Lord, teach us to pray
To listen to the Audio version of this study go to –
http://www.bridge-of-life.co.uk/Lord%20teach%20us%20to%20pray.mp3
This is third of four devotions which portray the four sides to the Christian faith.
At the start of the year in the first devotion I prepared, we saw the need to be Born Again, this is the essence of the Gospel message. Jesus said in John 3:3 - “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.
Once we have taken that first step in asking Jesus into our lives, we need to know how to live out our new found faith. Once we have become a Christian we will want to know more about the Christian life, to get to know God and His son Jesus. This is why in the second devotion I have outlined the importance of reading the bible regularly to see how God and Jesus interacted with mankind, the bible teaches us how to keep and grow our relationship with Jesus and to live the Christian life.
Of equal importance is for us to continue to keep a close loving link with Jesus. When we prayed to ask Jesus into our heart that most probably was our first conversation with Jesus. Once his Holy Spirit takes up residence in our heart we will desire to keep that relationship going by praying. I have been asked by new Christians how to pray, it is so simple, we are just talking to God.
Your conversations with God can take on many forms depending on our circumstances. Let us remember that once we become a Christian we become a child of God. We read in 1 John 3:1
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
One day Jesus called the little children to Him, to bless them. He said in Luke 18:17 - Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. What Jesus was seeking to tell his hearers was that if you want to be part of Gods family, the Kingdom of God, when we approach God we have to become childlike, accepting with simple trust what Jesus says, yet at the same time not to be intimidated by the almighty power and glory which is rightly due to Him.
The Holy Spirit helps us when we are praying. The apostle tells us in Romans 8:14-16 - 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. The apostle continues in Romans 8:26 - 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
The apostle Paul says in Galatians 4:6-7 - 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. The word Abba simple means daddy, emphasising we can cry out to Jesus in a childlike heartfelt way.
When Jesus was asked teach us to pray, He said in Matthew 6:9 - 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. The relationship we have with Jesus and our Heavenly Father has many similarities to our relationship with our earthly father. So we need to remind ourselves the way we communicate with our earthly father particularly during our childhood. It is true we should speak to our heavenly father regularly; we are encouraged to speak to God at the beginning of the day. David the Psalmist often spoke of his relationship with his God. In Psalm 5:3 – he says - In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Again David says in Psalm 92:1-2 - 1 It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, 2 proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,
Let us ask ourselves a question, when did we talk to our father when we were children, it was at any time day or night in total freedom without any form of restraint. That is an attitude of mind we should all learn to cultivate, knowing that we can speak to God anytime about anything. Remember what Jesus said in Luke 18:17 - Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” What we can gain from Jesus’s words is childlike trust, whatever difficulties come our way, we can turn to Him for help and whatever joys we have which after all are from His hand, we should be ever ready to say thank you.
So let us hear what Jesus did say when asked about how we were to pray. I am reading this scripture from the Passion bible a new translation that as yet is incomplete but has a very warm hearted way of presenting Gods word. In the Passion bible we read in Matthew 6:5-14 - 5 “Whenever you pray, be sincere and not like the pretenders who love the attention they receive while praying before others in the meetings and on street corners. Believe me, they’ve already received in full their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your innermost chamber and be alone with Father God, praying to him in secret. And your Father, who sees all you do, will reward you openly. 7 When you pray, there is no need to repeat empty phrases, praying like those who don’t know God, for they expect God to hear them because of their many words. 8 There is no need to imitate them, since your Father already knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray like this:
‘Our Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms, may the glory of your name be the centre on which our lives turn.
10 Manifest your kingdom realm, and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth, just as it is fulfilled in heaven.
11 We acknowledge you as our Provider of all we need each day.
12 Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us.
13 Rescue us every time we face tribulation and set us free from evil. For you are the King who rules
with power and glory forever. Amen.’
14 “And when you pray, make sure you forgive the faults of others so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you.
To sum up the Lord’s prayer in simple terms it is for us to first acknowledge God our Heavenly father as one to be revered and to acknowledge He is ruler over all the earth, to thankfully acknowledge Him as our provider, we need to respect and acknowledge his goodness in sustaining us with food to nourish our bodies. Then we need to acknowledge our sinful weaknesses and ask forgiveness, so we can with a clear conscience forgive others who have wronged us. Then ask Him to continue to protect us from the evil one, protection from falling to temptations. Finally acknowledge He is the King and Ruler over everything.
For most Christians their first prayer was a prayer of asking Jesus into their lives. To become a Christian we need to first ask for forgiveness of all our past sins, to wipe the slate clean enabling us to make a fresh start, thanking Him for dying on a cruel cross to pay the price for our sins, and then asking Him into our lives to become our Lord and Saviour. We all need to acknowledge our unworthiness when we approach a Holy sinless God, He is longing for everyone to call out to Him. We read in Romans 10:12-13 - 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
One thing that I came to realise in my early Christian life was that God can answer our prayers even if we have not asked Him, He just reads our thoughts. Here are three verses that blessed me and more important I can testify that at times God in His love and compassion has answered my needs without even asking, how blessed is that.
Psalm 139:2 - You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
Psalm 139:23 - Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Isaiah 65:24 - 24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
There is one other verse, a promise I find important that assures us God will answer our prayers when we call out to Him, it is found in James 5:15-17 - 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
We are to offer up our prayers in Faith believing God will answer, confess our sins, keeping an open heart to God and living a righteous life.
There are times when we can feel very nervous when we have to face certain issues or make hard decisions. David testified in Psalm 138:3 - When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.
The apostle Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. What does the apostle mean “pray continually”. When we as children were alongside our parent we did not chatter continuously although at times when we were exited about something we would want to tell all in a spurt of excitement and joy. So to with our conversations with Jesus, we can speak to Him at any time and about anything.
Many years back I recall reading an article when the Anglican Synod was meeting together on one of their annual one day seminars to discuss a prearranged topic. On this particular day the topic was this verse I have just quoted from 1 Thessalonians 5:16 “pray continually”. During the mid-morning break one dear lady came into the room with her tea trolley eagerly asking what the topic was for discussion. After being told it was about this verse pray continually she immediately shared how she prayed through her day. When I wake up in the morning I thank God for His protection, then ask Him for help and guidance during the day. Then as the day progresses whenever I meet a difficult situation I ask God to help me, and when something good happens I say thank you straight away. Then just before bed I thank God for his help and guidance through that day, asking Him to protect me while I am asleep. I understand that what this gracious Godly lady said was reported back to the leaders of the seminar, the seminar was very quickly wound up.
There are times when we find ourselves in grave danger, or facing a great challenging situation, we can still cry out to God, I can give testimony to that. God loves us very deeply more than we will ever understand He does hear our prayers and with a compassionate heart will reach down to help us. We read in Psalm 34:5-7 - 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. What reassuring words, in the first past of the verse it says “those who look to him are radiant”; their faces are never covered with shame. When we are under the shadow of God’s protection, we can live with a contented spirit, confident were sheltered by our father God, knowing we can confidently approach Him, believing and trusting He will hear us and come to our help. The secret to that peace and security and our faces looking radiant is found in Psalm 91:1-7 - 1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. Then we read in Psalm 34:7 - The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. As well as knowing that God is with us all of the time, he assigns an angel to each one of His children to care and protect.
As well as seeking Gods help and protection for ourselves we need to be aware of what is happening around us and the world. There are times in our lives when we need to call out to God for the needs of the nation. No more so than at this time during the Coronavirus pandemic. There is a great moral decline in this country and around the world particularly America. We need to ask the question, is God seeking to get the attention of mankind, a time for prayer for the nation is desperately needed. I call to mind often how God in his love for Israel went to great lengths to win his people back. He went as far as to allow great suffering with famine and pestilence then giving the country over to the Babylonians for seventy years. When we see this pandemic ravaging the world, changes in the seasons with increasing natural disasters, with a rapid increase in persecution to the Christians and the Jews we have to ask ourselves what is God trying to tell us?.
One thing is for sure there is sufficient evidence to see we are in the last days, we are experiencing the birth pains when Jesus at any time is soon going to call His people the church, home to heaven.
Chris and I are part of a prayer group who meet on Zoom each month pleading for Gods mercy for our nation, there is a very clear message in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says - if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. We cannot expect God to heal the nation without asking His forgiveness.
In May 1940 King George 6th called for a day of prayer when Britain was close to defeat when tens of thousands of troop were stranded on the Dunkirk beach in France. Churches around the country prayed. Immediately following, a great storm arose over the Dunkirk beaches preventing the German air force from dropping their bombs which had killing thousands of soldiers. Then on the morning that the great rescue operation tool place code-named Operation Dynamo, a great calm appeared on the sea enabling a large flotilla of small boats to cross the channel to rescue the soldiers. Winston Churchill estimated we may be able to rescue 20,000 to 30,000 troops but miraculously 388,000 troops were rescued. God answered the prayers of the nation.
Over this period of 2020 and 2021 we have experience a long cold winter. But it is nothing compared with the seventy year period between 1560 and 1630. Volcanos in the USA caused some change to the climate pouring out large plumes of ash blanking out the sun, resulting in a long period of cooling on the earth. With devastating floods and snowfalls heavier than anyone could remember, as well as unseasonal tempests, droughts and crop failures, many believed humankind had incurred God’s wrath.
The rivers were frozen till folk could festive on them. This was followed by severe flooding, with many shipwrecks at sea. Then was followed a summer of drought so severe mankind had not known. This period continued up till 1611 when the new king Charles 1 of only a few months in office called for a day of fasting and prayer, as quoted recently in a national newspaper - It was so ‘wett and rainy’ that ‘the King commanded a Fast to be kept Solemnly throughout the Realm upon the 3rd day of August. The same day it pleased Almighty God to send us fair weather which held a considerable time.’ Again God did answer prayer.
What is so remarkable is that just prior to King Charles 1st coming to the throne, his predecessor James 1st of England authorised the translation of the bible well known as the King James Version which is still used today. It enabled many of the folk who could read in the land to read Gods word for themselves to find comfort and support during this testing period.
Each day of this pandemic we are being reminded of the frailty of life, each day many are dying with the Covid. Many are suffering loneliness, and there is a lot of fake news regarding the illness, but we can follow David when he found himself in distress, he cried out to God in Psalm 120:1-2 - 1 I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me. 2 Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.
You may have a close member of your family or friend who at this moment is in hospital suffering from Covid. You feel helpless unable to be with them or talk to them. You can always do what David did, he cried out to the Lord and He answered him as recorded in Psalm 40:1-4 - 1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. 4 Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
As a young man, Joseph Scriven truly knew the friendship of Jesus when tragically he lost his fiancé in a drowning accident on the eve of his wedding. Afterwards he left Ireland for Canada starting to help and minister to folk in need. Later when he was taken sick himself, he was visited by a friend. The friend notice a slip of paper by his bed side with the words to the hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus” scribbled on it .His friend asked him, did you write this, he replied “Well not completely, the Lord helped me” He later sent the words to his sick mother back in Ireland, the words speak for themselves. We too can remind ourselves the importance and comfort we can get from seeking God in prayer. Let us read the words to this hymn which contains a number of important aspects to prayer, you can also listen by clicking here:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR88AJicumM
What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry. Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit. O what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry. Everything to God in prayer
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer
Can we find a friend so faithful. Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer
Are we weak and heavy laden. Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge. Take it to the Lord in prayer
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee. Thou wilt find a solace there
