Prayer Sermon
(Scripture References)
Hebrew 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Romans 1:16, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, Psalms 5:3, Jeremiah 33:2-3, Proverbs 3:11-12, Luke 11:1-13, Matthew 6:6-8, Matthew 18:18-20, 1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7, Matthew 7:7-12
Hebrew 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.”
Prayer can be broken down in so many ways. In its most simplest form prayer is communication with God. An open dialogue where there is back and forth conversation that implies speaking and listening. At times in our lives we may have fell victim ourselves, I know I am guilty of this, to presenting our grocery list of prayers to God that may even be built more upon the foundation of our wants than our actual needs.
As we grow in our faith and walk with Jesus we discover that one, He doesn’t always give us what we want or what we ask for, especially if it doesn’t align with the will of God. However, He is faithful and true to meet our needs and answers our prayers according to what is the best response for us and our lives.
Also, we may feel discouraged at times because we feel as though God doesn’t answer our prayers when we want Him to or even necessarily how we want Him to. But, know this God answers the prayers and the cries of His children’s hearts. It just may not come when or how we may expect it to.
When it comes to prayer in and of itself just know that it is an integral component or act of obedience to our faith walk. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we are told that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
We hold the Word of God in very high esteem because within it are the words of life. The testimony of the life of Jesus. The Gospel itself more commonly known as and defined as the Good News. And the Word doesn’t just contain Good News for this life, but also in the life to come. Romans 1:16 tells us in Paul’s words “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
A cool acronym I’ve heard over the years for B.I.B.L.E is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. So when it comes to prayer, what better example than Jesus’ is there to follow. I would like to share two references that spoke about Jesus’ prayer life and then I would also like to share some word’s of wisdom that Jesus gave to His disciples concerning prayer.
Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Luke 5:16 “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Now I don’t want to be legalistic about the time frame of prayer because we have access to the Father at any time or moment of the day, but there’s something key here. Why would it be important to see that not only in the morning, but while it was still dark…Jesus got up, left the house, went off to a solitary place and prayed. One thing I think that is important to note here is that He removed Himself from all distractions. The first thing on His mind and this was exhibited by His choice to get up and pray in the morning, but the first thing was to go and have communion or communication with His Father.
There’s something to be said about that. In our lives do we follow this example set by Jesus? If it was essential and that important to Jesus[the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Savior of the souls of mankind] to find a solitary place, in the morning, while its STILL DARK and seek the Father’s face…how much more important is it for us to follow suit?
I for one can say that I don’t always operate in that level of obedience. And it’s okay. God has grace for us. We may wash our face, brush our teeth, grab a shower, pour our coffee, hop on our phones, check our eMails, whatever it is that we do after we wake up in the morning…I want you take a brief moment and just think about that for a second in your mind. Ponder that in your heart. And I don’t say this to shame anyone because I speak these very same thoughts to myself…on a daily basis, how many things do we truly put before our prayer time in the morning?
What have I allowed to creep in and take precedence over connecting with the Creator of the universe, our Father, our life source so to speak, the overseer of our souls…what temporary actions, habits, daily rituals or things have I put between what should be one of the most important thing in my life?
Psalms 5:3 “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”
When I wake up in the morning I try and spend time in prayer. Now sometimes even if it is a simple “Good morning Lord” or something short, I try and make it a habit as the first thing from opening my eyes and awakening from rest to address and acknowledge God with my very first breath that is taken. I kinda have my own convictions and thoughts about wanting to honor God with my prayer time in the morning so I give myself a little bit of grace until I’m actually fully awake and functioning.
Then once I’m aware of my surroundings and its time to get the day started I want to spend that time communicating with the Father. I thinks it’s important to be natural during our prayer time. We don’t have to kinda work up this overly religious ritual but, we should be aware and honored that we have the privilege to approach God’s throne. I mean we’re speaking to our Father yes, but He is also thee creator of the universe, the one who created mankind in His image from the dust of the earth by breathing the breath of life into our nostrils.
Jeremiah 33:2-3 “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’”
How exciting is that? Call out to Him and He will tell us great and unsearchable things we do not know? What a glorious invitation! What a reward that we get to experience as children of God that not only when we call out to Him that He will answer us…but, He might show us some secrets? He might share some of the mysterious things surrounding Himself?
The Lord has spoken many things since the beginning of time. And there is always power (the example of creation) truth (Jesus was full grace and truth) and wisdom (God’s omniscience) when God speaks. He spoke not only to, but also through the major and minor Prophets throughout the Scriptures. I thought when I first became familiar with the terms “major & minor prophets” that it was a label placed upon them due to their level or hierarchy of importance.
However, if you study more you come to the understanding that the minor books of the prophets were just smaller in length than the major. So the Prophets when they received a word from the Lord they in turn spoke it to God’s people. Now we as God’s people may not always necessarily hear what we want to hear from God. More often times than not God can sometimes speak to us a word of instruction, guidance, wisdom, correction, or rebuke. Which is a good thing as we can see some reasoning described in…
Proverbs 3:11-12
“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.”
When God brings correction and rebuke whether that comes in reference to our sin, our lack of obedience, or even to our process of learning how to simply live out our faith…we can rest assured that He has our best interest at heart.
*******
1 Peter 3:12 “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.””
Deuteronomy 4:29 “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Psalms 55:22 “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
Jesus spoke to the disciples concerning prayer numerous times throughout Scripture. Some of the verses are found in the gospel of Luke 11:1-13…
“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ’ ” Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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 the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!””
Jesus instructs us and invites us to seek Him in prayer. He also gives us assurance that He is faithful to honor our prayers. He share’s the example of a Father and son relationship and how the Father would give good gifts. This can also be applied in reference to our prayer lives with the Father. Prayer is a wonderful gift we have all been given. We’ve been granted access to the Father and to His throne room through Jesus.
And also Jesus shares a little more in depth in the gospel of Matthew 6:6-8…
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
He continues on and uses what is commonly referred to today as the Lords Prayer to bring forth more understanding for the disciples. In Matthew the word’s differ from Lukes account in the passage I shared before this one.
Matthew 18:18-20 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
There is power in prayer. We don’t have to look any further than the examples of Gods faithfulness in regards to the Testimony of our beloved Pastor Danny and his recovery and victory in his bout with cancer. And even in more recent history also we rejoice in the testimony of our brother Rick’s healing and restoration into remission.
*************
1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
Peter reminds us that God care’s about us and is also concerned about our day to day interactions in life. We’re called to cast our anxiety upon Him not just because we’re instructed to in the Word, BUT because He cares for us so much as His dearly beloved children.
We are reminded that God care’s about us. He is concerned with our day to day interactions in life. He has a heart that is deeply concerned and interested even in the small things of our lives. We are called to cast our anxiety upon Him not just because we’re instructed to in the Word…but, truly because He care’s for us so much as His children. Sometimes we think there may be circumstances or situations in our lives that He overlooks or doesn’t care AS much about in regards to some of the things that seem to be more pressing matters or situations that hold a higher priority. So we may feel as though these prayers or concerns aren’t on God’s radar…but, Peter reassures us that this is not the case. How much of our anxiety should we cast upon the Father? ALL of it! And why? Because its a religious ritual or a Christian check box to check off as our daily duties as believers? No, we cast ALL of our anxiety upon Him BECAUSE God truly, sincerely, and compassionately care’s for us.
Paul even wrote in his letter to the Philippians that very much so echoed Peter’s sentiment…
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
What an awesome promise God has attached to this encouragement in regards to prayer. First, we are charged to “not be anxious about anything” which at face value seems easier said than done. Then we are given the action that must accompany that..and that is that in “EVERY situation” (stress the term every) By prayer (talking to God) and petition which is defined as ‘a formal written request, typically one signed by many people, appealing to authority with respect to a particular cause.’ Or in terms of the kingdom of God or our faith walk as it were…the authority we are appealing to is God and it is with respect to whatever situation we are addressing. Then the next statement is interesting to me…it says “with thanksgiving”. Now why is that there? Why did Paul find it important to say that we should have thanksgiving in our hearts during prayer?
Well I would venture to say that it is testament to our faith. To the hope with which we have. Often times you are not thankful for something until it happens. I am thankful AFTER someone gives me something, I am thankful for my job AFTER I can afford to pay my bills or I am approved for insurance, I am thankful for the bus AFTER I lose my car, but I can still get to the places I need to get to that are not in walking distance for example. But we are told that “in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving to present our requests to God.” We can be thankful and operate in that because WE KNOW that our Father hears our prayers and is faithful to respond and answer them.
I’m hopeful and thankful as we prayed for Brandon last week in regards to experiencing the love of the Father. We were able to present that request to God with thanksgiving because of our hope to see God move in a mighty way in Brandon’s life. And we could be thankful without even having seen the finished product and outcome of that because the God in whom we put our hope does not disappoint.
The final thing I wanna touch on at the end of these two verses is the after effect. After we have walked in the obedience of the first half…and we are told “And the peace of God, which transcends ALL understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This is such a beautiful promise to me! And I can tell you honestly and praise God because I have been experiencing this very fulfillment of Scripture and God’s promise for about 2 years strong now. And Lord willing it will continue until the day the Lord decides to call me home. It seems so simple that it can cause us in our finite understanding as human beings to struggle with the reality of that promise of receiving the peace of God.
Let’s look at what that word “transcends” mean for a moment. To transcend something means “be or go beyond the range or limits of” So the peace of God is described as going beyond the limits of our understanding. Like we can’t pin point it. We can’t fully grasp it. As it is with many mysteries of God. But, to sum all of this up like…how can I attain this peace? With so much going on in my life, with my family, with the worries of the world, the daily stress I face, how can I be at a peace? We simply give it all to God. Just be transparent and honest and sincere with the Lord and just give Him all of our concerns…almost like complaining in a sense. Or a semblance of incomplete complaining. Not complaining ABOUT our anxiety but deciding not to be anxious about anything but, go before the throne of God and pour our heart out to Him.
And we can feel free to take as much time as we need. He isn’t going anywhere. So whether it takes you 5-10 minutes to present your requests to God or whether it takes you 30 minutes to an hour…He hear’s you. He care’s about the things that concern you and that cause you anxiety in your life…but, after we have done this…the promise that follows “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” It will guard our hearts and your minds. The things we think we about, the meditations of our heart, the very concerns or worries we have…will be covered with the peace of God that is beyond our comprehension.
When that clicked for me. When it became a revelation instead of just information. Like you can have the info…but, when that information now has power behind it because your mind isn’t the only place where understanding is present. But, when we receive that revelation in not only our minds, but in our hearts, spirits, and down to the very depths of our soul…we begin to walk a little different. Talk a little different. Pray a little different. Love a little bit more passionately and in more authentic and sincere fashion. It can just set our souls on fire and cultivate this burning passion deep within our hearts and whatever truth it is can just set ablaze the awareness that we wanna love God not just with the words of our lips, but with the actions of our daily lives.
And I just wanna touch on this briefly because I don’t want you to miss it I don’t want what I’m saying to be lost in translation. I don’t wanna leave you in the dark when it comes to this little nugget or pearl of wisdom…when I speak on revelation I’m not referencing the Book of Revelations but, I want ya’ll to have an understanding of what I mean that its of the utmost importance to know that revelation is receiving “a surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way.” So when I say its more so about revelation as opposed to information…it’s about this new found truth, specifically in regards to the Scripture, or the Holy Spirit revealing something in regards to our faith and it gives us this new found knowledge for us to walk in every aspect of our lives as far as that revelation is concerned.
Matthew 7:7-12
Ask, Seek, Knock
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
A transparent look into the heart of J. 