Subject: [PastorMail] 5/12/02 PM
HOW EFFECTIVE IS YOUR PARAYERS?
James 5:16-18
Part 2
Introduction: Last week we look at seven keys to effective praying. Let
me give them quickly as a matter of introduction.
1. Pray Biblically
This simply means to pray in a way that does not contradict the Bible.
The example from last week was not to pray that the Lord be with us
because we know the Bible says that He will never leave us or forsake us.
Instead you can pray that the Lord's presence will be real to us.
2. Pray Specifically
These are prayers that are very specific in nature. Paul prayed in
matters of courage, loneliness, finances, wisdom, purity, converts and
several other areas. Too many of our prayers are hazy, lazy or crazy.
3. Pray Intelligently
You may have do some research to pray intelligently especially when it
comes to our missionaries. Find out the areas of their fields. Find out
the dangers they face. Find the difficulties they face. Just pray with
some intelligence.
4. Pray spiritually
Allow the Holy Spirit to guide in your prayers. This does not mean you
can not have a prayer list. In fact, I encourage you to get one and use
it. But do not get chained to that list. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide
you in your prayers.
5. Pray earnestly
The world is in a mess. Many people we know are in a mess. Many of the
folks that you and I know are lost. They need the Saviour. We should pray
with the intensity that the job requires. You are speaking on their
behalf before a God who cares to listen. But lazy prayers are rushed
prayers. Spend time in intensity prayer.
Bloody Queen Mary of Scotland feared no one but the prayers of John Knox.
Regularly John Knox prayed "Give Scotland or I'll die." What intensity do
we have?
6. Pray continually
You and I can have reminders in places to remind us of the challenge of
souls and prayers. A simple list where you can see it may remind you to
pray for our missionaries. Just don't quit praying for souls. When you
are at the traffic light waiting for the light to change, pray. While
standing in line at the store and you will do a lot of that if you shop
where I do, pray. Redeem the time that God has given you. You and I have
much in common. One of the things we have in common is that we both have
twenty-four hours in a day.
7. Pray Obediently
If the Lord directs you in your time of prayer to a certain task, be
obedient to it. I know there are people who the Lord wanted them to be
missionaries or preachers but they were not willing to be obedient. You
could give thousands of dollars to missions but if you are command to go,
you are being disobedient.
Those seven keys were the instruction to effective praying. Let me begin
this message with the inspiration to effective praying.
II. INSPIRATION TO EFFECTIVE PRAYING
James 5:17-18
"Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed
earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the
space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven
gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit."
As I have said many times in the past ten years at this church, the best
commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself. We see this reference to
Elijah in our text. He is our inspiration to effective praying.
A. Elijah prayed Biblically.
We could see all of his prayers that were Biblical in nature but for
time's sake, I will only look at one.
1 Kings 18:36-37
"And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of
Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God
in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these
things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know
that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back
again."
Twice in short prayer that I do not see an "AMEN" at the end, Elijah only
ask the Lord to show the people that HE WAS LORD. In just a few minutes,
Elijah's prayer was answered in a big way. In verse thirty-eight, we see
that fire came down from heaven and consumed all that was on that altar
including the altar itself. Why? Elijah prayed Biblically. To pray
Biblically does not necessarily lengthy prayers. This one only had
sixty-three words in it in our King James Bible.
Elijah prayed specifically.
1 Kings 17:20-22
"And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also
brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And
he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD,
and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him
again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child
came into him again, and he revived."
Elijah knew that nothing less than the child living could be that answer.
He specifically asked for life of the child. Not only did he ask
specifically, the Lord answered specifically.
Our text reminds that the Lord withheld the rain for three and half years
on behalf of Elijah's prayers. Then rain came when Elijah prayed for
rain.
C. Elijah prayed intelligently.
Once again, I refer back to the little boy that Elijah prayed for. He did
not ask the Lord to give this child a ball. He prayed for life in the
child.
D. Elijah prayed spiritually.
He had the power of God in his life. When he prayed, he did so because he
wanted God to be his helper. It is not recorded what Elijah did when he
was at the brook or at the widow's house. I am sure that he spent volumes
of time in prayer.
E. Elijah prayed earnestly and continually.
If you could have been on that mountain, you would have heard one of the
most earnest prayers. Look at some further verses about the earnestness
and continuance of Elijah's prayers.
1 Kings 18:41-45
"And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a
sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And
Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the
earth, and put his face between his knees, And said to his servant, Go up
now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is
nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the
seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of
the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare
thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came
to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and
wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
Elijah prayed seven times for rain. God answered once again in a big way.
F. Elijah prayed obediently.
Elijah was not only willing to pray but he was also willing to be part of
the answer to prayer. God used Elijah because he was obedient in his
prayers and practice of life.
III. INVITATION TO EFFECTIVE PRAYING
All I have said tonight and last Sunday night is worthless if I did not
offer you an invitation to move closer to the Lord and make your prayers
more effective. Let me give you some important truths about prayers
before proceeding. What can prayer do?
Prayer is the way you defeat the devil.
Prayer is the way you get the lost saved.
Prayer is the way you acquire wisdom.
Prayer is the way backsliders get restored.
Prayer is how the saints get strength
Prayer is the way we get laborers out to the mission field.
Prayer is how we cure the sick.
Prayer is how we accomplish the impossible.
A. Are your prayers Biblical?
Are you praying contrary to the Bible? Do you ask the Lord to do
something you know is not right? I am reminded of a lady that was praying
she would win the Readers Digest seven million-dollar sweepstakes. That
is not Biblical praying.
James 4:2-3
"Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain:
ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and
receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your
lusts."
I realize that young Christians may not pray Biblically but as I said
last week, I am not preaching to folks who were just saved on most part.
When was the last time that you took a passage of the Bible and apply it
to your prayer life? Let me illustrate. Philippians 3:10
"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the
fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death"
You could pray like this: "Lord, I know you as Saviour but help to
understand more Who you are. Help to know you in a more intimate way."
Are your prayers specific?
Are they prayers for courage, loneliness, finances, purity, health,
colleagues, converts, wisdom, discouragement, pressures, opportunities,
love, direction, spiritual growth and faithfulness? These do not have to
be prayers to pray on your behalf but could be prayers on the behalf of
others.
Do you know the needs of folks around you? Do they call upon you to pray
because you get do to specific needs?
Are your prayers intelligent?
Do they go something like this when you pray for the missionaries? "Lord,
bless the missionaries." Or do pray like this? "Father, Brother Dennis
Young is in the middle of a country that full of Muslims. Will you
protect him and his family as they try to reach those folks in the
Philippines?" Do you see the difference?
Are your prayers in the Spirit?
Romans 8:26-27
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what
we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the
hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh
intercession for the saints according to the will of God."
Are there times that you are praying and you know you need to continue
but do not know what to say? So you continue in the spirit of prayer. It
is the Holy Spirit that tells the Father what you need.
Are your prayers earnest?
Let me illustrate with an event in the past. Evangelist J. Wilbur Chapman
who wrote the song "One Day" wrote this about prayer: "I have learned
some great lessons concerning prayer. At one of our missions in England,
the audience was exceedingly small but I received a note saying that an
American missionary was going to pray Gods blessing upon our work. He
was known as "Praying Hyde. Almost instantly, the tide turned. The hall
became packed and upon my first invitation, fifty men accepted Christ as
Saviour.
As we were leaving, I said, "Mr. Hyde, I want you to pray for me." He
came into my room, turned the key in the door and dropped on his knees
and waited five minutes without a single syllable coming from his lips. I
could hear my own heart thumping and his beating. I felt the hot tears
running down my face. I knew I was with God.
Then, with upturned face, down which the tears were streaming, he said,
"Oh, God!" Then for five minutes at least he was still again; and then
when he knew that he was talking with God there came up from the depths
of his heart such petitions for men as I have never heard before. I arose
from my knees to know what real prayer was. We believe that prayer is
mighty, and we believed it, as we never did before."
I believe the earnestness of John Hydes prayers was found in one simple
word "OH". I believe that one reason that our prayers are not earnest is
that we just do not see the need for prayer. When we see God moving in
our lives and in the lives of others, then we will be more earnest in our
prayer life.
It may be your prayers that move someone to Calvary's blood for
forgiveness. I want to repeat something I said last week about the
earnestness of prayer. The end of the age of grace draws near, and the
enemy of our souls is doing all he can to thwart the fulfillment of the
Great Commission. The greatest need for the ministry is not money,
equipment or new methods...the greatest need is earnest, believing
prayer. May God gain us earnestness in our prayers for our town! It ought
to be our prayer "Get us Smithfield or we will die!"
G. Are your prayers continuos?
1 Thessalonians 5:17
"Pray without ceasing"
We know what the Bible says about continuos prayer. We know that the Lord
Jesus spent volumes of time in prayer. He prayed and then he selected
twelve men for the ministry. He prayed and then he had a meal distributed
among five thousand men. That does not include the women and children. It
is possible that there was over twenty thousand people having a fish
dinner. He prayed and the angels ministered unto Him. His life was so
given to prayer that the disciples asked Him to teach them only one thing
and that He would teach them to pray.
I looked up what Albert Barnes had to say about 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
Here is what he said for encouragement. He makes two observations that
are important for us. "(1.) That we are to be regular and constant in the
observance of the stated seasons of prayer. We are to observe the duty of
prayer in the closet, in the family, and in the assembly convened to call
on the name of the Lord. We are not to allow this duty to be interrupted
or intermitted by any trifling cause. We are so to act that it may be
said we pray regularly in the closet, in the family, and at the usual
seasons when the church prays to which we belong.
(2.) We are to maintain an uninterrupted and constant spirit of prayer.
We are to be in such a frame of mind as to be ready to pray publicly if
requested; and when alone, to improve any moment of leisure which we may
have when we feel ourselves strongly inclined to pray. That Christian is
in a bad state of mind who has suffered himself, by attention to worldly
cares, or by light conversation, or by gayety and vanity, or by reading
an improper book, or by eating or drinking too much, or by late hours at
night among the thoughtless and the vain, to be brought into such a
condition that he cannot engage in prayer with proper feelings. There has
been evil done to the soul if it be not prepared for communion with God
at all times, and if it would not find pleasure in approaching his holy
throne."
The disciples were given unto prayer and study of the Word after the
deacons were chosen. It was the ministry of prayer that God used to
change Jerusalem for Him.
H. Are your prayers obedient?
Are you obedient to God when you pray? Are you praying that God will send
someone to witness to your family? It is most likely God wants you to
witness to your family. If you ask God to send someone, it is that you
can be the answer to your own prayers.
When God places something on your heart to give to the Lord, will you be
obedient to that prayer? "To obey is better than sacrifice" is God's
answer to doubts in what you ought to do when God lays something on your
heart.
I found that the greatest blessings I had were found in obedient praying.
About thirteen years ago, I was asking the Lord to help me affect world
missions in our local church. It was the time that God placed on my heart
that desire to pastor a church. When I was obedient in going into the
ministry, I found that I have affected world missions in a much greater
way than I could from the pew.
Conclusion: Let me ask a few more questions that I will not try to answer
but I want you to ponder these questions.
1. Is prayer changing me?
2. Is prayer making any difference in my life?
3. Is my prayer life bringing me closer to the Lord?
4. Am I moving toward giving control of my life to God?
5. Do I constantly try to tune into God's presence?
Are any my prayers helping me develop a more loving relationship with
others?
If you answered no to any of these questions, then one more question
comes to mind: WHY NOT?
FBC
5/12/02 PM
Pastor Mike Walls
Freedom Baptist Church Smithfield, NC
All scriptures are King James Bible
Isa. 41:10
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