Prayer and Worship

We live at the dawn of  "information highway."  Fiber optics -- those little wires like strands of human hairs -- carry millions of bits of information.  With wireless or cellular technology and satellite communications  -- we have the ability to communicate with astounding speed and to great and far-reaching distances. Communication is virtually limitless. 

Prayer is about getting connected – to the God of this universe. The good thing about prayer is that we don’t need a gadget, we don’t need a fiber optic to be connected to God.  God is always just a prayer away and no matter how technology may have advanced over centuries, the way we communicate with God remains the same. All He asks is our pure heart and our unwavering faith.

Background

In the King James Version of this passage there is an additional phrase: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” The difference between these versions was due to the manuscript versions used by the translators. 

You may also notice that it has similar passages in Luke 11:2-4 and they were spoken by Jesus on two different occasions. Matthew 6 is part of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus addressed the crowd while Luke 11:2-4 was a response to an unnamed disciple’s request

Matthew 6:9-13 is not entirely accurate to call “The Lord’s Prayer.”  If this is the Lord’s Prayer you will not hear him saying “forgive our debts or forgive our sins” because the Lord has no sin. This prayer is more appropriate to be called “the Disciples Prayer” or “Our Prayer.”

In Matthew 6, before Jesus taught the crowd “how to pray,” He first taught them “how not to pray.”  (See verses 5-8)

A popular phrase in our society, “A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian”, can be replaced with the more accurate quotation “A prayerless Christian is actually not a Christian.”   Prayer is not just about power.  It’s not about our ability to make things happen. It’s not about changing God’s mind.  It’s not about being able to manipulate God into doing certain things our way.  

Common Questions concerning Prayer

•  If God is all-knowing, why bother praying?   Can we just say “God… you know… Amen!”
• If we are to pray according to His will, why bother telling Him what we want? The Bible says we are to pray according to God’s will.  If we should always pray for His will, then what about our own will?  What about our wants?
• If He is God and He knows what’s best for us, why bother asking? Is it possible for us to think of something better?  If God knows what is best for us, then probably there’s really no sense telling him what we want.

Life Lessons:

  

1.  Prayer is a command to all believers (v9a)

Jesus said “This then is how you should pray (v.9a).  The word “should” here means “must” which indicates a duty or an obligation. Before we even question the rationality of prayer based on the life questions that we posed earlier, we should all agree that it is a commandment from the Lord to pray.

2.  Prayer is an important expression of our worship (V9b-10) 

Worship is the bigger picture.  Worship is our lifestyle.   Prayer is in fact not just a form of worship but an important expression of worship. There are a lot of things that represents our worship to God.  Serving God in the church is a form of Worship.  PRAYER – is also a form of service.  There are people who’s ministry is to pray.   There was a person mentioned in the New Testament about a person whose ministry is praying.   In Luke 2:36 Anna was very old;  was a widow until she was eighty-four.   She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

3.  Prayer is humbly submitting to God’s will (v10) If we say God is God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, if we say God is Omniscient and He knows everything, if we say that He is Omnipotent and all-powerful, can we not entrust our lives with Him?  We pray for God’s will because we know that whatever that will is… that will be the best for us.  Sometimes it’s funny when we pray, as if we’re telling God what to do.  

Notice the common denominator in the following verses:

• This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  1 John 5:14
• Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.  John 16:24
• When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.  James 4:3

It's all about His will, His name and asking with the right motives.  Prayer is not about us.  It is about God!

Conclusion:

Prayer brings us into a deeper and a more intimate relationship with God. 

Prayer develops our maturity in faith.  The more we pray, the more we become spiritually mature.  The more we call up to Him, the more we know Him and the more we understand His ways and humbly submit to His will.  

Prayer brings us closer to a God “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20)

Jesus said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”  -- of course He does not mean you go to heaven now and talk to Him.  He said come to me in PRAYER… and I will take care of everything for you.  Isn’t it wonderful that the God whom we prayed is able to do more than we ask for or imagine?  Isn’t it amazing to know that Jesus whom we pray to, has the kingdom and the power and glory forever and ever?

Have you prayed to God today?

Prayer

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life.
Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Savior and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.  Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCF Richmond on  March 15, 2015.

I apologize if there are grammatical and spelling errors.  

If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:
 www.wordchristianfellowship.com