Walking by Faith

The prayer life of Jesus
Jesus taught the disciples how to pray
 
Matthew 6:5-14

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.^[b] 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

      Our Father in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
       10 Your kingdom come.
      Your will be done
      On earth as it is in heaven.
       11 Give us this day our daily bread.
       12 And forgive us our debts,
      As we forgive our debtors.
       13 And do not lead us into temptation,
      But deliver us from the evil one.
      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.^[c]

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Luke 11:2-4

 

This proves that people had a problem with prayer even back then

Jesus rose early in the morning to a solitary place to pray before starting His ministry and before He made decisions 
Mark 1:35

35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

Luke 4:42-44

42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” 44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

Jesus prayed all night before He chose the disciples
Luke 6:12-13

12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:

Jesus said that the boy could only be healed through prayer and fasting
Mark 9:29

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
 
Jesus prayed in the garden before He was crucified
Matthew 26:36-46 (Mark 14:32-41) Luke 22:39-46

36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless^[e] I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

Jesus prayed before He raised Lazarus from the dead
John 11:41-44

41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Jesus prayed publicly for Himself, His disciples, and us
John 17

 

Jesus prays for us even now
 Hebrews 7:24-26 

24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;

 

33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 8:33-35

The witness of prayer
Daniel

Daniel 6

Those men never let Daniel forget that he was an outsider because he trusted in God
1) The regularity of prayer

Daniel prayed everyday regardless of what man had to say

2) The priority of prayer

He placed prayer to God before decrees of man

3) The simplicity of prayer

He didn’t go out screaming or shouting. He didn’t protest in the streets. He simply prayed

Peter and James

Acts 12
James died in prison and Peter was freed
God protected Daniel from the lion but not from the lion’s den
God’s will is perfect and best for us when we abide by it
It makes a difference whether or not we pray  
Prayer is the most important thing for having and maintaining a relationship with God

The guidance from scripture on prayer

A) Elijah

He based his prayers on scripture

James 5:17-18

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

1Kings 17:1

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”

 
He prayed for the good of the people by the guidance of God’s word
Leviticus 26:3-20

3 ‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them,

 4 then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

 5 Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing;
you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid;
I will rid the land of evil beasts,
and the sword will not go through your land.

 7 You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you.

 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight;
your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.

 9 ‘For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you.

 10 You shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new.

 11 I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you.

 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.

 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves;
I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.

 14 ‘But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments,

 15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant,

 16 I also will do this to you:
I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart.
And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

 17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies.
Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.

 18 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.

 19 I will break the pride of your power;
I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.

 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain;
for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.

He also prayed for what the people needed and not what they wanted

 

The wisdom of prayer

1) Learn the limits of prayer

1John 5:14-15

14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

The limit is God’s will. His will is reflected through His word

2) Learn the laws of prayer

A) The law of the clean heart Psalms -  66:18-19

18 If I regard iniquity in my heart,
         The Lord will not hear.
 19 But certainly God has heard me;
         He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
         
 
B) The law of common harmony –  Amos 3:3

3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?

 Matthew 18:19-20

18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

 

3) Trust the Lord of prayer
Genesis 18:16-33 – Abraham intercedes for Sodom

Scripture tells us when to start and stop praying
Abraham prayed when he learned the need of the city
This comes when I know and identify with the needs of others and I know what
God wants so that I move from praying generally (good) to specifically (better).
God’s burdens for others should become ours
A) Know when to start praying
B) Be steadfast in prayer
C) Know when to stop praying

Genesis 18:33

2 Corinthians 5 – Paul’s thorn in the flesh
Paul prayed 3 times that the thorn in his side be removed
We learn more about God’s grace through the thorn than through deliverance
God’s steps are not designed to punish us but to teach us in each instance
If we go against God’s steps we go against His divine order

The aims of prayer
What are our Prayer targets
What  or whom should we pray for?

Usually we are preoccupied with our own interests when we pray
or we overlook many things because we hurry through it because we are in a hurry or we don’t make enough time

Matthew 6:5-13

5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

      Our Father in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
       10 Your kingdom come.
      Your will be done
      On earth as it is in heaven.
       11 Give us this day our daily bread.
       12 And forgive us our debts,
      As we forgive our debtors.
       13 And do not lead us into temptation,
      But deliver us from the evil one.
      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Jesus is describing the methods of prayer
Those who pray with improper motives have their reward, like those who do charitable deeds in order to be seen by others or with improper motives at heart
The verb translated “have” was used in receipts and is similar to “paid in full”

Why one prays determines how one prays

(5) There are those who only pray when others are around for show
Nothing is wrong with repeating prayer but Jesus is focusing here on the empty repetition

 
(8) Your Father knows - You don’t have to worry about what others think

I Timothy 2:1-4

1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Paul is saying to Timothy
“First of all  before anything else - Pray for all men”
 
Why is Paul telling us to pray for all men in this passage?

He gives 5 aims of prayer for the believer
Why should we pray for all men?

1) That authority governs properly
(I Timothy 2:2) For kings, and all who are in authority

We need to have a clear and biblical understanding between our faith and the government under which we live. We might not agree with it but we are to pray. We are also called to obey government unless it comes between ourselves and God

 
Romans 13:1-7

 1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Paul is telling his readers through the divine authorship of the Holy Spirit of God to pray for all kings and all men in authority
Remember when Paul wrote these words, Nero was on the throne
Nero – Persecuted the Christians like no other
This tells us that God is saying that we should pray for all in authority regardless of who they are

Saved or unsaved

Christian or atheist

We are to pray for them because God, the Supreme Authority placed them where they are. We are to respect their office even if we don’t agree with them
God has ordained that every believer is subject to the governing authority even if that authority is evil

Nero was emperor of Rome
He cruelly persecuted the Christians, yet Paul exhorts those same Christians to subject to Nero’s authority because that authority came directly from God
(13:4) - Capital punishment
Authority is accountable to God whether good or bad
and we must remember that we are subject to God first before any other

Exodus 1:15-21

15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; 16 and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”
19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”
20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. 21 And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.

We need to pray that government and civil authorities will be able to govern peaceably because the ministry of prayer reaches to the highest level

We need to pray that the Lord will give such an essence to His person in the situation and that the ruler will be open to God so they would be able to govern peaceably

 
2) That citizens live peaceably

I Kings 3:1-15
1 Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall all around Jerusalem. 2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days. 3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

 
(3) That we may lead a peaceful life
We should pray for one another

This earth will be terrible after the rapture because the mindset of prayer will be gone
because the restrainer (the Holy Spirit) will be gone

4) That sinners will be saved personally
(I Timothy 2:3-4)

We should not pray that God would force His will on someone but we should pray that God would send someone in that persons life to witness to them

Mark 10:17-22

17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”
20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Jesus did not force Himself on the rich young ruler
He didn’t force him to stay
He let him go
God forces Himself on no one
He gives man free will
He would be going against His word if He forced Himself on someone
God speaks to and prods the heart of man
He longs for us all to be saved but allows us to choose Heaven or hell
 
God would have all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4)

4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

God wants all men to be saved – 2 Peter 3:8-9

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,^[b] not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Jesus died for all on the cross – John 3:16-21

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Within the circle of His Omnipotence God determined that man will have a free will
He also established how far that free will could go
All have sinned (Romans 3:23)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Yet we are told in scripture that He died on the cross and bought all

The Lord bought even the false teachers when He died on the cross

(2 Peter 2:1)

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

Man has free will. He can either choose to accept or reject the gospel
God can’t forcibly save or damn a person and still allow them to have free will at the same time
Does God know everything and probably know in the end who will be saved and lost?
I do believe that but I also believe that God can allow things to happen in our lives before we are saved in order to just let us go and make the choice for ourselves and answer our own destiny
Our task as children of God is to pray that God will send a person into that unsaved person’s life who will show them the love of God and lead them toward Him
There is only one way for sinners to be saved and that is personally
Our task is to preach the word of God
We are to be filled with the Spirit of God and tell others about Him
God’s job is to pursue the heart of the unsaved
 
Evangelism – We need to be sensitive to Him so we can be used by Him in this world At our jobs
On the street
We are the ambassadors of God to the whole world

5) That our homes might interrelate profitably and love perpetually
I Peter 3:1-7

1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. 3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.
7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

Discord in the home can hinder prayer life

Our prayer lives could be haltered when we don’t fulfill our jobs at home

We need to respond to our God given roles

6) That Christians grow progressively
Colossians 1:9-11

9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;

Praying always for you
We need to pray for one another
My task is to make the spiritual condition at home and around me so that the relationship to God is strengthened for my wife and my children and others around me and so that our spiritual outlook is stronger

We need to be sensitive to God

We need to know when He has a burden for us

We need to be ready and willing to listen

 
God always stirs someone else up when he is planning to do something in our lives and we need to be ready to pray and strengthen that other person when He calls us

7) That God might be glorified perpetually
My prayer life should glorify God

When I give my voice to God in prayer it should be to exalt the Savior
I should lift Him in my prayers
Matthew 6:9

9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

      Our Father in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
“Hallowed be Thy Name”

The Father should be glorified before anything else
Prayer is an address to the Father in the Name of the Son by the Holy Spirit

When we pray we are literally standing in the throne room of God
We are kneeling before His throne and we must remember that we are there in His will and not of our own

His wants, desires, and will should be before our own

How does God answer our prayers?
Matthew 26:36-46
“My souls is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death”

36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

Psalms 42:5-6

Psalm 42

To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation^[] of the sons of Korah.

 1 As the deer pants for the water brooks,
         So pants my soul for You, O God.
 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
         When shall I come and appear before God?
 3 My tears have been my food day and night,
         While they continually say to me,
         “Where is your God?”
         
 4 When I remember these things,
         I pour out my soul within me.
         For I used to go with the multitude;
         I went with them to the house of God,
         With the voice of joy and praise,
         With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
         
 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
         And why are you disquieted within me?
         Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
         For the help of His countenance.
         
 6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me;
         Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
         And from the heights of Hermon,
         From the Hill Mizar.
 7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
         All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
 8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
         And in the night His song shall be with me—
         A prayer to the God of my life.
         
 9 I will say to God my Rock,
         “Why have You forgotten me?
         Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
 10 As with a breaking of my bones,
         My enemies reproach me,
         While they say to me all day long,
         “Where is your God?”
         
 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
         And why are you disquieted within me?
         Hope in God;
         For I shall yet praise Him,
         The help of my countenance and my God.

If Jesus needed prayer then how much more do we need it
Here Jesus has taken the 11 to the garden with Him in order to pray. He was motivated to pray before everything He did and always before things were going to happen
The disciples needed to stay awake and pray because they were about to be tested – but they couldn’t even stay awake for an hour
Here “flesh” denotes human weakness
The fact that Jesus prayed the same words indicates that there is nothing wrong with repetition
from a devout heart, especially if we are in earnest need of an answer from God or assurance

 
Jesus had made a positive request at first
“Let this cup pass from Me”

In the second and third prayer His request is negative
In obedience to His Father, Jesus commits Himself to drink “the cup” whatever the cost
Cup - is a figure of speech used in the Old Testament to describe wrath

Psalms 75:8
 8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup,
         And the wine is red;
         It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;
         Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth
         Drain and drink down.

 
Psalms 18-A prayer of trust
Waiting on the Lord
A problem we face in our prayer ministries

1) The yes answer
God delights in saying yes to His children
I John 5:14-15

14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

Many Christians are confused by the word “anything”
The key to knowing that God hears our prayers is to pray according to His will
John 14:13-14

13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask^[c] anything in My name, I will do it.

The key here is “in My name”
John 15:7

7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Sometimes we don’t really want or need what we ask for
Psalms 106:7-15

7 Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders;
         They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies,
         But rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.
         
 8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,
         That He might make His mighty power known.
 9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up;
         So He led them through the depths,
         As through the wilderness.
 10 He saved them from the hand of him who hated them,
         And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
 11 The waters covered their enemies;
         There was not one of them left.
 12 Then they believed His words;
         They sang His praise.
         
 13 They soon forgot His works;
         They did not wait for His counsel,
 14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
         And tested God in the desert.
 15 And He gave them their request,
         But sent leanness into their soul.

2 Kings 20:1-19

1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’”
2 Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3 “Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5 “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. 6 And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.”’”
7 Then Isaiah said, “Take a lump of figs.” So they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What is the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD the third day?”
9 Then Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?”
10 And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees.”
11 So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.

The Babylonian Envoys

   
12 At that time Berodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13 And Hezekiah was attentive to them, and showed them all the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
14 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?”
So Hezekiah said, “They came from a far country, from Babylon.”
15 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?”
So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: 17 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD. 18 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”
19 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “Will there not be peace and truth at least in my days?”
 
From this we know that the matter of the “yes answer” is according to His will

2) The no answer
Sometimes we receive a no answer from God

Sometimes we forget that God does not answer our prayers if He has already provided the means to answer it
2 Corinthians 12:6-10

For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.

   
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul and the thorn in his flesh
He stopped praying after his third request because he had received the answer from the Lord concerning His provision

 Why???
Paul received a spiritual revelation from God
He had a thorn in his side
Thorn – means “splinter” “stake” or “something pointed”
Flesh – can refer to the natural body or sinful nature
There are 3 basic interpretations of this text

1) Physical
If the flesh is a reference to the body
The thorn would be a physical ailment (earache, headaches, eye trouble)

2) Fallen
If the flesh is a reference to the fallen nature
The thorn would be a temptation

3) Figurative
The thorn could refer to persecution or opposition
Many commentators suggest that it is a physical ailment
Eye trouble

Based on Galatians 4:12-15

12 Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. 13 You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. 14 And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15 What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.

And Acts 9:1-19

8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.    
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”
And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus,  who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

Either way God had permitted Satan to afflict Paul in some way
Buffet – means “to strike with the fist”
Paul’s thorn was a painful, humiliating, experience given to prevent pride
He sought the Lord three times to take it away
Why only 3 times?
Paul learned that God was going to give him a “no” answer
As far as we know Paul never had the thorn removed
legend says that he had a peculiar eye problem to the extent that they were almost bulging and he had limited vision
This conclusion is based on these scriptures
It could have come from being blinded on the road to Damascus
  
Or a consequence of being stoned
Acts 14:19

19 Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. 20 However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

Some have suggested that he was almost practically blind
This would explain the reference in (Galatians 4:15) as well as (Galatians 6:11)
Either way God used whatever it was to demonstrate His strength through Paul’s weakness. This is what must have taught Paul more than anything else about the provisions of God
God does not take things away from us if it will bring us closer to Him
2 Samuel 12:15-23 - David and Bathsheba’s baby

15 Then Nathan departed to his house.
And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill. 16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!”
19 When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?”
And they said, “He is dead.”
20 So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”
22 And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the LORD^[a] will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
David, after learning of the child’s death, gets up and worships the Lord
His grieving had begun when the child became ill
Once the child died, there was nothing more he could do

David’s words (22-23) give a remarkable insight to the meaning of prayer
Prayer should continue as long as there is a possibility for God to intervene
If one’s hope is in God, then it is never the sense that it is too late
God could still intervene in the last minute
David knew he would one day see the baby again
Faith trusts God even when it is challenged
We must remember that when God says “no” He has our best at heart

Example: our dog
He always wants what I am eating. No matter what it is
I know when he can have something that will or won’t make him sick

3) The “wait awhile” answer
John 11:1-44

(3) Lazarus is sick
Mary and Martha were sending their burden to Jesus for His help
They knew that Jesus could heal Lazarus even from a great distance because they
probably seen or heard of Him healing the Centurion’s son (Matthew 8:5-13)
Jesus didn’t do anything when word came to Him
This is a major source of difficulty for believers sometimes
It is very hard to accept, especially when we seem to be surrounded by a life of sickness and death. Sometimes we feel alone but our Lord is always there with and for us  
(20) Lord if
Martha and Mary were both saying to Jesus “Lord if you had been here”
They were asking Him “Why?, why didn’t You come?”
We often ask the same question when we are facing a test

Why?

Lord why are You the way you are?
 
My God My God Why?
Matthew 27:46

Mary and Martha were acting in the same fashion we would be if we were faced with a test of that nature
Our finite minds see only our situation, what is in front of us and we usually can’t see any way out or any relief, even if it is for a second we all lose heart and we fail to believe in the Lord
This experience that Mary and Martha had was what happens when God does not react immediately to our problems. God is doing what seems like nothing in our lives so He can do the greater thing for our lives
The lesser
To raise Lazarus from his sickbed
The greater
To raise Lazarus from the dead!!
All this is done to glorify the Father and Son
John 14:13-14
God will always do that which brings Him the greater glory in our lives
So shouldn’t we trust Him with our lives?

4) The “something different” answer
Acts 16:6-7
Paul is on a missionary journey
 
He was planning to go to Asia but the Holy Spirit tells him “no”
So he changes course and the Spirit tells him “no” again
After this he receives a vision of where he is to go
The answer was a different one than he had anticipated
God had said no to their two earlier plans and yes to a plan that they had not even
We must be open for what God is doing and what He wants to do
God will put a roadblock in our path sometimes so we will seek His will

5) The “little by little” answer
Needs
James 5:13-16

None of us spend enough time in prayer
and when we do pray we usually have a grocery list of things that we want instead of taking the time to find out what God wants from and for us
besides doesn’t God already know our needs?

Why do we need to pray for our needs?

What are we looking for when we pray for our needs?
Do we pray that some celestial being will grant our every wish and request made like an ATM or a Pizza Hut?

What do we expect from God?

When we pray we need to focus our hearts on God
We need to make His concerns our concerns
His priorities our priorities
Yes God knows what we want even before we know it or ask for it

But prayer makes a difference
1) A missionary - How will they get their support?
2) A health problem - How will they get help?
3) A financial problem - Where will they get the money?
 
Here is one way God supplies for the needs of His children

Little by little
Deuteronomy 7:22

22 And the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.

God is saying “I am working in your life.”
He does it a little at a time and it gets a little better every day
Many times we are so preoccupied with the situation or we are waiting on a “yes” or “no” answer and we don’t even see what He is doing in our lives
We wait for the future and He is working in our lives right now.

We usually see the problem and we can’t get past it. We make the problem bigger than God – but always remember that no problem it too big for God

The anxieties of prayer

These days our society has become a people who expect something immediately to happen whenever we pray. We expect immediate answers for our requests
We experience anxiety when things don’t happen like we have been lead to believe
even when God is at work in our lives especially when it doesn’t happen as fast as we feel it should

 
1) The anxiety regarding God’s purpose

God has a reason for our existence

Why is this happening to me?
Why is God allowing this to happen to me?
This usually indicates a certain time of testing for learning or a time when we need to hear something from God
Romans 8:28 is an easy passage to quote but a hard one to apply

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose
As children of God we do not always know what to pray for or how to pray but we can know the purpose of God
What the Holy Spirit desires to accomplish
“All things” primarily refers to the “sufferings of the present time” - All circumstances will work together in cooperation for the believer’s good
Sometimes it is hard to understand what God is doing in our lives
We usually like to know what is going on at all times but we are called to walk in faith
God is not obliged to give us the answer for anything (Romans 9:20)

20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”

All we need to know is that His purpose is for our good (Romans 8:31 -32)

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

God is God and our bodies belong to Him
We are called to give ourselves to Him (Romans 12:1-2)

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

God is perfectly capable of tasking care of His property
Since I gave Him my body, I am responsible to take care of this body
but it is up to God as to how long I am to remain in this body
 
We must remember that God knows what He is doing
He is too wise to make mistakes and too kind to ever do something cruel
If we trust God with our soul we should also trust Him with everything else

 

2) The anxiety regarding God’s patience

God has time for us

We are always in a hurry
God is not
Often we have time restraints and requirements
God is above time
We always have a problem with waiting
James 1:1-8

James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:

Greetings.    
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

“When you fall into tribulation”
trials are outward circumstances, conflicts, sufferings, and troubles encountered by all
Trials are not pleasant and may be exhausting and grievous but believers are to consider them as opportunities for rejoicing – a hard feat no matter who it is sometimes
Troubles and difficulties are a toll used to refine and purify our faith, produce patience
I Peter 1:7

that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

The testing of our faith
This means “tested” or” approved” not debased
The aim of testing is not to destroy or afflict but to purge and refine
He is saying “Count it all joy when you fall into - not out of temptations
In everything give thanks”
Here God is building patience in our lives
and we must realize that God has a beautiful plan He is working out in our lives

Moses
Exodus 2:11-25
Hebrews 11:24-25
Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness before he saw the burning bush (Ex 3)
 
He couldn’t see what God was doing in his life for these 40 years but Moses was going to be responsible for leading the Israelite nation in the wilderness
God needed someone who could lead these people through those hard and desperate times. He needed someone who would be able to show them how to survive in the wilderness. The only way for that to happen was to have someone who had lived there for some time and who had encountered every problem that came up

 
3) The anxiety regarding God’s perspective

God sees our problems and concerns

How does what is happening to me fit into the overall scheme of things?
  
Prayer is something that we know we need to do but it can be a battle to find the time
Satan knows that if he disrupts our prayer time with God it will hinder and hurt us
Acts 16
Paul had a burden to take the gospel to Asia Minor
Twice the Spirit told him “No”
It would have been easy for Paul to experience anxiety or become discouraged
But he followed the Spirit’s leading and it soon worked out
Our anxiety is to be able to fit everything together
We see God at work in our lives, but we don’t always know how or why
God is taking His time because He is building character
God always answers prayer  
even though we might not see it until after it happens
We must always trust Him to do His work in our lives

 

 

4) The anxiety regarding God’s provision

God has made a way for us

How is God going to take care of me?

Is what is happening to me from God or from something that will take me from Him?
 God is supplying us with all we need so we can do what He wants and wills for us
Healing – Healing even by a physician is faith healing
God helps us through prayer and medicine
James 5

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

God has already provided the medicine and the physician for you
but we still need to pray
He knows our best and He will always make sure the best for us is what happens to us I Corinthians 10:12-13

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

God has a reason for our existence

God has time for us

God sees our problems and concerns

God has made a way for us

The answer is Jesus Christ!!!!!!

http://abunga.com/?d=product&productid=9781416541912

JUST HAVE A LITTLE TALK WITH JESUS

A simple song with a simple message – then why is it so hard to do?

- Learn to turn ten seconds into the most powerful time of your day.

- Learn to use everyday incidents as reminders to offer thanksgiving

or requests to the One who is always ready to listen.

- Learn to make your prayer life more meaningful and effective.

Yes, a powerful, daily prayer life is possible. Release the prayer

warrior in you with these prayer-proven techniques

“Now, go have a little talk with Jesus.”

Why do we pray?
God calls us to pray
Luke 18:1

1 Then He spoke a parable to them,  that men always ought to pray and not lose heart

 Don’t give up!!!!!

I Thessalonians 5:10-18

11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.   
12 And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

Don’t stop praying!!!!!

 

Why should we keep going on? Why should we even bother when things don’t seem to change? Why does it seem that our prayers fall on deaf ears?

In the previous two verses, God is telling us that we can trust Him.

We might not always see what He is doing. We might not always see instant results.

But God is there and He is working, behind the scenes on our behalf

A) God sees the motives of our hearts
 1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

B) Jesus is our access to the Throne

Acts 20:28
28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

Ephesians 1:7 We have redemption through His blood – Sins are forgiven

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Ephesians 2:13 We have reconciliation through His blood – We are brought near

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Hebrews 4:16 We have reception through His blood – We can bow before God

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 10:19  

19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus

Through His blood the barrier of sin is removed
Revelation 7:14

14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

God sees us through the blood of Jesus. He is our unbroken access to God
 Hebrews 10:1-4 Animal sacrifices are insufficient

5-10 Christ’s Death Fulfills God’s Will

11-25 Christ’s Death Perfects the Sanctified

C) The Holy Spirit prays on our behalf
Romans 8:26-28

26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

We as believers are commanded to pray
We face the same problems now that the disciples faced 2,000 years ago

Luke 11:1

 1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

The sense and nonsense of prayer
When we pray sometimes, especially when we have problems with prayer we tend to give a grocery list of things we would like or things that we think we need and many times we repeat things day in and day out. We never open our hearts to God
We never just talk to Him. Sometimes we do all the talking but we don’t allow Him the chance to speak to us

God says:
Call unto Me
Jeremiah 33:3

3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

The verb “call” in Greek is in the imperative sense 
It is a command from God
God is saying “(I want you to) call unto Me”
Before they call I will answer
Isaiah 65:24-25

24 “ It shall come to pass
      That before they call, I will answer;
      And while they are still speaking, I will hear.
       25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
      The lion shall eat straw like the ox,
      And dust shall be the serpent’s food.
      They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,”
      Says the LORD.

The condition that will be on the earth during the millennium
or in the new heaven and the new earth
Why?
Matthew 6:32

32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

He knows what we want before we ask it but we are celled to ask Him
When this time comes He will answer before we call
This expresses the truth that their will be no sorrow between petition and praise
Praise will be continuous
This verse condenses the promises of Isaiah 11:6-11

6 “ The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
      The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
      The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
      And a little child shall lead them.
       7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
      Their young ones shall lie down together;
      And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
       8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
      And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
       9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
      For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
      As the waters cover the sea.
       10 “ And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
      Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
      For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
      And His resting place shall be glorious.”
       11 It shall come to pass in that day
      That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time
      To recover the remnant of His people who are left,
      From Assyria and Egypt,
      From Pathros and Cush,
      From Elam and Shinar,
      From Hamath and the islands of the sea.

Pray with a heart of praise. In good times and in bad. Pray thankfully before God answers because He will. Pray for others because when we pray for the blessing of others we always get blessed in the process

The authority of prayer
Praying for all men is acceptable from God
2 Peter 3:8-9

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

We never know who we will affect when we pray, whether it is for fellow believers or the lost. Prayer does matter

 
Paul uses 4 of the 7 New Testament terms for prayer

1) Supplication  - Praying specifically

Ephesians 6:18
We are making a specific request in order to meet specific needs
We are in supplication toward the mercies of God
The verb from which the noun “supplication” is derived has the idea of petition

2) Prayers  - Praying worshipfully

1Timothy 5:5
This term is always directed toward God with reverence and worship. We should respect just Who we have come before!!!
This carries with it
A) Getting a promise from God
B) Understanding the context of the promise from God
C) Meeting the requirements of the context of the promise
D) Claiming the promise from God

3) Intercession  - Praying confidently

1Timothy 2:1
Approaching the throne of grace with confidence
This suggests free access to God
This describes when we bring someone else’s burdens before God. When we are concerned with others before ourselves

4) Praise  - Praying thankfully

Philippians 1:11
The giving of thanks
An attitude of gratitude
The act of praising God for what He has done for you and the act of giving thanks for how He will answer your prayers

Pray everywhere
1Timothy 2:8
Every day – every where – in every situation

Ephesians 5:19-21

19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.

I Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The necessity of prayer
I Timothy 1:18-2:8
I Timothy 2:1-8
Pray for all men
(1:18) Apparently earlier in his ministry, prophecies had been made about Timothy and his role
in the church. Here Paul is urging Timothy to wage a good warfare
and what would he need most of all?
Prayer support

(2:1) Therefore
Paul had been talking about a man (Timothy) who had been faithful in all things
Here he contrasts Timothy with Hymenaeus and Alexander, who had been unfaithful
Paul is saying “Pray for Timothy and for those too”

Pray for all men

Our prayers make the difference in the lives of others
We need to pray for each other. We must pray for each other, lifting up our burdens
We also need to pray for our local churches, as well as those who have stumbled and fallen in their walk
Paul is saying “If you are going to be able to do the work of God then you will need to pray for yourself and others because look at what happened to these two who fell.

 
Pray for all men

The nation depends on it
(2:2) This means Kings and all who are in authority
If we don’t pray for them, Who will?
We should pray for our leaders so we can have a peaceful life
If there is tranquility on a national level then there is more time to share the gospel
This is a specific way to pray for all men and it reminds the believer that God is in control of everything
Our prayers affect decisions on the highest level and this means that we must pray for ANYONE who is in authority, whether we agree with them or not because God put them where they are for a reason. We don’t always know the reason and we may not always agree with them but we must always pray for them

The priority of prayer

Prayer is the most important ministry of a believer

1Timothy 1:18-2:8

18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

1 Timothy 2

Pray for All Men

 1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ^[a]and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.    
8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;
 
Do we find prayer boring and routine?
Do we loose the excitement of prayer altogether
We loose what God meant for it to be in our lives because we bog it down with repetition
and phrases trying to sound good to ourselves and/or others when all God wants from us is to talk to Him about our problems and about others

 

 Ephesians 6:18

18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

1Thessalonians 5:11

11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

1) Prayer must be first in the Church
Acts 6:1-4

Acts 6

Seven Chosen to Serve

 1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

The Disciples knew what they needed to be doing. They needed to be in the word and in prayer 

Acts 2:42

42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

 

Here we see a glimpse of the newly birthed church. They started out in prayer – not later when trouble came but right there at the beginning

2) Prayer must be first in the day
Psalm 63

A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

 1 O God, You are my God;
         Early will I seek You;
         My soul thirsts for You;
         My flesh longs for You
         In a dry and thirsty land
         Where there is no water.
 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
         To see Your power and Your glory.
         
 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
         My lips shall praise You.
 4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
         I will lift up my hands in Your name.
 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
         And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
         
 6 When I remember You on my bed,
         I meditate on You in the night watches.
 7 Because You have been my help,
         Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
 8 My soul follows close behind You;
         Your right hand upholds me.
         
 9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
         Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
 10 They shall fall by the sword;
         They shall be a portion for jackals.
         
 11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
         Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
         But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

When we have sinned against God we need to come back to Him early and repent.
The first thing we do each day is to wake up conscious of and in the presence of God. Prayer can also keep us in His presence throughout the day. That way we won’t have anything taking us by surprise and we have peace in the process
We should live in a constant atmosphere of prayer