Gtcotr/062324
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
There was a time when God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:8-9) Sin separated man from God and as long as we are in this sinful flesh, (John 1:18), we cannot see God when we talk with Him. Communing with God requires prayer and waiting. Sometimes prayer can seem like a one-way street.
God sees us but we can’t see God. God hears us, yet we can’t audibly hear His response. Prayer requires faith (James 1:6). We must have trust that He hears us and believe that He will answer in His time and in His way.
We
are shown examples and results of prayer throughout the Bible.
·
Abraham
had a habit of early morning alone time with God. (Genesis 19:27)
·
David
had a habit of early morning prayer. (Psalms 5:3)
· Jesus instructed the multitudes of listeners to find a secret place to pray.
Matthew 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
God told Solomon, “If My people will pray …”
Jesus said, “When you pray …” more than once. (Luke 11:2)
Jesus not only expects us to pray, but He also set the best example for us to pray. I can understand Abraham and David and me needing to pray … but Jesus? He is the only begotten Son of God … Him needing to pray shows the real importance of prayer. Yet He prayed more than all of us.
Mark 1:35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
Luke 5:16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
Luke 6:12 ¶ Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
Luke 9:18 ¶ And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
Luke 9:28 ¶ Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.
Jesus prayed when He was having a good day and He prayed when He was having a bad day. He prayed in the mornings, He prayed during the day, and He prayed at night. Jesus never felt like God wasn’t listening but sometimes Jesus felt like He needed to pray more than one time for the same thing. (Mark 8:23-25)
Jesus showed us honesty, reverence, and submission to God in prayer.
Mark 14
34 Then He said to them, “My
soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”
35 He went a little farther,
and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might
pass from Him.
36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
38 “Watch and pray, lest you
enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is
weak.”
39 Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.
Then He went to the secret place of prayer the third time before He felt the peace, the comfort, and the direction He needed from God.
There was another time when Jesus was having a difficult day. He had just heard about the execution of His cousin, John the Baptist. John had baptized Jesus and Jesus referred to him as being the spirit of Elijah sent as the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Jesus said there never was a better man born of a woman than John the Baptist. The day Jesus heard about John’s murder at the hands of Herod, Jesus wanted to be alone so He could talk to God without anyone else hearing or interrupting.
Unfortunately, that had to wait, but only for a few hours.
Matthew 14
13 ¶ When Jesus heard it,
He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the
multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.
14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
Perhaps you have heard how the multitudes, 5,000 men besides the women and children, followed Jesus until late in the day. He not only healed their sicknesses, but He also multiplied the 2 small fishes and 5 loaves of bread and fed them all with 12 baskets full of leftovers. All while His heart was broken for His own loss.
This was not the only time Jesus was saddened by the death of a friend. John 11, verse 35, records Jesus weeping at the tomb of Lazarus.
Nonetheless, after meeting the temporary needs of those thousands who were hungry and hurting, Jesus knows what He needs to do for Himself. He still needs to find a secret place to be alone and talk to God.
Matthew 14
22 ¶ Immediately Jesus made
His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He
sent the multitudes away.
23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
Jesus finally got His secret time with God that day. He was busy doing God’s work and didn’t get to pray about His own needs until after dark. Jesus continued to pray that night in the secret place, alone with God, until about 3am, the fourth watch of the night.
If Jesus needed this much prayer in the three and one-half years of His earthly life and ministry, I can’t imagine myself surviving without it.
This summer I am encouraging each one in our congregation to draw closer to God. We have dedicated our Wednesday evening services to experiencing God in a deeper and more personal way. God wants us to draw closer to Him, especially in these troubled and divided times in our nation and the world.
Would
you make it a point to draw closer to God with us this summer?
1.
Draw closer in prayer.
a. Find your secret place
in prayer.
b. You may have to pray
more than once to feel like you’ve gotten through. (Praying through … sometimes
people quit praying before they get through. Don’t stop until you get
finished.)
c. And spend some amount
of time in the secret place listening
for the answer before you leave the secret place. (Psalms 91:1)
2.
Draw closer through worship.
a. Make a personal
investment in your peace and prosperity by wisely choosing what music you
listen to and sing along with.
b. Decide you are going
to add some worship music to your everyday experience.
c. Pastor Mike Deasy says,
“Music sells … it doesn’t care what it sells.”
d. Employ music and task it to sell you on Jesus and His will for your life.
e. It will make a
difference.
3.
Draw closer by the Word.
a. Read the Bible every
day. Even if it is just one verse.
b. If you don’t know
where to begin, read the book of John.
c. Ask yourself, “How can
I apply what I am reading to my life.”
d. Then do it.
