PRAYER IS NOT FOR SISSIES

 

WBS.316

PRAYER IS NOT FOR SISSIES

Let’s take inventory of what we have covered so far.

Why pray?  We are commanded to pray.

Why we do not pray.  We are selfish/worldly and have not bothered to learn about prayer.

Why we do pray.  We facilitate IAUE’s eternal counsel and manifest the Kingdom of IAUE.

Why prayer defines us.  We are the house of IAUE and His house shall be called the house of prayer.

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If, by this time, you have realized that as a disciple of Yahushua you should be more committed to and engaged in a life of prayer, you have probably started praying a bit more each day than what you have in the past; but probably nowhere near as much as you know you should.  (It is when one begins praying more that they become keenly aware of how selfish they still are.)  

You could probably draw up a short list of the things in your life that you have discovered you do not want to compromise in order to spend time in prayer.  You don’t want to wake up an hour earlier to pray because you value your sleep.  You don’t forfeit eating a meal to pray because you love to eat.  You don’t sacrifice your favorite TV show to pray because you don’t want to miss your program.  You generally don’t want to pray because everything else in your life has more value to you than prayer.  This is the “push comes to shove” time in your life.  Are you going to be a disciple of the Master Yahushua Messiah in life or in name only?

Two posts ago we discussed that IAUE directs us to pray for his wish or desire (His thelema) to be accomplished in the earth in order that His eternal counsel in Heaven (His boule) is fulfilled. This is why Messiah taught his disciples to pray first for IAUE’s kingdom to come and his will (thelema) to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.  This requires knowing IAUE’s will; and that requires spending time with Him to know His will.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

There are many places in Scripture where His will is revealed to us; and prayer for such matters is always consistent with His current will.  For example:

- We are to pray that the Master of the harvest would send laborers into the harvest.

- We are to pray for those who persecute us and despitefully use us.

- We are to pray to be made aware of prophetic times and seasons.

- We are to pray for all who are in positions of authority.

- We are to pray for all of the saints.

We also know from Scripture what IAUE’s will is about those who are oppressed of the devil. He wants the works of the devil to be destroyed. He calls this “doing good.”

Acts 10:38 How Elohim anointed Yahushua of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for Elohim was with him.

1 John 3:8 …For this purpose the Son of IAUE was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

We know from Scripture that IAUE wants the gospel preached throughout the world and for men and women to observe to do all that Messiah has taught us to do.  We know that IAUE wants His children to grow in the knowledge of Him and of Yahushua Messiah. We know that He wants the believer to heal the sick and cast out demons. The Scripture is full of verses that reveal what our Father wants to happen in the earth; but most “Christians” are content just to watch and see if it will happen.  They are prayerless and will not partake of the blessings associated with anything that comes to pass in the world that is due to prayer.

Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Let’s examine how a body of believers prayed in the Scripture. In Acts 4, Peter and John were called before the High Priest and his close family members (important Levitical priests) regarding their healing of the lame man and for preaching in the name of Yahushua. They threatened them no longer to preach in Yahushua’s name. When Peter and John told them they would not cease preaching in his name, they threatened them further and then released them.  

Peter and John immediately went to a gathering of disciples and explained what had happened. The group then prayed “in one accord.”  What they prayed required thought and planning and knowing the heart of IAUE. Their corporate prayer involved quoting several Old Testament scripture verses to frame their request; then they asked IAUE to behold the threats that were made and to grant the disciples boldness to continue preaching in Yahushua’s name. Then they asked Him to remember to do what He had promised in Mark 16, that He would continue to heal, and that signs and wonders be done in Yahushua’s name. They received an immediate and powerful answer to their prayer.

My purpose in relating this story is to show the care and attention that went into drafting the prayer; and to see the role of Scripture in presenting one’s request to IAUE. This wasn’t an “off the top of their head” kind of prayer. The objective was important so the prayer also was important.

A life of prayer is not just giving ones’ self over to talking to IAUE incessantly. It requires time, thought, maybe searching the Scriptures, then expressing one’s request in faith to IAUE.  Prayer isn’t bowing one’s head for a moment of silence.  It isn’t just saying words to discharge a prayer request rather than searching the mind of the Spirit to genuinely seek divine assistance.  All such flippancy in prayer is noted by the Father for the selfishness it truly is.

If you study the prayers Paul prayed for the churches, you will quickly see that they required thought. They even required prayer to know how to pray for them.  Oh, yes, real prayer often requires prayer to find out how and what to pray.  If you just pray off the top of your head…the first ideas that come to your mind, you must evaluate if you are just being hasty to say you prayed (in case someone asks), or if your mind is being directed by the Holy Spirit to pray.

Bottom line: Prayer is not for sissies.  It requires commitment and cultivation of a heart that truly wants the Father’s will to be done on earth.  That is the prize of an intercessor. We have to want it.  Just like a prize fighter trains and trains, and controls and regulates his appetite, and meditates on the objective.  He sees the prize worth all the time and effort that leads up to accomplishing that for which he has disciplined his life. Once we focus on the prize---seeing the Father’s will being accomplished on Earth---the time and self-denial will be seen as very much worth the prize; and when the prize is demonstrated, when we see our prayers being answered, we can take joy in knowing we actually participated in it.

[True story:  When I was in the Army and stationed in Germany in 1977, there was a situation of concern developing in our city. I know several of our number prayed intently upon the matter. Three weeks later, that whole situation dissolved and the cause for concern disappeared. The believers who prayed were overjoyed; but I, who had not prayed one bit for it, was struck with the reality that I had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with this obvious answer to prayer and that I could not share in the joy. I had lost the opportunity to participate with IAUE and to experience the reward of answered prayer.  This singular event in my life made a huge impact on me and opened my eyes to the joy that our Father wants us to experience.]