Prayer

Bible study on Prayer

By: Garvin and Amanda Arjunen

November 24, 2019

What is prayer?

-        Communication with God – 2 Chronicles 6:40-42 “Now, O my God, let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place. “And now arise, O Lord God, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. Let your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let your saints rejoice in your goodness. O Lord God, do not turn away the face of your anointed one! Remember your steadfast love for David your servant.””

-          Access to God – Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

-          Helps us build relationship with God

-          When we do not know what to pray, Holy Spirit will assist – Romans 8:26 “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.”

-          Weapon, powerful tool = the knowledge of God – 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

Why do we pray?

-          Healing (James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.)

-          To make our requests known to God (Philippians 4:6-7)

-          Peace (Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious 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.)

-          Ask for resources to bring about the advancement of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 9:38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.)

-          Signs and wonders (Jeremiah 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. NIV)

-          Wisdom (James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.)

-          Inquire of the Lord

o   Saul: 1 Samuel 14: 36-38 36 Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” 37 And Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day. 38 And Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and know and see how this sin has arisen today.

o   David: 1 Samuel 30:8 And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”

-          Forgiveness (when we repent)

o   2 Chronicles 6:38-39 if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 39 then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you.

o   2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

How do we pray?

-          The greatest example we refer to is in Matthew 6:9-13 // The Lord’s Prayer

-          Keeping His commandments – love and forgiveness (1 John 3:22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.)

-          In Secret (Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.)

-          Together (Matthew 18:19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.)

-          Believing God hears us (Psalm 6:9 NLT The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.)

-          Being Persistent (Matthew 7:7-11 Effective Prayer 7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.)

-          Earnestly (Luke 10:2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. // Matthew 9:38)

The Lord’s Prayer – the Lord’s Prayer consists of an invocation [address] (the action of invoking something or someone for assistance or as an authority) and six petitions to make a solemn or humble appeal to a figure of authority.

1.       Praise – Matthew 6:9

-          (invocation) Our father who art in heaven means our heavenly father who is in heaven in other words Abba father who is in heaven.

Father; He has authority, there is warmth in Fatherly love, intimacy because we are His children, relationship needs to be built even between father and their children

In Heaven; means that God’s sovereign rule is over all things in heaven (and on earth when we ask for His kingdom to come)

-          (the first petition) “Hallowed be your name”; set apart; holy; God’s name is to be treated with the highest honour

-          1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

2.       Purpose – Matthew 6:10

-           (the second petition) “Your kingdom come”; We are called to pray and work to advance God’s kingdom; God’s kingdom is where God’s rule and reign abounds; it is  where God’s love is reflected towards others; it is where God’s laws are obeyed, where God is honoured and His goodness is proclaimed.

-          Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

-          (the third petition) “your will be done on earth as is it in heaven”; His will is revealed to us through Holy Spirit and the Scriptures:

o   Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world,[a] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

o   2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

o   Isaiah 40:8 the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

3.       (the fourth petition) Provision – Matthew 6:11

-          “Give us this day our daily bread”; this is when we begin to ask God to help us and provide for our daily physical needs, but we know that He also knows what we need even before we ask (Matthew 6:32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.)

4.       (the fifth petition) Pardon – Matthew 6:12

-          “and forgive us our debts”; prayer for restoration of personal fellowship with God when our sin hinders us from being in communion with Him; sealed for the day of redemption by the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.)

-          “as we also have forgiven our debtors”; forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you

o   Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

o   Matthew 6:15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

o   Matthew 18:35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.

5.       (the sixth and final petition) Protection – Matthew 6:13

-          “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”; there is a battle against sin and evil

o   2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

o   Psalm 91

o   1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

When do we pray?

-          At all times in the Spirit – Ephesians 6:18a “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

-          Without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing)

-          Constantly (Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.)

What prevents our prayers from being heard?

-          Unforgiveness (Matthew 6:15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. // Matthew 18:35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.)

-          Doubt (James 1:5-8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.)

-          Pride (2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.)

How can we know God hear us when we pray?

-          1 John 5:13-15 - 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.