INTRODUCTION

1. We often find ourselves in positions where we want to help others, but it seems there is nothing to do.

   1. We may feel powerless when others are sick because we cannot heal them or when there has been a death because we cannot take away the grief of the family.

   2. At such times, there may be no actions to be taken, and words may seem too weak to help.

2. In these situations, we often say, "All we can do is pray."

   1. The tone of this statement may be one of resignation, desperation, and even doubt.  It is as if we think that we are asking for an impossible favor with no expectation of an answer from an inattentive God.

   2. If this is the case, then we need to change our thinking about prayer.  This is not only a matter of the effectiveness of our prayers, but it is also a question of our faith.

       

PRAYER IS YOUR FIRST RESOURCE

1. Prayer is not a last resort, but rather it is our first resource.

   1. The Scriptures direct us to be diligent in prayer and to make prayer a priority and a habit.

      1. In 1Thessalonians 5:17, the Scripture famously says, "Pray without ceasing."

      2. Philippians 4:6 tells us to address everything in prayer, saying, "⁶Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

      3. Prayer is given a high priority in 1Timothy 2:1, which says, "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men..."

      4. In the case of the sick, prayer is prescribed as the first resource in James 5:14-15:

         ¹⁴Is anyone among you sick?  Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; ¹⁵and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

      5. These passages are only a sampling of the many directions given to us concerning prayer.

   2. The Scriptures also give many examples of faithful men who prayed constantly.

      1. Daniel is an outstanding example, for he refused to cease from praying to God even when the king decreed against it and his life was threatened (Dan. 6:7-10).

      2. By his letters, it is evident that Paul was given to prayer (Eph. 1:16; Phil. 1:3-4; Col. 1:3; 1Thess. 1:2; etc.).  Acts 16:25 records the example of Paul praying while imprisoned.

      3. There is no greater example of prayer than that of Jesus, who embodied the meaning of "pray without ceasing" (Matt. 11:25-26; 14:22-23; 19:13; 26:36-42; 27:46; Mark 1:35; Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:16, 18, 28-29; 11:1; 22:17-185; 23:31-32; 23:34, 46; 24:30; John 12:27-28; 17:1-26).

   3. If we are praying people as we should be according to the Scriptures, then prayer will naturally come to mind as our first resource rather than our last, desperate resort.

2. Prayer is not all we can do, but rather it is the best we can do.

   1. Notice Hebrews 4:16 -- Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

   2. In any situation, there is nothing better than to go before the throne of Almighty God to seek His help.  This is a tremendous privilege that Christians have exclusively through Christ.

   3. Prayer is our best alternative because it is the power of God that we access when we pray.

      1. Psalm 34:15 says, "The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry."

      2. It is faithless and foolish to feel powerless when we have access to God in prayer.  We cannot solve every problem by our own power, but God can solve them all.

      3. God "is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us" (Eph. 3:20).

3. Prayer gets results that we cannot otherwise obtain.

   1. Consider James 5:16-18:

      ¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.  ¹⁷Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. ¹⁸Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

   2. The point is that Elijah was not supernatural himself, but rather he was just like us.  If then he could have such spectacular success by prayer, so can we.

   3. This is not a promise that we can command God to do anything we want by prayer, but it is proof that He will do amazing things if ask according to His will (John 14:14; 1John 5:14).

       

THE FAITHFULNESS OF PRAYER

1. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.

   1. This is stated explicitly in Hebrews 11:6 -- And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

   2. In many ways, life is a series of opportunities to demonstrate faith.  If we prove ourselves to be faithful, it will "result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1Pet. 1:7).

2. Nothing expresses faith better than prayer.

   1. Consider the Lord's instructions concerning prayer in Matthew 6:5-6:

      ⁵"When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men.  Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.  ⁶But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."

   2. Unless you truly believe that God exists and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him, you will not pray habitually out of the sight of men.

      1. If no other man or woman knows, sees, or hears that you pray, then your only possible motivation is genuine belief that there is a God who hears you.

      2. This is true faith, and no one else knows whether you have such faith other than God and you.

      3. If you are not praying to God in secret, then you need to examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith (2Cor. 13:5).  If you aren't praying, then what is preventing you?

   3. A genuine, faithful prayer is not like "a wish upon a star," but it is a faithful and confident expression to the living God of heaven who hears and acts.

      1. There should be no doubt whether God is able to hear or answer any prayer given.  Consider James 1:6-8:

         ⁶But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

      2. The only doubt may be whether our will expressed in prayer conforms to God's will.  In this case, we qualify our prayers in the likeness of Jesus, saying, "Thy will be done" (Matt. 26:42).

      3. With our faith assured and our submission to God's will governing, 1John 4:15-15 states our position in prayer:

         ¹⁴This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  ¹⁵And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

          

CONCLUSION

1. Many times and in many situations, it is true that all we can do is pray.

   1. This does not diminish the power of prayer, but rather it emphasizes yet another benefit of this resource, which is that it is available to always, even when all else fails.

   2. May we never undervalue prayer as if anything else would be preferable.  If we view prayer only as a last, desperate resort, then we depend on our own meager power above the power of Almighty God.  How faithless and foolish!

2. "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).