In Luke 11:1,
one of Jesus’ disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
It was obvious
that Jesus strength came from His time in prayer.
WHAT IS
PRAYER? Basically, prayer is communication between you and God.
“Call to Me,
and I will answer you, and I will tell you great ad mighty things, which you do
not know.” Jeremiah 33:3
God’s telephone number: J-E-R 3-3-3
Just think of
trying to cope with your problems if there were no way to communicate with
God. Job, in the Bible, is a perfect
example of one who made it through tremendous trials because he had God. God was his strength!
Remember, God
created us for fellowship, so He
desires that we learn to spend time with Him in prayer.
WHY DO PEOPLE
FAIL TO PRAY?
a.
WE OFTEN CONVINCE OURSELVES THAT WE CAN MAKE IT
WITHOUT GOD.
“Trust in the
Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He
will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
b.
WE DON’T KNOW HOW.
HOW TO PRAY
a.
BE REAL: BE YOURSELF!
1.
You must be honest
(genuine, open) with God.
“...Who
may stand before the Lord? Only
those...who do not practice dishonesty and lying.” Psalm 24:3-4 TLB
2.
Come before God as a child.
“The
greatest in the kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes
like this child.” Matthew 18:4 TEV
Talk to God as
you would to a friend.
“Thus the
Lord, used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his
friend.” Exodus 33:11a, NAS
b.
PRAY CONSISTENTLY “Pray at all times.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17, TEV
Pray
with persistence.
“...Pray
and never give up.” Luke 181b, Williams
Don’t
worry! Worry is “taking responsibility for something God never intended us to.”
(Gothard)
c.
PRAY BELIEVING
“...all things for which you pray and ask,
believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.” Mark 11:24, NAS
d.
YOUR PRAYERS MUST BE SPECIFIC!
Pray
generally – you’ll never know.
Pray
specifically – you’ll see God at work.
“We
too often pray for things that would probably happen anyway.” (Miller)
1.
God sometimes says no. He even gave Paul
a reason. (2 Cor. 12:8-9)
2.
God sometimes says wait. It may be a
trial period which He knows you need. He
may not want you to settle for something good, but to wait for something that
is best!
3.
God sometimes says yes. Usually when you
seek God, and you are praying according to His will, He will answer your prayer
far beyond what you could ever dream.
e.
PRAY WITH ACTION – A prayer can never take place
of action. Like love, it must be
expressed in action and not merely words.
“Be
ye doers of the word.” James 1:22b, KJV
f.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR PRAYING IN PUBLIC
1.
Nervousness is only normal.
2.
You will only learn through experience.
3.
Don’t pray around the world.
A short
prayer will often minister to more people.
“If you pray three minutes, I’ll
pray with you.
If you pray six minutes, I’ll pray
for you.
If you pray nine minutes, I’ll pray
against you!” (Moody)
ELEMENTS OF A
PRAYER
Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication
A.
ADORATION is praising God for who He is. This can be done by reading Scriptures of
praise or through music.
B.
CONFESSION is agreeing with God about your
sin. True confession always includes
repentance which is a change in your life. “Confession without change is a
game.” Confession is so important
because it brings about spiritual growth! Illus. “Eagle frozen to carcass” or “Pet boa
constrictor”
C.
THANKSGIVING is thanking God for what He has done. Illus.
“Nat Spencer saves 23 lives and is shown no gratitude.”
D.
SUPPLICATION means requests. These are the things that you ask God for. There are two categories of
supplication:
1.
Petition is praying for our own needs.
a.
We pray when we are in a crisis.
b.
We also pray for our daily needs.
Different
types of prayers for our own needs:
o
Character Development (positive attitude,
teachable spirit, Christ-centered home life, life-style evangelism, giving
spirit).
o
Physical Abilities (good health, proficiency in
your work, school, or ministry).
o
Material Needs (food, clothing, housing,
education, transportation).
2.
Intercession is praying for others.
“Far
be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for
you...” 1 Samuel 12:23, NAS
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