Skip to main content

From Mundane to Meaningful

This is the third study on prayer. God bless you and may His grace shine upon you and give you peace.

Matthew 6:7-8 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

LUKE 11:5-8  And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6  For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7  And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8  I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 

Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.


Here is an interesting question for us to answer...
HOW DO WE BREAK APART THE MONOTONOUS FROM PERSISTANCE?

 Jesus reveals that we are not to use "vain repititions", yet we are always called to be persistant in our prayers. How can this be? Let us look at two important truths

1. QUANTITY OF WORDS DOES NOT MEAN QUALITY OF PRAYER.


2. HOWEVER, IMPORTUNITY DOES NOT MEAN INSIGNIFICANT.

Jesus showed that...
THE VIBRANCY IN PRAYER IS AUTHENTIC ADORATION NOT ROUTINE RHETORIC

 Persistance deals more with heart than with tongue.
When you persist in prayer,

IS IT FROM A HEART OF FAITH OR FROM A HEAD OF FORMALITY?

You see, we can be so caught up in words that we lose the wonder of Who He IS.
Often in prayer I have had to ask myself this question...

ARE YOU A LAWYER IN A COURTHOUSE OR A SON IN THE STOREHOUSE?

The devil would have us think that we are a like a lawyer coming to God, the Judge of all, trying to make our case with many words why He should hear and answer us. Yet, we must realize that the first step in powerful praying is "Our Father". We are His children and He is our Father. He loves us and in prayer we are in a storehouse of blessings, not a courthouse of condemnation.
Also,
GOD WANTS TO HEAR YOUR HEART MORE THAN YOUR TONGUE


Andrew Murray – “Sometimes in our prayers we are so occupied with our fervent, urgent petitions that we forget that the Father knows and hears.”


Such prayer is...
NOT IN THE ELOQUENCE OF THE TONGUE, BUT IN

1. THE CONFIDENCE OF THE HEART AND

2. THE PERSISTANCE OF THE SOUL
It is

*PRAYER THAT IS ROOTED IN GOD'S PURPOSES AND WORD
 Not my feelings, but what the Word of God says

*PRAYER THAT IS SATURATED WITH FAITH IN GOD'S POWER AND LOVE

Matthew 7:7-11
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

By Fighting or by Faith?

    I have spent many years sitting under hard 'conservative' preaching where there has been a mile long list of do's and don't's and a standardized belief that the Christian life must be choosing what is good, better, and best. Here's an example.... Bob: You don't have a tie for service today? Tom: I am sorry, I did not know I was supposed to wear one. Bob: Well, it's the fact of what is good, better, and best! Tom: Oh, why is that? Bob: A tie is better. It makes you look distinguished. You don't want to look sloppy for God now do you? Tom: No. I suppose not. I just came to worship God. I did not know there was more involved. What kind of a tie should I wear to honor God? Bob: What kin.....well, um...you need one that matches the suit you should wear. Tom: I'm not good at matching, what if I don't have the right color. Will God be offended? Bob: Oh no! That is silly nonsense. So, Tom goes on his way. Buys himself...
1 comment
Read more

"After this MANNER pray ye..."

This is the fourth lesson from my Sunday night messages in which I have simply sought to zero in on the teachings of Christ on prayer. D.M. M’Intyre: “ The equipment for the inner life of prayer…a quiet place, a quiet hour, a quiet heart.” “… every gracious work which has been accomplished within the Kingdom of God has been begun, fostered, and consummated by prayer.”   The title is taken from Matthew 6:9 In this lesson, we will be looking verse by verse from 9-13.   *Just before these verses, Christ spoke on the Motive in prayer, but now He is dealing with the Manner of prayer. *Jesus is not commanding Memorization and Exactness in Prayer, instead He is revealing the Main Essentials of Prayer. *If you just focus on the Precise Words, it becomes a Dead end to Prayer, but if you focus on the Wonder of Christ and the Will of God it is a Pathway for Power. Matthew 6 9  After this manner therefore pray y...
Post a Comment
Read more

Madam Darkshade continued

My most despicable Marah, The abyss of my heart has grown beyond measure! Everything your sister has told me about your efforts - how undeniably successful they are - is just another reminder as to why I always saw myself in you. So, that foolish grungy has finally declared himself as bishop. Naturally, during their meeting, there was tremendous conflict and a choosing of sides. Classic. It reminds me of the struggle at Corinth, when so many fought over who was on Paul's side and who was on Apollos' side. Of course, you are much too young to know what I am referring to! Now, I must remind you that there is still much work to be done. Divide and conquer. The ecclessia is split, therefore, waste no time instilling pride and hatred. I know you are enticing our self exalted puppet to start his own assembly, which is good, but before he does, through slander and lies, he must cripple those who withstood him. Make him feel betrayed. As if he were a great captain who ...
1 comment
Read more