MESSAGE ON PRAYER

“The Lord is nigh [near] unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth” (Psalm 145:18; p. 669).

The subject is prayer. What is the key to getting your prayers answered?

I say it starts with how much you want or need your prayer answered. If you don’t really want it, you won’t really ask and you won’t get it. If you do want it and need it bad, you will turn to God and get your answer from Him. “Oh, Lord, give us souls, Amen.” (no heart) [Often real prayer happens when the person is in trouble.] [But don’t fake it or try to drum it up.]

One point – God may say “no.” He is a person, not a machine we can manipulate for our wishes like the prosperity preachers teach. That’s magic. God is above all our words. And God knows what’s best, more than we do. The Bible says,

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9; p. 762)

Our text says, “The Lord is nigh [near, close] unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth” (Psalm 145:18; p. 669). That’s not “saying a prayer.” I call it “addressing God”.

Solomon prayed at the dedication of the Temple,

“Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive” (II Chronicles 6:21; p. 495). Even when the crops were cursed, and even when they were defeated and taken into exile, they could pray.

God said to Israel,

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:14, p. 496)

Yes, this was said to Israel not the USA. But we can learn from it. “Seek my face” – turn to God, address Him.

Real prayer is often accompanied by acts – seek His face, turn from sin, fast. But not always and not done as a formula. Jesus said,

“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:7; p. 1002).

No marching in a circle saying Ave Maria

No monkery as Luther had done

No prayer button as the Pope set up.

No fire and forget weapons for the Christian

No assuming God’s presence. Let me explain.

God is not a machine. Walking with Him is not a mechanical or scientific process. We can say,

We invented the wheel, that’s done, don’t think about that anymore, just use it.

We invented the car, just use it.

We invented the airplane, just use it.

We invented the cell phone, just use it.

But not so with God.

GOD is a Person, not a machine. He doesn’t work that way. We CANNOT say like the decisionists, “I got Christ in the sinner’s prayer, now just put Him away and live like you want.” We cannot say in the church, “People were saved, now we know how to do that, just let it run by itself.” We tried that. We cannot say, “God was present yesterday, so now that will go on by itself and He will always be there.” We tried that and it failed. God is a Person. He must be sought with the heart every time. With Him we can have a personal relationship, not just turning on a light switch. And in prayer you must seek God anew (don’t image yourself) each time.

At Nineveh, when Jonah preached,

“So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not” (Jonah 3:5-10; p. 944).

There is no record that Jonah told the king or the people to fast, put on sackcloth, pray, and turn from sin. Jonah wanted the city to be destroyed!

Why did they do these things? The king and the people acted on their conscience, which God illuminated. They knew they had done wrong. They really didn’t want to be destroyed. And God answered them.

In Persia, when the Jews were in captivity, a wicked man wanted to kill all the Jews. Queen Esther said to her uncle Mordecai, “Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16; p. 561).

Ready to die. Fasted, then went to the king.

In the Book of Acts, not long after the resurrection and Pentecost, Peter was put in prison. The Bible says,

“Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5; p. 1165).

“without ceasing” means “stretched-outedly” (Torrey). It means they took time [Dr. Hymers prayed many years for his mother to be saved – and she was], and they put themselves into it. [Just like good singing.]

Note that this was in church in a prayer meeting. Jesus said,

“Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:19-20; p. 1044). Group, church prayer. Another principle.

And the Bible says,

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6; p. 1260). Be not anxious. Prayer and supplication (real begging).

Jesus said,

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8; p. 1003). Continuous. May take time. Real asking.

The Gospel of Luke tells us,

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1; p. 1089).

“And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity [irritating boldness, bothering me] he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Luke 11:5-10; p. 1090).

Ask means continuous. Here we see that the person praying took time, and was intense in his request (importunity). Like banging on a door. Don’t fake this (that’s magic). If you want it, your heart will call to God, address God.

The Bible says, “I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4; p. 614).

One of my favorite verses is Hebrews 4:16.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16; p. 1294).

This verse has been new to me every time I read it. Every Christian can walk right into the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Heaven – boldly unto the throne of grace – to get mercy, and grace to help in time of need. This is seeking God’s face, addressing God. May you do it! Amen.