PRAYER - NYOBS 52.18

PRAYER

Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my Soul to Keep

Have you ever wondered why we close our eyes when we pray, or place our hands together, or bow our head? – Where does that come from? – I don’t find it in the Bible – In scripture, I see Jesus lifting his arms upward and looking up to the Father in Heaven. – Why do we say Amen?

First Word

·         As a child, I remember me and my daddy on our knees at the side of our bed.  My Dad would ask God to bless my momma and my sister, me and my puppy and that’s what I prayed. Later on my prayers got longer as I added the names of my playmates and my hamster. 

·         Dad would pray for someone that was sick and I would too. – I learned to pray over my food and thank God for what I was about to eat, because of all the starving children in China.

·         Praying became second nature to me in private; but not so much in public. - Everyone else’s prayers seemed so much “deeper” than mine, so I prayed less and less in public; still do.

·         Today I have a running conversation with God throughout the day, sometimes talking to God in my mind and often out loud when I am alone. – With that said; by the time I go to bed, I am “All Prayed Up”, and don’t have anything else to say to God that I haven’t already said.

·         Discovery:  If you have a hard time going to sleep, just start praying for others and you will go to sleep before you can finish.

Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go
⁶ Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (ESV)

1 Thessalonians 5:16 - Pray without ceasing; Running Conversation
¹⁶ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Find a Place - Humble yourself – Few Words

·         Find a quiet place, by yourself

·         Humble yourself before God, kneel upon your knees, and Lift your hands toward Heaven. 

·         Pour out your heart to God, share with Him your deepest feelings and emotions.

·         You don’t need to pray with a lot of words; do not heap up empty phrases as many do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words; just get to the point, God already knows your needs and as you pray remember it’s not how much you speak that is important, but what you speak. 

·         I will never forget it; as I was presiding over a very large dinner banquet, I asked a well know evangelist and musician to “ask God to bless our meal” and he prayed succinctly,
 “God bless our meal, Amen”.

Matthew 6:6 - Go into your room and shut the door
⁶ But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (ESV)

2 Chronicles 33:12– Humble yourself
¹² And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. (ESV)

Daniel 6:10 - Pray on your knees morning evening and night
¹⁰ …He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. (ESV)

Lamentations 2:19 - Pour out your heart – Lift your hands
¹⁹ Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street.” (ESV)

1 Timothy 2:8 - Lift up your hands to God
⁸ I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; (ESV)

Lamentations 3:41 - Lift up your heart and hands
⁴¹ Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: (ESV)

Exodus 17:4 – Cry out to God
⁴ So Moses cried to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” (ESV)

Matthew 6:7 – Do not use empty phrases and repetitions
⁷ And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. (ESV)

Ecclesiastes 5:2 – Let your words be few.
² Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. (ESV)

Matthew 6:8 – God knows what you need before you ask Him
⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (NIV2011)

Acknowledge who God is

·         Begin by acknowledging God for who He is, then spend time praising His name.  We should praise God for His goodness and His wonderful works. 

·         Call to God with some of His many names; our Rock, our Fortress, Deliverer, Jehovah, etc.  Find things to return thanks for. 

·         Give thanks to Him IN every situation, not FOR ever situation.  This is the will of God.

Matthew 6:9 - Acknowledge and Praise God for who He is
⁹ Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Psalm 107:31 - Thank God for his steadfast love and His works
³¹ Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! (ESV)

Psalm 31:3 - Call names; Rock – Fortress – Deliverer – Provider
³ For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you

lead me and guide me; (ESV)
Colossians 4:2 – Find things to return thanks for

² Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (ESV)

Acknowledge who you are

·         As a Christian; you have access to God; enter into His presence with boldness and confidence; after all He is your Father and you trust Him.  - Ask Him to NOT hide His face from you, that you are Holy because of the blood of His Son Jesus the Christ.

·         Share that you want His Will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

·         Remind God of the voices of His many enemies and your voice is a voice of trust and love.

·         Remind God you are called by His name; Christian. - Share your heart with Him about how His enemies, the heathen are prospering and yet you, His servant is in need.

·         Remind Him of His promise to show lovingkindness to the SEED of Abraham; and that’s you.

·         Ask for your daily needs to be met. - Admit that you are a poor and a sorrowful lot and that the help of man is in vain. - Confess that you need a higher help; you need God. - This is not a negative confession; it is just the truth.

·         Ask for strength and relief so that those that do not believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be convinced by the help and comfort that God gives to you.  – A SIGN of your FAVOR.

·         Remind God that His word says; that if we seek, knock and ask, He will be found, and will open up and will provide for our need. 

Hebrews 4:16 - Approach with confidence & draw near to throne
¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

(ESV)

Ephesians 3:11-12– We have boldness and Confidence and access
¹¹ This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
¹² in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. (ESV)

Jeremiah 14:9 – Remind God - We are called by His name
⁹ Why should you be like a man confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot save? Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not leave us.” (ESV)

Psalm 102:2 – Ask God to not hide His face from you.
² Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!

(ESV)

Psalm 69:29 - Let God know of your afflictions and pain
²⁹ But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high! (ESV)

Psalm 60:11 - Admit the help of man is vain
¹¹ Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! (ESV)

Psalm 61:2 - Acknowledge that God is a higher help than man
² from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, (ESV) 

Psalm 79:1 – Remind Him that the heathen are prospering
¹ O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. (ESV)

Psalm 74:23 - Remind God of His enemies
²³ Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually! (ESV)

Psalm 18:49-50 - Remind Him Lovingkindness to seed of David
⁴⁹ Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations, And will sing praises unto thy name.
⁵⁰ Great deliverance giveth he to his king, And shows lovingkindness to his anointed, To David and to his seed, for evermore. (ASV)

Psalm 86:1 - Admit that you are poor and needy
¹ Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.

Matthew 6:11 - Ask for your daily needs
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, (ESV)

Psalm 86:17 - Let your Enemies see how you have helped me

¹⁷ Show me a sign of your favor that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me. (ESV)

Matthew 6:10 - Ask for His will to be done
¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Luke 21:36 – Pray for strength
³⁶ But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (ESV)

Psalm 119:107 – Give me strength according to your Word
¹⁰⁷ I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word! (ESV)

Philippians 4:6 – Give thanks IN every situation
⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but IN every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (NIV2011)

Matthew 7:7 - Ask – Seek – Knock – It will be opened
⁷ Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (ESV)

Confess

·         Confess your sins and not only ask for forgiveness, but confess what you have done or should have done.  Forgive others that have offended you. 

·         Ask God to direct you into faithfulness and to protect you from the evil one and his temptations.

·         Ask God to teach you His ways and to strengthen you according to His Word. 

·         Plead with God to correct you with love and not in anger lest you die. 

Psalm 69:5 – Our sins are not hidden from God
⁵ O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. (ESV)

Numbers 5:6-7 - Confess what you have done and not done
⁶ Speak to the people of Israel, when a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the LORD, and that person realizes his guilt,
⁷ he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong. (ESV)

Matthew 6:12 - Forgive those who have wronged you
¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Matthew 6:13 – Direct us into faithfulness
¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (ESV)

Psalm 27:11 - Ask God to teach us His ways
¹¹ Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. (ESV)

Jeremiah 10:24 – Correct me with love and not anger
²⁴ Correct me, O LORD, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing. (ESV)

Pray in Faith - Believing

·         In our crying out we are to put our trust in God; we must Believe to Receive. So pray in faith and do not give up; God has promised that He will speak to us and will show us great and mighty things which we know nothing about. 

·         Daniel cried out to God; the answer was dispatched immediately, but Satan fought the Angel for 21 days to try to stop the answer from reaching Daniel.  What if Daniel had stopped praying?

·         It’s so neat God will begin to hear us before we call upon Him, and will answer us while we are still speaking.

1 Chronicles 5:20 - Cry out in Trusting God
²⁰ And when they prevailed over them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him. (ESV)

James 5:15 – The Prayer of Faith brings results
¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (ESV)

Matthew 21:22 – You will receive if you have faith
²² And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Luke 18:1 – Do not lose heart and give up praying
¹ And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. (ESV)

Isaiah 58:9 – God will SPEAK to you
⁹ Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, (ESV)

Jeremiah 33:3 - Call to me and I will answer you
³ Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have NOT known. (ESV)

Isaiah 65:24 - God will hear us before we even begin to pray
²⁴ And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. (KJV)

Daniel 10:12-13 – Satan fought 21 days to hinder the answer
¹² he said unto me, Fear not, Daniel; for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand, and to humble thyself before thy God, thy words were heard: and I am come for thy words' sake.
¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me: and I remained there with the kings of Persia. (ASV)

Negative Confession

·         How are you doing? – NEGATIVE; Tired – Worn out – Depressed - This is going to be a bad day – I dread the pile of work in front of me. – I hate Mondays – POSITIVE; I’m Blessed – Awesome – Better that I deserve. – Can’t wait to see what the day brings.

·         The words that come out of your mouth give life or death to the situation that you confess;

·         Perhaps you have prayed with a negative confession, be of good cheer, God still hears your petition.  I thank God that we don’t always get the negative things we confess with our mouths.   Speak Life not Death. 

·         In scripture, a woman’s child had died and she rode a donkey to find the Man of God; she could have said my child has died, but instead she confessed along the way, what she wanted the outcome to be; she said All Is Well. – And in the end; all was well, the child lived again.

·         A very close friend had cancer and asked for prayer that he would just go ahead and die; he did. – I had another close friend that had cancer three times and asked for prayer that she would “beat it again”, and she did.

·         A neighbor ask for prayer; that her brain dead daughter would just go ahead and die, I prayed the prayer of life over her. – She lived; got married and now has a child.

Proverbs 18:21– Power of life and death is in what you speak
²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. (ESV)

Psalm 31:22 - NEGATIVE confession – Speaking death

²² I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help. (ESV)

2 Kings 4:26 - POSITVIE confession – Speak life not death
²⁶ Run at once to meet her and say to her, ‘Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?’” And she answered, “All is well.” (ESV)

Be Specific

·         Your prayer is a conversation with God about your specific need; cry out to Him for a solution, and ask Him for a speedy deliverance. 

·         Your prayers are more powerful spoken that just thought; pray out loud and avoid vain repetitions.  When you pray out loud you are activating three senses; that of speaking, hearing and the feeling of your words.

·         Ask God to plead your cause with those that strive against you.  Ask Him for a clear mind; mercy and deliverance.

Genesis 32:11 - Pray about a specific need.
¹¹ Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. (ESV)

Psalm 35:1 Plead your cause
¹ Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! (ESV

Psalm 43:1– Ask to be vindicated
¹ Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! (ESV)

Psalm 55:1 – Ask God to hear your plea
¹ Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! (ESV)

Psalm 56:1 – Ask God for favor
¹ Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; (ESV)

Psalm 57:1 - Ask for mercy and refuge
¹ Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. (ESV)

Psalm 59:1– Ask for deliverance and protection
¹ Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; (ESV)

Psalm 40:13 - Pray for a speedy answer
¹³ Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me! (ESV)

Psalm 69:17 - Make haste to answer me
¹⁷ Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. (ESV)

Psalm 70:1 – Make haste to help me
¹ Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me! (ESV)

Psalm 40:17 - Do not delay
¹⁷ As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! (ESV)

Reason with God

·         We are taught by God’s Word that it is OK to reason with God to try to persuade him to have mercy on a particular situation. 

·         This reasoning with God shows that we trust Him and acknowledge His mercy.  This is an exercise of our Faith; the PERSISTENCE brings for a speedy answer to our needs.

Isaiah 1:18 Come now and let is REASON together
¹⁸ Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

(ESV)

1 Samuel 1:10-11 Barren Woman Reasoned with God
¹⁰ She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.
¹¹ And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” (ESV)

Judges 16:28 – Sampson Reasoned with God
²⁸ Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.”

(ESV)

Genesis 18:23-33 – Abraham Reasoned with God
²³ Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
²⁴ Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?
²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
²⁶ And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
²⁷ Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.
²⁸ Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
²⁹ Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.”
³⁰ Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.”
³¹ He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.”
³² Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”
³³ And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place. (ESV)

Daniel 9:16-19 – Daniel Reasoned with God
¹⁶ O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers,

¹⁷ Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for YOUR own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate.
¹⁸ O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.
¹⁹ O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for YOUR own sake, O my God, because YOUR city and YOUR people are called by YOUR name.”

(ESV)

Matthew 15:22-28 – Woman Persistently Reasoned with Jesus
²² And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
²³ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”
²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
²⁵ But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
²⁶ And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
²⁷ She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. (ESV)

Luke 11:5-8 – Neighbor Persistently Reasoned with his friend.
⁵ And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,
⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;
⁷ and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?
⁸ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

(ESV)

Luke 18:1-7 – The Widow Persistently Reasoned with the Judge
¹ And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.
³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,
⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”
⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
⁷ And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? (ESV)

Prayer of Agreement

·         An unspoken request for prayer is NOT scriptural.  When others pray for you, it is a prayer of agreement and you can’t agree to pray about something if you don’t know what it is that you are praying about.

·         INTERCESSION - Some time ago I was producing a TV program called “Intercession”; a Live one hour telephone “Call In” show for prayer, where you heard both sides of the phone conversation which was usually charged with deep emotions, hurts and needs.

·         A lady called in and asked for prayer that her boyfriend would leave his wife and marry her. – The Pastor moderator said, he could not agree to pray for that, because it was not scriptural, but he would pray that God would send someone that was single into her life that would complete her.

·         A mother called in requesting that her son pass a test at school.  The moderator said that that was not scriptural, but he would pray that her son would be able to remember everything that he had studied.

·         Prayers of agreement must be scripturally based in order to be in line with honoring and glorifying God.

·         As you go through your day, let the words that come out of your mouth and the meditations of your heart lift up the name of your deliverer, Jesus Christ.  We need to always be in prayer, observing all things, not just when we are in need, but always.  This is that we will find favor with God to escape the traps that Satan has set for us. 

·         God will not answer prayers that do not have the potential of glorifying the name of Jesus.

John 14:13 - Ask for things that glorify Jesus Christ
¹³  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

(ESV)

Psalm 19:14 - Let words & meditation of my heart be acceptable

¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (ESV)

Intercession

·         Ask righteous people to pray for you in Intercession. 

·         Get with a friend to pray and agree with you on your need; when two are more are gather in the name of God, He will be in your presence.

·         Go to the elders of the Church and ask to be prayed over and anointed with oil in the name of our Lord.

Matthew 18:20 – Where two are gathered – God is present
²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (ESV)

Deuteronomy 19:15 - A matter is establish by Two people
¹⁵ One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

(NIV2011)

Matthew 18:19 – When Two agree in prayer; it will be done
¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

(ESV)

James 5:15-16 - Confess your sins to one another
¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

(ESV)

James 5:14 – Let the Elders anoint you with oil and pray
¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

(ESV)

Pray for others

·         There was a time in my life that I wrote down the needs of others on the left hand side of a steno pad and on the right hand side, I left space for the results of the prayers. 

·         I went down this list every morning and soon began to see the hand of God as I crossed off the names, giving God thanks for the answered prayer.

Acts 6:4 – Devote yourself to prayer & the ministry of the Word
⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (ESV)

Pray over your food

·         Should you return thanks every time food is set before you? - You have no idea what you are eating.  It would be well that you sanctify your food before eating it. 

·         God created food to be received with “thanksgiving’’ - As an example; Jesus lifted the food upward with his hands and with HIS EYES OPEN, He prayed over the meal. – So there you have it; it’s okay to pray with your eyes open and lift your hands toward heaven.

·         We are to Eat to the glory of God and receive the food with thanksgiving. - It’s in the book.

1 Timothy 4:2-3 – Food created to be received in thanksgiving
²  through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,
³  who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

(ESV)

1 Corinthians 10:30-31- Eat and Drink to the glory of God
³⁰ If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
³¹ So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

(ESV)

Romans 14:6 – The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord
⁶ The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

(ESV)

1 Samuel 9:13 – Pray over your food
¹³ As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.”

(ESV)

Mark 8:6-7 – Give thanks over your food
⁶ And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd.
⁷ And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them.

(ESV)

Matthew 26:26 – Ask for blessing over the food
²⁶  Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

(ESV)

Acts 27:34-35 - Ask for blessing on the food for strength
³⁴ Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.”
³⁵ And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat.

(ESV)

Matthew 14:19 Jesus Looked up to heaven and prayed
¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he LOOKED up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. (ESV)

Pray in the Spirit

·         I feel like I should not pick and choose which scriptures I include in my Word Studies. 

·         Some Believers have received the gift of a Prayer Language while others operate in a different gift.  So praying in the Spirit or in tongues is something the scripture addresses for those who have that gift and I include it here.

·         Your prayer language is communication between you and God, and no one else.

·         Pray in the understanding tongue about the things you understand, then pray in your prayer language about the things you do not understand or do not know how to pray for.  The spirit will make intercession for you.

·         While in public, you may sometimes feel like praying, praising or singing to God in the Spirit; if so, you should ALSO pray, praise and sing in the understanding. -  It’s in the Book - NYOBS 08.02 - TONGUES

Romans 8:26 - The Spirit Himself intercedes for us
²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (ESV)

Ephesians 6:19 – Pray for the right words to boldly speak
¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,

(ESV)

Ephesians 6:18 – Pray at all times in the Spirit
¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, (tongues) with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

(ESV)

1 Corinthians 14:15– Pray and Sing in the Spirit
¹⁵ What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit (tongues), but I will pray with my mind also; I will SING praise with my spirit (tongues), but I will sing with my mind also. (ESV)

Jude 1:20 – Pray in the Spirit
²⁰ But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, (tongues) (ESV)

AMEN

·         Growing up I thought that “Amen” was like punctuation; like a period after a sentence; it ended the prayer and was a signal to dig in and EAT.

·         Amen as found in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament means “So be it; truly" and is a declaration of affirmation.

·         Jesus often used the word Amen to affirm his own utterances, meaning; "I tell you the truth" or to say it another way; “It WILL be”.

·         When we use the word Amen, it means; “So let it be”, the trust and assurance that God can and will bring it to pass.

Closing thoughts

·         Growing up, there was a man in our church who was known for his 20 minute prayers.  It seemed that when the Pastor’s sermon was short, he would always call on him for prayer.

·         Some folks have a gift with words while others do not. – According to scripture we do not all have the same gift, however all the gifts of the spirit are found in the church body.

·         With that said, do not measure your abilities by someone else’s ability.  We are all unique; I have the gift of organization. – I can organize thoughts, but that does not make me a writer, I am a giver, but that does not make me a philanthropist. – We all just do the part that we are able to do.

·         The Lord’s Prayer was given as a model to mold our thinking while addressing God in prayer. It is composed of a confession, seven petitions and a doxology.

·         Confession - I am acknowledging that God is not of this Creation, but is the Sovereign Creator ruling over every area of life in the entire cosmos with no limit with regard to time and space.  NYOBS 49.02 - LORDS PRAYER REVISITED

·         The 1st petition is that His name will not only be made Holy to us, but we petition as well that His name will become Holy to others who are not yet called by His name.

·         This 2^nd petition begins with placing God’s interest first; seeking the Kingdom of God, then our physical needs then moving to our spiritual needs of deliverance from evil.

·         The 3^rd we ask that God’s Will be done not just in the world, but in our own life.

·         The 4^th is seeking our daily needful ration of food for our existence.

·         The 5^th is asking for Forgiveness for our WRONGS as we forgive others who WRONG us.

·         The 6^th is asking that we not be tested through temptations.

·         The 7^th is praying for the day when our Lord will put an end to Evil and establish His Eternal Kingdom of righteous.

·         The Doxology is praise for the unmerited privilege of knowing God as our Father and that with confidence we can know that He hears our petitions.

Matthew 6:9-13 – Model Prayer
⁹ After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
¹⁰ Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. (KJV)

In the multitude of counselors,

there is wisdom.

Proverbs 11:14

I am grateful to those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical information, and scripture verses.  Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further that I otherwise ever could have.

                                                                                                                                     

Bible Almanac; The – Packer-Tenney-White

English Standard Version Bible – ESV

Expositor’s Bible Commentary – Frank E. Gaebelein

King James Version Bible - KJV

New International Version Bible - NIV

Thru the Bible – J. Vernon McGee