Not Asking for Anything
The sermon emphasizes the importance of worship in our prayer life, encouraging us to recognize our debt to God and come to Him with a sense of gratitude and awe.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the profound nature of prayer that transcends mere requests, advocating for a relationship with God rooted in worship and gratitude rather than a transactional approach. He reflects on the importance of recognizing God's past blessings and the debt of gratitude owed to Him, suggesting that true prayer often involves silent reverence rather than vocal petitions. Tozer challenges the notion of God as merely a 'Need-meeter,' urging believers to approach Him with a heart of worship and appreciation for His grace and mercy.
Text
I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. --Psalm 116:1-2
I think that some of the greatest prayer is prayer where you don't say one single word or ask for anything. Now God does answer and He does give us what we ask for. That's plain; nobody can deny that unless he denies the Scriptures. But that's only one aspect of prayer, and it's not even the important aspect. Sometimes I go to God and say, "God, if Thou dost never answer another prayer while I live on this earth I will still worship Thee as long as I live and in the ages to come for what Thou hast done already." God's already put me so far in debt that if I were to live one million millenniums I couldn't pay Him for what He's done for me.
We go to God as we send a boy to a grocery store with a long written list, "God, give me this, give me this, and give me this," and our gracious God often does give us what we want. But I think God is disappointed because we make Him to be no more than a source of what we want. Even our Lord Jesus is presented too often much as "Someone who will meet your need." That's the throbbing heart of modern evangelism. You're in need and Jesus will meet your need. He's the Need-meeter. Well, He is that indeed; but, ah, He's infinitely more than that. Worship: The Missing Jewel, pp. 24-25
"Father, forgive me for so often just coming to You with my grocery list. You've been so faithful; You've given me so much; You've blessed so richly. It's time I just came, realizing my incredible debt to You, and simply worshipped at Your feet. Amen."
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Worship in Prayer
- The Problem with Focusing on Getting What We Want
- The Need for Worship in Our Prayer Life
- We need to come to God with a sense of gratitude and awe
- We need to recognize our debt to God and worship Him
- But that's not the most important aspect of prayer
Key Quotes
“God's already put me so far in debt that if I were to live one million millenniums I couldn't pay Him for what He's done for me.” — A.W. Tozer
“Father, forgive me for so often just coming to You with my grocery list.” — A.W. Tozer
“It's time I just came, realizing my incredible debt to You, and simply worshipped at Your feet.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We need to be intentional about recognizing our debt to God and expressing gratitude and awe to Him in our prayer life.
- We should avoid reducing God to a source of our needs and instead come to Him with a sense of worship and awe.
- We can cultivate a sense of worship in our prayer life by being grateful for what God has done for us and recognizing our incredible debt to Him.