Let us look at Step 11, Part 4, as we look into the 12 Steps with God
Step 11 – Prayer – We seek through prayer and meditation to know God’s Word and grow in Christ, praying only for the knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out.
In Step 11, we had two lessons looking at how we assimilate the Word of God into our lives – Bible study and meditation on God’s Word. In our last lesson we discussed how to pray.
In today’s lesson, we want to spend time working on the question of why we pray.
Your average person assumes that you pray when you really need something badly. Some liberal theologians believe that there is no point to prayer because God does what He wants anyway. So, we may logically ask, why should I pray? To answer, we will consider the Bible teaching in three simple statements.
1. Because that is our means of petitioning the God we love.
There are multiple definitions for the word pray in God’s Word, but it is most often used for the concept of inquiry. When we ask God anything, that is prayer. It is mostly in the form of asking for things but can be when we ask about things. In a very emotional outcry Nehemiah prayed…
Nehemiah 1:5-11, “… let your ear be attentive and your eyes open…”
“Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses…”
“… let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant… and give success to your servant today and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” –
Jesus himself taught us to pray with a substantial part of prayer being dedicated to petition.
Matthew 6:11-13, “Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…”
You might think it selfish to ask God for anything, but God intends that we would ask Him. By asking, He is moved and will work.
2. Because God uses our prayers as a means of accomplishing His will.
We believe in the ordaining work of God. This means that everything that is ever done in the universe is under the control of God, and that He has sovereignly established its accomplishment. This is referred to as his providence. Some have wondered, if God has already providentially ordained everything to happen, then why should we pray. However, this is a flawed outlook on prayer.
We believe that prayer can change God’s plans and activity.
Jonah 3:8,10, “… But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and let them call out mightily to God…When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”
God’s work, plan, and intentions can be changed by prayer. However, we must acknowledge that He cannot be manipulated through prayer, for that would make mankind the sovereign ones. God responds to genuineness of heart in truth.
3. Because as we speak to God our hearts change.
Prayer as a conversation with God has a way of shaping us, changing us. We do not often think of prayer as a two way means of communication. Traditionally we have viewed conversations with God going two ways, but that His method of speaking to us was only through His Word. The interesting twist in this process is that God’s Word can speak directly to our heart and it can change us from the inside…changing what we value, how we look at our circumstances in life, and how we choose to address the issues we face…all as a function of our prayers.
Jesus prayed,
Luke 22:42-43, “Father if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.”
You notice that two things happen here as Jesus prays: 1) He asks for something, but acknowledges His submission to God the Father’s will, and 2) God sends an angel to encourage Him. It appears that Jesus, by prayer, finds reassurance and encouragement.
The genuine Christian is eternally secure in his salvation and will persevere and grow because he has received everything necessary to sustain eternal life through Christ’s power. Believers already have every spiritual resource to manifest, sustain, and perfect godly living.
Consider and Confess:
1. Why do you pray? Because you want something? Because you crave the contact with God? Because you see the need for it in your life? Why?
2. Though we recognize that God is fully self-sufficient, do you understand that He wants to hear from you?
Looking Forward:
In the final step we will be discussing how to take your new patterns of life and teach them to others. That lifestyle is socially centered on the local church. It also builds on principles of discipleship. In the last few lessons, we want to talk about those important elements.
…This prayer represents one of the Scripture’s most moving confessions and intercessions before God.
Nehemiah 1:1-11 Nehemiah’s Grief for the Exiles
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.
Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and disgrace, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates have been burned with fire.”
4 Now when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. I said, “Please, Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and faithfulness for those who love Him and keep His commandments: 6 let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have committed against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember, please, the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to have My name dwell.’ 10 They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. 11 Please, Lord, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and please make Your servant successful today and grant him mercy before this man.”
Now I was the cupbearer to the king.
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G CHe's changing me, my precious Jesus G DI'm not the same person that I used to be. GSometimes it's a slow going, CBut there's a knowing, G D GThat someday, perfect I will be... (1, 2, 3, 4) G Little by little bit everyday, C Little by little bit every way, G D My Jesus is changing me (Oh yes, he's changing me). G Since I made that turnabout face, C I've been walking in His grace, G D G My Jesus is changing me. 2. He's changing you... your... 3. He's changing us... our... |