Chuck Smith
The Word For Today
Greg Laurie
Harvest Christian Fellowship
Chuck Misler
66/40
John Hagee
John Hagee Ministries
Kirk Cameron
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Ray Comfort
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Joel Osteen
Joel Osteen Ministries
Charles Stanley
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Billy Graham
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Vernon McGee
Thru The Bible Radio
Hal Lindsey
International Intelligence Briefing
Rick Warren
Purpose Driven Life
Raul Ries
Somebody Loves You
Brian Broderson
Back To Basics
Skip Heitzig
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Bob Coy
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David Jeremiah
Turning Point
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A Foundation
For Living
How to Pray to God
Matthew 6: 5-15; 7: 7-12
How do I pray?
What if I have never been taught how to personally pray or to talk to God?
What if I grew up in a church that never had conversational or personal prayer?
What if I only know liturgy?
What if I offend God?
If you think that you do not know how to pray, you need to ask yourself, do I
know how to talk and listen? If you know how to talk to another person, then you
know how to pray! Prayer is basically our communication with the Great Sovereign
God of the Universe who wants the best for us and to hear from us! The great
wonder is not so much in how we pray, but that God is willing to listen to us!
The great, wonderful fallout from our redemption is our ability to pray real and
effective prayers that God actually hears and to which He responds! God will
actually speak to us through His Word, and the Holy Spirit teaches and convicts
us through the Word.
The fact is, our prayer time with God is basically our conversing with Him,
through which we express our gratitude for whom He is, what He did for us, and
discover our purpose in life. Thus, through our prayers, we can be taught, we
can grow, and we can be convicted so we can apply His precepts to our lives and
affect those around us, too.
Prayer is coming to God through discussion, learning, and relationship building.
It is the channel of communication between Christ and us. We give ourselves to
Jesus Christ as He has given Himself to us in a similar way as a man and woman
give themselves to each other in marriage. Since God has given Himself, what is
in the way of our being able and willing to respond?
Prayer is not just talking to God; it is also meant to further link us to Him
and develop our relationship with Him so we can build our faith, character, and
maturity. Remember, we have access to God; we have permission to come to Him!
Wow! What a privilege we have (Rom 5:1).
We need to see that God is jealous when we do not spend time with Him. In the
Greek language the illustration is referring to us, when we do not spend time
with God it is like we are cheating on a spouse (2 Cor. 11:1). He has taken care
of the able part; because of Jesus Christ, we have direct access. The most
incredible thing in the universe is the ability to talk directly with the
Creator and Sustainer. We can do this because we are spiritually united; because
of His redemption on our behalf, we have unity. This is communion, not the
ritual with the bread and wine, but the intimate relationship that the ritual
symbolizes. Prayer is the communication.
Prayer also helps keep us conscious of His work in our life. He is here with you
now, so do not ignore Him or leave Him out of your life and decisions. He is to
be the primary foundation and for whom we are to be and do; and, we must commune
with Him to make this happen. When we commune with God, our lives begin to line
up to Him more fervently and powerfully. We gain more of Him in our lives, more
of His will and insight, more of His direction and will. Thus, we will become
dependent on Him and not the ways of “self” with our needs, emotions, or the
world. Our opportunities and call will be clearer and our lives given a greater
purpose and impact for the Kingdom. However, the key is to get beyond being
selfish and more into how I can grow and contribute. It is not about what I can
get, but what I can do. Consequently, the more we pray, the more He is in our
life, and more specifically—the more we feel and see Him involved.
Nevertheless there are many Christians who just do not pray. There are all kinds
of excuses why they do not from the theological, “why should I, since God
already knows everything,” to the failed expectations of “I have tried and it
does not work,” or “God never answers my prayers.” In addition, there is “I just
do not have the time,” or “that is just for you.” Unfortunately, most people who
do not pray have feeling-based excuses, “I do not know how; and, when I do, I
feel nothing.” I think that many Christians may try prayer and soon give up on
it because what they expect does not come about when they want it. They get
frustrated because they do not get the answer they seek, do not feel the power
and impact they thought they would get, or just get frustrated because the time
and efforts become overwhelming. We live in a fast-food and fast-paced culture
where we see a television show that illustrates a problem and a solution in a 30
minute time frame; therefore, when the work of God takes more time and patience
than we are used to, we give up because we want results now. We need to see
prayer beyond our timing and expectations; rather, we should see prayer as
relational, something that is not supposed to be fast-paced or instant-result
orientated.
For us to even start to change our perception and expectations on prayer, we
need to realize it is God at work in us, and allow Him to work at His pace.
Prayer takes fortitude, as in the time and patience we are to put in it and in
the time and patience God is working in us, slowly crafting and molding us. It
is a learning endeavor, too. Learning to pray is like learning a new language.
It takes that time effort; if we do not use it, we lose it; and, with prayer, we
just end up not doing it. We also have to see that we are all in a process of
learning and growing. Whether we spend three or more hours or five minutes a day
in prayer, we are always learning and growing. There are no experts in prayer,
as we are all apprentices.
Our Motivations.
How do I pray? We should look to Matthew 6:9-13 or Luke 11:1-4. These passages
are both called the Lord’s Prayer. However, they are not prayers; rather, they
are “patterns” or templates for us on how to pray. Many Christians over the
centuries have memorized these passages as prayers and recite them every day
like a mantra. This memorization is a great thing to do, but the passages are
not prayers; rather, they are the instructional guides on how to pray. To recite
these passages as prayers is like giving a recipe to your dinner guests while
forgoing the preparing of the meal. You may think this is silly; who would eat a
recipe? But, this is exactly what we are doing with prayer! It is like getting a
picture of a car and thinking you can drive that picture to work.
The passages in Matthew and Luke give us the quintessential template on how to
pray. Jesus is calling us to a relationship with Him; and, to do that, we are to
seek Him. We do this with communication, as we would talk with anyone, with the
emphasis on our sincerity. Jesus, in the verses preceding the Matthew passage,
is attacking hypocrites who just make a show of it. Their prayers—public or
private—were not genuine. We have to be real and poured out to Him (John 3:30;
Gal. 2:20-21; Phil. 3:1-14). To make this real and effective, Jesus gives us a
systematic how to do it checklist. We can then know how and for what to pray, so
our own needs do not get all of the attention, and we will not grandstand
ourselves with pride and hypocritical actions. Thus, we are not to approach
prayer to get what we want, but to get closer to God, as that is what He wants.
Jesus tells us that our prayers are not just selfish wish lists to get God to
cater to our needs and whims; rather, their true purpose is for us to be shaped
by what He has revealed, and to grow in character, perseverance, and maturity.
The reason Jesus is using very strong language, as in condemning those
self-gratifying prayers, is that they had bad motivations. Bad motivations come
from an improper understanding of God, His precepts, and His call; thus, they
seek approval from people and are unconcerned about God (Matt. 11:25; John
11:41; Acts 27:35). The Jewish leaders believed that God knew everything. Thus,
Jesus was challenging their hearts and motivations, not their knowledge.
We have to realize that not all prayers are acceptable to God (Prov. 28:9; Isa.
59: 1-2; Luke 18:9-14; 1 Pet. 3:12), because God looks for our motivations
first, which is crucial. Jesus is not saying in the Matthew passage not to pray
publicly; rather, it is about our influence on others. Our private prayers are
the ones that shape us; our public prayers are the ones that are to help others
to be shaped and be in spiritual agreement to express praise, worship, seek
forgiveness from God and one another, confess sins, make petitions for one
another, and teach one another (Luke 11:2-4; Acts 1:14; 4:24).
Jesus often taught His disciples about the importance of perseverance, faith,
and humility in prayer
(Luke 11:1-13; 18:1-14). He wanted them to realize that prayers are directed to
God, not people, and are to be heard by God, not others (Psalm 65:2; Heb. 11:6).
Therefore, make sure your motivations are upright, and that you are offering up
the kind of prayers that will please God! Real, authentic prayers are intimate,
not a ‘business model’ as the pagans and Greeks saw prayer.
Prayer is not about what we want or us; it is about growing close to God. It is
acknowledging that He is the Boss, He is Sovereign and Lord, and we are to be
grateful beyond measure for the relationship and communication we can have with
Him (Col. 1:15-23; 1 Thess. 5:16-18). Prayer is a two-way communication between
God, our Creator, and us! We are made for relationships, and communication is
essential for effective, relational growth. For the Christian, prayer is one of
the main ways to grow in faith and maturity in our Christian formation;
alongside this includes getting into the Word with your own personal study and
devotions and a weekly Bible study with other believers.
Consider this, why waste your time with repetition when our God is sovereign; we
do not need to use superfluous words. God is not swayed by the quantity of our
words, but by the quality of our heart, offered with a merciful spirit (Matt.
18:21-23; James 2:13). We get far more out of any conversation when we say
things differently and say new things. Would you tell your mom or spouse the
same sentences over and over again? Then why do this with God? Jesus was
condemning the Jewish leaders who, to get what they wanted, used overload
prayers to tire God out with their many prayers and formulas that were repeated
over and over again. The point of the condemnation is that they knew better. Do
we know better? What are our motivations in prayer? To grow closer to Him or
just to get what we want? The answers will help determine where we are in our
spiritual formation.
Thus, prayer is sacred and of the utmost importance, and is not to be just a
liturgical exercise or repeated rhetoric. Rather, it is to be a part of our
passionate yearning for Christ’s work in our life. If we diverge from our
prayers to vain repetitions, saying something to catch the attention of others,
or just having to say something so we are heard, they will have no value or
meaning. We must see this as empty and vacant compared to the call of our Lord!
This is not to say we should not persist in asking God for something, as long it
is biblical (Luke 18: 1-8), but we are not to be wrapped up in our own words,
how we say them, try to fit a pattern (other than Jesus pattern), or to impress
someone. Just make sure your prayers are not insincere and meaningless
repetition (Matt. 26: 36-44; 2 Cor. 12:7-8)! Prayer must be sincere, heartfelt,
and real! God is impressed by what is in your heart, not with your quantity or
quality of words.
We can start by keeping our prayer life focused on God, not what others are
doing. We are to keep our eyes on God, not on people! If you only seek God for
your needs, you will never understand God or yourself, or His wonderful plan for
you (John 17:22)! Your faith will be on your terms only. How sad that would be!
How much you would lose out on the growth and opportunities He has for you!
The Pattern of Prayer
First off, there is no “method” or process on how to pray, as there is no
specific principle on how to talk to your mom or best friend. We just do it.
Yes, there is edict, attitude, and good ways versus bad ways to communicate.
Thus, God does give us a pattern as a checklist to make sure our time and
attitude are lined up to more of His will and less of ours. We must make sure we
use our payer time with purpose and effectiveness.
The disciples had trouble understanding what prayer was all about. During their
day, prayer was about mere rituals and complicated liturgy that was not
understood by the people, and it was greatly misused. The Sadducees did not
believe in prayer and the Pharisees made a convoluted show of it. Thus, prayer
by the religious leaders of the day was regulated to meaningless, elaborate
rituals intended to entertain the public or to make themselves look good. These
“pre-made” prayers seemed unapproachable to the people because they themselves
did not know how to pray.
Jesus starts out telling us that prayer is not a mystical mystery; rather, we
can by ourselves go before our Holy God and make our petitions and our heart
known to Him and commune with Him. Jesus is basically showing us how to relate
to Him through intimacy, emptying our will so our heart is exposed to Him as we
would with any true, intimate encounter. Thus the mortar of prayer built the
Early Church until it disintegrated into the chaos that it was in Jesus’ day.
This model of prayer from Mathew 6: 9-13 and Luke 11:1-4 place the emphasis on
God and His glory. This is called brevity (brief and sincere). We ask that God
be glorified before we can seek our request in a clear and concise manner.
However, being brief does not mean being limited in the time you spend with Him.
The more time you spend in prayer the more you will grow in your Christian
formation. The point is to be sure you are not praying in circles with vain
repetitions. Rather, cover more ground with requests for others and praise for
God.
Let’s look at some of the key words from Matthew:
Our
Father in Heaven. Father is the Aramaic word for daddy or papa—a very dear, intimate, personal
reference of honor to the head of the family. It includes endearment and love
without fear of reprisal. In our prayer life, we are to first see God as God, to
reverence Him, and be devoted to Him. For us, this means we have been called to
intimacy with Him. This does not mean to be taken as we say daddy. It is not a
cheap saying, or a word to put God in just a friend category. We need to realize
that we are adopted in His family, and He loves us ever so deeply. We must see
God as Sovereign and Holy, to be feared with reverence and respect. Yet, He is
still God, Creator, and Sovereign (Duet. 7:21; Neh. 4:14; Psalm 48:1; 86:10;
95:3; 97:2; 145:3; Dan. 9:4; 1 Cor. 13:12; Heb. 12:28,29).
Hallowed be Your Name
means our prayer life is to focus on His holiness,
mightiness, and the omnipresence (He is everywhere transcending time and space),
and omnipotence (all powerful) of God. He is the holy Judge, Creator, Savior,
and Sustainer of all things; yet, He personally knows and loves us with deeper
and more love than we could ever comprehend. So, we are commanded to keep His
name holy, as in the first two commandments. This helps us understand the wonder
and majesty of our incredible God (Isa. 5:16; 29:23; Ezek. 36:23; 38:23; 39:7,
27; Zech. 14:9). Reverence is the true response that leads to worship for all
who come before God (Psalm 89:5-18; Prov. 1:7, 29: 3:5-9; 2 Cor. 7:1; Eph. 5:21;
1 Thess. 5:12-13; 1 Pet. 2:13-14; 3:15a). It is recognizing and honoring the
authority of God with awe and fear because He is God, and He is more awesome
than anything or anyone. This helps us to take the incredible knowledge of His
majesty and apply it to our lives so we will walk with confidence in our Lord,
and operate with respect to Him and to the others whom He knows and loves. This
is essential in how we pray so we will not be anxious or fearful of what will
happen or distrust God.
Your
Kingdom come
is an essential theme in Matthew. It means government; it means our
prayer life is to see Him as God and the One in charge. It is the need to be
organized for purpose and direction. This means we are to yield to the exercise
and implementation of our God's "Lordship,” that He is our King, and hence the
name, “Kingdom of God.” He is sovereign; He is the total monarch of the
universe. His rule is absolute. When we refuse to be governed and controlled,
anarchy and chaos will result because of our sinful nature, and will cause harm
to others. Thus, it is our responsibility to obey God. This characterizes our
personal identification and relationship to our Lord and Savior! Our need is to
bow to His Lordship for our betterment and growth! This will keep us going on
the right path through the pandemonium of life (Matt. 4:23; Eph. 2:18; 2 Pet.
3:13-14).
Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven
further expounds that in our prayer life, we are to seek His
character and sovereignty in all things, and not attempt to bully or manipulate
what we want over what He has called us to do. His needs must precede our needs
because He wants what is best for us. Then, we can take comfort in the awareness
that God is not hidden, nor is His will so mysterious that we cannot find it. He
has our back and our best in mind. God's influence, glory, and presence are all
around us; God is all present, "omnipresent," and we have no escape from Him. He
reveals His presence to us in countless ways. Understanding this helps us to
know from whence our direction in life comes. This is foundational for all
aspects of who we are and what we do. What motivates us and creates in us our
actions and behaviors will translate in our relationship with God and how we are
with those around us. This will help us become the person that God desires and
calls us to be.
Give us today our daily bread
means we can go to God. Our prayer life does not consist
of just requests for food and stuff, but also a seeking of what is necessary for
now and in the future (Prov. 30:8; Matt 6:19-34). It is imagery, comparing to
the manna for the wandering Jews. Just as God provided for them, He will also
provide for us. As our life becomes more fulfilled in the coming Kingdom, we can
come before God and request His provision for our needs. He wants to take care
of and provide for us, so let Him.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. This
means we are to see our sins and agree with God about the things that we have
done wrong. During our prayer times, things will come to our mind that will not
be pleasant to recall. We will be convicted of our sins and failure, where we
have not been truthful, or have exaggerated or missed His precious opportunities
for doing good. We will have genuine sorrow for what we have done and left
undone. Then, we are called to deal with it and make restitution where we can,
seeking His forgiveness and going to others for forgiveness where we wronged
them. Keep track of these items that God brings to us, our sins. Know that God
will forgive me all my sins. Confess also means we are called to be accountable
to one another, to state what we are going through and are struggling with to
someone in confidence who will listen and help guide us by His Word. It is not
about going to a pastor or priest, but to God directly, in and with
accountability, with another trusted person, small group, or mentor. We cannot
grow closer to God when we have unconfessed sin in our lives; these sins act as
a barrier, cutting off our communion with Him. We cannot do the Christian life
by ourselves; it is not a spectator or individual sport! Christianity is not for
lone rangers; it is for community
(1 John 1:9).
And lead us not into temptation
means our prayer life will greatly help us not
sin when we are tested or we go through trials, and will help us through them
(Psalm 141:3-4). In fact, there are studies from over the years that stated that
married couples who pray together regularly rarely divorce. Prayer keeps us in
His will and away from temptations. Trials are primary means for growth and
maturity. That does not mean prayer will keep us from them altogether. If that
were so, we would never grow spiritually. We have to be persons who have
received grace and have the knowledge of what we have in God first in our
mindset. Then, as we are able to see how we have been forgiven, we can really,
truly forgive others.
But deliver us from the evil one
is a fervent, personal petition, letting God
know of our needs. This is called petition, our earnest, humble request before
God. It is the seeking of not only personal needs, but for the needs of others
as well. It is sharing our requests before God with the attitude that He does
provide, but it may not be what we want or think we need. We need to learn how
to depend upon Him and to express and develop real, impacting faith. This is
only one small component of our prayer life, yet, most will spend most of their
time and energies here while others, seeking to be humble, never venture here.
It probably accounts for over 95% of all prayer requests. This is not to be our
only aspect of prayer. We are to intercede for others, seek forgiveness of our
sins, seek His will, and most importantly, we are to praise and adore Him!
Petition is a vital component, but not the only piece. Make sure you have a
well-balanced prayer life that is not selfish, but that does not ignore your
needs either. In this component, we are also to make intercession for
others—Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." To
pray for others is intercession, the understanding of the needs of others and
bringing those before God. This is exercising love and kindness, and showing our
unity in the Body of Christ (John 17). Start to make a prayer list. Pray for
others as their needs come to you; pray for your city, state and country, your
leaders, missionaries, government officials, and persecuted Christians in the
world, as well as God's for guidance, wisdom, and opportunities for you and your
church and all that can come to you, and for you and them to grow and to serve.
Be specific and be real!
For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
This
means in our prayer life, we are to be grateful for what He has done for us. We
are to go over His mercies, all that He has done for us. They are more than you
know! He truly and deeply loves you beyond your ability to fathom it. He
provides, nurtures, and protects you and gives you hope and a purpose for life.
Look at your family, friends, health, home, love, work, books, fun, a night of
rest. In our times of prayer, we are to bring our attitude to His will. Remove
your pride and seek Him first and foremost in all occasions so to live your life
in gratitude to God for all things. Have the inward awareness that God has
indeed been with you all through the day.
A Simple System
Break up your prayer times. Spend time when you first get up; look over your day
and all that you need to do, seek His help, and be open to His opportunities and
His presence for growth, learning, and more! Then, spend some more time with Him
when you are about to go to bed. Use this time to go over your day, what you
have learned, and what you can do better in the future. And then, commit
yourself to God again.
Do not be overwhelmed; start to take baby steps—that is, start with five minutes
a day in the morning and again in the evening before bed. Then, slowly start to
add to it. keep in mind our Lord’s Prayer; give praise to God, seek His will,
and seek His instructions, His Kingdom. Do not forget to listen. Ask for
forgiveness of your sins.
Concentrate, that is, focus on God. The priority is your sanctification, your
learning, and your growth in Him. This is best done in a quiet place, free from
distractions. Thus, praying in front of the TV with your favorite show on is not
a good idea. This disrupts God and keeps you unfocused.
Seek to free your mind of stress, worry, and distractions, so Jesus is the only
One and item in your mind. This is hard and takes practice, but the more you do
it, the better you will become at it.
If you still feel stuck in prayer, read the newspaper and pray for items in your
nation and in the county in which you live, and for your neighbors. Also, read
though the Bible and pray. Seek first the kingdom of God. Ask God for the
mission that He has given you.
Read a Bible passage or sing a hymn and use these as prayer templates.
Find a quite place where there are no distractions.
Try to pray out loud; this will help you concentrate. Use the Lord’s Prayer as a
template. Remember, it is a model for prayer and not a prayer. Go through each
petition and stanza and spend time in it. You can also use the 10 commandments
or Colossians 1.
We end our payers with Amen, which means,
"So let it be." It is the wording of your confidence in God and His love for
you. This is an affirmation of the goodness and power of our loving God who has
heard us and is acting upon the prayer we have offered. It is trust in and
reliance on your relationship with God. One day, you will get to heaven and then
you will realize all that prayer did on this earth and you will amazed at how
God used you on the earth. The remembrances of all people in need, prayers for
loved ones, leaders, pastors, and your church will make a real difference. So,
pray. And, make sure your prayers are real, authentic, not too general, and not
weak, and you will be mightily used. AMEN.
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