Lord, Teach Me to Pray- Ch.2

• “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do” (John 14:13)
• “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14)
• To understand the meaning of prayer in Jesus’ name, we need to understand how the word “name” is used in the Bible. In Scripture, the name of God embodies all that He is.
• So when Christ commands us to pray in His name, He wants us to pray consistent with who He is- His person His will, and His purposes.
• So how do we know the will of Christ? Scripture gives us “the mind of Christ” in a very large measure (1 Cor.2:16)
• But the fact is many times we don’t know His specific will on an issue. At that pont we simply need to ask God for His will to be done (Matt.6:10)

ASK IN FAITH:

• If you don’t believe God’s promises, the Bible says you make Him a liar (1 John 5:10). As Christians, we dishonor God when we doubt Him.
• The Psalms will build your knowledge of God’s person; the Law reveals His righteous character; and the historical books recount how He displayed His power on behalf of His people. That is the right foundation on which to build your faith. As your faith grows stronger, you can proceed with life in peace even before God answers each specific prayer, because you will believe that He is going to answer in His own time for your good and His glory.

ASK IN THE SPIRIT:

• Offer prayers that are consistent with the Spirit’s prayers so that you are committed only to God’s will.
• Praying in the Spirit is the same as praying in the name of Christ- praying in a manner consistent with who HIe is and what His will is.
• As our lives are filled with the Spirit, as we walk in obedience to Him, and as we are constantly communing with God, the Spirit of God will govern our thoughts so that our prayers will be in harmony with Him.

ASK FROM A PURE HEART:

• What James is saying (in James 5:16) is that if you expect God to answer your prayers, you must be committed to living a righteous life.
• “Whatever we ask and receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John3:22)
• “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18)
• “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry” (Psalm 34:15)

Lord, Teach Me to Pray- Ch.1

• it is His design that the prayer of His people should be the means by which He is frequently moved to act.
• “The effectve fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much”(James 5:16)
• The Bible details at least 5 reasons we ought to pray:

1. PRAYER IS COMMANDED
2. IT IS A SIN NOT TO PRAY
3. PRAYER GIVES GLORY TO GOD
4. PRAYER ALIGNS US WITH GOD'S PURPOSES
5. PRAYER RESULTS IN ANSWERS

• He (Samuel) acknowledged his responsibility to pray for them because he understood that prayer is a duty, and the neglect of prayer is therefore a sin.
• God doesn’t answer our prayers for our benefit only; He answers them primarilyfor His own pleasure and glory.
• Our attitude should be, “How can I get involved in praying for as much as I possibly can so that I often see God display His divine power, mercy, grace, love, and all His other attributes?”
• So pray that God will manifest Himself in your life and the lives of those you pray for so that He may be glorified in you.
• In other words, the primary issue in prayer is not obtaining what you want but allowing God to display His glory.
• When you begin to seek God’s purposes in your prayers, your heart will be aligned with His will. That’s when you will really begin to see your prayers fulfilled.
• God answers prayers and that alone should be reason enough to pray.

Lord, Teach Me to Pray- Intro

• Proverbs 15:8 says, "the prayer of the upright if His delight."

• when we go to God in prayer. And not just access, but unlimited divine resources- more than enough for our needs- freely available from a loving heavenly Father.

• He longs to have us with Him, telling Him all the issues of our hearts, casting all our cares on Him because He cares for us.

• Psalm 61:1-2 says, "Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will call to You, when my heart is overwhelmed."

• A call to the duty of prayer will not overcome spiritual indifference, because prayer is an internal compulsion born out of a love for and dependence on our heavenly Father. Lack of prayer doesn't mean merely that we are disobedient; it is also an indicator that our love for God has grown cold.

• "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me." (Ps.50:15)

• Let the truth of Scripture shape your thinking and feed your appetites and then you will know how to pray according to the will of God

• Prayer must come from an obedient heart.

Resolutions for a New Year

As part of my morning reading for 2010, I am attempting to put some time aside to read through some books that have been on my night table far too long. Why have they sat there, as some of them are really good books (I've been told by others, including dear hubby)? Probably a variety of reasons. But I'm going to try reading them a chapter a day. My prayer is that this will allow me to actually get to the end of these books (since many have bookmarks around chapter 3). Also I hope that this will give me the ability to process what I'm reading a little better, as some of these books are on the heavier, meatier side (John Owen, etc.) and for my dense mind, it is so slow to understand.

My first book is John MacArthur's Lord, Teach Me to Pray. I've started it 3 times I think. It's a small book. Beautiful pictures, beautiful paper, helpful thoughts (in the first chapter that I've read 3 times :)

I'm going to use this blog to record the quotes I find helpful of these books as well. So if you have read any of these titles, and want to comment on any of these thoughts, I would welcome your interaction. Maybe this would be even more helpful in working through these books, and in growing in a dialogue with these authors.