What is prayer? Part 1

PRAYER IS A CHRISTIAN’S VITAL BREATH What is the most important aspect of the Christian life? It would seem that believers think it is fellowship, worship, Evangelism, being loving, etc. However, prayer is the most needed in a Christian’s life. Prayer meetings are the hardest to maintain. Even in our personal lives, being disciplined in prayer is very difficult. This hymn by James Montgomery is helpful. 1 O Thou by whom we come to God / The life, the Truth, the Way, / The path of prayer Thyself hast trod; / Lord teach us how to pray. / 2 Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, / Uttered, or unexpressed; / The motion of a hidden fire / That trembles in the breast. / 3 Prayer is the simplest form of speech / That infant lips can try; / Prayer the sublimest strains that reach / The Majesty on high. / 4 Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice, / Returning from his ways; / While angels in their songs rejoice, / And cry, ‘Behold, he prays!’ / 5. Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath, / The Christian’s native air; / His watchword at the gates of death; / He enters heaven with prayer. / 6. Nor prayer is made on earth alone, / The Holy Spirit please, / And Jesus, on the eternal throne, / For sinners intercedes. TWO QUESTIONS Question #1. WHAT IS PRAYER? Prayer is not coming into God’s gift shop. PRAYER IS THE WORSHIP OF GOD. Matt 6:7-10. Jesus is praying, and the disciples ask Him to teach them to pray. They wanted to pray like Him. Note HOW we are to address God in prayer. It immediately teaches us WHO can pray. Only those who are born again are children of God. John 1:12 and can refer to God as their Father. Note the TONE of the prayer. Worhipful prayer. Read the prayers of saints like Daniel. It is an awesome, fearful, and wonderful thing to come to God in prayer to worship. PRAYER IS FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. Humanity was created to have fellowship and communion with God. Matt 18:19-20 The Lord is among us when we pray together. JESUS IS THERE!! He is going to hear and He is going to answer. If we believed this, we would say, “I cannot wait,” as we wait for the prayer meeting with anticipation. “Sweet hour of prayer / The joys I feel, the bliss I share  / Of those whose anxious spirits burn  / With strong desires for Thy return / With such I hasten to the place / Where God my Savior shows His face / And gladly take my station there / And wait for Thee, sweet hour of prayer” ||| “O what peace we often forfeit / O what needless pain we bear / All because we do not carry / Everything to God in prayer.” Let us ask the Lord to teach us how to pray. To be continued: 3rd point under Question #1 PRAYER IS FAITH IN GOD Question #2 Why is prayer so important?