If you do not know by now Pastor Doug is on his way with the youth group to minister to the children up at Warroad Minnesota America
One type of prayer is what I call the Santa Clause Prayer. These are the people that see God as a genie in a bottle or Santa Clause figure that is just waiting to grant us our every desire. These prayers are filled with “I want” lists and demands that they want God to meet and are only concerned with self-satisfaction. Not only that but they often abuse the scriptural teaching of “ask and it shall be given onto you” as much more literal than it was ever meant to be. Prayer for these people is limited to intercessions with limited if any thanksgiving.
This point is evident in the Parable of The Shipwreck
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like a miracle, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island.
The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered. As the ship was about to leave, the first man head a Voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"
"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them", the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."
"You are mistaken!" the Voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of My blessings."
"Tell me", the first man asked the voice, "What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"
"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like a miracle, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island.
The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered. As the ship was about to leave, the first man head a Voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"
"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them", the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."
"You are mistaken!" the Voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of My blessings."
"Tell me", the first man asked the voice, "What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"
"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."
The second man’s unselfishness is what I want you to see from this parable. Contrast this with the attitude the first man took, whom by the end of the story was so confident in his own ability to pray that he would forsake his fellow shipmate by leaving him on the island. The first man’s prayers did not come from a humbled God-centered heart but from the heart of an arrogant and self-centered man. Who believed so highly in his own ability that he forgot that it was God who was giving Him all of these things.
Philippians 2:2-4 reminds us
Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
The second destructive attitude taken to prayer is the monologue prayer. These are the people who ramble on and on without taking the time to listen to God for an answer. They see prayer as a one way street I speak God listens and acts the way I think he is suppose too.
Instead we must realize that God does answer our prayers we’re just not always in tune to listening for the answer. This example from I Chose You should help explain this point a little further.
The man whispered, "God, speak to me"
and a meadowlark sang.
But, the man did not hear.
So the man yelled, "God, speak to me" and the thunder rolled across the sky.
But, the man did not listen. The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly.
But the man did not see. And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle." And, a life was born.
But, the man did not notice. So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here." Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But, the man brushed the butterfly away .
and walked on.
The man cried, "God, I need your help!" And an e-mail arrived reaching out
with good news and encouragement.
But, the man deleted it and continued crying .
Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect.
Expect the unexpected...
and a meadowlark sang.
But, the man did not hear.
So the man yelled, "God, speak to me" and the thunder rolled across the sky.
But, the man did not listen. The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly.
But the man did not see. And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle." And, a life was born.
But, the man did not notice. So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here." Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But, the man brushed the butterfly away .
and walked on.
The man cried, "God, I need your help!" And an e-mail arrived reaching out
with good news and encouragement.
But, the man deleted it and continued crying .
Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect.
Expect the unexpected...
Are we looking for God in all the wrong places? Are we looking and listening at all. As important as it is talk to God we cannot forget to as Samuel respond to God’s call with “Speak Lord for your servant is listening”. Then quite our hearts and minds and concentrate only on listening for the subtle signs that God gives us (as shown in the example). I would challenge each of you this week; when praying, don't give God instructions - just report for duty.
A third bad attitude people take towards prayer is what I called the omniscient prayer. These are the people that believe if God really knew everything, all of their thoughts and needs why should one go to God in prayer. Or sometimes they just don’t know what to say.
The example I have for this one relates to a Motherly Touch.
The connection between a mother and her newborn child is instantaneous. The infant becomes part of her. She knows the things she needs to do to take care of it. Things like feed it, hold it, change diapers, provide medical attention when necessary. Although the mother knows the baby needs these things only when the baby cries does the mother know when to spring into action.
Although like all analogies it has its problems in grasping the full reason why a child of God must pray seeing as God knows all things including when we need something. It does show an infants dependency on the mother to care for it. Prayer, more than anything humbles us. It emphasizes our complete dependency on God. We are the infants unable to care for ourselves and must call out to God, not to tell him something he already knows but to remind ourselves that we were made as dependent creatures in need of divine intervention.
Instead of approaching God with these attitudes, we must humble ourselves when we pray. From 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
As we can see the first step to God listening to our prayers is being called by God. If God has not claimed us, if we have not given ourselves completely over to the Lordship of Christ, prayer is not possible. However, there is also an burden on us to humble ourselves. The Santa Clause prayers were prayed from a self-centered heart but true prayer comes from a God centered heart. A heart that prays for the other ship wrecked man’s prayers to come true. After humbling ourselves we pray. Prayer is defined as communicating with God which necessitates prayer being more than just one way. We must give God a chance to answer our prayers. As Mark 11:24 tells us,
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Listen for a response, believe that there will be a response. By doubting or just going through the motions of praying one isn’t giving themselves the opportunity to see the hand of the Lord at work. Talk to God, but also listen to God.
Next comes seeking the face of the Lord. Recognizing that we were created as dependent beings in need of divine intervention. Like an infant is dependent on it’s mother to care for it’s needs.
Lastly comes turning from our wicked ways. We should be changed after talking with God and drawing closer to Him that will make us alter our behavior to become more Christ like. It will give us a stronger desire to pick up our crosses and follow him. We must be obedient to God’s desire for our life.
It is only after these conditions are met that God will hear us from heaven. It is only then that God will heal us of our sins. And bring forth the kingdom to this land. The burden is on us to pray with a humble heart, to stay focused on God, and change our wicked ways for the Lord to hear us.
Once these preliminaries are established prayer is opened up like never before. Prayers will never be returned stamped ‘Return to Sender’ God is listening and waiting. However, there are five important elements that should be utilized in prayer These five elements are 1) Praise 2) Thanksgiving 3) Petition (for self) 4) Intercession (for others) an 5) Confession.
Praise is giving thanks to God not because of anything He has done for us but because of who He is, the almighty, omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), omnibenevolent (all good), omnipresent (all present) and sovereign king. (Hebrews 13:15)
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Thanksgiving is thanking God for all of the wonderful things that He has done for us. All that he has created for us and done for us, the good and the bad. It is an expression of gratitude, a humbling of the self, to say that it was not me who did it but Christ who gave me the strength and the ability to complete it. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Petition for self is telling God what one needs God to do for them. When done with a humble heart it is a way of asserting ones dependence on God to care for them. (Philippians 4:6)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Intercession for others is bringing to God the concerns of others. Pleading with God on behalf of another, caring for the other by brining the need to the divine. (1 Timothy 2:1-5, James 5:13-16, Ephesians 6:18)
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective
Confession is humbling oneself to admit a mistake and ask for forgiveness for that mistake.(1 John 1: 8-9)
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
To demonstrate these I will be using the Lords prayer documented in Matthew 6 and Luke 11.
The rubric of how to pray, as given in The Lord’s Prayer, begins with “Our Father who art in heaven” meaning that God is the father of all mankind and calls upon Him for a response. The prayer goes on “hollowed be thy name” (Hollowed meaning to honor as Holy) praises God not because of what He has done but because of who He is, a Holy Being of unique characteristics. The prayer goes on to say “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” in other words not by our will but God’s, it is humbling of oneself before the Lord and giving God complete trust to do what is best. “Give us this day our daily bread” this is where the prayer starts to make petitions and intercession. “And forgive us our debts and we forgive our debtors” this is a confession but with a special twist. It asks for forgiveness in the same manner as the one who prays forgives those who have committed transgressions against them. It asks God to hold them up on turning from their wicked ways that we read earlier (2 Chronicles 7:14) Giving the person who prays a responsibility to forgive others that he might be forgiven of his own debts. “And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” another petition this one certifying that the one who prays needs divine assistance to fight against the evil forces that are at work in the world. “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever” it begins the same way it began bringing praise to the Lord. “Amen”, is probably the only common denominator to all prayers, which few people really think about. Amen means ‘so be it’ it is saying that the one who prays wants it to happen. In other words, those who do not forgive others debts want God to hold the same resistance to forgiveness as they do. They are also saying that they truly want God’s will to be done even if it conflicts with their own will. It is a powerful word in the Lords prayer. It is a word, which carries with it condemnation for those who use it without realizing its true implications.
I would like to leave you today with the following points to consider this week in your prayer life. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone. For when God is for us, who can stand against us. The only way to get God’s help is to ask for it with a humbled heart in prayer not to disclose the need to God but to acknowledge your own need for divine assistance. For when in prayer you clasp your hands, God opens His, ready to work a miracle in your life, they will never be denied or come back stamped return to sender, however you must be willing to listen to the response and accept that response. We cannot be people who just give God orders but instead when going to prayer report for duty, ready to perform whatever task God has for us to perform. Lastly, a lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing. When we communicate with our Heavenly Father we are building a relationship with Him. God will not say I never knew you to someone whom he is in continuous communication with. Humble yourself as the praise team comes up for the final number and join with me in the Lord’s prayer.
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
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