Understanding Prayer

Understaning Prayer

Matthew 6:6-13

Prayer is our opportunity to talk to God.

God speaks to us through His Word. We speak to Him through prayer.

Prayer is intentionally communicating your heart to God.

Prayer is not trying to get God to agree with us or to provide for our selfish desires.

Prayer is affirming God’s sovereignty, righteousness, and majesty and seeking to conform our desires and our purposes to His will and glory.

Prayer humbles us and causes us to admit that we need the Lord.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?Matthew 7:7-11

Prayer moves God.

And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.2 Kings 20:4-6

Oftentimes, prayer is not getting God to change His mind, but getting Him to change my heart.

Prayer cannot cause God to violate His will or His Word.

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.1 John 5:14-15

The Lord’s Prayer is a framework, not a repeated prayer.

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.Matthew 6:7

A Pattern for Prayer

We worship God

We seek His will

We seek our needs

We confess our sin

We intercede

We seek protection

We recognize His sovereignty

Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers?

It’s been said before that there are no unanswered prayers. God always answers with Yes, No or Not Yet.

We need to be careful that we aren’t asking the question: “Why doesn’t God do what I want Him to do?”

We have unconfessed sin in our lives.

“Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: Neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; For I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, And righteousness as a mighty stream.” —Amos 5:22

“If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” —Psalm 66:18

“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” —1 John 3:22

“The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, And his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, And delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: But the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” —Psalm 35:15-19

We are not praying according to God’s will.

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.1 John 5:14-15

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.Isaiah 55:8-9

We are praying self-centered prayers.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.James 4:3

We are praying faithless prayers.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.Mark 11:24

God wants to grow our faith.

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” —Luke 18:1

God isn’t finished yet.

God will not always give your request.

Prayer requires me to trust in the sovereignty of God and trust the hand of my loving Father.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?Matthew 7:11