Some months ago I promised you that I would write on the subject of prayer. Well beloved, that time has come. We pretend to know how to pray, yet the full grasp and gravity of the concept of prayer escapes most men. We are wretched, sinful beings conversing with the Holy, Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent Creator of the Universe --- the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, YAHWEH --- the maker and sustainer of everything around you, and the Lord of the Universe. Who are we to come before him? We are as miniscule to him as ants or fruit flies are to us. The way to God was opened to us through Jesus himself who gave us who believe in Him to call God abba, Father. He tore the curtain of the temple which prevented man from approaching the throne room of God, once and for all generations so we might bring our petitions and the cries of our hearts directly to God. O Lord may it be that we finally understand that which your son did for us. O Lord that we might finally appreciate what we have in you through prayer.
As one of my favorite Pastors Alistair Begg puts it, would it impress you if he could pull out his cell phone and call the Queen of England directly to ask her opinion on a subject? You would think --- oh what a connected person he was --- how special was this person that he had the Queen’s direct cell phone number to ask her opinion about things? Well beloved, we each have that connection and more --- we have a direct connection with the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe, through prayer --- through supplication via the Holy Spirit. Indeed the Holy Spirit which lives within us enables us to communicate with Him who created us. The Lord God Almighty Himself --- the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Oh what Joy it is to come before the Lord in prayer!
John Bunyan in his book on the subject of prayer “A discourse touching Prayer” states that “Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God hath promised, or according to the Word, for the good of the church, with submission, in faith, to the will of God.”
Now, Bunyan’s book is also rather long, and I would bore you to sleep if I stated everything he says in it, but I will collect the gems from his book, as well as Tozer’s book on prayer and attempt to summarize these in the next part on prayer that I post. While many books have been written on the subject of prayer, I will begin with these, and attempt to explain these in depth but in a simple language so even a child will be able to read and understand.
The prayer life of a Christian can be compared to the heartbeat of a human being. The evidence of life in a human is his heartbeat or his pulse. The evidence of Christianity in a believer is his prayer life. Whether that prayer be kneeling before our Holy God (Bill Hybels used to call this his knee mail to God) or praying at the dinner table before meals, or simply an unspoken prayer from the heart, the Holy Spirit is able to discern it and convey it. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:26-28
From James, we know that “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” James 5:16 and that we ought to pray without ceasing “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
So I leave you with that to chew on today, with much more to come on the topic of prayer.
As one of my favorite Pastors Alistair Begg puts it, would it impress you if he could pull out his cell phone and call the Queen of England directly to ask her opinion on a subject? You would think --- oh what a connected person he was --- how special was this person that he had the Queen’s direct cell phone number to ask her opinion about things? Well beloved, we each have that connection and more --- we have a direct connection with the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe, through prayer --- through supplication via the Holy Spirit. Indeed the Holy Spirit which lives within us enables us to communicate with Him who created us. The Lord God Almighty Himself --- the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Oh what Joy it is to come before the Lord in prayer!
John Bunyan in his book on the subject of prayer “A discourse touching Prayer” states that “Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God hath promised, or according to the Word, for the good of the church, with submission, in faith, to the will of God.”
Now, Bunyan’s book is also rather long, and I would bore you to sleep if I stated everything he says in it, but I will collect the gems from his book, as well as Tozer’s book on prayer and attempt to summarize these in the next part on prayer that I post. While many books have been written on the subject of prayer, I will begin with these, and attempt to explain these in depth but in a simple language so even a child will be able to read and understand.
The prayer life of a Christian can be compared to the heartbeat of a human being. The evidence of life in a human is his heartbeat or his pulse. The evidence of Christianity in a believer is his prayer life. Whether that prayer be kneeling before our Holy God (Bill Hybels used to call this his knee mail to God) or praying at the dinner table before meals, or simply an unspoken prayer from the heart, the Holy Spirit is able to discern it and convey it. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:26-28
From James, we know that “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” James 5:16 and that we ought to pray without ceasing “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
So I leave you with that to chew on today, with much more to come on the topic of prayer.