Prayer
What is Prayer? Prayer is having a conversation with God and having Him respond to us.
What does prayer involve (1) Worshipping God and giving Him your time. (2) Seeking God (3) Privilege Luke 11vs1. e.g. In this verse one of Jesus’ disciple beseeched Him teach us how to pray.
Matthew 6 vs 5-8: Gives us examples of how not to pray Prayer is not necessarily done in public for everyone to see. Prayer is an act we should do in a place where we can be alone to talk to God. Vs 5. Talks about people who prays so they can be seen; they love to stand in the Synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Vs 6. Gives a pattern of the best place to go when we pray; when we pray enter in our room close the door and pray to our Father secretly and He will reward us openly. Vs 7. There are people who pray and use vain repetitions eg they pray the same thing over and over again, that’s what the heathens did in the time of Jesus, the heathen thinks that God hears them better for being repetitive in their prayer. PRAYER IS NOT NECESSARILY SAYING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, PRAYER IS A CONVERSATION WITH GOD. In this passage Jesus was teaching His disciples how not to pray.
What is prayer – Prayer is conversing with God. Isaiah 44 vs 17. We found some heathens who worshipped false gods not the true and living God. We should never worship or pray to any other gods but the true and living God. Daniel 9 vs 3. Daniel was in a place where he sought the Lord in prayer by setting his face towards the Lord God to make request (seeking) by prayer and supplications. Hebrew 4 vs 16. States that we should come boldly to the throne of Grace, here we see that prayer is a privilege! In that we are able to approach the creator of universe. John 9 vs 31. The prayer God hears is the prayer of those who are saved through faith in Jesus. God does not hear sinner’s prayer, but if we are a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears us. Proverbs 28 vs 9. (Old Testament) clearly said one who turns away his ear from hearing the law even his prayer is an abomination we are not living under the Old Testament anymore we are living under Grace therefore there will never be a time when God will turn away His ears if you are a believer, He is believer, attentive. Prayer is not able to save us it is our faith and trust in God. Psalm 18 vs 41 They cried out, but there was none to save. Psalm 66 vs 18 If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear us. Proverbs 1vs 28-29 Wise Word from Solomon says that they will call upon God, but He will not answer; They will seek Him diligently but they will not find Him, why? Because they hate knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 1vs 15. There was a time when God would not listen to the prayer of certain groups of people. How great it is for us today that Jesus came and died and now we have access to God at any time. When we trust Christ and are saved, He hears us. These scriptures are just to highlight the privileges we have as Christians.
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A Prayer to Start the Day