Talk—Wayne Coleman
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I'm gonna, uh, with the Lord's health, talk of just a few moments about prayer. So let's begin with prayer. Our loving Father, we thank thee for the privilege to sing these great hymns, and we pray that each one here is singing out of a true heart of appreciation and Thanksgiving to thee.
And as we look into thy word for a moment to get a little instruction, some help on prayer, we ask for thy health. Uh, we pray for each one of us that's here. We are in the wilderness. We're not home yet. Our Father, we really feel it. And, uh, we need help. So we just ask for this now and pray and thy wonderful name, Lord Jesus, Amen.
Amen.
Turn first of all if you have a Bible. If not, that's fine. You can listen Hebrews 10.
This subject came up a couple of weeks ago in Korea. We were talking a little bit about went to the Book of Philippians and we talked a little bit about prayer. And one of the older brothers there said at the end of the meeting, I don't really, I'm not even sure I really know how to pray.
Oh, really? OK, So then we had another, the next meeting we had was on a subject of prayer. And, uh, I stole my wife's notes out of Evernote and used that, uh, which is probably about 40 or 50 verses on prayer categorizing into the different categories. And I touched on maybe five or six sources, I guess, uh, it's a very vast subject, but umm, Hebrews 10 and I have some of those verses here.
Hebrews 10 and verse 14.
For by one offering he had perfected forever them that are sanctified. Verse uh 19 Having therefore brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he had consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. I I don't know if we all got this.
Throughout the meetings, there were some deep things that came up in the readings, but there's something I really picked up, and that is the access that you and I have as Christians based upon the finished work of Christ.
Abraham, All the Old Testament Saints did not have this.
You think of the friendship that Abraham had with prayer, with God in prayer and so on. Your access is worlds beyond that we are we the access that we have is nothing short of just simply awesome. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
No Old Testament Saints ever had that. That's the AC access that you and I have. And I, I'd like to ask the question. I kind of was a challenge. Do you pray? Well, of course we all pray, but do you really pray? Do you seek to get into God's presence just for the sake of fellowship with Him about the needs that you have? You tell Him the secrets of your soul.
You know this brother that asked this question? When we discussed it a little later, I realized that his prayer life was a very formal, kind of a Korean thing.
And uh, it's really got me to thinking just how much how formal or lack of intimacy is in my own life. And so my wife's list of verses on prayer is a great help to me. So, umm, why do we pray? Here's another question this brother had. Why do we even pray if God's got it all figured out? After all, he's sovereign and he's already decided how it's going to be, right?
Why would we pray? Well, James says. The effectual, fervent prayer of our righteous man.
Availeth much so that's the word of God. If prayer does change things and primarily it changes us. But if anybody you would think didn't really need to pray, it would be the Lord Jesus. I would like to just touch on 2 verses of a habit that Jesus had. The first one is in the Gospel of Mark.
And I would like to commend this habit to you. You know many.
Uh, Christians in these days feel as habits and forms or don't belong to Christianity. Let's just wing it. It's all grace. Uh, we are to, uh, pray without ceasing. So I'm just gonna pray whenever it comes into my mind. Really. Uh, I can tell you right now that there's going to be a fail. And it's not a fail to pray. We needed to pray, but.
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These two verses show that even the Lord Jesus Christ, God himself.
Sought out a secret time of prayer, Mark chapter one and verse 35. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a solitary place and their prey.
A great while before day, you know, we've talked in our meetings about spending time with the Lord in with the with the word of God, to have a special time to read the word of God. I hope you have that habit. I really hope you do. And I also hope and I beg you to set aside that time also for prayer.
And it's a challenge to me very much.
Umm, because it's a little bit deceptive when we, we, we think about, uh, praying without ceasing, going through our lives, talking to the Lord and so on, that maybe I don't need to spend this dedicated time in prayer. I'm going to tell you, you need to spend dedicated time in prayer quiet and alone and on your knees.
If your knees don't work, I suppose you could sit down, but if you have knees, kneel on them. Daniel did three times a day and, uh.
That's maybe minimal, but anyway we find with the Lord Jesus a great while before day, he rose up and went out to pray and spend that time alone with his with his Father. Now let's go to Matthew chapter 14 and we find.
The Lord Jesus again praying 14.
22 And straightway Jesus constrains his disciples to get into a ship and go before him unto the other side, while he sent him multitudes away, and when he had sent him multitudes away.
He went up into a mountain of heart to pray, and when the evening was coming he was there alone.
I don't know how long he must have been there, maybe for hours now. Couldn't the Lord Jesus as God the Son, that eternal life which was with the Father? Could he not just be continuing in constant communion with his Father?
I'm sure he was, but as a man he had to get away and be quiet and get alone with the Lord, and he hiked a mountain to do it at the end of the day. And he probably had to get down at night.
This is the kind of purpose that you and I really need, and I can tell you that this is ebb and flowed in my life, and when it has ebbed and I've got off of that.
Things begin to come apart in my life and it is no comfort to say, well I'll just pray when I get around to it. It doesn't happen. And so here the Lord after a busy day of service.
He wanted to get away and to be alone with the Lord.
Now, I don't know what time we started, but I think I was only supposed to speak for 15 minutes in the way time runs with me. Maybe that's already over. So, umm, I did wanna talk to you about some of the conditions of answered prayer.
And I realized we're not gonna have time for that, but.
Something that happened a little while ago in our family, uh, my brother has three very wonderful children and they all went to Christian School. They're all counseling and at the various church functions that they have and so on. And my brother told me just a while ago, he said, uh, Josh is not safe.
You've got to be kidding. What? And you know he's now in his mid 20s.
What? What's going on? How'd you find out? Well, he just said I'm done, Dad, I'm done. Why? Because God doesn't answer prayer.
Well, what prayer did you not answer?
Well, you know it. It was a girl in his life and he won the girl. She wasn't safe and the Lord did not give him that girl.
And it's now been a couple of years and he has gone and not looked back.
And that has really chilled me to the bone.
To go on in profession like that and to not know.
What this matter of prayer really is? Is it really about just getting what you want?
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Is that why we pray? I don't believe that. That's why the Lord Jesus was going in the morning and evening in these specific times of prayer to be with the Lord, to be with his Father. But it was to commune with Him. We know that as he knelt there in the garden.
His prayer was basically.
Father, if there's any other way that I can have my bride without going to that cross, let's do it.
But if there isn't.
I'm well, that's the spirit in which you and I need to pray. It's not about going to God and saying here's my list. You know, I have 5 things in my list, so I got one and I got to have this. Lord, I have to have this. No, it needs to be.
Lord, I'll be honest, I really do want this. But if it's not, Thy will have thy way with my spirit.
You know, we're just getting going. Uh, I'd love to, I really like to go into this at a great length and discuss this with you, uh, because I know as young people.
Umm, and most of you probably have been raised in Christian homes.
A lot of what you heard and what you believe may be somewhat theoretical and putting it into practice.
And the experiences of life can be very painful.
And somewhat difficult, and I can only say to you that you're only going to work that out in prayer. You're going to read the scriptures and by faith take those scriptures and bow before the Lord and ask Him to work it out in your life.
And factoring in all those, those difficulties in your life and the questions and the decisions that you have to make.
I really long for you guys to have that that intimate relationship with the Lord.
Let's pray again.
Lord Jesus, we're all here before thee. We've seen thy example in those two scriptures, and we've referred to thee in the garden, agonizing about what lay before Thee. And we see thee as God the Son, having that perfect relationship with Thy Father, and yet agonizing in prayer. And so, Lord, where do we fit into all of this?
We've heard all about this eternal life that was with the Father, that relationship, Lord Jesus, that thou did have with thy Father.
The Taoist invited us into and as we take this just a couple of minutes to have a sneak peek at thy life of prayer, we realize we need that too. And so we are bound to take up Thy precious word and and take it in like food and but we need to bow before thee too, Lord, and we ask thee to teach us to pray each one here, from the youngest to the oldest. We need this habit, Lord.
We really need it, and we pray that Thou would impress it upon us.
And if we can just take this point away today here, Lord Jesus, please help us to have the habit of prayer and to keep one another accountable. Umm, good friends, don't let good friends not pray. I suppose. So, Lord, help us to keep one another accountable. Help us to be accountable to the Lord Jesus and to live our lives in community. We pray and ask this in thy wonderful and precious name, Lord Jesus.