A.In the previous lesson, we noticed the parts of prayer, which are praise, thanksgiving, petitions, supplications, and intercessions.
B.Now let us consider some good prayer habits.These are practices by which we may make the best use of all the parts of prayer.
II.PRACTICES OF PRAYER
A.Pray without ceasing.
1.Christians are to be a prayerful people.
a.In 1Thessalonians 5:17, we are told to "pray without ceasing.”This does not mean that we are to pray every minute of the day, but rather it is that we are to have a habit of prayer that we practice every day without fail.
b.Notice that the very first Christians were devoted to prayer (Acts 2:42).Such devotion should continue among Christians today – "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving…” (Col. 4:2).
2.This devotion to prayer is modeled after the life of Christ.
a.Consider these examples of Christ’s prayers.Jesus prayed:
i.At His baptism (Luke 3:21)
ii.Early in the morning (Mark 1:35)
iii.Often by Himself (Matt. 14:22-23; Luke 5:16)
iv.All night long (Luke 6:12)
v.When He was rejected (Matt. 11:25-26)
vi.At the feeding of five thousand (Luke 9:16)
vii.Before Peter’s confession (Luke 9:18)
viii.At the transfiguration (Luke 9:28-29)
ix.Before teaching His disciples (Luke 11:1)
x.For the children (Matt. 19:13)
xi.As He predicted His own death (John 12:27-28)
xii.As He taught about the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:17-18)
xiii.That He would be glorified (John 17:1-5)
xiv.For His disciples (John 17:6-26)
xv.For Peter (Luke 22:31-32)
xvi.In Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36-42)
xvii.On the cross (Matt. 27:46; Luke 23:34, 46)
xviii.After the resurrection (Luke 4:30)
b.This is the true meaning of the commandment to "pray without ceasing.”If the Son of God needed to pray so often, then surely we need to pray even more.
3.The Lord assures us that persistence in prayer will be rewarded.
a.In the parable of the persistent friend (Luke 11:5-10), Jesus showed how persistence will result in answered prayers.He said, ""So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.”
b.By the parable of the woman and the judge (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus taught His disciples "that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.”
B.Pray according to God’s will.
1.Understanding God’s will for our prayers is the key to successful and fulfilling prayers.
a.Every prayer that we offer should be given with the same attitude as Jesus had when He said, "Not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39, 42).
b.Notice 1John 5:14-15 – "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”
c.Sometimes our requests to God are not answered because we prayed with selfish motives rather than according to God’s will.Notice James 4:3 – "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
d.As with all things, we learn God’s will for our prayers by studying God’s word.
2.A good place to learn God’s will for our prayers is in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, which is the model prayer given to us by Christ.In this model prayer, we learn to:
a.Address our prayers to our Father in heaven.
b.Offer praise and reverence to the Father.
c.Pray for the success of God’s kingdom (consider Matt. 6:33).
d.Pray for God’s will to be done on earth (submission to God).
e.Make petitions for physical needs (daily bread, etc.).
f.Make petitions for spiritual needs (forgiveness of sins, deliverance from temptations, etc.).
g.Recognize our responsibilities to others (forgiveness of our debtors, etc.; see Matt. 7:12).
C.Make use of this powerful tool.
1.Consider the principle of James 5:16 – "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
a.The word "effective” is translated from the Greek word energeo, which means "to put forth power.”Prayer is an energetic, powerful tool.
b.When offered by a righteous man, prayer is produces tremendous results because God hears him.
i.Notice 1John 3:21-22 – "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.”
ii.Also notice 1Peter 3:12 – "For the eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.”
iii.Elijah’s prayer is a good example of how powerful prayer can be (Jas. 5:17-18).
iv.Other examples are Hannah (1Sam. 1:9-17), David (Psalm 142), Jonah (Jon. 2), Hezekiah (Isa. 38:1-6), and Daniel (Dan. 2:17-19).
2.God has given us this powerful tool for our proper use.Let us not neglect it.
a.Let us pray in times of need (Phil. 4:6-7).
b.Let us pray in intercession for others (Matt. 5:44-45; Eph. 6:18; 1Tim. 2:1-2; 1John 5:16).
c.Let us not fail to pray and thus sin against God.Consider Samuel’s attitude concerning his prayers for Saul – "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you…” (1Sam. 12:23).
III.CONCLUSION
A.One of the most important practices of prayer is for us to see the results of our prayers and be thankful.
1.Some people expect miracles in answer to their prayers, but God answers today by His providence.We need to recognize God’s providential answers to our prayers and be thankful.
2.Trouble is a part of life.God may not save us from trouble, but He will bring us through trouble.Notice Psalm 50:15 – "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”
B.Therefore, let us pray early and often according to God’s will with the full confidence that He will hear us.Then, let us see the results of our prayers and give glory to God.
