The past couple of days I have spent a lot of time thinking about prayer. I was elated this morning when I got to church and found out that prayer was the topic for the day. After rereading my five pages of notes I decided to consolidate them and make a little post. I left the service invigorated and inspired and beyond excited for my prayer life to grow!
The service was wonderful and I absolutely recommend that you take the time to listen to the sermon yourself (visit The Village Church and find the sermon from July 31).“If you want to embarrass a Christian, ask them what their prayer life looks like.”
-Guest Pastor at Village Church, July 31, 2011
The guest pastor began this morning by stating a comment I had heard before, but for some reason it really resonated with me today. He stated that when we woke up this morning and took our first breath, we didn’t do it out of discipline but out of a bodily yearning and need of oxygen. He continued by telling us that we should be yearning and needing prayer in the exact same way. Continuing he stated that “Prayerlessness at its core comes from a lack of understanding the Bible.” This statement caused me to feel an array of emotions. Upset, offended, confused, and then finally open. This statement cut deep. I am aware there are many things about the Bible that I don’t understand, but it was hard to hear why I don’t have this zeal to pray continually like the Bible calls us to. After telling us a few stories from the Bible and examples from real life I realized that prayer changes things. No, this was not a new realization but for some reason it felt new today.
He gave an example, when you go to someone’s house and go to knock on a door you don’t simply hit the door once. You knock a few times or until you receive a response. Sometimes you may even lock louder. Our prayers should be the same. We need to pray continuously. In Luke 11 we read a story of two neighbors.
5 Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’
7 “Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
In this story the one neighbor does not give the other neighbor food because they are friends but because of his boldness (see verse 8). Other versions call this boldness: persistence, shamelessness or impudence. Our pastor also points out that when this story was written midnight really meant the middle of the night and the man was literally in bed with his whole family because people’s homes at that time were literally one room with a single sleeping area.
Another example he gave was about the President and his daughter. Granted, this example could be of any father/child relationship but for some reason he chose Obama. The pastor stated that if Obama’s little girl came up to him at 2am repeatedly asking him for a glass of water, as a loving father, he would get out of bed and get it for her. That is the kind of love a father has for his children. If that is the kind of love and the kind of response an earthly father gives his children, how much greater do you think our Heavenly Fathers response is?
With prayer and faith God will present us with a plethora of opportunities and blessings. We just need to be faithful in asking. One of the saddest verses in the Bible is Matthew 13:58. “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” Yes, many times we do receive blessings even when we do not pray for them. But think of the kinds of things the Lord will do for you if you DO call on his name. One of my favorite verses is James 5:17. “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” I love the first part. I always look at the Bible characters and think of them as these holy, perfect people (despite reading stories of their mistakes- I know, that doesn’t make sense). But this verse tells us that Elijah was a human… just like you and me! And look at the results he received from praying diligently!
We need to learn to pray trustingly like children. Children usually don’t question what they hear, they take it and believe it. There is no second guessing.
The pastor closed today by stating that you must “saturate your mind in the Gospel and prayer will become instinctive.”
