The Word and Prayer
Prayer and the Word of God are inseparable, and using God's Word in prayer gives it power and teaches us how to pray effectively.
Andrew Murray emphasizes the inseparable relationship between prayer and the Word of God, asserting that true communication with God requires both elements. He explains that while prayer allows us to speak to God, it is through the Word that we receive His thoughts and guidance, empowering our prayers. Murray highlights the necessity of understanding our own sinfulness and the grace available through Christ, which the Word reveals. He encourages Christians to renew their strength daily in God's Word and to pray for understanding and application of that Word in their lives. Ultimately, the inner chamber of prayer and the Word is where believers can experience intimacy with God and be strengthened by the Holy Spirit.
Text
"Quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word." - Psalm 119:107.
Prayer and the Word of God are inseparable, and should always go together in the quiet time of the inner chamber. In His Word God speaks to me; in prayer I speak to God. If there is to be true communication, dialogue, and intimacy, God and I must both take part.
If I simply pray, without using God's Word, I am likely to use my own words and thoughts. When I take God's thoughts from His Word, and present them before Him when I pray, this gives the prayer its power. Then I am enabled to pray according to God's Word. How indispensable God's Word is for all true prayer!
When I pray, I must seek to know God properly. It is through the Word that the Holy Spirit gives me right thoughts of Him. The Word will also teach me how wretched and sinful I am. It reveals to me all the wonders that God will do for me, and the strength He will give me to do His will. The Word teaches me how to pray--with strong desire, with a firm faith, and with constant perseverance. The Word teaches me not only what I am, but what I may become through God's grace. And above all, it reminds me each day that Christ is the great Intercessor, and allows me to pray in His Name.
O Christian, learn this great lesson, to renew your strength each day in God's Word, and so pray according to His will.
Then we turn to the other side that is prayer. We need prayer when we read God's Word--prayer to be taught of God to understand His Word, prayer that through the Holy Spirit I may rightly know and use God's Word,--prayer that I may see in the Word that Christ is all in all, and will be all in me.
Blessed inner chamber, where I may approach God in Christ through the Word and prayer. There I may offer myself to God and His service, and be strengthened by the Holy Spirit, so that His love may be shed abroad in my heart, and I may daily walk in that love.
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Prayer and the Word
- The Role of the Word in Prayer
- The Result of Prayer and the Word
- Renewing our strength in God's Word
- Praying according to God's will
Key Quotes
“Prayer and the Word of God are inseparable, and should always go together in the quiet time of the inner chamber.” — Andrew Murray
“When I take God's thoughts from His Word, and present them before Him when I pray, this gives the prayer its power.” — Andrew Murray
“The Word teaches me how to pray--with strong desire, with a firm faith, and with constant perseverance.” — Andrew Murray
Application Points
- Make it a habit to renew your strength each day in God's Word.
- Pray according to God's will by using His Word in your prayers.
- Seek to deepen your understanding of God through the Word and the Holy Spirit.