Talking With God
Notes
Transcript
Prayer Life - The Reason for Prayer
Prayer Life - The Reason for Prayer
Have you ever just sat and thought about prayer?
Some time ago, on a couple different occasions we talked about about prayer…about time spent with God…about taking time to contemplate God and His creation…everything around us. And a lot of you responded to me that those were things often on your mind. Sometimes what’s on our mind is that we lack prayer time with God or quiet time with Him.
Our world is a busy and noisy place where we often see darkness and violence and people searching for right and wrong and justice and security and .... simple happiness…searching for just how to get by.
And sometimes we don’t think about going to Him, being with Him, listening for Him, until we absolutely need to. When we’re in trouble, or are in a dark place, or when we’re buying a lottery ticket, or when the Brown’s are on the board for the next draft selection.
Sometimes its helpful to look at the over arching context that prayer is in. All through the scriptures we read about the idea that prayer is commanded or encouraged or necessary…and I think a great question is “Why?”
So let’s look into the context.
I do this because I feel a great sense of lack in my own life in this regard. I want to understand more the ministry, the power, and the necessity of prayer. I sense that this lack is a common problem among most Christians. In fact, I would like to ask you to indicate by a raised hand how many of you feel that your prayer life lacks something. Well, with that unanimous vote, we will proceed then to this subject of prayer.
I think most of us struggle with the concept of prayer don’t we? And sometimes we wonder why we struggle. Isn’t prayer one of the basic things a Christian does? Well, if it is…then why do we neglect it or push it back or simply struggle with it? Those are perfectly ok questions to ask…and even very important questions to ask.
For the moment lets just simply say that prayer is a conversation between a person and God. Talking together.
But lets go back....if conversation is the basic and simple understanding of prayer…let’s go back to where we first see conversation.
We see prayer first in scripture when God is walking through the Garden in Genesis 3. God calls out for Adam and Eve and they respond. Now of course they talked before this, but this is the first time we have a conversation recorded.
Of course the context here is that they are together and they’re talking. They are in the garden…but soon our two humans will not to be in the garden…they will be leaving God’s presence because of sin. Oil and water can’t mix, perfection and imperfection can’t be in the same place therefore they need to leave God’s presence. He is holy, they are sinful....Ok…we’re going to pause this part of the conversation and leave this hear for a few moments and then return to it.
But back to the idea of a conversation…a dialogue.
Prayer is a conversation between two entities…a person and God. Adam and God. Eve and God. You and God. Thinking about today…there might be a hundred people praying at the same time, but each person is making their requests known to God in their own voice…each a unique discussion.
And also, of course there are many types of prayers listed in the Bible but that mainly has to do with the subject matter or the heart matter…someone is angry, sad, confused, looking for wisdom or an answer, or cheerful or they’re speaking on behalf of someone else....healing or health. Or adoration…that’s a big word for just being in front of God and letting Him know that He is good and holy and awesome. You might have a request or something that you’re thanking Him for or it might be a child praying for their macaroni and cheese. God is great God is good....
Prayer
You’ve heard me repeatedly refer back to ‘what we’ve lost.’ Right? And we just referenced the first recorded conversation between God and humanity. Well prayer has everything to do with what was lost.
Let’s step back for just a second and look at this from airplane cruising altitude.
All through history, there’s been this idea of prayer. We know that all of history began with God, but through the years, as people moved away from either the knowledge of God or to different “little g” gods…there’s been an idea of prayer.
I was reading through some ancient prayers that have been recorded for history…And many of these prayers don’t seem too different from what we might pray today.
I read Roman prayers to Mars…the god of war…generals praying to him for victory in battle…and if they were successful that the general would build a new temple for Mars…or that the spoils of war would be left by a certain oak tree near the center of battle.
There were all sorts of prayers…but they were directed towards an assumed higher being…a little g god or an idol...
People for ages have prayed.
It seems as though there has always been a sense that there is someone higher and bigger and outside of this realm that we’re in…someone that is in more control over situations…someone who can help…someone with more power…right?
Now, as followers of Christ, we have a different beginning point than others. We know, because of the risen Christ that our prayers are to and through Him. The one we pray to is the creator of all creation…the universe. Our prayers are to the one who died and rose. Our prayers are in His name and that His name is above all other names. He is eternal and all powerful and all knowing. And He invites us to pray to Him…to talk with Him. To search for Him.
Wow, with all that it seems this should be pretty easy.
But sometimes we don’t take these things seriously do we? We forget about God…or look at prayer as a duty…and then when that happens the tough stuff of life creeps in, our anxieties and fears jump in front of our need of Him. We take on the world by ourselves and try to do things on our own.
And then when we look at the world around us, we see all that is going on....the middle east…our economy…this virus…social justice causes…3rd world nations struggling with the basics of life - let alone holding a job or finding an education or becoming a success. There’s a lot of darkness in the world and when we look at it all … in its accumulating effects…it becomes overwhelming and we wonder...”How in the world do we pray for us and everything that’s going on around us?” And at times its as though we lose Hope. Don’t we....we lose Hope....it’s too much. How can my prayer even matter. I’m one person in a little town in Ohio among the billions.
And we take all of this stuff in and hold on to it....instead of laying our stuff before God, and leaving it there.
Prayer…What really is prayer? Why should we … Why do we struggle…Why do I struggle with this ? How does my asking for a good day today stack up against asking for peace in the middle east? Should I be concerned about the seemingly little things in my life when there are such bigger things out there?
Getting our minds around this thing called prayer can be tough.
A co-worker asked a friend why he got donuts if he is trying to diet. He said, “Well, I came around the corner where the donut shop was. I told God, if He wanted me to buy some donuts to have a parking spot in the front. On the eighth time around, there it was!”
Sometimes we might just have the wrong approach to prayer and the reason for it.
Paul found the same thing to be true. In His letter to the Romans…our book in the New Testament called Romans…Paul writes “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” That’s from Romans 8....he goes on to say that all of creation is waiting to be recreated from this life of bondage to what he calls decay…to freedom in glory. He was basically saying that this is tough…life is tough…we’re in the time of waiting for something better…and in the meantime....this is chapter 8:26....Paul writes....we know this stuff but in the here and now, we don’t know how to pray.
Now…Paul…what are you saying? This is Paul. He was a trained Pharisee, a teacher of the law. He was trained in how to pray. He knew the times of the day to pray. He knew the words to use. He knew the scriptures to quote…had them memorized. He knew what direction to face. One would always face the direction of the temple in Jerusalem.
But in now knowing all he knew about Jesus…Paul seems to be a bit out of sorts. The scholar N.T. Wright puts it this way. Paul knew how tradition said to pray properly…respectfully…even maybe reverently…for Paul it was like swimming in the shallow areas…but then …knowing who Jesus was and what Jesus did…it was now like swimming out in the deep. Jesus changed everything. Paul was used to doing the right things in the right order....but Jesus came to re-establish relationships…a person’s relationship with God and a person’s relationship all those around them.
Let’s look just a second about this “way to pray” that Paul was used to…the Israelite tradition.
We read in the book of Daniel (Daniel and the lions den)…we read that Daniel would pray a number of times through the day and would face, out of his window, towards the temple…towards the holy city of Jerusalem.
Now....just a side note here… why would they do that?
There’s a very specific reason - Now of course there’s no Garden of Eden where God dwells where we can go into and out of freely to spend time with Him…that’s because of sin. But, God had a place where He could be near His people…and that was at first in the tabernacle the Israelite’s portable place of worship…and then in the temple…the actual building built in Jerusalem. There was a place called the Holy of Holies where God’s presence would be…God’s presence would be there…among His people…not like it was in the beginning but close. Only the High priest could go in there one time per year…but you were free to pray to God…and the custom was to face God’s presence…face Jerusalem. And it was called the holy city because that’s where God’s presence was. So when you talked to Him, it was proper…even meaningful to talk face to face…even though there was a distance between the one praying and God’s presence.
It wasn’t like it was in the beginning…but God’s followers were doing their best to be honorable given the situation.
If you would have the opportunity to be at the temple itself…of course you couldn’t go in, but it was, …the place where a bit of Heaven was here on earth. It’s where God’s presence was…separated from humanity…but still among humanity....among His creation. It was a special place to be. It was a privilege to pray towards the temple in Jerusalem.
And here we have Paul…who prayed toward the temple…towards God’s presence. And now…Paul, on the road to Damascus…meets Jesus, the risen Jesus (son of God), face to face. This changed everything for Paul. In reality the glory of God…God’s presence…was right there…in front of Him.
And then, when Paul believed....put His faith in Christ…right there and then, for Paul…the spirit of God had left the Temple and came to be side by side with Him…spirit to spirit.
This huge!
This whole idea of praying changed for Paul…it wasn’t a thing that he ought to do because of tradition…it was of course a good thing to do…but now…Jesus had come to Him…in a relationship…and Paul accepted the “do you want to be my friend” note....remember those little notes we would pass back and forth in early elementary school. Paul accepted and prayer now became something that was …personal. Did that mean that Paul didn’t still struggle? No…in fact I believe he struggled more.
Here’s why. When we think about prayer in this sense…that it is what we’re suppose to do…then we look at it this way.
If I pray like I’m suppose to …in some way God will reward me. As though now God is obligated to do something for us because we followed orders.
Follow God’s presence with me quickly.
Garden of Eden
Then pulled away from humanity because of sin.
Then on the Mountain…mount sinai…with Moses
Then in the tabernacle....then to the Temple
Then Jesus came and was called the image of God …God’s very presence among His people…walking with His people, healing His people, crying with laughing with eating with fishing with hiking with working with ....are you getting the picture here? Jesus, God’s very presence on earth with people....then Jesus said this and the Gospels record this....Jesus said He would leave His spirit with them…The Holy Spirit....that used to be in the Temple…that spirit would be with each person individually with each person....
Paul is now experiencing this in a very real way…God’s spirit is now with Him. The world has turned upside down for Paul. God is no longer at a distance.
Is God still God? Holy…King of all? Yes…and I think that deserves some respect and humility when we approach Him…our lives are in His hands.
But now both Paul and us…have a completely new way to talk with God. It’s not like it was in Eden…but God is as close as He can get this side of recreation.
Jeremiah … now Jeremiah is from the Old Testament and he struggled with this idea of prayer…of talking with God…the two way conversation. God says to Him…this is from God…it is God’s hope…God’s hope...
God asks presents us with this request:
Jeremiah 33:3 Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great things and inaccessible things that you have not known.
‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great things and inaccessible things that you have not known.’
God’s saying to Jeremiah…I have so much to talk to you about! I want to be close to you. I can help you in this imperfect life! Will it be tough sometimes? Yes…but I will be here with you…and I’ll tell you amazing things to help you get through this part of life.
Wow that’s uplifting isn’t it? Call out to God and he will answer. Here’s specifically God is talking to Jeremiah…we have this piece and the larger conversation in the book of Jeremiah in our Old Testament…Jeremiah was in a conversation with God when God said this…he was praying to God…talking with Him. And we have recorded this back and forth…Jeremiah prayed....God said....Jeremiah then prayed this.....then God said....
A fisherman was at sea with his godless companions when a storm came up and threatened to sink their ship. His friends begged him to pray; but he said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve done that or even entered a church.” At their insistence, however, he finally cried out, “O Lord, I haven’t asked anything of You in 15 years, and if You help us now and bring us safely to land, I promise I won’t bother You again for another 15!”
That’s not what God is saying to Jeremiah is it. That’s not what Jesus was saying to Paul…and it isn’t what Jesus is saying to you right now. He’s saying…call to me, I will answer. I’m right here.
Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6-7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
When you pray....know that God hears…that God is right there. Know that God’s spirit helps you pray. That God’s spirit even speaks for you when you don’t know what to say or how.
God wants you to be able to come to Him and pray…to come to Him to talk through things. To express things.
Remember in the beginning, God was right there… and we needed nothing. Now we are apart from Him…different from the Garden…and we need things, we need wisdom, understanding, patience, we need things for daily life…and God says…ask…on this side of recreation, I’m here for you. I haven’t left you. Before you might have felt like you were without hope...
Now…know that you have hope because you have a God that hears you and wants the best for you. Will things be perfect? No…we live on this side. We know that. In fact Paul says this…in Romans 12:12
rejoicing in hope, enduring in affliction, being devoted to prayer,