Prayer

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. Martin Luther

Matthew 6:5-13 (page 787 on pew Bibles) “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’” Matthew 6:5-13

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 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. 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. James 5:13-16

HANNAH

MOSES

DAVID

NEHEMIAH

JONAH

The Lord’s Prayer our FATHER in Heaven, HALLOWED be Your Name, YOUR Kingdom come, YOUR will be done

The Lord’s Prayer our FATHER in Heaven, HALLOWED be Your Name, YOUR Kingdom come, YOUR will be done give us today our daily BREAD LEAD us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one

Excuses not to pray too busy working

The most practical thing we can do is to pray. Eugene Peterson

Excuses not to pray too busy working God will do what He wants to anyways

Believers do not pray with the view of informing God about things unknown to Him, or of exciting Him to do his duty, or of urging Him as though he were reluctant. On the contrary they pray in order that they may arouse themselves to seek Him, that they may exercise their faith in meditating on His promises, that they may relieve themselves from their anxiety by pouring them into His bosom; in a word, that they may declare that from Him alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and for others, all good things. John Calvin

Excuses not to pray too busy working God will do what He wants to anyways God won’t answer our prayers / won’t get answered in the way that we want them to be

Will we still pray if… Our prayers aren’t answered in the way we want them to? We will let go of our own will whenever it conflicts in the way and the will of God?

“God is most interested in relationship-an open, ongoing relationship that Scripture often describes as ‘walking with God.’ Life is a process of learning to walk with God, learning to relate and communicate with God. How we interact with God is vital for our lives. Thus, when Jesus is teaching his followers to pray, he is showing them how to walk with God. If walking with God truly is what our lives are really about, praying the way Jesus shows us is a major part of life.” “The Passionate Church”