This talk was given during the Service on June 21st, 2020.
One Sunday after a church service, a preacher asked the young lad “Do you pray every night? His reply was “No, some nights I don’t need anything.” We may smile at this, but how many people pray to ask God for something they need?
God is good, and He desires to give all good things to us, if we just ask Him. But we must ask in good faith.
It’s not what you pray, but how you pray. Back when I was a teenager I asked God to help me stop smoking, that didn’t work. So I thought about the way I had asked Him. Then I asked God to help take away my urge to want to smoke….and that worked I never had the urge to smoke any more.
So why is prayer important? Well it was important for Jesus, because it was His direct line to our Heavenly Father.
Prayer reveals God’s desires and directions. As David demonstrated in Psalm 3, (the time when he fled from his own son Absolom), that we can rest because we know the Lord sustains us.
I believe it is our goal as Christians to be more like Jesus, we should aim for that goal and imitate His actions and pray like Him. As we do we will become more like Jesus, we will notice that when we continue to pray daily it will slowly change us.
Prayer shows us the heart of God.
JOHN 17: 21. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
Prayer opens the door for the Holy Spirit to enter in, the Holy Spirit that’s part of the trinity, the truth and peace that the Holy Spirit gives us, as we pray and we grow in fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
Prayer creates Spiritual sensitivity, this reminds me of a song:
O send thy spirit, Lord, now unto me,
That He may touch my eyes, and make me see:
Show me the truth concealed within thy Word,
For in thy book revealed, I see thee, Lord.
I love to study my bible straight after prayer. Discerning on God’s presence while I’m studying. Asking the Holy Spirit to make the presence of Christ real to me. Then I listen to the inner voice speak to me.
Prayer helps us become one with God and have that same kind of relationship Jesus had with God when He walked on this earth.
Prayer is simply a conversation with God, it’s how we get to know Him. Prayer is intercession
Prayer is petition,
Prayer is devotion.
Prayer is powerful.
Prayer humbles us, as we spend time with him, we realize just how powerful, able and how good God is and also How much we so need Him in our lives. God accepts us as we are, not because He wants us to stay that way, but because He knows how much more important His relationship IS with us!
Prayer helps us find forgiveness. We find forgiveness through prayer. When we find forgiveness through prayer, God softens our hearts to allow us to forgive others.
Prayer helps us find compassion because when we pray, God shares His compassion and mercy. We understand God’s grace is freely given. We recognize that no-one is any less deserving of God’s love than we are and it transforms our heart and our actions, helping us reveal God’s generous love to others.
Prayer reveals wisdom by spending time in prayer with God talking to Him, because we are willing and wanting to receive, we will hear from him.
JAMES 1:5 If you need wisdom ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
Jesus prayed all night before choosing His twelve disciples. His time in prayer all night aligns His will with God’s, just as our time in prayer will do too.
When we pray we get in touch with God intimately. We get to God’s heart and realize , how much He loves us. We learn to trust Him more and value His insight and guidance.
When in prayer we can be honest about our concerns and entrust them to God. When we pray we lay our troubles at His feet.
When we pray God starts work! But we must listen with the right attitude, the willingness to obey His will and listen with ears to hear, if you listen with interest and importance you will understand more.
Yes sometimes we miss answers or get things wrong because we didn’t ask the right way, or we wasn’t really listening with interest and importance or the timing wasn’t right for God. Our answers may come later through reading the bible or talking to others. Because God can see farther, He knows, and loves us much more deeper. He is set on eternity with those he loves.
God is looking for people who will be His emergency task-force, to combat
the forces of the devil. The Holy Spirit wants volunteers who will be on full alert whenever there is a crisis. The enemy is poised to attack every Christian family. We have been assigned by God as the salt of the earth, so let’s flavour it in prayer.
I’ve listened to other people praying each night on Pam’s prayer nights at 9 and it’s made me realize prayer doesn’t require proper grammar, because it’s a cry out to God about how you feel. So words like “Lord send it packing” and “while you’re at it Lord,” gets me motivated, to want to pray more, lets begin to pray, lets begin a life of prayer.
Do you desire revival? The only key to revival is PRAYER – and that begins with you and me. Let’s see if we all can join Pam’s prayers even if it’s as little as once a week. I’m asking you all to make that commitment today.
Lets ask God for the spark of Holy Spirit to ignite in all our lives using the match of all our faith. Let that spark spread throughout our entire Church causing a fire that will eventually engulf Wivenhoe, lets begin now.
Lets draw near to Him and enjoy His presence now, as we close our eyes and put our hands together as a sign of commitment to Him.
Dear Lord Heavenly Father, Emanuel, we are all available for whatever you want all of us to do today. We know all of us are willing and ready to obey you, even though all of us don’t know exactly what you want all of us to do. And while you’re at it Lord, fill us all with your Holy Spirit, fill us all with your power, cause us all to desire a life of prayer, cause us all to see the need and volunteer in your prayer army (which Pam is Captain of) We all pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord Amen.