WHY PRAY?

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DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE YOUR PRAYERS HAVE NO POWER? DO YOU EVER WONDER IF YOU EVEN REALLY KNOW HOW TO PRAY? IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT AS THE DISCIPLES TRAVEL WITH JESUS, THEY NEVER ASK HIM TO TEACH THEM TO BE GREAT TEACHERS, LIKE HE WAS, OR TO SHOW THEM HOW TO PERFORM MIRACLES. HOWEVER, THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT JESUS THAT IMPRESSED THEM SO MUCH THEY WANT TO KNOW HOW TO DO IT.

 

LUKE 11: 1

 

JESUS SHARES WITH THEM WHAT WE TODAY CALL THE “LORD’S PRAYER” OR THE “MODEL PRAYER.” IN THIS PRAYER, JESUS PROVIDES ALL THE PRINCIPLES NECESSARY TO HAVE A JOURNEY INTO POWERFUL PRAYER. WE NEED TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, “WHY PRAY?” THERE ARE AT LEAST FOUR REASONS:

 

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FIRST, PRAYING IS A COMMAND.

 

Matthew 6:9A; IS THAT A SUGGESTION OR A COMMAND?

MATTHEW 7: 7

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A                 S                 K

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S                   E                 N

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KEEP ON    E                 O

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                    KEEP ON    KEEP ON

 

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“KEEP ON ASKING, KEEP ON SEEKING, AND KEEP ON KNOCKING.”

1 THESSALONIANS 5: 17

 

• TO PRAY WITHOUT CEASING MEANS WE ARE ALWAYS IN A SPIRIT OF PRAYER, SAYING NUMEROUS PRAYERS THROUGHOUT THE DAY AS THE LORD BRINGS NEEDS TO OUR ATTENTION.

• PRAYING WHILE DRIVING, LYING IN BED AT NIGHT, OR ANYTIME A NEED COMES TO YOUR MIND.

• TO OBEY GOD’S COMMANDS TO PRAY, WE MUST MAKE A HABIT OF PRAYING SHORT PRAYERS THROUGHOUT THE DAY, AS HE REMINDS US TO PRAY THROUGH REQUESTS, CIRCUMSTANCES, OR SPIRITUAL IMPRESSIONS.

 

WHENEVER WE PRAY, WE SHOULD NOT PRAY TO IMPRESS PEOPLE BECAUSE THE LORD COMMANDS US TO PRAY UNSEEN BY OTHERS.

 

MATTHEW 6: 5,6

 

PRIVATE PRAYER ENABLES US TO POUR OUT OUR HEARTS TO GOD AND TO LISTEN TO HIM WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS.

 

“WE SHOULD PRAY BECAUSE PRAYING IS A COMMAND.”

 

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SECOND, PRAYING ALLOWS GOD TO MEET OUR NEEDS.

 

IN THE LORD’S PRAYER, JESUS TEACHES US HOW TO PRAY SO GOD CAN MEET ALL OUR PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS. GOD CHOSE PRAYER AS THE MEANS THROUGH WHICH HE WILL MEET OUR NEEDS.

• SOME PEOPLE THINK, GOD KNOWS WHAT I NEED. I DON’T HAVE TO TELL HIM. HE WILL JUST GIVE IT TO ME WHEN I NEED IT. GOD GIVES US SOME THINGS ONLY IF WE ASK HIM, NO MATTER HOW OBVIOUS THEY ARE.

 

JAMES 4: 2

 

WHY DOES GOD WANT US TO ASK HIM TO MEET OUR NEEDS, SUCH AS OUR DAILY BREAD, MATTHEW 6:11?

 

JOHN 16: 24

 

• WHEN GOOD THINGS WE DON’T ASK FOR HAPPEN TO US, WE THINK IT IS LUCK, OR OUR OWN HARD WORK. BUT WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO US BECAUSE WE ASK GOD FOR THEM, WE EXPERIENCE A COMPLETELY NEW DIMENSION OF JOY.

 

• WHEN WE ASK GOD FOR THINGS, A HOUSE, CAR, OR BETTER JOB, AND WE REALIZE GOD GIVES THEM TO US BECAUSE HE LOVES US, WE WILL HAVE A COMPLETELY NEW APPRECIATION FOR THEM. “OUR JOY WILL BE FULL.”

 

 

WE SHOULD PRAY BECAUSE PRAYING IS A COMMAND, PRAYING ALLOWS GOD TO MEET OUR NEEDS.

 

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THIRD, PRAYING RELEASES GOD’S POWER IN OUR LIVES.

 

GOD IS “OMNIPOTENT,” WHICH MEANS HE IS ALL POWERFUL.

MATTHEW 19: 26

• THIS MEANS HIS POWER HAS NO LIMITS AND THEREFORE, NEITHER DOES PRAYER.

 

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QUESTION

 

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE LORD JESUS, THROUGH WHOM DID GOD PERFORM MORE MIRACLES THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THE BIBLE?

 

• TO EXPERIENCE GOD’S POWER IN OUR LIVES WE NEED A REGULAR PLACE WHERE WE CAN MEET GOD.

1. IN OUR HOME.

2. OFFICE.

3. IN A CAR.

4. ON THE WAY TO WORK.

5. WHEREVER, WE CAN PRIVATELY PRAY.

 

JAMES 5: 16

 

WE SHOULD PRAY BECAUSE PRAYING IS A COMMAND, PRAYING ALLOWS GOD TO MEET OUR NEEDS, PRAYING RELEASES GOD’S POWER IN OUR LIVES.

 

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FOURTH, PRAYING BRINGS IMMEDIATE REWARDS.

 

OUR PRAYER TIME SHOULD NOT BE JUST GIVING GOD OUR PERSONAL WANT LIST; ONE REWARD OF PRAYER IS BEING ABLE TO HELP OTHERS WHEN THERE IS LITTLE ELSE, WE CAN DO.

 

• PRAYING SHOULD BE A MINISTRY, A WAY OF HELPING OTHERS.

• WE ARE COMMANDED TO BEAR EACH OTHER’S BURDENS.

 

GALATIANS 6: 2

 

• A PRIMARY WAY WE BEAR EACH OTHER’S BURDENS IS BY PRAYING.

• AS WE PRAY FOR OTHERS, WE WILL HAVE THE IMMEDIATE REWARD OF KNOWING WE ARE HAVING A POWERFUL AND POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEIR LIVES.

• PRAYER ALSO HAS AN IMMEDIATE REWARD WHEN WE PRAY FOR OUR OWN NEEDS OR PROBLEMS.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4: 6,7

 

• PRAYING ALLOWS GOD TO GUARD OUR HEARTS AND MINDS IMMEDIATELY AGAINST WORRY, ANXIETY, AND STRESS. THE PEACE THAT EXCEEDS HUMAN UNDERSTANDING IS ONE OF THE GREATEST REWARDS OF PRAYER.

 

 

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CLOSING

 

WHY PRAY? BECAUSE PRAYING IS A COMMAND, PRAYING ALLOWS GOD TO MEET OUR NEEDS, PRAYING RELEASES GOD’S POWER IN OUR LIVES, AND PRAYING BRINGS IMMEDIATE REWARDS.

 

 

 

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