Pray!

Good afternoon, brethren. Two men, fellow ministers, contacted me this afternoon to make sure I knew I had the sermon today and I didn’t have the presence of mind to say, “Wait, what? Today?” So, I missed my joke there. Then I had to do it now.

Brethren, you and I are engaged in a life like no other. Turn to Matthew seven. We’ll get right into the Bible. A life like no other. There are many adjectives that could be used to describe it, but this is how Christ put it. Matthew seven, “Enter you in at the straight,” meaning narrow gate, “...for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be that go in there at.”

It’s easy to go through the broad gate, “Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way,” there’s a very specific path, “which leads to life, and few there be that find it.” It’s a very specific course we walk as Christians and it’s not what the vast majority do. It’s not the broad way. Acts fourteen, as we continue to set the table. Acts fourteen. This is Paul. Verse twenty-two. Actually, twenty-one. “And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God.”

It’s necessary. We must. That’s what must means in the Greek, endure much tribulation, pressure, to enter the kingdom of God. It’s a requirement for walking down that straight path, for walking through that narrow gate. The broad way doesn’t have as much tribulation. Even though the way of transgressors is hard, we understand that. We’re looking for a different kind of tribulation. One that forms us, molds our character. Ephesians six. One more from Paul here, verse ten. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” Rulers there is kosmokratos. Think of a cosmocrat, a world ruler. “Against spiritual wickedness in high places,” more accurately wicked spirits in high places. High places means above the sky. We’re waging spiritual warfare, which brings on that tribulation, which makes it difficult to find the correct way that few are able to find.

We want to be counted amongst those few and we are. Here’s Peter. It’s not just wicked spirits above the sky as that word, high, means. Here’s Peter, First Peter five. These wicked spirits are intimately involved in waging war on us, wrestling against us. “Humble yourselves,” First Peter five, six, “under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resists steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

As the old saying goes, we’re all in this together. We’re all pursuing that narrow path. We’re all avoiding the broad way. We’re all wrestling the same principalities and powers. We all have those three enemies, Satan, society, and self, that we go over in baptismal counseling. Now, this is a terrifying thing on its face. Who would want to engage in warfare like this? The odds of success seem very slim, terribly difficult. Well, it would be a horrifying prospect were it not for God’s help. We can cast all our care upon him for he cares for us there in verse seven, but he also, in addition to helping us personally, he gives us certain tools to use.

There are certain weapons we have at our disposal in our wrestling match, in our war. Second Corinthians ten. Paul again here. Second Corinthians ten. God isn’t going to allow us to fight against these titanic forces without personally helping us and giving us all that we need to succeed. After all, he wants us in his family. He wants us to succeed. He’s invested a lot of time and energy in us. He knows our incredible human potential better than even we do. Second Corinthians ten, three, “For though we walk in the flesh, we don’t war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty,” meaning powerful or capable.

We have powerful weapons at our disposal, “...through God, to the pulling down,” meaning demolition. You think of a building undergoing controlled demolition. You see the charges go off and then it just collapses. “...to the pulling down,” to the demolition, “of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Now, these weapons that we have, these powerful weapons that can demolish things are completely reliable. They’re not like human weapons.

And I’ve done a fair amount of hunting in my life, and I’ve experienced pulling the trigger and not hearing the bang you’d expect on a gun, and then cracking open the barrel of a shotgun and seeing a little indentation on the cartridge, and realizing, okay, the pin didn’t set this round off. Now, if you’re hunting, that’s not a big deal. And maybe it is if you get skunked, but it’s not a big deal if you don’t capture your prey, if you don’t kill your prey. But if you’re being charged by a bear, and your weapon malfunctions, or if you’re a human being engaged in a war as this world likes to fight, and your weapon malfunctions, maybe it jams, or you had a bad round in the chamber, could mean death.

But the weapons that we’re given are powerful, and we’re going to talk about one of those weapons today. One of those weapons that never fails. You know, they say don’t take a gun to a knife, or a knife to a gunfight. If we’re going to the ultimate gunfight, we need the ultimate weapon, the nuclear weapon of spiritual weapons, an arsenal of nuclear weapons, if I could put it that way. And prayer is one of them, prayer. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. We’re going to examine this weapon, disassemble it, take it apart, look at it. And maybe you can appreciate the analogy of a weapon of this world.

We’re going to look at the mechanism, see how it works. Now, we’re not the only ones that understand the value of prayer. There are millions, perhaps even billions of people, certainly billions of people, even from those who profess to be followers of other gods. We understand that the Christians of this world are deceived, however sincere they may be, but even Muslims and Buddhists and all these other religions, they pray. It’s pretty universal. And the world can tell that there’s benefit from prayer. I read this news release recently that bears this out, May second, twenty twenty-four.

This website and prayer app under the banner of prayer.com released a press release through newswire.com and stated the following, “As the number one app for daily prayer,” so the interesting thing here is they’re actually tracking people who pray. No one other than God is logging our prayer time, it’s a very personal matter. But we, of course, wouldn’t use an app like this, but it’s interesting because there’s data we can look at as a result of it. “As the number one app for daily prayer, prayer.com recently partnered with credentialed researchers to study the benefits of digitally delivered faith and prayer for mental health and well-being.

The published results suggest a positive correlation between app usage and decreased anxiety, stress, and depression. This is good news at a time when people are more interconnected digitally than in person, yet approximately twenty-six percent of the US adult population suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.” Astounding.

One out of every four people suffering from a diagnosable mental disorder in this country. “Three studies were conducted, beginning with a cross-sectional survey of current subscribers of prayer.com. The results of this study, as published recently in the Journal of Religion and Health, showed that many individuals engaged with the app not only to grow spiritually, many also reported engaging with the app for mental and physical health concerns.”

So, people are seeking prayer for a variety of reasons. Of those who came to pray.com for a specific health outcome, high levels of significant to extreme improvements were reported, including stress. Seventy-four percent of respondents reported significant to extreme improvements in stress. Anxiety, sixty-nine percent reported significant to extreme improvement. Depression, sixty percent reported significant to extreme improvement. Sleep, ninety-four percent of pray.com subscribers who responded to the scientific survey reported significant to extreme improvements for sleep.”

And just one last comment here from the CEO of that company, “It’s very exciting and long overdue that we have a study that confirms what many in the world already know, the power of prayer. And mobile prayer applications can have a significant impact for mental health and wellness,” said the CEO of... actually, the CEO of a different family policy alliance, but aligned with this company in some way. Now that, brethren, is for people without the Holy Spirit. People who don’t have the Spirit inside of them, don’t have the Spirit maybe just working with them.

That’s people in the world cut off from the true God. Those are the kinds of improvements they’re experiencing from prayer, yet our prayer is very different. James chapter five. We can, of course, expect even greater benefits. James chapter five, we’re tapped into the true God. We’re praying to the true God. We understand the ways of the true God. James five and verse thirteen, “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing songs. 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.

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if you have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” A lot of prayer listed there. Verse sixteen, “Confess your faults one to another,” if we offend somebody, if we offend one another, we don’t want to let them spill out, we want to resolve them with one another, “and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man,” or a woman, “avails much.” Now, effectual fervent there simply means active or efficient. We might say dynamic.

There’s real power behind it. The effectual fervent, the active, efficient prayer of a righteous person avails much. It has tremendous benefit. “Elijah 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. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” Now, that’s an extreme example, but an example, nevertheless. He was, of course, a righteous man. So, prayer is highly effective if you’re in God’s true Church.

It’s, studies show effective, even if you’re out of God’s true Church. It’s not spiritually effective. Doesn’t help those people spiritually, but they’re experiencing mental health benefits, they’re experiencing physical benefits. How much more we who are righteous people, who can expect to avail much? Now, we’re just talking generally about prayer today, covering it from a variety of angles. So, it would be fitting to ask, what is prayer? In simplest terms, just what is prayer? The best place to answer that might be the first recorded prayer in the Bible.

And it’s probably not what most of us would guess. It’s very early on, actually. Turn to Genesis, if you would. Genesis chapter three. All the way back in Genesis chapter three. First recorded prayer in the Bible. Maybe there’s some in two that I overlooked, but this is from a cursory glance, the first I could find. We have the story of Adam and Eve being deceived. Genesis three, one, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Yes, as God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’

And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ And the serpent said to the woman, ‘You shall not surely die: For God knows that in the day that you eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened, and you’ll be as gods, knowing good and evil.’ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,” she fell for it, she fell for the lie, “she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband, and he ate. And the eyes of both of them were opened.”

Satan made them a promise after a certain sense. Oh, you’ll understand certain things, and, oh wow, we do, our eyes are opened. “...and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees in the garden. And the Lord called to Adam, and he said unto him, ‘Where are you?’ And he said,” Adam said, “‘I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and hid myself.’”

Now, again, maybe there was something in chapter two that I missed, but this was the first recorded instance in the Bible of a human talking to God, because that’s really all prayer is. You know, we can overcomplicate it, but really, it’s simply talking to God, talking to our creator. Now, there’s a lot that goes into that but let’s just keep it very simple. All we’re doing is talking to God when we pray. Very important, but very simple. And here’s Eve praying. “And he said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded that you should not eat?’ And the man said,” so a little more from Adam’s prayer, “‘The woman who gave with me, she gave me of the tree, and did eat.’”

A lot of blame game here with Satan involved, and human nature. “And the Lord said to the woman, ‘What is this that you’ve done?’ And the woman,” here’s her prayer, “said, ‘The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.’” Not great first prayers recorded by our human forefathers, foremothers. Prayer really, brethren, is the start of everything. John chapter seventeen. You know, Christ is the Word. Think of prayer involves words. He’s the spokesman. Words are incredibly important to God, as would be prayer. Really, it started everything for us.

John chapter seventeen, verse seventeen, “Sanctify them through your truth,” Christ said, “your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, even so if I sent them into the world,” the disciples. “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also... that they might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone,” I’m not just praying for the disciples in my immediate audience two thousand years ago, “but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word.” He was praying for every member of the Church of God down through the years.

Christ prayed for us two thousand years ago, “That they may all be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they may also be one in us: and that the world may believe that you have sent me. And the glory which you gave me I give them; that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and you in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that you have sent me, and have loved me, as you have loved me.” So, we could argue from that perspective, we began with a prayer. Now, there was Christ’s sacrifice, a lot went into that, but you could make the argument, we began with a prayer.

But if you take it to the present, it’s even easier to understand. Now, we had a baptism here last week. And after the young lady went into the water, she came up, hands were laid on her, and a prayer was said, and through that she received the Holy Spirit. It really is the start of the conversion process by a certain measure, prayer. Maybe we’ve never considered it from that angle. Our very existence as Spirit-begotten sons and daughters started with prayer. If people are married in the Church, that marriage is bound through prayer.

We read about healings, prayer. Because when we talk to God, we appeal to the power of God. Psalm sixty-two. It’s more than just a casual conversation like you and I might have, although it can be very intimate, it can be very personal. He wants to hear what’s on our mind. He wants to hear about our joys, our difficulties, what inspires us, what moves us, what we’re excited about. Very personal but serious because it’s more than just a casual conversation. We’re coming before a being that David wrote this of. Psalm sixty-two, verse eleven. God spoke once. “God has spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongs to God.”

So, in order to take that earnest of the Spirit and put it in somebody, in order to transmit that little part of God’s character into a newly begotten Christian, it requires the power of the Holy Spirit entering that person, and God is the one who possesses that Holy Spirit. So, unless we ask him for it, we can’t receive it. But it’s more than just that powerful example of baptism. It’s everything. Psalm twenty-four. In Psalm twenty-four and verse one, David wrote this. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”

So, all power belongs to God, and everything around us belongs to God. How important is it for us to talk to him, to ask him for certain things? Well, he says it’s all mine and he wants to hear from us, and we’ll see how eager he is to hear from us, and how he wants to answer our prayers. Every day, we eat food. Unless we’re fasting, we eat food. And it’s a perfect reminder of how reliant we are on God. Paul said that, and we’ll read it in a moment, we’re to ask a blessing over our food. We’re to pray over our food with thanksgiving. We’re to set it apart through prayer.

We’ll read it in a moment. But the actual genesis for this message came from hearing certain horrific statistics in a recent speech where the independent candidate for president in this country withdrew from the presidential race and backed another candidate. And I heard more about his platform when he withdrew. He runs on the concept of making America healthy again. That’s his platform. It’s the chief substance of his platform. Make America healthy again. And he listed certain statistics that I’m still reeling from hearing. I look at things completely differently, and you’ll see how this ties in with prayer in a moment.

He said two-thirds of American adults and children suffer from chronic health issues. Two-thirds, children included. In America, seventy-four percent of Americans are now overweight or obese, including fifty percent of our children. Half of Americans have pre-diabetes or type two diabetes. We’re blessed if we’re here in America, to live in the most prosperous nation on Earth, but it’s a double-edged sword, we’ll see. This is the one that completely shocked me. I grew up playing competitive chess and the best chess player I think I knew in my immediate stratosphere was a boy with autism.

He was an autistic savant, and he was socially challenged but a brilliant mind. He was the only person I knew with autism. Now, we have brethren in the Church who are autistic, and God is clearly working with them, and they’ve grown by leaps and bounds, but it was a rare thing. This man revealed, this presidential candidate, citing the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, that one in thirty-six children in this country are now on the autism spectrum. In California, it’s one in twenty-two. Again, when I was younger, and I would imagine it would be the same for most of you in this room, it was almost unheard of.

Eighteen percent of teens now have fatty liver disease, something old alcoholics used to have, eighteen percent. One in five kids have fatty liver disease in America. A third of kids are diabetic or pre-diabetic, and the mitochondrial disorder that causes diabetes is now being found also to contribute to Alzheimer’s later in life. Just shocking statistics. And he gave two chief culprits that the medical industry researchers have found play into this, and that’s ultra processed food, the foods we eat, and toxins in the environment. Now, you and I, brethren, we try to make the best decisions we can within reason about what we eat.

God tells us there are certain meats you eat, certain meats you don’t eat. We have a booklet that points us toward the value of wholesome whole foods like fruits, vegetables, herbs, so on, and so forth. This isn’t a sermon about that. But my point is the food that we’re exposed to, we can try our best, and we don’t want to go overboard with nutrition, but we can try our best to get the best food possible, and it is going to be contaminated. Some of it will be contaminated. That’s just the reality of living in the modern age. We’re very blessed to be here on campus, we have a community garden.

We know that’s largely untainted. Tremendous benefit, but we are naturally going to be putting things in our body. Now, there are certain things we avoid as best we can, but even vegetables and things like this, we can’t always eat organic and make the best choices, finances, availability, which is where prayer comes in. First Timothy four. It’s almost something we take for granted, praying over our food before we eat, but in this late stage in mankind’s existence, it’s very important. It’s very important. First Timothy four. Not only does it remind us constantly where our food comes from when we look to God, and thank him for it, and ask a blessing on it, but it also has a very real practical purpose for one.

“Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” Now, none of us are vegetarians. We understand meat is crucial for brain development and warding off spirits. “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.”

So, whenever we eat, it automatically puts us in a thankful mindset, or it should, with thanksgiving. “For it is sanctified,” meaning set apart, sanctified, hagiazō, made holy, purified, consecrated, in other words, set apart, “by the word of God and prayer.” God tells us what we should eat and what we shouldn’t eat, and prayer sanctifies it, purifies it, eliminates some of those toxins that we can’t avoid. We can ask God, “Please remove any impurities in this food.” Now, if we’re making bad decision after bad decision, we can’t necessarily trust him to back us up in that regard.

If we fill our basket in the candy aisle with Snickers bars and M&M’s, and what are some? Reese’s Pieces. That’s the one I like. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Within reason, it’s okay to eat some of this stuff. Within balance and reason, everyone enjoys a treat every now and then, but if we just load our baskets with all this old, created junk and then we go over into the parking lot and have a laying on of hands on the basket, it’s not a grass-fed beef and an organic hydroponically grown vegetables and all this stuff at that point. It doesn’t... like an alchemist would try to turn lead into gold, it doesn’t become this nutritious manna from heaven.

You understand. But when we pray over our food, when we pray over what we’re able to acquire to feed ourselves, God promises to back us up in a certain sense, and in this day and age, more than ever, it’s very, very important. Now, when we pray, brethren, even if it’s something as simple as before a meal, we’re transformed. We’re transported, rather. We go somewhere awesome. We probably, if we’ve been in the Church any length of time, understand this, but we go to an awesome place. Hebrews chapter twelve, verse eighteen. We don’t literally go here.

In a spiritual sense, we’re there. “For you are not come,” Hebrews twelve, eighteen, “unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire,” Horeb, when the Ten Commandments were delivered, “and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice that they heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them anymore: (for they could not endure that which was commanded, and if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart, and so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

But you are come unto mount Sion, unto the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. And to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel.” We’re talking to God. He doesn’t come down here to hear our prayer. He listens to it from his throne room. What a picture. Here’s Revelation four.

Even when we’re doing something as simple as praying over one of the main meals we eat during the day. Grab a snack. It’s not necessarily a requirement to quick, say a prayer before we eat anything, but you understand, all things in balance. Revelation four. John speaking here. John recording this. “After I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, ‘Come up here, and I’ll show you the things which must be hereafter.’ And immediately, I was in the spirit: and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in the sight like an emerald. And round about the throne were twenty-four seats: and upon the seats I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” Wow. What a picture. I’m not advocating we sit and try to picture every last detail, but I mean, what a place we’re coming to when we pray. “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

And before the throne there was a sea of glass like under crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second calf, and the third the face of a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle.” But here’s the trick with prayer, brethren. I would argue that if we could literally go there right now, or any time during the week, we’d want to go there quite frequently. I mean, what a... Just a, it’s the wrong word, but a sight. I was going to say spectacle, but that’s the wrong word.

What a sight. What an awesome place to visit. And if we could literally see it with our physical eyes, I daresay we’d go there probably as often as we could. Amazing. But the trick with prayer is we don’t have the luxury of, you know, an immediate auditory response or immediately seeing certain things in most cases. We have to, brethren, see what’s not there in the degree to which we can see what’s not there. I’m not talking about visualizing the heavens. I’m talking about coming to deep grips with the reality that God is personally listening to our prayers and interested in our prayers.

And sitting in this magnificent environment, giving us his undivided attention, because he can do that for each of us simultaneously because he’s God. We have to deeply understand that. We have to deeply appreciate that what’s up there is more real, is realer, if I can put it that way, than what’s down here. It’s more permanent, everlasting than anything down here on the physical earth. Hebrews chapter eleven. We have to be able to see who isn’t there in a certain sense in order to make our prayers live. We have to know, deeply know, deep, not just academically understand, but latch on to, wow, I am literally talking to God, and he is listening to me right now.

It takes it to another level, and I’m sure many, most of us do understand that, but it can be helpful to pull back and just appreciate how awesome an opportunity that is. Hebrews eleven, verse one, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We have faith that God hears us. We’ll get more into that later. “...substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it, the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God...” We didn’t see it happen, but it’s recorded in the scriptures, therefore we know it’s true.

“...so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Verse six, “But without faith, it’s impossible to please him. For he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he’s a rewarder of them that diligently seek him…” to believe he exists, but also wants a relationship with us, “…By faith, Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house. By which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness, which is by faith. By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should have after received for an inheritance, obeyed and went out not knowing where he went.”

He couldn’t see the destination. “By faith, he sojourned in the land of promises in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob and the heirs of him with the same promise, for he looked for a city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God.” He could see his future. He could see that he was engaged in interaction with a very real being who meant what he said.

Verse thirteen, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off.” Just like we have to see God afar off. When we pray, we have to know He’s listening to us and wants to help us to make our prayers more fervent, active, efficient. “And truly,” verse fifteen, “...had they been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He’s prepared for them a city.”

And finally, speaking of Moses here in verse twenty-seven, “By faith he, ‘Moses,’ forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” It motivated the greatest servants of God when they really just came to grips with the fact that they were dealing with a very real being. And just as easily as you and I, or two of you can have a conversation after the meal, just as easily as I can talk to the gentleman in the second row, God will hear my prayer just the same. God will hear your prayer just the same. We have to make it real.

Now, going back to the people who use that prayer.com app, their lives are not in line with God. They don’t understand God’s way. That’s not their fault. There’ll come a time when they will, and we’ll be heavily involved in that. But turn to Isaiah fifty-nine. What kind of attitude do we need to have when we pray? Isaiah fifty-nine, verse one, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; neither His ear heavy, that it can’t hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God; and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.”

That’s when God won’t listen to prayers if a person is living the wrong way. Now, we’ll qualify that heavily in a moment. “For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue has muttered perverseness. None calls for justice, pleads for truth; they trust in vanity and speak lies; conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.” Just lawlessness, and goes on and on. But it’s different for us.

First John three. First John Chapter three. God will hear us with an exception that we’ll address, and there’s a way out of that exception. First John three and verse eighteen. “My little children,” John writing, “...let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”

We’re obedient and we’re striving to please God. “Whatsoever we ask,” we’ll get a little bit more into that. “...whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” Now, if our heart does condemn us, that’s a different story. Then we need to pray for repentance. It’s not as though we get in this doom loop, where if we mess up, we conclude, God won’t hear my prayers. There’s no point in talking to Him.

I would guess everybody’s mind is their own, but I would guess that’s a huge tactic of Satan and a lot of people who have wound up leaving God’s Church over the centuries. Oh, I’ve messed up too much, God doesn’t want to hear from me. No, I’m not pleasing Him. He doesn’t want to hear from me. No, He wants us to repent, obey Him, do the things pleasing in His sight. He’ll grant us that repentance, and then we back on the right track.

Second Chronicles seven bears it out. Second Chronicles seven. God is plain. If we’re living in sin, we’re not striving, doing our best to keep His commandments and to do those things pleasing in His sight. He’ll still hear us if we attempt to repent. It’s when we don’t even want to repent that things become very grave. They’re already grave if we’re living in sin, but you understand what I’m saying. What about if we mess up? Second Chronicles seven and verse eleven.

“And Solomon finished the house of the Lord in the king’s house, and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the Lord, and in his own house he prosperously affected. And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said unto him, ‘I’ve heard your prayer and have chosen this place to Myself for a house of sacrifices. If I shut up heaven and there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people,” punishments for disobedience.

“...if my people which are called by my name...” how much more so we who have spiritual promises? “...if my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves. Meaning bend the knee, hence, to humiliate, or vanquish. “...humble themselves, and pray, and seek,” search. “...for my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven,” guarantee, “...then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be opened, and my ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.”

Now, we, of course, have access to His throne room in heaven. It’s not specific to that locale in the Middle East. So there’s an attitude of humility there that has to be present, and Christ amplified that in Luke eighteen. Luke chapter eighteen. Eighteen and verse nine. “He spoke a parable unto certain which trusted in themselves,” it doesn’t sound very humble, “...that they were righteous and despised others,” self-righteous. Two men went up in the temple to pray with one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not as other men are extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.”

Now, it’s a real risk that we could fall into this attitude, particularly, with how far south the world is turning. Well, I’m thankful I’m not like them. You know, we can never allow ourselves to become prey to that attitude. Yes, we’re thankful for we’re not like them, but not in the sense of, “Oh, I’m so much better than they are. Oh, I’m in God’s Church, after all.” I’m not saying we put it like that or have that attitude, but you understand.

“I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all I possess, and the publican standing afar off,” a very different picture here, “...would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote his breath, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Now, I need help, God. I don’t have it all going my way. “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one that exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.” You know, sometimes answer to prayer is not immediate. It requires one of the laws of success, sticktoitiveness.

Maybe we’re going through a tough time, some particular trial that just keeps rearing its ugly head. Who knows what it is? Different for each of us, personal for each of us. It requires some persistence. Beginning of the chapter here, verse one. Luke eighteen, one, “And He spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not faint.” So whenever we’re going through something difficult, Christ says, “Pray, don’t give up, don’t faint, don’t falter.”

You know, a just man falls seven times or rises up again, and they feel like we fall in the battle sometimes but ultimately, we’re warring to win because we have those mighty weapons, one of which is prayer that we’re talking about today. “…Men ought always to pray and not to faint; saying there was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him saying…” a widow, someone without means, someone without a family to back them up, a husband.

She came to Him, saying, ‘Avenge me of my adversary,’ and he wouldn’t for a while, but afterward, he said within himself, ‘Though I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said, and shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with him?” Now, just because God promises to answer our prayers and their qualifiers we’ll talk about.

Just because He promises to answer our prayers, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen immediately. He might want to teach us patience, or He might want to let us suffer some because we learn when we suffer. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes bear that out. “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.” Ultimately, he’ll act on our behalf. Maybe not in this specific way or in the specific trial that we’re fixated on, but ultimately, he’ll act on our behalf. He’s our ultimate benefactor.

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, shall He find faith on the earth? You know, David went through some terrible trials, some of them self-inflicted, and he said over in Psalm fifty-five, we won’t turn there, but, “Evening, morning, and noon I pray or will I pray and cry aloud.” You know, when he was going through something, he came before God frequently. And there are times in life where we’ll pray more than others based on circumstances. But what about unanswered prayer?

Because this is where it gets a little bit tricky because it looked like John said, whatsoever we ask, as long as we’re doing His commandments and doing the things pleasing in His sight, whatever we ask, we’ll receive. You know, transform the basket of candy into vegetables, Father, in terms of nutritional content. You know, these preposterous prayer, whatever it is. You know, I want a Ferrari. It’s not going to happen. What about unanswered prayer? Because sometimes the answer is no.

So how does that align with what John said? How does that comport with what he said? Well first, let’s examine the fact that some of God’s greatest servants had prayers that weren’t answered. Here’s Paul, Second Corinthians twelve. Second Corinthians twelve, one. Paul actually saw things in the third heaven, or in vision, or however it occurred. It wasn’t just written down, recorded for him. He saw things up there in some way that we don’t fully understand.

“It’s not expedient for me, doubtless to glory, I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man,” speaking of himself, “...in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in body I cannot tell, or whether out of body I cannot tell. God knows.)” Such a one caught up to the third heaven and I knew such a man. Excuse me. “How that he was caught up into Paradise and heard unspeakable words, which is not lawful for a man to utter.”

God gave him this experience, probably to get him through a lot of the hard, hard, hard trials that are far beyond what we’ll experience, brethren, what we’ve experienced. “Of such a one will I glory, yet of myself I will not glory but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; For I will say the truth, but now I forbear, lest anyone should think of me above that which he sees me to be or that he hears of me.”

He has a lot to glory about if He’s been transported as a human being into the third heaven, able to see things, which are legal for other human beings to see, whether it was in a vision or whether it actually occurred. I mean, there’s a lot to glory about there. Imagine that happening to you in coming to potluck and trying to tell that, now, this was a very specific instant, but it’s just like, okay, do you have anything else to brag about? I went to the third heaven this week. What did you do?

I’m exaggerating but you see the point. He’s saying to glory isn’t good, we’ll see, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” In other words, God gave me some afflictions to balance out that amazing experience that I had. To balance out some of the glorying that I can do based on what I’ve experienced in life. For this thing, excuse me.

Verse seven. “Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations,” there was given me a thorn in the flesh, yet a physical problem, we’ve long speculated it was something with his eyes, “...the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing, I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me.” He asked repeatedly. You know, please take this problem away. “And he said unto me,” God’s answer was, “...my grace is sufficient for you.” Now, maybe you heard this auditorily, but the answer was no, regardless.

“For my strength is made perfect in weakness.” In other words, look, I would heal you if it would benefit you but there’s greater spiritual benefit to not healing you. Therefore, it’s not my will to heal you. And that’s the key here. It’s whatsoever we ask, in accordance with His will, with God’s will. Now, that can be difficult to discern but that’s what Bible study is for. We determine what God’s will is. We can also look at a situation and see what His will is.

Christ, during His final trial, Matthew twenty-six, He exemplified this in a perfect way. Matthew twenty-six and verse thirty-eight. He said to the disciples that were with Him, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful,” Matthew twenty-six, thirty-eight, “...even unto death, tarry, you hear and watch with me. And he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed, saying, “O, my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

In other words, if there’s some way for us to achieve this plan without me dying, I’d like to do it that way but if that won’t work, we’ll do it your way. “Not my will but Your will.” “And he comes unto the disciples and finds them asleep, and said unto them, could you not watch with me for an hour? Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, ‘O, my father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, your will be done.” So that’s the ultimate qualifier. We’ll receive whatever we ask for if it be within the realm of God’s will.

These men wanted, Christ and Paul wanted to be aligned with God’s will. They never wanted to pray contrary to His will, which is what James warns about. James chapter four, verse three. James four, three, He says, “You ask and receive not because you ask amiss.” You’re missing the mark with your requests. You’re not asking for the correct things. You ask amiss, “...that you may consume it on your lusts.”

Think back to those examples or any other humorous examples you could give... we could look at. You know, Christ said, “If you had faith as the grain of a mustard seed, you could command this mountain to be thrown into the sea.” Now, that’s absolutely true. You know, I would say that if we were in a life-or-death situation and it required casting a mountain into the sea, God would grant that prayer. But how many of us need to cast a mountain into the sea right now? None of us.

I would imagine, you know, I thought I remember early on when I was called, wow, wouldn’t it be something to cast a mountain into the sea? Well, I want to do it for, you know, for a show like, “Wow, I was able to cast a mountain into the sea.” No point. It’s useless. It’s not according to God’s will, so He’s not going to answer that prayer. The key is finding what God’s will is in the scriptures. Christ gave the model prayer, the one we use to kind of build our prayers on a daily basis. The backbone of that prayer.

You know, our Father, which is in heaven. Exalting Him, glorifying Him, recognizing His place in relation to our place. We can expand on that one phrase, and we can expand on each of those phrases in accordance with His will. You know, when we get to, “Give us this day our daily bread,” it’s very much couched in whatever is Your will for us, whatever we need on a daily basis. David said, “I don’t want too much or I’ll turn away from you, neither do I want too little.”

Phrases like that show the balance in terms of what we pray for. Now, that leads to a certain unshakeable confidence that we have in this, that God will actually hear our prayers and give us what’s best for us. First John chapter five. We read chapter three. Here’s First John five. In that same context of the Lord’s Prayer, Christ said, “Your Father, which sees you in secret, will reward you openly.” There’s reward that comes with asking for certain things that are in alignment with his will.

The Church has wonderful articles on it, prayer lists. Some of you probably use prayer lists. There are some of us who keep our ears open, and we’ll jot something down, expand on it, flesh it out. Maybe somebody needs a prayer, or you learn about some facet of the work that you can pray about, or you see something horrible in the world, then it makes you long for the kingdom even more. Maybe you want to pray about that. It’s all very personal, but it’s easy to build. We will never run out of things to pray for if we’re studying our Bible. We’ll eventually develop unshakeable confidence, or we should be striving to develop unshakeable confidence.

First John five thirteen, here is a promise that we can bank on. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God;” Very important. We’ll come back to that. “...that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” We understand the calling that we’ve been called to, “...and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hearth us.”

He promises, “I will hear what you say according to my will.” And if we know that he hears us whatsoever, we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. He’s tuned in to what it is we need. Christ, when he was giving that model prayer, other sermons have gone through that in detail, but leading into that model prayer, he emphasized the Father knows what you need even before you ask him.

The trick is trying to figure out what it is that God wants for us, and therefore living a life that’s in harmony with His will for us, which includes praying for the things that He wants us to pray for. You know, there are certain things riddled through the scriptures. Like if you ask for wisdom, James says, “God will give you wisdom.” Well, that’s something that He wills, that we pray for and have. Or Christ said, you know, “If one of the saints is asking for the Holy Spirit, God is eager to give it even more than a father would be eager to give his son something to eat if he was hungry.”

The Holy Spirit, something we can pray for. Guidance. These are very rudimentary things, but Bible is filled with things to pray for. News is filled with things to pray for. Personal lives, situations filled with things to pray for. Now, sometimes we can let things get in the way of prayer, and that is a very, very slippery slope because we are not in communication, in contact with that being who has our best interest in mind, and we’re really without excuse. God shows us how important it is. He tells us how to do it.

He tells us that it’s one of these mighty weapons that we have at our disposal. And His saints down through the millennia have put everything on the line for it. Daniel chapter six. Daniel six. As we begin to come to a close here, God used Daniel in some ways to record what is in some ways the most enigmatic book in the Bible, by certain measures. And here was a man very close to God and there was a plot to try to have him killed. Daniel six, one.

“It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom. And over these three presidents,” and over these three presidents, so probably forty princes reported to each president. “...of whom Daniel was first high ranking in the kingdom,” in that kingdom, that gentile kingdom. “...that the princes might give accounts unto them, the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes because an excellent Spirit was in him.”

We know what spirit was in him. “And the king thought to set him over his whole realm, the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes,” so these other two people and the princes under them, they didn’t like that. Daniel’s the head guy, we got to figure out a way to take him down. “To find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom but they couldn’t find. They could find none occasion nor fault for as much as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.”

Here was a man living God’s way, trying to do things by the book even in a gentile kingdom. Like many of us who work in the world, who try to do things right, they couldn’t find fault with him. “Then said, these men, we shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” So, they wanted to leverage his obedience to God against him. They knew we’re not going to find any misstep in the way he governs things or his honesty or his integrity, we’ve got to use his religion against him. “Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king and said, “Thus unto him, King Darius live forever.”

Now, King Darius was Daniel’s friend. He wasn’t privy to this plot. “And the presidents.” I mean, after all, he made him chief over the entire realm. He obviously thought highly of him, “And the presidents of the kingdom, the governors and the princes, the counselors and the captains have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree,” here, they’re flattering their king, “...that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of you, O King, he shall be cast into the den of lions.” So they know, well, we’re going to make it so that Daniel can’t pray to his God for thirty days. Then we’ll see what he does.

“Now, O King, establish the decree and sign the writing that it be not changed according to the law of the Meads and Persians, which alters not, set this in stone. Whereof King Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and he got weak-kneed and…” “…he refused to pray anymore,” no. Not Daniel. “...And his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime.”

With penalty of being thrown into a lion’s den because he knew that God would ultimately spare him, or maybe he thought, you know what? If I die by the mouths of lions, that’s fine. I have eternal life. You know, he hadn’t yet recorded that he’d stand in his lot at the end of the days by this point, but he knew the God he served. He wasn’t going to stop communicating with God. Now, that’s an impediment. None of us have an impediment to prayer that even begins to rival that kind of impediment.

We’re really without excuse. We have every opportunity to come before God to reap those benefits. Not just the mental benefits, not just the physical benefits, but the real spiritual benefits that can guarantee our success as Christians. Last key here. John Chapter sixteen. Chapter sixteen. As we come to a close. Over and over again, the Epistles and Acts talk about giving ourselves to prayer, continuing in prayer, giving earnest heed to prayer. Some of the Greek definitions bear out, very important to continue in prayer.

Not to let anything stand in the way of it, whether it’s lions or king or our work schedule or whatever it is. Hobbies, sleeping in, whatever it is. We’re without excuse. We’re given this amazing mighty powerful weapon that can guarantee our success when used in conjunction with other weapons, of course, but here we go. John chapter sixteen and verse thirteen. “Howbeit, he, it, the spirit of truth, is come, when it’s come, it will guide you into all truth, for it shall not speak of itself, but whatsoever it shall hear that it shall speak, and it will show you things to come.”

You know, sometimes we don’t know what to pray or we’re having a particularly difficult time, God’s spirit can move us in certain ways. It doesn’t just work with leading us into all truth, but it can guide our human spirit in tough times. Verse twenty-two. “And you now, therefore, have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy, no man takes from you. And in that day, you shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it to you.”

So here’s the final key. There are other keys but this is the final key we’ll address. We have to ask in Christ’s name according to his authority. He went through a tremendous trial all thirty-three years of his life were trial on our behalf, and through him, we have access to the Father. He’ll give it to you. “Hitherto have you asked nothing in my name, and you shall receive it, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs; but the time comes when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly the Father. In that day you shall ask in my name…” by my authority.

That’s why we end our prayers in Christ’s name we pray, I pray, however, it is in that particular circumstance, amen. “...and I say unto you not, that I will pray to the Father for you; for the Father himself loves you.” We can talk directly to the Father. We address the Father in our prayers, but it’s by Christ’s authority that we’re able to do that. “...because you have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.” We can address the Father directly so long as we do it by Christ’s authority.

Think about it, brethren. We can directly talk to the most powerful being in the universe who Has control over whether or not we receive eternal life. Only He and us personally have control over whether we receive eternal life and Christ, of course, too, as a very integral part. We can talk to the most powerful being in the universe by the authority of the second most powerful being in the universe whenever we want to. What’s stopping us? What will we let stop us from making what’s arguably the most important decision we make to start a day? Let’s make the most of the most awesome, awesome opportunity we’ve been given to talk to our Creator.