Prayer

Saturday, April 21
Prepared by: Steven K. Burger

Sources Used

Public and Common Prayer

In the beginning of the apostles were a praying community:

They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. (Acts 2)

Christian Community Praying Together - Acts

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts 1) When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. Sovereign Lord, they said, you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. (Acts 4) So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. (Acts 12)

Praying at Certain Hours

About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. (Acts 10) One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayerat three in the afternoon. (Acts 3) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. (Acts 16)
Prefigured the ordered hours of prayer used by the church.

The Commandments From Jesus to Pray

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matt 5) Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matt 7) Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matt 26) He told them, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Luke)

Jesus tells us to pray in his name

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruitfruit that will lastand so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. (John)

Why we should Always Pray

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, Grant me justice against my adversary. For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, Even though I dont fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she wont eventually come and attack me! And the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? (Luke)

We should pray with - humility

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: God, I thank you that I am not like other people robbers, evildoers, adulterersor even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get. But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Luke 18)

- vigilant
34 Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21)

- confident in the goodness of God

5 Then Jesus said to them, Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him. 7 And suppose the one inside answers, Dont bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I cant get up and give you anything. 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 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. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 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 13) And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14)

- in secret
5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matt 4)

Paul's words on Prayer

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Rom 12) Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. (1 Cor 7) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lords people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Eph 6)

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess 5)

Jesus gives us Access to the Father

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5) He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Eph 2)

The HS works in Jesus and us when we pray

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. (Luke 10) The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father. ... In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for Gods people in accordance with the will of God. (Rom 8)

Jesus is with us in Communal prayer.

Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. (Matt 20)

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praisethe fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Heb 13)

Material from Wayne Grudem's Book

Reasons for Prayer

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. Show our trust in God. 2. Love and have fellowship with Him.

5. 3. Involved with God's work.

Prayer Changes the Way God Acts

You do not have because, you do not ask James In Exodus 32: God says he will destroy his people ...but Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God... Turn from your fierce anger... Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Forgiveness if we Ask
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chor 7) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1)

Fasting
Many of the old testament prophets fasted and prayed for God's forgiveness and intervention. (Nehemiah, Daniel, Joel, etc.) Even now, declares the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. (Joel 12)
Throughout Acts we see routine fasting when praying.

Fasting Cont.
Jesus answered, How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. (Matt 9) Why would fasting aid our prayers?

Unanswered Prayer
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood? Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer (Rev 6)

1. Jesus prays not to be crucified. 2. Paul prays for the thorn to be removed from his side. 3. David prays for his son not to die.
Why are these prayers not answered?

Our Example
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lords Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, (Luke 2)

Important Prayer Examples

The Lord's prayer: Matthew 6:9-13 The Virgin Mary's prayer: Luke 1:46-55 The prayer of John the Baptist's Father: Luke 1:68-79