W3D4 Praying

READ THE BIBLE

Luke 11:2

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Psalm 100: 4

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 (Amplified Bible) Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

REFLECT ON WHAT IT MEANS

One day a pastor arrived at a house to pray with a man who was aged and unwell. The man’s daughter had asked the pastor to come but hadn’t told her dad. The pastor found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. The pastor said, “Is that chair for me?”

"I've never told anyone this," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray.” “About four years ago my best friend said to me, 'Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here's what I suggest. Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I'll be with you always.' Then just speak to him and listen in the same way you're doing with me right now."

"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day.

I'm careful, though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."

The pastor was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy to keep praying. Then he prayed with him, and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the pastor that her daddy had died that afternoon. "Did he seem to die in peace?" he asked.

"Yes, when I left the house around two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me one of his corny jokes, and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the shops an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange, In fact, beyond strange - kind of odd. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside the bed."

How to pray? That’s a question a lot of people ask. Even Jesus’ closest disciples had to ask him, (Luke 11:2). They had been taught about prayer by their Jewish faith since they were small children yet they still needed to ask. So it’s fine for us to ask as well! Of course, the best way to learn to pray is to just start and have a go. But it’s fair to say most of us would appreciate a few pointers to help get us started. Like the guy in the story, some practical hints can really help us pray in a natural and sincere way.

That’s where the other Bible verses can help us. A great place to start is giving thanks to God. Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving … give thanks to him.” When we come to God in prayer this is a great place to start. We can say, “Thank you,” to God for even the most basic and everyday things in life, our health, our food, the people we have around us like our family. One guy once told his church pastor that he couldn’t think of anything to give thanks for. The pastor said, “What are you looking at right now?” “My feet,” he replied. “Well let’s start there,” said the Pastor. “What are you feet attached to?” “My legs,’ said the man, so they thanked God for his feet, for his legs that he could walk - and so on.

Thankfulness, is such a great spiritual thing to do. It releases the miracle power of God for more of the same, and it always keeps us one step ahead of the enemy. That’s because thankfulness makes us positive before God and inspires more faith in us.

You will notice in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 it encourages us to find something to thank God for, even in difficult times.. If you do this, your prayers will “take off” and you will see a change, both in you and in what’s happening around you.

RELATE IT TO YOUR LIFE

Try it! How about making a short list of some simple, everyday things to thank God for? Then, speak them out to him in prayer. Keep thanking him as the Bible says and you will begin to feel the spiritual atmosphere change.

RESPOND WITH A DECLARATION

“Giving thanks to God opens the door to heaven in prayer!”