Luke 11:1-13
The Lord be with you
And also with you
Let us pray:
(Song: Pray by Darlene Zschech)
Reading of the Gospel according to St. Luke
Since I have been coming down with a cold, this morning I have brought with me something to drink. I put it in one of my favorite cups from home. It says “Dear God, Do you ever sit around…waiting for the phone to ring.” But what I like what is says on the back the most. It is a cup that I grab when I feel like I am out in the wilderness without my cell phone to call someone who cares. The back says “Dear God, Do you ever sit around…waiting for the phone to ring? God is always at work – always eager to hear your prayers, yet already busy doing everything you need at the moment of the day or night. So while you are welcome anytime you start to need His help or think about His love, He is already on the job – even when you’re not.” (Wow…he’s already doing what we need…before we even ask. How amazing is that?)
We have embarked on a wonderful journey this Lent. We have been learning about different Spiritual Disciplines. We have talked about listening (how are you all doing on those quiet moments of listening…I think I may have it up to about 3 min. but who’s counting), worship and simplicity (Which is the real spice of life if you ask me). Today I want to talk to you about something that is very near and dear to my heart. It’s something that I feel keeps me connected to the Giver of all knowledge. The discipline is the discipline of prayer.
So what is prayer? How do we tap into the power to change situations and nations? How can we know if we are doing it right and if we are not, how can we change? How do we pray? Well…in the Scripture passage from Luke this morning, we can see that the disciples had the same types of questions in their minds.
Jesus had just finished praying and they must have been moved by hearing Him pray because right after He had finished, they wanted Jesus to teach them how to pray. Well…this tells me that prayer is something that is learned. It is something that we don’t know how to do unless someone shows us how to do it. I remember as a child, my parents taught me how to pray. Most of you probably had the same “teacher of prayer.” I can remember getting on my knees at the side of my bed as a child and praying the prayer that my parents taught me. You know the prayer “now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…” Prayer is something that is taught how to do.
This simple little prayer taught to me as a child has grown into something much more than that. You see…prayer is not just about asking for something, it is a one on one conversation with the Creator of all things. Prayer is the one thing that keeps Christians in touch with God. We can say that we love God and want to do His will in our lives but, how can we know the will that God has for us unless we spend time with God…in prayer…in order to know what that will is. Prayer is a “two way street.” It’s not only about us going to the throne of grace and asking, it also about us listening for God’s still small voice (remember what Huntley talked about…listening…it is a discipline we need to hear God’s voice). It is this mutual relationship that helps us, as Christians, to live the life that God has planned for us.
You don’t have to pray with big, theological words, this scripture shows us a simple prayer that was taught to the disciples and it is this simple prayer that not only asks for things for ourselves but also for others. In this prayer…I counted the word “us” an “we” 5 times. It is not all about the “I”, it’s about the “we” and “us”. This prayer tells me that prayer is not all about me and that I need to pray for others as well. It tells me that by praying for others I can make a difference in situations and even for a change in the nations. What awesome power the Giver of all that is good has given each and every one of us. What a responsibility we all have.
Simplicity (still yet another one of those Spiritual disciplines that we have talked about)…I remember one day Shanequa came into Ray’s office and asked for a puppy. Well…being the “good Christian parents” that we are, we said to her “well Shanequa, you’re going to have to ask God about that.” Well…Shanequa then dropped to her knees and prayed “God, can I please have a puppy.” As she was leaving the office…we cleared our throats and she came back in…dropped to her knees again and said “Oh yah…AMEN!” (Spontaneous prayer in action!) Her little prayer made us laugh but it also taught us something. When going to God in prayer, it doesn’t have to be a complicated prayer, a simple little prayer will do. It also taught us that we need to go to God with the spirit of a little child going to their parent with a request knowing that our prayer will be answered and trusting that God hears us.
Prayer is not just a onetime thing. We need to be continually in prayer over things…kind of like that guy in the scripture this morning. They kept asking until they received what they asked for. So don’t get discourage if you ask for something and you don’t get immediate results. It’s hard when we don’t get immediate answers. We live in a world that tells us we must have immediate gratification. We want it NOW! Scripture tells us to pray without ceasing. Prayer helps us build endurance and character. We learn that perseverance is a sign of maturity. (A pastor friend of mind once told me that “delayed gratification is a sign of maturity”)
Prayer is not all about asking either. In prayer, we also have the opportunity to thank God for all He has given us. As we thank God for the abundance that has been heaped upon us, we are actually doing and act of “worship” as we concentrate on His goodness (Boy…these spiritual gifts come in handy!). God wants to have a relationship with us. If He didn’t He would not have sent His Son to bridge that gap that was forged in the Garden of Eden. For that alone we should be thankful. God has answered so many of our prayers which is another thing to be thankful for. God has given us life and a purpose, again something to be thankful for. And the list goes on, so I don’t really think that we will have a problem in thinking of things to be thankful for. Even when we don’t know what to say, when we are at a loss for words, God hears the prayer of our hearts.(This I am ever thankful for because there are days that I just don’t know what to pray).
Prayer…it is one of those disciplines that is a life boat to us as Christians. It is something that doesn’t have to be complicated. It is an opportunity to thank God for all His goodness. It is a way that we can change the world. Wow, that’s a lot of stuff for such a simple thing. But, God doesn’t need it to be complicated and theological for Him to understand what you are saying. He even knows the prayers that we are unable to articulate. It is a way that we can keep in touch with and hear from the Creator of all things. What an awesome privilege we have. What an opportunity we have to come to the throne of grace, through Our Lord Jesus Christ and have a one on one with our heavenly Father. God speaks to us even today as He did in years past. All we need to do is be still, and listen for that still, small voice saying “I’m here and I hear what you’re saying.” Speak Lord…your servants are listening…
(Word of God Speak video by Mercy Me)
AMEN!
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