Prayer: An Expression of Faith and Gratitude Luke 11:1-13 The teaching ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ moved from communicating the Gospel and service for the Lord to communication with God and fellowship with Him. The disciples of the Lord had often seen the Lord go privately to a place to pray. The Perfect Son of Man communicated with His Father in heaven and lived in close and conscious fellowship with God as a Man on earth. They knew His prayer life and His work among the people were closely connected. The importance and the reality of His connection were something they wanted for themselves.
Andrew and perhaps John had learned from John the Baptist that prayer was essential for anyone, particularly those involved in God's work. In every part of our lives, we need God, and when we are going forward with the Gospel into what Satan considers his territory, he will not give ground without a fight. There will be an opposition of one kind or another. Power and authority to overcome the obstacles before us come from God. John the Baptist knew that, and our Lord Jesus was also committed to prayer as a Man among men.
We know the Lord prayed at His baptism as He began His public ministry. He prayed all night before identifying the twelve He chose to be with Him and then sent them out to preach. He prayed on the Mount of Transfiguration before walking on the water. He prayed at Lazarus' grave and in Gethsemane. He even prayed when He was hanging on the cross. He lived His life in the consciousness of the presence of His Father and His commitment to do the Father’s will.
Both private and public prayer are vital to us. In our personal lives, we need the strength and power from God that will enable us to do His will daily. Like Daniel, we need to form habits of prayer to which we are committed during the course of our everyday living. As assemblies of God’s people who gather in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to Himself, when we pray, we say words, as the Lord states here, like; “our,” “us,” and “we” because whoever prays audibly is speaking to God on behalf of all the company of saints.
Certain attitudes of heart are needed for both public and private prayer. First, there is a reverential recognition of God: "the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy.” A mortal praying on earth to the Most High God, can approach such a Person on a friendly basis because of our Mediator between God and men, “the Man Christ Jesus.” He told us to say, “Our Father which art in heaven.” Second, we are to say, “Hallowed be Thy name.” We must never forget the awesomeness of the One to whom we speak, even though we are permitted to call Him our Father. Third, there is an awareness that God rules. “Thy kingdom come” makes us conscious of the great privilege of speaking to the Supreme Authority of the universe, including Earth, where we dwell. His interests on earth are far greater than ours. Fourth, we must say that we are willing to do His will no matter what He desires from us as an assembly or individual. We are responsible to Him in everything.
After a sincere and verbal acknowledgment of who God is and our submission to His divine will, we can then turn to express our petitions. Fifth, we acknowledge God as the One who provides for the daily necessities of life, which comes from His bountiful storehouse of creation. It goes without saying that we should give grateful thanks for the fullness of His provisions to meet our needs. Sixth, there is a verbal awareness before Him of our indebtedness to Him for the abundance of His grace to us. Because of our great indebtedness to Him, we are responsible for forgiving others despite what they do or say. Then, seventh, we are aware of the dangers in this world, in our flesh, and from the devil. These enemies are always around us, seeking to bring us down in failure, sin, despair, and defeat. It is crucial that we articulate these things to God – that we actually say them. If they are only in our thoughts, there is a sense of disassociation from the actual attitude expected when we pray.
We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the will of God for what our bodies need to function correctly and what our spiritual needs are so that we can be identified as God's children and act godly before other people. We know God does not tempt us to sin, so we pray for His power to keep us from temptation and motivate us to do what is right toward others. We belong to God; therefore, we have the right of access to Him when we are willing to do what is pleasing to Him. The door is open to those who avail themselves of the privilege to pray according to His will.
Habits of prayer and specific times and places for prayer can be formed to balance our lives. We need an orderly life in which we hear God speak to us through His word, and we talk to Him with reverence and respect. Our heavenly Father expects us to be sincere in what we pray about and confident that what we ask, He will grant unless we want to “consume it upon our lusts.” Praying in God’s will does not consist of a list of wants we have but is an exercise of awareness that we move into a place of fellowship with Him in which His will is made known to us.
The Lord Jesus Christ used an illustration of how God appreciates spiritual boldness. Asking, seeking, and knocking are three things He wants and needs in effective prayer. God loves us and is wanting to give us what we need. He is not like the second man in the parable who grumbled and said, “Don’t bother me.” Persistence in prayer and specific requests overcomes our casual insensitivity toward God, not His toward us. Our minds and hearts change as we continue articulating the seriousness of our needs. Boldness in prayer and the assurance that God answers prayer strengthen our faith. His work on earth is done by those to whom He gives the Holy Spirit to accomplish His will. His power and our prayer, condition our hearts and minds so that when we go forward to fulfill whatever He directs us to do, we take action with complete confidence that what we are doing is right.
Any prayer we make according to His will should have God’s glory and the benefits of His kingdom’s purposes in view. If we ask for anything bad, He will not answer because He loves us and will not give us anything that would be “consumed” for the wrong reasons. The Holy Spirit within us is one of God’s greatest gifts. He guides those He leads into every good work our Lord has for us, including our prayer life.
CONFLICTS WITH THE PHARISEES