Today our Scripture talks about praying. In the Gospel of Matthew we find Jesus’ remarks and directions on the subject of prayer. Prayer is something that every believer is expected to do. Prayer is our main communication tool for the expressed purpose of honoring God, acknowledging God to be the Knower of our hearts and the Giver of all mercies. Prayer is the expression of our needs and dependency upon God. It is interesting that Jesus’ very first words in this text are words of warning again hypocrisy and insincerity in our prayers. Jesus says; let’s not just talk about what we do to show our devotion to God. Let’s talk about why we do it; let’s talk about our motives for praying. Because we are only human and tend to forget, let us hear these words of instruction from Jesus as found in the New Testament Gospel account according to Matthew 6: 5-8. Will you now listen for a word from God: "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever 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. "When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Amen.
We have been good friends with Jan and Richard Evans of San Antonio for nearly 25 years. They are a great blessing to my family and in fact they were instrumental in bringing us back to church after a few year hiatus. We met at daycare and Jan invited us to visit their church. When we did we fell in love and became members of University United Methodist. Richard is an eye doctor in San Antonio. As a matter of fact, people seek him out because of his vocational expertise. One Sunday Richard and I were leaving Sunday school and walking to the sanctuary for worship. Frequently along the path people would stop him in the hall to ask ophthalmologic questions. It was not uncommon for people to randomly stop him and say, “Dr. Evans, I have this problem with my eye…could you take a look at it?” Dr. Evans would always politely stop and even take a look before saying, “I can’t really see you here; could you call my office and come in to see me?” There was a Sunday morning that he was stopped at least 3 times. I finally said to Richard, “This must be really hard for you to stop and do examinations in the hallway.” He said that it really was. I said, “I am just really thankful that you are not a baby doctor!” When you have information people will stop you whenever and wherever necessary to get their questions answered. You know, even I get stopped on the way to worship too. Sometimes people will stop and ask me to look into their spiritual malady and intercede; to gaze at their wounds and then fix them on God’s behalf – right then and there! And although like Richard I have received professional training for my vocational calling, I am not the only one capable of speaking directly to God on your behalf. You are not without a High Priest yourself in Jesus Christ, who intercedes directly on your behalf before God. So, really, you don’t need me to intercede for you. You have the power. If you really want to learn to pray you really can learn!
Because I am a vocational prayer people often think I am the only one “qualified” to offer prayers. I am the bonafide prayer! As a pastor, people expect me to be the resident expert and take the lead in every prayer. I’ll be honest with you, this seems completely opposite from what Jesus asks us to do. Jesus wants us to desire to talk with God one on one in sincerity and humility – not will long winded words that will earn you the praise of others but with sense of humbleness and praise. You have what it takes to talk one on one with God!
If you have ever shared a meal with me and my family you will quickly find out that God has not called me to be the expert or token prayer. We have an interesting way to determine who it is that will pray the meal blessing. We use two indicators to determine who will pray; 1. If you dig in to your food without praying first, then you automatically earn the right to lead the prayer. 2. We use the “thumbs up” method. It is with the thumbs up game that we usually catch all our unsuspecting guests, because immediately upon sitting down put our thumbs up. The rule is that whoever is last with the thumb up gives the blessing. Some people who are new to this tradition cry foul. But who can complain about earning the privilege to give the meal blessing? I can tell you that plenty of people do! They are petrified with the prospect of saying the meal blessing aloud. In today’s Scripture Jesus has some pretty strong advice for us about praying. He gives two big lessons about prayer: First, don’t pray to show off your spirituality to other people; and second, remember that we pray to talk to God and when we pray we really are talking to God. These are two key lessons that every Christian can use as we learn about prayer because God wants every one of us to pray.
There are a variety of ways to pray. There are prayers that are just one sentence long; prayers that are written and spoken eloquently. There are prayers spoken in tongues. Prayers made with no words. Prayers made in panic – I call those 911 prayers. You must know that with all our prayers God listens. Prayers are effective. Just ask Grace Dube. She lives in South Africa. Her husband was stabbed to death for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet she continues to preach his message of forgiveness. Grace tells a story about the power of prayer in an incident that happened to her during one night in June 1991. She said it was impossible to lie down and sleep in peace. Soweto was in chaos. Fighting, looting, killing, all through the night. She was alone in her house. Her children (all married by now) had visited that evening, but had already returned to their own homes. All of a sudden some bandits came to her house. They banged on the door and shouted, "Come out, we want you to join us in the battle." She crept out of bed and peeped through the window. She saw all the young men, with sticks in their hands. "Lord, be my shield," she prayed. She confessed that she was trembling, but the Lord was in control. All of a sudden she heard the leader of the gang shout to his friends, "Hey, leave that house alone. There is an old woman living there, all on her own. Her children are married and live elsewhere." When the gang hesitated about leaving, the leader shouted, "I don’t want any of you to ever come near this house again." She could not believe what she heard. That man had always been against her, and now this... A short time later she went back to bed. Not nervous anymore, but, in peace, remembering the words of Psalm 34:7 "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them." (http://www.opendoorsusa.org/content/view/962/21/)
There are many ways to pray. Jesus taught us that God wants us to pray—pray in a way that honors and worships God because praying is an act of worship. It does not matter how we pray but is critically important that we pray with the right motive. We can say the longest, most eloquent prayer for the wrong reasons—so that people will praise us—but then that’s all we get—people’s praise. On the other hand, the shortest, most simple prayer offered sincerely and offered only because we want to honor and obey God—that prayer will bring God’s reward. The question is not just, “Are you praying?” Although that is an important question. Often when I speak with people and they tell me what issues they are wrestling with, I ask them “How are you praying about this?” Too often I find that they are not praying at all. It is truly unfortunately that too often we forget to pray. It is important to recognize why we should pray. Prayer is a means of worshipping God. We pray because Christ taught us to pray. We pray because we want to communicate with God and we want desperately for God to communicate with us.
Maybe you have experienced a time when someone said; “let us pray” and everyone closed their eyes and bowed their head. Did you every wonder why? Did Jesus instruct people to do that? Is there somewhere in the Bible a verse that says, “Here is how you pray” with a little diagram next to it? No there isn’t. Maybe we do it because mother always told us to bow our heads and close our eyes? Where did Mom learn to pray the “right” way? Probably from her mother and so on and so on. Maybe originally, bowing your head to pray was done as a sign of respect. I don’t know where folding the hands and closing the eyes came from unless it was just to keep kids from hitting each other during prayer; and to keep us from seeing our kids hitting each other during prayer. Kneeling is big in some churches. But a lot of those traditions have become so rote that they have lost all meaning. And I always hear lots of fussing when we make people get up and down up and down, kneel and sit, kneel and sit. You know what? In the Bible there are examples of people praying not just while they’re kneeling but also while they’re standing or sitting; and sometimes lying flat on their faces on the ground or the floor. There are no verses that talk about folding your hands, but several that talk about people lifting their hands toward the sky. There are no verses that talk about people closing their eyes to pray, but several that talk about people looking up toward heaven to pray. And yet the habits are so engrained in us and so meaningless that we don’t usually even think about it at all! There are many weird and wonderful ways to pray and there is absolutely nothing wrong with kneeling, bowing, closing your eyes, folding your hands, or saying “Amen” at the end of your prayers. BWT – the word “amen” means in Hebrew “truly or so be it”. The only important thing in prayer is that we do it with meaning and sincerity. Take some time to think stop and think about what you are doing and why you are doing it. That is exactly what prayer is supposed to be: intentional, thoughtful, meaningful words and actions directed toward God.
Do prayers prayed at church count more? Is prayer every day more effective than prayer once a week? Does a one-hour prayer work better than a five-minute prayer? These are all really good and thoughtful questions. Real prayer—kingdom prayer—is not about posture, or location, or frequency, or eloquence, or using the proper words. According to Jesus it is all about sincerity. It is all about meaning. It is all about talking to God as if you really were talking to God because you ARE talking to God. The point is that prayer should not be automatic or a mindless tradition. It should be filled with meaning and significance. We should pray as if we were actually talking to God, because we are. According to Jesus that’s the kind of prayer that God appreciates and God answers.[1] So don’t worry about the formulas. Just express yourself.
I have been called a prayer warrior. I am currently on a huge prayer mission. I am praying for at least 10 people called by God to participate in The John Wesley Great Experiment. This is a call to spiritual discipline in a program called “10 Brave Christians”. I am looking for 10 Brave Christians who are willing experience the work of the Holy Spirit. One of the spiritual disciplines we will cultivate in our time together is prayer. This great experiment was originally started by a highly dedicated, but thoroughly frustrated Sunday school teacher named Sam Teague. He asked his Sunday school class (35 young adults) to write the ten things you want out of life in order of importance. After tabulating thirty-three responses, he was shocked. The five or six most popular choices were things, material possessions like: a new car, a second car, a house, a cottage at the coast, a boat, a different boat, financial security, more vacation time, extra money for vacation and a vacation abroad. Sam murmured to himself, “They think things will make them happy!” He was stunned! (A Life That Really Matters, page 7.) Jesus never talked about being happy. Following the example of Christ he kew that the purpose of life is not to be happy but for your life to matter. He prayed, in desperation, “God, show me how to challenge these young people so they can have a life that maters!” After that prayer all heaven broke loose! God answered his simple prayer in a profound way. He created the The John Wesley Great Experiment seeking at least 10 Brave Christians who would be committed to invest in these spiritual disciplines:
1. Meet once each week to pray together – everyone will learn more about prayer.
2. Give two hours each week to God (Self-surrender).
3. Give God 1/10 of earnings during this month ( Self-denial).
4. Spend 5:30-6:00 each morning in prayer and meditation (Self-control).
5. Witness for God your experiences to others.
The first discipline of The Wesley Great Experiment is prayer. Any one of these spiritual practices is powerful; when all five are practiced together in a small group, they are like spiritual dynamite. The Wesley Great Experiment is a powerful way to "put God first in your life." Like Sam Teague I am looking for 10 Brave Christians. Do we have 10 people who are willing to live a life that really matters? I pray that we do! Everyone who participates in a small group will read the book A Life That Really Matters by Danny E. Morris and receive a daily diary for our experience. I have five books with me this morning if you would like to check one out, read it in 2-3 days and then return the book to me so others can check the book out. I am praying for 10 Brave Christians!
During the few weeks we are going to continue to talk about spiritual disciplines and The John Wesley Great Experiment. There are many ways to experience prayer but all prayers are aimed to worship and praise God! We know that when God’s Spirit moves the church is blessed. God’s Spirit moving upon a group – large or small- not only blesses the church, it empowers the church for a new experience – a new level of spiritual vitality.[2] Please pray about your involvement in 10 Brave Christians. If you feel called to participate let me know. Every spiritual discipline that we cultivate blesses God, so I hope that you will consider what God is calling you to do. I hope that you will come back next week ready to learn more about these important spiritual disciplines. But before we go, let’s lift our eyes and our hands toward heaven and pray. And by the way, you’re welcome to bow your head or lift your hands and pray too…let us pray…
Notes on Prayers in the Bible
Long: Luke 6:12 (NIV) One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
Repeating: Mark 14:39 (NIV) Once more he went away and prayed the same thing.
Matthew 26:44 (NIV) So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
In Private: Mark 1:35 (NIV) Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Luke 9:18 (NIV) Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"
Luke 5:16 (NIV) But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Luke 22:44 (NIV) And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV) pray continually;
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) 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.
Romans 8:26 (NIV) 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.
Luke 18:1-8 (NIV) Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. [2] He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. [3] And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' [4] "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, [5] yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" [6] And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. [7] And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? [8] I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
1 Peter 4:7 (NIV) The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 6:28 (NIV) bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Pray to keep from sinning.
Luke 22:40 (NIV) On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." Pray for the lost.
Acts 26:29 (NIV) Paul replied, "Short time or long--I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains." Pray for safety and protection.
Luke 21:36 (NIV) Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."
Romans 15:31 (NIV) Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there,
2 Thessalonians 3:2 (NIV) And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. Pray for financial needs.
1 Timothy 5:5 (NIV) The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. Pray for the spiritual growth.
Ephesians 1:17-18 (NIV) I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. [18] I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 3:16-17 (NIV) I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, [17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
Colossians 1:9-10 (NIV) For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. [10] And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (NIV) With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. [12] We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray for the ministry of others.
Ephesians 6:19-20 (NIV) 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, [20] for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
2 Thessalonians 3:1 (NIV) Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.
Philemon 1:6 (NIV) I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
Colossians 4:3-4 (NIV) And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. [4] Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Pray when you’re in trouble.
James 5:13 (NIV) Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Pray for the sick (weak).
James 5:14-16 (NIV) 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. Pray for other believers who sin.
1 John 5:16 (NIV) If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.
James 5:16 (NIV) 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.
Acts 8:22 (NIV) Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.
Jude 1:20 (NIV) But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
Posture
In the Bible people pray prostrate (Num 16:22; Josh 5:14; Dan 8:17; Matt 26:39; Rev 11:16), kneeling (2 Chronicles 6:13; Dan 6:10; Luke 22:41, Acts 7:60; 9:40; 20:36; 21:5), sitting (2Sam 7:18), and standing (1Sam 1:26; Mark 11:25; Luke 18:11, 13).
Prostrate
Numbers 16:22 (NIV) But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, "O God, God of the spirits of all mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?"
Joshua 5:14 (NIV) "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?"
Daniel 8:17 (NIV) As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end."
Matthew 26:39 (NIV) Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
Revelation 11:16 (NIV) And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
Kneeling
2 Chronicles 6:13 (NIV) Now he had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had placed it in the center of the outer court. He stood on the platform and then knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.
Daniel 6:10 (NIV) Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Luke 22:41 (NIV) He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,
Acts 7:60 (NIV) Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 9:40 (NIV) Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.
Acts 20:36 (NIV) When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.
Acts 21:5 (NIV) But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.
Sitting
2 Samuel 7:18 (NIV) Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
Standing
1 Samuel 1:26 (NIV) and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD.
Mark 11:25 (NIV) And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
Luke 18:11 (NIV) The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector.
Luke 18:13 (NIV) "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
[1] Kingdom Worship series delivered by Chip Bell at Fellowship Bible Church Arapaho in Dallas, TX on August 15, 2004. [2] Danny E. Morris. A Life That Really Matters. Providence House Publisher, Franklin, TN. 1999.
