Saints,
First of all, let me be honest with you. I am not some special prayer-guy. I am somehow, fascinated with prayer. Guess what? I cannot take credit for that. How does anyone become more interested in prayer, or God’s Word, or making disciples, or witnessing about faith in Jesus Christ on a regular basis? Are people naturally bent toward these things? No, brothers and sisters, I believe somehow God draws us to these things. Sometimes we resist, don’t we. But, praise God—yes, praise God that He is faithful, even relentless in His pursuit of us, His stubborn creation.
So, today I want to get to the heart of prayer. No, I do not claim to be a prayer scholar, but let’s look at prayer straight-on and try to boil it down. What exactly are we talking about when we talk about prayer? Let’s start with scriptures that point to prayer and then reduce it down with a definition of prayer.
As Christians, we should start with the fact that Jesus prayed. Jesus is the whole point. He is the beginning of it all. He will be the end of it all. Jesus covered the penalty of our sin. Jesus purchased a place for us in heaven. For the record, we cannot do anything about our sin—only Jesus can cover our sin. Let me add here that Jesus defines eternal life as knowing the one true God and Jesus Whom He sent (John 17:3). We believe His definition. Even though, it stands as concrete truth whether we believe it or not, doesn’t it. Jesus, as God has the right to define things. He has the right to re-define things. Jesus receives all glory and honor. Every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord. Every knee will bow. Jesus, as fully-God and fully-man, prayed. Sometimes I wonder about that. Did Jesus need to pray? He was fully God. He was constantly connected with the Father as God. Even so, He prayed. He prayed in the wilderness for 40 days before His ministry on earth began. He prayed all night before He chose His followers who became leaders of the church. So, our first point, then is, Jesus prayed.
Hebrews 5:7,
“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”
Luke 6:12-16,
“12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.”
Also, please read John 17
Acts 6:1-7,
“1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.”
1 Timothy 2:1-6,
“1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.”
Reviewing, we have Jesus’ example of prayer, then Luke’s and Paul’s (which are actually God’s) instructions for prayer. Now let’s look at the essence of prayer. What is at the root of prayer? What do we find as a common denominator in prayer in the Bible? This is a critical question. Actually, I believe this question and its answer have eternal consequences because our understanding of prayer and how we pray greatly affects our effectiveness for God. Let’s use Daniel Henderson’s definition of prayer to help us nail this down. By the way, Daniel Henderson is the Founder and President of Strategic Renewal, a ministry focused on igniting the heart of the church through personal renewal, congregational revival, and leadership restoration for the glory of Christ. Daniel describes prayer as, “Intimacy with God that leads to the fulfillment of His purposes, accomplished by His power, for His glory.” Daniel's definition comes straight out of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6: 9-13) and is combined with Jesus’ prayer for us in John 17:20-23. I wholeheartedly agree.
May the church always remember this truth! Prayer is intimacy with God. The opposite is also true. Lack of prayer is a lack of intimacy with God. Without prayer, all we have is head-knowledge. It’s like a beautiful new Cadillac without gas. Let’s restate this, Prayer is declaring that God is worthy and we are needy. Think about this. Isn’t this exactly what Jesus says in John 15:5?
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
To illustrate, let’s look at this fictitious scenario. A church has the Word of God. They have a beautiful building. They have great preaching. They have great music. But, this particular church is lacking in prayer. As I see it, this is a picture of Revelation 3:20,
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
Yes, brothers and sisters, this is a picture of a lukewarm church. Jesus is standing at the door of this church knocking, waiting to be invited in. Yes, invited in through prayer. Without prayer, we say to God, “We got this, Father; I can take it from here.” But, in prayer, we proclaim to the Father, “Oh God, we agree with Jesus’ words, we cannot do anything apart from Christ. Father, please move, please work, please pour out your Spirit, or nothing will happen here to glorify Your name!”
Let me suggest three practical ways to pray. First, pray by yourself. Schedule the time and cut away the distractions and pray, daily. Second, Pray with one or two others on a weekly basis. Again, you must schedule this or it won’t happen. Third, pray in a larger group every week. Wherever you are in your prayer-life, increase it!
Compelled to pray and desperate for God, Steve
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