Why Do We Pray?
Many thanks to my good friend, CH for this simple outline and powerful message!
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TEXT: James 5:13-18
13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 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.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
The people of God pray for many reasons, usually out of a particular need or urgency. James is telling us in this passage that we are to pray for those in the church who are sick or afflicted, and not only pray for them but pray with the faith and power of the prophet Elijah. As the example shows, he was a regular person, just like you and me. Yet his prayers had the power to shut up heaven for 3 1/2 years and call down fire from God as he contested the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18:21-39). The point is that our prayers can possess the same power as we demonstrate our faith in Jesus Christ. Pray for one another, pray often, and pray believing.
WHY DO WE PRAY?
(1) We Pray to Adore and Praise Our Great God
Psalms 150
1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
This is vital to a full and rewarding prayer life. The simple act of recognizing our great God as the supreme creator and ruler places us in an attitude of worship and reveals to God our desire to commune with Him. He is the One we need. He is the only One who can meet our needs. We should begin praying by focusing on how great and powerful He is and understand our place before Him as loved, forgiven, and redeemed through of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
(2) We Pray to Admit Sin and Our Need of Forgiveness
Psalms 86:5
5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
The admission of sin is an agreement with God that we have violated His holiness. We are all born sinners and are forgiven when we ask Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and save us. Obviously, this doesn’t mean that we stop sinning. In fact, we live in a world surrounded by sin and we still have our “old sin nature” within us. We need to confess sin. We need to be reminded just how much we need God every day. As the verse states, when we confess our sins, God is ready to forgive and restore our fellowship with Him. The same idea is conveyed in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
(3) We Pray to Acknowledge His Goodness In Our Lives
1 Thessalonians 5:18
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
How marvelous are the works of our great and loving God in our lives everyday. We should take time, in prayer, to say, “thank you, Lord,” and share with Him how meaningful His provision, protection and care are. As we closely examine our lives, God’s hand will become more and more evident and we’ll soon be thanking Him for things we never truly considered before. This is an important step towards maturing in Christ. Our lives will become a “living testimony” to the goodness of God. Our faith will increase and every day will be a day of thanksgiving in our hearts.
(4) We Pray to Ask For Our Wants and Needs
Matthew 7:7
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Why do we often feel like we’re imposing on God when we ask Him for something? He loves us, much greater than an earthly father or mother could. He wants us to be happy more than we want to be happy. He wants us to succeed more than we want to succeed. He delights in giving His children the desires of their hearts. So don’t be timid, don’t be afraid. Ask God for the things your heart desires.
CONCLUSION:
Adore, admit, acknowledge, and ask – these are important keys to an intimate commune with Holy God. Open your heart and don’t be afraid to be yourself. Leave out the flowery, church-speak and just talk to Him. He loves each of us so much and desires fellowship (a sit-down and talk) time with us every day.
I hope that this meditation encourages you in a special way today. May God richly bless you!
Movin’ On
Philippians 3:13-14
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
He was a privileged youth growing up in a household of means. He was sent to the very best schools with the very best teachers. Upon graduation he became an influential member of society and even went into national politics.
After a short while he gained the respect of his peers and became a leader of that body as well. His path was laid out and his future was secure. It was a dream only a few could ever realize. As he continued in his leadership role, he grew even more in power and respect. When his name was mentioned it brought fear into the hearts of many.
But all this changed one dramatic day on an isolated highway as he was making a journey – He met Jesus.
The man was Saul. He was a great persecutor of Christians. He stood by cheering and supporting as more than one Christ follower was tortured or killed. He was a Jew among Jews. His reputation grew as he merciless hunted down Christians and silenced them. His hands were stained with much innocent blood.
After his encounter with Christ on that lonely road, everything changed. His eyes were opened to the truth of God’s Word and it forever changed him and everyone around him. Saul, now Paul, turned the ancient world upside-down for the cause of Christ, seeing thousands come to salvation by grace through faith and countless churches born. What a man!
You know what my friend? For all of the great things that Paul did for the infant church, it might have never happened. Not if Paul would have reacted to his past like we do sometimes. He could have carried the guilt of his early years with him for the rest of his life. He could have said, “God could never use someone as wicked as I.” Thank God he never said that.
I love these verses [from our text] in his letter to the Philippian church. He settles the past once and for all. He says to them (and us too), “Get over the past. There is nothing you can do to change it. Instead of lying in your bed wallowing in misery and doom, get up and move on. Put your eyes on the Savior and heaven and throw your whole life and existence into the moment when you’ll see Him.”
What is it that you have done in your past?
There is no sin too great that God cannot forgive you. He loves you and wants you to be burden-free if you’ll just trust in Him and let Him carry your burden for you. The devil, on the other hand, he loves to see you walking around all defeated and down. He loves to bring up your past to keep you from accomplishing great things for the kingdom of God. There’s an awesome saying, you may have heard it but I’m going to use it again. It goes like this: The next time the devil reminds you of your past, just remind him of his future! I love that.
Get over the past – what’s done is done and God forgives. Press on toward the mark – win the prize – rest in the arms of the Lord. Get to movin’ on.
I hope that this meditation encourages you in a special way today. May God richly bless you!
