2011-04-17 (pm) Lk.

11:1-13 Prayer

This prayer service, following on the heels of this mornings message is fitting. It is a worthy response to what Christ invited us to do. To know the peace that he offers. To know the comfort of his salvation and to act on his promises by praying. It makes sense, then, to review what prayer is and why we pray. Now, we might think, we know all about prayer. Weve been taught how to pray, weve observed great saints pray, so what more can we learn? Well, when we ask God to teach us how to pray, we put ourselves in the company of people who, like us, grew up praying. However, there was something about the time and the way that Jesus spent his time in prayer, that caused one of the disciples to ask, Lord, teach us to pray. Cant you imagine Jesus simply asking his disciples, Why do you need to pray? Jesus often answered the Pharisees with a question, so it wouldnt be surprising for him to do it to his disciples as well. Why do you think you need to learn how to pray? John taught his disciples to pray, so you think I ought to teach you too. Do you think Im a greater teacher than John? Why do Christians need to pray, asks the Heidelberg Catechism. It says that prayer is most important. It is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us. Prayer is the natural outpouring of a thankful heart. We have reasons to be thankful, dont we? We have food. We have shelter, we have great modes of transportation. We can even thank God for tough times, cant we?

If I lose a limb, cant I thank God that I had a limb to lose? If I get cancer, I can thank God that I live in Canada with a great health care system. I can thank God for the simple gift of life. I can thank him for so many things. But in order to get to a thankful position, we also need Gods grace. Apart from Gods grace, we have no clue. We can neither appreciate how good we have it, nor can we appreciate the seriousness of the situation. Not to belabour the point, but why do we react so when we find out someone has a terminal disease? We all have a terminal disease, called sin. It is only by Gods grace that were able to live at all. It is by his grace that we come to the realisation that there is such a thing as sin, and that God has provided a way out of it. That he himself is the cure! When the disciples asked, Teach us how to pray. They didnt just mean the words to say. Jesus gave an example of prayer that gets at our heart, the heart the person praying. We need to pray to the one true God. We need to pray from the heart, from the core of our being, body and soul, with intensity, with feeling, with total trust in God. We need to be open and honest before God. We need to acknowledge our sin, and our need for forgiveness. We need to rest, with confidence that, though were

undeserving, God graciously hears our prayers because Jesus died on the cross. God promised that he would listen.

Jesus, after teaching the Lords prayer, teaches that we need to be bold in our requests. We need to be persistent. We need to just do it. Look at the illustration Jesus used! The man needed 3 loaves of bread, so he went to his friend for some. Who would do that? How rude! Knocking on someones door at midnight? But Jesus commends the man for his persistence. He gets what he needs by going hard after it. He gets what he needs because he keeps asking. Do we easily discourage? I know I do. I can quickly give up. How bout you? Do you ever wonder why? Do you ever question Gods providence. What if he takes something away only to see how well react. To see how much we trust. To see how hard were willing to ask for something. Jesus promises that if we ask, God will provide. But though the Father knows what we need before we even ask, we still need to ask! Dont we teach this to our children? We teach them to ask. Your child comes up to you and says, I want some water. And you say, Ask nicely. And they say, I want a glass of water. And you say, How do you ask? And if they dont get it, you say, You need to repeat it in the form of a question using the word please. And then finally they say, May I please have a glass of water? God wants us to ask. It is how we show respect, it is how we show humility, it demonstrates that were thankful to our father for providing everything we need. God loves to give us everything we need.

This is Jesus promise to us. He says, Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? Its ironic, we live in a society that says everything is relative, but there is still an innate sense of right and wrong. Even though we are born in sin, even though were totally depraved, we still do know the basics of right from wrong. We can give good gifts! We innately know what are good gifts. We dont always give them, and true, there are some pretty wicked fathers and mothers out there, but generally speaking, even those wicked ones know how to give good gifts too. How much more will God, the great Father in heaven give good gifts? God doesnt spoil his people, he doesnt deprive them unnecessarily, he gives exactly what is needed and when. Consider the Apostle Pauls words, I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances, whether in want or in need. Oh, that we might have the same attitude as Paul, as Christ! Paul rejoiced when he was thrown in prison, so that he could tell the guards and the prisoners about Jesus. Paul rejoiced when he had enough food, and money to share. He prayed earnestly that God would deliver him from a thorn in his side. But God

demonstrated that his grace was sufficient! God didnt remove this thorn, but rather he gave Paul the strength to live with it.

So, this evening, as those who have gathered with tremendous wealth. As those who have plans for the rest of the year, as those who have aspirations for our farms, our jobs, our school work, our summers, for the fall, let us turn our plans over to God. We do so, because every good and perfect gift comes from God. We do so because we acknowledge that God is the source of all our needs. We do so because God is our loving Father. We do so to show our humility before God. We do this through prayer. Hows your prayer life? Everyone says it can be better. I can. So start with something small. Start with prayer. Before you get out of bed, pray. Before you eat, pray. Before you do anything, pray. Then, ask God to tell you who to pray for. Then pray for those people. Pray though the church directory. Pray through your Edson, Peers, Wildwood, Carrot Creek phone book. Pray for the Christians around the world. Pray for our government, our local leaders, and the law enforcement officers. Once you start, praying, youll not run out of things to pray for! For the Lord God longs to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! He is eager to do this. The Holy Spirit is the exact person we need, so that we can do all that weve talked about. Amen!