[0:00] Let's turn for a few moments just to the chapter that we read, Matthew chapter 6 and verse 5, page 978, Matthew chapter 6 and verse 5, where Jesus says, When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[0:37] And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
[0:51] I guess when you think about everything that's ever been written in Christian circles, it's probably true to say that there's more been said about prayer than any other subject.
[1:12] Maybe I'm wrong, but certainly there's a lot been said about prayer. And yet, despite everything that's been said about it, it's the one area where Christians continually fall short.
[1:28] And I guess that if I was to take a survey tonight, you have probably heard several sermons on the subject of prayer. And yet, it doesn't matter how much we hear about it, and it seems to me that there ought to be a time when we regularly come back to this.
[1:45] In the calendar of the church, we need to come back time and time again. Just remind ourselves what we've heard before, and I'm not going to say anything that's new this evening. A lot of the Bible is coming back to the themes and the issues that we know so well.
[2:00] And yet, when we come back to them, very often it appears as if we've never read them before. And that's good, because they hit us with a freshness. And I hope tonight, as we come and look at what the Lord says about prayer, that it will hit us with a freshness.
[2:13] Because if it does, then we'll go out determined with a new realization of what prayer is. And it's only as we realize the tremendous nature of prayer that we will go out and be praying people.
[2:29] And I guess that every minister comes into the pulpit hoping that in some way there'll be a difference in someone. Let me tell you this, if someone, as a result of this evening, just talking about prayer, if someone goes out and prays for, say, five minutes more than they did today or yesterday, then we have achieved something.
[2:50] And the Lord has spoken to us. Because it's only God that can persuade us as to how necessary it is and how essential it is to be praying people.
[3:03] So I think it's important that we come and listen again to what the Lord tells us. This is a place where Christians continually fall short.
[3:14] And it's really amazing to think that, because it really is our first calling. It's a mark of the fact that a person has been converted. Remember what the Lord said to Ananias about Saul of Tarsus.
[3:26] He is praying. That was a mark. That was a sign that he had been converted. He had met Jesus on the road to Damascus. And ever after that day, Paul, I suppose Saul, had prayed, in a sense, his whole life as a Pharisee.
[3:44] Surely he had spent time in what he thought was praying. And yet, that was the day when prayer was completely transformed. And when he began to pray in a new and a living way, because he had met the Lord Jesus Christ.
[4:00] And that's when we begin to pray in a new and a living way. When we begin to pray through Jesus Christ. I want to say something tonight to perhaps someone who is thinking very seriously about following Jesus.
[4:15] Perhaps you're just on that point of committing your life to the Lord. I really hope you are. I've said this so many times before, and so has Kenny and I. That's a real prayer for you, is that you'll come and follow the Lord.
[4:28] Now, you might be saying, well, how do you? How does a person become a Christian? And I've thought about this many, many times. And it seems to me that the answer lies in prayer. Because prayer is where we speak to the Lord.
[4:42] And where we come personally to him. And whilst it is important to listen to him and his words, it's important to come to church. It's important to sing his praises. In actual fact, when we're singing his praises, we're actually praying.
[4:55] If you're singing with all your heart, you are praying. But this is how one comes into God's means of a person coming into a personal relationship with God.
[5:08] Always involves praying. You say, well, I wouldn't even know where to start. What do you say when you start praying? I've often said my prayers as a boy or as a girl.
[5:20] I know the Lord's prayer. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. And so on. I know all of these things. I know the prayers that you teach your kids. But these are all the prayers I know.
[5:31] Well, I think we have to understand that you're coming to the Lord in faith. You're coming personally to the Lord. It's as if you think of all the people who came to Jesus while he was on the earth.
[5:43] You think of people like Zacchaeus. You think of people like Jairus. You think of people like the disciples who came personally to the Lord. And they came as they were.
[5:54] Don't try to pretend there were some. Whatever you do, don't try and pretend you're someone else. Don't try and put airs and graces on for the Lord. Because that's going to get you nowhere.
[6:06] You have to come as you are. Because Christ wants us to come as we are. And a person can't pretend. Because for the first time in your life, you're in front of God who sees.
[6:19] You're standing or kneeling or sitting before God who sees and knows every single thing about you. So there's no point in trying to pretend. And neither. You try and use the kind of language that just doesn't suit you.
[6:34] It's not you. You have to come as you are. We'll see that in a few moments of time. That's exactly the point that Jesus makes. Don't try and emulate and imitate. Other people. Because you are the person that God wants us to come as we are.
[6:49] In all our filthiness. In all our confession. And tell him. Tell him what's on our heart. Tell him that we long to know him. Tell him that we find it difficult to find the words.
[7:00] Tell him that. Tell him that you don't know where to start. Tell him that you've been reading the Bible. And you've been reading this passage in the Bible. And somehow or other, this passage, this verse seems to speak to you.
[7:12] And ask him to open it out for you. And open out your understanding of it. Tell him the things that you've heard. That I've meant to you in the sermon. And that you want to know more about.
[7:22] And that you want to make progress on as a person. And tell him that you want to follow him. And you don't know where to begin. And you don't know how to follow him. See, God wants us to be honest with him.
[7:33] We can be no other way. There's nothing we can bring to God. There's not a thing we can bring. Don't. Whatever you do. Don't start telling him all the good things that you've been doing.
[7:44] It's like the Pharisee in the temple that Jesus spoke about. Who for him prayer was. Lord, let me give you my list. Let me give you my achievements of the day. I've done this. And I've done that.
[7:55] And the next thing. That's not prayer at all. But prayer is where we come honestly. In our emptiness. And prayer is where we're like the tax collector.
[8:07] And that's where it begins. Lord, have mercy on me as sinner. He doesn't want to know your theology. He doesn't want to know how much of the Bible you know. He doesn't want to know whether you've contributed to the church.
[8:20] He wants to know. He wants to see your repentance. Repentance. That's how to come. That's what prayer is all about.
[8:30] That's where it begins. With you coming personally to the Lord. Nobody else needs to see it. Many of the persons began to follow the Lord. By going home on a Sunday night.
[8:41] Going into their room. Nobody else knows. It's closing the door. Going down on their knees. Many people find going down on their knees. It helps them to realize what they're doing. Good.
[8:52] That's fine. So be it. And ask the Lord to come into your life. To change your heart. You say, I'm afraid. I don't know how to be a Christian. I know I'm not good enough to be a Christian.
[9:05] That's good. You know that you're not good enough to be a Christian. It's as good a place to start as any. Because God can change you. He can tell you. He can show you how Christ came into the world for you.
[9:18] To save you. And to rescue you. And to change your whole life. That's how it begins. With you coming close to the Lord in prayer. Ah, you say, how do I know he's listening to me?
[9:29] How can I be sure that he's listening? Do you know this? There are Christians who have been Christians for 20 years. And we wrestle with the same questions. Don't think you're alone in that at all. But you know, you come to him because he says this.
[9:43] Listen to what he says. He says it himself. John chapter 6 and verse 40. He who comes to me, I will never drive away.
[9:56] Now that's a promise. So you don't need to say, what if he doesn't listen to me? What if he doesn't hear my prayer? Because he's promised that as we come in faith in Jesus.
[10:07] And that's the key. If we come resting on what Jesus has done on the cross. Don't come in your own strength. Don't come telling him how good you are.
[10:18] Because you aren't. And you haven't begun to worship or to pray. When we're telling him how good we are. When we're not. But if you come as we come. On the basis of what Jesus has come.
[10:29] In the name of Jesus. Then God has promised to listen. And hear our prayer. I just wonder. You know what?
[10:40] You know what? I wasn't going to say that this evening. I just felt that. That just all of a sudden. I felt that. Here is. Here is something. Perhaps. That. Somebody may need to hear.
[10:51] And I really hope that somebody. Will. Listen to. To what I've just said. And come to the Lord. That. Being a Christian. Is a personal relationship. With the Lord. Lord.
[11:02] And. That's. God's means. The way that God has given us. In which we can come to him. In prayer. And that we. That he can open up. And draw us. To himself.
[11:13] And as you do that. You discover. A whole world. That you've never known before. You discover that you can take things. To the Lord. That you've never taken to him before. Beforehand. Am I right in saying.
[11:25] That you've. Prayed to the Lord. When you're in a crisis. When somebody in your family is ill. When somebody's in hospital. When somebody's in an accident. Or when. You're in some kind of trouble.
[11:36] With. With your boss. Or when you've fallen out with someone. Or whatever. You all of a sudden turn. Oh. We're really good at turning to the Lord. When it suits us. And when we think we need him. But for the most part.
[11:47] He doesn't figure enough thinking at all. Isn't that so dishonoring to God. But now. I hope that you discover. That there isn't anything you can't take to the Lord.
[11:58] Everything. You take to him. Everything. That's what the hymn says. Take it. To. The Lord. In prayer. With their joys. You know. You know. Sometimes we take. The.
[12:09] Troubles. To the Lord. In prayer. And that's what we should do. But we don't take the good times. To the Lord. In prayer. We don't rejoice.
[12:20] And give thanks. When. The good times. Are happening. And we. We enjoy them. And again. God doesn't figure into our thinking at all. We don't ever think of.
[12:32] Of going to him and saying. Lord. All these things I'm enjoying at this moment in time. The rejoicing that I'm doing at the moment. It's all down to what you've given me. How dishonoring is that?
[12:42] When we leave the Lord. Out of our celebrations. You get married. It's your birthday. Something good has happened. In your. In your life. Something that you've been promoted at work.
[12:54] You've got your first job. You're into university. All of these things. Rejoice. In the Lord. And take these things. And I thank the Lord.
[13:04] For all. That he's done for you. But the. Life is full of. Not only joys. But it's also full of sorrows. Difficulties. Things that weigh heavily on your mind. Then take them. Even when there are little things.
[13:16] That irritate you. Plus the things. Where you know you've gone wrong. The events. Where you know you've gone wrong. And where you know that. If you're in a conflict situation.
[13:27] And when you know you've said. The wrong thing. Ask the Lord. To enter into. And intervene. And to put these things right. Well now. Why is it so difficult to pray?
[13:38] Why is it so difficult to keep praying? Well there's no doubt whatsoever. But every Christian. Finds it difficult. You know. There are some times. I'm not quite sure why.
[13:49] There are some times. When we find it. Easier to pray. Easier to find the words. Than at other times. Does that mean. That we only pray. When we feel like it.
[14:01] Or when we. The words come easily to us. And when we. Start praying. And when we discover. That we're just getting tied up in knots. And we can't seem to find out. We can't decide what to pray on.
[14:12] Pray for. And we just give up. Not at all. Absolutely not. That's the last thing. That we should do. We have to expect. That in a broken world.
[14:23] As. Fallen human beings. That there is a. There's a. A breach. Between us and God. We live in an environment.
[14:35] In which there is sin. And whilst Christ has. Taken away the guilt. Of us. And if we're following him tonight. Whilst he has taken away. The guilt of our sin. The Lord is still working.
[14:46] On transforming. Our lives. And he will. Continue to do so. Until. The end. Of the world. That's his promise. That the Lord works within us. To will and to do.
[14:57] Of his good pleasure. That means. That affects. Our prayer life. It affects the times. That we pray. And it means. That prayer. We'll find. Difficult. But I would like.
[15:09] To think. That the next time. You find prayer difficult. That you. Regard that. As a challenge. And you don't give up. And do something else. But that you. That you say. I'm not. Going to stop praying.
[15:20] Even if my prayer. Is nothing more. Than. Than size. You know. The Bible tells us. That the Lord. Is able to understand. Our size. And there are times.
[15:31] When we don't know. The words. To put together. Where we can't seem. To find. Adequate words. That express. Our circumstances. Or what we feel. Ought to be brought.
[15:42] Before the Lord. And where. It just kind of. Reduces. To a sigh. Don't think. That that's not prayer. Because the Lord. Understands. And he interprets.
[15:53] That sigh. Romans chapter 8. Groanings. Which cannot be uttered. That's what the. Apostle Paul. Called it. And there are times. Like that. Particularly times.
[16:03] When we're tired. When we're times. When we're stressed. When times. When we've. When we're. So busy. That we don't know. Which way to turn. And where. Where we find.
[16:14] It's so difficult. To focus our minds. Upon. Upon. What. To pray for. The other thing. We've got to understand is. Second thing is. That prayer is a warfare.
[16:25] Prayer. I'm going to say in a few moments time. That sometimes. We get confused. With the place. That prayer has. In our lives. What the function.
[16:36] Of prayer is. We're waiting for a moment. Before talking about that. But before I talk about that. You know it's quite ironic. That Satan. Is far more aware.
[16:46] Of the function of prayer. Than we are sometimes. And that's why. He. In his own way. And I say this. With no hesitation. Whatsoever. I believe.
[16:57] I've said this before. I believe. In the personal existence. Of the devil. And the devil. Interacts with us. In ways. That we.
[17:07] Are not quite sure of. But if we believe. Today. In the Lord. If we believe. In his interaction. With us. Then the Bible. Also tells us. That there is a devil. That also interacts.
[17:18] I think you were. Thinking about that. This morning. With Dr. Fraser. The devil goes about. Like a roaring lion. Seeking whom he may devour. This is one of the ways. He does it. By attacking the way.
[17:29] And taking away. Our confidence. In prayer. By sapping. Our confidence. In prayer. That's one of the reasons. Why you should not be surprised.
[17:40] That prayer is so difficult. When you come to the conclusion. I don't understand. Why I don't seem to be getting. Anywhere in prayer. Perhaps it is because. You're in a warfare. Prayer. And don't be surprised.
[17:52] In fact. Be encouraged. That that is the way. That things are. But then. I want us to look. Thirdly. At the fact. That sometimes.
[18:03] We get confused. About the necessity. Of prayer. Don't we? Sometimes we stop. And we think. Why am I doing this?
[18:14] Why am I praying? If God is sovereign. From the. Without beginning.
[18:24] And without end. And if there are no limits. To his. Power. And his knowledge. And his. The way in which he is able. To work out.
[18:34] If the promise is there. That God will work out. Everything. For the good. Of those who love him. And are called. According to the. Of his purpose. That's what the Bible says. If God knows my needs.
[18:45] Before I ask him. Why. Pray. What is the function. Of. Prayer. Well. The answer to that is.
[18:59] That we are being. Far too simplistic. About prayer. And God. And that's. Very often. The mistake we make. In our understanding.
[19:10] Of God. We take something like. God is sovereign. And we think. We understand it. You don't understand it. I don't understand it. It's far.
[19:21] Far beyond. My ability. To understand. The Bible. Has given us. Enough information. For us to know. That God is in control. Of all things. It's given us. Enough information.
[19:32] For us to know. That the father. Knows our needs. Before we ask him. And yet. Don't kid yourself. For a moment. That you can understand. What that means. No you can't. You accept this truth.
[19:43] But you can't. Get your head around it. Because. And what I want to say is this. That the same. What we have to accept. Is this. And we accept it. We accept lots of things. Without necessarily.
[19:54] Understanding them. First of all. We accept that. God. Has told us. To pray. He has told us.
[20:04] In his sovereignty. To pray. And he has told us. That his sovereignty. Includes. The prayer. Of his people.
[20:15] Just the same way. As it includes. The preaching. Of the gospel. I could ask. As a minister. I could say. Well the Bible. Tells me. That God is sovereign. And Ephesians chapter 1. Tells us.
[20:26] Tells us. That God has chosen. His own people. Romans chapter 8. He chose us. In him. Before the foundation. Of the world. Now I could try to make. I could try to draw. My own conclusions.
[20:36] From that. And I could say. Well if God is sovereign. And if. If he chooses. Those who are going to serve him. And those who are going to belong to him. Then. There's no need for me. To preach the gospel.
[20:50] And you know. There's a certain logic to that. Isn't there? Or. I could simply stand up here.
[21:01] And read a passage of the Bible. And believe. That this is God's word. And it will speak to anyone. Who God's spirit is working in. What's the point. In being passionate. What's the point.
[21:11] In raising my voice. What's the point. In pleading. What's the point. In offering. I'll tell you what the point is. Because the same God. Who has told me.
[21:22] In the Bible. That he's in charge. He's ruling over everything. Is also the same God. Who has commanded us. To make the gospel known. And to preach the gospel.
[21:34] As if. It was the last thing. I was going to do in this world. That's how we're to preach the gospel. We're to preach it urgently. And fervently. And we're to preach it with.
[21:46] With all the energy. And the preparation. That we can put together. And with all the cleverness. We've got to use our resources. And our gifts. We've got to try. Our best.
[21:56] To make the gospel clear. To our fellow men. And our fellow women. That's my job. And it's your job. To make that known. In your own way. In your own communities. And in your own. We must never sit back.
[22:08] And expect. That God. If he's sovereign. He's going to do everything. And there's no use me doing anything. That's not the way the Bible speaks to us at all. And neither is it the way that we're to pray.
[22:20] God. The same God. Don't ask me to explain it. I don't know why this is. But I know that it is. It's the truth. The same God. Who has four.
[22:31] That's what the catechism says. Is it foreordained. Whatsoever comes to pass. Is the same God. Who commands us. And encourages us. And tells us. That it is our first.
[22:42] Our first responsibility. And privilege. To pray. To him. And it's not a prayer. That just acknowledges. That he's there. Or says the right words. Or quotes some scripture to God.
[22:53] That's not what prayer is at all. Prayer. Is when we come fervently. I've said this. Said this already tonight. It's when we come fervently. Into God's presence. And when we pour out our hearts.
[23:04] And when we open up our hearts. And when we confess. Our sins. To him. And when we express our love for him. And when we bring to him. All our troubles.
[23:16] And our stresses. And our decisions. And all the things. That weigh heavily on our hearts. We ask him for guidance. We ask him for people.
[23:26] For other people. That we know. Who are sick. There's a whole sermon. Of course. In that. On how to pray. For those who are sick. How do we pray. For those. Should we pray.
[23:37] For someone. Who we know is dying. Should we pray. For their recovery. It's an interesting question. Isn't it. And again. That's a distraction. I'm not going to go into that.
[23:47] Just now. We pray for that. The Lord's will will be done. And of course. We naturally. Can we do anything else. If there's someone that we know. Who is. Someone that we know.
[23:58] Who is. Who is seriously ill. What else can we do. But pray. Lord. If it be your will. To spare them. That's natural. Someone's in your family.
[24:11] What else are you going to do. And yet. By faith. You have to leave everything. To the overarching will. And purpose. And mind of God. God.
[24:22] Knows best. And that's part of prayer. That's part of prayer. And so we have this difficulty. Don't we. Of. We get confused.
[24:32] By the necessity. Of prayer. And. And that. That comes in. In all shapes and sizes. But you see. The problem is. When you get confused. You get distracted. And you.
[24:43] You get held back. You're hesitant. And the moment. We become hesitant. And pray. The moment. We lose sight. Of how crucial. Prayer is. We'll stop doing it. And the moment.
[24:59] We stop doing it. We deprive. Ourselves. Of a vital. Means of grace. Of God's grace. A vital way. In communicating.
[25:10] With the Lord. And coming into communion. With God. We also get this. Confused with this idea. And I've heard it so many times. That prayer doesn't work.
[25:22] We've heard all this. So many times. That's the kind of pragmatic argument. Someone will tell you. Well. I remember praying. And praying. And I spent. Spent months. Praying for a certain thing. And it didn't happen.
[25:32] The way I asked. So what's the point? Well. It goes back to what I just said. That prayer. If I can put it like this.
[25:43] As crudely as this. It's not a wish list. Now. I'm not trying to. Undermine the seriousness. Of your prayer. I'm sure you did. You were. But for so. For.
[25:53] We fall into this error. Don't we. Of thinking that prayer is. Is a way of getting. Things from God. And let me say something. A little bit controversial here.
[26:05] But again. I'm saying this. So that you'll think about it. And maybe go away. And discuss it. And maybe. Maybe come back. And say. Well I agree. Or I don't agree. But. I don't quite. I'm not comfortable.
[26:17] With. The catechism. On this. Prayer is. An offering up. Of desires. To God. It is. An offering up.
[26:27] Of our desires. To God. Undoubtedly. But is that what it. Immediately is. Is that what prayer. Actually is. Because.
[26:37] I think the problem. With that. Is that. That. We fall into the notion. That that. Is what prayer is. And nothing more. It's a way. Of getting things. That we want.
[26:49] But that's not what prayer is. Initially. It's coming. Into communion. With God. It's the way. That God has provided.
[27:00] For us. In which we can. Express. Ourselves. And our needs. And our thankfulness. And our. Our. Our necessities.
[27:11] Before God. Our joys. And our sorrows. But it's. The way. In which we come. Into that. Close. Communion. With God. In which. We relate.
[27:22] Together. We say. Well. I don't. I don't understand that. Because. God is everywhere. Surely. You're not. Really. Going to suggest. That the moment.
[27:32] I begin. To start. Speaking to God. That somehow. God draws. Himself. Close. To us. In a sense. That he wasn't. Five minutes ago. And of course. The same is true.
[27:43] About. Coming to church. People say. The same thing. I don't need to go to church. To meet with God. God is everywhere. I can meet with him. Anywhere I want. I don't need to come to church. Of course.
[27:53] You don't need to come to church. To meet with God. God. The presence of God. Is no more manifest. In church. Than he is everywhere.
[28:05] God is everywhere. There is no place. Where God isn't. And yet. In a peculiar way. That I can't. Once again.
[28:15] Understand. God has promised. A particular. Communion. And fellowship. With his people. In prayer. I guess it's like this.
[28:27] Sometimes. If you take. You know. Our house. For example. And. Let's say. All my children were out. And there was only. Myself and my wife. In the house. That happens quite often.
[28:38] During the day. Now she could be. In a bedroom upstairs. Tidying up. Or hoovering. Or whatever. I don't know. And I could be. Right downstairs.
[28:49] Maybe say. In the garage. Now. We're in the same house. We're present. And yet. It's when we come together.
[29:00] Around the table. And a cup of coffee. That we talk to one another. And there's that. Interaction. That takes place. There's the same love.
[29:13] Between the bathroom. And the garage. But yet. There is that. There is that. Extra. Interaction. In talking. In meeting.
[29:26] In making that. Determined. Step. To speak. And to relate. That's what we're doing in prayer. Prayer. That's what prayer is.
[29:37] So don't think that prayer is a waste of time. And don't say for a moment that God hasn't promised to hear and answer our prayer.
[29:48] When we pray. We come in faith. And we bring our needs to the Lord. He hears them. For sure. He hears them. And we. Our assurance.
[29:59] And our confidence of that fact. Has to be grounded. In his word. And we have to come and say. Well maybe. There are times when we have to come. When we come and say. Well I don't feel very close to the Lord at this moment in time.
[30:11] I don't feel as if he's hearing. I don't feel as if my prayer is going anywhere beyond the ceiling. What we have to do is we have to get over our feelings. And we have to go back to God's word. And you have to go back to what God's word says.
[30:24] About who I am in Christ. Christ. And. Who I am in Christ. Is a son. You're a son.
[30:35] And you're a daughter. And that sonship. Brings you into access. With the father. On account of what he has done for you.
[30:46] On account of who you are. And that does not vary. It does not vary. It doesn't change. There are times when.
[30:57] Our feelings change. There are times when we feel less like prayer. Let me ask you this. If you only pray when you feel like it. What if you never feel like it? What's going to happen then?
[31:09] That is a really, really challenging question. Isn't it? And do you think. That God is hearing your prayer. Just because you feel that you're praying.
[31:21] God is much bigger than that. And it's important for us to stop very often. And to say. What am I doing? I am actually speaking to God. And I believe with all my heart.
[31:32] Not because I'm good enough. Not because I deserve it. But because I'm a child of God. And because as a child of God. I am made righteous in Jesus.
[31:46] And therefore I have a right. As a child. To go to my father. Sometimes I go to him. And I ask him for things.
[31:57] That he will not give me. I have to trust. That his will and his way. Is superior and beyond. My way.
[32:08] I have to trust. That even although I'm disappointed. In not. Getting. Rather. I use that word very carefully. Even although I'm disappointed.
[32:20] That what I prayed for didn't happen. I have to know. And I do know. And I do trust. That the Lord has his own way. And his own purpose.
[32:33] And that purpose even comes to light. In Jesus himself. When he said. Father. If it be possible. Take this cup from me.
[32:44] But then he said. Nevertheless. Not my will. But yours. Be done. You know there's a sense in which. Every one of us. Needs to append what we say.
[32:56] No matter how noble. And how. How fervent. Our prayer is to the Lord. We have to always. Remember. That what we expect.
[33:07] May not be. What God's will is. For us. Now that itself. Can be a distraction. You might say. Well what's the point. In praying for anything specific. In that case. Why don't I just go to the Lord.
[33:17] And say. Lord whatever you want. Do it. Well for a start. That's dishonoring to God. And again. That loses sight. Of prayer. Because in prayer.
[33:29] God expects us. To pour out. Our hearts. Before him. He knows what we need. Before we ask. And yet we still ask. Yet there is still. The son who asks for bread.
[33:42] Or the asks for fish. In verse 7. In chapter 7. The son who asks for a fish. Didn't just say to the father.
[33:53] Whatever you want. Give me. He asked for fish. And he asked for believing. That the father. Who knew what was good. For his children. Would know.
[34:04] How to answer. His prayer. So I hope then. This evening. As we. As we've just touched. On this. Crucial issue.
[34:15] Just a few comments. I hope that's enough. To re-energize. And to reignite. The reality. Of prayer.
[34:26] Within us. Because if there's anything. That the devil. Wants to see. Quenched. It's our time. With the Lord. And if there's someone.
[34:38] Here tonight. And you know. That you haven't prayed. You haven't been. In the company. Of the Lord. You know. You've lost sight. Of the. Of the. The. The. The preciousness.
[34:49] Of prayer. And you feel. And it does. It makes you feel. Weaker. And weaker. And weaker. As a Christian. Then go to him. Go to him. And don't delay.
[35:00] And come to him. And ask. That he will renew you. And transform you. And revive you. Come to him. And don't just. Don't just go to him. For 30 seconds.
[35:10] But spend quality. You know what they say. Nowadays. To spend quality time. With one another. That's something. That I don't. Do very often. I don't have time to do.
[35:22] And that's why. It's something that. Weighs very heavily on me. The amount of quality time. That I'm able to spend. With people. But whatever you deprive yourself of. Don't deprive yourself of.
[35:33] Quality time. With. The Lord. And well. You know what you discover. That as you spend time. With the Lord. That the. Your. Your.
[35:44] Your. Your. Perspectives. All. Fall. Into place. Maybe nothing changes. But. Your perspectives. All. You all.
[35:54] You. You. You. Grow. To having a renewed. Confidence. In the power of God. To lead and to guide you. You know. That God.
[36:04] In his Holy Spirit. Is going to. Help you. To make the decisions. That you need to make. Throughout the day. And he's going to give you. The strength. To do that. You know. That you.
[36:15] As you confess. Your sins. On the promise. Of God's word. He's taken away. Your sin. He's cleansed you. From all. Iniquity.
[36:25] What kind of confidence. Does that give us. It gives us. A renewed confidence. To live in him. To live for him. To live in the freedom. And the liberty. That he has given us.
[36:36] As his people. And so. It's not for no reason. That Jesus says. Verse 5. When. Not if. But when.
[36:49] You pray. May it be so. For each one of us. Today. And may the Lord. Make us. A praying. People. That know. The effectiveness. Of communion.
[36:59] With God. Let's pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. And we. We want to be honest. With you Lord.
[37:10] You know. Everything about us. And you know Lord. How much we need. You. Right now. And the areas of our lives. Which we need to confess.
[37:21] Before you are sinful. We ask Lord. That you will cleanse us. And give us a new determination. To put God first. Lord we ask.
[37:32] That you will guide us. In the decisions. That we have to make. in the coming days. We pray that you will strengthen us, Lord, where we feel tired. We pray, Lord, that you will give us guidance as to how to understand your word better.
[37:49] We pray that you will guide us in our relationships with other people, our wives, our husbands, our children, our family members, our neighbors, people who we work with.
[38:00] Lord, we pray that you will bless our witness, Lord, renew and revive our witness in front of other people. Lord, we pray for strength and for to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
[38:11] Your word commands us, be filled with the Holy Spirit. So, Lord, this is what we ask. And we know that you hear us. And we know that you will give us this request that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit.
[38:25] Lord, there are so many things that you have promised to us. And, Lord, give us to lay hold upon these things, the real things, the things that are eternal, the things that last forever.
[38:38] Bless us now, we pray. And hear our singing and accept our worship in Jesus' name. Amen.