640 Sermon Illustrations on Prayer

Lord Jesus, as I enter this work place, I bring your presence with me. I speak Your peace, Your grace, and Your perfect order into the atmosphere of this office.

I acknowledge Your Lordship over all that will be spoken, thought, decided, and accomplished within these walls.

Lord Jesus, I thank You for the gifts you have deposited in me. I do not take them lightly but commit to using them responsibly and well.

Give me a fresh supply of truth and beauty on which to draw as I do my job. Anoint my creativity, my ideas, my energy, so that even my smallest task may bring You honor.

Lord, when I am confused, guide me. When I am weary, energize me. Lord, when I am burned out, infuse me with the light of the Holy Spirit. May the work that I do and the way I do it, bring hope, life, and courage to all I come in contact with today.

And, Oh Lord, even in this day’s most stressful moments, may I rest in You.

In the mighty Name that is above all Names, in the Matchless Name of my Lord and Savior Jesus, I pray,

Amen

Men always ought to pray and not lose heart. — Luke 18:1

A friend of mine has been a woman of prayer for many years. She has received countless answers from God, but sometimes she is disheartened because certain prayers for loved ones remain unanswered. Yet she keeps on praying, encouraged by the parable in Luke 18. This story features a widow who badgered a heartless judge for help and finally got it.

Jesus ended His parable with a question: If an unrighteous and disrespectful judge finally answers a pestering widow’s pleas for help, shall not God answer His own children who cry to Him day and night? (vv.7-8). The expected answer: “Of course He will!”

George Müller (1805-1898), pastor and orphanage director, was known for his faith and persistent prayer. Whenever he prayed for specific needs for his orphanage, God sent exactly what was required. Yet for more than 40 years he also prayed for the conversion of a friend and his friend’s son. When Müller died, these men were still unconverted. God answered those prayers, however, in His own time. The friend was converted while attending Müller’s funeral, and the son a week later!

Do you have a special burden or request? Keep on praying! Trust your loving heavenly Father to answer according to His wisdom and timing. God honors persistent prayer! — JEY

Don’t think that you are finished,

Just trust God’s love and care;

Delays are not denials;

Persist in faith and prayer. — Jarvis

Failure to pray is the line of least persistence.

Pacing about the preacher’s study, the young man ranted about his problem. Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, “I’ve begged God to say something to help me. Tell me, Preacher, why doesn’t God answer?”

The old preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in reply — something so hushed it was indistinguishable. The young man stepped across the room. “What did you say?” he asked.

The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher’s chair. “Sorry,” he said, “I still didn’t hear you.” With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more. “God sometimes whispers,” he said, “so we will move closer to hear Him.”

This time the young man heard and he understood. We all want God’s voice to thunder through the air with the answer to our problem. But God’s is the still, small voice … the gentle whisper.

Perhaps there’s a reason. Nothing draws human focus quite like a whisper. God’s whisper means I must stop my ranting and move close to Him, until my head is bent together with His. And then, as I listen, I will find my answer. Better still, I find myself closer to God.

“Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it.”

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Corrie Ten Boom

Dear Heavenly Father, make me a better parent.

Teach me to understand my children,

to listen patiently to what they have to say,

and to answer all their questions kindly.

Keep me from interrupting them or contradicting them.

Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me.

Forbid that I should ever laugh at their mistakes

or resort to shame or ridicule when they displease me.

May I never punish them for my own selfish satisfaction

or to show my power.

Let me not tempt my child to lie or steal.

And guide me hour by hour

that I may demonstrate by all I say and do

that honesty produces happiness.

Reduce, I pray, the meanness in me.

And when I am out of sorts,

help me, oh Lord, to hold my tongue.

May I ever be mindful that my children are children

and I should not expect of them the judgement of adults.

Let me not rob them of the opportunity to wait on themselves

and to make decisions.

Bless me with the bigness to grant them all their reasonable

requests and the courage to deny them

privileges I know will do them harm.

Make me fair and just and kind. And fit me, oh Lord,

to be loved and respected and imitated by my children.

Psalm 31 is one of David’s exile psalms. He wrote it when Saul was chasing him through the rough hill country of Judah. David was going from cave to cave and from hill to hill.

During his exile, David discovered that God’s hand was adequate for every need of every day. Have you noticed in the Psalms how often David talked about hands? As a shepherd he knew the importance of his hands. He had to carry the shepherd’s crook, the staff. He also used a slingshot and later exchanged it for a sword. Occasionally he would exchange his sword for a harp. The hands that had been in battle produced beautiful music for the glory of God.

David also talked about the hand of the enemy. “And [You] have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy” (v. 8). “My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies” (v. 15). We do have enemies. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (I Pet. 5:8). Our enemies would like to destroy us, but God’s hand protects us.

“Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth” (v. 5). This is the prayer of Jewish boys and girls in the Old Testament times. Whenever he went to bed, the little child would say, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit.” When our Lord Jesus Christ gave His life for us on the cross, He said, “It is finished! Into Your hands I commend My spirit” (John 19:30; Luke 23:46). When you commit your life into God’s hand, you don’t have to worry about any other hand, because His hand protects you, provides for you and guides you.

It is good for us to depend on God’s hand, the hand of provision, protection and guidance. What are your needs today? Have you asked God to provide for them ? Depend on the hand of God; you will find Him faithful.

She pleaded on the phone, “My son is dying of AIDS. Will you please come and pray with him?”

“Yes,” said the senior pastor of a large metropolitan church.

“Oh, thank you, thank you,” the woman sobbed. “You’re the fifth church I’ve called.”

“What happened to the others?”

“Two hung up on me. One outright refused. And one didn’t answer at all.”

How will your church respond?

Read: Psalm 66:1-7

Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! —Psalm 66:1

Bible In One Year: Ezekiel 16-17; James 3

When was the last time you and God met together for a worship service? No choir. No piano. No order of service. Just you and God and prayer.

Want an example? Listen to the psalmist: “I cried to [the Lord] with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me!” (Psalm 66:17-20).

Did you notice what was happening in those verses? The psalmist called out to God in praise. He came with a pure heart—cleansed by confession. He was confident that God was listening. God accepted the prayer, and He lavished His love on the person praying. The psalmist’s worship included praise, a pure heart, communicating with God, and then God’s affirmation and love were poured out. Yes, true worship took place.

What a pattern! Think of the spiritual advantage you gain and the honor God receives when you practice worship by prayer. Anytime, anyplace, you can worship the Lord and He will bless you.

Are you ready to worship? —JDB

In solitude, on wings of prayer

My only hope of strength is where

My heart and God’s meet all alone. —Anon.

God speaks to those who take time to listen, and He listens to those who take time to pray.

I do love you dearly. During The New Year … May You Have:

• Enough happiness to keep you sweet.

• Enough trials to keep you strong.

• Enough sorrow to keep you human.

• Enough hope to keep you happy.

• Enough failure to keep you humble.

• Enough success to keep you eager.

• Enough friends to give you comfort.

• Enough wealth to meet your needs.

• Enough enthusiasm to make you look forward to tomorrow.

• Enough determination to make each day better than the day before.

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Some things are loved because they are valuable; others are valuable because they are loved. — Beverly Kendall

Read: Psalm 6

The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer. — Psalm 6:9

During every morning worship service in a small church I attended, the congregation would share prayer requests. After each one, the pastor would say, “Lord, in Your mercy,” and the people would respond, “Hear our prayer.” One Sunday, a 4-year-old boy behind me became more intense after each request, until he finally shouted out, “Hear our prayer!” The little boy probably expressed what a lot of us were feeling that morning.

As Christians, we believe that God hears us when we pray not because we deserve it but because Christ has opened the way for us to talk directly to the Father. We often make our requests quietly and confidently, but there are times when we cannot help but cry out to God in heartbreak and anguish.

In Psalm 6 we can almost hear David’s sobs as he pleaded with God for mercy, help, and healing. Yet, even though he was faced with difficult people and overwhelming circumstances, David affirmed his trust in God: “The Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer” (vv.8-9).

Today, in that mysterious blend of confidence and crying out, we can bring everything to our loving heavenly Father, saying, “Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer!” — DCM

God hears us when we call to Him,

Not one voice is ignored;

The sounds of praise, the pleas of pain

Are all heard by the Lord. — Sper

In prayer, God hears more than just words — He listens to your heart.

Read Psalm 34:17-18

A little girl and her mother were walking down a sidewalk after a rainstorm. Someone had spilled some automobile oil on the pavement. Seeing that, the little girl said, “Mommy, look at all of the smashed rainbows!”

Maybe your rainbows have been smashed, and you have a broken heart. Perhaps you don’t feel close to God because of your heartache. What can you do to be near to Him? First, keep in mind that nearness is likeness. “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart” (v. 18). The more we are like God, the nearer we are to Him. How close can you get to God? You can get as close to Him as you want. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you. Remember that God knows the meaning of a broken heart. Jesus Christ literally experienced one. He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). Let your experiences make you more like Jesus, and He will draw near to you.

Second, remember that God gives grace to the humble. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). David also said, “A broken and a contrite heart–these, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:17).

Our Lord came “to heal the brokenhearted” (Luke 4:18). Do you have a broken heart that needs healed? Here’s the simple secret: Give the Lord all the pieces, and He will heal you. Everyone has experienced dashed hopes and smashed plans. Take comfort in knowing that your Lord heals the broken heart. Are you getting over a crushing experience? The Lord understands what you are going through. Draw near to Him with a humble spirit and give Him the broken pieces of your heart.

”Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down ‘“ (Isaiah 64:1)

— For reading & meditation: Isaiah 64:1-12

Now that we have seen the place which prayer plays in bringing about revival, without doing any injustice to the sovereignty of God, the next question we must face is this: What kind of praying is it that seems to precipitate a mighty and extraordinary move of God? A phrase which crops up time and time again in revival literature is the phrase “revival praying”. This is a term used to describe the special type of praying which observers have noticed takes place in the months or years preparatory to the outbreak of revival.

Over the next few days I want to examine with you some of the characteristics of this phenomenon known as “revival praying”. By doing so I hope to deepen our understanding and awareness of this mysterious but important subject.

First, “revival praying” is zealous praying. People pray with fervor and passion. It is not that they look with disdain upon formal prayers but, almost as if they cannot help it, their prayers catch alight and are uttered with what appears to onlookers to be uncharacteristic energy and enthusiasm. They become not only enthusiastic about their prayers but eager in the pursuit of them. They pray whenever they can, wherever they can and with whomsoever they can. Prayer becomes less of a duty and more of a delight.

I am sure you have occasionally touched something like this in your own prayer times but prior to a revival it is not something that happens periodically but something that happens regularly, not just in a few scattered places, but generally.

PRAYER:

Father, I long to experience more zealousness and passion in my prayer life. I throw open every pore of my being to You today. Move into the whole of my life, but especially my prayer life, and set my prayers on fire. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

Joel 2:1-13; Psa. 34:18; 51:17; Isa. 66:2; 2 Cor.7:10

1. How should we turn to the Lord?

2. What does it mean to “rend your heart”?

”Devote yourselves to prayer ‘.” (Colossians 4:2)

– For reading & meditation: Colossians 4:2-15

A single sentence written by the great John Wesley has helped me more than anything else to balance the two great truths we referred to yesterday — the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. Here is the statement which Wesley made: “God does nothing redemptively in the world — except through prayer.”

Permit me to put into my own words what I think he was saying: whenever God wants to bring His purposes to pass here on earth He does not act arbitrarily, but touches the hearts of praying people and then ushers in His purposes across the bridge of prayer. God may be sovereign but He is not dictatorial or capricious. He can no more act against His nature and the principles He has established in the world than He could make a square circle or an aged infant. There are some things impossible even for God, and acting independently of the principles of prayer is one of them.

This is why prayer and revival are so inseparably linked. I know of no revival that is not connected in some way with powerful, believing, intercessory prayer. This, then, is how I see God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility being brought together in harmony: when God decides that in the interests of His people a spiritual revival is necessary, He lays a burden of prayer upon the hearts of His children — it may only be comparatively few — so that their prayers become the bridge across which revival power flows. Let Wesley’s famous statement ring in your heart once again: “God does nothing redemptively in the world – except through prayer.”

PRAYER:

O God, I see that Your purposes are not arbitrary or capricious but the expression of Your nature — a revelation of Yourself. Amid the splendour of Your majesty I feel a heartbeat — a heartbeat of love. Thank you, dear Father. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

2 Kings 19:1-37; Prov. 21:1; Ex.17:8-13; Rev.19:6

1. What caused Hezekiah to act as he did?

2. How did God show His sovereignty?

A few generations back, the normal and formal way to begin and end a child’s day was with morning and bedtime prayers. They were recited out loud, usually beginning or ending with requests for God to bless their families and friends, wishing everyone well. Today, however, in most homes, such prayers have lost favor. The busy and stressful pace of today’s family life doesn’t seem to lend itself to such prayer activity.

Why prayer is important for children: • “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” — Alfred Lord Tennyson

• It gives a child instant communication with the God of the Universe, who always is ready to hear the concerns of His children.

• It is a means of opening and expanding a child’s heart and mind to the will of God and the needs of others.

• It promotes a habit of generous and loving concern as a child prays for the welfare of other people.

• It promotes health. If children are exposed early enough to “good” thoughts and attitudes, they may be able to avoid going through experiences that produce their opposites. By emphasizing through prayer such qualities as confidence, optimism, and generosity (i.e. faith, hope, and love), their souls will expand beyond self-centeredness and open up to a reliable source of strength — God Himself.

• It starts the day with the right focus, and provides a good transition to sleep, carrying a child from excitement to calm.

• It builds warm rapport between parents and children. It’s a time when all family fighting stops, all pandemonium is interrupted, all problems suspended, and all tensions relaxed.

• How you can encourage prayer time: Decide that it is important — to you, your child, and God. Show your child that it is a privilege — not a duty — to talk with God.

Set aside time morning and evening. It can be as little as three minutes.

Encourage your children to express their thoughts in their own words. Help them to include praise, thanks, apologies, concerns, and requests for others as part of their prayer.

A preschooler will not be as fluent in expressing his or her deepest thoughts as a sixth-grader, nor will their thoughts be as complex. But all are important. Don’t stop praying with a child when they hit age 8 or 9. Let them hear your prayers as well.

Make sure your child takes time to listen. Listening is as important a part of any conversation as talking is. We need silence in which to think, reflect, wait, and listen.

Explain to your children that God is their True Friend who made them and loves them, and that they can talk to Him whenever they like. He puts good thoughts in their heads and fills them with loving hearts.

Encourage your child to pray in such a way that if the prayers are not answered they will not feel disillusioned. A child may pray for good weather when planning a picnic and be crushed when it rains. But a local farmer may be praying for rain on that same day, rain he needs for his crops. God is looking out for all people.

What prayer can do for you and your child:

• It will help you get to know your child. You will have a daily reading on what is on your child’s mind and heart.

• It helps to clarify thinking, strengthen good resolutions, and increase the ability to love.

• It is a time for complete honesty. It’s not a time to impress God or parents.

• It points to blessings. It is a way to acknowledge privileges and joy with intense appreciation, and a way to examine personal goals and values thoughtfully and creatively, always seeking to do it God’s way.

• It establishes a predictable and reliable ritual in their life.

• It gives comfort in a world that can be disruptive and scary.

• It helps you and your child focus on joy. Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.

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Teilhard de Chardin Joan Bel Geddes is the author of numerous books on subjects from childcare to the civil rights movement. Her most recent work is Childhood and Children: A Compendium of Customs, Theories, Profiles, and Facts. She continues her freelance writing from her home in New York City.

Two pastors’ wives were visiting and sewing their husbands pants.

One wife said: My husband is just beside himself, he does not know what to do anymore and he is so tired and depressed he said he is ready to just give up and resign.

The other wife said: I am sorry to hear that because my husband has never been happier. Our membership is growing and we are out of our financial burden, we have such a large and loving congregation. Life could not be any better than it is right now.

One woman was mending the seat of her husbands pants, the other was mending the knees.

What ever your situation in Life is… What are you wearing out, your seat or your knees?

The Church at Prayer — Acts 4:31–35

A. Acts 4:31–35 (NAS)

31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness. 32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. 34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales, 35 and lay them at the apostles’ feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need.

B. Connexion

1. Last week we looked at the preceding verses, 23 to 30, and specifically examined the manner in which the church prayed

a. with unanimity

b. with worship

c. with specific facts and needs in mind (boldness vs opposition)

d. with God’s glory sought

2. In these verses, let’s look at the effect of this prayer on the church

a. filled with Holy Spirit

b. boldness

c. unity

d. spiritual power

(A) for the leaders

(B) for the congregation

C. Filled with Holy Spirit

1. in one verse, Ephesians 5:18; (NAS): And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, we are taught three things about God’s Holy Spirit: all believers

a. should be filled

b. are not filled

c. have a part in being filled

2. all believers should be filled with the Holy Spirit

a. the fact that this command is given shows us that it is God’s intention that His Holy Spirit fill believers

b. and if the command is not enough, then consider that we are told in 1 Corinthians 6:19; (NAS): that … do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

(A) a the purpose of the temple was that it be filled with the presence of God

(B) so the purpose for our body, our life is to be filled with the presence of God, the Holy Spirit

3. all believers are not filled with the Holy Spirit

a. again, the fact of this command shows that not all believers are filled with the Holy Spirit

b. and the context suggests that this was because they were seeking their stimulation, their satisfaction in things other than their relationship with God

4. all believers have a part in being filled with the Holy Spirit

a. and one more time, that this command is given is evidence that the believer has a responsibility in being filled with the Holy Spirit

b. the context suggest very strongly that one key ingredient of being filled with the Holy Spirit is prayer: both individual and corporate

c. and the context of that passage in 1 Corinthians that we ready gives another factor: how do we live? Are we keeping ourselves pure? Do we respect the fact that He, the Holy Spirit is residing within us?

d. and two more verses on our responsibility in this matter

(A) Ephesians 4:30; (NAS): And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. — if you read the context you will find that we grieve the Holy Spirit — and obstruct His filling us — by un-Christian words and un-Christian dees

(B) 1 Thessalonians 5:19; (NAS): Do not quench the Spirit; — the context showing that we quench the Spirit — and obstruct His filling us — by failing to do the revealed will of God, and particularly by lack of gratitude

5. Next week, Lord willing, we will look at some other effects that the Church experienced from their prayer

a. boldness as they had prayed

b. unity of heart and spirit

c. spiritual power

(A) for the leaders in witness

(B) for the congregation in mutual support

D. Tonight, as we pray, let us seek in particular to be thankful to God, asking for power to do His will, and to be Christian in word and deed.

Seminary professor David Wells once referred to prayer as “rebelling against the status quo.” [1] No doubt there are many of us whose eyes light up at that phrase; to rebel against the status quo is to challenge life where it has grown stagnant, to bring about reformation and transformation where thought and faith have grown stale. Others may wonder what Christianity, and specifically Christian prayer, has to do with rebellion at all.

The candid words of a popular music group speak of Jesus Christ as a man of love and strength, but a man very much separated from what we see and experience today. The lyrics sing of His living only in our prayers, and come to the conclusion that while what Christ was may have been beautiful, the past offers nothing at all for here and now of our pain. The words are gripping, the image one of despair. But I think it is also a largely accurate, sorely honest response that many have of the world today. We find the pain, the trouble, the problem of evil in the world, all screaming at us here and now. And we have grown to see it as just that — right here and right now, an unchangeable reality. We have come to terms with the world “as it is” refusing to think much about what it could or should be. This is an easier route. It is not that we are unconscious of the injustice, suffering, and even evil around us, but that we feel utterly powerless to do anything about it.

Prayer is rebelling against the status quo. It is refusing to come to terms with an unjust, evil world, as if it were all we were meant to have, as if there was no One that could change it. Prayer remembers not only that the world as we find it can be changed but that it should be changed and that there is One who can change it. Jesus instructed his followers to pray, “Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9,10) In prayer we stand in rebellion against a world that is not hallowing the name of God, a world not looking for signs of the kingdom, and a world wholly uninterested in doing His will. The posture of prayer, Christ taught us, is a persistent gazing at God as sovereign King, an undeterred vision of what the world can and ought to be, with assurance that our cries do not fall on deaf ears.

As the Psalmist has prayed,

Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;

be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"

Your face, LORD, I will seek. (Psalm 27:7-8)

We seek His face not to escape reality but to find reality, to stand before the sovereign face of God with all that is here and now — with pain and sickness, with all that is wrong in the world, with all that is contrary to His coming Kingdom, and with confidence that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

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1. Christianity Today, Vol. 17, No. 6, November 2, 1979.

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Copyright © 2003 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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A. For what should we pray? « Leader information »

Psalm 2:7–8 (NAS): “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.’”

1. we know that sometimes our prayer is not answered because we « pray amiss ((James 4:3) »

a. so our prayers are half-hearted since we « often wonder whether or not we are asking according to the will of God »

b. sometimes this is because « God does not answer our prayers right away »

c. but more often it is because we « do not have a clear, unequivocal knowledge of what is the will of God »

2. and this is unfortunate

a. because God’s Word clearly reveals to us « many aspects of what constitutes God’s will »

b. for example in these verses we leave the council chambers of the wicked described in verses 1 to 3, we hear God’s pronouncement against them in verses 4 to 6 and now we hear God declare His decree « — that is, an expression of His declared will which God intends to carry out, namely that Jesus Christ, the Son, is going to reign over His kingdom »

c. and Jesus Himself taught us that we can pray confidently for this in His words — “ « Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” » “ and praying in this fashion, we will find that God will involve us in accomplishing His purposes.

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”” (Ro 10:12-13 NKJV)

No Difference Between The Jew And Greek

• difference[distinction] — Rom 3:22, Gal 3:28, Acts 15:7-9 — essentially

• rich — in gifts of mercy

• call…Him — in earnest, importunate, penitent, believing prayer

• for — so it is said in 0ld Testament — Joel 2:32 — Scripture appealed to for confirmation of the saying

• saved — now and for ever

Free salvation — W. W Wythe

I. The blessing: Salvation from –

1. The guilt;

2. The power;

3. The results, of sin.

II. The duty: to call

1. Upon God;

2. Through the mediation of Christ;

3. By the aid of the Spirit;

4. With a disposition to be saved.

III. The promise: to all –

1. Nations;

2. Ranks;

3. Conditions;

4. Characters.

A mother’s prayer — An Indian family of superior rank in Martha’s Vineyard lost their first five children in infancy; neither their medicines nor their powwows could save them. A sixth was born a few years before the English settled in the island, and the poor mother was greatly distressed lest this should die also. She felt helpless herself, and she could not trust her priests and doctors. “But is there not some Almighty God to be prayed to?” were her thoughts; “a God that made everything we see — a God who gave me life, and other people life, and who gave life to my baby? and if He gave life, can He not continue it?” The poor Indian mother determined to seek this God, and pray to Him for the life of her child. As soon as she was able, she took it up in her arms, and went into the field, and fell down and prayed to Him in its behalf. The little one lived; this strengthened her faith; she believed there was One on high who heard and answered prayer, and thus, in the gratitude of her heart, she devoted her boy to God. Not long after, the white men came and settled at Martha’s Vineyard, and the Indians, who had been at some of their meetings, told about their coming together, and that the man who spoke often looked up to the sky. The mother heard about it. “These strangers met for prayer,” she thought, “and perhaps they pray to the same God I pray to, and who saved the life of my child.” She longed to see them. Mr. Mayhew, the minister of the white men, soon visited that part of the island where she lived, and preached the Gospel. The woman went to hear him. It was just the Gospel for her. She believed it, and joyfully received Jesus Christ the Son of God as her Almighty Saviour and helper. She afterwards united with the Church, and in the story of her experience of God’s goodness and mercy, they saw that “the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.” “What became of the little boy?” He grew up a Christian boy, became a preacher of the Gospel, and pastor of a flourishing Indian Church in the Vineyard. God will accept and bless a mother’s offering. — Family Treas.

“None of Adam’s children are naturally inclined to receive the blessing in borrowed robes, but will always, according to the spider’s motto, owe all to themselves; and so they attempt to climb up to heaven on a thread spun out of their own bowels!” — Boston

“The Lord’s Prayer is short, mysterious, and, like the treasures of the Spirit, full of wisdom and latent senses: it is not improper to draw forth those excellence. which are intended and signified by every petition, that by so excellent an authority we may know what it is lawful to beg of God.” — Jeremy Taylor

Kids were bragging about their dads — one says, “My dad writes some words called a poem and they pay him $50.” Next one says, “My dad writes words to make a song and they pay him $200.” Third one says, “My dad writes a couple of pages called a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money.”

If you are having trouble getting your motor up to speed today, be lifted by this verse: Isaiah 30:18 (NLT), “But the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for him to help them.” Ooo-eee — that’s a bountiful mouthful! That’s like spiritual STP for your soul!

The last part of that wonderful verse can sort of stick in your throat — “Blessed are those who wait for him to help them,” That’s the hard part — to wait. We have a tendency to say to God, “Give me patience, and I want it right now!” God’s timing for your needs may not necessarily be “sudden service”, but be assured that he wants to show you his love and compassion according to his plan. Be patient.

”Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you:” I Peter 5:7.

It is a happy way of soothing our sorrow when we can feel “HE careth for me.” Christian, do not dishonor your religion by always wearing a brow of care; come and cast your burden upon your Lord. You are staggering beneath a weight, which your Father would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden, would be to Him but as the small dust of the balance. Nothing is so sweet as to lie passive in God’s hands, and know no will but His.

If you are suffering, be patient; for God has not passed you over in His providence. He who feeds the sparrows, will also furnish you with what you need. Do not sit down in despair; hope on. Take up the arms of faith against a sea of troubles, and your opposition will end your distress. There is One who cares for you. His eye is fixed on you, His heart beats with pity for your struggles, and His hand omnipotent shall yet bring you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall scatter itself in showers of mercy The blackest gloom shall give place to the morning. He, if you are one of His family. He will bind up your wounds, and heal your broken heart. Do not doubt His grace because of your tribulation, but believe that He loves you as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness. What a serene and quiet life you could lead if you would let Him be the God of providence! With a little oil in the cruse, and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived the famine, and you will do the same. If God cares for you, why should you care too? If you can trust Him for your soul, then why not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens, He has never fainted under their weight. So come, dear believer, and do away with fretful care, and leave all your concerns in the hand of a gracious God.

GOD’S MEN ARE IN HIDING UNTIL THE DAY OF THEIR SHOWING FORTH.

They will come. Let him be as plain as John the Baptist. Let him for a season be a voice crying in the wilderness of modem theology and stagnant churchianity. Let him be as selfless as Paul the apostle. Let him, too, say and live, “This ONE thing I do.” Let him reject ecclesiastical favors. Let him be self-abasing, non-self-seeking, non- self-projecting, non-self-righteous, non-self-glorying, non-self-promoting. Let him say nothing that will draw men to himself, but only that which will move men to God. Let him come daily from the throne-room of a holy God, the place where he has received the order of the day. Let him, under God, unstop the ears of the millions who are deaf through the clatter of shekels milked from this hour of material mesmerism. Let him cry with a voice this century has not heard because he has seen a vision no man in this century has seen.

God send us this Moses to lead us from the wilderness of crass materialism, where the rattlesnakes of lust bite us and where enlightened men, totally blind spiritually, lead us to an ever-nearing Armageddon. God have mercy; send us PROPHETS!

A. Prayer

The need of the Church today is for spiritual millionaires who can bring down the wealth of the world above on this stricken church age. It is my solemn conviction that the Lord put the Church to groan in this groaning creation (Rom. 8:26) that she might reach millions who would otherwise groan for eons in a devil’s hell. Are we (who still have coals of fire on our altars) measuring ourselves by the fireless altars of neighboring churches instead of checking on the praying blaze of our saintly fore-bearers?

THE NAME OF CHRIST

If we today could rediscover The virtue in that Name, The victory in that Name, The violence in that Name, We could set this world alight for God. A sermon born in the head reaches the head; A sermon born in the heart reaches the heart.

No Christian is greater than his prayer-life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. The two prerequisites to successful Christian living are vision and passion, both of which are born in and maintained by prayer. The ministry of preaching is open to few; the ministry of prayer — the highest ministry of all human offices — is open to all. Prayer grasps eternity! The understanding soul prays; the praying soul gets understanding. The secret of praying is praying in secret.

Elijah was a man skilled in the art of prayer, who altered the course of nature, strangled the economy of a nation, prayed and fire fell, prayed and people fell, prayed and rain fell. We need rain, rain, rain! The churches are so parched that seed cannot germinate. Our altars are dry, with no hot tears of penitents. Oh for an Elijah! Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, but alas, we are not men of like prayer as he was. His whole life is summed up in two words, “He prayed.” (James 5:17)

Watch and pray, or rust and decay. No amount of prayer will deliver us from temptation, but it will deliver us in temptation. Prayer is the language of the poor in Spirit. The self-sufficient do not need to pray; The self-satisfied will not pray; The self-righteous cannot pray. Prayer produces courage and joy to do God’s will even if tears are shed doing it. The man who kneels in prayer has some standing before the Lord. Many ask God for help. Few ask God for mercy. We need preachers who can preach up a storm, but our greater need is for pray-ers who can pray down the fire. Most Christians pray to be blest few pray to be broken. Prayer is not argument with God to persuade Him to walk our way, but an exercise by which He enables us by His Spirit to walk His way. Who can tell the measure of God’s power? Prayer is as vast as God because He is behind it. Prayer is as mighty as God, because He has committed Himself to answer it.

That literary genius, Robert Louis Stevenson, though hounded by handicaps and pinioned with pain, turned tragedy into triumph. His battle with tuberculosis lasted years; then came the master stroke — blindness; later came sciatica with such an iron grip that the moving of a muscle was excruciating pain. In this derelict condition, Stevenson, the writer, was ordered to bed, and there the doctor strapped up his right arm to immobilize it. Writing meant agonizing pain. Days later the doctor came, only to be staggered at Stevenson’s determination to work. The wellspring within was gushing forth. Then the doctor speculated, “Bitter things will be written and dark shadows of pain translated into verse.” How wrong he was! Under this duress, the brilliant author of Treasure Island gave the world the glittering book, A Child’s Garden of Verse. When a man can carry Stevenson’s load and still sing, he is worthy of any man’s admiration.

There is a parallel story in the Christian world. Its hero, too, was handicapped, for he had a close range fight with the tubercular monster. This man polished no literary gems (though he was capable of it), produced no books, wrote no poems, built no church, and founded no society. About two hundred years ago he died. But today he lives, for from his innermost being there is still flowing a challenge to sacrificial and sustained prayer. This giant in the faith is, of course, David Brainerd.

John Wesley caught some heat from Brainerd and urged his brother Charles to see that every minister in Methodism in that day read Brainerd’s unmatched diary. Jonathan Edwards unwittingly burned a part of Brainerd’s classic record, but the remainder still carried fire. The Brainerd story touched Forbes Robertson of Brighton and moved him to eloquence. Dr. A. J. Gordon of Boston read the tale, trekked to Brainerd’s grave in the snow, and there bowed his head. From then on Gordon’s ministry was changed. William Carey of England, who was shaken after meditating on the devotion of the zealot, Brainerd, opened the gospel to the Orient. Henry Martyn, also of England (Smith prizeman at twenty-one and senior wrangler of his university), forsook his loved Lydia and went to India after the call of God came to him through reading the life story of our hero, David Brainerd. There in India Martyn completed the first New Testament translation in Arabic. Bishop French and Anthony Groves, John Wilson and George Maxwell Gordon were alike stirred by Brainerd’s diary. After these facts, who can deny the profit of “the corn of wheat” that falls into the ground and dies? Even now, two hundred years after Brainerd, men are still stirred and challenged by his life. Recently in the library of Princeton Seminary, I myself handled with affection the badgerskin-covered Hebrew lexicon that Brainerd carried with him on his famous crusade for the lost souls of the Indians. The volume itself seemed a challenge!

Here is my point: If one man could influence the Christian world as this man has done, what would an army like him do? There is no field more unexplored in Christian experience and possibility than this limitless field of prayer. Prayer means care for souls. Prayer means pain. Prayer means privacy, for often the battle is waged alone. Prayer means power. Prayer, Luther said, means “sweat on the soul.” Prayer means filling in the sufferings of Christ. We cannot shoot fire-belching jet planes with sling shots nor repulse tanks with bottles; less still can we push back the powers of darkness with mere words. Jude talks of praying “in the Holy Ghost.” This praying alone can bring to pass the purpose of a holy God and put to flight the army of alien powers. This praying is no toy soldier’s game. This is realism. This is a fight to the death — no parley with the enemy — no truce — no terms — a fight to the death!

With some accuracy a recent writer portrayed the present, bleak picture of the slow-footed Church. Then to relieve the shadowy story, he grabbed the truth of Joel 2:28, “Afterwards,… I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh,” and hailed this truth as a picture of hope.

Indeed, such it is if not divorced from its context, for the whole of Chapter 2 of Joel is the pattern as a handmaid to revival. This is a prescription for a sick church and for a dying world. God is a God of order, and the order is clear in the chapter mentioned. (The peril of all Bible teaching is that we get lopsided and, like Ephraim, get overdone on one side of our understanding and underdone on the other side.) Only they who fulfill God’s commands have a full claim on the Lord.

As I see it, believers need a new concerted effort for this crucial hour. For far less worthy causes than this, we can dislocate our programs when it suits us so to do. Do men pass forever from eternal mercy? And is it true that there is no arbitration after the judgment seat of Christ? If you give a positive answer, then is there anything on earth worth more than the power of the Lord moving upon mankind? Though you cannot be the salt of the whole earth nor the light of the whole world, you may season your community and lighten your neighborhood. In the saintly Brainerd’s dying moments, he passed on to the Church God’s secret for revival in this or any other day. Listen to the pain-gasped word — travail, t r a v a i 1, t-r-a-v-a-i-l. Let’s try it!

1. Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray–

This is my heart-cry day unto day;

I long to know Thy will and tThy way–

Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray.

Chorus

Living in Thee, Lord, and Thou in me–

Constant abiding, this is my plea;

Grant me Thy power, boundless and free–

Power with men and power with Thee.

2. Power in prayer, Lord, power in prayer–

Here ’mid earth’s sin and sorrow and care;

Men lost and dying, souls in despair–

O give me power, power in prayer!

3. My weakened will, Lord, Thou canst renew–

My sinful nature Thou canst subdue;

Fill me just now with power anew–

Power to pray and power to do!

4. Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray–

Thou art my pattern day unto day;

Thou art my surety now and for aye–

Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray.

We today yearn for prayer and hide from prayer. We are attracted to it and repelled by it. We believe prayer is something we should do, even something we want to do; but it seems as if a chasm stands between us and actually praying. We experience the agony of prayerlessness.

We are not quite sure what holds us back. Of course we are busy with work and family oblications, but that is only a smoke screen. Our business seldom keeps us from eating or sleeping or making love. No, there is something deeper, more profound keeping us in check. In reality, there are any number of "somethings" preventing us, all of which we will explore in due time. It is the notion -- almost universal amone us modern high achievers -- that we have to have everything "just right" in order to pray. That is, before we can really pray, our lives need some fine tuning, or we need to know more about how to pray, or we need to study the philosophical questions surrounding prayer, or we need to have a better grasp of the great traditions of prayer. And on it goes.

It isn't that these are wrong concerns or that there is never a time to deal with them. But we are starting from the wrong end of things -- putting the cart before the house. Our problem is that we assume prayer is something to master like algebra or auto mechanics. That puts us in the "on top" position, where we are competent and in contol. But when praying we come "underneath," where we calmly and deliberately surrender control and become imcompetent. "To pray," writes Emilie Griffin, "means to be willing to be naïve."

I used to think that I needed to get all my motives straitened out before I could pray, really pray. I would be in some prayer group, for example, and would examine what I had just prayed and think to myself, "How utterly foolish and self-centered; I can't pray this way!" And so I would determine never to pray again until my motives where pure. You understand, I did not want to be a hypocrite. I knew that God is holy and righteous. I knew that prayer is no majic incantation. I knew that I must not use God for my own ends. But the practical effect of this internal soul-searching was to completely paralyze my ability to pray.

The truth of the matter is, we all come to prayer with a tangled mass of motives -- altruistic and selfish, merciful and hateful, loving and bitter. Frankly, this side of eternity we will never unravel the good from the bad, the pure from the impure. But what I have come to see is that God is big enough to receive us with all our mixture. We do not have to be bright, or pure, or filled with faith, or anything. That is what grace means, and not only are we saved by grace, we live by it as well. And we pray by it.

Thomas a' Kempis wrote that the man of God ought to be more at home in his prayer chamber than before the public....

No man should stand before an audience who has not first stood before God. Many hours of communion should precede one hour in the pulpit. The prayer chamber should be more familiar than the public platform. Prayer should be continuous, preaching but intermittent.

It is significant that the schools teach everything about preaching except the important part, praying. For this weakness the schools are not to be blamed, for the reason that prayer cannot be taught; it can only be done. The best any school or any book (or any article) can do is to recommend prayer and exhort to its practice. Praying itself must be the work of the individual. That it is the one religious work which gets done with the least enthusiasm cannot but be one of the tragedies of our times. God Tells the Man Who Cares, 70-71.

"Lord, I pray today that I might more and more be at home in my prayer chamber. It's exciting to be in the pulpit; it's vital to be in the closet. Let me do this work with deeper commitment and greater enthusiasm. Amen."