The Prayer Life of a Christian 1
I welcome you again, friend, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we want to talk about, The Prayer Life of a Christian. We will read from Acts of the Apostle 9 from verse 10
Acts 9:10-16
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”
And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
PRAYER:
Father, this hour we dedicate to You and ask that You speak to our hearts. I commit into Your hand my friends that You may, dear Lord, speak to us all, in Jesus Name. Amen!
Let me start with two quotes concerning prayer – actually – more than two quotes. Let me start with a few quotes concerning prayer.
James Montgomery, in his hymn, defines prayer as: a soul sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed; the motion of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast.
Samuel Chadwick (1860-1932), a Wesleyan Methodist Minister in Northern England, said this concerning prayer: In the estimate of God, prayer is more wonderful than all the wonders of the heavens, more glorious than all the mysteries of the earth, more mighty than all the forces of creation. Who can measure the influence of an hour a day spent alone with God? Prayer changes things. Prayer makes all things possible – for it links the praying soul to the omnipotence of God.
Don’t you love that, friend?
Prayer links you to the omnipotence of God. Chadwick also said, concerning prayer, The one concern of the devil is 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.
The first quote from James Montgomery is what I would call a definition of prayer, whereas the last two quotes from Chadwick give us the distinctiveness of prayer: the nature and power of prayer. Of all human activities none is as import as prayer. But let me put in my two pence. This is my definition of prayer: harnessing my thoughts; in other words taking my thoughts captive. Harnessing my thoughts and deliberately directing them toward God in the expression of gratitude, in the expression of worship, and in presentation of people’s needs as, well as mine.
Prayer!
Let me go on to give us the basis for prayer.
The basis for prayer we find in,
Matthew 6:5-8
5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
Even though some of the things that Jesus thought are so clear you find many Christians also going against them. How many people pray today using vain repetitions? Some say that you have to say in Jesus Name seven times for your prayer to go upward. And then we say: HE will do it! HE will do it! HE will do it! HE will do it! – and those kinds of repetitions….when Jesus has said clearly that’s what the heathens do. The basis of prayer we find in this scripture is simply that of relationship. That is the basis for prayer. The relationship with God, specifically speaking now the relationship of sonship. In the text we just read now Jesus uses the word, Father four times. Your heavenly Father Your heavenly Father – is a relationship between a father and a Son, the heavenly Father and a Son on earth. And of course we read in
John 1:12-13
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
So that is the basis for prayer, the fact that you are a child of God. And that is the title of the message. The prayer life of a Christian! Sonship.
Prayer is a fundamental activity where the child of God exercises his right or authority of sonship. As many as received Him they have become Children of God. Exercising that right and authority to become a child of God.
What kind of father is a Christian praying to? It is a Father who says, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and it will be open to you, the Father who encourages you to pray for every one who asks receives. What an encouragement! He who seeks finds. And to him who knocks it will be opened. And it goes on to say, if a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil as sinnermen know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly Father who is perfect give the Holy Spirit to those who ask of Him? I have just quoted from Luke 11:9-13.
Our heavenly Father will always answer our prayers, and will do so in perfect love far beyond what an earthly father plagued by all kinds of limitations would do. On our part He wanst us to keep asking. He wants us to keep seeking. He wants us to keep knocking because that word or this expression in the original is present imperative – which means: keep doing it. What our heavenly Father feels when any of His children exercises his or her privilege of prayer is portrayed in what we read in Acts 9. Recall that we read Acts 9:10-16, particularly where it says Jesus speaking to Ananias concerning Soul of Tarsus. He said, behold he is praying. According to Chadwick I quoted earlier, here we find God’s expression of joy and wonder over His praying child, God’s proof of grace also. God gave Ananias prayer as the sign that Saul: the arch enemy of the gospel, has become His own chosen vessel – by grace through faith. Go for he is a chosen vessel of mine. Prayer, a wonderful privilege…letting with power, the power of the Omnipotence of God. Why not use it, Christian friend?
PRAYER:
Father, we thank You for this time we have spent, although short. We bless Your name, O Lord. May You help my friends to develop this habit of praying. Give them the desire to seek Your face always – for therein lies the secret of a successful Christian life. Than You, we pray in Jesus Name, Amen!