Prayer
Did you know that we have the power
within us that can forever change the world, yet is probably the most
misunderstood and misused power in the world? The power within us does not
originate with us, but has been implanted within us and is ready at our beckon
call. It is the power to call upon God, the Creator of the universe, on our own
- through prayer.
Of course you had probably already
surmised where this was leading by reading the topic of this session. I am
fairly confident that most of those who read this book have prayed to God at
least a few times in their lives. But I am also just as confident that most
people, even most Christians, lack full appreciation of the power of prayer and
may even give little regard to it. I
know such a statement sounds rather harsh, but that is what is evidenced in
most peoples lives today. Conversely, people who have healthy prayer lives
demonstrate it in their day-to-day living. They cannot help but show it because
in prayer, they have been presence of the Living God and they are changed from
that experience.
I know, this sounds more like the
ravings of some fanciful fanatic, but maybe it's time we become a bit more
fanatical about something that has such awesome power. Many become fanatics
when they talk with someone they idolize or adore. So why is it that we have
demoted talking with God as a hum-drum ritual that we feel has little impact on
our lives?
The reason is because we have
either forgotten or have never experienced being in God's presence through
prayer. Sadly, much of the fault lies within the Church, for allowing prayer to
become so trivialize and perfunctory. But some of the fault also rests within
ourselves, for not taking the initiative to make it a top priority in life. If
we really want to make a difference in our lives, in the lives of those we love
and care for, in the Church, and in the world, we must make prayer a Holy Habit!
Before we can attempt to make
prayer a Holy Habit, a vehicle with
great power and not a mundane ritual, we must first understand what prayer is
and is not.
PRAYER IS NOT PRAYER
IS
- me only talking to God - a
dialogue
- a means of getting our wishes
granted - an act of
humility
- a good luck recitation -
an integral part of a relationship
- perfunctory -
deliberate
- limited only to clergy or
eloquent speakers - open for
all to employ
This list could go on and on, but I
believe you get the picture with these few. But to gain a better appreciation
for the power of prayer, let us look at it a bit more closely. It is without
doubt that prayer is mentioned throughout the Bible. To begin to list all the
references to prayer in this sacred text would be ludicrous for this program.
But there are a few examples that need to be lifted up to show the development
of prayer and its relevance today.
To begin, while we enjoy the
freedom to exercise prayer at our pleasure, this has not always been the case.
During the generations near the onset of human history, God chose to speak to
the people through chosen men and women. If you recall, Moses was one of those
individuals. The ancient Hebrews were not in a free relationship with God, one
where they could talk with and petition God on their own, They had to have a
mediator. This was because God is holy...so holy, as a matter of fact, that if
anyone looked at God they would instantly die. So, God holiness kept people at
a distance and only the mediator, known as the priest, who was chosen by God,
could approach God on the people's behalf. To keep the distance between God and
the people distinct, an elaborate structural system was devised, called the
tabernacle. The tabernacle was actually a series of tents and dividing walls.
It was made up of tents so that the whole tabernacle could be mobile and travel
with the people. In the innermost section of the tabernacle was a tent called
the "Holy of Holies." Only the priest could enter this tent because
it was here where God resided. In order for the priest to be able to enter in
the "Holy of Holies," the priest had to completely pure, purified
through a rigorous ceremony, otherwise the holiness of God would destroy him.
Can you imagine the fear and trepidation a priest must have felt before
entering the tent? What if he was defiled in some way that was unbeknownst to
him or had forgotten?!
Of course, to be in God's presence
in such a manner must profoundly change a person. Exodus 34:29-35 describes how
Moses was physically changed by his encounters with God's presence. In these
verses, the writer tells that when Moses talked with God, his skin would shine.
The Israelites would then know, just by his appearance, that he had been
talking with God. As a matter of fact, his face would shine so much from this
encounter, Moses had to cover his face with a veil! Friends, that is what we
should want to happen to us - to be in
God's presence so much that people can see it on our faces! Now you may be
saying to yourself by now, "That couldn't be me. Moses was chosen by God;
I am not." To put this simply, you're wrong. It can be you. You have been
chosen by God. Jesus made this possible.
Two of the gospels, Matthew and
Mark, tell us that when Jesus died, the curtain in the temple (which had by
then replaced the tabernacle) was torn in two, from top to bottom. No longer
was there a separation between God and the people. The people of God became
holy the penalty of sin was paid by Jesus redemptive act on the Cross. The need
for a priest to petition God on behalf of the people was now nullified. The
people could now approach God directly through prayer.
But Jesus di more than just provide
us the ability to pray; he taught us how to pray. Jesus' life was centered in
prayer, His disciples, those whom he chose to follow him, saw how important
prayer was to him. They saw that through prayer, he derived his strength and
guidance. They hungered for it too. So once, when Jesus finished praying, one
of his disciples became bold and said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray
too." Jesus, sensing their yearning to draw close to God replied,
"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.
Luke 11:2-4 (NIV)
You
may well recognize this as part of the prayer we call The Lord's Prayer. We can
use this as a model for how we should pray as it contains some crucial elements
of prayer: Praise, Repentance, Asking, and Yielding (PRAY). It is also faithful
to the standard as set by the Great Commandment:
Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength.' The
second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
There is no commandment greater than these."
Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)
Now,
how often should we pray? Some seem to feel that when we have a need, we should
pray for it once and then no more. The reason for this is they believe that if
we pray for something more than once , we are implying that God did not hear us
the first time or that we are attempting to coerce God to abide by our wishes.
But, I would suggest that Jesus gives us a different point of view as he
follows up the basis for the Lord's Prayer:
Then
he said to them, "Suppose
one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend
me three loaves of bread,
because a friend of
mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' "Then the one inside answers,
'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in
bed. I can't get up and give you anything.'
I tell you, though he
will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of
the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he
needs. "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; he who
seeks finds; and to him 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!"
Luke
11:5-13 (NIV)
Here, her uses the analogy of a
person who knocks on a friends door at midnight wanting food. Even if the
person does not answer the door for a friend, he will because of the persistent
knocking. So, we should pray without ceasing.
Prayer giant, Terry Teykl, tells of a true story that
happened recently of a man whose child died unexpectedly. When the man arrives home and found his son
had died, he refused to let the funeral home take his child’s body away. Instead, the man kneeled by the lifeless body
and prayed for God to restore life to his precious child. The minutes turned to an hour. Then the hour became many hours. Others in the home thought the man to be
crazy and talked of having the police to come and intervene. But the man prayed on. Then, after many, many hours, the child began
to breathe! God had heard the man’s
cries and restored the child’s life!
Terry then poignantly points out, “What if the man had listened to the
naysayers? What if the man had given up
just minutes before?”
I know that this story sounds incredulous, but friends,
aren’t we really talking about the power of God? Are we so bold to say that God couldn’t or
wouldn’t do such a thing? Where’s our
faith?! God is the faithful one, so if
prayers go unheeded or unanswered, the fault lies with us! If we say we believe in the power of prayer,
the power of God, then we must show it!
Our lives must show it!
Prayer must be one of our Holy Habits.
JOURNAL QUESTIONS
1. Reflect on your sermon notes and journal reading from today.
GROUP EXERCISE
10 minutes - Community Building (informal time of gathering)
10 minutes - Sharing of Concerns and Praises
5 minutes - Prayer for One Another
30 minutes - Discussion of Topic
- What journal entry would you like to share?
- What do you use to prepare for prayer?
- Read Colossians 1:3-14. List the elements listed in verses 9-14. How would the world
be changed if you began praying this way?
5 minutes - Wrap Up/Closing Prayer
JOURNAL QUESTIONS
1. Reflect on your sermon notes and journal reading from today.
GROUP EXERCISE
10 minutes - Community Building (informal time of gathering)
10 minutes - Sharing of Concerns and Praises
5 minutes - Prayer for One Another
30 minutes - Discussion of Topic
- What journal entry would you like to share?
- What do you use to prepare for prayer?
- Read Colossians 1:3-14. List the elements listed in verses 9-14. How would the world
be changed if you began praying this way?
5 minutes - Wrap Up/Closing Prayer
