3 – PRAYER – Talking With God – New Life Church, Teesside

Ephesians 6:18

“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.”

One of the essential ways in which the Christian communicates with God is in prayer. But what exactly is prayer? How do we pray? This is the subject that we are going to be looking at this time.

Of course it is impossible for us to look at this subject in great detail (something that would take us hours to do) – so the purpose is to give a broad overview of some of the basic and practical areas involved in prayer?

SO WHAT IS PRAYER AND WHAT IS INVOLVED?

Prayer is a two way conversation

Many people have defined prayer as ‘talking to God,’ but actually that is only half of the answer. A better definition is the one specifically given in the title of this chapter, i.e. – ‘talking with God.’ In other words prayer is not just you talking to God, it also God talking to you. Prayer is a two way conversation.

If you want to get to know someone better you need to spend time with them, to talk to them and share your life with them. So it is in prayer. Prayer should spring from a desire to know God better. So prayer doesn’t just involve us speaking to God, it also involves us listening to Him. Like the boy Samuel we need to pray,

“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (O.T – 1 Samuel 3:9)

BUT HOW DOES GOD SPEAK?

It is possible, though unlikely, that you might hear an audible voice. Those times are rare and far between, so don’t be disappointed if you don’t experience that. More commonly, God will speak to you:

THROUGH THE BIBLE. As you read and meditate on the Scriptures you’ll find certain verses ‘jumping out of the page’ and grabbing your attention.
THROUGH PREACHING. Already you may have been in meetings where it seemed as if what the preacher was saying was tailor-made for you.
THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT INSIDE YOU. You may sense Him directing your thoughts and inclinations in a certain direction. Over time you come to a conclusion that a particular course of action is necessary.
THROUGH SPIRITUAL GIFTS. God may speak to you through a prophecy for example, or maybe the interpretation to a message in tongues.
THROUGH OUR CONSCIENCE. Our conscience is God given, and as Christians it will help us to become more aware of God’s directions by the Holy Spirit in our lives. As time passes you will become more familiar with that inner voice.
THROUGH COUNSEL. A church leader or a mature experienced Christian whom you consult for advice may become God’s channel for God’s word to you.

So prayer has two sides to it. As well as you talking to God, you must also listen to Him. As you learn to listen He may show you that something is wrong in your life, He may tell you to do something. If God is speaking to you, you should do what He says. With experience you’ll learn to ‘tune in’ better and be able to distinguish God’s voice more clearly.

Two kinds of prayer

1. Any time, any place.

A husband and a wife don’t need to make an appointment with each other before they can talk. They are friends and live together, so naturally they can chat about anything and everything whenever they want. The Lord is our friend too (See N.T John 15:15) and by His Spirit He is always with us so you can talk to one another at any time and anywhere.

What does (N.T) 1 Thessalonians 5:17 say? _________________________________________

So you can pray and talk with God at any time and about anything. You might be at work, driving the car, doing the shopping or facing a difficult situation. Whatever it is and wherever you are, you’ll find Him always available and ready to hear your spontaneous prayers. Nehemiah once prayed like this when he found himself in a challenging situation (See O.T – Nehemiah 2:1-6).

2. A focused time.

Although a husband and wife can talk to one another at any time, because of the busy nature of modern life, sometimes, they might need to unplug the telephone, or go for a walk, or wait for the children to go to bed so that they can have undisturbed quality time together. Although you can talk to God at any time and anywhere, it is important that you have a regular, focussed time, set aside for prayer every day.

Turn to (N.T) Matthew 6:6. What did the Lord Jesus tell us to do when we pray?

He told us to “ ___________________________________________________ and pray to your Father.”

Be practical, and build into your personal schedule a regular time when you can give God your undivided attention in prayer. Jesus did this.

In (N.T) Mark 1:35 we are told that, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”

In (N.T) Luke 5:16 we read that Jesus, “would withdraw to desolate (lonely, quiet) places and pray.”

Getting Started – A simple prayer plan

One man called J Oswald Sanders said, “There is no way to learn to pray – except by praying.” To learn about prayer is one thing, to pray is another. So where should you start? How do you go about doing it? Although not exhaustive, here is a simple prayer plan to get you started.

Always start with worshipping

Worshipping God puts everything into it’s proper perspective. First of all, He deserves it, second of all it reminds you that he is God, you are not. He is great and powerful, He can supply all because of who He is. Always start with worshipping Him.

You need to CONFESS

If you want to communicate effectively with God in prayer, there must be no blockage between you and Him.

From (O.T) Psalm 32:1, who are happy (or blessed)?
People whose __________________________________________________

In (N.T) 1 John1:9 we are told that, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” So what must you do?

You must ______________ ________ __________

If there are things in the way between you and God, tell Him about them, say you are sorry, ask for forgiveness and claim His strength for the future.

You need to give THANKS

Thanksgiving and praise is always a good thing to do in your planned prayer time. After you have confessed, you then need to thank God and praise Him. From (O.T) Psalm 145:2

how often did David praise the Lord? __________________________

Why should we thank the Lord (O.T) Psalm 106:1

Because _________________________

In (N.T) Ephesians 5:20 we are told “always give thanks to God the Father for everything”

We can thank God for Food, Clothes, Home, Health, Pleasures, Family and friends, Answered Prayer, Our Salvation

Can you think of some other reasons for thanking God?

We can thank God and praise God in many different ways. From (O.T) Psalm 149&150 what are some of the variety of ways in which we can praise God?

__________________________________________________________________________

VARIETY

You can praise God with your mouth, by dancing, by clapping or
raising your hands or by playing a musical instrument. Something that might help you to thank and praise God in your planned prayer time, is to play and listen to a Christian Worship CD and sing along with it.

You need to ASK

After you have confessed and thanked God in praise, you can then go on to bring your requests to the Lord.

Look at (N.T) Matthew 7:7 where Jesus is teaching about prayer.

What will happen when you ask? ________________________________

What will happen when you seek? _______________________________

What will happen when you knock?______________________________

God will always answers your prayers. Sometimes His answer will be :-

= NO
= WAIT

= GO

We can ask God about anything. He is interested in every aspect of our life. No matter what it is He is only a prayer away.
No matter what His answer is He knows best, you can be sure that He only wants the best for us.

We can ask Him about our worries.

Are you worried? Are you anxious? In (N.T) Philippians 4:6 we are told, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

What are we not to be anxious about? _______________________________________ What will we receive? __________________________________________________________

We can ask Him when we are unsure what to do.

One of the things we need when you are unsure what to do is wisdom so that we can make the right decision.
How can we get wisdom? See (N.T) James 1:5 ______________________________________

We can ask Him when we don’t know what or how to pray.

Obviously we need to pray for the things that God wants. A lot of the things that God wants are found in the Bible, so it is important that we read the Bible. By reading the Bible we will discover some of the things God wants us to pray about. When we pray about these things we know that we are praying in the will of God and we can therefore pray with confidence (See (N.T) 1 John 5:14). The marvellous truth is that we can bring all our needs to God – money worries, relationships, studies, job, family, health. God also wants us to pray about the needs of others – friends, people who aren’t Christians, church leaders, missionaries, politicians, etc.

Sometimes however, the issues are not clear. Sometimes, when you are in difficulties, you will find that you don’t really know how or what to pray. The good news is that God understands, and has provided a wonderful prayer-helper: the Holy Spirit Himself!

From (N.T) Romans 8:26-27 how does the Holy Spirit pray for us? __________________________________________________________________ v26 __________________________________________________________________ v27

The Holy Spirit will help you pray according to God’s will. He may do this by directing your thoughts along certain lines, or He may prompt you to pray in tongues. In this case, your mind won’t know what you are praying but in both cases you’ll have a real deep conviction in your spirit that you are praying in line with God’s will.
(See N.T 1 Corinthians 14:14). Either way, your prayers will reach the Father through the Lord Jesus. That will lift the pressure of the situation and bring you peace.

Focused Prayer – Lets be Practical

Praying at any time and any place will most likely not be a problem to you, it has probably already become as natural as breathing to you. But getting into the habit of focussed prayer, where you spend specific and deliberate time alone with God, may take a bit more effort, time, and some self discipline. There are however some very practical things we can do that will help us to do this.

You need to find a suitable PLACE and TIME to pray.

You need to settle on a suitable place and time to pray so that disturbances can be minimised.
The Place you decide to use for your focussed times of prayer need to be somewhere which you are comfortable in and will enable you to concentrate and not be distracted. It doesn’t have to be at home, it can be anywhere as long as it is a place where you are comfortable. You might want to pray in your car or while walking in the local park, etc. One place I would discourage you to pray in, is in bed. Praying in bed is more likely to improve your sleeping more than your praying.

The Time you decide on for your focussed time of prayer needs to be one that suits you. Many find early morning is a good time, when its quite and they are less likely to be disturbed. Others spend time in prayer during their lunch breaks. Young mums often find mid-morning is best for them. Find a time that suits you.

King David used to pray, “In the morning.” (See O.T Psalm 5:5)
When would be a good time for you to pray? Write it down here:
My best time for prayer is _________________________________ every day.

Some other practical considerations

Here are some other practical considerations that will help you to develop your focussed time of prayer.

Start small with a few minutes of prayer every day. As your friendship with the Lord develops you will find that you will want to spend more time in prayer.

Always read your Bible during your time of focussed prayer. Ask God to speak to you and show you something as you read the Bible. This is one way in which you can go into ‘listening mode’ and not just talk to the Lord but talk with the Lord.

Make sure you are comfortable when you pray. There isn’t any one particular posture that you should adopt in prayer. You can sit, kneel, stand or walk around, or use all or some of these during your prayer times. The important thing is to make sure you are comfortable when you are praying.

Put together a prayer list of the things and people you are to pray about. When someone asks you to pray for them, or someone asks you to pray about a particularly situation write it down on your prayer list. By writing it down you will not forget it. A good idea is to plan to pray for certain things on certain days. It’s easy to become self-centred, so always pray for other people and situations as well as for yourself and your own needs. And remember: God isn’t a slot-machine guaranteed to produce the answer you want, when you want, just to please you. He’s a person and He’s your Father and He wants you to develop your relationship with Him.

Have a notebook for jotting down anything you feel significant. If you sense God has shown you something while you have been praying or reading your Bible jot down what you believe He is saying to you. Ask God to bring to mind the names of people or the things He wants you to pray for, and to show you any needs they have. Jot them down, then pray for each one.

There is so much more we could look at, study, and learn about prayer, but in the end experience is the best teacher! Make time for prayer, its your hotline to heaven.

REMEMBER! THE CHRISTIAN WHO IS TOO BUSY TO PRAY IS TOO BUSY!