March 1 AM
"PRAYER"
The Practice Of Prayer - I
INTRODUCTION
1. In our study on prayer, we have examined...
a. The purpose of prayer d. The principles of prayer
b. The power of prayer e. The persistence of prayer
c. The privilege of prayer
2. Hopefully this study has increased our desire to pray...
a. To pray more fervently, with more consistency
b. To benefit from all that prayer has to offer
3. To encourage us even more to pray, let's look closer at "The Practice
Of Prayer"...
a. How should we pray? c. With whom should we pray?
b. When should we pray? d. For what should we pray?
I. HOW TO PRAY
A. THE MODEL PRAYER...
1. Jesus was asked by His disciples how to pray - Lk 11:1
a. They had just witnessed Jesus praying
b. They knew John the Baptist had taught his disciples to pray
c. While they had prayed as Jews, they recognized a need to
learn more
2. In response, Jesus offered a model, a guide for learning to
pray - Lk 11:2-4
a. Commonly called "The Lord's Prayer", also found in Mt 6:9-13
b. It was intended to serve as a model ("In this manner...")
- Mt 6:9
The Lord's prayer serves as an example of how to pray, not a
liturgical exercise
B. THE PROPER PRAYER...
1. Addresses God the Father ("Our Father in heaven") - Mt 6:9
2. Expresses reverence toward God ("Hallowed be Your Name") - Mt 6:9
3. Includes supplication for such things as:
a. God's purposes ("Your kingdom come. Your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.") - Mt 6:10
b. Our physical needs ("Give us this day our daily bread.")
- Mt 6:11
c. Our spiritual needs ("And forgive us our debts...") - Mt 6:12
d. The spiritual needs of others ("...as we forgive our
debtors.") - Mt 6:12
e. Guidance and help in our struggle against sin and Satan
("And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from
the evil one.") - Mt 6:13
4. Praises God ("For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the
glory forever. Amen.") - Mt 6:13
5. In teaching on prayer, Jesus stressed the importance of:
a. Simplicity in prayers - Mt 6:7-8
b. Forgiving others - Mt 6:14-15
c. Persistence in prayers - Lk 12:5-10
Memorize the Lord's prayer and it can serve to remind you how
to pray
II. WHEN TO PRAY
A. SCHEDULED PRAYERS...
1. Having set times to pray can help develop a habit of prayer
2. Consider the practice of two great men of God
a. David, whom God described as "a man after My own heart"
- Ps 55:17
b. Daniel, whom the angel of God described as "O man greatly
beloved" - Dan 6:10
3. They made it a habit to pray at set times during the day
a. It would not hurt to imitate them
b. Praying three times daily: morning, noon, and evening
At the very least, make time each day to spend time in prayer
B. SPONTANEOUS PRAYERS...
1. Prayers should not be limited to set times
2. Jesus spent all night in prayer before selecting His apostles
- Lk 6:12-13
3. Paul and Silas prayed when faced with trying circumstances - Ac 16:25
4. Nehemiah prayed silently on the spur of the moment - Neh 2:4-5
5. The Israelites prayed to God in the heat of battle - 1Ch 5:20
We should pray whenever and however the occasion calls for it
C. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING...
1. The goal is to "pray without ceasing" - 1Th 5:17
2. Having scheduled times to pray will develop experience in
prayer
3. Praying spontaneously will develop a disposition to pray in
every circumstance
Together, they help us reach the goal of praying without
ceasing
CONCLUSION
1. In regards to "The Practice Of Prayer", we have considered...
a. How to pray, with the aid of the Lord's prayer
b. When to pray, suggesting both set times and spontaneous prayers
2. As we develop both the experience and disposition to pray, we should
also consider...
a. With whom to pray, alone or with others
b. For what to pray, besides what has already been suggested
March 8 AM
"PRAYER"
The Practice Of Prayer - II
INTRODUCTION
1. In part one of "The Practice Of Prayer", we considered...
a. How to pray, with the aid of the Lord's prayer
b. When to pray, suggesting both set times and spontaneous prayers
2. In part two of "The Practice Of Prayer", we shall now consider...
a. With whom to pray, alone or with others?
b. For what to pray, besides what has already been suggested
III. WITH WHOM TO PRAY
A. PRAYING ALONE...
1. Jesus encouraged the practice of praying in secret - Mt 6:5-6
2. Private prayer cultivates our spiritual nature through regular
exercise
a. "Prayer is the spiritual gymnasium in which we exercise and
practice godliness." - V. L. Crawford
b. "...Prayer is educative. The man who prays grows; and the
muscles of the soul swell from this whipcord to iron bands."
- Frederick B. Meyer
c. The opposite is also true: "Seven days without prayer makes
one weak." - Allan E. Bartlette
3. Private prayer forms a close union and fellowship with our
Heavenly Father
a. It is just you and Him
b. Time spent together strengthens the bond of fellowship
4. Private prayer is a true test of your sincerity and devotion
a. You certainly are not doing it to please men (they cannot
see you)
b. You can't be trying to falsely impress God (He will see
right through you)
5. Private prayer will be rewarded "openly" - Mt 6:6
a. The answers to our prayer will be seen by others
b. Both here and in the hereafter
Private prayer should be a priority in the practice of praying
B. PRAYING WITH OTHERS...
1. Jesus also spoke of praying with others - Mt 18:19-20
a. Where the requests of two or three are answered by our
Father in heaven
b. For in their midst is Jesus Himself, who also intercedes for
them - cf. Ro 8:34
2. Early Christians prayed together often...
a. In times of trouble - Ac 4:23-24; 12:5,12; 16:25
b. In times of departure - Ac 20:36; 21:5
3. Immediate blessings when God's people pray together
a. A sweetness of fellowship
b. A sense of strength
Praying with others should be done whenever possible
IV. FOR WHAT TO PRAY
A. AS REVEALED IN SCRIPTURE...
1. Self
a. For physical daily needs - Mt 6:11
b. For personal growth in Christ-likeness and devotion to God
- Col 1:9-12
2. Family
a. For spouse, children, parents, siblings, etc.
b. For their nurture and growth in the teaching of the Lord
- Ep 6:4
3. Community
a. For peace to prevail
b. E.g., Jer 29:7
4. Church
a. For love and unity to prevail - Jn 13:35; 17:20-21
b. For the spiritual growth of each member - Php 1:9-11
c. For the gospel to have free course - 2Th 3:1
5. Nation
a. For national repentance and consciousness of who God is
- Ps 33:12; Pr 14:34
b. For leaders to rule wisely - 1Ti 2:2
6. Nonbelievers
a. For their salvation - Ro 10:1
b. For the effort of those involved in teaching them - Ep 6:
18-20
7. The sick
a. For their restoration to health - Jm 5:14-15
b. For spiritual strength and peace of mind - Jm 5:16
8. The poor and oppressed
a. Such as the homeless, fatherless, unborn children - Pr 29:7
b. Those in other nations oppressed by their own rulers or
outside influences
There is certainly much for which we ought to pray!
B. USING A PRAYER STRATEGY...
1. On Monday - Family
a. Pray for both immediate and extended family members
b. For both their physical and spiritual well-being
2. On Tuesday - Church
a. For members in the local congregation
b. For Christians and congregations throughout the world
3. On Wednesday - Community
a. For community leaders
b. For your neighbors
4. On Thursday - Nation
a. For elected officials
b. For efforts to bring peace and righteousness
5. On Friday - World
a. For world peace
b. For nations that are "closed" to the gospel
6. On Saturday - Afflicted
a. For the poor, homeless, jobless
b. For those in prison
c. For those who are sick
d. For widows, single mothers, fatherless children
A simpler prayer strategy: morning-family; noon-church;
evening-community
CONCLUSION
1. Such strategies are simply suggestions to provide some direction in
prayer...
a. Develop one that suits you
b. One might also keep a list or journal of those for whom you are
praying
2. The important thing is to PRAY, and to do so:
a. "always"
b. "in everything"
c. "earnestly"
d. "being vigilant"
e. "without ceasing"
March 15 AM
"PRAYER"
How God Answers Prayer
INTRODUCTION
1. In our study on prayer, we have examined...
a. The purpose of prayer d. The principles of prayer
b. The power of prayer e. The persistence of prayer
c. The privilege of prayer f. The practice of prayer
2. Why don't people pray more often...?
a. Perhaps they don't believe their prayers are being answered
b. Not knowing how God answers, they may have lost faith in prayer
I. REQUEST GRANTED
A. GOD MAY ANSWER "YES"...
1. God often grants the petitions we ask of Him - Ps 118:5; 138:3
2. Especially when we put Him first in our lives - Mt 6:33; cf.
Pr 3:5-10
B. FOR GOD TO ANSWER "YES"...
1. We must ask according to His will - 1Jn 5:14
2. We must be doing His will in our lives - 1Jn 3:22
II. REQUEST GRANTED, BUT NOT YET
A. GOD MAY ANSWER "YES, BUT WAIT..."
1. God may grant our request, but in time and according to His
purpose - cf. Ec 3:1,11
2. So we may think God is saying "No", when He is really saying
"Yes, but wait" - Lk 18:7
B. WHEN THE ANSWER SEEMS TO BE "WAIT"...
1. We need to have patience - He 6:10-12
2. We need to keep asking, seeking, knocking - Lk 11:8-10
3. We need to remember God's promise - Ro 8:24
III. REQUEST GRANTED, BUT NOT AS EXPECTED
A. GOD MAY ANSWER "YES, BUT NOT AS YOU THINK..."
1. Sometimes God answers in a way differently than we may
anticipate
2. Remember, His thoughts and methods are much different than ours
- Isa 55:8,9
3. For example, asking God for strength and perseverance...
a. He may give us trials to bear - e.g., Php 1:29-30
b. Which in turn develops the virtues we prayed for! - cf. Ro 5:3-4
B. WE MUST NOT LIMIT GOD'S OPTIONS...
1. We should be careful and not dictate to God how to answer our
prayers
a. There are forces at work beyond what we can imagine - cf. Ep 3:20
b. Plus, we do not always know what to pray for as we ought
- cf. Ro 8:26
2. Limit the how and we might limit the result; e.g., when praying
for the sick...
a. Do we pray simply that God bless the use of natural means
(doctors, medicine, etc.)?
b. If so, might we limit God as to how He might restore them?
(in ways beyond what we are able to imagine)?
c. Is it not better to simply ask God to restore the sick, and
leave the methods to Him?
IV. REQUEST DENIED
A. GOD MAY ANSWER "NO"...
1. There may be times when God denies our requests - cf. Jm 4:3
2. We must trust that God, who knows what is best, would do so
only if granting our request might not be for our good - cf. He 12:5-11
B. WHEN GOD SEEMS TO SAY "NO"...
1. We may not fully understand, but we can still fully trust Him!
- cf. Hab 3:17-19
2. Especially in light of the promise in 1Co 10:13
3. God will provide the grace and mercy to do without - e.g., 2 Co 12:7-9
CONCLUSION
1. In at least four ways, then, God answers our prayers...
a. Request granted
b. Request granted, but not yet
c. Request granted, but not as expected
d. Request denied
2. However God may choose to answer our prayers...
a. We can have confidence that it will be for our good
b. We should never grow weary in praying to God
"The Lord has heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer."
- Ps 6:9
