Understanding Prayer: A Journey of Sincere Communion

Prayer is very much like that because when it comes to the subject of prayer we are talking about that which none of us ever completely figures it out in fact even the mention of the word prayer makes some of us feel guilty today I'll not be expositing a full passage uh with you this afternoon but rather we'll be looking at numerous New Testament passages and we'll have to make our way quickly from one passage to the other so as soon as I mention that next verse and reference you better get turning. [02:08:49]

In Matthew chapter 6 we read in verse 5 and when you pray you must not be like the Hypocrites for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners that they may be seen by others truly I say to you they have received their reward but when you pray go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret and your father who sees in secret will reward you. [02:12:06]

The empty phrases of the Gentiles the word that's used there speaks of long winded Vain and futle babblings don't be like them too often too many of us worry about our prayers especially if we're in a group of other Christians because we want to sound intelligent we want to sound smart we don't want our prayers to s sound stupid and so often While others are praying we're thinking about what we should be praying for rather than actually praying their requests and supplications along with them. [02:14:12]

How many people in this room feel guilty about their prayer lives yet you could just pray the simple Lord's Prayer and you would be freed of all guilt this is the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples and yes it is a framework for all prayer but it's also a prayer and of itself we notice in this prayer the Simplicity of it they're not complicated words or complicated thoughts or phrases the words are simple children can understand it everyone can understand it yet the words in the phrases and the concepts in the theology have such depth. [02:16:59]

Ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you for everyone who asks receives and the one who seeks finds and the one who knocks it will be opened or which one of you if his son asks him for bread will give him a stone or if he asks for a fish will'll give him a serpent if you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him. [02:17:43]

Passages like this we are prone to say Jesus I have come multiple times I've have come hundreds of times with the same requests with the same desires with the same prayers and this promise and my prayers have not been answered we tend not to believe passages like this because of the experience we've had with prayer and that's because we don't fundamentally understand the nature and purpose of Prayer too many of us think about prayer in terms of our prayer lives where that language is never used in scripture. [02:20:32]

Let us by our own examples and by our own routines and habits demonstrate a Praying life because as we understand what Jesus is saying here he's telling us first first and foremost to reflect and meditate on the character of our God that our God is our father and he desires to give good gifts to us and how much greater are the gifts he gives than the gifts that our own fathers gave and so it is a call to reflect on his goodness his mercy and his abounding grace. [02:20:32]

Praying is easier than believing but the reason we stop praying so often is because in one sense in one way or another we've stopped actually believing why is it that we don't pray for Extraordinary things to happen when's the last time you prayed for a public leader politician dictator Tyrant terrorist to repent and to come to Faith in Jesus Christ when's the last time you prayed for a celebrity or when's the last time you ran through the world's most wealthy men and said Lord I pray that you would save this man's soul. [02:22:11]

Never give up on anyone never stop praying never stop going to the Lord for anyone even on those people and in those cases that seem to be lost causes even those people who seem never to change those people who seem never to be able to withstand their most minute sins even when that person is you how many of you are prone to give up and praying to God for yourselves how many of us feel Lord I know you don't want to hear from me again because I've sinned in the same way again. [02:24:04]

What he is teaching here and what we see throughout the New Testament is if we know him if we know our God if we know his character this is one of the reasons we study this is the reasons we study theology this is one of the reasons we come to conferences this is one of the reasons we have Bible studies and come under the ministry of the word every Lord's every Lord's day it's because we want to know God because the more we know God the more we know God as God has revealed himself and the more we glorify God. [02:33:20]

Likewise the spirit helps us in our weakness for we do not know what to pray for as we ought but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words and he who searches Hearts knows what is the mind of the spirit because the spirit intercedes for the Saints according to the will of God praying in the spirit as Christians we can know that our feeble prayers as weak as they might be as hard as they are sometimes to utter and that really is the truth isn't it because at certain times in our lives when we're going through certain trials. [02:34:42]

Rejoice always pray without ceasing give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of of God in Christ Jesus for you Romans 12:12 says be constant in prayer Colossians 4:2 says uh be praying continuously or steadfastly this is the overwhelming teaching of scripture but what Paul says here is different he doesn't just say be constant in prayer be praying continuously or steadfastly he says Rejoice always we all hear that we say yeah right now there are some people here to be truthful and I know some people there are people I've known for years people in our church who every time I see them whenever I come upon them doesn't matter what they're going through they are rejoicing. [02:41:16]