LIFE GIVING PRACTICE: PRAYER

Since 1976 Sylvester Stallone released a six-movie sequel called Rocky creating a fictional story of a boxer by name Rocky Balboa” These movies became world famous, many people have used them to share top secrets for Success. Especially the incredible scenes of the intensive training that Rocky undergoes before a fight in Rocky IV explain with strict training and practice one can over come hurdles and succeed in life[1].

Practice: (verb form in British English) Is the act of rehearsing a behavior over and over, or engaging in an activity again and again, for the purpose of improving or mastering it, as in the phrase "practice makes perfect". It is a method of learning and of acquiring experience.

In order to build up physical muscles one must go through discipline and strict training or practice, similarly to develop spiritual muscles we need to practice spiritually life giving practices. Two Sundays ago we looked at one of such Life giving practice: Reading and meditating God’s Word daily. We will be continuing for a while on this journey to discover Life Giving Practices in order to help us develop healthy patterns in our life. As I said earlier these are practices which means you will only benefit from them as you practice them, in other words the more you practice the more you will grow spiritually.
Prayer is a life giving practice. We will look into what Prayer is? The necessity of prayer, The Hindrances for prayer, The power of Prayer, Prayer life of Jesus, and Prayer in the early Church.

The famous Brooklyn Tabernacle Church in the inner city of New York has a membership of 10,000 people. It all began in 1971with a handful of people who were committed to pray every Tuesday night. That Tuesday night prayer meeting is still attended by thousands of people. The senior pastor Jim Cymbala says, “If we call upon the Lord, He has promised in His Word to answer, to bring the unsaved to Himself, to pour out His Spirit among us. If we don’t call upon the Lord, He has promised nothing- nothing at all. It is as simple as that. No matter what I preach or what we claim to believe in our heads, the future will depend upon our times of prayer. This is the engine that will drive the church.” Jim Cymbala

More than ever in my past twenty-four years of ministry I am convinced of the power of prayer. I believe that the word of the Lord for our church today is “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). None of our, creative methods, good music, worship, youth programs, nor my preaching can win people to Christ unless they are anointed by the Holy Spirit. My sincere prayer is that “Lord Pour out your Holy Spirit upon my life, family and all the members of our congregation.

What prayer is not, Bob Gass says, “Prayer is not thinking, wishing, hoping and talking with others is not prayer only prayer is prayer; when we have a need or a situation that concerns us, we are only praying when we talk to God about it.”
“Prayer is not merely an occasional impulse to which we respond when we are in trouble: prayer is a life attitude.” ~Walter A. Mueller
Many people pray as if God were a big aspirin pill; they come only when they hurt. ~B. Graham Dienert

Then what is Prayer? Webster dictionary defines prayer as “the act of offering reverent petitions, especially to God. The act of beseeching earnestly, entreaty. Communion with God and recognition of His presence as in praise, thanksgiving, intercession.”
E. Stanley Jones says “Prayer is surrender--surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.”[2]

Westminster Shorter Catechism notes, “Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of His mercies.” E.M Bounds who lived in early 20th century known for his life of prayer notes, “Prayer is the language of a man burdened with a sense of need.” Edwin Keith explains, “Prayer is exhaling the spirit of man and inhaling the spirit of God.”

After looking at various definitions on Prayer I conclude that, Prayer is pouring our troubled hearts before God. Expressing our helplessness to God and asking Him to intervene in situations that are beyond our control. Prayer is talking about all our problems to the one and the only friend who is also a wonderful counselor, mighty God and everlasting father. An old Hymn goes,
“What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and grief’s to bear, What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer, O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry every thing to God in Prayer.” Originally these words were written by Joseph M. Scriven in 1857.

You might be wondering where it all began? Is prayer a new concept? Or a magic formula? It all began way back in Genesis. After the killing of Abel, Cain moved away and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Adam and Eve had another son by name Seth (means granted) “At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.” (Gen. 4:26) This was the first recorded incident of prayer in the Bible. The theme of calling upon the name of the Lord is a reoccurring phenomenon throughout the Bible.

The following scriptures indicate that calling upon the name of the Lord came very naturally to many in the Old Testament:
Eliezar prayed to God to grant him success in the mission of finding a wife for his master’s son Isaac. (Genesis 24-25)
In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD for a son who later on became the Prophet Samuel. (I Samuel 1:10)

Psalm 18:3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.

Psalm 31:17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and lie silent in the grave.

Throughout the Bible and the History of the church we see hundreds of examples of men and women who called upon the Lord when they were in trouble, needed healing, deliverance, or when they needed provision, protection, and victory over sin. They were heard and helped, because our God is not only prayer hearing God but also a prayer answering God.

When it comes to Prayer many of us put it away thinking, it is not for me. It is only for righteous people, pastors or deacons. In some religions that may be the case, only priests or religious leaders are allowed to offer up prayers on behalf of people. But it is not like that in Christianity, our loving father is beckoning all his children to call upon His name. He is saying to us call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” (Psalm 50:15) He is challenging us to call upon his name and when we call upon him he will answer us; and will be us in trouble, and he will deliver us. (Psalm 91:15).

William Barclay noted, “When we pray, remember that the Love of God that wants the best for us, the wisdom of God that knows what is best for us, the Power of God that can accomplish it.[3]”







[1] http://www.spike.com/video/rocky-iv-training/2745579
[2] E. Stanley Jones, Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, K Hughes, Tyndale, 1988, p. 73.

[3] (William Barclay, Prodigals and Those Who Love.)