Christian Prayer

Christian Prayer

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.

Thomas Vincent 1674The praying hands of Albert Dürer

By Abrecht Dürer

Christian Prayer

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.

Thomas Vincent 1674The praying hands of Albert Dürer

By Abrecht Dürer

What is ‘Offering up our Desires to God’?

• ‘Do not worry about anything but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God’. (Phil 4:6)

• Often in trials, difficulties, hardships, illness and loss

• Pouring out the heart• Silence before Him

The Eagle Nebula

What is ‘Offering up our Desires to God’?

• Cry for help. ‘This poor soul cried and was heard by the Lord’ (Ps 34:6)

• Declaration of need without resourcing. ’When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him “they have no wine”.

(Jn 2:3)The Eagle Nebula

There is no Need for Worry/Anxiety in Requesting from

the Lord!

• We are God’s children. ‘Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you’ (Mat 7:7-8)

• He never refuses to hear our prayers

Earth with New Moon

There is no Need for Worry/Anxiety in Requesting from

the Lord!• He won’t give us evil

things. ’Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone / fish/serpent?’

(Mat 7:9-10)• He will answer them in

his way with perfect wisdom and love

Earth with New Moon

How Do we ‘Offer up our Desires’ to God’?

• Test the rightness of things we pray for!

• Test our own sincerity in asking!

• Then, it is a pouring out of our heart to him in faith and love

‘Trust in him at all times O’ people; pour out your heart before him’ (Ps 62:8)

Spiral Galaxy

Christian Prayer

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.

Thomas Vincent 1674The praying hands of Albert Dürer

By Abrecht Dürer

What are ‘Things Agreeable to His Will’?

‘And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him’

(1 Jn 5:14-15)

Earth with Clouds

How do we Know we are Asking in God’s Will?

• No demands! That is our will.

• Discussion about what he wants from us. That is his will. ‘If you abide in me, and my words abide in you…… (Jn 15:7)

• Not for our own desires but for his glory and honour. His will.

• Service for GodOur prayers will then be

according to his will

The Swan Nebula

How do we Know we are Asking in God’s Will?

• We need wisdom to seek his will (rightness, sincerity, scripture or just listening to him)

‘If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you’ (James 1:5)

The Swan Nebula

How does Scripture Tell us to Pray in God’s Will?

• With sincerity. ‘Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart (Heb 10:22)

• With humility. ‘O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek’

(Ps 10:17)

• With faith. ’But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind ’ (Js 1:6)

Orion Nebula

How does Scripture Tell us to Pray in God’s Will?

• With fervency. ‘the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective’ (Js 5:16)

• With perseverance. ‘Then Jesus told them a parable about the need to pray always and not to lose heart’ (Lk 18:1)

• With a spirit of forgiveness. ‘So when you are offering your gift at the alter …..first be reconciled to your brother or sister and then come and offer your gift’

(Mat 5:23-24)Orion Nebula

How do we Know we are Asking in God’s Will?

Apply the test!

Can we say to Jesus“Lord, please give

me this for your sake and in your name”?

The Cat’s Eye Nebula

Christian Prayer

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.

Thomas Vincent 1674The praying hands of Albert Dürer

By Abrecht Dürer

How do we Pray ‘in the Name of Jesus’?

• Jesus taught ‘if you ask for anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you’ (Jn 16:23)

• Paul says ‘Give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Eph 5:20)

Hourglass Nebula

How do we Pray ‘in the Name of Jesus’?

Jesus’ name!Is his nature and

character• He is the Son of God• He has the unique

relationship with God• He can perfectly reveal

God to us• He is Saviour of our

souls/friend of sinners The Cone Nebula

A Vision of the Role of Jesus in Assisting our Prayers

From the Revelation of St John‘Another angel, who had a

golden censor, came and stood at the alter. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden alter, before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angels hand’

(Rev 8:3-4) Pluton

What Role has the Holy Spirit as we Pray ‘in the Name of

Jesus’?1 The Holy Spirit helps

us to pray even when we don’t know what to ask for.

‘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’

(Rom 8:26)

The Ring Nebula

What Role has the Holy Spirit as we Pray ‘in the Name of

Jesus’?2 Jesus said

‘The Father will give you another Counsellor, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth…’

(Jn 14:16-17)• Helping – directing our

words• Prompting – individuals or

situations• Guiding – riches of God’s

promises• Wisdom – when/what to

pray• Teacher – learn truth Black Hole

What Role has the Holy Spirit as we Pray in the Name of

Jesus?

3 The Holy Spirit joins the hearts of believers in corporate prayer.‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you’ (2 Cor 13:13)

Jupiter

What Role has the Holy Spirit as we Pray in the Name of

Jesus?

4 ‘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’ (Eph 6:18)

• Praying for things that the Spirit leads us to pray for – brief and on the hoof or arrow like

Earth with Crescent Moon

Christian Prayer

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.

Thomas Vincent 1674The praying hands of Albert Dürer

By Abrecht Dürer

What Sin Must we Confess?

• Original or actual sin• Against the Law or

Gospel• By omission or

commission• In thought, heart or

lipSaturn

What Sin Must we Confess?

‘Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgement. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me’

(Ps 51:4-5)Saturn

How do we ‘Confess Sin’?

• Humbly• Fully• With grief for them• With hatred for them• In the strength of the

Lord• Not to return again to

the practice of them

The Shorter Catechism 1674 NeN

Neptune

How do we ‘Confess Sin’?

‘If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness’

(1Jn 1:9)

NeN

Neptune

Christian Prayer

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.

Thomas Vincent 1674The praying hands of Albert Dürer

By Abrecht Dürer

How do we ‘Thankfully Acknowledge his mercies’?

‘Do not worry about anything but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God’. (Phil 4:6)

Ni

Night Star

How do we ‘Thankfully Acknowledge his mercies’?

• For life, temporal and spiritual, both here and in eternity

• For salvation• For the Holy Spirit• For the privilege of

prayer• For answered prayer• For unanswered

prayerNi

Night Star

Our Relationship with God in Prayer

When we pray daily• It becomes personal• It becomes more

intimate• We develop a new

perspective• Communication

becomes honest• We start to praise

during prayer

And - Our Relationship with God means we work together

• ‘My father is still working and I also am working’

Jn 5:17 – Jesus intimacy with the

Father shown in the privilege of working with the Father

• ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men’

Mat 4:19 - Jesus reveals the disciples

work

And - Our Relationship with God means we work together

• ‘For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life’

Eph 2:10• ‘Like good stewards of the

manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received’ 1 Pet 4:10

Working with Our Lord

• Understanding and participating in God’s work also brings intimacy in prayer

What is your assignment?

If in Authority? God working thru

you? Prayer warrior?

Conclusion

• ‘I know not what place my prayers may have, but I do know that when I pray, I have the privilege of opening the resources of heaven to those for whom I pray’

• When God is about to work, he frequently lays a burden on his people to pray for that thing. Prayer appears to be a necessary part of God’s way of ‘doing business’.

Derek PrimePractical Prayer

Father, glorify your name!