personal relationship with God. A journal-like collection of excerpts, Answers to Prayer chronicles how Muller’s successes in providing for thousands of orphans during his life are attributed to the vital practice of prayer. His beliefs and witnesses, so strong in the 19th century, have spanned time and will continue to offer encouragement and strength to readers today and in years to come.

https://www.amazon.com/Answers-Prayer-George-Muller/dp/1619491133

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“Release The Power Of Prayer”
By: George Muller

As a boy, George Müller was a thief and a liar. But, after turning to Christ, he provided for over 10,000 orphans—without ever asking anyone but God to supply their needs. He testified that he knew of at least 50,000 prayers to which he had received a specific answer.

From his amazing personal account, you will find out how to…
– Turn impossibilities into realities
– Connect with God’s amazing power
– Exchange unhappiness for joy
-Receive God’s promises
– Defeat discouragement

Through the extraordinary example of George Müller’s life, you will discover how to trust God and receive His provision for your every need. You can experience the same miraculous hand of God at work in your life today.

https://www.amazon.com/Release-Power-Prayer-George-Muller/dp/088368795X

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“Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus: An Evangelical Exposition of John 14-17”
By: D. A. Carson

In this study D. A. Carson illuminates Jesus’s message to his disciples after the Last Supper, in which Jesus proclaims the coming of the Holy Spirit and prays for himself, his followers, and the world. D. A. Carson clearly explains what Jesus taught his disciples the night before his crucifixion. This exposition of John 14-17 helps students of the Bible appreciate Jesus’s teaching on the coming and the work of the Holy Spirit, his high priestly prayer, and his commandment to love one another.

https://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Discourse-Final-Prayer-Jesus/dp/0801075904

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“Jesus’ High-priestly Prayer: Study notes, John 17”
By: John MacArthur

https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-high-priestly-prayer-Study-notes/dp/B00071EQN4

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“Adventures in Prayer: How to Reach for God’s Helping Hand”
By: Catherine Marshall

Catherine Marshall shares her personal discoveries about how surprisingly down-to-earth God wants our prayers to be. To bring us closer to Jesus, she offers a practical, intimate prayer at the end of each chapter of insight and experience.

Make her inspired approach to prayer your own, through:

• Prayer is Asking
• The Prayer of Helplessness
• The Waiting Prayer
• The Prayer of Relinquishment
• The Prayer in Secret
• The Prayer of Joyous Blessing
• The Prayer That Helps Your Dreams Come True
• The Claiming Prayer
• Let Your Heart Form the Words

https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Prayer-Reach-Gods-Helping/dp/0345347552

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“The Lord’s Prayer: Let Jesus Teach Your Children to Pray”
By: Shirley Dobson

Let Jesus teach your children to pray. Created by Shirley Dobson, The Lord’s Prayer is a read-to-me Bible story coloring book. Child-friendly bold illustrations for kids to color are matched with explanatory comments taken from the Lord’s Prayer,

https://www.amazon.com/Lords-Prayer-Coloring-Book/dp/0830771158/

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“The Assurance of Our Salvation (Studies in John 17): Exploring the Depth of Jesus’ Prayer for His Own”
By: Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Just hours before his betrayal and arrest, Jesus offered his famous High Priestly Prayer―one of the most intimate moments between Christ and his Father recorded in Scripture. John 17 has thus greatly encouraged Christians for millennia as it boldly affirms our connection to Christ.

In this masterful, verse-by-verse exposition of Jesus’s words, renowned Bible teacher and preacher Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones lays before us the richness, the depth, the wonder―and the assurance―of God’s plan of salvation.

https://www.amazon.com/Assurance-Our-Salvation-Studies-John/dp/1433540517/

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“The Power of Praying® Through the Bible”
By: Stormie Omartian

Stormie Omartian’s books have sold millions of copies and helped people around the world access the power of prayer. In this compilation of 200 heartfelt and powerful prayers, taken directly from Stormie’s life-changing devotional, The Power of Praying Through the Bible, readers will discover God’s voice and direction from Genesis through the Old Testament and from the passionate life of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament.

Each prayer from Stormie brings to life the comfort, personal guidance, and power found in the Scriptures and gives the reader strength and encouragement to live each day for God. This compact volume is the perfect size to carry along in a purse or briefcase or to keep at a bedside to read at the beginning or end of each day. A wonderful gift for any believer, this is an ideal companion to the new devotional from Stormie.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Praying%C2%AE-Through-Bible-Prayers/dp/0736925333/

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“Praying the Bible”
By: Donald S. Whitney

All Christians know they should pray, but sometimes it’s hard to know how—especially if the minutes start to drag and our minds start to wander. Offering readers hope, encouragement, and the practical advice they’re looking for, this concise book by professor Donald Whitney outlines a simple, time-tested method that can help transform our prayer lives: praying the words of the Bible. Praying the Bible shows readers how to pray through portions of Scripture one line at a time, helping us stay focused by allowing God’s Word itself to direct our thoughts and words. Simple yet profound, this resource will prove invaluable to all Christians as they seek to commune with their heavenly Father in prayer each and every day.

https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Bible-Donald-S-Whitney/dp/1433547848/

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“ESV MacArthur Drawing Near Devotional Bible”
By Crossway. Commentary) by John MacArthur

Many believers struggle with consistent Bible reading, or feel their time in God’s Word is not as effective as they would like it to be. The MacArthur Drawing Near Devotional Bible was created for such believers, combining a reading plan with reflections from an experienced Bible teacher. It features devotional material from Drawing Near, written by Dr. John MacArthur. For years, Drawing Near has helped readers grow in the discipline of effective Bible reading, and it is now available alongside the full ESV Bible text.

The MacArthur Drawing Near Devotional Bible is organized by the calendar year, with each day presenting an assigned passage accompanied by a brief devotion. Throughout the course of the year, readers will work their way through the entire Bible. Drawing from MacArthur’s forty-plus years of teaching and personal study, the Drawing Near material combines an expository approach to the Bible text with application to daily life. Each devotion also features suggestions for prayer and further study. This is a great Bible for those wanting to jump-start Bible reading habits.

Size: 6.0” x 9.0”
9-point Lexicon type
1,600 pages
Black letter text
Double-column, paragraph format
365 devotions from John MacArthur’s Drawing Near
Ribbon marker
Smyth-sewn binding
Lifetime guarantee
Packaging: J-card (HC), clamshell box (TruTone)

https://www.amazon.com/MacArthur-Drawing-Near-Devotional-Bible/dp/1433540509/

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“Wisdom from the Proverbs: A Daily Devotional”
By: Barbour Books Staff

Everyone needs guidance and wisdom as they go out into the world. Let the book of Proverbs be your guide. Day-by-day you’ll see the Book fo Proverbs come alive in this printed hardcover daily devotional.

https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Proverbs-Barbour-Books-Staff/dp/1577480155/

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“The Red Letter Words of Jesus”
By: Jack Countryman

The words of Jesus—red letter words—are the most important and life changing ever spoken.

Discover the things Jesus thought were most important.

What He says about how to live.

His relationship with God and the Holy Spirit.

And His overwhelming love for you.

More than 100 passages from the Bible are considered with illuminating explanation and background facts. Most of all, discovering Jesus’ words will breathe life into your relationship with Him and help you draw close to the One who knows you fully and loves you completely.

The Red Letter Words of Jesus, a classic gift book by bestselling author Jack Countryman, will encourage you in your faith journey, whether you are seeking Christ for the first time or have been following Him for decades.

With Jesus’ words on one beautiful, highly designed page, and an informative explanation on the facing page, The Red Letter Words of Jesus will bring to life the teachings of Jesus in a new way.

https://www.amazon.com/Red-Letter-Words-Jesus/dp/0718096991

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“Jesus in Red: 365 Meditations on the Words of Jesus”
By: Ray Comfort

This inspirational daily devotional allows you to experience God’s peace and presence as you reflect on the awe-inspiring teachings of Christ. Start each day off on a positive note by letting the words of Jesus speak to you and your heart.

If anything in this life deserves our undivided attention, it’s the powerful words of Jesus. Jesus in Red is a daily devotional, including:

– Jesus’ words highlighted in red
– Short meditations
– Soul-searching questions
– Inspiring prayers

Excerpt:
“May this small devotional be a big step in prioritizing God’s Word in your everyday life. And may the isolation of Jesus’ words further open the eyes of your understanding and create a desire in your heart to share them like you never have before.”

https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Red-365-Meditations-Words/dp/1424558840/

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“Daily Readings From the Life of Christ”
By: John MacArthur

A Christian devotional on the person of Christ

Volume 1:
As a Christian, you are called to live like Jesus—a life of courage, joy, passion, and purpose. Forget about the boring stuff—Jesus calls you to new commitment and new strength.

In this first volume of Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, highly acclaimed author and speaker John MacArthur focuses primarily on the Gospel of Matthew, which highlights Jesus as the promised Messiah. Your hungry heart will again be fed and focused on God’s Word, with insights on the life of Jesus, thoughts to ponder, and wisdom gleaned from years of MacArthur’s careful study.

Practical and encouraging, these pages are sure to challenge and uplift your heart as you come face-to-face with the infinite wonders of our Savior’s life on this earth.

Volume 2:
As a Christian, you are called to live like Jesus—a life of courage, joy, passion, and purpose. Forget about the boring stuff—Jesus calls you to new commitment and new strength.
In this second volume of Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, highly acclaimed author and speaker John MacArthur focuses primarily on the Gospel of John, in which Jesus’ love, power, and deity are highlighted. Your hungry heart will again be fed and focused on God’s Word, with insights on the life of Jesus, thoughts to ponder, and wisdom gleaned from years of MacArthur’s careful study.
Practical and encouraging, these pages are sure to challenge and uplift your heart as you come face-to-face with the infinite wonders of our Savior’s life on this earth.

Volume 3:
As a Christian, you are called to keep your eyes on Jesus, the founder and finisher of your faith. This book will help you do just that.
In this third volume of Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, highly acclaimed author and speaker John MacArthur walks you through the final days of Jesus’ life and ministry. See how Jesus interacts with the disciples, the crowds, and the religious echelon of His time. From His conflicts with the Jewish leaders to His teachings and prayers from the upper room, you’ll gain a fresh appreciation for the perfection of Christ. And by concluding with Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, you’ll be left face-to-face with the gospel itself. What better way to start your day than by gazing upon Christ.
Finding time to spend with Jesus isn’t always easy, but it’s vitally important, and always worth the effort. Let Daily Readings from the Life of Christ transform your devotional life today.

Volume 1: https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Readings-Christ-Grace-Today/dp/0802418031

Volume 2: https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Readings-Christ-Grace-Today/dp/080241804X/

Volume 3: https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Readings-Christ-Grace-Today/dp/0802418058/

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“Prayer Basics”

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The goal of this course is to help students discover the adventure God desires prayer to be, and to deepen their own relationship with Him through it. The student will gain a scripturally-based understanding of the vital importance of prayer for the Christian life and benefit from several practical strategies for pursuing it personally.

Number of lessons 10 | Average Lesson Length: 17 minutes

[ James Banks ]

Course: https://christianuniversity.org/courses/prayer-basics/

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“A Year in Proverbs: A Devotional Response”
By: Joseph King

A Year in Proverbs is a 365-day devotional study of Proverbs. Worship and witness are its beating heart. References draw upon literature, art and philosophy, placing everything in the context of Christ. You are invited to a year-long immersion of Puritan-style thoroughness and immediacy framed in accessible, contemporary style. You may well feel you don’t have time to devote a year to Proverbs. Yet surely, in our seething age, we cannot afford not to attempt meaningful intimacy with God’s very own Word. A thoughtful gift to those appreciating devotional depth, it should also profit pastors or lay preachers seeking material for one-off sermons. Joseph King is a retired UK teacher who qualified with a B.A. (Hons) in Literature and who has spent the greater part of his career working with children who have a variety of special needs, both physical and emotional. He has served as a deacon, treasurer and elder in a Baptist church in Bedfordshire, England, for the past twenty years. By God’s grace a Christian for more than forty years, if he has learned anything it is to count all things as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

https://www.amazon.com/Year-Proverbs-Devotional-Response/dp/1460002849/

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“Praying the Prayers of the Bible for Your Everyday Needs”
By: James Banks

The Bible shares many stories of the prayers of God’s people that express their circumstances and their trust in the One who never fails. Praying the Prayers of the Bible for Your Everyday Needs is a compilation of Scriptural prayers you can use—prayers to petition God for everything you need to live a life that will bring Him glory. This gift volume of prayers shows you how to talk to God, renew your trust in Him, and experience peace in knowing that He will take care of you.

https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Prayers-Bible-Everyday-Needs/dp/1627078738/

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“Turning Point Prayer Guide”

Claiming His Promises
Reclaiming His Power
Proclaiming His Peace

[ David Jeremiah ]

FREE Download: https://www.davidjeremiah.org/resources/2020-prayer-guide?tid=email_2020aug29_apl-prayer-guide1

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FREE DEVOTIONALS (The one’s I read daily):

https://odb.org/getprint/

https://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/subscribe

http://www.turningpointonline.org/magazine/signup

PAID DEVOTIONALS:

https://tabletalkmagazine.com/

https://offers.djameskennedy.org/new-every-morning/

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“‘PRAYER’ OF REPENTANCE”

In the Bible, there is a parable that Jesus told about a Pharisee and a tax collector praying in the Temple. He notes that the tax collector didn’t even dare to lift his eyes toward Heaven as he prayed. Instead he “beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner’”—and Jesus said that the tax collector “went home justified,” he had been “born again” and ‘reconciled’ by God. (Luke 18:9-14).

If you are ‘sensing’ something like that right now, let me strongly encourage you to HUMBLE YOURSELF, CRY OUT to God, and PLEAD for Him to mercifully ‘SAVE’ YOU! None of us have a ‘claim’ on our salvation, nor do we have any ‘works’ that would cause us to deserve it or earn it—it is purely a gift of Divine grace—and all any of us can do is ask. So, CONFESS YOUR SINS and acknowledge to God that you have no hope for Heaven apart from what He provides through Jesus.

There is no ‘formula’ or certain words for this. So just talk to God, in your own words—He knows your ‘heart’. If you are genuinely sincere, and God does respond to your plea, one will usually have a sense of joy and peace.

Jesus said, “He that comes to Me, I will not cast out” [ John 6:37 ].

[ Mark Besh ]
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“THE SEARCH FOR MEANING” WEBSITE

This site presents discussions on the 12 most commonly asked questions about the Christian faith.

The 12 discussions are accessed by the “tabs” at the bottom of the page. The tabs are numbered 1-12. Roll your mouse over them and you will see the question displayed at the right. Click on the number to select that question.

Within each question (i.e. tabs 1-12), there are subtopics (or dialogues) to select that appear as smaller tabs underneath the numbered tabs. Roll your mouse over them and the title of these topics is also displayed to the right. Click on the open rectangle to select that dialogue.

For each question (1-12), a link to related resources and an optional flowchart is provided. To access this material, click on the respective words, “Related Resources” or “Options Flowchart.”

To play a more detailed discussion of the subject, between two people, select the desired dialogue and click on “Play Audio Dialogue.”

In the upper right-hand corner of the page, there is an icon that looks like binoculars looking at a question mark. Click on this icon to return to the homepage.

In the upper right-hand corner of a “Related Resources” page, there is an icon that looks like some books. Click on this icon to get to an “overview” page that has links to all of the resources for all of the questions. There also are additional “appendices” for most of the questions.

In the upper right-hand corner of a “Flowchart” page, there is an icon that looks like an Org chart. Click on this icon to get to an “overview” page that has links to all of the flowcharts.

http://4vis.com/sfm/sfm_pres/sp_q1_d1_1of10.html

[ Content by: Bill Kraftson and Lamar Smith; Website by Mark Besh ]

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“FRUITS OF THE BEATITUDES” WEB SITE
(The ATTITUDES of Jesus that produce the CHARACTER of Jesus)

CLICK ON THE LINK to view:
http://fruitsofthebeatitudes.org/

FACEBOOK PAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/FruitsOfTheBeatitudes/

[ Mark Besh ]

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[ P.S.: If you would like to investigate further whether the Bible is mythical, historical, merely human, or divinely inspired, visit the following link:
http://www.4vis.com/sfm/sfm_pres/sp_q4_d1_1of10.html ].

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ARTICLES:

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“One Simple Way to Appreciate What You Have and Be Happier”

Everything becomes better when you appreciate what you have.

Practicing the act of appreciation – by choosing to think about what you have instead of what you want – makes life easier, happier, and healthier. The beautiful thing about appreciation is that the effect is immediate, profound, and always benevolent.

Appreciation triggers positive feelings. It is a mental action – an act of cognition – that acknowledges the value of a thing. That thing can be both subjective or objective.

Appreciation is an occurrent action and not a potential that must be possessed. But when practiced repeatedly, it develops a capacity for gratitude that improves your mental and social wellbeing.

You have countless reasons to be grateful and the moment you do, it immediately triggers positive feelings. However, you should view it not as an emotion but rather as a trigger to positive feelings like empathy, joy, and happiness.

For instance, giving thanks to a friend or genuinely appreciating his or her help can also give you a feeling of happiness.[1] These feelings can grow into emotions that create values and virtues over time.

All these originate from the realization that you constantly benefit from 1) the planet’s resources and 2) other people’s knowledge and experiences.

Not being able to express appreciation is one of the causes of ignorance. Taking things for granted is a bad attitude that diminishes the quality of gratitude.

Here is how you can change this.[more…]

[ Marcin Gil ]

Article: https://www.lifehack.org/874877/appreciate-what-you-have

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“Everyone Wants to Be Happy”

God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in him — Desiring God exists to help people everywhere understand and embrace this truth.

[ John Piper ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOKWdwSVRYo

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“Why Won’t God Give Me What I Want?”

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

What do those promises mean? Do they mean that everything you asked for, when you asked for it, the way you want it, you get? Well, your experience tells you, “I suppose it doesn’t mean that, because that doesn’t happen.” That’s not a good way to decide what texts mean, but I don’t think it means that. That’s not my experience either. It doesn’t mean that textually, it shouldn’t mean that morally, and you wouldn’t want it to mean that if you could. I wonder if you believe that.

It shouldn’t mean that, because if you could, at your word, make God do something, you’d be God, wouldn’t you? “Everything I tell him to do, he does.” You’d be God. If you can boss God around, you’re God. That’s the first reason it shouldn’t mean that, because God is God and ought to be God, and therefore it’s right for God to be God and right for you not to be God. Woe is you if every prayer gets answered.

Secondly, you wouldn’t want it to mean that. Think about what happens to the person when the president finds out every one of his prayer gets answered. So, you’d be shipped off to Washington immediately. And your leaders tell you to pray about Iraq. But as soon as you pray that, somebody’s going to shoot you dead. Or somebody else is going to tell you to pray something else. “Pray this for Somalia.” “No, that’s not going to work. Pray this.” And on and on.

Eventually, you would have to say, “Excuse me, I wasn’t designed to do this. Only God can run the world. I cannot run the world.” Well then, we just better stop being so eager to be able to have all our prayers answered. You wouldn’t want it. I promise you. You’d be crushed in a minute or assassinated as soon as somebody found out everything you asked for came true. You don’t want that.

Now, all that’s irrelevant, because it’s not the text. I’m just telling you that, biblically, you don’t want to go there. But what does the text mean? That’s the question. What does the text mean? So, not only should it not mean that everything you asked for you get, and you wouldn’t want it to mean that, but the text doesn’t mean that. That’s my third and final observation.

And the reason I say it is because it looks to me like Jesus is so carefully saying, “Now, if you as a father have a son who asks him for bread, would you give him a stone? No, you wouldn’t give him a stone. If he asks for a fish or an egg, would you give him a serpent? No, you won’t give him a serpent.”

But doesn’t that beckon us to ask this: What if the kid asks for a serpent? I think it’s unmistakably clear in this text that God would not give it to him. Fathers don’t give poisonous snakes to 3-year-olds. They don’t do it no matter what the kid is crying for in the pet shop. “Can I hold it? Can I hold the rattlesnake? It just makes such a cute noise. I like his teeth.” Parents have to respond, “You don’t understand. You don’t understand. The answer is no because I love you.”

God does not give bad, hurtful gifts — and I mean ultimately hurtful. This tests our faith to the limit, doesn’t it? Because if you thought that what you’re getting after you prayed for this is better, you wouldn’t have prayed for that; you would have prayed for this. “I asked for healing. I asked for a job. I asked for a fixed marriage. If I wanted this, I would have asked for it. This is not what I wanted.”

This tries our faith to the limit, and my theology from every part of the Bible is: God only gives what is good for his children to his children. Period. No matter how painful it has been. And I’m deeply, deeply thankful for the stability that brings into our lives, and how many of you, having embraced that sovereign goodness and grace of God, have been enabled to weather some of the most horrific situations. I am so thankful.

[ John Piper ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhwsXXYuSgU

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“When You Pray”

Clip from the movie “Bruce Almighty.”

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8L_sPJE8yQ

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“Now, That’s a Prayer”

In the movie , Bruce (Jim Carrey) was given with magical powers by the God (Morgan Freeman). Later Bruce learns to solve his problems without using magic. He realizes that everyone has enough strength to solve their problems.
Finally God asks him to pray for something from his heart.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDWuFDWZ6-E

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“Ich bete wieder, du Erlauchter”

“I am praying again, Awesome One.

“You hear me again, as words
from the depths of me
rush toward you in the wind.

“I’ve been scattered in pieces
torn by conflict,
mocked by laughter,
washed down in drink.

“In Alleyways I sweep myself up
out of garbage and broken glass.
With my half-mouth I stammer you,
who are eternal in your symmetry.
I lift to you my half-hands
in wordless beseeching, that i may find again
the eyes with which I once beheld you.

“I am a house gutted by fire
where only the guilty sometimes sleep
before the punishment that devours them
hounds them out into the open

“I am a city by the sea
sinking into a toxic tide.
I am strange to myself, as though someone unknown
had poisoned my mother as she carried me.

“It’s here in all the pieces of my shame
that now I find myself again.
I yearn to belong to something, to be contained
in an all-embracing mind that sees me
as a single thing.
I yearn to be held
in the great hands of your heart —
oh let them take me now.
Into them i place these fragments, my life,
and you, God—spend them however you want.”

[ Rainer Maria Rilke ]

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“A Definition of Prayer”

How do you define prayer?

[ David Dorn ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf7LmXMPRB4

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“A Soldier’s Prayer”

“I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey …

I asked for health, that I might do great things.
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things …

I asked for riches, that I might be happy.
I was given poverty, that I might be wise …

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God …

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things …

I got nothing I asked for—but everything I had hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am, among men, most richly blessed.”

[ Unknown Confederate soldier ]

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“PRAYER”

As we have just seen, God has provided a ‘power source’ for our growth that’s internal—the Holy Spirit. Even though you cannot see Him—just like you don’t see electricity or the wind—you see the ‘affects’ of them, just as you do with the Holy Spirit.

So, how does one ‘connect’ with the Holy Spirit? Well, primarily by prayer (whether that is by reading your Bible or by simply ‘talking’ to Him). Prayer is the ‘point of contact’ for engaging the Holy Spirit in a much deeper and more personal way. Prayer is kind of like your heavenly ‘passport’.

A passport gives you access to a foreign land. Spiritually, that is “the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 2:6). This phrase is translated from the Greek word “epouranios,” meaning “the sphere of spiritual activities.”

Sadly, for many believers, prayer is a ‘ritual’—a job to be done, not a relationship to be cultivated. Prayer is a deeply ‘relational’ method of communication. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” [ Matthew 6:5-6 ]. Matthew goes on to say that we should also not “use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do” (Matthew 6:7).

Some believers say that they don’t know ‘how’ to pray (haven’t learned ‘all the right words’, and haven’t put all the right thoughts together). Well, Matthew continues to say that “your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8), so don’t get all ‘worried’ about the ’right’ things. Just pour out your ‘heart’ to Him, and treat your communication with Him like you treat breathing—make it a constant ‘way of life’. Not an ‘event’.

Biblical prayer is ordinarily ‘addressed’ to the Father (“Our Father in Heave, hallowed be your name – Matthew 6:9), in the ‘name’ of the Son (“For there is one God, and there is one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” – 1 Timothy 2:5), by the ‘enabling’ power of the Holy Spirit (“at all times in the Spirit” – Ephesians 6:18; Jude 1:20).

Prayer is a means of grace that God uses to shape us more and more into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29), and allowing us to “lay all our cares before Him, knowing that He cares for us” (1 Peter 5:7).

Prayer is “the language of creaturely dependence.” Prayer casts anxieties on God (1 Peter 5:7), crying out to God in trouble (Psalm 34:17), and making our needs ‘known’ to God in all our circumstances (Philippians 4:6-7). Prayer is ‘desire’ offered to God.

When one finds it difficult to pray, sometimes a ‘model’ can be helpful. The is a prayer in the Bible that does this, and has been called the “Lord’s Prayer.”

When the disciples asked Jesus how they should pray, He said: “Pray then like this:”

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” [ Matthew 6:9-13 ].

The “Lords Prayer” is arguably the most famous prayer in the world, however, it should more accurately be called the “Disciples’ Prayer,” since the prayer asks for forgiveness of sins, and Jesus never sinned. It has been called the “Lords Prayer” because Jesus taught it, not because He prayed it for Himself. [ FYI: See John 17:1-26 for what is generally known as Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” as His intercession for the coming Church ].

The Lord’s Prayer is perfectly balanced. It teaches us to look first to God, then to ourselves. It teaches us to forgive and receive forgiveness, and teaches us to depend wholly upon God for everything.

The Lord did not give us this prayer so that we would memorize it and repeat it as a mindless ritual. Jesus gave us this prayer as a ‘model’ to follow when we pray. There are no rigid ‘rules’, nor is it a religious ‘ritual’. So, just ‘talk’ to God. Tell Him about your gratitude for what He has done for you. Tell Him what you feel. Tell Him your needs, and ask Him to fulfill your ‘heart’s’ desires. Most of all, God just wants to HEAR FROM YOU!

[ See this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” link for more details: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/ready-for-battle-v235/ (in the “Armor Effectiveness” section) ].

You can also pray ‘through’ the Psalms, substituting your concerns for the psalmist’s context-specific requests, which can help with personal and ‘broader’ concerns of family, friends, and the Church.

You can also try a ‘popular’ model that is based on the acronym “A.C.T.S.”—which means Adoration, Confession (of sin), Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

Reformer Martin Luther, in his book “A Simple Way to Pray,” suggested praying the “Lord’s Prayer,” the “Apostles’ Creed,” and the “Ten Commandments.”

So, try them all! “Just Do It!” God is anticipating ‘hearing’ from you!

By praying, we give evidence that we have committed ourselves to God, and that we take Him at His Word—that we trust Him, and that even though we can’t always ‘see’ what He is doing, we know He is working out things for good in our lives (Romans 8:28).

Then, after you have said your ‘piece’, listen. If you maintain a ‘teachable spirit’, God will ‘show’ you what He wants you to know at that time—primarily through reading His Word, the Bible. These ‘experiences’ should then progressively deepen your relationship with Him—and increase your appreciation for His compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:12). [ Kind of like the ‘fruit of the Spirit’, eh? (FYI: This will be discussed in more detail in next month’s post) ].

Prayer also should be something a believer does ALL THE TIME—this is God’s ‘will’ for you: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” [ 1 Thessalonians 5:17 ]. The believer should see prayer as a loving communication with God, having an attitude of responsiveness, dependency, availability to God EVERY WAKING HOUR, and actively speaking to God whenever your ‘heart’ is moved to do so. “With all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18b).

The word “all“ speaks of the types of prayer available to the believer: It can be either public or private, verbal or silent, deliberately planned, spontaneous, a request from God, or thanking God what He has given. You can be kneeling, standing, sitting, laying down, or even driving. There are many varieties of prayer to fit every situation and circumstance.

To pray “at all times” means that we are God conscious—that we see everything that happens to us with reference to God. That is, we live in constant awareness of His presence.

Praying constantly is not just reciting some formula prayer many times over. It has nothing to do with prayer beads, repetitious prayers, or any kind of structured, ritual praying. Praying without ceasing means seeing things from God’s viewpoint, and living in unbroken ‘communion’ with Him.

The proper attitude of prayer is “be on the alert with all perseverance and petition” (Ephesians 6:18). When you pray for something, stay with it until you have an answer (like the man in Luke 11:5-8, who kept banging on the door of his neighbor until he opened it up to give him bread for his unexpected guests). God tells us that we are to be incessant, persevering, and vigilant in prayer.

The Apostle Paul also speaks about the “objects” of prayer. “Whatever you ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

However, a ‘condition’ determines the Lords response to prayer—prayer must be “in my name.” But, simply tacking on the phrase to an end of a prayer is not what He is saying here. Praying in Jesus‘s name means “standing in His place“, fully identifying with Him, asking God for intervention by Jesus’ virtue. It is as if Jesus where the petitioner to God. We are desiring something for His sake. Something for His glory.

So, the pattern of prayer for the believer is to be primarily concerned with the spiritual dimension. The Apostle Paul’s prayers were always in line with spiritual objectives; physical ones were never an issue to him.

So, learn to pray as the Apostle Paul instructs us to do, and you will find yourself becoming much more God conscious and much less self focused. As you humble yourself, spend time with the Holy Spirit, and pray under His supervision, you will find your life being molded into the very image of Jesus.

If Jesus, the Son of God, needed to go to His Father in prayer for strengthening and guidance, how much more do we need to? (Psalm 32:6).

[ Mark Besh ]

A portion of a previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/growing-in-grace-v240/

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“Questions about Prayer”

What is prayer?

Why pray?

What is the prayer of salvation?

What is the Sinner’s Prayer?

What is the Lord’s prayer and should we pray it?

What does hallowed be thy name in the Lord’s Prayer mean?

How can we recognize the voice of God?

Who are we to pray to, the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit?

Is it acceptable to repeatedly pray for the same thing, or should we only ask once?

How can I get my prayers answered by God?

What is the proper way to pray?

What is intercessory prayer?

How can I turn all my worries and problems over to God?

How can I be sure I am praying according to the will of God?

What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name?

What is praying in the Spirit?

Is praying the rosary Scriptural?

What are some hindrances to a potent prayer life?

Silent prayer – is it biblical?

Is corporate prayer important? Is corporate prayer more powerful than an individual praying alone?

What is contemplative prayer?

What is soaking prayer?

What is prayer walking? Is it Biblical to go on a prayer walk?

What is praying in tongues? Is praying in tongues a prayer language between a believer and God?

What is the connection between prayer and fasting?

What is Lectio Divina?

What does it mean to pray without ceasing?

How is prayer communicating with God?

What is the power of prayer?

Is it acceptable to “lay out a fleece” before God in prayer?

Is it allowable to use candles in connection with prayer?

What is the prayer of Jabez?

What is prophetic prayer?

What is a prayer labyrinth? Are prayer labyrinths biblical?

Why did Jesus instruct us to pray ‘lead us not into temptation’ when God states that He does not tempt us?

Why do we pray before eating meals?

What is the serenity prayer?

Why do we end our prayers with “˜Amen’?

What is imprecatory prayer?

Why is daily prayer important?

Why should we pray for the peace of Jerusalem?

How should a Christian respond to unanswered prayer?

What does the Bible say about praying to / speaking to the dead?

What does the Bible say about praying for the dead?

What is the value of a prayer meeting?

Does the Bible promote or prohibit praying to angels?

Why doesn’t the Lord’s Prayer include thanksgiving? Shouldn`t all our prayers include expressions of thankfulness?

What are prayer beads? Is it okay to use beads while praying?

How can I become a prayer warrior?

What is a prayer shawl?

Is public prayer biblical? Is it okay to pray in public?

What is the key to effective prayer?

What is Sozo prayer?

What is centering prayer?

What is a prayer cloth?

What is a prayer closet?

How can I stop being nervous about praying publicly?

What is a prayer of supplication?

What is a novena?

Is there evidence that God answers prayer?

What is the meaning and purpose of saying grace before a meal?

What are the different types of prayer?

If Jesus condemned the Pharisees for praying out loud, should we pray aloud?

Are people who claim to talk to God insane?

What does it mean to pray for our daily bread?

What is the importance and value of group prayer?

Does praying Scripture have greater effectiveness than other prayers?

Does God answer prayers?

How and why should we pray for our leaders?

Is there any scriptural basis for praying on behalf of the unsaved?

What is the Book of Common Prayer?

What does it mean to watch and pray?

What sort of prayers should we pray for unbelievers?

What is the prayer of faith?

What is an invocation prayer?

What is warfare prayer?

What is listening prayer? Are listening prayers biblical?

What can we learn from the prayers that Jesus prayed?

Are there any conditions to answered prayer?

Why is praying for others important?

Does God hear my prayers?

Is the ACTS formula for prayer a good way to pray?

What is the Jesus Prayer?

What is Hesychasm?

What is a prayer circle?

What does it mean to use vain repetitions in prayer?

What does the Bible say about prayerlessness?

Why doesn’t God respond when I cry out, “God, please help me!”?

What is an examen prayer?

Does prayer change God’s mind?

What is a prayer vigil?

Is there anything wrong with repetitive prayer?

What is the National Day of Prayer?

What is See You at the Pole (SYATP)?

Is it biblical to light candles for the dead?

What are the prayers of the saints in Revelation 5:8?

What is a morning prayer? What is an evening prayer?

Is it wrong to pray written prayers?

What does the Bible say about bowing or kneeling in prayer?

What does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord?

Why do we need to ask God to deliver us from evil?

What does it mean to pray, “Thy kingdom come”?

What does it mean to pray, “Thy will be done”?

Is the concept of a prayer journal biblical?

What should I do when God says no?

What does the Bible say about prayer for the sick?

What does it mean to pray for your enemies?

What is fervent prayer (James 5:16)?

What did Jesus mean when He said He would give us “whatever you ask in my name”?

What is the purpose of prayer?

How can I know what to pray for?

What is the five-finger prayer?

[ Got Questions ]

Question About Prayer: https://www.gotquestions.org/questions_prayer.html

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“The Lord’s Greatest Prayer”

You can take your Bible and open to John, Chapter 17. This chapter is unparalleled in Scripture. It is unique among all the portions of Scripture because it is the prayer of our Lord, the Son of God, to the Father. It deserves careful attention. In all honesty, one could be lost for a lifetime in this chapter. It’s truths are so far-reaching, so high, so wide, so deep, so elevated, that it’s almost impossible to extract yourself from the chapter, or from any verse, or even any phrase. The words are simple enough and direct enough, but the truths are really beyond comprehension. The best we can do is touch the edges of these great realities that are in this chapter.

You know what is behind this chapter, so this chapter will bring many things to your remembrance. If someone were to approach this chapter not knowing the rest of Scripture, they would be served well to spend a lifetime here, using this as a launch point to go backward and forward in the revelation of God. But for us, this is a capstone of four other chapters: chapters 13, 14, 15, and 16. Those chapters record the words of our Lord to His disciples the night of the Passover on Thursday night of Passion Week, the night before His crucifixion. That night, He spent hours upon hours with His disciples. First the Passover meal, then Judas was dismissed. He instituted the Lord’s Supper at that point. He continued to teach them.

They left the upper room. They have walked to the city of Jerusalem. And as they’re walking, He continues His instruction to them, full of promises, full of pledges, and full of warnings, and full of threats. He tells them that He is leaving, He will die, He will rise, and He will go back to the Father. He is promising them everything they will ever need. All the resources of heaven will be at their disposal through prayer. They will know the truth because He will send the Holy Spirit who will bring them the truth. [more…]

[ John MacArthur ]

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgZSVI5KkCQ
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU5-1bMBUog
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnCEZOaK5Kc
Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPaGTrsCj1A
Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azdz3K2nqg4
Part 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITctHF_7H48
Part 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rmOFxyB7PU
Part 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Oj35qEFDvM

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“The Prayer That God Answers”

In this 11-part series of messages, The Prayer That God Answers, Dr. Youssef demonstrates that unless we understand not just how to pray, but what to pray, our prayers are ineffectual. The end result of prayer is for God to be glorified.

[ Michael Youssef ]

Part 1: https://ca.ltw.org/listen/teaching/series/the-prayer-that-god-answers/part-1
Part 2: https://ca.ltw.org/listen/teaching/series/the-prayer-that-god-answers/part-2
Part 3: https://ca.ltw.org/listen/teaching/series/the-prayer-that-god-answers/part-3
Part 4: https://ca.ltw.org/listen/teaching/series/the-prayer-that-god-answers/part-4
Part 5: https://ca.ltw.org/listen/teaching/series/the-prayer-that-god-answers/part-5
Part 6: https://ca.ltw.org/listen/teaching/series/the-prayer-that-god-answers/part-6
Part 7: https://ca.ltw.org/listen/teaching/series/the-prayer-that-god-answers/part-7
Part 8: https://ca.ltw.org/listen/teaching/series/the-prayer-that-god-answers/part-8
Part 9: https://ca.ltw.org/listen/teaching/series/the-prayer-that-god-answers/part-9
Part 10: https://ca.ltw.org/listen/teaching/series/the-prayer-that-god-answers/part-10
Part 11: https://ca.ltw.org/listen/teaching/series/the-prayer-that-god-answers/part-11

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“Life-Changing Prayers”

In his seven-part series, Dr. Michael Youssef examines the prayers of some of the most influential people in the Bible and details what we can learn from those prayers.

[ Michael Youssef ]

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jepEjXDerE8
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7KUYVz5E8s
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8qNuHmSdIc
Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC9ztijpDDw
Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0ewpR8ojIw
Part 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDmavZueDsI
Part 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfR6637y_L0

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“The Necessities for Effective Prayer (Mark 11:22-25)”

Mark 11. Open your Bible to Mark’s gospel. We’re going to be looking at verses 22 to 25, verses 22 to 25 in Mark chapter 11.

We know we’re in the Passion Week of Christ. He has entered into the city of Jerusalem on Monday. On Tuesday, He came in and attacked and assaulted the temple. And by the time we come to our text in verse 22, it is Wednesday, Wednesday. On the next day, Thursday, will be the Passover meal. On Friday, the crucifixion. On Sunday, the resurrection. So these are the last days of our Lord’s life and ministry.

Now, the subject of our verses, verses 22 to 25 – and we’ll actually back up to verse 20 so we get the flow – the subject here is prayer, prayer. And you might think that this is a kind of an odd place to do a lesson on prayer. It might seem to you that there could be other more pertinent things to talk about, given what is coming with the Lord dying, rising, ascending, and all that’s bound up in that. But this lesson is absolutely critical and it’s critical at this juncture.

Now nothing that our Lord says here is new. Everything He says here He has said somewhere else, probably many times not recorded. In the 24/7 three-year experience of these disciples with Jesus, He repeated these things over and over again; this is very familiar. But it’s also familiar to us, because the things that we’re going to be reading are also elsewhere previously in the gospel accounts.

Why now? Why a lesson on prayer? Well it’s really pretty simple if you just think about it. For three years the disciples had lived in the presence of God Himself, God in human flesh. Anything they needed He provided. It would seem to me that though they were raised to pray – synagogue life was full of prayers; though they were, no doubt, taught as children to pray; the Jews prayed cycles of prayers all day every day – prayer would have been a very formidable part of their upbringing; and certainly their adult life would have followed the way they had been raised. [more…]

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwdeG-03Ddk

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“The Prayer That Answers Everything”

What if you could attend a class taught by Jesus on prayer? Would you attend? Well, guess what Jesus already gave us the perfect prayer that covers EVERYTHING. Pastor Greg walks you through this amazing prayer and shows you how to pray it!

[ Greg Laurie ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g89JgGmUktI

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“The Lord’s Prayer”

Worldview Series :: Matthew 6

[ Greg Laurie ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcKt-PDKfkA

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“5 Biblical Results of an Active Prayer Life”

What are five results of having an active prayer life? Can you think of some others?

Staying in Fellowship With God
One thing about an active prayer life is that you stay in fellowship with God. For those who have repented and put their trust in God, they already have a relationship as a child of His (1 John 3:10, Galatians 3:26). But when we abide in daily prayer with God, we connect with Him in an intimate way that is closer than that of best friends. There is joy in knowing that God hears our prayers and that He is interested in having an intimate relationship with us.

We Are Cleansed by God
In 1 John 1:9 it says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When we confess our sins to God, we have the assurance that He will cleanse us from all our sins and we will remain in a right standing before God. To confess means that we agree with God about our sins. Since God already knows about our sins anyway, why not confess them and have a clean conscience? There’s something refreshing in knowing that when we’re forgiven, we’re made whiter than snow in God’s sight (Psalm 51:7; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Life Changes With Prayer
James says that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16b). I have seen direct results to my prayers and have heard dozens and dozens of testimonies of answered prayers that changed lives. Why not tap into the very power of God and pray earnestly for what is on your heart? You might be praying for a lost friend or family member, for a new job, for someone or yourself to have a restoration of health. Life changes when we pray to God, and it is not that we change God’s mind but that God’s mind changes us.

More Biblical Wisdom
Once again James speaks about prayer, but this time he tells us that we ought to pray for godly wisdom, which we all need. James writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). Solomon prayed for wisdom, “And God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you’” (1 Kings 3:11-12).

More Laborers for the Harvest
I know this prayer works where Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). It seems there were few, if any, laborers in our church; and for five years I prayed for other laborers to enter into the harvest with me, as I usually had to go by myself. But after a few years, God not only sent a fellow laborer to go with me, He opened a door for a prison ministry where men came to me seeking to go with me out into the streets and door to door to enter into the harvest. Indeed, there are few laborers and there is such a great harvest; so pray for God to send forth more laborers and He will.

Conclusion
God is willing to hear our prayers and wants to answer them to not only change our lives but to change the lives of those around us, if only we would ask (James 4:2). God wants to change our lives and have us see the results of an active prayer life. It is up to us but only if we are willing to seek Him daily.

[ Jack Wellman ]

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“If You Don’t Pray, You Won’t Live”

If we don’t plan ahead for prayer, we are cutting ourselves off from God’s supply of nourishment for our needy souls.

[ John Piper ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ9sfxMv3qE

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“Jonathan Edwards and the Call to Prayer”

Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel observed that the opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. Hopelessness, like so many of us feel amidst this perfect storm of pandemics, injustice, political unrest, and rioting, can lead us to indifference. After all, what can the typical person do about any of the crazy stuff going on these days?

Christians cannot succumb to hopelessness. We are never allowed to retreat into indifference. To love is the first and greatest commandment, first God and then others. We are, Peter wrote, “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3) We may not feel like this is true, but it is.

The great Jonathan Edwards, a leading theologian and perhaps America’s greatest Christian philosopher, served in pastoral ministry in the 18th century, during the height of the Enlightenment. In an essay entitled “A Call to United, Extraordinary Prayer: An Humble Attempt,” (how’s that for a title?), Edwards argued that for the Christian to maintain this love for God and others, defined by hope while avoiding despair, regular prayer was essential.

However, Edwards was clear that prayer does not bring hope to believers by guaranteeing that God will line up with our requests. Rather, prayer aligns the believers, and our requests, to the Kingdom of God in at least three ways.

First, prayer teaches our hearts and minds to long for God’s power and glory. Here’s Edwards:

“There is much in what we have seen of the glorious works of God’s power and grace, to put us in mind of the yet greater things of this nature that he has spoken of in his word, and to excite our longings, and our hopes of their approach.” The “experience of His presence” that is, knowing and believing the one true God of the universe, is meant to excite us towards greater prayer for the “continuance, increase, and greater extent of such blessings.”

Second, prayer is the principal means by which Christ’s kingdom advances. Again, quoting Edwards, “so [it] is God’s will, through His wonderful grace, that the prayers of his saints should be one great and principal means of carrying on the designs of Christ’s kingdom in the world.” That’s an astounding thought. So often, we ask “but other than pray, what can we do” as if praying isn’t doing something. But it is. It is effectual, says St. James in his epistle.

Finally, our prayers are not merely that God would save our nation, but that He would pour out His Spirit on it through the church. “…but that God would appear for His church,” Edwards wrote, “and in mercy to miserable men, carry on his work in the land, and in the world, and fulfill the things he has spoken of in his word, that his church has been so long wishing, and hoping, and waiting for.”

This restoration we long for is not for some past “good old days” as a country, but rather a restoration to God’s purposes. We pray for God to heal our nation and revive the church even as we long for and await the day when the Lord will return, restoring creation (Revelation 21) and making all things new.

These words of Edwards describe, at least in part, why a few thousand of us have been gathering virtually the last few weeks, each Wednesday morning between now and November 4 (the morning after the 2020 election) for a national prayer time, via webinar. Each prayer time features prayers from Scripture and from church history, as well as a devotional challenge and prayer. So far, Pastor Rick Warren, Os Guinness, and Bishop Garland Hunt have led our times together. This Wednesday, Focus on the Family President Jim Daly will lead us in prayer.*

Due to Zoom capacity, there are limited live spots each week available to all who register. However, we have unlimited seats on Facebook live, and each week’s recording is sent to everyone who signs up. Go to BreakPoint.org for more details and to register.

Jonathan Edwards wrote: “When God has something very great to accomplish for his church, it is His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of his people.”

[ John Stonestreet ]

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“How Should We Pray?”

Many Christians struggle not only with questions regarding the purpose of prayer, but also with questions regarding how they should pray. The disciples themselves asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. In this message, John MacArthur explains how the Lord’s Prayer continues to answer this most basic question.

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnz5kcGdzdc

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“Does Unforgiveness Hinder Prayers?”

Does Unforgiveness Hinder Prayers? Pastor Greg Laurie delves into this topic, we all can harbor unforgiveness in our hearts, but this simple act may be causing repercussions in our lives!

[ Greg Laurie ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrWHtbIW5NI

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“Is God listening to your prayers?” | How to Pray to God ”

Is God listening to your prayers? Sometimes the answer is, No. Here’s how to pray to God so that He hears, and responds to you.

In this Bible Devotion out of Luke 18 and Job 35, Pastor Nelson looks how to pray, some reasons why God ignores our prayers, and how to make sure God is listening when we pray.

[ Nelson Domingues ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X__2Fy95r-k

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“The Daniel Prayer Small Group Bible Study – Session 2”

Many people today find that their prayers don’t “work.” And like a broken cell phone, DVD player, or TV remote, they throw prayer out as unnecessary “clutter” in their busy lives. Anne Graham Lotz has found that while prayer does work, sometimes the “pray-ers” don’t. So she has turned to the prophet Daniel for help.

The Daniel Prayer is born deep within your soul, erupts through your heart, and pours out on your lips, words created by and infused with the Spirit of God quivering with spiritual electricity. It’s really not an everyday type of prayer. It’s a prayer birthed under pressure. Heartache. Grief. Desperation. It can be triggered by a sudden revelation of hope. An answer to prayer, a promise freshly received, a miracle that lies just over the horizon…

Join Anne in a thrilling discovery of prayer that really works.
This book will help readers pray effectively for their nation, for their families, and for themselves. She will answer such questions as:

– Does God only hear the prayers of good people?
– How do I know the God to whom I pray will listen?
– How do I know God cares about my prayer?
– How do I know God will answer my prayer?
– Why should I pray?
– Does it matter where I am when I pray?
– Are words in prayer all that matter, or does my attitude affect prayer?
– What difference does my prayer make?

The book also includes some of her original prayers that demonstrate the principles taught in The Daniel Prayer.

[ Anne Graham Lotz ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uIk4HFSG58

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“PRAY: Consult Your Creator”

If you want to move into your future with more passion and purpose, prayer is a powerful starting point. Dr. David Jeremiah returns to his series, FORWARD, and shares insights from Nehemiah, whose faithful prayers aligned him with God’s will for achieving his dream.

[ David Jeremiah ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-5xlA2irQE

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“Praying Effectively 101”

Thank you for watching, tune in live here on YouTube every Sunday and Thursday for more messages of hope and encouragement from Pastor Greg Laurie!

[ Greg Laurie ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcYcEjVly0w

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“Prayer: The Highest Form of Worship”

I want you to open your Bible this morning to Matthew chapter 6, and I just want to read a couple of verses there in Matthew 6 in the Sermon on the Mount and then talk to you about the subject that is in the “Grace Today,” the title “Worship in its Highest Form.”

As you know, we’re not in a series currently. Last week we addressed the issue of being a true disciple and a false disciple in looking at Peter and Judas in that contrast. And because the message was on my heart, I gave that message to the students at high school camp, and it was suggested I share it here, and I did that last week.

It was a few months ago that I was invited to speak at a conference on prayer back in the city of Indianapolis. And I went back there, and they asked me to talk on the subject of the priority of prayer, how prayer is a priority, and what is the nature of prayer as a priority. So, I did that, and it’s – the notes for that message that I gave back there have sat on my desk for a few months. And I keep looking back and thinking I need an opportunity to share that with you as well, and this morning is that opportunity.

But I want to begin by looking at Matthew 6:9 and 10, these familiar words of our Lord, “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven.’” Very familiar words to us. This is the substantive, foundational, basic teaching that our Lord gave us on how to pray. This is How to Pray 101.

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSckFz-1aWI

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“What Jesus Taught about Prayer”

As Gods’ children, prayer is our direct line of communication to our Father in heaven. We can pray in many ways, anywhere, anytime, and in any position. “Prayer is not getting my will in heaven but His will on earth,” says Pastor Greg Laurie. There is no secret to prayer but that we come with a pure heart, come often, and come consistently.

[ Greg Laurie ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxPP_Wg9WIU

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“What Every Christian Needs to Know about Prayer”

Why do some succeed and become stronger while others fail or struggle? Pastor Greg Laurie answers, “Because of choices that we make daily. We make choices, but eventually those choices make us.” Every believer has to go forward in his or her spiritual life to become stronger. We must discipline and apply ourselves to pray, read, study, love, and memorize the Word of God—in doing this our hearts fall into worship of our heavenly Father.

[ Greg Laurie ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dsAFIWRt04

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“Prayer That Works”

[ Tony Evans ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rXDRl1dQeU

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“What is our role in prayer?”

God longs for you to communicate with Him, telling Him all the issues of your heart. But specifically, how do you pray? Is there a right way and a wrong way?

[ John MacArthur ]

Q&A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE-L1buzZ0A

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“Does Prayer Change God?”

[ John MacArthur ]

Q&A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rk-AtXgMPo

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“Prayer is Powerful: Make Me Bold”

When you talk to God, are you boldly bringing Him powerful prayers or are you stuck in a rut of praying it safe? In this week’s message, Pastor Craig Groeschel brings to light how to break common prayer habits and begin talking to God with confidence and courage. Find out how God empowers you to take hold of the bravery you need to renew your faith and start praying powerful prayers.

[ Craig Groeschel ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clG_9XObxOU

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“Prayer That Moves God”

Prayer is seriously powerful business. So often, though, we treat it as a perfunctory task to be checked off our daily to-do list. How can we shift our attitudes from boredom and obligation to joy and expectation? The Lord always inclines His ear to His children. Learn the foundational principles of effective prayer, and how to confidently approach God with our petitions and requests.

[ Charles Stanley ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s3ON1Yg3xw

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“What Is the Place of Faith in My Unanswered Prayers?”

When God consistently answers prayers with “no,” many of wonder if their faith is the problem. So what role does faith play in unanswered prayers?

What role does our faith play when we are praying for the faith of others? It’s an important question related to our prayer lives, and the question comes to us from a listener named Richard.

“Hello, Pastor John. Thank you for this podcast. I write because I have become discouraged in my prayer life. None of my requests ever get answered. I have been praying for family members to be reconciled, friends to come to faith, Christ’s glory to be made evident to me, and other requests. I faithfully read Scripture and cannot think of any unrepentant sin in my life that would hinder my prayers. It just seems my answers are always ‘no,’ and I have become discouraged because of it. Do you have any sustaining counsel for a weak brother who is enduring the silence of God?”

[ John Piper ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLUWBPY_s9s

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“The Way We Should Pray”

[ Zac Poonen ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgDdgRyK2R0

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“Unconfessed Sin Hinders Prayers”

You need to chose between your sin and between God. Unconfessed sin will stop your prayers cold. Taken from the message “How to (and Not to) Pray”, from the Follow Me! Series by Pastor Greg Laurie.

[ Greg Laurie ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdTUH3ufUyk

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“The Secret to Powerful Prayer”

The Secret to Powerful Prayer was preached at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship on July 21, 2019.

[ Tony Evans ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVkC-zzubWY

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“On Prayer”

Matthew 6:9-11

[ Paul Washer ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKaIFf_nhJc

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“The Importance of Prayer for Christians”

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53P-L7wu4h0

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“When God Answers ‘No’ to Our Prayers”

How do we not let a no from God squelch our joy in him? John Piper offers two anchors of hope to help us remain steady in the struggle.

We get a steady stream of emails from listeners asking about unanswered prayers, like this one from a podcast listener named Luis. “Hello, Pastor John. In Philippians 4:19, I read this promise: ‘God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.’ But I don’t see God providing as his word says he would. My prayers go up, but it seems like God is silent, or he constantly answers me with an implied ‘no.’ This causes me to feel discouraged and ignored. How do I respond to this ‘no’ from God when I pray for good things?”

[ John Piper ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoNne8JUOTs

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“True Prayer. True Power!”

This sermon should illustrate clearly enough why Charles Spurgeon is considered ‘The Prince of Preachers’. This was preached half way through the 19th century: and yet, the message still gets across, loud and cloud, when it is read out the way it was originally preached! Preachers: please notice the excellent structure. A good structure is present in all his sermons. Also, notice how half of the sermon is taken up with actually looking at what the text says. Yet, Spurgeon has a way of doing this without it being really boring! It is so practical and descriptive and real. Spurgeon has a clear purpose and goal in mind: to help us be better at prayer. One of the best messages I have heard from him.

[ Charles Spurgeon ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0p-mRMR8m4

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“BOOST YOUR PRAYERS | 7 Secrets to Boost Your Prayer Life!”

How do you become more consistent in prayer? Has your prayer life gotten boring, mundane and stale? Do you sometimes go an entire day or two and forget to pray? This video gives my top 7 tips on how to be more consistent in prayer.

[ Allen Parr ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf2tY7gHuaI

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“Trusting God When Your Prayers Aren’t Answered”

[ David Jeremiah

Article: https://davidjeremiah.blog/trusting-god-when-your-prayers-arent-answered/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrVK6f97j-Y&feature=youtu.be&t=1338

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“Essentials of Effective Prayer”

[ Zac Poonen ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DCIpqfX9-Y

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“Pray and Be Alone With God”

Could it just be possible that He always wanted to slip away and be alone with God simply because He loved Him? Because He loved Him.

[ Paul Washer ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFKQaxcR9XU

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“Ask Dr. Youssef: “Can Our Prayers Change God’s Mind?””

“When you want God’s glory first, He’s going to give you what’s best for you.”

Dr. Michael Youssef explains how God answers our prayers.

[ Michael Yourself ]

Q&A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0AbowVMWZw

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“Does Prayer Actually Change God’s Mind?”

Does prayer actually change God’s mind?
Dr. Stephen Wellum answers in Honest Answers | Episode 46

[ Dr. Stephen Wellum ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8o-Gkkbb8A

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“Does God Hear the Prayers of an Unbeliever?”

“Does God hear the prayers of an unbeliever?”
Dr. Donald Whitney answers in Honest Answers | Episode 60

[ Dr. Donald Whitney ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYlFNVSrbq4

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”The Most Dangerous Prayer You Can Pray”

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy_Z-9G7ACQ

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“How, Why and When to Pray”

I only post what I think are the most intense eye opening lessons that John has to offer this is one of them. Prayer is not performed by millions while many more just abuse it. If you ever had doubt as to how, why and when you should pray please listen to this series…God Bless…!

[ John MacArthur ]

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA8aSNoLwKc
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tz-smjP9gY

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“The Importance of Prayer in the Life of the Believer”

The choices that we make—make us. It comes down to principles and disciplines applied—resulting in fruit. To be a growing Christian, you must have a frequent, passionate, and persistent prayer life everywhere, all the time, crying out to God. Prayer is our lifeline to Him.

[ Greg Laurie ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvhtrOIqsoE

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“John 17 (Part 1) :1-19 – The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus”

A chapter by chapter and verse by verse study of John taught by Pastor Paul LeBoutillier of Calvary Chapel Ontario, Oregon. Visit us at http://www.ccontario.com for online studies through the entire Bible.

[ Paul LeBoutillier ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdBoaKmShMY

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“A Template For Prayer That May Surprise You!”

Have you ever wondered how to pray? How to unlock blessings? Well, Pastor Greg Laurie breaks down biblical prayer in an easy and understandable way!

[ Greg Laurie ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcFO8D8lT7g

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“Ten Steps to Persistent Prayer”

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8tngNmMw3A

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“The 6 Prayer Requests of Jesus | David Jeremiah | John 17”

One of the ways Jesus chooses to care for us is through prayer. As revealed in His great prayer for us in John 17, He advocates for us, intercedes for us, and prays for us.

[ David Jeremiah

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlqAKF5RVdM

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“Six Prayers God Always Answers”

If you are like me, you probably find yourself more consistently confused or failing in prayer than in any other area in the Christian life. Why is that? Talking to the God who chose us, saved us, and sustains us should be the most natural and delightful thing in the world, shouldn’t it? Perhaps it should, but more often than not, it isn’t.

We all know we should pray more. The guilt within reminds us. But if we are honest, we neither want to pray more, nor are we really convinced we need to. Why? Perhaps we don’t really understand what prayer is — or we’re prone to forget.

Let God Speak First
The most important thing to do when it comes to thinking about prayer is to let God speak. Our approach to prayer (and our practice) is often an amalgam of platitudes, folk religion, and basic biblical truths, rather than an exegetically rigorous and theologically rich account of the teaching of the Bible.

When we actually look at what the Bible teaches about prayer, it is surprisingly simple: to pray is to ask God to do what he has promised to do through Christ.

Cast All Your Cares
The core of the gospel is that we have nothing, contribute nothing, bring nothing to God. Prayer, which is made possible by the gospel and shaped by the gospel, works the same way. God gives to us; we don’t give to God. We ask; he gives. Prayer depends on what he has done in us and for us, and on what he will do in us and for us.

Jesus teaches us to pray and to freely ask our Father for the desires of our heart:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Luke 11:9–10)

We can ask for whatever we want, knowing that God will not give us anything bad for us, but only what is good for us (Luke 11:11–13). The apostle Peter exhorts us, “[Cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7) — all your anxieties, even your mundane and material ones. Don’t be afraid to ask him for anything, and don’t hold back any burdens from him.

Six Prayers
But our everyday expressions of need are not the burden of the New Testament when it comes to prayer. While Scripture encourages us to pray for all manner of things, God also clearly exhorts us to focus our prayer lives.

God hears and answers every prayer, but there are a precious few to which he always says, “Yes.” The prayers always answered positively are the prayers which explicitly ask God to deliver on his promises to us. God will always say Yes when we ask him to do his work through his word.

I have found at least six basic prayers God will always answer.

1. Glorify yourself through me.
The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).

2. Forgive me.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

3. Reveal more of yourself to me.
I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord (Jeremiah 31:33–34).

4. Give me wisdom.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (James 1:5).

5. Strengthen me to obey you.
As you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:12–13).

6. Spread your gospel to the lost.
This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).

How do we know God will answer these six prayers? Because he says he will in the first place, and then, even more, because these prayers sum up what God has promised to do through the gospel. This is what God has said he would most surely do.

Ready to Answer
If we want to grow and mature in prayer, we don’t need to set a timer. We don’t need to learn new contemplative methods, or build a prayer closet in the woods. But we do need to become better ask-ers. We need to realize that we are all walking disasters apart from grace, men and women who need God every step of every day. We would all make a shipwreck of our life and the lives of those around us if God did not intervene.

The gospel yells at us, You are weak and sinful, flawed, and needy — but God is strong, gracious, and good — and ready to answer. Ask him to do what he has already promised to do for you. And keep praying, until that day when we won’t need to pray anymore from a distance, because we will see our great Promiser, Provider, and King face to face.

[ Gary Millar ]

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“Teach Us To Pray”

John Piper rehearses some of the most profound and familiar words ever spoken. We hope these four minutes, with stunning aerial footage, will help inspire you to new heights in the life of prayer. Sit together with Pastor John at the feet of Jesus, and learn to pray all over again.

“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. In Jesus name, amen.”

[ John Piper ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-_lmGR9EdE

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“Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer”

Jesus’ “high priestly prayer” (John 17) is only about 650 words. It takes only 3 minutes and 30 seconds to read it aloud. But it will take all eternity for us to fully understand it!

I recently found it helpful to break down Jesus’ petitions and propositions into the following categories:

[ Justin Taylor ]

Article: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/jesus-high-priestly-prayer

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“Jesus’ Prayer for You”

Text: John 17. Jesus set the example on how to have an effective prayer life that deepens our relationship with God, who longs to hear and communicate with us. Pastor Greg shares on how prayer keeps us dependent on our heavenly Father.

[ Greg Laurie ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAJIvIPKQJ8

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“Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer”

Eight part series.

[ John MacArthur ]

Series: https://www.gty.org/library/topical-series-library/94/jesus-high-priestly-prayer

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“Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer (John 17:1-26)”

Probably one of the most beautiful and touching prayers I’ve ever read and heard.

I’ve always wondered what it must have felt like to be one of Jesus’ apostles and be so close to Him and hear Him speak and see His gestures, the overall impression of His personality. I think this actor does a superb job, at least when uttering this prayer it’s almost like I’m in the presence of my Savior Himself.
God bless all of my channel viewers, whether you come in love or in scorn.

[ From “The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John (2003)” movie ]

Movie Snippet: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377992/

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“Four Features of Triumphant Prayer (Luke 22:39-46)”

This morning, as we turn now to the Word of God, I want you to look in Scripture to one of the most sacred of all passages, Luke chapter 22, verses 39 through 46. Luke 22, verses 39 through 46. I want to read this passage. It is simple, straightforward, clear, unmistakable, and yet it contains profundities and mysteries the likes of which we will never understand.

Verse 39, speaking of our Lord Jesus, it says, “And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. And when He arrived at the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, ‘Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.’

“Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, and said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.’”

Isaiah prophesied that our Lord would be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Sorrow and grief followed Him all through His life. During His ministry, we are told in Mark 3:5, that He was grieved over the Jews hardness of heart. In Mark 7 and verse 34, we are told that He was so grieved over the suffering of a man, that He looked up to heaven with a deep sigh. In Mark chapter 8 and verse 12, He had the same response of sorrow at the superficiality of Israel’s leaders and was sighing deeply in His spirit. In John 11:35, it says that He stood at the grave of Lazarus and wept.

And when, for the last time, He finally arrived in Jerusalem, in Luke 19:41, it says He saw Jerusalem and wept over it. Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 7 focuses, however, on the grief of this event, his agony in the garden, and says, “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the one able to save Him from death.” Yes, He was the Man of Sorrows. Sin, unbelief, rejection, ignorance, suffering, death – all gave our Lord Jesus grief upon grief and sorrow upon sorrow all through His life and ministry.

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGKc0fcFx_k

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“A Crash Course on Prayer”

[ Greg Laurie ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjNoNf8NSXM

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“The Secret to Praying for Prosperity”

Let’s say you have an idea, a business or a ministry that you want God to bless. How do you pray? That’s coming up next on the BEAT.

Hey everyone my name is Allen Parr thank you all so much for visiting my channel. Here on the BEAT we release a new video every single Tuesday and today I am SO excited to share with you a short but powerful prayer that I’ve been praying particularly over the past couple years that God has been faithful to answer. This prayer is only one verse long but it has four parts to it and it can be found in 1 Chronicles 4:10.

1. Pray for God’s Blessing
2. Pray for Influence rather than Affluence
3. Pray for Favor
4. Pray for Protection

[ Allen Parr ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBbqmVvnb_Q&list=PLbE_MYjGeeTCK91HUyv4aFl0Rol_J4Qeq&index=3

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“Jesus Prays That He Might Glorify the Father”

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him’ ” (vv. 1–2). – John 17:1–3

Having taught extensively on the way of salvation, the work of the Holy Spirit, the opposition of the world to the church, and the coming failure of the disciples, Jesus concludes His Farewell Discourse (John 14–17) with a prayer. Today we begin our study of this prayer, which is commonly called the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus, because in it He intercedes for His people. Such intercession was vital to the work of the old covenant priests, and under the new covenant, priestly intercession continues, for Jesus, our Great High Priest, ever lives to intercede for us in heaven (Num. 14; 2 Chron. 30:27; Heb. 7:25).

Jesus begins His prayer by interceding for Himself, as we see in today’s passage. First, He states that “the hour has come” (John 17:1). This refers to the time appointed for our Lord’s death on the cross, which was yet in the future during most of Jesus’ earthly ministry but has been at hand since His entry into Jerusalem (7:30; 8:20; 12:23). But as Jesus is praying on the night He is betrayed to the authorities (18:1–11), He can say that the hour of His death has come, because things are in motion that will culminate in His crucifixion.

Before we look more at the content of Jesus’ prayer, let us note that Jesus is not being a fatalist when He sees things unfolding as God has planned. He does not stand around and do nothing. He does not “let go and let God,” but He goes to His Father in prayer. He sees no contradiction between God’s certain fulfillment of His plan and His own need and responsibility to commune with the Father.

In this vital hour, Jesus prays for His own glorification so that He can in turn glorify His Father (17:1). Jesus refers to His upcoming death, resurrection, and ascension, but His death is particularly in view. The cross, though shameful from the world’s perspective, is, paradoxically, a moment of great glory for the Father and the Son (3:14; 8:28; 12:32). On the cross, the Savior is lifted up physically, but for those with eyes to see, He is also exalted as the Lord of glory. He is revealed as the One who will endure even an ignoble form of execution for the sake of His people, so much does He love us. And the Father, in turn, is glorified because in the Son’s giving Himself we see the Father’s willingness to give up His Son out of His love for us. We see also in the cross the magnification of the justice of the Father and the Son, as together they work to satisfy God’s righteous judgment against sin so that we can be forgiven.

[ R.C. Sproul ]

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“A PRAYER FOR OVERCOMING SHAME | HOW TO REBOUND WHEN YOU SIN”

Have you ever done something you knew was wrong that you were overcome by a sense of guilt and shame? How do we rebound and repent from sin? How do you overcome the shame from your sinful past? How do we pray so we can get back on the right path? And how can we learn from our mistakes and make the best of them? These questions and more are addressed in this video.

[ Allen Parr ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASn6S634gw&list=PLbE_MYjGeeTCK91HUyv4aFl0Rol_J4Qeq&index=5

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“Jesus Prays That He Might Glorify the Father”

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him’ ” (vv. 1–2).

– John 17:1–3
Having taught extensively on the way of salvation, the work of the Holy Spirit, the opposition of the world to the church, and the coming failure of the disciples, Jesus concludes His Farewell Discourse (John 14–17) with a prayer. Today we begin our study of this prayer, which is commonly called the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus, because in it He intercedes for His people. Such intercession was vital to the work of the old covenant priests, and under the new covenant, priestly intercession continues, for Jesus, our Great High Priest, ever lives to intercede for us in heaven (Num. 14; 2 Chron. 30:27; Heb. 7:25).

Jesus begins His prayer by interceding for Himself, as we see in today’s passage. First, He states that “the hour has come” (John 17:1). This refers to the time appointed for our Lord’s death on the cross, which was yet in the future during most of Jesus’ earthly ministry but has been at hand since His entry into Jerusalem (7:30; 8:20; 12:23). But as Jesus is praying on the night He is betrayed to the authorities (18:1–11), He can say that the hour of His death has come, because things are in motion that will culminate in His crucifixion.

Before we look more at the content of Jesus’ prayer, let us note that Jesus is not being a fatalist when He sees things unfolding as God has planned. He does not stand around and do nothing. He does not “let go and let God,” but He goes to His Father in prayer. He sees no contradiction between God’s certain fulfillment of His plan and His own need and responsibility to commune with the Father.

In this vital hour, Jesus prays for His own glorification so that He can in turn glorify His Father (17:1). Jesus refers to His upcoming death, resurrection, and ascension, but His death is particularly in view. The cross, though shameful from the world’s perspective, is, paradoxically, a moment of great glory for the Father and the Son (3:14; 8:28; 12:32). On the cross, the Savior is lifted up physically, but for those with eyes to see, He is also exalted as the Lord of glory. He is revealed as the One who will endure even an ignoble form of execution for the sake of His people, so much does He love us. And the Father, in turn, is glorified because in the Son’s giving Himself we see the Father’s willingness to give up His Son out of His love for us. We see also in the cross the magnification of the justice of the Father and the Son, as together they work to satisfy God’s righteous judgment against sin so that we can be forgiven.

[ R.C. Sproul ]

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“HOW TO PRAY TO GOD WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE PRAYING!”

How to pray when you don’t feel like praying? Good question! Admit it. Sometimes you know you SHOULD pray but you just don’t have the spiritual energy to actually pray. How do you pray and still connect with God when nothing in you desires to pray? In this video I provide for you step-by-step practical tips on how to press through those difficult seasons when you don’t feel like praying.

[ Allen Parr ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYO1hZkG6gU&list=PLbE_MYjGeeTCK91HUyv4aFl0Rol_J4Qeq&index=8

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“Why Pray If God Has Already Decided EVERYTHING?”

Why Pray If God Has Already Decided EVERYTHING? Have you ever wondered the answer to that question? I mean, if God is up in heaven controlling everything, what real difference do our prayers actually make? In today’s video I’m going to address this question as we discuss the importance of prayer.

[ Allen Parr ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alqniUfIa5Q&list=PLbE_MYjGeeTCK91HUyv4aFl0Rol_J4Qeq&index=7

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“Since God is sovereign, what is the purpose of intercessory prayer?”

Since God is sovereign, why should we pray? In this “Questions and Answers” session from Ligonier’s 2015 National Conference, Sinclair Ferguson explains that we pray because God sovereignly commands us to.

[ Sinclair Ferguson ]

Q&A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOkeNWyx3yI

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“How To Determine God’s Will”

Six steps to determining God’s will and having prayers answered.

[ George Muller ]

Audio Book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkK_nlKUWoo&list=PL0uQwjs8gtL92GLqzjzHXy5VySTIJMYxr

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“George Müller Documentary – A Cloud of Witnesses”

George Muller was known as the “Man of Miracles.” He recorded 50,000 answers to prayer, 30,000 answers within 24hrs. He received £100 million to care for orphans and he only made his needs known to God through prayer alone.

He cared for 10,000 orphans during his lifetime, and provided educational opportunities for the orphans to the point that he was even accused by some of raising the poor above their natural station in British life. He established 117 schools which offered Christian education to more than 120,000.

[ Revelation TV ]

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnsfjsa7eIw

Full Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ8DKz1mpa8

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“Why Our Prayers Are Not Answered”

In this uplifting and encouraging message titled Why Our Prayers Are Not Answered, Pastor Greg Laurie opens Gods Word and shows us why some of our prayers may go unanswered!

[ Greg Laurie ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFn66ANO3DA

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“How to Keep Praying When You Feel Like Giving Up!”

Have you ever continued to pray for something and after not getting answers, you’ve been tempted to give up on prayer? As we continue our parable series we will tackle the subject of persistent prayer.

[ Allen Parr ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpIcEpoQhYE

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“How to Wait on God When God Won’t Give You What You Want | HEROES (HANNAH)”

Have you ever gotten tired of waiting on God? I know I have. Sometimes it seems like no matter how much you ask God for something, it falls on deaf ears. It can get discouraging to wait on God when your surrounded by the very thing you want so badly. Today’s video will discuss what to do when you’re waiting on God to bless you with what you want.

[ Allen Parr ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83HPAKX4uWA

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“The Holy Spirit’s Intercession”

Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

[ Charles Spurgeon ]

Audio Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcnLdcWEsfc

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“Should we pray to the saints?”

Have you ever wondered about if Christians should pray to the saints? Maybe you have friends or family who do this on a daily basis. Well, Pastor Greg and Author Randy Alcorn break down if Christians should say a prayer to saints who have died before us. Along the way they also answer if our loved ones or friends in Heaven are watching us, praying for us and cheering us on!

[ Randy Alcorn & Greg Laurie ]

Q&A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGxaKqSB2_A

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“A Cloud of Witnesses”
George Muller Documentary

The inspiring life of George Muller, who founded schools and orphanages while serving as a missionary in Bristol, England, in the early 1800s. His humble testimony regarding God’s miraculous provision for thousands of needy children under his care still inspires our faith today.

“My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19)

George Muller raised each and every penny for this wonderful ministry through unceasing, persistent, thankful prayer and an unwavering faith in God.

Almost two hundred years later, the George Muller Charitable Trust in Bristol still operates today and continues to adhere to George’s commitment to seeking money only through prayer. Tens of thousands of souls, orphans and other needy children, families and the elderly have been helped.

As George reminds us, “Every child of God is not called by the Lord to establish schools and orphan houses and to trust in the Lord for means for them. Yet, there is no reason why you may not experience, far more abundantly than we do now, His willingness to answer the prayers of His children.”

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnsfjsa7eIw

Full Movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ8DKz1mpa8

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“Answers to Prayer” (from George Müller’s Narratives)

“I know of no way in which the principal truths of God’s word in regard to prayer can be more effectually illustrated and established than a short review of his life” – Andrew Murray

George Müller (1805-1898), English preacher and philanthropist, was born near Halberstadt, Germany, on the 27th of September 1805, the son of an exciseman [formerly, a government agent who collects excise tax on goods and prevents smuggling]. He subsequently became a naturalized British subject.

Educated in Germany, he resolved in 1826 to devote himself to missionary work, and in 1828 went to London to prepare for an appointment offered him by the Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews. In 1830, however, he gave up the idea of missionary work, and became minister of a small congregation at Teignmouth, Devonshire. He contended that the temporal as well as the spiritual needs of life could be supplied by prayer, and on this principle abolished pew rents and refused to take a fixed salary. After two years at Teignmouth, Müller removed to Bristol, where he spent the rest of his life.

He saw the great awakening of 1859 which he said “led to the conversion of hundreds of thousands.”1 He did follow up work for D. L. Moody, preached for Charles Spurgeon, and inspired the missionary faith of Hudson Taylor.

He devoted himself particularly to the care of orphan children. He began by taking a few under his charge, but in course of time their number increased to 2000, settled in five large houses erected for the purpose at Ashley Down, near Bristol. The money required for the carrying on of this work was voluntarily contributed, mainly as a result of the wide circulation of Müller’s narrative The Lord’s Dealings with George Müller.

When he was over seventy he started on a preaching mission, which lasted nearly seventeen years and included Europe, America, India, Australia and China.

He died at Bristol on the 10th of March 1898.

Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=62B52190A6FBE896

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“George Meuller, Man of Faith”

Doug Whitley as George Meuller.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUMHqT-yTsY

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“War Room” (Movie)

From the Kendrick Brothers, the award-winning creators of Fireproof and Courageous, comes a powerful new film that will inspire moviegoers to start fighting their battles the right way—through prayer.

[ Kendrick Brothers ]

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIl-XY9t_Lw

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“Do our prayers change the mind of God?”

[ Todd Friel ]

Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10b_UriMGfc

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“Why God doesn’t answer every prayer for healing?”

Apologist Ravi Zacharias died yesterday morning, two months after he announced he had been diagnosed with cancer. He was 74. Deeply saddened, we honour his remarkable life and ministry by reliving an interview where he deals with one of life’s toughest questions… “Why God doesn’t answer every prayer for healing.”

[ Ravi Zacharias ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1wUVFb-Fzs

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“Pray This Way!

How can our prayers be heard and answered in the affirmative? Pastor Greg gives us the template and model for prayer. When our eyes are fixed and dependent on God, He can change our situation, most of all it’s where God changes us.

[ Greg Laurie ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTQWxEeXL9w

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“Pray, Always Pray!”

John 16:26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

[ Charles Spurgeon ]

Audio Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcHlM6uTTA4

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“How to Pray for Others”

Have you ever run out of things to pray for when someone asks you to pray for them? In this video I provide 10 things that every person needs prayer for.

How do you pray for someone who just says, “I need you to pray for me.” Today I want to introduce you to the BEST prayer that you could ever pray for anyone, at any time in any situation, no matter what.

In the NT book of Colossians 1 Paul prays this beautiful prayer for the church and you can use this same prayer as you pray for other people and I want to break this down into three categories. First of all you are praying for…

1. Wisdom
2. Walk
3. Weaknesses

[ Allen Parr ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQHZSMSvmE0&list=PLbE_MYjGeeTCK91HUyv4aFl0Rol_J4Qeq

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“The Armor of God: Praying at All Times (Ephesians 6:18-20)”

Well, tonight we’re looking at Ephesians 6 and bringing to its conclusion a look at the armor of God, the believer’s armor from this chapter. Timing is good since we’re really getting into the busyness of the holiday season, and trying to compete with that and collide with that is a great challenge in the weeks to come in the future.

Now, in looking at the text of the armor of the believer, it starts in verse 10. Let me read it for you. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

“Stand firm, therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition praying at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,” and we’ll stop at that point.

This great letter begins with the fact that we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. And here in chapter 6, it is the same domain of the heavenlies from which our formidable enemy comes. That is to say, we have been blessed with supernatural spiritual benefits. We also confront a supernatural spiritual enemy. We need to be equipped to deal with that, as we have been learning through the series.

But there’s one final, additional, and all-pervasive element to our armor and it is contained in verse 18, and that’s where we find ourselves for tonight. “With all prayer and petition,” modifying the main verb, “pray at all times in the Spirit.”

The final element of the believer’s weapon is prayer – prayer. You will remember if you’ve read Pilgrim’s Progress, the great classic allegory by John Bunyan, that the last piece of armor that Christian is given in that story is the weapon of all prayer – all prayer. It is given because it will stand him in good stead when all else fails. And with this weapon of all prayer, Christian is instructed that he will be able to prevail against all who come against him in the valley of the shadow. When he pours out his soul in prayer, he is most formidable.

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPZxnMPuDkw

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“Prayer & Spiritual Warfare”

Dr. Tony Evans shares the keys to Igniting Kingdom Prayer in our lives.

[ Tony Evans ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5a0WHXOG6c

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“The Right Way To Pray”

[ Zac Poonen ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP5R-ZSms-U

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“How Can I Improve My Prayer Life?”

“How can I improve my prayer life?”
Dr. Donald Whitney answers in Honest Answers | Episode 12

[ Dr. Donald Whitney ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXXAQW_5vGs

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“How to and How Not to Pray”

Pastor Greg gives reasons why many do not pray and the blessings of when we do pray. Prayers are made to be spoken daily to keep us dependent on God daily. It is the primary way God provides for us and where we surrender to his will, drawing us closer to himself.

[ Greg Laurie ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JYvhh-nGIE

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“How To Get Answers To Your Prayers”

Do you want to see more of your prayers being answered? Are you tired of praying and not seeing any results? Today I want to share with you how you can pray more effectively.

Okay so today I want to share with you 3 practical ways you can improve your prayer life and hopefully see more answers to prayer (that’s what we all want right?)

[ Allen Parr ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_C36nGhvt4

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“The Whispering Gallery”

In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help.

Psalm 18:1–6, 16–19
In the towering dome of London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, visitors can climb 259 steps to access The Whispering Gallery. There you can whisper and be heard by another person anywhere along the circular walkway, even across the enormous abyss nearly one hundred feet away. Engineers explain this anomaly as a result of the spherical shape of the dome and the low intensity sound waves of a whisper.

How we long to be confident that God hears our agonized whispers! The Psalms are filled with testimonies that He hears us—our cries, prayers, and whispers. David writes, “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help” (Psalm 18:6). Over and over again, he and other psalmists plead, “Hear my prayer” (4:1), my voice (5:3), my groans (102:20). Sometimes the expression is more of a whispered, “Hear me” (77:1), where the “heart meditated and [the] spirit asked” (77:6).

In answer to these pleas, the psalmists—like David in Psalm 18:6—reveal that God is listening: “From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” Since the actual temple wasn’t yet built, might David have been referring to God listening in His heavenly dwelling?

From His very own “whispering gallery” in the dome of the heavens above the earth, God bends to our deepest murmurs, even our whispers . . . and listens.

[ Elisa Morgan ]

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“Loving Others with Our Prayers”

This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

2 Corinthians 1:8–11
“Are people still praying for me?”

That was one of the first questions a missionary asked his wife whenever she was allowed to visit him in prison. He had been falsely accused and incarcerated for his faith for two years. His life was frequently in danger because of the conditions and hostility in the prison, and believers around the world were earnestly praying for him. He wanted to be assured they wouldn’t stop, because he believed God was using their prayers in a powerful way.

Our prayers for others—especially those who are persecuted for their faith—are a vital gift. Paul made this clear when he wrote the believers in Corinth about hardships he faced during his missionary journey. He “was under great pressure,” so much that he “despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8). But then he told them God had delivered him and described the tool He’d used to do it: “We have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers” (vv. 10–11, emphasis added).

God moves through our prayers to accomplish great good in the lives of His people. One of the best ways to love others is to pray for them, because through our prayers we open the door to the help only God can provide. When we pray for others, we love them in His strength. There’s none greater or more loving than He.

[ James Banks ]

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“How to Pray the Acts Prayer” [ A.C.T.S. ]

Using the Acts prayer model you can improve your prayer life. In this video I discuss the benefits of the model and share specific tips on each of the four elements of the prayer: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.

[ The Practical Disciple ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RftwrybUHI

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“How to Pray for Others”

Have you ever run out of things to pray for when someone asks you to pray for them? In this video I provide 10 things that every person needs prayer for.

How do you pray for someone who just says, “I need you to pray for me.” Today I want to introduce you to the BEST prayer that you could ever pray for anyone, at any time in any situation, no matter what.

In the NT book of Colossians 1 Paul prays this beautiful prayer for the church and you can use this same prayer as you pray for other people and I want to break this down into three categories. First of all you are praying for…

[ Allen Parr ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQHZSMSvmE0

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“What is prayer?”

[ John Piper ]

Sermon Snippet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK5sum-LFFA

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“How To Get Answers To Your Prayers”

Do you want to see more of your prayers being answered? Are you tired of praying and not seeing any results? Today I want to share with you how you can pray more effectively.

Okay so today I want to share with you 3 practical ways you can improve your prayer life and hopefully see more answers to prayer (that’s what we all want right?)

1. Pray with a PURE HEART
2. Pray Persistently
3. Pray Precisely/Specifically

[ Allen Parr ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_C36nGhvt4&list=PLbE_MYjGeeTCK91HUyv4aFl0Rol_J4Qeq&index=2

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“Praying the Names and Attributes of God”

We’ve compiled 30 names and attributes of God with accompanying verses to help you learn more about Him and be drawn into worship. Use this guide to enrich your understanding of God by taking a description of Him and meditating on it, drawing you into worship throughout the day.

[ The Navigators ]

Devotional: https://www.navigators.org/resource/praying-names-attributes-god/

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“Prayer March 2020”

A View from the Wall with Edward Graham and Prayer March 2020

Do you want to do something to help our hurting nation on September 26? Join Franklin Graham for a prayer march in Washington DC from the Lincoln Memorial to the US Capitol.

Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham and President of Samaritan’s Purse, shares:

America is in trouble. It’s in distress. But we do have hope. And that hope is in Almighty God. And we need to pray now more than ever than we’ve ever done in our life. Our communities are hurting, our people are divided, and there’s fear and uncertainly all around us. So let’s join together and do the most important thing. And that is to pray. On September the 26th I’m holding a prayer march in Washington, DC. We’ll start at the Lincoln Memorial, march all the way through the entire mall, pausing into prayer at different key locations. And we’ll end up in front of the Capitol and we’re going to pray for this nation, we will pray for its leaders. And we are going to pray that God will intervene and save this nation. And we’re going to do this in Jesus’ name. So join me. This is the Prayer March, Washington, DC on the 26th of September.

I Am A Watchman – Interviews Edward Graham ]

Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KzwJaoFDk0

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“Examining the Sinners Prayer”

This is an excerpt from a Paul Washer sermon on ‘Regeneration vs Decisionism’ from the 2008 Deeper conference. It examines the historical and biblical use of ‘the sinners prayer’.

[ Paul Washer ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuNUXc2Hoao

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“War On The Sinner’s Prayer”

[ Paul Washer ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ7LbEg3PZU

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SONGS:

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“The Lord’s Prayer”

Our Father which art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth
As it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive our debts
As we forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For Thine is the kingdom
And the power
And the glory forever
For Thine is the kingdom
And the power
And the glory forever
Amen

[ Susan Boyle ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HaEoCqH47Y

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“Hear Our Prayer”

1: Hear our prayer, God above
As we come to you and seek your patient love
Hear our hearts, hear our minds
Hear the echoes of the words we cannot find

2: Be our hope, be our guide
In our wanderings of weakness break our pride
Not for ease shall we pray
But for strength that we may walk with you this day

Chorus
So we pray in faith, your will be done
As we long to see your kingdom come
We ask with one voice
Through Jesus Christ our Lord

3: Hear our prayer, faithful one
Shape our yearnings to the gospel of your Son
Free our hearts, free our minds
From the war that sin will wage till you arrive

4: Be our joy, be our stay
Give us eyes to see you answer prayer this day
Hear us praise all you’ve done
We rejoice as we receive the victory won

[ Emu Music ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0aOG9AKbwg

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“Take it to the Lord in Prayer”

What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
And what a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer

Oh, what peace we often forfeit
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer

Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness
Take it to the Lord in prayer

[ Alan Jackson –

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znWu2HCJ92c

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“Happy In Jesus”

Oh Im happy
Im happy
Happy in Jesus

Hes the head of my life
Im happy
Happy In Jesus
From a world of sin
He brought me out
I was walking in darkness
Shackled in sin
But Jesus saved me
And now I live for him

Im happy
Im happy
Im happy
Happy in the Lord

You dont know how happy I am
On Christ the solid rock I stand
You dont know what it means to me
To have His Holy Ghost abiding in me

Stepped in the water
The water was cold
It chilled my body
But not my soul
Im so happy
Im happy
Im happy
Happy in the Lord

One of these old mornings
Wont be very long
You gonna look for me
And Ill be gone on home
But Ill be happy
Yes I will
Ill be happy
Oh happy
Happy In the Lord

Im happy
Happy in Jesus

[ Dottie Peoples ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E57Ak4zeCXE

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“A Christian’s Daily Prayer”

VERSE 1
As morning dawns and day awakes,
To You I bring my need
O gracious God, my source of strength,
In You I live and breathe
Each hour is Yours by wisdom planned,
Each deed empowered by sovereign hands
Renew my spirit, help me stand;
Be glorified today

VERSE 2
As day unfolds, I seek Your will
In all of life’s demands
And though the tempter tries me still,
I cling to Your commands
Let every effort of my life
Display the matchless worth of Christ
Make me a living sacrifice;
Be glorified today

VERSE 3
As sun gives way to darkest night
Your Spirit still is here
And though my strength fades like the light
New mercies will appear
I rest in You; abide with me
Until our trials and suffering
Give way to final victory
Be glorified, today; be glorified, I pray

[ Sovereign Grace Music ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBgX7WetmAQ

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“My Prayer For You”

Verse:
For anyone who’s prayed a thousand prayers
And still can’t find the answer anywhere
Fighting off the lie that no one cares

For anyone who’s out there losing hope
Feeling you’re forsaken and alone
Clinging to the last strands of your rope

Chorus:
May God give you eyes to see He’s still greater
Courage to rise and believe He’s able
May God be your peace in the fire you’re walking through
This is my prayer now
This is my prayer for you

Verse:
For all of those with tired and weary souls
But still have faith to ask for miracles
Choosing to believe He’s in control

Bridge:
May your eyes be ever on the Lord, your helper
May you find your refuge in the Lord, your shelter
May you find Him closer than a brother all your days
All of your days

[ Alisa Turner – “Everlasting Arms” album ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj_0pvIGkks

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“Sweet Hour of Prayer”

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare,
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight.
This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise
To seize the everlasting prize,
And shout, while passing through the air,
“Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”

[ William W. Walford ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz5pD6C9h-w

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“Power in Prayer”

Some just see someone / down on their knees
talking to the air / words lost on a breeze
some just see tear drops falling to the floor
just a waste of time / not anything more

But its a direct line / to the throne room
where you can find / someone who cares
and if you need some proof I can tell you
there is power / power in prayer

I can tell you about the time
the Lord gave me peace
with trouble all around /He calmed the storm in me
and I remember when I cried out / He saved my soul, yeah
some have doubts but I know that I know that I know

But its a direct line / to the throne room
where you can find / someone who cares
and if you need some proof / I can tell you
there is power / power in prayer

He’s always listening / and that don’t change
don’t miss this moment to call on His name

but its a direct line / to the throne room
where you can find / someone who cares
and if you need some proof I can tell you
there is power / power in prayer
But its a direct line / to the throne room oh yes it is
where you can find/ you can find/ someone who cares
and if you need some proof I can tell you
there is power in prayer

[ Silence the Stones ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtsk9f5xYp

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“The Family Prayer Song”

Come and fill our homes With Your presence
You alone are worthy of our reverence

As for me and my house
We will serve the Lord
As for me and my house
We will serve the Lord
As for me and my house
We will serve the Lord
We will serve the Lord
Lord, we vow to live holy
Bowing our knees to You only
Staying together; Praying together
Any storm we can weather
Trusting in God’s Word
We need each other
Fathers and mothers
Sisters and brothers
In harmony and love

[ Maranatha! Music ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_wJtQfYddc

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“God Answers Prayer”

I.
You seem discouraged, clouds around you
Your life full of problems don’t know what to do
Racing troubled thoughts trying to work things out
Instead of turning to the One who loves you
He can work it out

II.
Seems at the time a hard place to be
No one around you, who cares how you feel
Fearful and alone, your spirit in despair
Call to the One who’s near you, He’ll always lend an ear
God answers prayer
Yes, yes, yes He does
God answers prayer
I know, I know, He will

III.
Call on His Spirit, He cares for you
Jesus, the Savior died to set you free
Trusting in His Word, leaning on His power
Take it to the One who loves you, He can work it out
God answers prayer
Yes, yes, yes He does
God answers prayer
I know, I know, He will
God answers prayer
Yes, yes, yes He does
God answers prayer
I know, I know, He will

[ Vinesong – “Blessed are You Lord” album ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGpzvjl-9NI

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“I Need Thee Every Hour”

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

Refrain:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

[ Annie Sherwood Hawks ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkgiDDO-fOg

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“I’m Prayin’ For You”

[ Dick And Mel Tunney – “Heal Our Land” album ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78CO0PibIFo

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“Prayer Is The Soul’s Sincere Desire”

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire
Uttered or unexpressed
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast

Prayer is the burden of a sigh
The falling of a tear
The upward glancing of an eye
When none but God is near

Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try
Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high

Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath
The Christian’s native air
His watchword at the gates of death
He enters heav’n with prayer

Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice
Returning from his ways
While angels in their songs rejoice
And cry, “Behold! He prays!”

Nor prayer is made on earth alone
The Holy Spirit pleads
And Jesus at the Father’s throne
For sinners intercedes

O thou by whom we come to God
The Life, the Truth, the Way
The path of prayer thyself hast trod
Lord, teach us how to pray

[ James Montgomery; Music by Sally DeFord ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUta6Ct_4po

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“When We Pray”

People hurting, people broken
Beaten down and feeling hopeless
Wonder if it’s gonna always be this way
Who will speak up for the captive
Show some love and heal a past that
Binds the wounds we think will never go away

But what if we could be a people on our knees
As one before the King
‘Cause we believe

All the world starts changing
When the church starts praying
Strongholds start to break
Oh, when we pray
Prison walls start shaking
At the sound of praising
Nothing stays the same
Oh, when we pray
Oh, when we pray, oh

I see revival rising
I see hope on the horizon
As a generation stepping out in faith

Because we will be a people on our knees
As one before the King
‘Cause we believe

All the world starts changing
When the church starts praying
Strongholds start to break
Oh, when we pray
Prison walls start shaking
At the sound of praising
Nothing stays the same
Oh, when we pray
Oh, when we pray, oh

Let Your kingdom come, Lord
Let Your will be done

All the world starts changing
When the church starts praying
Strongholds start to break
Oh, when we pray
All the world starts changing
When the church starts praying
Strongholds start to break
Oh, when we pray
Prison walls start shaking
At the sound of praising
Nothing stays the same
Oh, when we pray, oh
When we pray, oh

In Jesus’s name (when we pray)
In Jesus’s name (when we pray)
When we pray, oh
When we pray

[ Tauren Wells ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YZZzgJB33E

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“Power of Prayer”

Dear God, it’s me
Calling out to You
Tonight I’m on my knees
Hoping You’ll come through
This one’s for my dad
Can You help him please
The world’s made him mad
At mom and me
And I’m asking you to bring his heart back home
Oh, the power of a prayer
Mom is all I have
But she’s alone again tonight
They always used to laugh
Now all they do is fight
You know she loves that man
But he’s so far from You
She’s done all she can
But she can’t break through
And she’s begging You to bring his heart back home
Oh, the power of a prayer
Just a whisper in the dark
Spoken from a broken heart
Holding on to one last strand of faith
Somewhere in the world right now
A desperate soul is crying out
Hoping Jesus really hears us when we pray
Dear God, do You
Recognize my voice
I haven’t talked to You
Since I was a little boy
But tonight I heard my son
Pray for his old man
It made me come undone
Made me understand
That only You can bring my heart back home
Oh, the power of a prayer

[ Matthew West ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-x1lEPeV6Y

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“The Prayer”

Play “The Prayer”
on Amazon Music Unlimited (ad)
“The Prayer”

[Celine Dion:]
I pray you’ll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don’t know
Let this be our prayer
When we lose our way

Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe

[Andrea Bocelli (Celine Dion):]
La luce che tu hai
(I pray we’ll find your light)
Nel cuore resterà
(And hold it in our hearts)
A ricordarci che
(When stars go out each night)
L’eterna stella sei
(Whoa)
Nella mia preghiera
(Let this be our prayer)
Quanta fede c’è
(When shadows fill our day)

Lead us to a place
(Guide us with your grace)
[Both:]
Give us faith so we’ll be safe

Sogniamo un mondo senza più violenza
Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino
Simbolo di pace, e di fraternità

[Andrea Bocelli (Celine Dion):]
La forza che ci dà
(We ask that life be kind)
È il desiderio che
(And watch us from above)
Ognuno trovi amor
(We hope each soul will find)
Intorno e dentro a sé
(Another soul to love)

[Both:]
Let this be our prayer
[Celine Dion:]
Let this be our prayer
[Andrea Bocelli:]
Just like every child
[Celine Dion:]
Just like every child

[Both:]
Need to find a place
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe

È la fede che
Hai acceso in noi
Sento che ci salvera

[ Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDsyvKJZz7g

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Oh Lord Hear my Prayer (Ya Rab esmaa salati)”
[ Arabic Christian Song – Arabic Lyrics with English subtitles ]

Ya Rab esmaa salati

eebal wstagib…. taala w zor hayati

emlaha lahib

Ya Rab esmaa salati

eebal wstagib… taala w zor hayati

emlaha lahib

Ana talabi enna choof lmagd

amali enna choofak

we hatta n akher bab etsad

halmes hodbe toobak

Ana talabi enna choof lmagd

amali enna choofak

we hatta n akher bab etsad

halmes hodbe toobak

ana halmes hodbe toobak

enta chafi nafsi …..enta chafi gasadi

enta tabibi

enta elah aazim

enta elahi maak…. mafich mostahil

tehyini mn mamati

enta elah aazim

enta elahi maak… mafich mostahil

tehyini mn mamati

enta elahi

enta Yasoo’ l fadi

enta waheb l haya

enta lia to’ naga

enta waheb l haya … enta lia to’ naga

w f’idak zoroofi

enta be teddi salam … enta fik l’aman

enta mahi khofi

ana basse mehtag le sotak ..

ana hadafi redak we khofak

ana basse mehtag le sotak ….

ana hadafi redak we khofak….

ana talabi enna choof el magd

amali enna choofak.. we hatta n akher bab etsad

halmes hodbe tobak

ana talabi enna choof el magd

amali enna choofak.. we hatta n akher bab etsad

halmes hodbe tobak

ana halmes hodbe tobak

[ Praise Team Egypt & Praise Team Youth ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCH3PP9KG7g

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*****************************

APOLOGETIX SONGS

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“Offer Your Prayer”
(Parody of “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” by Simon & Garfunkel)

Are you goin’ to offer your prayer:
“Lord, please save those near me in time”
Remember He truly wanted you there
To be someone through whom love would shine

Tell Him to make you a candle on earth
(Shinin’ bright on a hill as you speak for His grace)
“Lord, please save those near me in time”
(Straight as an arrow that points them to Christ)
That all may see your righteous good works
(Blameless and steadfast — a child of the Almighty)
Then they’ll see the true Lord behind
(Despite a world that is cloudy and cold)

Help, Lord, to find me good favor with man
(God, as I do Your will while sprinkling Your seeds)
“Lord, please save those near me in time”
(Clutching the plow while sowing in tears)
To teach them Our Father’s amnesty plan
(Our souls You cleanse, abolishing our sin)
Then they’ll see the true love of Christ

Father, send reapers with their sickles from Heaven
(Here below saving a harvest of millions)
Lord, please save those near me in time
(Send them, oh Lord, as You told us You will)
And gather them all – an abundance of brethren
(As a bride for the Christ, Your one and own begotten)
Then they’ll see the Truth and the Life

Are you goin’ to God with your prayer:
“Lord, please save those near me in time”
Remember He truly wanted you there
He wants us – His true love to shine

[ ApologetiX – “Unconditional Releases” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEubr1BA6wg

*****************************
“Pray Now”
(Parody of “All Star” by Smash Mouth
(Luke 11:9, Luke 18: 1-8, James 4:1-3, Matt. 6:33, Matt. 7:7, Luke 17:5,Matt. 17:20)

Somebody once told me “The Lord is not your roadie
“You ain’t the star so do it yourself.”
I said, “Look, it’s kind of dumb
If if there’s things that I need done
It’s a shame not to call on the Lord’s help.”

Well, my prayers start comin’ and they don’t stop comin’
I read through the rules and I think I found somethin’
Didn’t make sense not to get more done
I pray real hard cause the Heavenly Son
Showed what to do, said knock and seek
So what’s wrong with praying and asking
You better go look in Luke, bro
11:9 if you don’t know

Pray now – it’s a lost art – get your day underway
Pray now – get a jump start – get a move on – get faith
God is listenin’ you know – only you can start prayin’ though

There’s a cool case so you’re prayin’ gets bolder
You look it up Luke 18 yeah, let’s go there
When the meanest of men met the widow
Judge he was, you know if you have the right scripture
But I see his patience is gettin’ pretty thin
The woman gets annoyin’ so he might as well give in
The world’s like that – how about the Lord
God already likes ya – and you’ll never get ignored

Pray now – it’s a lost art – get your day underway
Pray now – fourth chapter – let me show ya – in James
God is listenin’ you know – only you can start prayin’ though

Somebody once asked Jesus give us the capacity
To get ourselves a faith that is great
He said, “Well, why ya want help?
“You could move a little hill yourself
“If you would all use a little faith.”

Well, my prayers start comin’ and they don’t stop comin’
I read through the rules and I think I found somethin’
Didn’t make sense not to get more done
Pray it smart cause the Heavenly Son
Showed what to do, said knock and seek
So what’s wrong with praying and asking
You’ll never know if you don’t go
You better try if you don’t know

Pray now – it’s a lost art – get your day underway
Pray now – get a jump start – get a move on – get faith
God is listenin’ you know – only you can start prayin’ though

[ ApologetiX – “Spoofernatural” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVOd43VQV9o

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“Smooth Grandmama”
(Parody of “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson)

As he came up to the window, heard the sound of Barry Manilow
He came into her apartment, smelled the Ben Gay and the chocolate
She was sitting at the table, he could see she had a Bible
So she ran into the bedroom, got her teeth down and her perfume

Granny, are you OK, you OK, you OK, Granny? (4X)

Granny’s not an old maid, she’s a zealot with a bold faith
She’s a kind-hearted widow and she bought you a Nintendo, last week
You came into her apartment, left the mudstains on the carpet
And then she ran into the bedroom, she was knelt down, it was for you
Granny likes to crochet, and croquet, and quote Dear Abby
Granny causes road rage in the slow lanes, she’s no Andretti
Granny’s got the whole day to go pray for all her family
You’ve been hit by, you’ve been struck by, a smooth grandmama

So she came into the hallway, it was Sunday, had a snack made
Then the book of Revelation was the topic of conversation
Granny says, you know, babe, the Lord says in verse 3:20
He’s standing at the doorway, so don’t waste a moment, honey
And you gotta go pray or else, babe, He won’t gain entry
Then you told her OK, I want saved, I’ll go pray, Granny

Granny told you, OK, first you tell Him that you’re sorry
Believe He died for your sins, though
And accept Him and repento — Whammy!
He came into your heart then, you were prostrate on the carpet
Then she ran you to the next room
You were sat down, there was more food
Granny karaokes to old tapes of Sandi Patty
You’ve been hit by, you’ve been struck by, a smooth grandmama

Granny had a roast made and potatoes that were homemade
And she buys Poppin’ Fresh Dough
So she baked you some crescent rolls, man, eat!
You came into her apartment, and the blessings only started
And then your Granny took and fed you
You were stuffed now; it was her food
Granny brought you cold grapes and poached eggs and bowls of candy
Granny brought you milkshakes and fruitcake, keep Rolaids handy
Granny’s artichokes make your throat gag so don’t take any
And before you go, babe, you must take a roast beef sandwich

[ ApologetiX – “Grace Period” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg2Z4uP14Gg

*****************************
“Very Wiser”
(Parody of “Paralyzer” by Finger Eleven)

I know lots of nerdy things
To me it might seem
That trivia’s cool and neat
But most of that stuff’s just good
For Jeopardy and a few crossword puzzle books
Chess club is not for me
I must pretend to think
Then I just move a piece
But I have a strategy
That I embrace
For the questions I face

Well, I’m not very wise
But I seek to be instructed by You
I’m gonna pray to You, because You said You will
If somebody lacks wisdom like I often do
You’ll always give it to them when they pray to You

A whole lot of Harvard shrinks
Would surely think
I took it too lit’rally
They’re so smart they’ve gotten dumb
I suggest they go
Just once and read in James 1
Wisdom will grow for me
And those who seek Thee
No Ivy League school competes
‘Cause that’s still a strategy
That’s smartly based
On what James 1: 5 says

Well, I’m not very wise
But I seek to be instructed by You
I’m gonna pray to You, because You said You will
If somebody lacks wisdom like I often do
You’ll always give it to them when they pray to You

[ ApologetiX – “The Boys Aren’t Backin’ Down” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p3G6ZnBG2Y

*****************************
“Strange Cat, But”
(Parody of “Stray Cat Strut” by The Stray Cats)

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Jackson, you’re a strange cat – isn’t John intense?
Thank God above, though, for crazy friends
Guys crack jokes but I don’t care
I trust my Bible and they’re in my prayers

Strange cat, but I believe He’s right
I’ve a feeling that you know it way down inside
When the truth’s shone at you from the mirror, man
Rescues sinners from the garbage can

Meow! Yeah
Yeah, don’t talk like that!

I know the Father’s grace in Christ abounds – oh, I know!
I’ve been down and out and lookin’ for the light
How He found me, who knows? I was not somewhere nice
Speakin’ the truth while the fraidy cats whine (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
I’m a strange cat but the real God’s mine (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
I wish guys would heed that friendly advice (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
But I got cat-scratched and I got chastised

LEAD

I know the Father’s grace in Christ abounds
I’ve been down and out and lookin’ for the light
Hallelujah to my Lord – He’s awesome and nice!
Speakin’ the truth while the fraidy cats whine (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
I’m a strange cat but the real God’s mine Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
I wish guys could see that they’re bein’ unwise (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
But I got cat-scratched and I got chastised

[ ApologetiX – “You Can’t Say Euphrates Without the 80’s” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJy1_jJ6vXE

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“Read Ephesians”
(Parody of “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith)

Read Ephesians, Read Ephesians
Talk about Paul, apostle of Christ
This is the fifth epistle he writes
Says that our struggle ain’t against flesh and blood Says that we need the armor of God
One piece of the armor is a plate for your breast Says to put on the breastplate of righteousness Truth for a belt and shoes for your feet
The preparation of the gospel of peace
Read Ephesians, Read Ephesians
Put on the salvation helmet, then
The shield of faith, you can use it when
The devil starts shootin’ his fiery darts
And the sword of the Spirit – that’s the Word of God Standing firm, ‘cause our struggle is against
The forces of darkness and wickedness
Talkin’ ‘bout somethin’ that’s gonna help you stand With prayer and petition every time that you can

[ ApologetiX – “Radical History Tour” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOJJc22kJIU

*****************************
“Come To Father”
(Parody of “Come Together” performed by the Beatles and Aerosmith)

Don’t become all flattered because
You do stuff stuff only to get
Viewed by rivals as one holy roller
You’ve got prayer down to a “T”
Got to keep it covert when you’re doing good deeds

Keep prayer clandestine
You should go and look till you’ve got
Someplace secret you can go to Father
Because He sees you secretly
Public pride can fail you if you’re not too discreet
Come to Father right now … covertly

No big productions – He wants smallness from you
Because God knows what you need before you ask Him
He don’t need Thou’s and Thy’s and Thee’s
Told you if you’re honest; He’ll fulfill all your needs
Come to Father right now … honestly

Pray Holy Father, way up there in Heaven
Let Your kingdom come and let your will be done and
Please forgive our sins, fulfill our needs
God, don’t lead us to temptation, save us from evil
Come to Father right now … on your knees

[ ApologetiX – “Orchard Avenue” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXIbLv86R1g

*****************************
“Hit ‘em with Your Slingshot”
(Parody of “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar)

Yeah, you’re real tough looking and you’re strong as a tree
But, hey, a little bark doesn’t bother me
That’s what David said while he threw it
Could’ve been you – just let God do it

Hit ‘em with your slingshot
Why don’t you hit ‘em with your slingshot
Hit ‘em with your slingshot
Fire away!

Someone is a comin’ who don’t fight fair
That’s O.K. – we have got prayer
God brings down the tall and vain
I get my facts from First Pete and James

Hit ‘em with your slingshot
Why don’t you hit ‘em with your slingshot
Hit ‘em with your slingshot
Fire away!

Yeah, you’re real tough looking and you’re strong as a tree
But, hey, a little bark doesn’t bother me
Before I couldn’t ever watch when a big stiff raged
But now I make sure I look him in the face

Hit ‘em with your slingshot
C’mon! Hit ‘em with your slingshot
Hit ‘em with your slingshot
Fire away!

Hit ‘em with your slingshot
Why don’t you hit ‘em with your slingshot
Hit ‘em with your slingshot
Fire away!

[ ApologetiX – “Loaded 45s” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9hVdDCnUPg

*****************************
“God I Like About You”
(Parody of “What I Like About You” by The Romantics)

God, I like about You ” You hold me tight
Never gonna let me go ” never let me out of Your sight
Keep on listenin’ to my prayers
Tellin’ me that You will always be there
And that’s true
That’s what I like about You
God, I like about You ” You really know how I feel
When I get shot down, you’re around
Showin’ me you’re truly real
Keep on listenin’ to my prayers
Tellin’ me that You will always be there
And that’s true
That’s what I like about You

God, I like about You – You’re never goin’ away
You’re the Everlasting One ” yesterday, tomorrow, today
Keep on hopin’ that where I’ll be
Is walkin’ with You in eternity ” and that’s true
Because You told me it’s true
Because You showed me it’s true
Because I know that it’s true
Because I know You’re the Truth (the Way, the Life)
That’s what I like about You

[ ApologetiX – “Isn’t Wasn’t Ain’t” album ]

http://www.spiritedesign.com/God_I_Like_About_You(ApologetiX).mp3

 

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*****************************

DEEP THOUGHTS:

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*****************************

“Saying ‘yes’ to one thing means saying ‘no’ to another.”
[ Sean Covey ]

“Saying yes to everyone is the same as saying yes to nothing. Each additional obligation chips away at your effectiveness at everything you try.”
[ Gary Keller ]

“When you say yes to others, make sure you are not saying no to yourself.”
[ Paulo Coelho ]

“God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in him.”
[ John Piper ]

It is possible to have too much of a good thing.
[ Aesop ]

Can one desire too much of a good thing?
[ William Shakespeare ]

There is such a thing as having too much of a good thing.
[ Michelle Gomez ]

“Too much of anything could destroy you, Simon thought. Too much darkness could kill, but too much light could blind.”
[ Cassandra Clare ]

“Those that much covet are with gain so fond,
For what they have not, that which they possess
They scatter and unloose it from their bond,
And so, by hoping more, they have but less;
Or, gaining more, the profit of excess
Is but to surfeit, and such griefs sustain,
That they prove bankrupt in this poor-rich gain.”
[ William Shakespeare ]

Similarly the man who indulges in pleasure and refrains from none becomes licentious (akolastos); but if a man behaves like a boor (agroikos) and turns his back on every pleasure, he is a case of insensibility. Thus temperance and courage are destroyed by excess and deficiency and preserved by the mean.”
[ Aristotle ]

“Having too much of anything results in chaos, confusion and clutter.”
[ Geralin Thomas ]

“Most things in life are like a cake, have excess of it and you get sick of it.”
[ Anupama Garg ]

“A mother was teaching her three-year-old the “Lord’s Prayer,” and for several evenings at bedtime, the child repeated it after the mother. Then one night the child was ready to solo. The mother listened with pride to the carefully enunciated words, right up to the end. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us some e-mail, Amen.
[ Author unknown ]

“Pier Time”
“What is desperately needed, but seldom enjoyed?
Sometimes scheduled, but often ignored?
It is bypassed and snubbed, but then necessity calls.
Yet we still avoid it and crash and stall.”
[ Pete Briscoe ]

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
[ Martin Luther ]

“Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?”
[ Corrie ten Boom ]

“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.’”
[ Billy Graham ]

“How vast are the possibilities of prayer! How wide its reach! What great things are accomplished by this divinely appointed means of grace! It lays its hand on Almighty God and moves Him to do what He would not otherwise do if prayer was not offered. It brings things to pass which would never otherwise occur. The story of prayer is the story of great achievement. Prayer is a wonderful power placed by Almighty God in the hands of His saints, which may be used to accomplish great purposes and to achieve unusual results. Prayer reaches to everything, takes in all things great and small which are promised by God to the children of men. The only limits to prayer are the promises of God and His ability to fulfill those promises. ‘Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.’”
[ E.M. Bounds ]

“True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that – it is spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.”
[ Charles Spurgeon ]

“Let no one profess to trust in God, and yet lay up for future wants, otherwise the Lord will first send him to the hoard he has amassed, before He can answer the prayer for more.”
[ George Müller ]

“I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right; but it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation may be on the Lord’s side.”
[ Abraham Lincoln ]

“If you believe in prayer at all, expect God to hear you. If you do not expect, you will not have. God will not hear you unless you believe He will hear you; but if you believe He will, He will be as good as your faith.”
[ Charles Spurgeon ]

“Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.”
[ Soren Kierkegaard ]

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.”
[ Corrie Ten Boom ]

“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”
[ Abraham Lincoln ]

“The prayer offered to God in the morning during your quiet time is the key that unlocks the door of the day. Any athlete knows that it is the start that ensures a good finish.”
[ Adrian Rogers ]

“To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees.”
[ Billy Graham ]

“A prayerful heart is fertile ground for divine ideas.”
[ David Jeremiah ]

“Prayer is life’s greatest life saver.”
[ Charles Stanley ]

“It is not well for a man to pray cream and live skim milk.”
[ Henry Ward Beecher ]

“Prayer makes a godly man, and puts within him the mind of Christ, the mind of humility, of self-surrender, of service, of pity, and of prayer. If we really pray, we will become more like God, or else we will quit praying.”
[ E.M. Bounds ]

“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.”
[ Oswald Chambers ]

“We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power, and strength.”
[ Charles Stanley ]

“Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.”
[ Max Lucado ]

“Our prayer is not that we get what we want, but that our desires match up with God’s desires for our life.”
[ Kirsten Watson ]

“Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.”
[ E.M. Bounds ]

“The reality is, my prayers don’t change God. But, I am convinced prayer changes me. Praying boldly boots me out of that stale place of religious habit into authentic connection with God Himself.”
[ Lysa TerKeurst ]

“One of the greatest attacks of the enemy is to make you busy, to make you hurried, to make you noisy, to make you distracted, to fill the people of God and the Church of God with so much noise and activity that there is no room for prayer. There is no room for being alone with God. There is no room for silence. There is no room for meditation.”
[ Paul Washer ]

“Of all things, guard against neglecting God in the secret place of prayer.”
[ William Wilberforce ]

“Before we pray that God would fill us, I believe we ought to pray Him to empty us.”
[ D.L. Moody ]

“Prayer lays hold of God’s plan and becomes the link between His will and its accomplishment on earth. Amazing things happen, and we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit’s prayer.”
[ Elisabeth Elliot ]

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.”
[ Corrie Ten Boom ]

“Work as if you were to live a hundred years, pray as if you were to die tomorrow. — Benjamin Franklin

“Prayer must carry on our work as much as preaching; he preacheth not heartily to his people that will not pray for them. — Richard Baxter

“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.”
[ Charles Spurgeon ]

“God warms his hands at man’s heart when he prays.”
[ John Masefield ]

“If your day is hemmed in with prayer, it is less likely to come unraveled.”
[ Cynthia Lewis ]

“When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message.”
[ Oswald Chambers ]

“Leaders must be released from the idea that they must be great prayer warriors before they can begin to call others to prayer.”
[ David Bryant ]

“In worship, God imparts himself to us.”
[ C.S.Lewis ]

“The amount of time we spend with Jesus — meditating on His Word and His majesty, seeking His face — establishes our fruitfulness in the kingdom.”
[ Charles Stanley ]

“God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.”
[ E.M. Bounds ]

“It is possible to move men, through God, by prayer alone.”
[ Hudson Taylor ]

“Worship and intercession must go together, the one is impossible without the other. Intercession means that we rouse ourselves up to get the mind of Christ about the one for whom we pray.”
[ Oswald Chambers ]

“The great people of the earth today are the people who pray, (not) those who talk about prayer.”
[ S.D.Gordon ]

“An unschooled man who knows how to meditate upon the Lord has learned far more than the man with the highest education who does not know how to meditate.”
[ Charles Stanley ]

“All vital praying makes a drain on a man’s vitality. True intercession is a sacrifice, a bleeding sacrifice.”
[ J.H. Jowett ]

“Work, work, from morning until late at night. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall have to spend the first three hours in prayer.”
[ Martin Luther ]

“To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees.”
[ Billy Graham ]

“Prayer is the exercise of drawing on the grace of God.”
[ Oswald Chambers ]

“Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue; God’s voice is its most essential part. Listening to God’s voice is the secret of the assurance that He will listen to mine..”
[ Andrew Murray ]

“Prayer at its highest is a two-way conversation and for me the most important part is listening to God’s replies.”
[ Frank C. Laubach ]

“Of all the things Christ wants for us, loving Him and focusing our attention on Him are the most important.”
[ Charles Stanley ]

“The Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”
[ Reinhold Niebuhr (?) ]

“Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.”
[ J. Sidlow Baxter ]

“God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.”
[ Oswald Chambers ]

“To desire revival… and at the same time to neglect (personal) prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.”
[ A.W. Tozer ]

“God does not delay to hear our prayers because He has no mind to give; but that, by enlarging our desires, He may give us the more largely.”
[ Anselm of Canterbury ]

“Since God knows our future, our personalities, and our capacity to listen, He isn’t ever going to say more to us than we can deal with at the moment.”
[ Charles Stanley ]

“Prayer is not only asking, but an attitude of mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural.”
[ Oswald Chambers ]

“The supreme thing is worship. The attitude of worship is the attitude of a subject bent before the King… the fundamental thought is that of prostration, of bowing down.”
[ Campbell Morgan ]

“If Bible Christianity is to survive the present world upheaval, we shall need to have a fresh revelation of the greatness and the beauty of Jesus…. He alone can raise our cold hearts to rapture and restore again the art of true worship.” [ A.W. Tozer ]

“I’m convinced that the man who has learned to meditate upon the Lord will be able to run on his feet and walk in his spirit. Although he may be hurried by his vocation, that’s not the issue. The issue is how fast his spirit is going. To slow it down takes a period of time.”
[ Charles Stanley ]

“Learn to worship God as the God who does wonders, who wishes to prove in you that He can do something supernatural and divine.”
[ Andrew Murray ]

“We can be tired, weary, and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.”
[ Charles Stanley ]

“There is a place where thou canst touch the eyes Of blinded men to instant, perfect sight; There is a place where thou canst say, “Arise” To dying captives, bound in chains of night; There is a place where thou canst reach the store Of hoarded gold and free it for the Lord; There is a place — upon some distant shore — Where thou canst send the worker and the Word. Where is that secret place–dost thou ask, “Where?” O soul, it is the secret place of prayer!”
[ Alfred Lord Tennyson ]

“God’s way of answering the Christian’s prayer for more patience, experience, hope, and love often is to put him into the furnace of affliction.”
[ Richard Cecil ]

“I have lived to thank God that not all my prayers have been answered.”
[ Jean Ingelow ]

“The essence of meditation is a period of time set aside to contemplate the Lord, listen to Him, and allow Him to permeate our spirits.”
[ Charles Stanley ]

“Prayer is exhaling the spirit of man and inhaling the spirit of God.”
[ Edwin Keith ]

“To pray well is the better half of study.”
[ Martin Luther ]

“Prayer is not eloquence, but earnestness; not the definition of helplessness, but the feeling of it; not figures of speech, but earnestness of soul.”
[ Hannah More ]

“Study your prayers, a great part of my time is spent getting in tune for prayer.”
[ Robert McCheyne ]

“I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man may be nourished…. I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation of it.” [ George Mueller ]

“We are either in the process of resisting God’s truth or in the process of being shaped and molded by his truth.”
[ Charles Stanley ]

“Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life.”
[ Jonathan Edwards ]

“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.’”
[ Billy Graham ]

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.”
[ Corrie Ten Boom ]

“The desire is thy prayers; and if thy desire is without ceasing, thy prayer will also be without ceasing. The continuance of your longing is the continuance of your prayer.”
[ Saint Augustine ]

“The joy which answers to prayer give, cannot be described; and the impetus which they afford to the spiritual life is exceedingly great.”
[ George Muller ]

“Prayer is simply a two-way conversation between you and God.”
[ Billy Graham ]

“If any of you should ask me for an epitome of the Christian religion, I should say that it is in one word – prayer. Live and die without prayer, and you will pray long enough when you get to hell.”
[ Charles Spurgeon ]

“I believe that the greatest form of prayer is praise to God.”
[ Billy Graham ]

“Prayer is a strong wall and fortress of the church; it is a goodly Christian weapon.”
[ Martin Luther ]

“Begin each day with private reading of the Word and prayer.”
[ Jim Elliot ]

“What most of all hinders heavenly consolation is that you are too slow in turning yourself to prayer.”
[ Thomas a Kempis ]

“True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that – it is spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.”
[ Charles Spurgeon ]

“Sincere friendship towards God, in all who believe him to be properly an intelligent, willing being, does most apparently, directly, and strongly incline to prayer; and it no less disposes the heart strongly to desire to have our infinitely glorious.”
[ Jonathan Edwards ]

“Prayer is talking with God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart.”
[ Josh McDowell ]

“Although all serious Christians recognize the importance that the Bible places on prayer, most fall short when it comes to doing it.”
[ Tony Evans ]

“To ascertain the Lord’s will, we ought to use scriptural means. Prayer, the word of God, and His Spirit should be united together. We should go to the Lord repeatedly in prayer, and ask Him to teach us by His Spirit through His word.”
[ George Muller ]

“When I put my faith in Jesus Christ as my savior, and I asked him to forgive and to come into my life, and He does – from that moment forward I have established a personal relationship with God that I have to develop, you know, through Bible reading and prayer, and living my life for him.”
[ Anne Graham Lotz ]

“Prayer’s important, not just as some kind of a metaphysical exercise, but I think it’s a way to refresh one’s own mind and motive. If you’re praying, you’re really looking beyond your own personal thoughts and the pressures that are around you.”
[ Mike Huckabee ]

“Prayer is more than a wish; it is the voice of faith directed to God.”
[ Billy Graham ]

“For me, prayer is not so much me setting out a shopping list of requests for God to consider as it is a way of ‘keeping company with God.’”
[ Philip Yancey ]

“In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus assumes that asking for forgiveness would be a daily occurrence, as would praying that we might be delivered from evil and led not into temptation.”
[ Kevin DeYoung ]

“The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our teacher. That’s why, in prayer, we can ask the Lord to open up Scripture and make it come alive to us, to open our understanding. He left his Spirit with us until we join him in Heaven.”
[ Michele Bachmann ]

“If you believe in prayer at all, expect God to hear you. If you do not expect, you will not have. God will not hear you unless you believe He will hear you; but if you believe He will, He will be as good as your faith.”
[ Charles Spurgeon ]

“Prayer is God’s backstage pass into a personal audience with Him.”
[ Tony Evans ]

“Let no one profess to trust in God, and yet lay up for future wants, otherwise the Lord will first send him to the hoard he has amassed, before He can answer the prayer for more.”
[ George Muller ]

“It is a most delightful reflection that if I come to the throne of God in prayer, I may feel a thousand defects, but yet there is hope. I usually feel more dissatisfied with my prayers than with anything else I do.”
[ Charles Spurgeon ]

“One of the greatest attacks of the enemy is to make you busy, to make you hurried, to make you noisy, to make you distracted, to fill the people of God and the Church of God with so much noise and activity that there is no room for prayer. There is no room for being alone with God. There is no room for silence. There is no room for meditation.”
[ Paul Washer ]

“If in prayer I come before a throne of grace, the faults of my prayer will be overlooked.”
[ Charles Spurgeon ]

“Of all things, guard against neglecting God in the secret place of prayer.”
[ William Wilberforce ]

“In prayer, we stand where angels bow with veiled faces. There, even there, the cherubim and seraphim adore before that selfsame throne to which our prayers ascend. And shall we come there with stunted requests and narrow, contracted faith?”
[ Charles Spurgeon ]

“The act of praying is the very highest energy of which the human mind is capable; praying, that is, with the total concentration of the faculties. The great mass of worldly men and of learned men are absolutely incapable of prayer.”
[ Samuel Taylor Coleridge ]

“Who one believes God to be is most accurately revealed not in any credo but in the way one speaks to God when no one else is listening.”
[ Nancy Mairs ]

“Here, I believe, is the key to understanding what is most personal in prayer. We do not pray to tell God what he does not know, nor to remind him of things he has forgotten. He already cares for the things we pray about… He has simply been waiting for us to care about them with him, When we pray, we stand by God and look with him toward those people and problems. When we lift our eyes from them toward him, we do so with loving praise, just as we look toward our oldest and dearest friend and tell them how we care for them, though they already know it… We speak to him as we speak to our most intimate friends-so that we can commune together in love.”
[ Tim Stafford ]

“Prayer is not a means of removing the unknown and unpredictable elements in life, but rather a way of including the unknown and unpredictable in the outworking of the grace of God in our lives.”
[ Ray Anderson ]

“Serenity Prayer”
“God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.”
[ Reinhold Niebuhr ]

“It is very absurd, therefore, to dissuade men from prayer, by pretending that Divine Providence, which is always watching over the government of the universe, is in vain importuned by our supplications.”
[ John Calvin ]

“He that prays and does not faint will come to recognize that to talk with God is more than to have all prayers granted—that it is the end of all prayer.”
[ George MacDonald ]

“The greatest tragedy in life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.” [ F.B. Meyer ]

“The purest form of love is given with no expectation of return. Measured by this standard, earnest prayer for others is a magnificent act of love.”
[ David Hubbard ]

“O gracious and holy Father,
give us wisdom to perceive Thee,
intelligence to understand Thee,
diligence to seek Thee,
patience to wait for Thee,
eyes to behold Thee,
a heart to meditate upon Thee,
and a life to proclaim Thee;
through the power of the Spirit
of Jesus Christ our Lord.”
[ Benedict of Nursia ]

“Gentlemen, I have lived a long time and am convinced that God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? I move that prayer imploring the assistance of Heaven be held every morning before we proceed to business.”
[ Benjamin Franklin ]

“Shall I give you yet another reason why you should pray? I have preached my very heart out. I could not say any more than I have said. Will not your prayers accomplish that which my preaching fails to do? Is it not likely that the Church has been putting forth its preaching hand but not its praying hand? Oh dear friends! Let us agonize in prayer.”
[ Charles H. Spurgeon ]

“When we become too glib in prayer we are most surely talking to ourselves.”
[ A.W. Tozer ]

“There is neither encouragement nor room in Bible religion for feeble desires, listless efforts, lazy attitudes; all must be strenuous, urgent, ardent. Flamed desires, impassioned, unwearied insistence delight heaven. God would have His children incorrigibly in earnest and persistently bold in their efforts. Heaven is too busy to listen to half-hearted prayers or to respond to pop-calls. Our whole being must be in our praying.”
[ E.M. Bounds ]

“God loves importunate prayer so much that He will not give us much blessing without it.”
[ Adoniram Judson ]

“If you find your life of prayer to be always so short, and so easy, and so spiritual, as to be without cost and strain and sweat to you, you may depend upon it, you have not yet begun to pray.”
[ Alexander Whyte ]

“I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than this, the measure of the intensity of your prayer.”
[ Charles H. Spurgeon ]

“We can do nothing without prayer. All things can be done by importunate prayer. It surmounts or removes all obstacles, overcomes every resisting force and gains its ends in the face of invincible hindrances.”
[ E.M. Bounds ]

“Prayer is the link that connects us with God.”
[ A.B. Simpson ]

“O, let the place of secret prayer become to me the most beloved spot on earth.”
[ Andrew Murray ]

“Know your HOLY GOD intimately. (When you have seen His glory, His holiness and His love – by drawing close to Him in prayer—then you can usually see through any counterfeits because you know the “real thing” so well.”
[ Andrew Strom ]

“How different the world would look, how different the state of our nation would be, if there were more sanctified priestly souls! These are souls who have the power to bless, for they intercede with sanctified hearts. They never begin their daily time of intercessory prayer without having first brought to the cross all that is unholy in their lives, so that their old self can be crucified there with Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb.”
[ Basilea Schlink ]

“A prayerless church member is a hindrance. He is in the body like a rotting bone or a decayed tooth. Before long, since he does not contribute to the benefit of his brethren, he will become a danger and a sorrow to them. Neglect of private prayer is the locust which devours the strength of the church.”
[ Charles H. Spurgeon ]

“The entire day receives order and discipline when it acquires unity. This unity must be sought and found in morning prayer. The morning prayer determines the day.”
[ Dietrich Bonhoeffer ]

“No prayer!–No faith!–No Christ in the heart. Little prayer!–Little faith!–Little Christ in the heart. Increasing prayer!–Increasing faith!–Increasing Christ in the heart!. Much prayer!–Much faith!–Much Christ in the heart! Praying always!–Faith always!–Christ always!”
[ Alexander Whyte ]

“The Prince of the power of the air seems to bend all the force of his attack against the spirit of prayer.”
[ Andrew Bonar ]

“Do not strive in your own strength; cast yourself at the feet of the Lord Jesus, and wait upon Him in the sure confidence that He is with you, and works in you. Strive in prayer; let faith fill your heart-so will you be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.”
[Andrew Murray ]

“When human reason has exhausted every possibility, the children can go to their Father and receive all they need. … For only when you have become utterly dependent upon prayer and faith, only when all human possibilities have been exhausted, can you begin to reckon that God will intervene and work His miracles.”
[ Basilea Schlink ]

“The Lord intends us to be powerful people-mighty in optimism and hopeful of spirit, powerful in evangelistic zeal, potent in influence, sturdy in moral fiber and purity. We can be powerhouses in prayer and preaching.”
[ David Jeremiah ]

“If you are strangers to prayer you are strangers to power.”
[ Billy Sunday ]

“If you want that splendid power in prayer, you must remain in loving, living, lasting, conscious, practical, abiding union with the Lord Jesus Christ.”
[ Charles H. Spurgeon ]

“The prayers of God’s saints strengthen the unborn generation against the desolating waves of sin and evil.”
[ E.M. Mounds ]

“A true prayer is an inventory of needs, a catalog of necessities, an exposure of secret wounds, a revelation of hidden poverty.”
[ Charles H. Spurgeon ]

“Prayer does not mean that I am to bring God down to my thoughts and my purposes, and bend his government according to my foolish, silly, and sometimes sinful notions. Prayer means that I am to be raised up into feeling, into union and design with him; that I am to enter into his counsel and carry out his purpose fully.”
[ D.L. Moody ]

“Prayer is the way you defeat the devil, reach the lost, restore a backslider, strengthen the saints, send missionaries out, cure the sick, accomplish the impossible, and know the will of God.”
[ David Jeremiah ]

“Prayer does not mean simply to pour out one’s heart. It means rather to find the way to God and to speak with him, whether the heart is full or empty.”
[ Dietrich Bonhoeffer ]

“Prayer is the easiest and hardest of all things; the simplest and the sublimest; the weakest and the most powerful; its results lie outside the range of human possibilities-they are limited only by the omnipotence of God.”
[ E.M. Bounds ]

“When praying for the Lord’s will about something questionable, don’t give up if you don’t receive clear leading after one prayer; just keep on praying until God makes it clear.”
[ Curtis Hutson ]

“Just as in prayer it is not we who momentarily catch His attention, but He ours, so when we fail to hear His voice, it is not because He is not speaking so much as that we are not listening. We must recognize that all things are in God and that God is in all things, and we must learn to be very attentive, in order to bear God speaking in His ordinary tone without any special accent.”
[ Charles H. Brent ]

“Our prayers run along one road and God’s answers by another, and by and by they meet.”
[ Adoniram Judson ]

“Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do.”
[ Andrew Murray ]

“I firmly believe a great many prayers are not answered because we are not willing to forgive someone.”
[ D.L. Moody ]

“It matters little what form of prayer we adopt or how many words we use. What matters is the faith which lays hold on God, knowing that He knows our needs before we even ask Him. That is what gives Christian prayer its boundless confidence and its joyous certainty.”
[ Dietrich Bonhoeffer ]

“Prayer does not influence God. Prayer surely does influence God. It does not influence His purpose. It does influence His action.”
[ S.D. Gordon ]

“May it be the real I who speaks. May it be the real Thou that I speak to.”
[ C.S. Lewis ]

Dwight L. Moody was traveling by boat on one of the Great Lakes when a really bad storm developed. The other passengers on the boat cowered in fear, and they even started an impromptu prayer meeting asking God to deliver them from the storm. Moody didn’t join in this prayer meeting. When asked why he didn’t attend, he answered with these words: “I have a sister in Chicago and one in Heaven—and I don’t care which one I see tonight.”
[ Dwight L. Moody ]

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RELATED SCRIPTURE VERSES:

Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. ~ 1 Kings 8:28-29

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. ~ Psalms 4:1

Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. ~ Psalms 64:1

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. ~ Psalms 84:8

He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. ~ Psalms 102:17

Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. ~ Daniel 9:17

When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. ~ Jonah 2:7

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. ~ Matthew 23:14

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. ~ Acts 12:5

Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. ~ Romans 10:1

1 John 5:14
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

1 John 5:15
15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

1 John 5:16
16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.

1 Chronicles 16:11
11 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

2 Chronicles 6:21
21 Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.

2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Ephesians 1:18
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

Ephesians 6:18
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Jeremiah 29:12
12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

Job 22:27
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.

John 17:15
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

James 5:13
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
Mark 11:24
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Matthew 5:44
44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Matthew 6:7
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

Matthew 26:41
41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Proverbs 15:8
8 The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

Psalm 17:6
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

Psalm 102:17
17 He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.

Psalm 141:2
2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

Romans 12:2
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:12
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Psalm 4:1
1 Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

Psalm 145:18
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Luke 11:2-4
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father,hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.And lead us not into temptation.’ ”

Proverbs 15:29
29 The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

Matthew 6:9-13
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.’

Matthew 7:11
11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Luke 6:12
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

Luke 18:1
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Romans 8:26
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Philippians 4:6
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Colossians 4:2
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:17
17 pray continually,

1 Timothy 2:8
8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.

Hebrews 4:14
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

James 1:7
7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

James 4:3
3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

James 5:16
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 Timothy 2:1-2
1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

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“A quick summary of the Christian “Gospel”:
JESUS’ PROPITIATION made our SINS FORGIVEN and IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS to us so that we have GOD’S ACCEPTANCE into His Heaven and receive ETERNAL LIFE.”
[ Mark Besh ]

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Hope you enjoyed some of these insights—share them with your friends and colleagues—so we can have a larger ’pool’ to receive from, and more to share with! Also, remember to include your name as the “source,” if some of this wisdom is of your doing—I would like to give credit where credit is due!

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FOCUS VERSES:

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“You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul, When you are in distress… return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you.”
[ Deuteronomy 4:29-31 ]

“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you.”
[ 1 Samuel 12:23 ]

“If you delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
[ Psalm 37:4 ]

“If I had iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.”
[ Psalm 66:18 ]

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”
[ Psalm 94:19 ]

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy parts.”
[ Proverbs 3:5 ]

“The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”
[ Proverbs 15:29 ]

“Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.”
[ Proverbs 16:20 ]

“Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.”
[ Proverbs 21:13 ]

“When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!”
[ Isaiah 1:15 ]

“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. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this.”
[ Matthew 6:5-9) ].

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us today our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
[ Matthew 6:9-13 ].

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
[ Matthew 7:7 ]

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
[ Matthew 11:28-30 ]

“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
[ Matthew 26:39 ]

“When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
[ Mark 11:25 ]

“Now He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”
[ Luke 18:1 ]

“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
[ Luke 22:42 ].

“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
[ John 14:26 ]

“Apart from Me you can do nothing.”
[ John 15:5 ]

“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began….

… “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
[ John 17:1-26 ]

“Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.”
[ Acts 10:4 ]

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”
[ Romans 8:14-17a ]

“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
[ Romans 8:26-27 ]

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
[ Romans 8:28 ]

“Brothers, my heart s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”
[ Romans 10:1 ]

“Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
[ Romans 13:14 ]

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust Him.”
[ Romans 15:13a ]

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”
[ Ephesians 6:18 ]

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
[ Philippians 4:6 ].

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
[ Colossians 4:2 ].

“Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God” [ 2 Corinthians 3:5 ].

“He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
[ Hebrews 7:25 ]

“He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
[ Hebrews 11:6 ]

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
[ James 1:6-8 ]

“You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
[ James 2d-3 ]

“You do not have, because you do not ask.”
[ James 4:2 ]

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
[ James 5:16 ].

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
[ 1 Peter 3:12 ]

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
[ 1 John 1:9 ].

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us.”
[ 1 John 5:14 ]

Mark

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If you have a ‘neat’ story or some thoughts about an issue or current event that you would like me to try to respond to, I would be glad to give it a try…so, send them to me at: mbesh@comcast.net

Disclaimer: All the above jokes & inspirations are obtained from various sources and copyright are used when known. Other than our name and headers, we do not own the copyright to any of the materials sent to this list. We just want to spread the ministry of God’s love and cheerfulness throughout the world.

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