Prayer

Spiritual Growth – Prayer

Have you ever walked up the Tamilyog Stone path? It is quite a hike but once you are up there you have a beautiful view over the Southern part of Yap and most of the northern part.

This path reminds me of what Parren talked about last Sunday: The narrow road that leads to heaven. We have wide paved roads all around the island and it is nice to drive on them. But only the small, unpaved roads lead to the top of the mountains. If you want to have a good view, you have to choose the small and difficult paths. But in the end it is worth it. It is just beautiful up there!

Two weeks ago we talked about the need to grow spiritually. And in order to grow spiritually we need to start somewhere. Well, the choice of the wide or the narrow path is the start. And we all know that the narrow road will not be easy to walk. The path is hard, rocky, difficult and steep. We want to walk it. We want to be Christians. But we definitely need some help and advice.

Let us turn in our Bible to Matt 7:7-12:

Background information of the text:

F Sermon on the Mount

Ä murder > fool (hell) / don’t worry / love y enemy

Ä High standard for Christian living

Ä Jesus demands a “Character of God’s kingdom

To walk with Christ is to Grow spiritually. And spiritual growth demands a lot. We might even want to give up.

? What does Jesus recommend us to do?

Ask, seek and know

Ask - Humbly request from the one who has

1Kings 3:5 > Salomon ask God for wisdom

Seek - Look for s.th. that’s already there

Jer. 29:13 > Seek God with all your heart

Knock - Persistently knock on a closed door to be opened

Lk 11:5-9 > Friend came by

Ä We can specifically ask God for something (Gorowaab)

=> In the context of the Sermon of the Mount it is clear that Jesus encouraged us to ask for a “Kingdom’s character”.

? Why would God give us?

1. God encourages us to ask, seek and knock

Prayer moves God’s hand!

James 4:2 > You don’t have because you don’t ask!

Ex 32:9-12 > God wants to destroy Israel, but Moses Prayer changes God’s plan

2. God is good and knows what is good for us

Read verses 9-11: God is good and gives us good things

ÄBut if we would ask for a snack would God not much rather give us a fish?

Read verse 12: “If we give God what he asks of us,

then he will give us what we ask of him.“

Ä Prayers are sometimes not answered because we don’t obey God.

Matt 6:33 . “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, …

Ä Several choices – one of it is God

Finish with Luke 18:1-7

> God wants to be asked!