Structure:
- Introduction
- Helps for prayer
- When and where do we pray?
- Examples of answered prayer
- Places for prayer
- Different types of prayer
- Prayer diaries/journals
- Conclusion
Introduction:
It is over four years ago since I gave a talk on the subject of prayer here in this church. Needless to say, many prayers have passed under the bridge since then. The last time I opened with comments to the effect that I have always loved to swim. I always have. I grew up not far from the beach. Even as a child in the summertime I would go off swimming every day of the school holidays. But I didn’t learn to swim by reading a book. You can read as many books as you like on how to swim but if you don’t actually get into the water and have a go you will never be able to say you can swim.
It’s much the same with prayer. You can read as many books as you like and listen to all the podcasts you can manage to digest but if you never get around to actually praying it is unlikely you will ever become a convinced pray-er.
What Scripture says about prayer:
In Philippians chapter 4, verses 6 and 7, we are told – “not to 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 guide your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”.
Also, 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 17 and 18 “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”.
Without prayer we go through life’s difficulties on our own. While with believing prayer we can face the same problems in the unlimited power of God. When this happens, our situations can take on a completely different aspect.
The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.
In Luke 11 we read that Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He ceased one of his disciples said to him, “Lord teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
Even the disciples who were with Jesus on an ongoing basis and were well aware of his prayer life asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.
What we can do to help us in prayer
There is an acronym “ACTS” which has been used by people for many years to help with prayer.
A – is for Adoration, C is for Confession. T is for Thanksgiving and S is for Supplication. You may have been using this method of structuring your prayers for many years. Many people have found this method helpful in organising their prayers. Approach God with Adoration as He is the one to whom all adoration is due. He is the one we worship, the creator, the sustainer, the living God. He is the one who wants us to have a living relationship with himself. That is a concept that still amazes me even though I have been a Christian for many years. God wants us to have a personal one to one relationship with him.
C – is for Confession – this is an opportunity to sort out those things that get in our way with our relationship with God. Tell Him and come clean with God about those things – whatever they are – you know what they are and so does God. God is in the forgiveness business and he loves to forgive and have a whole relationship with his people.
T – is for thanksgiving – Thank God for everything. The small things and the big things. We have so much to thank God for. Philippians 4 says, in verses 6 and 7, “Do not be anxious about anything but by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God”.
S – is for supplication – My wife had a friend who said that when it comes to prayer she didn’t want to bother God with things in her life. He is far too busy and He would not be very interested anyway. This always makes me smile. It’s good to be able to say that nowhere in the Bible is there any evidence that God is too busy and that He doesn’t want to be bothered with people and their lives. In fact, it’s quite the reverse. Anyway, how do we measure what is a big thing or a small thing in our lives that we might determine the extent of God’s interest? With God there is really no big or little thing. God is very interested in every detail of our lives so we should talk to him about everything and listen to him and he will guide us as we trust him moment by moment.
The Lord’s Prayer can also be used as a template for prayer. This template is available on the internet. This template gives very helpful and specific information on how to pray.
When and where do we pray?
The Philippians verse just quoted says – “but in every situation”. It does not say only when it is important, or when we are in church or the home group or some other place or situation. We can pray at any time and any place about anything. It’s almost as if God can hardly wait to hear from us. He wants to be involved.
Jesus on many occasions exhorted us to “ask”. He said, “You have not because you ask not”. Numerous times Jesus is recorded begging us to ask. Jesus is making it very plain that God wants us to make our requests known to him and that he wants to give. So why don’t we ask?
God wants us to pray. Not because it seems a nice thing, a “spiritual” thing to do but God wants us to talk with him. He created us for fellowship with himself. Not just in emergencies or when things get a bit difficult but all the time about all and everything. Not just the big things. So don’t let anything or anyone put you off talking with God.
The more you pray the more you will find to pray about and the more you’ll be led to pray for others. Don’t allow unanswered prayer to discourage you or cause you to doubt that God has heard you. If you have received Jesus and are praying in his name, God hears you and something is happening whether you see it manifested in your life now or not. In fact, every time you pray you are advancing God’s purposes for you and others covered by the prayer.
And what if you feel your prayers are not being answered?
We need to remind ourselves that God’s timing is not our timing. I guess if God said “yes” to everyone’s request the world would get into quite a mess within a short space of time. God answers every prayer, it’s just that across some he writes “The time is not right yet”. Job, with all his trials asked, “How long will this trial last? Why doesn’t God answer?” Because it takes as long as it takes – and usually feels as uncomfortable the whole time. But there’s good news. Eventually your prayers become less about getting and more about connecting with God. By letting him work 1. You begin to realise he is with you. 2. You develop a deeper level of intimacy with him 3. You discover you can trust him entirely.
Examples of answered prayer
Earlier this year my son Daniel and his wife Amy asked my wife Patricia and myself if we would like to take an overseas trip with them to South America. We leapt at the opportunity as Patricia and I had never been to South America and so the flight seats were booked. About six weeks before we were due to depart, I managed to damage my sciatic nerve quite badly. It’s a very disabling pain affecting the spine. It was so bad that I could not walk upright. Well, how was I to sit in a plane for many hours let alone getting about sightseeing etc. Well of course there were prayers volunteered by various friends. One prayer occasion I remember distinctly was at a monthly meeting of the church prayer group. That’s the group of people who pray after each Sunday service down the front of the church. The meeting had just finished when Cate our leader suddenly said, “We forgot to pray for Peter’s back!” And so, we prayed. Well, my back started to improve gradually but still left me with a lot of pain right up to the day before we left. On the day we left I was totally free of pain. The second day I was free of pain and thanks to the Lord, subsequent days also. So, I’m a great believer in the power of prayer.
Is God simply someone who exists to supply all our needs? A sort of Father Christmas God? We don’t pray simply for God to meet all our needs or rescue us from difficult situations. When we pray, we begin to realise that God is with us in our difficulties and he is also with us moment by moment, day by day.
In Matthew 18 verse 19 Jesus says, “Whenever two of you on earth agree about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by My Father in Heaven.” Last time I spoke about prayer I quoted an extract from the Word for Today which was published some years ago now. Some listeners at the time enjoyed the story so much I will repeat it again here.
Another example of answered prayer
Becky Smith was eighty-four years old and her sister Christine was eighty-two. The years had taken sight from the first and bent the body of the second, so they couldn’t attend church. Yet their church needed them. They lived on the Isle of Lewis off the North West coast of Scotland, and a spiritual darkness had settled on their village of Barvas. I looked up Barvas on Google and it had a sort of Chatham Island remote ambience about it. The congregation was losing people, and the youth were mocking the faith, speaking of conversion as a plague. In October 1949 the Presbytery of the Free Church of Scotland called upon their members to pray. But what could two elderly housebound sisters do? Quite a lot they determined. They turned their cottage into an all-night house of prayer. From 10pm until 4am two nights each week, they asked God to have mercy on their island. After several months, Becky told Christine that God had spoken these words to her: “I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground”. This is from Isaiah 44:3. She urged her pastor to conduct a revival and invite the well-known evangelist at the time, Duncan Campbell, to speak. When Campbell refused to come, she insisted: “God says he is coming and he’ll be here in a fortnight’. And it happened! For five weeks Campbell preached every night to overflowing crowds at 7pm, 10pm, midnight and 3am. Sinners were converted, pubs closed for lack of patrons and the Isle of Lewis tasted the presence of God – All because two women prayed in agreement.
I’m sure that if we were really convinced how much God loved us, we would be so much more prayerful. I like to think we have a covenant God – not a contractual God. God loves us unconditionally. Not because we are “good.” This is his covenant – he has forgiven and redeemed us. He still loves us in spite of the fact we can’t keep our side of the bargain or covenant. We don’t have to earn brownie points with God. We don’t pray to get God to do what we want Him to do. We pray to find what God wants us to do – It’s as if he enlists us for a purpose and a plan.
Imagine that! God wants to have a relationship with you and me. He constantly says throughout the Scriptures that he wants a relationship with us – why are we so slow to take him up on this???
Places for prayer
Now prayer can take place in different situations.
Daily devotional prayer. You may read a part of the Bible or some form of Bible devotional material such as Daily Bread or Word for Today. My wife Patricia and I like to use Word for Today.
You may be comfortable praying by yourself in a daily devotional way.
Some groups have a prayer time after they have completed a time of Bible study.
Some people have a prayer partner where they meet regularly for prayer in a one-to-one arrangement.
In this church we have prayer here at the front of the church after the service for those who would like it. It is interesting to note that in recent times more people are taking this opportunity for prayer to involve God in their lives and the lives of others.
What about walking prayers. This has become quite popular with some groups. People like to pray while walking around say, a house or school or a district asking the Lord to bring blessing upon that place and the people living there or constraining Satan and his activities. There is Biblical support in the Old Testament for this type of prayer.
What about fasting and prayer? Fasting and prayer have been the experience of the church across history. Prayer and fasting could be defined as going without food in order to focus on prayer and fellowship with God. Prayer and fasting often go hand in hand but this is not always the case. You can pray without fasting, and fast without prayer. It is when these two activities are combined and dedicated to God’s glory that they reach their full effectiveness. Having a dedicated time of prayer and fasting is not a way of manipulating God into doing what you desire. Rather, it is simply forcing yourself to focus and rely on God for the strength, provision and wisdom you need.
Different types of prayer
There are different types of prayer. Emergency prayers – God’s 24/7, 0800 phone line. You know that situation where you may be speaking with someone and can’t interrupt but you rush off a silent prayer anyway.
There are intercessory prayers where we pray on behalf of others. We have this type of prayer in our services at Tawa Baptist where we intercede on behalf of others on a wide range of local and overseas situations.
Chat prayers where we sit down with God and discuss all the things going on in our lives along with things going on in the lives of others. Some people we may know and some we may not know.
Mother Teresa was once asked by a journalist “When you pray what do you say to God?” She replied, “I don’t say anything, I just listen”. “And does God say anything to you?” “No – He just listens”. I know of some people who just remain silent and quietly listen to God. They don’t say anything but simply listen.
Another source of prayer is our church prayer chain for those who would like prayer. Often for those who are facing an operation or other health issue. You can contact Will or the church office. An email request is then sent to those who undertake to pray for the person or situation.
There is also the church Prayer Quilt support. The Prayer Quilt group use their skills to produce special prayer quilts. The quilt is displayed at the front of the church during a service and people are invited to come to the front and tie a knot on the quilt along with prayer for the person concerned. The quilt is then given to the person in need of prayer support.
Prayer diaries or prayer journals
One way to be really encouraged in prayer is by keeping a prayer journal or diary. In the journal or diary, you record your prayer request or you may make a note of some biblical question that puzzles you. You pray about this and ask God for insight. Sometime later, say months or a year later, you go back to the journal and see how the Lord has answered your prayer or gives you clarification or insight. The internet has numerous templates for Prayer Journals so look them up on the internet if you want to start a prayer journal of your own.
In Hebrews 9, verse 24, we read “For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf”.
Prayer is a vital part of our Christian life. Jesus made the way open to God with what he has done in breaking down barriers. Through his death and resurrection we are able to go before his throne of grace. He has made the way for us.
Conclusion:
So let’s pray without ceasing – don’t give up. As already mentioned in I Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 16 to 18, we are told to rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Let’s close with prayer…
Thank you Lord for prayer. Thank you that we can share all aspects of our life with you. The big and the small. We thank you Lord for your blessings and all you have done for us. Help us Lord to be more prayerful – to seek you and trust you more. In Jesus name, Amen.
Tawa Baptist 