DON'T USE THE EXACT SAME WORDS EVERY TIME YOU PRAY

Proclamation:

"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words."  Matthew 6:7 (NIV)  The King James Version of The Bible for this verse reads: "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus which He spoke during His Sermon on The Mount, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, with respect to how believers should pray.  

Application:

Jesus said that we should not pray to be seen by men. (Matthew 6:5)  It is better for us if we pray in private when we pray. (Matthew 6:6)  Jesus said that we are not to use "vain repetitions" when we pray.  We should not say the exact same thing each time we pray.  Prayer is our means of communicating with The Lord God.  We would not take seriously anyone who spoke to us using the exact same words in every conversation.  Then why would we speak to God in that manner?  Our prayers should be respectful and relevant to our situation, circumstance, or need, or the needs of others.  Our prayers should not be merely words which we recite.  Let us not be guilty of saying the same thing to The Lord God every time that we pray.  Let us be sincere, honest, and truthful when we pray.  Let us mean what we say, and let us be careful what we ask for.  The effective fervent prayer of the righteous is productive and fruitful. (James 5:6)  God hears the prayers of the righteous. (Proverbs 15:29)

PRAY AND PRAISE GOD MORNING AND NIGHT

Proclamation:

“It is good to praise The Lord … proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night …” Psalm 92:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

Most Bible scholars, but not all of them, attribute this psalm to King David.  This is a song for the Sabbath day which was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Here the psalmist expounds upon the virtues and benefits of praising The Lord.  The benefits are that: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  Those that be planted in the house of The Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing ..." (Psalms 92:12-14)  He clearly states that the people ought to praise The Lord more than once each day, i.e. morning and night. 

Application:

These verses were recorded in a psalm for the Sabbath day.  Unfortunately, some of us only praise The Lord on Sunday when we attend worship services.  We breath every day, we eat every day, our hearts beat every day, and we should thank God and praise Him every day.  As believers we should give thanks and praise to The Lord in prayer the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night.  Doing this several additional times during the day would not be a bad idea either.  In fact, it would be good to praise Him all day long. (Psalm 34:1)  He is worthy of all of our praise. No one can comprehend the extent of His greatness. (Psalm 145:3)  Regularly and repeatedly praising The Lord will lead to the blessings of a long, productive, and fruitful life, even into one's old age.  “Praise The Lord…Let everything that has breath praise The Lord. (Psalm 150:1 and 6)

A UNIVERSAL PRAYER

Proclamation:

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us; so that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.  May the people praise You, God; may all the people praise You.  May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the people with equity …May the people praise You … May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear Him.” Psalms 67:1-7

Explanation:

This psalm was written by an unknown human author under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  It is an intercessory prayer for God to be merciful and to bless all of the people in the world.

Application:

Given the sad state of affairs throughout this country and the rest of the world, we should pray for all of the people in the world.  We all need prayer, especially the leaders of the nations.  Daily we are reminded of the sinful state of man and each incident should serve as a reminder to believers to pray for mankind.  Eventually, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord of all. (Philippians 2:11)

We Must Pray And Ask To Be Forgiven

"Hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place.  Hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive."  1 Kings 8:30 (NIV)

As part of his prayer of dedication for the temple which had just been completed, King Solomon asked The Lord God to hear His people when they prayed to Him, and to forgive them when they asked for forgiveness of their sins.

Christ died on the cross to pay the price for our sins.  However, to be forgiven for our sins we must repent, confess, ask to be forgiven, and change our sinful behavior.  Christ came into this world to die for our sins. (John 1:29)  When Jesus preached, His message was that we should repent. (Matthew 4:17)  Our salvation is based upon our confession and our belief. (Romans 10:9)  The Lord God said that He would hear us and forgive us if we would humble ourselves, and pray, and seek Him, and turn from our sinful ways. ( 2 Chronicles 7:14)  If we want to be forgiven, we have to pray to God and ask to be forgiven, but first we need to humble ourselves, confess, and change our behavior.

Pray Frequently And Often

"Pray continually;"  1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)  The King James Version reads: "Pray without ceasing."

In his letter to the believers in the Church at Thessalonika, the Apostle Paul told them that they ought to always pray, or to pray frequently and often.

Prayer is the means by which believers communicate with God.  Jesus, The Christ, said that man ought to always pray. (Luke 18:1)  King David was a man after God's heart not because he was perfect, but because he prayed frequently and often.  We have not because we ask not. (James 4:2)  Christ said that whatever we ask for in His name we would receive. (Matthew 21:22)  That is, if what we ask for will give God glory.  We are encouraged to be faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12), and to pray for one another. (James 5:16)  Our prayers should be sincere. (Ephesians 6:18)  We should pray for those that we love, and for our enemies. (Matthew 5:44)  We should not pray just to be seen and heard by men or to get attention. (Matthew 6:5-6)  The more often that we sincerely pray, the less often we are likely to enter into temptation to sin. (Matthew 26:41 and Mark 14:38)  Jesus prayed for His disciples and He also prayed for us. (John 17:20)  So pray, and pray sincerely, and pray often.  The more often we pray, the better off we will be.  

The Perseverance Of The Saints

"And pray in The Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."  Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul, the human author of thirteen of the fourteen epistles contained in the twenty-seven Books of The New Testament, encouraged them to pray, after he told them to put on the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:11-17)  He encouraged them to pray for the perseverance of the saints.  ("... with all perseverance and supplication for all saints ..." Ephesians 6:18 KJV)

The perseverance of the saints literally means that the believers will keep on believing until the very end, until they die.  As Christians, we are never to give up on God, and never to stop believing in Christ.  We are to keep the faith regardless of our situation or circumstance. (John 15:9, Galatians 6:9, and Revelation 3:11)  We are also to pray for other believers, that they too will be strengthened and keep the faith.  Prayer is not part of the whole armor of God, but it is an important and essential weapon in the fight against the powers of evil.  We are all under attack, and we are to put on the whole armor of God and pray.  The Word of God and prayer are our only weapons against the spiritual evil that we face.  We are to pray, and to be consistent and persistent in our prayers. (Luke 18:1 and Luke 21:36)  We are to pray for the perseverance of the saints. (Revelation 14:12)  Pray at all times, on all occasions, and keep on praying, not only for ourselves but all saints, that we all may persevere until the end of this life.  For Jesus Christ said that he who put his hand on the plow and looks back is not worthy of the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62)  We do not want to be left out of the kingdom of heaven because we lost faith and looked back or let go.  We do not want to be turned into a pillar of salt, like Lot's wife, for looking back and longing for that which was left behind. (Genesis 19:26)  So saints, persevere, keep the faith, don't look back, don't wish for our pre-Christian life, and don't let go of our faith in God.  He will never leave us or let go of us. (Matthew 28:20, John 10:29, and Hebrews 13:5)

Find A Place Of Prayer

"On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer.  We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there."  Acts 16:13 (NIV)

Luke, the physician and companion of the Apostle Paul, recorded that Paul and Silas went outside of the city gate and headed to the river looking for a common gathering place which was known as a place of  prayer.  When they arrived there they found that a group of women had already gathered there.

The early Christians were a praying people.  Even when there wasn't a church building for them to gather in, they gathered and prayed by the riverside and in each others homes. (Acts 12:12)  The Bible says that we ought to always pray.  (Luke 18:1)  We should pray in private at times. (Matthew 6:6)  However, we are encouraged to come together and pray, even if there are only two or three of us.  (Matthew 18:20)  There is power in prayer.  Prayer is an effective tool which we ought to use more often.  (James 5:16)  "Little prayer, little power; much prayer, much power; no prayer, no power."  (Unknown)  We can pray anywhere, and anytime.  We cannot pray too much.  So, go to prayer meetings.  If your church does not have one, consider starting one.  Make your home a place of prayer.

Ask God For What You Want

"... You do not have, because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."  James 4:2-3 (NIV)

James, the half brother of Jesus, wrote to the scattered believers in Christ and told them that they have not because they ask not.  He also said that what they asked for, they did not receive it because they asked for things for the wrong reasons. 

We have not because we ask not.  We should ask God for what we want.  Jesus told His disciples that whatever they asked for in His name, they would receive.  (John 14:13, 14:14, 15:16, 16:23, & 16:24)  We are disciples of Christ, so that also applies to us today.  There are, however, times when we ask for things and do not receive them.  That is because we ask for things to increase our worldly pleasures.  Jesus said that He would do what we ask in His name so that He could give glory to God, The Father. (John 14:13)  If what we ask for is not designed to give God glory, we should not be surprised when we do not receive it.  God may choose to bless us with the desires of our heart, things which may not give Him glory, if we delight in Him, in His way, and in His Word.  (Psalms 1:2, 37:4, & 112:1)  So, ask God for what you want, you just may get it.

Pray And Pray More Often

"Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to You all day long.  Bring joy to Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.  You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You.  Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy."  Psalms 86:3-6 (NIV)

King David was a praying man, and this is another one of his prayers.  He ask The Lord to have mercy on him, and to restore his joy.  David recognized his sinfulness, although no specific sin is mentioned here.  It may just be the sinful nature of man because he says that he calls on The Lord all day long.  Whatever it is, he is appealing to the loving kindness of God to have mercy on him.

We can learn a lot from David.  He prayed to God often, and we should do the same.  He frequently asks for God's mercy because he knows that he has sinned.  We ought to admit that we sin frequently throughout each day, if you consider our thoughts, words, and actions.  Therefore we ought to call on The Lord all day long and ask for forgiveness and mercy.  Most Christians begin and end their day with prayer.  The questions is, how many times during each day do we stop and pray?  I'm just saying that we ought to pray much more that we do.  Think about how bad things would be for us if we only got His mercy when we asked for it, and did not get it when we didn't pray for it.  We should always pray. (Luke 18:1)  The Apostle Paul said that we should "pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)

One Of David's Prayers That We Should Recite

"Show me Your ways, O LORD, teach me Your paths;  guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.  Remember, O LORD, Your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to Your love remember me, for You are good, O LORD."  Psalms 25:4-7 (NIV)

King David was a sinner, and he knew that he was a sinner.  However, he confessed his sins, he asked for forgiveness and mercy, and he asked for God's help and guidance to do better.

David prayed, and he prayed often.  We could learn a lot from David.  We should learn some of his prayers, and commit them to memory so that we could recite them as easily as we do The Model Prayer which Jesus taught His disciples.  This is one such prayer.  It acknowledges our sins, it asks for mercy and forgiveness; and it asks for God to show us His ways, to teach us, and to guide us.  Without Him, we would be lost.  So, pray, and pray often.  Let us remember to thank God for what He has done and is doing, and for what He will do.  Let us ask Him to help us to sin less, to follow His Way, to read His Word, and to be more Christ-like in the future.  Not just during this holy day season, but to be more Christ-like throughout this upcoming year and for the rest of our lives.

Don't Worry Pray

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Jesus said to His disciples and the others in the multitude on the mountain, do not worry about the things that may happen tomorrow.  Each day has its own troubles and challenges which must be dealt with, without worrying about the possible problems that could arise tomorrow.

Nothing good ever comes out of worrying.  If there is some action that you can take to effect a situation, do it.  If there is nothing that you can do about it, then pray about it and don't worry about it.  We do not know what will happen tomorrow. (James 4:14)  Worrying about something which may or may not happen is pointless.  This is not to preclude thoughtful preparation for the future.  What is condemned is getting upset, anxious, or fretting about some possible future event.  Besides, tomorrow is not promised to us.  God is in control of everything and anything that happens to us is under His permissive will.  So, don't worry, pray.

We Need Protection And Help

"Finally, be strong in The Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of The Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in The Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."  Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

Paul told the people that they needed God's protection and help because they were fighting against powers and evil spiritual forces that are much more powerful than they are.  Only with the full armor of God and prayer will they be protected.

The devil and his demons are powerful and we cannot stand against them without God's help.  We need God's truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and The Word of God in order to survive.  And we need to pray and ask for God's help for ourselves and for others as we deal with our struggles as we stand for Him.  We cannot make it without Him.

Believe And Never Doubt

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from The Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." James 1:5-8 (NIV)

James, the half brother of Jesus, writing to the scattered believers in Christ, tells them to ask for wisdom if they want it. However, if they ask for it, they must believe that they will get it. If they have any doubts about receiving it, they will basically block their own blessing.

The same applies to us today. When we pray and ask God for a blessing, we must believe that we will receive it. Doubting God shows a lack of faith in Him. When we doubt that we will get what we ask for, we basically block our own blessings. No one else will get the blessings that have our name on them, but doubting will cause us not to get them either. Pray that God will help our unbelief.

We Hope For That Which We Do Not Yet Have

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us ... Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of The Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of The Spirit, because The Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:18-28 (NIV)

Writing to the Christians in Rome, the Apostle Paul tell them that even though we are saved, some times our sufferings cause us to moan, groan, and complain as we wait impatiently for our future blessings. But The Holy Spirit knows and understands our moans and groans, and intercedes on our behalf before God.

Our hope for a better future is not based upon what we can see or have. Our hope is in The Lord. In our weakness and shortsightedness, we don't even know what to pray for. We can't always put all of our requests into words. But thanks be to God, He knows what we need, and want, and He knows what is best for us. As we have hope and faith in Him, He will supply all of our needs.

May You Live Worthy And Gorw In His Knowledge And Power

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of The Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to The Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." Colossians 1:9-12 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul is letting the Christians in Colossae know that he is praying for them. He appreciates the good work that they have done and prays that they will continue, and grow in knowledge, and bear good fruit, and be strengthened with His power to endure what is ahead.

It is not just the preachers that work for The Lord, but every beliver has a job to do for God. He has to prepare us before He can use us to work for His glory. That preparation can sometimes be painful and unpleasant, but it is for our benefit. No matter how much we know, or think that we know, we all need to grow in spiritual knowledge and holiness. We need to be strengthened with His power to produce good fruit and to withstand the storms of life that are to come. According to John MacArthur, the good fruit we need to produce includes leading people to Christ (1 Cor 16:15), praising God (Heb 13:15), giving money (Rom 15:26-28), living a Godly life (Heb 12:11), and displaying holy attitudes (Gal 5:22-23). Thomas Nelson states that endurance and patience are necessary for our persevering through the storms, problems, trials, and tribulations that are to come, along with forebearing the faults and offences of others.

Be Thankful And Grateful For Those Who Help You

"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers ... I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." Philemon 1:4-7 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul is writing to his friend Philemon with a special request on behalf of Onesimus. Paul tells him that he is thankful for him and that he prays for him. Paul also tells him that he has been a source of joy and and an encouragement to him.

We ought to be thankful for the people that God has placed in our lives who have been helpful to us. We should also let them know that we are grateful for what they have done for us. We should let people know that the things that they have said and done have brought joy into our lives and that they have been a source of encouragement to us. People do not have to be kind or nice to us, and we should be thankful and grateful when they are. We ought to tell them how we feel while we have the opportunity. Life is short, and tomorrow is not promised to us.

Sometimes We Need Help And Don't Know It

"The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, ... Why do you alone sit as judge ... What you are doing is not good ... The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice ... select capable men from all the people, men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain, and appoint them as officials ... Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you." Exodus 18:13-22 (NIV)

Moses was doing God's work, helping the people by settling disputes between them, but he was doing it all day long by himself. His father-in-law saw what he was doing and suggested that he get some help to lighten the work load.

We need to recognize that we need help, that we cannot do this all by ourselves. Sometimes God allows people in our lives for a time to help us, to offer good advice. We need to prayerfully consider the advice that we get from others and the help that is offered. While all advice is not good, we need to recognize that we cannot make all alone doing everything by ourselves. When we need help, we should pray, and remember what the psalmist said, "My help comes from The Lord, The Maker of heaven and earth." Psalms 121:2

Be Careful What You Ask God For

"... They brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to The Lord. I prayed for this child, and The Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to The Lord." 1 Samuel 1:1-28 (NIV)

For years, Hannah had been unable to have children so she prayed to God for a child. Eli, the priest, had observed her praying in the temple and thought that she was drunk. After hearing her story he prayed for her, that she would get what she asked for. Hannah prayed for what she wanted. She made God a promise. God blessed her with what she asked for. She kept her promise to God and gave the child back to God. She was blessed to have six more children.

Be very careful what you ask God for, you just may get exactly that, and you may receive more than you asked for. Also, when you make God a promise, keep it. It is not good to disappoint God. All to often after God blesses us, we forget about the promises that we made to Him when we were asking for His help. Hannah remembered and kept her promise to God and she was blessed even more afterwards.

Why Are Times So Hard For Us?

To Adam God said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life ... By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." Genesis 3:17-19 (NIV)

After the original sin in the garden of Eden, man blamed the woman, and the woman blamed the serpent. God gave us free will and we did not choose wisely. For this reason we will suffer
hard times all the days of our lives. In sin we are conceived (Psalms 51:5), and we are servants to sin (Romans 6:6) until we give our lives to Christ. Every man born of a woman woman will live but a few days and those will be full of trouble (Job 14:1).

Things will not really get better for us until we change, humble ourselves, and pray, and turn from our wicked ways, and seek Him (2 Chronicles 7:14), then God will hear and answer our prayers.

Pray For Guidance And Direction # 2

When you feel that you are doing your best and things seem to be going wrong or bad for you, keep the faith, and pray.

"So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul ... Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble ... for I am your servant." Psalms 143:4-12 (NIV)

In this Psalm, David is saying that he is doing his best to do the will of God but things are not going well with him. Because of this his spirit is failing him. His prayer is for God to show him the way he should go, to teach him, and to lead him.

We really do not pray enough. We should pray for God's guidance and direction before we say or do anything, even the little things. We get into trouble when we attempt to do something without praying first, because we think that we can handle it without God's help.

Don't be in such a hurry to do anything before you pray. Our lives would be much better if we would pray before we spoke or began to act.