How Can We Learn To Pray?
Good Morning Friends,
There are no magic words for prayers and the words we use do not have to rhyme either. If fact we do not have to use words at all. The message of the passage we call the Lord’s Prayer is really a great guideline for us to focus when coming into the presence of God in prayer… so are the Psalms. I have read that there are four columns that support the house of prayer: supplication, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings. Supplications bind us to the will of God as we ask for help. Here we promise to be instructed by God so we might learn our deep need for Him. Prayers of adoration on bended knee help us learn to listen to God as an act of worship…listen so we might hear what He wants from us instead of us telling Him what He already knows…what we want from Him. Then there is intercession that noun that screams out to be a verb in the presence of love that stretches us. And finally thanksgiving that recognition of the joy of life that gives us the proper attitude for the endeavor. So today we meditate on prayer and seek to build this house of prayer on a firm foundation and it is like asking us to learn to love in these four ways. Still we ask: How
Can We Learn To Pray?
Scripture: He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:1-13 (NRSV)
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NRSV)
Message: I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. I have the same problem in the discipline of writing these devotionals. It is a kind of prayer that is both a retreat of solitude and in a way an active worship that is anything but sentimental escapism. In a way it ends the anarchy and allows and guides me in communion with God to shape the world in which I live. What is amazing is that I have come to a peace with the tension, for it is no longer a struggle to pray or to put these devotionals together, though it is still work. It is both seductive and productive not primarily to change the situations of my life but to change me. And if it changes you too for good, so much the better. Jesus teaches us that the real business of life includes daily prayers of petitions and praise with a focus on forgiveness received and forgiveness we can offer. It is a time to gauge our emotions and put them in perspective as we look into the character mirror of scripture and here learn that forgiveness is an act of faith…an act of love…an act of grace we are to practice each day through prayer. So prepare your hearts for prayer. Imagine walking with the Psalms as a vibration of the Holy Spirit as it cultivates our inner life. Breathe in the Spirit. Get tuned up privately then pray together as a community. Live a praying life. Be calmed and made free by coming into the presence of God. Gain in prayer the right emotional perspective to make right choices. And know that this takes practice. So today we meditate on prayer and the first thing we are asked to do is to affirm our faith by acknowledging that we pray to a Holy God. It starts here because without this foundation there is nothing to pray. Here we engage in the most humbling… the most important work of a Christian, for prayer teaches the folly of worry and the wisdom of faith. Prayer teaches us the joy of obedience in seeking…asking and finding a relationship with the divine. Prayer teaches us that we are in a spiritual battle for our very life and that we are unworthy in the fight. Friends, to be effective in the Kingdom of God we must pray. Any hope of revival demands it. Spiritual authority comes through it. So know that God uses the time of our praying and struggling together to create an atmosphere of friendship where we join alongside each other…striving together. Friends, life is a laboring, but the yoke is easy if we
learn to pray.
Pray that Christ be the foundation of our prayer lives. Pray that our prayer life is filled to completeness. Pray earnestly for the body of believers. Pray we learn to pray frequently. Pray we learn to pray with emotion. Pray we learn to pray with a focus. Pray we be faithful in prayer. Pray that our mind, spirit and soul is stretched in prayer. Pray we are pulled by the force of prayer to a place where our agony and pain is eased. Pray we pray about our fears and commitments…our tears and desire… our hungers and visions…our griefs and repentance…our worship and understanding… God’s glory and power… Pray we pray for God’s wisdom and guidance… our sacrifice and thanksgiving… and our supplication and unity. Pray we labor in our prayers. Pray that we start each day with the right focus and retain it throughout the day seeking ways to forgive. Pray that Jesus would join us in our prayers and that His presence would be the prelude to peace, the prologue to power, the preface to purpose and the pathway to perfection. Pray we realize that prayers have no death but live on forever in the harmony of the Trinity with the law of love. Pray that we have the right attitude and altitude in prayer….pray that we are tender with our words. Pray that we approach God with reverence and respect. Pray that we come humbly to prayer with a devotion to advance God’s kingdom. Pray that we have the right relationship in our prayers. Pray that we are not only thankful and forgiving but also aware of what God is already doing to address the sin in our lives. Pray we expect each prayer to be answered. Pray we gain practical wisdom during our prayer time. Pray that our prayers keep us in tune with God’s will and purpose. Pray we come to know God though prayer gaining insights into how we might glorify God here on earth.
Pray we learn to become habitual about prayer so that it becomes an important part of our lifestyle not just when we eat but also when we wake and go to sleep and when we walk through a doorway…without ceasing. Pray we avoid selfish prayers. Pray we intercede for others. Pray we pray when facing times of trouble and pray we experience a community of love that transforms us. Pray our prayer life involves others in a confidence that God is listening and is ready to act on our behalf. Pray we keep our prayer life balanced and genuine and that it reminds us that God is the giver of all things good. Pray we are not afraid to ask God for help especially when we feel alone. Pray we are not anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present our requests to God. Pray we receive the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, as it guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 