Wednesday, March 24, 2010

PRAYER, A CONVERSATION WITH GOD, con’t

In Luke 11:1, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Farther on in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul followed His lead in his own prayer life, giving us some extraordinary examples of just how we could pray for our families and friends. Along with the example, we need to remember when we pray the Word back to it’s Author, He cannot deny Himself and will answer. In John 15 Jesus tells His followers “ask ANYTHING according to My will, and it’s yours…” did you get that? According to His will???? Constant contact with Christ changes our point of view and our asking changes, because we see things from His point of view. Additio9nally, praying His own Word back to Him keeps us in His will because it’s promised in His Word! He is indeed an amazing God1

Back to Jesus and Paul’s patterns in prayer…

1. ADDRESSING GOD…Always be mindful of Who you are addressing, I have never been one to be overly familiar to the point of “Daddy”…but that’s me. I had a very dear father, one I was completely comfortable with…I carried that over into my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Not everyone is that fortunate and their relationship with God suffers for it.

2 BE BRIEF…all of Jesus and Paul’s prayers are brief and to the point. Wordy praying is usually windy praying.

3. BE DEFINITE…don’t ramble, keep focused on WHOM you are talking to…I believe strongly that our Father LOVES to give and do for us, and when we are specific, all the better. If He knows it’s not good for us, He’ll overrule…would you have it any other way????  Notice that most of Paul’s prayers were spiritual in content, sharply defined. He knew what he saw either in people’s lives or missing in their lives. He then prayed for those things. Oswald Chambers said God gives us insight into people’s lives not to criticize but to pray for God to change them…excellent to remember.

4. BE CONFIDENT…if you know you are where you should be spiritually, you can ask with confidence, especially when you are praying God’s Word back to Him…God will never deny His Word! When praying for physical issues or financial, I try not to dictate…I realize god frequently uses these very issues to “grow us up”… and won’t always answer in the manner we think He should, but it’s always answered in the BEST WAY possible for the circumstance. I have experienced both problems many times in my walk with the Lord, and must say He is faithful, but He also works to “stretch” us. I have been in the habit of deferring to God’s Omnipotence and love for me. I will use this phrase after my petition, “if it pleases You.” I’ve learned I don’t always know the best answer, but He does and I want His best more than my answer my way.  He is trustworthy!!!

Notice in the Apostolic prayers, he doesn’t petition for temporal things, rather spiritual and gracious things. Here are some of his  requests for his followers…

Ephesians 1:17-19

1. understanding

2. revelation of Himself

3. opened eyes

4. to know His calling, riches of His glory in His inheritance with us.

5. the exceeding greatness of His power toward us

Ephesians 3:16-19

1. grant us to be strengthened internally

2. to have Christ dwell in us richly, by faith

3. to know the love of Christ

4. to be filled with all of God’s fullness

Philippians 1:9=11

1. to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing

Colossians 1:10

1. to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom

2. to walk in a manner worthy of Him

3. to please Him in all respects

4. bearing fruit in every good work

5. increasing in the knowledge of Him

6. strengthened with all power, according to His gracious might

7. attain all steadfastness and Patience, joyously

 

Paul’s petitions usually ended with this: “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

In praying we need to remember the concerns and interests of God come first. Whatever He is working out in your life will be for His glory first, secondly for your good. That’s what Romans 8:28 is all about. Additionally, remember worship is no substitute for service and service is no substitute for worship…true worship will inevitably find it’s expression in loving, sacrificial service.

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