More Prayer

 Last week I saw a website entitled '21 funny prayers to bless your day' - and honestly, I was a little bothered by how flippantly they approached prayer. They had silly prayers for eating endless amounts of pizza without gaining weight, and - "Oh mighty God, I pray that you grant me the ability to find my car keys?" As I said, I was a little bothered. - But then Friday morning, I lost my keys. Fortunately Josie wasn't working that day so I 'stole' her car and headed out. And as I drove I prayed, 'Lord, the last thing I wanted to do was to ask you to help me find my keys - but here we are..."

Do we only make prayer a priority when we need something? Why does making prayer a top priority seem to be so hard for many? We know that we have direct access to the God of the universe through the power of prayer – we say that we believe in the power of prayer - but why is it that so many struggle with weak or shallow prayer lives?

For me - it seems like as soon as I get in a good stride of reading my Bible regularly (Day 117 on the reading plan, by the way...) - I notice that I'm not spending the time in prayer that I know I should. There are always conflicting tensions of dealing with what's urgent, and our priorities get out of whack. This morning, I want to remind us of the power of prayer and encourage each of us to take fuller advantage of the privilege of prayer.

You see, we all know we need to pray, but we always seem to find excuses for…

I. Why we don't

Our schedules become so busy with a lot of things that we feel are very important, and they very well may be – but isn't prayer essential to the life of one who follows Jesus? Do we look at it as the privilege that it is - or do we almost see it as a duty or an obligation? Are we excited about talking with God or it is something to just 'check off of our list'?

A direct line to God is something to get excited about – AND we have exactly that through prayer. But many times we come up with excuses as to why we don't pray more, and one of the reasons I hear frequently in private conversations is…

A. I feel guilty

Guilt - real or imagined, can keep us from praying. We may find ourselves struggling with a particular sin, we know we're in the wrong; we're convicted by the Spirit – but then our own feelings of guilt keep us from praying. We're uncomfortable or ashamed and the last place we feel like going is to God in prayer. But that's the absolute first and only place we should be going!

Should you avoid the Dr. because you feel guilty that you're sick...? "I don't want him to see me this way; I'll wait until I'm better..." If you desperately needed antibiotics for an out of control infection but avoided the Dr. because of guilt - what would happen?

Jesus died on a cross and rose again to bridge the separation between us and God that happens because of sin! If we only feel we can go to God when we've got everything together, when we're 'good enough' – what was the point of the cross? The writer of Hebrews says this in Hebrews 4:15-16 (NIV)...

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. (16) Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

We can't let any feelings of guilt keep us from praying. Instead, we need to remember Jesus' sacrifice that allows us the privilege of prayer with our Heavenly Father.

Another common excuse we may give for not praying more that I hear is - I don't know…

B. The right words

I understand that the idea of speaking to God can be a bit intimidating. And I understand that people want to do their best – I get it. But it's not about the 'right words' but your intention and attitude. It's been my experience that very rarely do the 'right words' really matter at all. I've seen books on prayer that teach some formula or the 'right (magic) words' in order to have effective prayers. But we don't see that in scripture.

God understands that we won't always have the right words or sometimes any words at all. I really like what Paul wrote in Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)...

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. (27) And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

Don't worry so much about the 'right words'. God knows what you really need to say even if you don't. God's Holy Spirit intercedes for us! God isn't going to ignore our prayers simply because we didn't use the right words. If you want to pray – just pray, just talk - silently or out loud; God's Spirit will do the rest.

Another excuse we might be tempted to make for not praying more is that we feel we aren't in…

C. The right mood

Many times we neglect prayer because we aren't feeling overly spiritual at that particular moment. 'We wouldn't want to say the wrong thing or possibly let God know how we actually think or feel…'

Recorded in scripture is a prayer of King David's with which many Biblical scholars struggle. A few in fact mention that they actually kind of wish that this one wasn't even included in the Bible. (For those doing their reading plans, it's coming up on Day 144.) I wanted to look at it before we got there. It's from Psalms 109:1-13 (NIV)...

O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, (2) for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. (3) With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. (4) In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. (5) They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. (6) Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.

(7) When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. (8) May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. (9) May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. (10) May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. (11) May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. (12) May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.

(13) May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.

- And it goes on like this. This isn't really an example of one of David's more beautiful Psalms. He's actually praying down a curse on his enemy. He's praying some pretty angry and awful things. But even if this doesn't sound overly spiritual, I think we know exactly how David was feeling. David was angry; he was bitter! He could have just kept all of those feelings bottled up, but instead chose to share them with God in a prayer.

I'm not exactly sure how God felt about that prayer, but we do know that David was still called 'a man after God's own heart' in scripture. I think it has something to do with the fact that David didn't wait until the right mood struck. David prayed at all times and in all moods; angry, happy, depressed, content, ashamed, thrilled – it didn't matter. David shared his life, good and bad, with God through prayer!

And maybe there's a vital insight there - David didn't see prayer as a religious right but an ongoing relationship with God! For instance - I don't see talking to my wife as an obligation, but rather because I'm in a relationship with her. And if I want to keep that relationship going - I need to talk to her!

There are no good excuses to neglect prayer, not guilt, not 'wrong words' or even right moods. And in order to help our prayer lives grow, I'd like to humbly make…

II. Some suggestions

I don't claim to be the best 'prayer warrior', but I have learned a few things through experience, but mostly by making my own mistakes along the way. In my own prayer life, I've been guilty of this next one. When you pray to God about any given situation - ask Him…

A. Don't tell Him

Sometimes we find ourselves giving God advice on how He should answer our prayers. We tell him what the problem is - and then we tell Him how He should fix it. We don't look at it that way - but that's what we do. We sometimes come at prayer with an already determined outcome as the answer to that prayer. But God's ways are higher than our ways! God doesn't need me to tell Him the best way to answer!

Of course we can share our desires with Him, what we want to happen through prayer - and He does want to hear our desires. But it always needs to be centered on His will! We pray for healing and expect God to jump to it and answer the way we want. It's hard not to do that - but God does His best work in ways we could never ask or imagine!

Anyone who is a parent can relate - I've prayed and prayed for my children, and I've prayed some very specific prayers... And there's nothing wrong with that - as long as I can honestly come to the point where I completely submit my will to God's will! I know what God is able to do and I've prayed for miracles - but in the end, I have to leave my kids in the hands of the One who knows what's best for them as it relates to His Kingdom!

God is not mean, He doesn't withhold blessings to spite us. He doesn't make false promises and He doesn't desire 'bad things' - but He always works for the best in the lives of those who love Him! So even if you get answers that you don't particularly like or feel there's no answer at all... yet. Try not to tell God how He should answer your prayers. Let Him do it His way and trust that His way is the best way!

And if you want your prayer life to grow, another obstacle I'm learning to avoid is…

B. A grudge

This can be a pretty big deal in our prayer lives. Jesus included this example in His model prayer that He used to teach His disciples how to pray. And just in case they missed it – He then explained it in very specific detail. Let's look at part of Jesus' prayer in Matthew 6:12-15 (NIV)...

'Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (13) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' (14) For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Let's say you get beyond the standard excuses of why we don't pray – but, you continue to hold a grudge; you don't forgive someone who has sinned against you. Jesus was clear, if that's the case – your sins won't be forgiven. That's pretty serious! The prayers of a man who holds a grudge, whose sins are un-forgiven – those prayers can't be very powerful, as far as God is concerned.

And one last thing I'm trying to make a priority in my prayer time with God is simply…

C. Honesty

Most of us are good at pointing out other peoples' sins. But we're much better at excusing our sins and failures than we are at honestly admitting and confessing them. We come up with more polite names for our sin. We like to talk about 'mistakes' or 'indiscretions' or 'bad choices' – and they may be that, but don't try and fool God. What a married man might call an 'affair', or an unmarried couple might call 'sleeping together' - God calls 'adultery'... We need to learn honesty in our prayer lives and lean hard into God's grace!

When we're talking with God, why do we think we have to pretend or make excuses? God knows exactly what's in our hearts and He knows exactly what we've done and why.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV)

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (13) Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

When you pray, you might as well be honest - God already knows everything anyway. If you can't honestly confess your sins to Him, how can you expect Him to bless you?

Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)

He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

And along with honest confession – there also has to be honest repentance - turning away from sin. If you want your prayer life to grow, you have to learn absolute honesty with God and then live what He teaches you. Stop and think about your prayers – do the majority have to do with personal gain or comfort for you, or do they focus on blessing God's Kingdom, or His people, or fulfilling God's will? James, the brother of Jesus, wrote in James 4:2-3 (NIV)...

You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. (3) When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

What many people want and pray for is not necessarily what they need. We may pray for more resources, more money so that we could give more to the Church – that can't be bad, right? But maybe God doesn't need me to have more money for me to be more useful for His purposes. – Maybe He wants me to be more humble. We may pray for relief from sickness so that we could serve Him better– but perhaps, perhaps God wants to use us to show others how to patiently and faithfully endure?

'Getting better at praying' has to focus on Jesus and what He wants. If it doesn't, it becomes self serving; an exercise of self-centered religion - as if it's God's job to serve me rather than the other way around! Seek God's will first in your prayer life, with His glory as your goal, and then watch what God does and how He will bless you! God's answers to our prayers will always be better than our answers!

So What?

Don't take prayer lightly. We serve a God who is absolutely in control - despite what it may look like. We just celebrated Easter – when Jesus' disciples were crushed by the appearance of defeat by the cross. Everything seemed lost when the Son of God was killed. But nothing was out of control; nothing derailed God's plan to save mankind through Jesus!

When you feel your prayers just aren't being heard; when you feel that God's not answering; when you feel discouraged – keep praying! I want to encourage you to get beyond the excuses and make prayer a priority. I've never heard a person regret praying too much, but I have heard people at the end of their lives wish that they had spent more time with God. Keep praying! And on that note – let's pray…