Prayer 2.1 - October 3, 2010

9 Practices #2 – Prayer
2.1 – The Case for Prayer

Luke 11:1-4 (New International Version)
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Father,
 hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
 Give us each day our daily bread. 
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.' "

Matthew 6:7-13 (New International Version)
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think 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, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Some Realities of Prayer…
1. Prayer is a discipline.
Ephesians 6:18-20 (New International Version)
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. 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, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

2. Prayer isn’t Obligating God.
Psalm 37:3-6 (New International Version)
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

3. Prayer is more listening than talking.
Psalm 46:10 (New International Version)
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

4. Prayer is not “Positive Vibes” sent out to the universe.
2 Chronicles 6:34-35 (New International Version)
"When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to you toward this city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.

5. Prayer is a conversation with a real being that really wants relationship with us.
Psalm 66:18-20 (New International Version)
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

6. There are pieces of life that we can only tie into through prayer.

James 4:1-3 (New International Version)
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Some Questions to ask this week:
1. What do you spend most of your time praying for?
2.How much time do you spend listening in prayer instead of speaking?
3. When you sense God’s perspective in prayer and it is different than yours, what do you do?
4. How can you carve out more time for prayer in your day? Is it a matter of getting up earlier? Or is it a matter of seeing the world from a spiritual perspective?