David's Sermons

Luke 11 v 1-4

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.
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

In this sermon I want to take a little look at what the Bible teaches us about prayer. Communication is key in any relationship, and prayer is the main way we communicate with God.

When do we pray?

David said he prayed morning, noon and evening. Daniel prayed three times a day, even when he was forbidden by the laws of the country. Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. It's obvious that we should have a regular prayer life. Our attitude as we go through our day should be a prayerful one, and we need to set aside certain times each day to concentrate on prayer. We should pray in all situations: when we are happy, when we are sad, when angry, troubled or calm. There should never be not enough time to pray: Peter's cry for help when he started to sink in the water is one of the shortest, and yet most effective, prayers we read in the Bible.

Who do we pray for?

Prayers shouldn't be full of requests. We should spend time telling God how thankful we are, how much we love Him, and how we want to serve Him. But petition is part of prayer. Who then should we pray for?

Samuel prayed for Israel. Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies. Jesus prayed for His disciples. James says pray for one another. When we pray for others, it helps us to love them more, and this is one reason we should pray for our enemies. Our prayer life should be a mirror of our service: put God first, others next and ourselves last.

In what manner do we pray?

There are no set rules for the way in which we pray. Remember that God knows our thoughts, so we don't have to speak aloud to be heard. Sometimes it may help us, though. David cried out to the Lord; Hannah prayed in her heart, though her lips moved; Jesus tells us to pray in our closets, in other words not to make a show of our holiness.

When we have prayed for others and come to ourselves, what things should we pray for? Here are a few suggestions:

Whatever we pray for we are urged to pray with perseverence. If we ask, we shall receive, but we may have to keep asking and asking. If we know what we are praying for is right and good, keep on praying until God answers.

What happens when we pray?

We aren't very good at praying, nor at knowing what to pray for. Thankfully God helps us out. In Romans 8v26 we learn that the Spirit prays for us, shows us what to pray for. We pray to our Father, who is a good Father, and answers His children. And our prayers are perfected by the Lord Jesus, who sits at God's right hand and presents our petitions to Him.