Today’s topic . . .

PRAYER

Opening Words of Wisdom . . .

The one concern of the devilis to keep Christians from praying.

He fears nothing from prayerless studies,prayerless work, prayerless religion.

He laughs at our toil,mocks at our wisdom,

but trembles when we pray.(Samuel Chadwick)

Too busy NOT to pray . . .

I have so much to dothat I spend several hours in prayer

before I am able to do it.(John Wesley)

God’s Phone Number

J33:3Call to me

and I will answer youand tell you great and unsearchable things

you do not know.(Jeremiah 33:3)

Lines are open 24/7. No busy signal. No access fees.

Opening Question . . .

What is your prayer life

REALLY like?

WHY?

TOP 10 REASONS TO PRAY

1. Jesus prayed. (John 17)

2. It works. (Matt. 21:21-22)

3. God listens. (Ps. 5:1-3)

4. God responds. (Matt. 7:7-11)

5. It deepens our relationship with God. (Ps. 1-150)

6. It brings us peace. (Phil. 4:6-7)

7. It helps us avoid temptation. (Matt. 6:13)

8. It gives us an opportunity to confess our sins. (Matt. 6:14-15)

9. It shifts our focus to “him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” (Eph. 3:20)

10. God tells us to. (1 Tim. 2:1)

WHO?

Who prays daily?

• 89% of Jehovah’s Witnesses

• 82% of Mormons

• No Christian denomination above 80%

• 53% of mainline Protestants

• Even 10% of Atheists

(Sources: Barna Group, Pew Research)

Who prays weekly?

• 84% of all adults

• 89% of women

• 79% of men

• 92% of conservatives

• 71% of liberals

• 65% age 21 and under

• 30% of atheists

(Sources: Barna Group, Pew Research)

To whom should we pray?

“Effective prayer is a quartet:the Father, the Son, the Spirit

and the Christian.”(John Blanchard)

•Most prayers in NT are to the Father•Many are to Jesus (e.g., Stephen)•No prayers directly to the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit’s role . . .

The Spirit helps us in our weakness.We do not know what we ought to pray for,

but the Spirit himself intercedes for uswith groans that words cannot express.

(Romans 8:26-27)

For whom should we pray?

everyone(1 Timothy 2:1a)

WHAT?

Prayer is . . .

• “the sweat of the soul” (Martin Luther)

• “the nearest approach to God and the highest enjoyment of him that we are capable of in this world” (William Law)

• “a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Spirit, for such things as God has promised” (John Bunyan)

Prayer 101

• Prayer = communicating with God

• Get to know each person in the Trinity intimately

• Share your deepest thoughts and concerns

• If you don’t know what to say, ask the Spirit for help

What should we pray?

“THE BIBLE is a letter God has sent to us;prayer is a letter we send to him.” (Matthew Henry)

• Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)

• Psalms: “An anatomy of all parts of the soul” (John Calvin)

• Gospels

• Epistles

• Fave verses (e.g., Galatians 2:20, 1 Thess. 5:16)

• Everything else – ALL Scripture is God-breathed

What should we pray?

ACTS

• Adoration

• Confession

• Thanksgiving

• Supplication

to be continued . . .