What is Prayer For?
Intro:
1. The prayers of a righteous person are powerful & effective - v16.
2. If this is the case, what are prayers for?
James 5:14-18
I. Prayer is for the Expression of Faith
A. Prayer lets God know you believe in His existence & His availability to you.
1. With so many today denying God’s existence, prayer is a demonstration of your faith. Heb 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
2. God loves it when you seek Him out & talk to Him.
3. In the Garden of Eden, God, Adam & Eve were walking in the garden in the cool of the day - Gen 3:8.
B. Prayer lets God know you trust Him to do what He said He would do.
1. God made you certain promises in the Bible.
2. Prayer lets Him know you have found those promises & trust Him to fulfill them.
3. Matt 21:22 - If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
4. Mk 11:24 - Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
II. Prayer is for Worship
A. Worship ascribes “worth” to God - Who, of all being, is deserving of it!
1. The English word “worship” comes from the Old English word “weorth” = worthy of honor.
2. Worship (προσκυνέω) = (lit) to kiss like a dog licking his master’s hand.
3. The idea comes from the Persian custom of kneeling before the king to show honor & respect.
B. Examples of prayers of worship.
1. Is 6:3 - And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth full of his glory.”
2. Ps 150:2 - Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3. The Lord’s example prayer begins - “This, then, is how you should pray: ”‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name . . . - Matt 6:9.
C. Prayers of worship are simply telling the Lord how wonderful He is.
1. Neh 9:7-8 - You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.
2. Eph 3:20-21 - Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
III. Prayer is for Confession
A. You are to confess your sins in prayer to receive forgiveness. I Jn 1:9-10 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
B. Examples of prayers of confession.
1. II Sam 24:10 - David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”
2. Neh 1:7 - We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
IV. Prayer is for Thanksgiving
A. Ingratitude is a mark of the ungodly. Rom 1:21 - For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
B. You are encouraged to thank God for all things - even trials!
1. Col 3:17 - And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
2. I Thess 5:16-18 - Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
V. Prayer is for Request
A. Prayer is not only our grateful response to God’s grace, it’s also requests for your needs & the needs of others.
B. God has offered to provide your needs. Matt 6:31-33 - So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
C. God tells you to ask for your needs to be supplied.
1. Personal needs. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you - Matt 7:7.
2. The need of the world to have witnesses. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field - Matt 9:38.
D. Agreement on the requests have great power. Matt 18:19 - Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.
ILL: Pastor David Yonggi Cho praying 5 hours each morning for 830,000+ (in 2007) members of the Yoido Church.
God is a loving Heavenly Father Who longs for fellowship with His precious child. So - hop up on His knee, snuggle up to Him & tell Him about your day.
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