THE ESSENTIALS OF PRAYER
Is Praying a duty or a delight? J.I.
Packer & Nystorm say it’s both an essential, expected practice as a
follower of Christ and a privilege and joy. As Christians, we know the
importance of Prayer, yet many neglect the call to pray and struggle to pray.
John Charles Ryle, an Anglican Bishop of England, wrote a tract sold by
thousands under the title “Do You Pray?” in 1852.
Here is an excerpt:
I ask… whether you pray because a
habit of Prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian. All the children of God on earth are alike in this
respect. They pray from the moment
there is any life and reality about their religion. Just as the first sign of
life in an infant is the act of
breathing, so the first act of men and women when they are born again is praying. This is one of the common
marks of all the elect of God. The devil has special wrath against us when he sees us on our knees. It is
essential to your soul’s health to make
praying a part of the business of every twenty-four hours of your life…Whatever else you make a business of, make a
business of Prayer.[1]
Do you pray? How has your prayer
life been this past month, week, or even today? If you are struggling to pray,
how can you cultivate a prayer life that is consistent and delightful? Last
week, we learned from Paul’s Prayer that only through Prayer may we experience
God’s fullness in our lives. From our reading today, I will share three essentials
of Prayer from King David’s Prayer in I Chronicles 29:10-20 which will
help us develop and sustain an active prayer life.
We learned that God wants us to come
to Him as little children. So often, we rush into his presence with our
requests and needs and tell Him all that is bothering us. God is our loving
heavenly father who delights in us, but at the same time, He is the King of
Kings and the Lord of Lords. Therefore, we approach Him with reverence and
adoration.
We have a problem in our times: we
don’t honor our parents, respect elders, or obey authorities. We carry similar
attitudes toward God. To know how the children of a royal family relate to the
throne and how citizens respect their monarch, watch the T.V. series, The
Crown.
It depicts the dynamics of the royal
family and how the children adored and admired the long-lasting monarch of the
United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth. The first essential of Prayer is Praise. Let’s
see what Praise is, why we Praise God, and how it impacts us in our prayers.
I.
Praise Ushers us into God’s Presence!
Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving go together.
The scriptures often club them together. Multiple words in Hebrew and Greek are translated as “praise” in our
English Bibles. In essence, to praise is to express adoration or approval. We
praise the Lord for His traits, works, and character. Praise includes the acts
of blessing, commending, honoring, thanking, celebrating, and rejoicing. We
praise the Lord because He is worthy of all our Praise, adoration, and
approval.
God included the longest praise book
in the Bible called the Psalms for a reason, as it gives us hundreds of reasons
why Praise is essential and examples of how to give Praise to God. We praise
God for who He is and His attributes. Consider the following scriptures: We
praise Him for He is full of glory (Psalm 138:5). God is great
and worthy of our Praise. (Psalm 145:3). God is wise and powerful (Dan 2:20). God is good (Ps 107:8). God is merciful
and faithful (Ps 89:1). His name is
majestic all over the world. Ps 8:1. We Praise Him for who He is but also for
His wonderful works. He forgives sins (Ps 103:1-3). He bears our burdens (Ps
68:19) and heals broken hearts. (Ps147:3-5). He gives us our daily food. (Ps.
136:25), and much more.
David began his royal service very
young to give a background to our passage. Eventually, he became one of the
most fabulous kings of Israel. He was in his final years before passing on the
Kingdom to his son Solomon. He had one unfinished task: to gather resources for
building a Temple for the Lord. He donated vast amounts of gold and silver from
his treasury and encouraged his leaders to do the same. Seeing a great response
from his leaders, in the presence of the whole assembly, David offered this
Prayer, which began and closed with Praise.
I Chro 29:10-12, “Praise be to you,
Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours,
Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the
splendor, for everything in heaven and earth, is yours. Yours, Lord, is the Kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the
ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give
strength to all.”
Later, we see Solomon offering his
prayers with Praise at the time of the temple’s dedication. “He stood on the
platform, knelt before the whole assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands
toward heaven.” II Chro 6:13. You may have noticed that I lift my hands when I
praise during the worship or Prayer. It may look weird for some, but it is very
scriptural. Here is why.
Praise opens the doorway into the
heavens and brings us into the presence of the Most High God. When we begin our
prayers with Praise, they rise into God’s presence as an Insence, and lifting
our hands in Prayer is like the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:1-2. Paul urged, “Therefore,
I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or
disputing.” I Tim 2:8. When we lift our hands to heaven, we surrender ourselves
to God, saying, “You are God of all I have, all I am, and all I want. So, don’t
hesitate to lift your hands in Prayer.
II.
Thanksgiving recognizes all we have comes from God.
After giving Praise to God, King
David offers up thanksgiving. I Chron 29:13-16. By giving thanks, David
recognized God is everything, and he and his people are unworthy of bringing
anything to God. He remembered their humble state as strangers in God’s sight,
and their days on earth were like a fleeting shadow without hope. He
acknowledged that God had only given them whatever they provided for the
temple. Thanksgiving makes us realize all we have comes from God. Giving some
of it back to God is the right thing to do. Do not be ungrateful! Thank him for
every small and big thing he has done and will do for you.
Thanksgiving is not an option but a
command from God. To an extent, God had instituted it among the offerings. One
of them is Thank Offering, Leviticus 7:11-12. There are three things that God
never wants us to forget: “Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in
all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”I
Thessalonians 5:16-18.
What is troubling your spirit, soul,
and body? I have good news for you. “The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about
anything, but in every situation, by Prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil
4:4-7
III.
When our prayers are mixed with faith, they please God.
Our Praise brings us into the presence of God.
Our thanksgiving makes us realize all that we have comes from God. For that to
happen, we must mix faith with our prayers. When our prayers are filled with
faith, they please God. Hebrews 11:6-7 says, “And without faith, it is
impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he
exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Scriptures are full of examples of
men and women of faith who have seen God doing mighty works for them. Because
of their faith, God is not ashamed to call Him their God. Hebrews 11:6. At the
same time, God was displeased with many because of their unbelief. What was the
reason why the early group from Egypt could not enter the promised land? It was
because of their disobedience and unbelief. Hebrews 3:19. Even after seeing
many miracles that Jesus performed, many during Jesus’ time, including his
disciples, did not believe Him.
How is your prayer life? How is your
faith? You saw God answer many of your prayers and provide for your needs, yet
do you remain unbelieving? Practice these three essentials of Prayer: Praise,
Thanksgiving, and Faith, and see your prayer life radically transformed.
[1]
J.C. Ryle, A Call to Prayer (Laurel, Ms: Audubon Press, 1996). Portions quoted are from pages 10-19
