PRAYER CAN FIX IT

[Evang. Felecia Spaulding]

[MaKelly]

PRAYER, GOD’S WORD ON
The most universally practiced yet least understood of human experiences, prayer is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. Its simplest definition is communication with God. Yet so often we approach prayer like a one-way telephone conversation, forgetting that God also wants to speak to us. And how do we pray-on our knees or standing; silently or out loud; alone or with others; by rote or spontaneously? And does prayer really induce God to manipulate events or otherwise act on our behalf? Although the Bible does not take up these and other questions directly, prayer appears on nearly every page as the very essence of a faith relationship with the living God. Simple enough for a child to understand and yet so profound we spend a lifetime plumbing its depths, prayer assumes that it is possible for us to have an intimate relationship with a God who hears, cares, and is able to act.


WHAT IS PRAYER?
2 Chronicles 7:14 . . . Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven.
Prayer is an act of humble worship in which we seek God with all our heart.
Psalm 38:15-18 . . . I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done.
1 John 1:9 . . . If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.
Prayer often begins with a confession of sin.
1 Samuel 14:36-45 . . . The priest said, “Let’s ask God first.”
2 Samuel 5:17-19 . . . David asked the Lord, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines?”
Prayer is asking God for guidance and waiting for his direction and leading.
Mark 1:35 . . . The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray.
Prayer is an expression of an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father, who makes his own love and resources available to us.
Psalm 9:1-2 . . . I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart . . . I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
Through prayer we praise our mighty God.


DOES THE BIBLE TEACH A “RIGHT WAY” TO PRAY?
Nehemiah 1:4-11 . . . For days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.
Throughout the Bible effective prayer includes elements of adoration, confession, and commitment, as well as requests.
Matthew 6:5-13 . . . Pray like this.
Jesus taught his disciples that prayer is an intimate relationship with the Father that includes a dependency for daily needs, commitment to obedience, and forgiveness of sin.
Luke 18:1-8 . . . One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up.
Prayer is to be consistent and persistent.
Nehemiah 2:4 . . . With a prayer to the God of heaven.
Prayer can be spontaneous.


HOW DO I LEARN TO TALK TO GOD?
Isaiah 1:16-20 . . . Wash yourselves and be clean!
All our communication with God must begin with confession.
Philippians 4:6-7 . . . Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
God invites us to bring all our needs to him in prayer.


DOES GOD ALWAYS ANSWER PRAYER?
James 5:13-18 . . . Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.
1 John 5:14-15 . . . We can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will.
We can be confident of God’s response to our prayer when we submit first to his will.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 . . . Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said “. . . My power works best in your weakness.”
Sometimes, like Paul, we will find that God answers prayer by giving us not what we ask for but something better.
Exodus 14:15 . . . Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!”
Our prayer must be accompanied by a willingness to obey with our actions.


PROMISES FROM GOD:
Psalm 9:12 . . . He does not ignore those who cry to him for help.
God does not ignore our prayers.
Psalm 145:18 . . . The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely.
Our prayers bring us into God’s presence.
Matthew 7:7 . . . Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for.
God honors persistence in prayer.
James 1:5 . . . If you need wisdom-if you want to know what God wants you to do-ask him, and he will gladly tell you.
God will give you wisdom if you ask for it.
James 5:16 . . . The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.
A sincere prayer brings wonderful result.
1 Peter 3:12 . . . The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers.
1 John 5:14 . . . We can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will.
God hears our prayers when they are in line with his will.