Thoughts on Prayer

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Ephesians 6:18

When you read this verse what is your response? Why should we pray always, why is there is emphasis placed so high on this action?

We can notice two things about prayer in this verse.

·         We should always pray

·         The great importance of prayer

Our response to this verse should be to pray, pray, pray and give ourselves completely to it. Prayer is the most wonderful, spiritual, powerful and yet the most sacred thing we can do it. Why is this kind of prayer so needful?

1.      Because of the war around us.

Ephesians 6:10-18

Verse 12 speaks of our very real and dangerous enemy, Satan.

It is our weapon, our defense; it is our only life line in the war

2.      It is God’s method in which He works.

James 4:2 ye have not because ye ask not

The reason for all spiritual lack in a Christian’s life is a lack of prayer.

"Why is it," many a Christian is asking, "I make so little progress in my Christian life?"

"Neglect of prayer," God answers. "You have not because you ask not."

"Why is it," many a minister is asking, "I see so little fruit from my labors?"

Again God answers, "Neglect of prayer. You have not because you ask not."

"Why is it," many a Sunday-School teacher is asking, "that I see so few converted in my Sunday-School class?"

Still God answers, "Neglect of prayer. You have not because you ask not."

"Why is it," both ministers and churches are asking, "that the church of Christ makes so little headway against unbelief and error and sin and worldliness?"

Once more we hear God answering, "Neglect of prayer. You have not because you ask not."

Look at the importance placed on prayer by key figures in the Scripture

To the prophets it was their source of Power

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

James 5:16-17

To the Psalmist it was their way to a deep knowledge of God

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

Psalms 63:1-3

To Christ it was a way of life and ministry

While on earth he prayed

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Mark 1:35

And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Luke 6:12

Even Christ felt it necessary to pray all night. Prayer is mention 25 in connection with our Lord in brief ministry he had on this earth.

While in Heaven He prays

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:25

Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Romans 8:34

If we are to have fellowship with our Master we must be about the ministry He is about and that is PRAYER!

To the Apostles it was their only priority

Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

Acts 6:3-4

Rom1:9, Eph 1:15-16, Col. 1:9, I Thes. 3:10, 2 Tim 3:10

To Great men of God throughout history it was a common bond.

These men may have differed in many things but in their devotion to Prayer they were the same.

“Our praying, however, needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage which never fails.” — E. M. Bounds

“God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it.” — John Wesley

“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” — Oswald Chambers

“O brother, pray; in spite of Satan, pray; spend hours in prayer; rather neglect friends than not pray; rather fast, and lose breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper—and sleep too—than not pray. And we must not talk about prayer, we must pray in right earnest. The Lord is near. He comes softly while the virgin slumbers.”  — Andrew A. Bonar

“Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer.” — D. L. Moody

“Quit playing, start praying. Quit feasting, start fasting. Talk less with men, talk more with God. Listen less to men, listen to the words of God. Skip travel, start travail.” — Leonard Ravenhill

“It is a tremendously hard thing to pray aright, yea, it is verily the science of all sciences.” — Martin Luther

“Prayer—secret, fervent, believing prayer—lies at the root of all personal godliness.”  — Carey’s Brotherhood, Serampore

“None can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but those who have learned it by experience. It is a great matter when in extreme need to take hold on prayer. I know, whenever I have prayed earnestly, that I have been amply heard, and have obtained more than I prayed for. God indeed sometimes delayed, but at last He came.”  — Martin Luther

“You know the value of prayer: it is precious beyond all price. Never, never neglect it.”  — Sir Thomas Buxton

“Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray, then my dear brother; pray, pray, pray.”  — Edward Payson

“It is not enough to begin to pray, nor to pray aright; nor is it enough to continue for a time to pray; but we must patiently, believingly, continue in prayer until we obtain an answer; and further we have not only to continue in prayer unto the end, but we have also to believe that God does hear us, and will answer our prayers. Most frequently we fail in not continuing in prayer until the blessing is obtained, and in not expecting the blessing.”  — George Müller

“Each time, before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!” — Andrew Murray

“If we would pray aright, the first thing we should do is to see to it that we really get an audience with God, that we really get into His very presence. Before a word of petition is offered, we should have the definite consciousness that we are talking to God, and should believe that He is listening and is going to grant the thing that we ask of Him.”  — Dr. R. A. Torrey

“There is no power like that of prevailing prayer—of Abraham pleading for Sodom, Jacob wrestling in the stillness of the night, Moses standing in the breach, Hannah intoxicated with sorrow, David heart-broken with remorse and grief, Jesus in sweat and blood. Add to this list from the records of the church your personal observation and experience, and always there is cost of passion unto blood. Such prayer prevails. It turns ordinary mortals into men of power. It brings power. It brings fire. It brings rain. It brings life. It brings God.”   —Samuel Chadwick

If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me." - Robert Murray M’Cheyne

It is God’s Divine method for a Christian to obtains things from Him

1.      We can obtain Mercy and Grace through prayer

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

2.      We can obtain the fullness of Joy through prayer

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

John 16:24

3.      We can obtain the Peace of God

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

4.      We can obtain the fullness of the Holy Spirit

And I say unto you, 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. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Luke 11:9-13

If we are to make any progress in our work for God then we must have the fullness of the Spirit, the fullness can only come from the fellowship with God and the fellowship can only come from PRAYER

The accomplishments of Prayer

1.      It keeps us from being distracted by the allurements of this world or surprise attacks from Satan.

And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Luke 21:34-36

2.      It promotes growth and spiritual cleansing in the life of a believer.

In Psalms 139:23-24 we see the pattern for God bringing our sin into the light. Psalms51:2 is our response to that conviction. Now that I am clean I can Psalms 119:18 Wich leads to wisdom James 1:5 which brings us to spiritual maturity a reflection of Christ 2 Cor3:18

3.      It brings real power into the work we do.

We have no power outside of the Holy Spirit working through us, and that relationship can only be developed through prayer.

4.      It conceives anguish for others.

Nehemiah 1-2

5.      It brings blessing into the church.

The history of the church has always been a history of grave difficulties to overcome. The devil hates the church and seeks in every way to block its progress; now by false doctrine, again by division, again by inward corruption of life. But by prayer, a clear way can be made through everything. Prayer will root out heresy, allay misunderstanding, sweep away jealousies and animosities, obliterate immoralities, and bring in the full tide of God's reviving grace. History abundantly proves this. In the hour of darkest portent, when the case of the church, local or universal, has seemed beyond hope, believing men and believing women have met together and cried to God and the answer has come.

It was so in the days of Knox, it was so in the days of Wesley and Whitfield, it was so in the days of Edwards and Brainerd, it was so in the days of Finney, it was so in the days of the great revival of 1857 in this country and of 1859 in Ireland, and it will be so again in your day and mine. Satan has marshalled his forces. Christian science with its false Christ-- a woman--lifts high its head. Others making great pretensions of apostolic methods, but covering the rankest dishonesty and hypocrisy with these pretensions, speak with loud assurance. Christians equally loyal to the great fundamental truths of the Gospel are glowering at one another with a devil-sent suspicion. The world, the flesh and the devil are holding high carnival. It is now a dark day, BUT--now "it is time for Thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void Thy law." (Ps. 199:126). And He is getting ready to work, and now He is listening for the voice of prayer. Will He hear it? Will He hear it from you? Will He hear it from the church as a body? I believe He will.