Be Intentional #6

How to Have an Effective Prayer Life (Pt. 1)

Philippians 4:6-7

Introduction

     Today we are beginning a 2-part series on prayer. I pray that all of you understand that prayer is extremely important. But too often we don’t really think on why it’s so important. We’re just told that the Bible says to pray, and that it’s important.

     Martin Luther had this to say regarding prayer: "I am so busy now that if I did not spend three hours each day in prayer, I could not get through the day."

Now doesn’t that just fly in the face of our task-oriented, "to-do" list society? Here’s something else Martin Luther said, "If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith."

     So how do we become more intentional and active in this incredibly important aspect of life? I think it’s by gaining a better understanding and appreciation for what prayer is all about. I want to offer you four challenges that if you take them will immediately strengthen your grip on this whole issue of prayer. And the first one is to...

1. Understand God’s mindset on prayer

Here are some keys to understanding God’s mindset on prayer:

A.  He made it possible and invites us to come

     Let me set some background here. At the temple of Jerusalem, the Most Holy Place was where the presence of God resided in Israel. And no one could just walk in there. Only the High Priest could go in there, and only once a year, and only with a blood offering. Anyone else at any other time risked being struck down by God.

     The Bible tells us that when Jesus died, the curtain that separated people from the Most Holy Place in the temple was torn from top to bottom. Jesus shed His blood, and when He did, he brought access to God. The curtain was torn - anyone could go into the presence of God.

     Listen to Hebrews 4:16 -

16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

     And so God now invites us all to come to Him directly in prayer. God wants to hear from you. And He wants to act on your behalf. And He doesn’t put you on hold.

     Imagine if God had one of those computer-answering devices. It might go something like this:

     As we begin to pray we hear... Thank you for calling your Heavenly Father’s house. Your call may be monitored for quality assurance. Please select one of the following options:

for prayer requests press 1

for prayers of thanksgiving press 2

for prayers containing complaints press 3

for all other prayers press 4

     I’m sorry; all of our angels are busy helping other sinners right now. However, your prayers are important to us and will be answered in the order received, so please stay on the line. If you would like to leave a voice mail message for:

God (The Father) Press 1.

 Jesus Christ Press 2.

The Holy Spirit Press 3.

If you would like to hear the King David Singers sing a Psalm while you are holding, please press 4.

To find out if a loved one has been assigned to Heaven, please enter his or her Social Security number (without dashes), then press the pound key. If you get a negative response try again using area code 666. For reservations please dial 5646-316 (John 3-16).  For nagging questions about dinosaurs, the real age of the earth, where Noah’s Ark is, and any other questions, please wait until you arrive here. Our computers indicate that you have already prayed once today. Please hang up and try again tomorrow. This office is closed on weekends, and any State or Federal holiday.  Please pray again between 9:30 AM and 4:30 PM Monday through Friday (except holidays). If you need emergency assistance when this office is closed contact your local pastor.

     God’s never too busy, tired, or whatever. And I say that to His glory. We have access 24/7, folks!

     Another key to understanding God’s mindset on prayer is to...

B. Know that God already knows what is on your heart

     Matthew 6:8 says that the Father knows what we need even before we ask. So why pray? Because prayer is so much more than just asking God to do something. It’s a conversation between two people who have a living, dynamic relationship. I want to encourage you to do all you can to better understand God’s mindset toward prayer.

     Next, I want to challenge you to...

2. Look at what God offers to those who pray

A. He offers relief from anxiety and peace in our hearts.

     Look back at our passage. He says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, pray." The obvious implication of these two verses is that by bringing up our anxieties to an Almighty God who can do something about them brings relief. And I know that most of you in here today can tell stories about how God has done just that for you. I know I can.

B. Answers to our prayers

     Implied in this verse is that the relief from anxiety comes in part from the answers He gives to our requests. In the book of 1 John, God tells us that when we pray according to His will, we get what we pray for.

     By the way, guess where you find out what God’s will is - the Bible.

     My third challenge to you today is to...

3. Search out how big God is!

     When you understand how big God is, then praying to Him makes all the more sense, because you can be confident that He can actually do something about it!

     And here’s the paradox - He’s so big He can care about li’l ol’ you. That’s outside of what I can wrap my mind around, but it’s true.

     Okay - hopefully you have a better understanding of God’s mindset on prayer. And you see what God offers to those who pray, and you are finding God to be a big God capable of working on your behalf.

4. So Pray!

Let me give you three ideas to act on in your praying:

A. Pray about everything

     James says we do not have because we do not ask God. Nothing is too big or too small to bring to God in prayer. He knows when the sparrow falls, and He knows everything about what’s going on in your life. Pray about the bills. Pray about your son or daughter’s basketball game. Pray about your child’s future spouse. Pray about that test you have coming up. Pray about the lumber, grain and pork prices. Pray about the situation in the Middle East.

     Ask Him the tough questions - He’s not scared! He may not give you the answers you want, but He’s not afraid of your honest questioning. In fact, I think He welcomes it, because it shows that you are truly trying to learn more about God and the way He works. Pray about everything.

B. Include praise and thanks

     I like to think of praise as telling God about Himself. Here’s what I mean: telling God how awesome and majestic He is, or telling Him about how loving and compassionate He is, or how caring He is. When I’m giving thanks, I’m generally telling God what He’s done. Thanking Him for His mercies that are new every morning. Thanking Him for forgiving me of my sins. Thanking Him for my awesome wife of 30 years. Thanking Him for my kids. Thanking Him for the wonderful promises in His Bible. You get the idea. Offer thanks and praise.

C. Pray authentically

     Pray from the heart, being totally honest about your desires, hopes dreams, fears, or whatever. He knows it all anyway, so who are you trying to kid? I read Hebrews 4:16 earlier. Let me read the two verses before that:

    HEB 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.

Conclusion

     I pray that you have been encouraged to explore and enjoy prayer more today because of what’s been discussed. I honestly pray that your journey to a deep and authentic prayer life will bring you a joy in God you never thought possible before.

Let’s pray.