Prayer a conversation with God
September 29, 2013
1 Thes 5:17
INTRODUCTION
- As we were growing up, if we grew up un a Christian home, we learned to pray
- Prayer was a time to kneel down, close your eyes, and talk to God
- I remember our family getting on its knees together each morning in prayer
- I had a list of things to pray about, my prayer list
- As a child we were not worried about what happens if God does not answer a prayer, we just trusted God implicitly
- And God responded! Time after time!
- So what happened?
- We became distracted
- We saw suffering and our trust shriveled up
- We became caught up in our own interests, and neglected God
- We became ashamed of our belief and became macho but empty
- The awesomeness of God is that he allows us to come back to him
- He forgives our neglect and he allows us to come back to him!
- Today we are going to look at what we can do to revitalize our prayer life
WHAT IS PRAYER?
- The long and short of it is, prayer is a two way conversation with God
- God created man to have relationship with him.
- God's intention is that he shares everything with us
- He sent Jesus to die for us so that there would be forgiveness and we would have a chance to experience this relationship
- Wherever we have been, we can be restored to closeness with God
- If we never accepted Jesus, we can take that step today
- If we grew up as Christians but we backslid, we can sort things out and have a fresh start
- If our prayer life is dead, it can receive new life!
- God created us for relationship
- Do you know how much he wanted that relationship?
- He sent his son to die for the sake of that relationship
- It is something precious to him
- When he has that relationship with us, he wants to be real close
- Like when we fall in love with someone, we want to be real close
- We never want to be apart
- Wherever they go, we go
- God is the same!
- John 14:23 - God makes his home with us
- This does not just mean that he is in our home, in our car, in our office, in our classroom
- It means he is inside of us
- Paul talks about "Christ in you, the hope of glory" Col 1:27
- The Holy Spirit had been with the disciples, but would be in them - John 14:17
- When you were in love, and wanting to be close to that other person, how did you do this?
- You did it by talking
- You had long conversations with them
- I remember my phone bills when I was courting Dianne
- But it was worth it, wasn't it?
- Time invested in prayer is worth it.
- The fruit is a close relationship with God
SO HOW DO WE PRAY?
- Is it about the position we are in when we pray?
- No of course not!
- Someone once said the best position in which to pray is hanging upside down in a well
- Last week I drove by the Catholic church on Nevada Street, and had to think about the well that is across the street from it
- I wonder how many people fell down the well, before they put a cover over it?
- You can pray on your knees.
- You can pray lying down
- You can pray prostrate with your face to the floor
- You can pray standing up with your arms raised to heaven
- All of these examples are mentioned in scripture
- Is it about the number of words we say?
- Actually, no
- The Bible gives us examples of long prayers and short prayers
- We are told to consider the content of our prayers though
- We are told we will answer for every idle word we speak - Matt 12:36
- But when we have a conversation with a loved one, do we monitor every word?
- No, because the conversation is an expression of the love inside
- So if our heart is right with God, our prayers will be pleasing to him
- Prayer is a conversation
PRAYER IS TWO-WAY
- Yesterday I was in a parking lot, and the lane I was in had an arrow going only one way
- Sometimes we pray as though we were on a one way street
- We give God our thanks, we give him our requests, we say we are sorry
- And then we get up and think we have finished
- Prayer is two way!
- God wants to speak back to us
- This is a conversation, not a monologue
- Take time to ask God questions, and listen for his answer
- Often the very first thought, even perhaps before you have completed asking the question, is from God
- Try it!
- Learn to converse with God
- Let your prayer be a conversation
- Prayer will be come a precious time you won't want to miss
- Sometimes I ask the questions verbally, other times I journal them
- But the same thing applies, God does respond
- He delights in relating to the things we are experiencing
DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRAYER
- Books about prayer may have different categories
- But there are some types of prayer I am particularly interested in, for our church
- 1. Church service prayer covering
- I need a prayer covering over the service
- I pray for the service, each Sunday
- But I need others praying with me
- ILL: Dr. Wilbur Chapman often told of his experience when, as a young man, he went to become pastor of a church in Philadelphia. After his first sermon, an old gentleman said to him, "You're pretty young to be pastor of this church. But you preach the Gospel, and I'm going to help you all I can." Dr. Chapman thought, "Here's a crank." But the man continued: "I'm going to pray for you that you may have the Holy Spirit's power upon you. Two others have covenanted to join with me in prayer for you." Dr. Chapman said, "I didn't feel so bad when I learned he was going to pray for me. The 3 became 10, the 10 became 20, and 20 became 50, the 50 became 200 who met before every service to pray that the Holy Spirit might come upon me. I always went into my pulpit feeling that I would have the anointing in answer to the prayers of those who had faithfully prayed for me. It was a joy to preach! The result was that we received 1,100 into our church by conversion in three years, 600 of whom were men. It was the fruit of the Holy spirit in answer to prayer!"
- If we have people who covenant with me to pray for me and for our church service, God will grow this church
- 2. Prayer team
- We need people here in church who will commit to pray for those who come forward at the end of the service
- We will have a prayer ministry team training session on October 27, after the potluck meal
- I want to pass on what I have learned about prayer ministry
- If you feel called to praying for people, feel free to come
- It will be in next week's bulletin
- 3. Prayer walks
- We need people who are becoming prayer-warriors, to stand with us as we recapture this town for Jesus
- Describe a prayer walk
- 4. Silent times in church
- Today we are going to have a time of silence before the Lord
- We will listen for what he has to say to us
- Then we will respond
- This is for all of us to participate in
CONCLUSION
- During this next week, let's reconnect with God
- Let's initiate conversations with Him
- Not stale dried out prayers, but a fresh, real conversation
- Be listening for what God has to say to you
- When God's people pray, things change, and God's purposes are fulfilled
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