The Acts of the Apostles
Effective Prayer
Is anyone there?
Does this sound familiar? You're phoning a company where you placed an order some weeks ago and the goods still have not arrived…
Brrr…Brrr "(Recorded answering voice) "Thankyou for calling Buggins International Ltd, your call will be monitored to ensure our quality standards are being maintained. If you are placing an order; please press 1… if you have an accounts query; please press 2.. if you want to know more about our wonderful range of products; please press 3.. if you have a query on goods you have ordered; please press 4".. (Brrr!..pip!.. splurt!.. vast chunk of electronic 'Four Seasons' music) "Thankyou for calling our orders awaiting department, all our operators are busy at present and you are being held in a queue, if you have a general enquiry; please press the star button… Thankyou for calling Buggins International Ltd, your call will be monitored.. etc , etc,"
At this point you throw back your head and cry in anguish "Is there any way that I can get through and actually talk to some one!"
The good news is there is, it's called prayer, not simply for your lost order at Buggins International, but for every aspect of life. You can have instant access, day or night to the throne room of the Creator of the Universe. You can have a 'One to One' with God!
When Jesus died upon the cross, he opened the way to the Holy of Holies, the very presence of the living God. Luke's Gospel Ch 23 v45 recounts the event "for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two". The writer to the Hebrews in Ch 6 v19 underlines the reality of this for you and me "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,"
What an amazing privilege! Bought by Jesus for you and me with his own life. No waiting in a queue, no talking to an answering machine, but instant communication in prayer.
People can make a number of wrong assumptions about prayer:
- They think they have to be 'religious, church-going people' to pray. That's
not so, God accepts us as we are.
- They think they have to be in church and only pray about 'religious' things. That's not so either. God is involved in every aspect of our lives and He's always near.
The Psalmist reflects on the fact that God is never far away in Psalm 139 "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there". The Apostle Paul knew the reality of prayer and he needed others to pray for him.
Pray for me! Ephesians Ch6 v10-20 Text v19
"Finally!" says Paul "be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power"..why? because we are at war! Then Paul hammers home the reality, that the strength to cope with this warefare comes only from prayer. (ex) In chapter 1 v16 Paul says 'because I told you I was praying for you as you entered this conflict. Ch6 v17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 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 saints. I want you to pray for me, says Paul, as I continue in this conflict'. Ch6 v19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
But why do we need to pray and why should Paul plead for prayer? After all this great man Paul had a direct line of contact to God if anyone did. 2 Peter 3:15."Just as our dear brother Paul wrote to you with the wisdom that God gave him".)
Nothing is achieved in building God's Kingdom.. without prayer... and Paul knew that.
But if God knows what we want 'even before we ask for it' Why the need to pray? And what is prayer anyway? Prayers can sometimes seem unanswered immediately , at other times, nothing seems to happen! In the final analysis Prayer, is God aligning our will, with His! It is not simply a shopping list we take before our creator.
There are prayers of ..Confession... Praise.. Petition . James Ch5 v13 Is any
one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of
praise.14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to
pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.15 And the prayer
offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.
If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.16 Therefore confess your sins to each
other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous
man is powerful and effective.
God's chosen people, the Jews, had to come to God through sacrifice and priesthood. To claim God's promises through the old covenant.
We come to God through the blood of the new covenant, Jesus. Heb Ch12 v18-24 "You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm.... But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousand upon thousand of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn whose name are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of a better word than the blood of Abel"
On the most helpful images of prayer that I know is that of a throne room.
In prayer we can enter the throne room of God who reigns with a confidence and
boldness which is not our own. The royal sceptre is held towards us (the cross)
and we are clothed in royal robes as we approach (His righteousness)
Col ch1 v22
"But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death
to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation."
How then should we pray?
Avoid as J. W. Tozer puts it 'file index prayers'. We pray with the Holy Spirits help, v18 "Pray in the Spirit" or as the Good News Bible puts it "Pray on every occasion as the Spirit leads".
Romans Ch8 v26 "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 with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."
It is not the ability to pray that God is looking for, but the desire to pray!
How should we pray? That's the question the disciples had on their mind as they approached Jesus in Matt Ch6 v9-13 and we have no better guide. The Perspective on Prayer that this prayer teaches.
- "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name"
- The perspective of our relationship with God
- "Your kingdom come, your will be done"
- The perspective of the purpose of prayer.
- "Give us today our daily bread"
- The perspective of our needs - enough for the day. Necessity not greed.
- "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"
- The perspective of our earthly relationships.
- "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one"
- The perspective of our daily walk.
- "For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever, amen"
- The perspective of who God is.
Prayer, is God aligning our will, with His! Prayer then, is the Christians highest calling. It acknowledges the Lordship of Jesus in our lives. And it's a calling Paul gives to the church at Ephesus.
v18 "Pray for all the saints" (keep on praying! The commitment of
prayer)
v19 "Pray also for me" (That words may be given to me! The strengthening
through prayer)
v20 "Pray that I may declare (the gospel) fearlessly" (as I should!
The responsibility of prayer)
PRAY IN THE SPIRIT.. as you
PRAY FOR THE CHURCH
PRAY FOR ME
PRAY FOR THE GOSPEL
"Your kingdom come" is the first petition in the Lord's prayer (ex)
I have to confess that day after day I have to come back to Jesus and say "Lord teach me to pray" (ex)
What is the limit of my prayers? 'Beyond what we can imagine'. At the beginning of this Epistle, in Ch1 v18, Paul prays "That the eyes of your heart may be enlightened". Paul is pleading with the church to put their heart into their prayers. "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests".
When anyone writes a letter, it's not just the words on the paper that convey the message, it's the hidden motivation for the letter that often speaks more deeply to the reader. Views on Paul's letters have swung back and forth over the centuries. Some commentators see him as a great theologian and some as no theologian at all! But what's his motivation? What's behind this letter? It represents the urgent, pressing need of his pastoral duty towards this young church.
Imagine if you can that the Apostle Paul is pastor of your church! His teaching is that you should put this into practise today!
The ministry of prayer is the highest ministry. One that all the Saints can be involved in.
Talk to God today. If you are not sure if He is there, then one of the best prayers is "God, I don't know even if you exist, but if you do, I need you right now". All God wants from you in prayer is an honest open heart. So bring your doubts, your fears, your daily needs to a loving heavenly Father, who'll never be put you on hold or ask you to ring back!
Choose your preferred style for this site: