Growing a strong church one member at a time
Lesson 6 - A Prayful People
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Introduction
There is not a single issue in the world that prayer cannot effect in a positive way. When we converse with God through prayer we are able to share our struggles and our thankfulness. This is how Gods WANTS us to communicate to Him. He knows what we need, He knows where we struggle, He know everything about us and yet He stills wants our prayers. In this lesson we will discuss growing as brush strokes through the power of prayer.
Attention
Prayer should always be on our mind (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Often times we spend a great deal of mental effort thinking through things for ourselves. By internalizing these thoughts we are, perhaps unknowingly, attempting to block God out. As we grow as Christians our first thoughts should be to pray, and not use this powerful tool as a last resort. Prayer requires our thoughtfulness and our mental attention (1 Corinthians 14:15).
Action
Prayer is an action based effort. We must decide to be a prayerful person, plan to be a prayerful person and become a prayerful person. By putting prayer into action it will become the fabric of our lives. In this section we will discuss a few ways that we can actively seek God in prayer:
1. Make time to pray. We should pray at all times (Ephesians 6:18). If prayer is not a habit for you then you can begin by setting times during which you will petition God. This can be during certain times of the day or based around certain events. Creating prayer commitments around events can serve as a memory tool. Consider these and think of your own; prayer "before" getting out of bed in the morning, every meal, driving a car, turning on the TV, checking Facebook, playing a game, going into the building at work/school, coming back into our homes and going to bed.
2. Pray "deep" prayers. Without careful thought our prayers may become shallow and lack the depth God desires. The scribes and Pharisees were more concerned about the length of their prayers and less concerned about the depth (Matthew 23:14). We should have a prayer life that draws us closer to God and not one where we are praying just to pray. Here are some thoughts that may help you have a deeper private prayer life:
a. Avoid using repetitive phrases that have little meaning to you. Listening to public prayers you will often hear phrases that, although very appropriate, have a way of become a pattern in our own prayer life. Avoiding these phrases will cause your prayers to be your own and not merely what you have heard from others. Using "our" words will ensure we are not just filling our prayers with words that have no meaning to us (Matthew 6:7).
b. Create a list of things you want to pray about and use it as a guide. Creating the list will bring organization to your thoughts (and therefore bring a measure of peace itself) and give you focus in your prayer life. Asking for what we need will allow God to fully bless our lives (Matthew 7:8).
c. When you talk to God make the conversation specific and personal. Really "talk" to God. Prayer is a time to open yourself before God and freely reveal yourself to Him (He knows you anyway).
d. Many people pray in the "King James" because they relate that dialect to reverence. While this is no error in this it may be that this manner of speaking is not allowing you to fully express yourself to God.
3. Ask for prayers. By asking others for their prayers you are entrusting yourself to them. This will build relationships and cause a chain reaction of prayer (James 5:16).
Attitude
Modern philosophies teaches that the answer to all of our troubles can be found within. In reality God is indeed the answer to every question. Like the publican we should be willing to surrender to God (Luke 18:13). We have access to the creator of the universe through simple prayer. We should never neglect this great privilege. In many cultures Christians are prohibited from singing together, taking the Lord's Supper, spreading the gospel and other acts of worship we take for granted. It is in these cultures where we often find the most prayerful people. If we all prayed the prayer of the persecuted perhaps less persecution would exist.
Verses
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
pray without ceasing
1 Corinthians 14:15
What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.
Ephesians 6:18
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints
Matthew 23:14
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
Matthew 6:7
And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
Matthew 7:8
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
James 5:16
Therefore, 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.
Luke 18:13
But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'