Prayer changes us – 21 June 2023
Key verse: Matthew 6: 6 “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
When preparing for the message on Pentecost I was struck by a sentence in Acts 1:14 speaking about the disciples saying “All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer”. This was reinforced the other night; Susan and I were on a walk and talking about the church and she spoke about how much the people of Dalneigh & Bona were devoted to each other and how it is was shown in the life of the church. This is seen in many practical ways and especially at the prayer meeting by the numbers that attend and the care and devotion expressed to everyone in the congregation.
Prayer as we know is our way of communicating with God and the bible helps us to understand this further by giving us examples of how others pray and what they prayed about. One great example comes from our reading when Jesus presented the Lord’s Prayer. But before this He drew a comparison between true believers and hypocrites, and called for those following His teaching not to pray out in the open to be seen and admired by others Matt 6:5. Instead, Jesus promoted a more personal and intimate conversation with God, one that is not to be heard by others but is to be heard by God. It is important to note that Jesus does not say to only pray in private, public prayer is also encouraged as well but when it is done for admiration it is wrong. In reciting the Lord’s Prayer Jesus gives us all the reasons why Christians should pray “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matt 6:9-10. Prayer is the power tool for Christians to communicate with the Lord, it is our way of realising that we have needs and the only provider for our needs is our Father in Heaven. The bible tells us that He will never leave us, saying, “It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8, and that we can “cast all our anxiety on him, because he cares for us” 1 Peter 5:7.
There is power in prayer and it is something that we are all able to do, when I became a Christian I had to go back to the submarine that I had ran away from and to say I was concerned was an understatement. The person who led me to Jesus told me that he was giving my name to a friend who lived in Glasgow who was housebound and prayed for sailors. Her name was Mrs Peacock and Susan & I met her to say thank you for her prayers, she told us that she could not go out and spread the gospel but she could pray and God had given her this gift to pray for sailors. For me it was fantastic not only knowing Jesus as my Lord and Saviour but also uplifting knowing that I was been held up to God daily. We may not all be called to be preachers, missionaries or leaders but we are all called to pray.
As we pray, we will feel a change in our spiritual life because we become closer to God as we continuously talk to Him. It is through prayer, that we acknowledge His love for us is infinite, and He will never leave us. There is power in prayer and it can change us in many ways as the Holy Spirit guides and transforms us through our daily walk with God. Jesus assured us that after His resurrection, the Holy Spirit will be with us forever saying “it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” John 16:7. The more that we read and study His word and talk to Him the deeper our relationship with Him gets, and through the work of the Holy Spirit we are able to experience His presence daily in our lives. It is also through knowing God that we are able to see some of His nature, compassion and grace, for He is the great provider and the rock we stand on. It is only through prayer that we may experience knowing Him more and that God’s love for us shines brighter than anything else. Remember “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” Hebrews 4:12
Prayer also changes us by improving our attitude in listening to what God wants. Most of the time, we are so focused on presenting our request to God and praying constantly that our requests are answered, that sometimes, we forget to listen to God and acknowledge that it is His will that should be followed. Listening to God is not easy for us because so much of this world swamps us. It requires active discipline, and we can only achieve this through continuous prayer and following His commands. We do not always get it right but God knows us inside out, so when we do fail He is always there and tells us “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9. We are to strengthen our faith in Him by reading and studying His word, listening to what He is telling us through it and by speaking to Him constantly.
Prayer also changes our lives by teaching us patience, because as we pray, we are required to be patient in listening to God’s will. Just like listening, patience does not come easy for us, and if you are like me can be very impatient. So often when we have given something to God in prayer, we become tired of waiting for our prayers to be answered so that we become worldly and want it now. In Isaiah 40: 31 we are told “those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Ongoing prayer, talking to God confessing our faults and giving all our joys, worries and requests to Him will allow us to grow stronger in Him and give us the knowledge that He will answer our prayers according to His will and not always in the way we would want.
Prayer changes us by building up our faith in God. As we speak with God, we learn that He is truly our great provider and it is only through God that we can receive amazing and improbable things in our lives. It is important for us to accept that not everything will be plain sailing and there will times when we feel hopeless, especially when things seem to be falling to pieces all around us and we are being tested. The more that we read His word and pray, the more our faith in Him grows, and as this happens realise that God shows us what He is teaching through every situation we find ourselves in and that it is always to His Glory through us. We are told that “the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing” James 1:3-4, and that “Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9. We are reminded that there is an inexpressible and glorious joy as we continue our faith in God because we know through Him, we can achieve seemingly impossible things and that continued prayer to God makes us remember God’s promises to His faithful servants. That is why it is important for us to speak to Him daily through prayer.
Prayer has the power to change us by confirming that we are children of God through the saving work of Jesus Christ. He is alive and is ever with us, so what do we have to fear? We are told “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea” Psalms 46:1-2. Our Father in Heaven promises to be our refuge in times of trouble, trial and joy. Prayer has the power to change our circumstances to a better one by changing our inner perceptions to the one that has faith in Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven. Our Christian life depends heavily on our prayer life and spiritual life because it is an integral part of our relationship with God. So as we pray, we are being built up to be stronger until we become prepared for whatever circumstances we face because our Father in Heaven has promised, telling us in Isaiah 43:1-3 “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God.”
Prayer changes us because as we grow with God, we learn to ultimately surrender ourselves to Him. Prayer is a form of worship and only through worship, are we able to surrender ourselves to God, because we are “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” Romans 12:1. It is as we grow and surrender to His Lordship, love and grace, that we can give all our worries to the Lord, for we are to “Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him” Psalms 37:7
Finally, we can be sure that prayer is our most important tool in communicating with God. It is also equally important that we are to have faith in Him and know Him better, which can be achieved through a continuous prayer life and study of God’s word as given to us in the bible. Having a continuous conversation with the Lord will help us and lead us to the right path that He has chosen for us. A disciplined prayer life changes us by the Spirit giving us inner strength, through ultimate surrender, through patience, by listening to God, by knowing God better, and through faith in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and remember we are to be “strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9.