Sermon on the Mount about prayer: (Matthew 6:8) Do not be like them (the pagans), for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Some, after reading this, conclude: “God knows all my needs and requests before I begin to pray. So why pray at all?”
( Matthew 6:9) Pray like this: “Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name"
For the Father knows your needs before you ask, so ask. You must show God that you really want this. Open your mouth and stretch out your hands - this is prayer.
(3 John 1:2) Beloved! I pray that you will be healthy and prosper in everything, just as your soul prospers.
"Beloved!" — John addresses the believers.
Let's think: those to whom he turns are their souls already prosperous? “How does your soul prosper” is the present tense. His soul is already thriving, but he still prays.
Notice that the words “health” and “prosperity” came from the mouth of John, the one who knew the heartbeat of God. As a young man, he reclined at the breast of Jesus. He was also called the disciple whom Jesus loved.
How and why to pray
You think: “I go to church every Sunday, I listen to sermons, I read the Bible, so my soul prospers.” Yes, your soul is prospering, but there are still satanic obstacles to pray against.
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Father! In the name of Jesus, my soul prospers, I thank You for it. Bless my health and all areas of my life with prosperity. I also pray for my children, may they also prosper in the name of Jesus in their studies and other areas of their lives, may they prosper and may they have the crown of wisdom.
How often to pray?
Again and again. The Bible uses the expression “pray without ceasing.”
Ask, and it shall be given you. Original in Greek: Keep asking and you will receive. Keep searching and you will find. Keep knocking and the door will open.
Ask, seek and knock, don't give up. It doesn't work because you don't ask. We also find many examples of constant prayer . Except for Jesus, who prayed every day. He got up early, and then He had a busy day until late in the evening. People brought the sick and demon-possessed to Him, and He healed them all. If Jesus prayed, how much more should we pray with you.
How long should you pray?
Raising Lazarus
Jesus never condemned short prayers. One of the greatest prayers Jesus prayed was at the tomb of Lazarus. He raised His eyes to heaven and said: “Father! I thank You that You heard Me, You always hear Me.”
Then He looked at the tomb and shouted: “Lazarus! Come out."
All of Jesus' prayers were short. By the way, the shorter the prayer, the greater we make Him. We say: “Everything depends only on You, Lord.”
Some say: “This situation is serious, we need to pray more and more.” Whether you pray a lot or not much is not about you. The point is, who do you pray to?
(Matthew 6:5) And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners, so that they may appear before people. Truly I tell you that they are already receiving their reward.
(Matthew 6:6 ) But when you pray, go into your room and, having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.
How will God reward? Obviously!
(Matthew 6:7) And when you pray, do not talk too much, like the pagans, for they think that for their many words they will be heard.
Keep your prayers simple. Don't see the answer? Keep praying, keep asking God. But don’t ask desperately, as if God needs to be persuaded. You must know that any lack of manifestation of the answer in reality is a sign of spiritual warfare. Keep asking because you know Him.
Why you need to pray
Peter Deineka
The Bible, the Word of God, gives many reasons why we should pray. But still, many people do not think that it is so important or necessary to put prayer first in the spiritual life. There are many Christians who depend on experiences, education, work, effort, activity, programs, but lose sight of the most important feature in the Christian life - prayer. Some pray rarely, while others pray only when prompted to do so. We should not only pray when we are in a prayerful mood, but according to the Word of God, prayer should occupy a constant and regular time in our lives. This is our spiritual breath and life. We cannot have complete peace in our hearts without prayer.
Christ needed prayer, and we must pray. In the Gospel we read: “And having dismissed the people, He went up into the mountain to pray in private; and in the evening he remained there alone” (Matt. 14:23). Just think! Jesus Christ, the Son of God, prayed and talked a lot alone with His Heavenly Father. If the Son of God prayed, how much more should we pray to our Heavenly Father! Jesus went up the mountain to pray alone. Each of us can retire for prayer. It is important for every Christian to find a place where no one can disturb him and pour out his heart there before God.
Next we read: “But He went into desert places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). Jesus withdrew from everyone to pray alone, without interruption. If Jesus placed such importance on solitary prayer, then we should also find a quiet place where we can actually spend time in prayer.
Why pray? Because without prayer we cannot have a healthy spiritual life, just as our physical body cannot do without food. In our time there are so many spiritually weak Christians for the reason that they lack prayer. They have no joy, no blessing, no power, no victory, no desire to serve the Lord. If you do not make prayer a regular habit in your life, you will not have spiritual strength. If you do not communicate with God through prayer, you will find it difficult to overcome the physical and spiritual trials and temptations in life. Christ is our example in this regard. He spent a lot of time in prayer, and we should pray the same.
Christ expects each of us to be praying children. Prayer is necessary. I hope that God will touch your heart so that you will see the example of Christ and learn to pray a lot.
Christ Commanded Us to Pray Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He left one of His greatest commandments. “Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:38). Christ commanded His disciples to pray: “Pray therefore …” Christ also commands us to pray. Not all Christians can go overseas and preach, play, sing, or donate large sums of money, but thank God we can all pray! We must obey His command.
There is little prayer for the mission fields these days. After all, Christ commanded us not only to pray, but to pray so that workers would be sent to His field. This is a part of missionary work in which we can all take part. We can pray for more missionaries from our families and from our churches. A missionary church is a praying church and if it is a praying church, it is also a giving church. One duty in which every Christian, without exception, can and should participate is prayer. Christ is waiting for you and me to pray.
Jesus said, “...we must always pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Not only should we take some time out of our busy day for prayer, but we should pray in the spirit throughout the entire day. When we have such constant communication with God in prayer, we become stronger spiritually. It is not only a command or responsibility that we have from Christ, but, thank God, it is our privilege, joy and blessing to be able to pray.
Have you prayed today for lost souls, for those in need and for those who minister the word of God? Are you looking forward to being rewarded in heaven? Do you expect to have shining stars in your crowns? If you expect this, then be faithful in prayer. The reward will be given not only to those who preach the Gospel, but to everyone who prays for preachers, missionaries, evangelists, personal workers, Sunday school teachers, gospel musicians and other servants of God. May the Lord's command motivate you to pray more than you did before! Expect great things from God and work harder for Him!
Pray without ceasing We are told in 1 Thess. 5:17: “Pray without ceasing.” This does not mean that we must be on our knees all the time, but it does mean that we must be in a spirit of prayer no matter where we are or what we are doing. When our mind is occupied with prayer, we have constant, close communication with God, we have the mind of Christ and we know the will of God for every circumstance of life. In 1 Samuel 12:23 it is written: “Neither will I allow myself to sin before the Lord, so as to stop praying for you...” We learn from the Word of God that it is a sin not to pray. God, save me from sin... a person who does not pray sins by not praying. And how many professing Christians there are today who do not see the need and importance of prayer.
When the late Paul Rader, a well-known pastor and evangelist, held Bible conferences in Lake Harbor, Michigan, he invited me to lead prayer meetings and bring others to prayer. Brother Rader knew that because so many people were coming to these meetings, the Lord could call hundreds of young people to the work of God in different countries. It was also necessary to pray a lot for spiritual awakening and for the great need for funds for the work of God. Many of the people who came to prayer had their lives changed spiritually as they saw a great need for prayer in their own lives, as well as the need to pray for the success of the Bible conference.
Paul Rader also held a Bible conference in Cedar Lake, Indiana, where he often announced brethren-only prayer meetings in the woods. We had a wonderful time of prayer and inspiration as we met with God among the trees. Brother Rader was a great man of prayer. He knew that prayer was necessary for the congregations to take proper action and for the spiritual call to touch hearts.
When Jesus was on earth, He told His disciples to watch and pray.
“Then Jesus comes with them to a place called Gethsemane and says to the disciples: “Sit here while I go and pray there.” And taking Peter and both sons of Zebedee with him, he began to grieve and yearn. Then Jesus said to them: “My soul is sorrowful unto death; abide here and watch with Me.” And going away a little, he fell on his face, prayed and said: “My Father! if possible, let this cup pass from Me; however, not as I want, but as You want.” And he comes to the disciples and finds them sleeping, and says to Peter: “Could you not watch with Me for one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:36-41).
When Jesus felt a great heaviness on His heart during His last days on earth, He took three of His disciples with Him to pray. He left them for a while and went further into the garden to pray alone. It was a great disappointment for Jesus to find His followers asleep when He returned. He said to them again, “Watch and pray,” and again returned to the garden to pray. But when He returned again, He “found them sleeping again, for their eyes were heavy.”
Many believers today are spiritually asleep, not having the burden of praying for others in their hearts. This is why we often have so little awakening, joy, blessing, and missionary revelation from above. Many today do not want to be spiritually awakened or moved to do anything for God. The Bible says that without revelation from above, the people are uncontrolled. If we continue to pray little, then our revelation from above will remain small and we will accomplish little for God. We must take time to pray and gain a consciousness of the need to do God's work, that He may use us in new ways, and that we may see great things done for Him.
Why pray? So as not to fall into temptation. So many people today cannot resist temptation because they do not watch and pray. God can deliver everyone from temptation if only a person remains in prayer, in constant submission to God and His will. Some people find it very difficult to see the need for constant prayer. The Bible says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God; resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). When our lives are continually surrendered to God in prayer, He has promised to give us the strength to resist the devil so that he will flee from us.
Oh, may the Lord help us to pray earnestly, as Christ prayed, that we may always be spiritual, strong and growing in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through Prayer We Converse with God We have the wonderful privilege of conversing with God through prayer. The Father likes it when we talk to Him. Just as fathers and mothers are pleased when their children come to them, talking about their love and needs, our Heavenly Father is also pleased when we come to Him with our joys, sorrows, worries and everything that lies on our hearts. God gave us a wonderful promise in Jeremiah 33:3, where He said, “Call to Me and I will answer you, I will show you great and mighty things that you do not know.” Just think! God invites us to call on Him, just as a good friend would invite us to talk or call him when we are in need. Isn't this wonderful? God said that He will not only answer, but will show us great and inaccessible things that we do not know. God has many blessings and victories in store for those who take time to talk with Him.
Christ said the following to those who will take time to talk with God in His name: “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14). God promised to answer. There is a condition in this promise that we must take time to ask in the name of Jesus. It's easy to talk to those we love very much. No one is forcing you to do this; you do it willingly and joyfully. We should come to God with even greater joy because we have the privilege of talking with Him. He is our best Friend; He understands us in everything; He knows every difficulty we go through. He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” We hope that you know Christ as your best Friend of all friends and Lord of lords. We have no power in ourselves, we cannot be spiritual by relying only on education, experience, our personality or past good deeds. We must depend entirely on the Holy Spirit to be wives and husbands of God.
Many people like to talk about large prayer meetings in which they once experienced great blessings. But today they are too busy to find time for the same experiences. We do not depend on the good food we ate a few years ago for our physical strength today. We must eat every day to get the necessary strength. God also wants us to take time to talk with Him every day. The great men of God whom we know, and whom God has especially singled out for His work, have been great men of prayer. You too can know God and be favored by Him like never before. Start spending more time talking with the Lord; at any time of the day or night you can be in a spirit of prayer, walking quietly before God.
In my travels around the world I have seen many gods made by human hands. These gods are the objects of worship and prayer of many millions of people who worship idols and pray to dead gods. Yet many of them are faithful in their prayers. Although they live in darkness and sin, lost and spiritually blind, they are so devoted and dedicated to their gods that they leave many Christians in shame. We believe in sending missionaries to tell those people the good news of the living Christ who hears and answers prayers, but in doing so we must examine our own lives to see how much devotion, faith and trust we have in the living God . Jesus said, “...for without Me you can do nothing” (John 16:5). It is absolutely clear that without God's help we cannot accomplish anything for Him. Recognizing this, we are forced to depend more and more on God's answers to our prayers for the needs and problems we face and for help to solve those problems. We know that only the living and true God answers prayers. Only He alone can help. And since we believe that He answers prayers, we come to Him in faith.
As Christians, do we trust the true God by taking time to talk with our Lord in prayer? Do we love Him enough to desire to be in constant communication with Him through our prayers?
When we come to Him, He not only wants to hear about our needs, problems and requests, but He also deserves our worship and praise. He desires to receive this from us through our praise and gratitude directed towards Him. Anna served God day and night, worshiping Him in her prayers. “A widow about eighty-four years old, who did not leave the temple, serving God day and night with fasting and prayer” (Luke 2:37). Since God created this great universe and all the people in it, and since He has control over all the affairs of all nations and all people, He desires to hear praise and thanksgiving from His children who see His love for them in that He created them , saves them and guides their lives with the wisdom of His will. God wants to hear our love, praise and honor for Him when we come in prayer, with a deep and grateful appreciation of all that He does and has done for us. Hannah served and pleased God for many years, taking time to worship, honor, and thank Him in her prayers. David worshiped God in prayer as often as we see in his psalms. God can use everyone through prayer. I believe that God is not only still waiting for men and women through whom He can do more active ministry among the people, but He is also waiting for those who will take time to retire and serve Him through their gratitude and worship. You can also be a prayer warrior. This is a wonderful thing: telling the Lord that we love Him, thanking Him for the salvation of our souls, for blessings, for helping and satisfying our needs, thanking Him also for all His mercies and goodness that He sends to all people. This pleases Him because it shows that we love Him. We must constantly thank God for all His kindness and care for us and all His children.
We must intercede for others through our prayers “First of all, therefore, I urge that prayers, petitions, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people; for kings and for all those in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and serene life in all piety and purity; for this is good and pleasing to God our Savior” (1 Tim. 2:1-3). God would have us pray not only for each other as brothers in Christ, but also for the leaders and for all who have power in the government of our country. I fear that sometimes we do not pray enough for the leaders of our country. I was greatly impressed, during my visit to the city of Washington (capital city of the United States), by a prayer conference at which President Eisenhower and many religious senators, congressmen, governors and judges were present; they prayed, seeking God's will and help in the leadership of their country. Sermons on spiritual topics were also delivered. I believe God is blessing America because many are praying.
We should pray for one another as James 5:16 says: “Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed: the earnest prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” A righteous man is a spiritual man who walks with God and has unity and fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ; the prayer of such a person can do a lot. This verse tells us that we should pray for one another for our physical needs as well. God can touch our body when we pray for His will to be upon us.
Ap. Paul writes, “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). The Lord expects us to pray and care for each other. When we pray for others, He blesses us. Some people are used to praying only for themselves. I once heard the testimony of a man who spoke with a broken heart. He had a little daughter. While praying, he mentioned only his wife and himself. But one morning, while he was praying for his wife and himself, their little daughter Maria, who was only five years old, came up to him and, hugging him, asked:
- Dad, tell the Lord to bless Mary too.
He cried and asked God to forgive him for praying only for himself and his wife.
It is very important for parents to pray for their children. Today there are many unsaved children because their parents did not pray for them and with them since childhood. It often happens when children grow up, leave home and begin to live their own lives, away from God, then parents begin to cry and lament that their children are not saved. How important it is to have a family altar where you and your children pray together before they grow up and leave home! Children should also always pray with and for their parents. The Word of God commands us to pray for one another.
How grateful my wife and I are to God that we have always found family prayer time since the beginning of our lives together. Of course, God blessed us. Our three children have been saved, have dedicated their lives to God, have prepared for spiritual work, and are now serving Him in their respective fields. We would like to encourage all parents to pray for their children. Husbands and wives should begin to pray together from the very beginning of their marriage so that God will guide and bless their new life and their home. God should have first place in the life of every Christian. Jesus says: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
Samuel told Israel to gather together and he would pray for the people (1 Samuel 7). Samuel was concerned about his brothers and was very willing to pray for them so that the will of God would be done. We should also be willing and happy to pray for those in need.
Through prayer our needs are met “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). The Lord tells us to come to Him boldly, without fear, without doubt, without hesitation, so that He can help us in our time of need. This invitation is open to every Christian in every place and at every time of the day or night. In this New Testament age we have a new and living way of accessing God. Our worship of Him no longer requires sacrifices or rituals. We are now priests of God because of what Christ has done for us; and as His priests and children, we can come to Him at every time and in every place when we have need. This is God's desire. It is our privilege and opportunity to come to Him.
Jesus said about this: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you; For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). The Lord invited us to ask, seek and knock through prayer. It is the same as when we lose something, we decide to search until we find it; so in our prayer we must ask and knock until our needs are met according to His will.
When I accepted Jesus Christ as My personal Savior at Moody Church (Chicago) in 1930, I asked God to make me a warrior of prayer. I knew little about her, but I still began to pray. I thank God that during all these past years He has given me a great desire to pray and I have found in prayer great encouragement and satisfaction of my needs. Before the Slavic Gospel Society was founded in 1934, we spent much time in prayer and fasting, thinking about how God would lead us and help us in all the needs of such a great cause. The Lord heard our prayers, gave direction to my life, started this missionary organization and performed great miracles. Lots of prayer - lots of blessings and victory!
Young people! Are you seeking God's will for your life? If you ask God in prayer to show you His will and decide to put Him first in your life, He has promised that His Spirit of truth will guide you into all righteousness. He will answer your prayers and bring you to the place where He wants you to be. As you continue to pray and look to Him in every occasion of your life, He will help with every need on your path and give you the happiest life. I have found in my own life that this is true. I am personally convinced that praying a lot is an essential necessity for a Christian.
Jesus said, “...without Me you can do nothing” (John 16:5).
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The story of King Nebuchadnezzar
King Nebuchadnezzar
The king of Judah, Zedekiah, began to worship idols and this continued for many years. God warned him by sending prophet after prophet. So God sent Jeremiah to warn the king that he should stop worshiping idols. Then God sent the king of Babylon, who took all the Jewish people and the king captive. At that time, the young prophet Jeremiah prophesied that Judah would be taken into captivity for 70 years.
Daniel
(Dan 9:2) In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, figured out from the books the number of years about which the word of the Lord was to Jeremiah the prophet. That seventy years will be fulfilled over the devastation of Jerusalem.
When Daniel read Jeremiah's prophecy, it was the 70th year of their captivity.
(Dan 9:3) And I turned my face to the Lord God with prayer and supplication, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
Despite the fact that the captivity had already come to an end, Daniel did not sit back and relax: “What will be, will be.” No, he prayed that what God said would happen. God loves our participation. He picks up your prayers and sends answers.
Prophet Daniel
(Jer 25:11) And all this land will be desolation and terror; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
That's how Daniel knew this.
(Jer 25:12) And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are fulfilled, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that people, saith the Lord, for their wickedness, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it an everlasting wilderness.
Daniel knew that the end was coming. But still he prayed, not because it wouldn’t happen otherwise, but because he wanted to be a part of it.
God is good and you should ask for wisdom. If any of you lacks wisdom, ask God.
(James 1:5) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Many people won't pray like that because they think they know everything.
Ask is a verb and has the meaning of permanence.
Giver - the present continuous tense is used. God gives constantly and even more than you receive.
Many of us seem to pass by life itself. Because they do not stretch out their hands to God to receive from Him. Too busy to deserve something. Therefore, they are stressed, gritting their teeth, trying to get what God gives freely.
God does not need to be persuaded, He is a constant giver. Let this picture of God be before your eyes before praying to Him. He is God who does everything in freedom. In freedom, He created the sun to warm us and illuminate the earth.
God decided this in His freedom.
Giver without reproach
God constantly gives freely and gives without reproach - that is, without trying to blame. God is consistent in not finding fault in you.
When we come to God, the following questions have a destructive effect:
- Why pray if God already knows everything?
- If I pray long enough, I can convince Him.
- God sees all my flaws with His perfect gaze, how can I turn to Him after that?
God never tries to convict you of anything because all your thoughts were imputed to Jesus Christ when He bore all your sins on the cross. And all His virtues and piety, His righteousness, God imputed to you. This is the Gospel.
(Rom 8:32) He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up to suffer for the sake of us all, how will He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Jesus pleased the Father more than any other person living on earth
Because Jesus lived on earth as a Man, He fully pleased God as a Man, even though He is God. The Father says: this is my beloved Son!
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If God gave us such a Great Gift - Jesus Christ, when we were still His enemies, then now that we have been reconciled with God, how can He not give us everything? God gives freely to whomever He wants.
You don't have to pay for this. God is not waiting for you to become obedient, because that is no longer freedom. All the people who came to Jesus for healing were not even saved, but He healed them in freedom.
(Rom 8:32) How can He not also freely give us all things?
The present tense is used here, passing into the future and remaining forever. He gives us hope for today and for the future.
(1 Chronicles 4:9) Jabez was more famous than his brothers. His mother gave him the name Jabez, saying: I gave birth to him with illness.
Some Christians say: “Who knows, you can’t escape fate.” Health directly depends on DNA. Therefore, they think that they do not have the right to pray for themselves and their health, for their prosperity and for their family. This is mistake.
Why don't we get everything we ask for?
Photo: Pravlife.org
The Lord is generous and unlimited in the possibilities of his generosity. He is ready to give a person anything, all earthly goods and riches. But He understands that only a select few can use these riches for their own benefit.
The whole point is that earthly life is given to us as a test; it is only a grain of sand in eternity, which awaits the immortal soul after the resurrection. But people are not able to appreciate this; they do evil as if they don’t have to answer for it. They gain health and destroy it with alcohol and cigarettes. They receive wealth, but use it for revelry and debauchery. They get talents and are lazy to develop them. They gain power and create lawlessness.
Prayer of Jabez
(1 Chronicles 4:10) And Jabez cried to the God of Israel and said: Oh, that You would bless me with Your blessing, that You would enlarge my borders, and Your hand would be with me, keeping me from evil, so that I would not grieve! And God sent down to him what he asked for.
God, You, Your hand - used three times.
He blessed me, my borders, with me, to protect me, so that I - used as many as five times.
How God Appreciated Jabez's Prayer
God calls Jabez more famous than his brothers. God gave him glory. When you pray such prayers, you are more famous than those who do not pray. This prayer changed the entire course of Jabez's life, and the story was passed on to us. And it sounds for only 15 seconds - this is the rest number.
Pray with all your heart and with faith that the ever-giving One is surely glad that someone asks Him. Because people on earth are so busy trying to achieve everything for themselves.
Live by the Commandments
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God left us Commandments. If everyone lived according to the Commandments of the Lord, earthly bliss would be realized.
Everyone does good deeds, no one steals, no one keeps a stone in his bosom. People respect each other and work conscientiously, each in his or her place. Those who cry are consoled, the poor are helped, and the lonely are not left behind. Justice and justice triumph. Imagine that this happened on Earth, and you will understand that God created everything intelligently, his will was aimed at benefiting people. But we do not want to live according to these commandments; God’s Will for us is limited only by the ideas of today. We remember eternal life only in days of sorrow...
And then we ask – why do we grieve? Yes, just to think about eternity, about the soul, about salvation! Only for our benefit!
