THE PRAYER LIFE

The Prayer Life

"Lord, teach us to pray" - Luke 11:1

"but I give myself unto prayer" - Psalm 109:4

"continue in prayer" - Colossians 4:2

"Pray without ceasing" - I Thessalonians 5:17

"God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you" - I Samuel 12:23

These are a few of the verses of instruction from the Bible regarding to pray and the prayer life.  The need is still the same as the disciples asked, 'Lord teach us to pray'.  And prayer has generated some of the most marvelous and miraculous results.  Every salvation, fulfilled promises from God, deliverance from sin, victory over evil, provisions granted and all because God moved some soul to ask, seek and knock; and God heard, saw and opened.  Prayer is the most powerful weapon at the church's disposal to combat hell and its forces of evil and to advance our Lord's kingdom here on earth.  How often is that prayer uttered from the church or from a saint, 'Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, here on earth as it is in heaven.'  And how is His will done in heaven?  Perfectly!  And our prayer life is exactly the same opportunity to prevail.

I.  Physical Prayers

How often in Christ ministry, that as He would come across the afflicted, He would ask of them, 'what would you have Me do?"   And they in quick reply would ask for healing of their physical infirmity.  I have always found it amazing that Christ, Who was God, Omniscient, would ask what He already knew.  But He was drawing out of them openly, out loud what they desired.  Blind Bartimeaus, the lepers, Jairus daughter, each and many more asking for Divine healing of the physical need at hand, at that moment.  and how faithful He was to hear, and to respond and Divinely heal them all.


Have we not all been here?  And if, by some means of mercy, you have not been here, give thanks, for the higher percentage of the church and of the lost world are all facing disease, sickness, physical desires of need.  And in most of these cases, only God can answer that need.  for the ways of man have failed, and now a Divine moment is needed or the valley of the shadow of death will turn into the death knell.  this is the physical need of the hour for most families, churches, and individuals.

And these physical prayers are offered for the temporal, carnal side of our existence and for those around us and affecting us.  Often the trials and tribulations that are not of spiritual need 



II. Spiritual Prayers




III.  Prevailing Prayers


IV.  Hindered Prayers 

A question asked by many a saints learning and waling through the process of prayer: 'I'm praying, but I don't see any answers to my prayer. . .  I feel like my prayers are not heard. . .  I ask, but I don't receive. . . I feel like my prayers are being hindered.'   The exact reasons of why our prayers are not answered is varied.  But our prayers are only hindered for two reasons:
1.  sin;
2.  unbelief (which is also sin, but more specific to the cause);

in the book of James, it declares to us, 'you ask, but receive not, because you ask amiss'.  Herein is a root cause of why prayers are hindered. 

V. Sweet Hour of Prayer

If there was a reason to begin such a work on prayer, it is found in this heading of 'Sweet Hour of Prayer'.  I grew up singing it in church, loved by many, beatuiful melody and words that filled the soul.  But as the prayer life took off, I began to question, 'am I praying an hour?  is it sweet?'  Why sing it, if it isn't tru?  Or perhaps the other way to word it, 'to sing about sweet hour of prayer but never pray an hour, is a lie;  I'm guilty of lying about my prayer life'.  so in scrunity it is needful to see if we are praying just as we should.

the other area that came under scrutiny was the traditional Baptist church Wednesday night 'Pray Meeting & bible study" advertised for 7 PM.  I grew up under this.  And yes, even though it opened and closed in prayer, it was not a prayer meeting.   To those that report and know better, they say this died out back in the 1950;s & '60's.  The revolution of change to adapt to youth meetings, choir practices, other programs and meetings, the first thing that changed was prayer.  It was all but eliminated.   Not that the programs, meetings and spending more time in Bible study is not important, or doesn't advance the kingdom; they are important and edifying.  but the point is, that emphasizing an hour of prayer is not actually employed.  when in reality it is only less than 5 - 10 minutes of the hour.

When we set out on our first 24/7 prayer chain, I learned first hand how hard it was to maintain and employ that hour consistently and faithfully in the secret closet.  The benefit of the prayer notebook is underappreciated.  I broke it down into section of the hour for prayer:
--10 - 15 minutes of worship;
--10 minutes of confession;
--10 - 15 minutes of churches, brethren, missions;
--prayer against evil acitity;
--lost souls;
--petitions, requests, supplications for the nations, kingdom, future;

In this I learned to pray an hour and often overflow.  but I realized I had never seen this modeled, nor spoke of; (except in TW Hunt's 3:30 - 6;30 prayer time each morning, I knew his routine).   










Why?  Because we know not what to pray for as we should.  and too much that is called prayer, is not prayer, but only mental thoughts about someone, or something.  Thoughts about may not constitute  what prayer is generally defined as, as communication between God and man, and man to God.  The richest prayer life is one who knows fully to Whom he is praying and to Whom he is hearing from.  Prayer is not simply about the Lord or His will and way; nor is it simple gestures, but it is open, constant, consistent communication before His Holy Throne. Herein, the prayer life is the Divine means by which God has instituted for us to speak to Him and Him to speak to us.

This is an inexhaustible topic, and it is not my purpose to even attempt to cover it all.  But it m desire to speak to that which is healthy and spiritual for the prayer life to prevail for the kingdom of God.  Prayer is not offered up simply to ease our conscience.  It is not done, to accomplish the spiritual discipline check-lists.  It is to ask, seek and knock for the will of God to be done in the will of men. And that as in all things there are stages of growth in life, so there are in prayer.  God would not have us always to be babes in Christ and remain on the carnal, temporal and selfish.  But He would have us to have great faith, and 'do great and mighty exploits for His glory and Name sake.'  Let us examine the ways of prayer so as to continue to 'grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord'.





Started:  November 27, 2017

Continued: 12/4; 12/8;

Finished: