At The Grim Grip of Covid-19
HOW TO SHAKE HEAVENS AND GET YOUR PLEA ANSWERED?
May the Lord be praised, for He has heard the sound of my pleading. Psalms 28:6
Dynamics of Prevailing Prayers Series 3 of 8
3. IMPORTUNITY
Importunity in Greek is anaideia which means to utter shamelessly. Do not be embarrassed of your prayer and praying.
“He does not pray at all he who does not plea. Cold prayers have no claims on heaven and no bearings in the court above.” —E.M.Bounds
In coming to God the prayer of importunity should be offered, “I will not let thee go except thou bless me.” You are invited to spread out all your perplexities before the Lord; but do not gratify the enemy by pouring them into the minds of others, lest they stumble over them to their ruin. Jesus knows how to cure all the maladies of the soul. When we beseech the Lord to pity us in our weakness and distress, to guide us by his Holy Spirit, that we may understand his word, he will no more turn away from the prayer of the humble suppliant than the parent will turn away from the hungry child who comes to him for bread. EGWhite–{Signs of the Times, August 22, 1892 par. 6}
It includes the concept of great boldness, of urgency, of pressing your request, claim or demand to the very limits and it includes determination to persist that urgent boldness until it receives the answer. Importunity in prayer is prayer for God’s will to be done.
THIS IS NOT AN EXCUSE
Isaiah 64:7
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“A servant of the Lord stands bodily before men, but mentally he is knocking at the gates of heaven with prayer.” –John Climacus
Paul urges that “in Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:12) Greek transliteration is saying, “We have boldness and access with confidence.” Parresia is unreservedness of utterance, speaking plainly without fear, boldly but with cheerful courage.
Read Mark 7:26
What the Syrophonecian woman did?
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We must learn to watch unto prayer, and to be importunate. When we have offered our petition once, we must not then abandon it, but say, as did Jacob when he wrestled all night with the angel, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me,” and like him we shall prevail. EGWhite{Signs of the Times, May 15, 1884
How many have begged that caught Christ’s attention?
When He entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
Matthew 8:5
Then a leper came to Jesus and began pleading with him. He fell on his knees and told him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.” Mark 1:40
As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. Luke 18:35
Then he went on to plead, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!” Luke 23:42
And they, when they came to Jesus, earnestly entreated Him, pleading, “He deserves to have this favor granted him, Luke 7:4
Even the demons pleaded and Christ answered!
He told him, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us.” He kept pleading with Jesus not to send them out of that region. Mark 5:10
They all took the importunity by grabbing the opportune moment with boldness to get their plea to God and did not leave until they get their answers.
“It is atheism to pray and do not wait in hope. A sincere Christian will pray, wait strengthen his.”–Richard Sibbs
Have you been pleading to God lately?
WHAT PRAYER IS A REAL PRAYER AND NOT PLAIN TALKING?
Dynamics of Prevailing Prayers Series 2 of 8
In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Hebrews 5:7
2. FERVENCY
Desire and fervency are closely related, yet has its own contribution. Fervency has to do with passion and zeal. Fervency is born of love.
“You must pray with all your might. That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church or chapel with eyes wide open while someone else says them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God…This kind of prayer be sure the devil and the world and your own indolent, unbelieving nature will oppose. They will pour water on this flame.” —William Booth
“You may pray for an hour and still not pray. You may meet God for a moment and then be in touch with Him all day.” —Fredrik Wisloff
“The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men…Men of prayer.” —E. M. Bounds
“You must have so much of the soul of the love of God – a love like God’s love for sinners – in your soul, that you are ready for any sacrifice or labor. You need to feel as God feel…a love souls.” —Charles Finney
“Prayer without fervency is no prayer than it is speaking not praying.” —Richard Watson
“A travailing spirit is the throne of a burdened desire which belongs to prayer. Fervency must be strong enough to drive away sleep and devotes and enflames spirit this belongs to wrestling prevailing prayer.” —Adoniram Judson
Another term for fervency is
TO CRY OR CRY OUT
Crying, particularly amongst men, is commonly viewed as a sign of weakness in several cultures. Why is this, when it is a natural physical reaction and the first thing we do as babies as we enter the world? Whilst common custom is to criticize, defame and mock people who cry for their lack of strength, instead why not elevate the person who cries to the highest status. One of the signs of the pinnacle of a human being is their ability to cry.
Frowning at a person crying, therefore, is mocking one of the blessings of God. When one examines these nuggets of wisdom, it is evident that we should be thankful towards God that we have it within us to actually shed a tear. If we lack this capacity, we must re-examine ourselves to see why God has not granted us this favor. Crying is clearly a positive attribute as opposed to a negative one.
From a spiritual and ethical point of view, many argue that the root cause of most wrong actions is due to a hard heart. Suffering this spiritual ailment kills the compassion of the human where he/she will not have sympathy nor the ability to listen to one’s innate moral compass. Disobeying God’s laws is the obvious way to regress into this state but, on another surface, this can be caused by allowing the ‘self’ to take command of us. In other words, arrogance causes a hard heart that is unable to shed tears.
The Hebrew author wrote; “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety” (Hebrews 5:7.) This highlights that one of the signs of someone who has a soft-heart is the ability to cry and plead. Jesus, have have shown this. The Hebrew writer clearly tell us that weeping is a virtuous act in prayer. It is a sign of humility that you are able to shed a tear in the face of a spiritual struggle.
Furthermore, the hardness of the heart can also be seen in the issue of repentance; someone in this state will not have the capacity to speak to God and shed tears in front of Him since they have lost the quality of reciprocal love and affection. Once again, the arrogance does not allow the tears to flow. In the etiquette of conversing with God, many Bible incidents have shown shedding tears to be common among of those who humbled themselves and realize who they are speaking to. An arrogant heart cannot do this.
“A travailing spirit is the throne of a burdened desire which belongs to prayer. Fervency must be strong enough to drive away sleep and devotes and enflames spirit this belongs to wrestling prevailing prayer.” —Adoniram Judson
Discover these great people who used fervency in their prayer.
Psalm 88:1-2 D _______________
Exodus 14:15 M _______________
1Samuel 7:8 S ________________
2Chronicles 6:19 S ________________
Ezekiel 9:8 E ________________
1Kings 17:22 E ________________
“Enflamed desires impassion, unwearied insistence delight no heaven…Heaven is too busy to listen to half–hearted prayers.” —E.M. Bounds
“There must be passion in praying that prevails. Elijah was a man of passion. All there was on him went into everything he did. Listen to his prayer into the death chamber. Watch him on Carmel. Hear him plead the honor of God and unto the Lord for the affliction of the people. It is always the same – filled with fervency.
“Abraham pleading for Sodom, Jacob wrestling in the stillness of the night, Moses standing in the breach, Hannah intoxicated with sorrow, David heartbroken with remorse and grief, Jesus in the sweat of blood.
And add to that list the personal observation and experience and as always there is a cost of passion until blood as it prevails. It turns ordinary mortal to men of power. It brings power. It brings fire. It brings rain. It brings life. It brings God. There is no power like that of prevailing prayer.” —Samuel Chadwick
Read Jeremiah 29:12–14
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Prayer must be red hot. It is fervent prayer that is effective.
“God does not stand afar off as I struggle to speak. He cares enough to listen with more than casual attention. He translates my scrubby words and hears what is truly inside. He hears my sighs and uncertain groping as fine prose.” —Timothy Jones
“I lack the fervency, vitality, life, in prayer which I long for. I know that many consider it fanaticism when they hear anything which does not conform to the conventional, sleep–inducing eulogies so often rising from Laodicean lips; but I know too that these same people can acquiescently tolerate sin in their lives and in the church without so much as tilting one hair of their eyebrows.”–Jim Elliot
“Souls are to be sought for, prayed for, labored for. Earnest appeals are to be made, fervent prayers offered. Our tame, lifeless prayers need to be changed to petitions of intense earnestness.” EGWhite Gospel Worker 144.1
If you are just plain talking in your prayer, stop it. You are just wasting your time, bring your prayer to the next level by praying a prayer that shakes the heavens and get all their attention to your appeal.
Let us learn to pray intelligently, expressing our requests with clearness and precision. Let us . . . pray as though we meant it. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16 EGW{Our High Calling 130.6}
DYNAMICS OF PREVAILING PRAYER
If prayer is like singing, would you be attracted to a mono-tone, or out of tune? Unless you sing that way and so convinced that’s the way to sing. Like them
Excuse me here for using a video of singers wanna be to illustrate a point, but don’t get me wrong prayer is more than simply singing. Yes, those who auditioned will get high grade on desire, but it is not all desire there is in singing, and on that we can both agree.
Again there is more in prayer than in singing, even though a song can be a prayer or vice-versa. Notice a kid singing, note how it gets your attention and locks you in until the end of the song. Well because when a child sings there is no faking of emotion, it is just outright natural expression whether they understood the lyrics or not, it does not matter. Imagine if that is a prevailing prayer would it not caught God’s attention?
“God looks not at the oratory of your prayer, how elegant they may be; nor a the geometry of your prayer, how long they may be; nor the arithmetic of your prayers, how many they may be, the logic of your prayer how methodical they may be; but the sincerity of them that is how He look at.” Thomas Brooks
You have been praying all your life, now let’s just add some “spices” on it to really place it in the next level.
There are 8 dynamics of a prevailing prayer
1. Desire
2. Fervency
3. Importunity
4. Faith
5. Holy Spirit
6. Uniting in Prayer
7. Perseverance
8. Praise
1. DESIRE
“He who desires not from the depths of his heart makes a deceptive prayer.” —Fenelon
When sincere desire prompts men to pray, they will not pray in vain. The Lord will fulfill His word, and will give the Holy Spirit to lead to repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. He will pray and watch, and put away his sins, making manifest his sincerity by the vigor of his endeavor to obey the commandments of God. With prayer he will mingle faith, and not only believe in but obey the precepts of the law. He will announce himself as on Christ’s side of the question. He will renounce all habits and associations that tend to draw the heart from God. EG White–{New Life 24.1}
You always hear this among vocal coaches to sing with your heart and soul. yet in prevailing prayer, Heavens wants sincerity not beautiful polite words. Heaven wants depth of soul, not lukewarm mouthing.
God’s angels who see our soul through and through must feel like uttering Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Meaningless, meaningless…utterly meaningless…” You don’t want that do you?
We have said the same words so often that we can almost say them without thinking. Therefore they do not register with God. From here we make sure to level up with our prayer.
“Desire is the soul of prayer.” —Andrew Murray
Desire makes prayer specific.
Prayer makes prayer both vital and personal.
Desire is like hunger and urgency.
Desire is born in need.
Paul’s desire
- Romans 10:1 ___________________
- Philippians 1:9 __________________
God has no use for insincerity or lukewarmness in prayer or other spiritual things (Revelation 3:15-16). Lack of heart and lack of heat are repulsive to Him.
“This holy and fervid flame in the soul awakens the interest of heaven, attracts the attention of God and place the disposal of those who exercise it, the exhaustless richness of heaven of divine Grace.” —E.M. Bounds
Pursuing hunger may cost you misunderstanding and even suffering you may be considered an extremist or fanatic.
Nevertheless, learn from John Smith of England how he illustrates this kind of prevailing desire. “Give Scotland or I die.”
“When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christian, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy.” —Corrie Ten Boom
You cannot afford to have the devil have celebration party. We, better fix that relationship with God and know Him well.
“Those who know God the best are the richest and most powerful in prayer. Little acquaintance with God, and strangeness and coldness to Him, make prayer a rare and feeble thing.” —E. M. Bounds
next will be Fervency
PREVAILING PRAYER : WHAT PRAYER IS THIS?
“If you greatly desire something, have the guts to stake everything on obtaining it.”– Brendan Francis
PREVAILING PRAYER IS A NEED
- It is a holy work
- Your potential as a created being will risk
- No higher role, honor or authority can appeal with God than this.
“There is a general kind of praying which fails for lack of precision. It is as if a regiment of soldiers should all fire off their guns anywhere. Possibly somebody would be killed, but the majority of the enemy would be missed.” —Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“We lean to our own understanding, or we bank on service and do away with prayer, and consequently by succeeding in the external we fail in the eternal, because in the eternal we succeed only by prevailing prayer.” —Oswald Chambers
Prevail means to be victorious [from pre+ Latin valere = have power]
HAVE POWER to pray
HAVE PRAYER with power
HAVING A PREVAILING PRAYER IS HAVING A POWERFUL PRAYER
PREVAIL OVER HINDRANCES
- Prevail over appointment & unexpected guests
- Prevail over any gadgets that hinder prayer.
- Prevail over fatigue, hunger and sleepiness.
- Prevail over laziness and discomforts, noise
There are persons in the church who are not converted, and who will not unite in earnest, prevailing prayer. We must enter upon the work individually. We must pray more, and talk less.–Review and Herald, Mar. 22, 1887
PREVAIL BEFORE GOD
- God may be testing your heart’s desire (Jeremiah. 29:13)
“The Third Petition of the Lord’s Prayer is repeated daily by millions who have not the slightest intention of letting anyone’s will be done but their own.”–Aldous Huxley
- God may be testing your humility. (Matthew 15:21-28)
- God may be using your time of prevailing to search and purify your motive. (James 4:3)
“Never think that God’s delays are God’s denials. True prayers always receive what it asks or something better. —Tryon Edwards
- God looks at the contents of the heart(Psalms 66:18, Psalms 19:14)
“We hear it said that a man will suffer in his life if he does not pray; I question it. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God within him, which is nourished not by food but by prayer…Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished.” —Oswald Chambers
Role of Prevailing Prayer
- extending God’s Kingdom
- for defeating Satan
- fulfilling God’s eternal plan
- to cover the earth with His blessings
Job 21:14, 15
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“Prayer that is most pure with God is that which is most consistent with a spiritual action and practice.” —Author Unknown
Read Real Life Examples of Prevailing Prayer
Mark 10:46-52 B_____ B______________
Luke 8:43- B__________ Lady
Mark 7:26 Greek W___________
Genesis 32:9-13, 22-30 J________
“If you greatly desire something, have the guts to stake everything on obtaining it.”– Brendan Francis
“Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees.”—Victor Hugo
LEVELS OF PREVAILING PRAYER
LEVEL 1
Ask Matthew 7:7
LEVEL 2
Seek The asking becomes more intense
LEVEL 3
Knock Interceding becomes more urgent and insistent
LEVEL 4
Fast To previous crescendo of intensity and urgency of intercession, fasting is added.
LEVEL 5
Prayer Burden The burden may be intense and brief or perhaps extended over long period of time.
LEVEL 6
Wrestling in Prayer Very intense praying
LEVEL 7
Prayer Warfare Prayer battle extending over a prolonged period. (prayer marathon)
“Prayer is reaching out after the unseen; fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God.”—Andrew Murray
HOW DID MY PRAYERS FAIL?
Why my prayers fail?
“God hears no more than the heart speaks; and if the heart be dumb, God will certainly be deaf.”
—Thomas Brooks
“Love is kindled in a flame, and ardency is its life. Flame is the air which true Christian experience breathes. It feeds on fire; it can withstand anything rather than a feeble flame; but when the surrounding atmosphere is frigid or lukewarm, it dies, chilled and starved to its vitals. True prayer must be aflame.” –E.M. Bounds
“Let your prayer for temporal blessings be strictly limited to things absolutely necessary.”–St. Bernard
“Triumphant prayer is almost impossible where there is neglect of the study of the Word of God.”—Reuben Archer Torrey
“The idea that everything would happen exactly as it does regardless of whether we pray or not is a specter that haunts the minds of many who sincerely profess belief in
God. It makes prayer psychologically impossible, replacing it with dead ritual at best.”–David Brainerd
“Victories that are easy are cheap. Those only are worth having which come as the result of hard fighting.” —Henry Ward Beecher
“God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.” — Oswald Chambers
“When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don’t pray, they don’t.” —William Temple
I have been shown angels of God all ready to impart grace and power to those who feel their need of divine strength. But these heavenly messengers will not bestow blessings unless solicited. They have waited for the cry from souls hungering and thirsting for the blessing of God; often have they waited in vain. There were, indeed, casual prayers, but not the earnest supplication from humble, contrite hearts…. EGWhite–{Our High Calling 129.4}
Those who would receive the blessing of the Lord, must themselves prepare the way, by confession of sin, by humiliation before God, with true penitence, and with faith in the merits of the blood of Christ. EGWhite–{Our High Calling 129.5}
The people you will encounter may be seen as ordinary who are champions in the spiritual warfare. Their success was proven by the witnesses and fruits of their labor.
Learning how to pray one must prepare one’s own body and soul as a vessel of prayer by examining self.
Case of an unanswered prayer
A people are here addressed who make high profession, who are in the habit of praying, and who delight in religious exercises; yet there is a lack. They realize that their prayers are not answered; their zealous, earnest efforts are not observed in heaven, and they earnestly inquire why the Lord makes them no returns.
Reasons for unanswered prayers
James 1:6-7 ___________________________
Isaiah 59:2 ___________________________
Luke 18:11 ___________________________
Matthew 6:15 ___________________________
Matthew 7:1-2 ___________________________
1Peter 3:1-7 ___________________________
1 Samuel 12:23 ___________________________
James 4:3 ___________________________
John 16:24 ___________________________
Why my prayers fall flat?
Prayer isn’t always exciting. In fact, it usually isn’t. It’s usually ordinary. That’s okay; ordinary is good.
But sometimes, prayer is worse than that: something’s missing. Sometimes, you’re bored. The habit is there, but the relationship is at a standstill. (You married folks should ask your spouse about that….) That means it’s time to stop yawning and see what’s happening with you in prayer. It may be time to:
- change where you pray.
- remove all distraction from the outside (cell phones, beepers, limiting how many people know where you’re praying, etc.)
- use a different prayer position.
- allow yourself to move around. (As a diabetic, I know how sleepy I can get when
- the blood sugar rises, as it often does when I’m still for too long.)
- check out your diet.
- try one of the many simple devotional techniques.
- get more sleep.
- stop overworking yourself.
(Please note that there’s a lot of ‘sometimes’, ‘maybe’, and ‘often’ in this section. It’s a spiritual matter, and those aren’t well-suited to tight rules. You’ll have to learn how to discern the Spirit’s voice in your situation.) Usually, such minor adjustments are enough to curb your drifting. But, let’s say, you’ve made the adjustments, they work briefly, and then SLAM! It hits you. God’s not there. Sometimes one must taste the absence in order to keep savoring the presence. And sometimes God steps aside so you can learn to persevere in prayer, to keep working at it on trust.
But then, as you keep plugging away at it, it becomes clear that something else is at work. It’s not really that God has stepped away, after all. It’s that there’s a communication breakdown. God’s apparent silence is due to a problem at your end. Something’s rocking the relationship. When you reach this point (and sooner or later you will), it’s time for you to find out what’s up. What could it be?
Maybe you’re harboring resentment or anger against someone, or against a group of some ones. In that case, first hold them in prayer, and then ask God to forgive you for the anger, and then ask God to open up an opportunity to go to that person and renounce that anger in their presence. Then, get up and go reconcile with that person.
1. Maybe the one you’re mad at is God. Whatever it is between you and God, it does no good to pout and go off to sulk. Say it. SCREAM it, if that’s what it takes. Let your body express the anger. Whatever you do, share your anger
with God. The Lord will see you being truthful, and will respond with love and grace.
2. Maybe you’re focusing on prayer, but God was calling you to spend less time praying so you can spend it doing something that God wants you to do.
3. Maybe you’re still involved with the pretenders to the Lord’s throne. Maybe it’s superstition, maybe dabbling in the occult or paganisms old or new. Maybe you still ‘play’ with tarot cards, or pay attention to horoscopes and palm readers. You may think of it merely as a way to spit in the face of unjust religious authorities, or maybe as just a fun little game and nothing more. All reasons are bad reasons. Even a little of this does a lot of damage to your relationship with the real Lord. You’re cheating on God; you’re being a disloyal lover.
4. Perhaps God has become quiet so you could hear your own doubts. You may not even have known they were there. But they are.
5. Maybe you’re withholding from the Lord the fruits of God’s most creative gift to you: your imagination. For instance, imagine yourself in a scene from the Bible, or visualize how you would go about being of service to others, yielding each detail before God as you envision it.
The richer the detail, the more real it will seem to you.
6. Maybe you’ve had deep mystical interchange with God before, but you rarely thank or praise the Lord for anything specific. Simple gratitude goes a long way toward making you spiritually humble and receptive.
7. Maybe the Lord can’t get a word in edgewise from all your talking. To pray right, there must also be lots of time for quiet listening.
8. Perhaps you recently compromised with the world around you in a way that compromises your relations with God at its very root. Which god do you follow?
9. Maybe something’s wrong with the thinking behind your prayers (also known as “praying amiss“, discussed earlier).
10. Maybe when God’s trying to tell you something, you change the subject. Trouble is, you’ll fail to duck God this way, because while you can distract people that way, you won’t take the Lord off focus.
11. Maybe you spend a lot of time and attention on prayer methods, theologies, and histories of devotion, one layer of complexity atop another until it resembles a Rube Goldberg contraption. Or, maybe your life itself has become too complex for you. It’s time to simplify, to turn all attention back to God.
12. Maybe you’re saying to God, “Here, You do it!”, but God’s been trying to tell you, “No, that’s your responsibility.” God makes us a partner in the divine mission, and that’s a great honor, but it means struggling, working, breaking, hurting. And from that, growing, learning, deepening, wisening.
13. Maybe there’s a specific sinful act you do that’s been eating away at you, a sin that angers God. When you at last can name the sin and call it sin, you can take it before God to ask for forgiveness. Prayer time can be the start of repentance – turning away from the sin and committing yourself against it with your life.
14. Maybe you’re not convinced deep down that you really need God and need to be a part of God’s purposes.
15. Maybe you think your own plans are doing well and God’s help would be just a nice added ‘plus’. Yet, when there’s no sense of weakness, no keen awareness of our
Human limits, no awareness that it’s God’s power that makes things work, then prayer loses its sense of urgency, and life loses its touch with reality.
It is not because there is any neglect on the part of God. The difficulty is with the people. While professing godliness, they do not bear fruit to the glory of God; their works are not what they should be. They are living in neglect of positive duties. Unless these are performed, God cannot answer their prayers according to His glory.
In the case of offering prayer for Sister F, there was confusion of sentiment. Some were fanatical and moved from impulse. They possessed a zeal, but not according to knowledge. Some looked at the great thing to be accomplished in this case and began to triumph before the victory was gained. There was much of the Jehu spirit manifested: “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” In place of this self–confident assurance, the case should have been presented to God with a spirit of humbleness and distrustfulness of self, and with a broken and a contrite heart. EGWhite {2Testimonies 147.1}
Heaven is full of answers to prayers for which no one ever bothered to ask. Billy Graham
Effect of a failed prayer
If the heart is glowing with the love of God, there will be pure affection, which is essential; prayers will be fervent, and faithful warnings will be given. Neglect these, and the souls under your charge are endangered. Better spend less time in long speeches, or in absorbing study, and attend to these neglected duties. EGWhite–{Counsels on Sabbath School Work 122.2}
Root causes of failed prayers
1. Sin in the heart and life
Psalm 66:18 ___________________________
Isaiah 59:1, 2 ___________________________
2 Peter 2:14 ___________________________
2. Persistent refusal to obey God
Proverbs 1:24-28 ___________________________
Zechariah 7:11, 13 ___________________________
Titus 1:16 ___________________________
Jeremiah 22:21 ___________________________
3. Formalism and hypocrisy
Isaiah 1:2-15 ___________________________
4. Unwillingness to forgive others
Mark 11:25, 26 ___________________________
5. Wrong motives
James 4:2, 3 ___________________________
6. Despising God’s law
Amos 2:4 ___________________________
7. Lack of love and mercy
Proverbs 21:13 ___________________________
HOW SHOULD I PRAY?
Prayer is a free and open expression of the heart. But this was hushed by formality and social etiquette dictates how you should utter prayer in public. It is like you wail in whisper over an agony and loss because your neighbors will be embarrassed.
“Some people pray just to pray and some people pray to know God.” —Andrew Murray
“One can believe intellectually in the efficacy of prayer and never do any praying.” —Catherine Marshall
“We must alter our lives in order to alter our hearts, for it is impossible to live one way and pray another.” —William Law
“I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it.” —John Wesley
“Is the Son of God praying in me, or am I dictating to Him?….Prayer is not simply getting things from God, that is a most initial form of prayer; prayer is getting into perfect communion with God. If the Son of God is formed in us by regeneration, He will press forward in front of our common sense and change our attitude to the things about which we pray.” —Oswald Chambers
“He who has a pure heart will never cease to pray, and he who will be constant in prayer shall know what it is to have a pure heart.”–Pere la Combe
Learn to pray short and right to the point, asking for just what you need. Learn to pray aloud where only God can hear you. Do not offer make–believe prayers, but earnest, feeling petitions, expressing the hunger of the soul for the Bread of Life. If we prayed more in secret, we should be able to pray more intelligently in public. These doubtful, hesitating prayers would cease. And when we engaged with
our brethren in public worship, we could add to the interest of the meeting; for we should bring with us some of the atmosphere of heaven, and our worship would be a reality, and not a mere form. . . .If the soul is not drawn out in prayer in the closet and while engaged in the business of the day, it will be manifest in the prayer meeting. . . . EGWhite{Our High Calling 130.4}
Is praying and weeping okay?
Praying and weeping was mingled, and earnest, agonizing prayer went forth from unfeigned lips. The solemn power of God rested upon the company bowed in humiliation before him. I thought of the day of Pentecost, when the power of God came upon the worshipers like a mighty, rushing wind. I have not witnessed such an exhibition of the manifest power of God for years. There was no wild fanaticism, but a sweet, soft, subduing spirit, bringing the entire company in harmony with Heaven. There were no wild, unintelligible shrieks, but the praise of God was upon almost every lip. EGWhite–{Signs of the Times, October 5, 1876 par. 4}
How should prayer be said?
Let those who pray and those who speak pronounce their words properly and speak in clear, distinct, even tones. Prayer, if properly offered, is a power for good. It is one of the means used by the Lord to communicate to the people the precious treasures of truth. But prayer is not what it should be, because of the defective voices of those who utter it. Satan rejoices when the prayers offered to God are almost inaudible. Let God’s people learn how to speak and pray in a way that will properly represent the great truths they possess. Let the testimonies borne and the prayers offered be clear and distinct. Thus God will be glorified.-EGWhite–6Testmonies 382. {VSS 265.2}
How to approach the throne of God?
7 Approaches to the Throne of God
- Ask the Holy Spirit for help
- Romans 8:26 __________________
- John 14:26 ____________________
“The true spirit of prayer is no other than God’s own Spirit dwelling in the hearts of the saints. And as this spirit comes from God, so doth it naturally tend to God in holy breathings and pantings. It naturally leads to God, to converse with him by prayer.” —Jonathan Edwards
- Come boldly
- Psalms 47:8 ________________
- Hebrews 4:16 _______________
- Psalms 89:14 _______________
“Pray, and let God worry.” — Martin Luther
- Come with humbleness
- James 4:10 ________________
- Daniel 6:10 _______________
- Hebrews 5:7 _______________
“In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” — John Bunyan
- With confession and forgiving
- Act 8:22 _______________
- Mark 11:26 ______________
“Notice, we never pray for folks we gossip about, and we never gossip about the folk for whom we pray! For prayer is a great deterrent.” —Leonard Ravenhill
- With openness and sincerity (present all the facts and reasons)
- James 4:8 ________________
- 1Thessalonians 3:10 ______________
- Philippians 4:6 _____________
“Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. Tell God your troubles, that God may comfort you; tell God your joys, that God may sober them; tell God your longings, that God may purify them; tell God your dislikes, that God may help you conquer them; talk to God of your temptations, that God may shield you from them: show God the wounds of your heart, that God may heal them. If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say. Talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration say just what you think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.” —Francois Fenelon
- With faith
- Psalms 27:14 _______________
- Psalms 37:5 ________________
“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith.” —Andrew Murray
- With love and joy
- Psalms 34:7_______________
- Zechariah 3:7 ______________
“People need joy quite as much as clothing. Some of them need it more.” —Margaret Collier
Check this out as you approach God in prayer.
Colossians 4:2 ___________________
Ezra 10:1 ____________________
Ecclesiastes 5:2 _________________
Hebrews 5:7 _____________________
2Corinthians 12:8 __________________
Matthew 8:27 __________________
Hosea 12:4 ___________________
Daniel 6:10 _________________
1 Timothy 2:8 _________________
Isaiah 55:6, 7 ____________________
James 5:16 _____________________
Hebrews 11:6 __________________
| NAMES OF GOD | ||
| Yhwh-Shammah | Lord who is present | Ezekiel 48:35 |
| El Shaddai | Almighty God | Genesis 17:1-2 |
| Yhwh-Raah | Lord is my shepherd | Psalm 23 |
| Yhwh-Yireh | Lord provides | Genesis 22;14 |
| Yhwh-Tsidkenu | Lord my righteousness | Jeremiah 23:6 |
| Yhwh-Nissi | Lord my victory | Exodus 17:15 |
| El Elyon | Most high-strongest one | Isaiah 14:13 |
| El Roi | The strong one who sees | Genesis 16:13 |
| El Olam | Everlasting God | Isaiah 40:28 |
| Yhwh-Shalom | Lord is peace | Judges 6:24 |
| Yhwh-El Gomplah | Lord God of recompense | Jeremiah 51:56 |
| Yhwh-Maccadeshcem | Lord my sanctifier | Exodus 31:13 |
| Yhwh-Nakeh | Lord that smites (evil) | Ezekiel 7:9 |
| Yhwh-Sabbaoth | Lord of host | 1Samuel 1:3 |
People pray in many physical positions. For instance:
- laying flat on the floor, face down, with hands stretched out (also known as ‘prostrate‘);
- standing, hands raised and spread, palms up, looking upward;
- sitting, head bowed, eyes closed, hands folded (the most common position today);
- kneeling, head bowed, hands folded;
- kneeling, head to the ground, hands face down on ground next to head;
- standing, eyes forward, facing the altar;
- sitting in lotus position, eyes closed, hands in front, palms up;
- laying flat on the floor, face up, palms up;
- slow leisurely walking (or sitting), eyes open, in a place where one can safely pay very little attention to where one is going.
Each of these positions (and others) can be done for any kind of praying, but each has special meaning for different kinds of prayer. Standing (1 Samuel 1:26) with hands raised is typical of praise, celebrative prayer, and thanks-giving. Kneeling (Ezra 9:5) and prostration (Joshua 7:6) show humility and recognition of a superior, and thus are especially well-suited to prayers of confession, repentance, or awe. (If you’re someone who bows to no one, please consider praying while laying prostrate.
In public. With everyone watching.) Slow wandering and lotus-sitting are especially good for meditational prayer and for quieting yourself so you can listen. Standing facing the altar (1 Kings 8:22) is part of an act of worship with other people who are also worshipping. Other positions have been used, too; for example, Elijah (in 1 Kings 18:42) crouched low to the ground and put his face between his knees. (He must’ve been a prayer contortionist.) The Bible
doesn’t mention arm gestures in prayer except the raising of hands; however, starting at least by 800 AD, some devout Jews have been known to sway while studying the Torah, chanting Psalms, or praying. Christians praying together are known to link hands and raise them together.
“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.” —Charles Spurgeon
PRAY FOR WHAT?
… The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16
“Prayers do shape the future in ways different from what would have been the case had no prayers been uttered. And this is because of the kind of God to whom the prayers are spoken. …. God is open to taking new directions and changing courses in view of the interaction between God and people. Yet always in view will be God’s salvific will for all.”–Terence Fretheim
What should I pray for?
James 1:5-6 Pray for ___________________________
James 5:14-16 Pray for ___________________________
James 5:19-20 Pray for ___________________________
Luke 12:28 Pray for ___________________________
Matthew 7:7-11 Pray for ___________________________
2Thess. 3:1 Pray for ___________________________
Phil. 1:4-6 Pray for ___________________________
1Tim.2:1-4 Pray for ___________________________
Ephesians 4:13 Pray for ___________________________
John 17:20, 21 Pray for ___________________________
Jude 1:20 Pray for ___________________________
Romans 10:1 Pray for ___________________________
John 14:13 Pray for ___________________________
Prayer must have a purpose.
- To bring adoration / Praise / Blessing to the Lord
- Psalms 111:1,10 _____________________
- Psalms 24:1 ________________________
- Acts 16:25 _________________________
- Matthew 6:9 ________________________
- To bring confession to Him
- Matthew 16:26 ______________________
- Psalms 66:18________________________
- 1 John 1:9 _________________________
- To bring thanksgiving to Him
- Malachi 3:10 _______________________
- 1 Corinthians 9:6-15__________________
- Psalms 95:2-7_______________________
- Psalms 69:30 _______________________
- Psalms 62:1-8 ______________________
- To bring Supplication (intercession / petition)
- Colossians 1:9 ______________________
- James 5:16 _________________________
- Philippians 1:9 ______________________
- James 4:5-11 _______________________
- Matthew 7:7-12 _____________________
- Mathew 26:39 ______________________
- Psalms 37:4 ________________________
“All vital praying makes a drain on a man’s vitality. True intercession is a sacrifice, a bleeding sacrifice.”— J.H. Jowett
Should my prayer be organized?
Look at it this way, if you will talk to the highest government leader, you would prepare for sure what you will say or even put in particular order.
The outline below is just a suggestion feel free to express yourself.
Basic Prayer Outline is a suggested guide which helps one to have a more focused prayer.
A –Adoration ______________________________
C-Confession ______________________________
T-Thanksgiving ____________________________
S-Supplication _____________________________
“There is a mighty lot of difference between saying prayers and praying.” —John G. Lake
What should be the contents of my prayers?
Prayer Contents
- filled with petitions
- filled with intercessions (prayer for others)
- advancement of God’s Kingdom
“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work.” —Oswald Chambers
“Our prayers lay the track down on which God’s power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, His power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails.” —Watchman Nee
WHY PRAY?
What if I am a Christian whose not into prayers?
John 15:5 ______________________________
John 14:13 _____________________________
Those whom Christ has connected with Himself will, as far as in them lies, labor diligently and perseveringly, as He labored, to save souls who are perishing around them. They will reach the people by prayer, earnest, fervent prayer, and personal effort. It is impossible for those who are thoroughly converted to God, enjoying communion with Him, to be negligent of the vital interests of those who are perishing outside of Christ. {4Testimonies 319.1}
“I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go.” — Abraham Lincoln
“Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons; but they are helpless against our prayers.”-–J. Sidlow Baxter
“Prayer is the best arbitrator of all differences. The best promoter of true friendships, the best cure for envy and jealousy. And there people who dislike you are shun. Pray for them and you will be more patient and charitable. You will find that you become a happier person living in a world that is friendlier that you were accustomed to find it.” —Rev. J Robert McCrachen
PRAYERLESSNESS
“Of all the duties enjoined by Christianity none is more essential and yet more neglected than prayer.”— François Fénelon
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17
Prayerlessness is SIN
Corrie Ten Boom
- Unavailability with God
- Proves a man has less love for God.
- The person is more carnal than spiritual.
- Not controlled by the Holy Spirit.
- Overpowered by neglect and disobedience.
- Sins against own self and own spiritual life.
- Robs you of your consciousness of the nearness of Christ.
- A personal weakness which must be overcome.
- Not a direct sin to other but a direct sin to God. (1Samuel 12:23)
- Shows our attitude with God.
- Is a proclamation to God and Satan that our relationship to Jesus is not close.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1Peter 2:9
Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints Ephesians 6:18
I desire then that in every place the men should pray… 1Timothy 2:8
“If you as ministers are not very prayerful, you are to be pitied.”–Charles Spurgeon“
WHAT IS PRAYER AGAIN?
Let us look back to what is a prayer again, listen to the prayer giants.
“Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend” —Ellen G. White
Prayer is both a duty and a privilege. EGWhite–{Our High Calling 129.3}
“The Human life is a constant want and ought to be a constant prayer.” Samuel Osgood
“Do not loose the habit of praying to the unseen Divinity. Prayer for the worldly good is worse, but prayer for the strength of the soul is that passion which catches the gifts that seeks.” George Meredith
“True prayer always receives what it asks for, sometime even better.” —Trayton Edwards
“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work.” —Oswald Chambers
“Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means for getting something for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.” —Oswald Chambers
“Prayer unites us with one another and with God. Prayer brings Jesus to our side, and gives to the fainting, perplexed soul new strength to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. Prayer turns aside the attacks of Satan.” Ellen G. White {Christ’s Object Lessons 250.2}
Prayer is the breath of the soul, the channel of all blessings. As . . . the repentant soul offers its prayer, God sees its struggles, watches its conflicts, and marks its sincerity. He has His finger upon its pulse, and He takes note of every throb. Not a feeling thrills it, not an emotion agitates it, not a sorrow shades it, not a sin stains it, not a thought or purpose moves it, of which He is not cognizant. That soul was purchased at an infinite cost, and is loved with a devotion that is unalterable. EGWhite{Maranatha 85.1}
“Prayer is not so much an act as it is an attitude—an attitude of dependency, dependency upon God.” —Arthur W. Pink
“Think of prayer less as an activity for God and more as an awareness of God. Seek to live in uninterrupted awareness. Acknowledge His presence everywhere you go.” –Max Lucado
“Prayer is the breath of your life which gives you the freedom to go and stay where you wish and tofind the many signs which point out the way to a new land.” Henri Nouwen
PREPARED FOR LIFE 