Tuesday: The Life of Prayer
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3, NKJV). It is no wonder that Christians often say that their faith is about a relationship with God. If knowing God is “eternal life,” then we can find that life through a relationship with Him.
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And, of course, central to that relationship is communication. We saw yesterday that God communicates to us through His divine Word. We, in turn, commune with Him through prayer.
If, as we have seen, we are to set our minds and hearts upon heavenly things as opposed to things of this world, then prayer is essential. This is because, by its very nature, prayer points us to a higher realm than of the world itself.
Yet even here we must be careful because sometimes our prayers can be merely an expression of our own selfish nature. That’s why we need to pray in submission to the will of God.
Years ago, a woman sang these words, “Oh, Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz?” It was, in her own way, an attack on the materialism of those who profess faith in God. We, too, must be sure that when we pray, which is in itself an act of submission to God and death to the world, we are seeking God’s will, not just our own.
Read Hebrews 11:1-6. What is the crucial component that must be mingled with all our prayers? Also, what does it mean to come to God in faith and to pray in faith?
If there is no faith attached to our prayers, there will be presumption, Satan’s counterfeit faith. “Prayer and faith are closely allied, and they need to be studied together. In the prayer of faith there is a divine science; it is a science that everyone who would make his lifework a success must understand. Christ says, ‘What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.’ Mark 11:24. He makes it plain that our asking must be according to God’s will; we must ask for the things that He has promised, and whatever we receive must be used in doing His will. The conditions met, the promise is unequivocal.” – Ellen G. White, Prayer, p. 57.
| Look at your own prayer life. What do you pray for? What do your prayers tell about your priorities? What other things might you need to be praying for? |
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Asking God for his salvation and also help us with the Holy Spirit to understand his word
I think we need to remember that our faith is of no consequence. It is the Faith of Jesus that moves mountains and works miracles. We are offered this Faith as fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This Faith is impossible for us to atain without the choice to allow Jesus to come into our hearts and produce this Faith in us.
A good example of 'The Life of Prayer' is Jesus Himself. His prayer life made Him go through and endure the cross. So as Xians we should thank Him for what He has done for us that He took our penalty. And becos of this, we should follow His prayer life! so we could endure satan's snares today!
After reading today's lesson I have come to realize that my prayers are those of myself and my needs.
I would be grateful if you would help me in how to I should structure my prayers.
thank you.
Hallo Karry - it's been many years ago that I discovered two books about Sanctuary Prayer by Carol Johnson Schumaker. The Sanctuary prayer changed my life. I hope you can find it in the ABC or Amazon.
Could you please give us the specific titles of the books?
I have a book called Prayer Made Practical by Frederick Pelser, awesome book. I bought it from a literature evangelist however, so i do not know whether it found on Amazon, but definitely in ABCs (Adventist Book Centers).
Karry, there is a recent book on the “ Lord’s Prayer”, by Gary Tabor called, “Suprised by the Lord’s Prayer”. Jesus was instructing us on how to pray when He gave us this prayer. Pastor Tabor takes it section by section and helps one follow and build on the basic principals Christ gave us in the Lords,s Prayer.
every promise in the word of God is a subject for prayer
Hi Karry
There is a 'framework' for prayer that many people benefit from called ACTS which stands for 4 'phases' of prayer (1) Adoration where you start prayer by expressing your adoration for specific aspects of who God is and what He is about, (2) Confession - self explanatory, (3) Thanksgiving where you give thanks for specific things and (4) Supplication - where you present your prayer requests for yourself and for others. You can google ACTS prayer for more info if you wish.
Hi, Karry.
I read a little book by John Bunyan titled Prayer. What he said makes makes sense to me. He said that in order for prayer to be in the "name of Jesus" it must be in the Character of Jesus. His main point was that all prayer must be motivated by the Holy Spirit to be appropriate prayer. This way it will be motivated by God, Himself, and not by our selfishness.
God wants to give us His Spirit, so we can come to Him boldly and ask for His Spirit with confidence He will supply our need. Then His Spirit will lead us in our prayer to know how to pray with Love as our motivation.
I believe ones prayers are shaped by the relationship one has with their God. prayer should not be selfish,meaning I should not always want God to fit in the picture I paint/design about life, rather I should let God design the picture and I should be in the pic he paints. we should also learn to intercede for others,just like Jesus prayed for his disciples(John 17:20-19),all believers( John 17:20-26) and even Peter(Luke22:31-32). There is no better way to learn how to pray than ask God to teach us to pray
Karry, Regarding the way that we should pray, is found in Luke 11:2-4. This is a model of the way Jesus taught his disciples to pray. There are many scriptures that describe answered Prayer. John14:13,14, John15:7, John 16:23.Luke 11:9,Mathew 21:22,Philippians 4:6,19. What we should pray for, Romans 8:26-28. Karry,God hears all of our sincere petitions regardless of formality. I hope there is something here to answer your request. I am sorry for the delay to your question.
God communicates to us through his divine word. Now, if the Bible is done away with as it was during the dark ages, will God be able to communicate to us?
That is why we need to memorize as many verses as possible. However, I am made to believe that the faithfuls who will be found standing firm during the time of trouble will receive the latter rain which, among other other things will enable an automation of the word of God in them. I do not remember where i read this in the spirit of prophecy...
God's Word is delivered to us through the work of His Holy Spirit by the Bible, by nature and by life's experiences if we are willing for Him to work in us in the issues our our lives.
Todays lession really ties in with yesterdays, how can you talk to your Friend if you don't study His word? Studing His word gives you something to talk about, albiet sharing with Him our personal life is important too. Phillipians 4:6. I do believe that prayer, study of His word, memory exercises of His word, and singing of favorite hymns, is a way of keeping our mind from the love of possesions, i.e. materialism. God likes to hear our souls poured out to Him about our personial life too. I do believe that our humble unstructured prayers, are intercepted by Christ and structured before they are presented to God. Albiet nothing wrong with a well structured prayer from the get go. Steps to Christ has a wonderful chapter on prayer, chapter 11. And The Desire of Ages is riddled with concepts on prayer.
Our every moment in stewardship required not just faith but a living faith....
Todays' lesson has a quote from Ellen White that says that, there is a divine science in the prayer of faith . And that "Everyone who would make his lifework a success must understand it." The Yucaipa SDA Church has been offering a once a week- seven week free course. It is a Seminar that they offer there about twice a year on this very subject.
One thing that i have discovered in my prayer life is that sometimes we read certain verses in isolation and this might be the beginning of much trouble as the verse may not be meaning what you think. take for example Mathews 21: 22 or even Mark 11:24 quoted in today's lesson. What if i believe i can fly, will i fly when i pray???? When we humans are in need, we ask for so many things (eg God should get even with my enemies, as if it is automatic that my enemies are also God's enemies, etc). Through much study, i have come to understand that the "if you believe you will receive" verses should be read in the context of 1 John 5:14 'According to his will' not my will. God will supply a particular need where he sees a necessity according to his determination, not according to how i ask or how much i think i need it.I have heard some preachers even in our church saying that faith is believing that something is there, before it is there, so that it can be there. Much as i agree with part of this description of faith, what i have come to understand in my christian journey is that the real definition of faith is total surrender to God and waiting upon him without any anxieties about our needs, knowing that whatever i ask may or may not happen depending on God's allotment to me. Mine is just to express my confidence in him and wait for his response. This way, either a yes or no answer will suffice since i am not over expectant. Whatever comes my way will be God's choice. That is what i perceive as faith; not a belief that God will automatically supply whatever i ask for...
Phil I do believe that Phillipians 4:6-8, is an answer to your problem you bring up. "Make all your requests be known." Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].
PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7
Phillipians 4:4-5. Discribes the mind frame you want to be in when you pray. I hope Phillipians 4 helps you understand Mark 11:24. And Matthew 21:22. I understand what you are saying. Just the same in prayer, we are to poor our our souls. It expresses trust. Isaiah 26:3 says, "because I trust in Thee".
Prayer is a science. It must be study. As a science, there are “laws and rules” to follow and to applied. When done rightly, the outcomes is certain and unequivocal. “Formula”: ABC. “A” for: Ask. “B” for: Believe, and “C” for Claim. Claim as a done deal.
“Prayer and faith are closely allied, and they need to be studied together. In the prayer of faith there is a divine science; it is a science that everyone who would make his lifework a success must understand. Christ says, ‘What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.’ Mark 11:24. He makes it plain that our asking must be according to God’s will; we must ask for the things that He has promised, and whatever we receive must be used in doing His will. The conditions met, the promise is unequivocal.” – Ellen G. White, Prayer, p. 57.
Very good Eli, you maybe from the Elder Coon era of the 70's & 80's. Nothing wrong with that. The ABC's of prayer are good. What about sending a quick request many times throught the day? I wouldn't even attempt to structure that.
Through out the day.
John, I learned about the ABC, when I couple of years ago, by “accident”, I ended listening to Coon’s presentation in AudioVerse. Never in my life before I heard an easy and simple understanding on “reception” type of prayer. This applies to that quick request many times during the day, which enforces our dependency on God. What about the “thanksgiving and gratitud” type of prayer? Are we praying only the “reception” type of prayer? Why not the “thanksgiving and praise” type of prayer as often as possible? (By the way, I was a baby in the end of the 80’s era, and Catholic, until not long ago)
Yep John, the AudioVerse app can be a powerful evangelistic tool to reach out the nowadays tech generation. I’m sure I’m not the only one. I assume the app is also in the Android format -in case your mobile device is an Android- check it out. Install it and search the topic on “Prayer”, choose one, listen, and be blessed.
My dear Brother or Sister in Christ, beware lest your neglect of prayer should result in your condemnation on the Judgment Day. *If Jesus is to save you, you must pray. If your sins are to be forgiven, you must pray.* If the Holy Spirit is to dwell in your heart, you must pray. If you are to have strength against sin at this end of the world, you must pray. If you are to dwell with God in heaven, your heart must talk with God in this world by prayer. Oh! do not be a prayerless Christian at this end of the world. Begin to pray this day if you have never prayed before. Do not forget that if you and I are to meet each other with joy at Christ's appearing, *you must pray*
Amen Bermard. Eli thanks sharing your testimony, thoughts, and experience with prayer. I appriciate it.
God bless you.