The Necessity of PRAYER

 Sunday afternoon, as I was praying concerning this Bible study, I felt God was directing me to study on how often the Jews pray.

The Jewish law requires the Jews to pray at least three times a day at three specific times: morning, afternoon, and evening. 

It does not specify how long they are to pray, but the Bible does mention that they went to pray at the hour of prayer. And the there are specific prayers they are to pray at certain times.

 

Daniel - followed that rule despite a law being passed that he would be fed to the lions if he prayed to any one or any god other than King Darius for 30 days.  It would be easy to make excuses to follow that law…

·        It’s only 30 days

·        It’s more important that I live so I can continue doing God’s work

·        I don’t have to really pray, I can still think about God, God knows my heart

·        But Daniel understood the necessity and importance of prayer

·        Time spent in prayer was more important that daily food or even his life

Daniel 6:10 – Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

·        Three times a day, Daniel would kneel to pray

·        He didn’t try to pretend to pray to Darius to save his life.

·        No, instead, Daniel continued to pray three times a day

·        he boldly opened his windows and prayed to the only One who we all have to stand before in the end

·        He knew we all are going to die one day and it’s better to die pleasing God than to live pleasing men.

·        Would we be that bold?  We can be – the more we pray.

 

Peter and John were faithful to pray during the hours of prayer.

·        Acts 3:1 – Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

·        Peter was used mightily by God because he spent much time in prayer.

 

 

Cornelius, the Centurion – Acts 10

·        He was a devout man, feared God, was a giving person, and prayed to God ALWAYS (this word means constantly = diapantos G1275)

·        He had been fasting (Acts 10:30) and must have been praying because around the 9^th hour of the day, which is the hour of prayer (Acts 3:1), he saw a vision of an angel come to him

·        The angel said, ‘your prayers and your alms (giving) are come up for a memorial before God’ (Acts 10:4)

·        God said his prayers had come up as a memorial before Him

·        God noticed His giving but mentioned his prayers were a memorial to God FIRST …  giving is good but – God takes notice of our prayers!

·        Then the angel told him to send for Peter, who would tell him what he needed to do.

·        The next day, Peter was praying around the 6^th hour when God gave him a vision and told him to eat what was traditionally considered unclean to the Jews.  Peter was extremely hungry yet he refused to eat anything unclean. Yet, God’s response each time was, “what God has cleansed, don’t call common (meaning polluted).” God was using this vision to teach Peter not to consider anyone to be unclean or unworthy of salvation.

·        Peter went to Cornelius’ house, a place forbidden to enter by the Jews because the man and his home who were considered polluted (Acts 10:28).  Yet, he went because God had told him to, and he preached about Jesus. 

·        While Peter was preaching, the Holy Ghost began to fall on everyone who heard the preached Word (Acts 10:44), and they began to speak with tongues and magnify God (Acts 10:46). 

·        Peter then commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 10:48)

·        But none of this would have happened if Cornelius and Peter had not been faithful to pray.

 

Zacharias, a priest who became the father of John the Baptist, was performing the duties of the priest. 

·        His responsibility was to burn incense when he went into the Temple of the Lord.

·        As he burnt the incense, the people were to be gathered outside praying during the time of incense.

·        Revelation 8:4 – the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.

·        Incense is sweet smelling - Our prayers come up as an incense before God

I’ve been trying to help the Sunday School children to understand the importance and need to pray and read their Bible every day….to build a relationship with Jesus.

·        Friendships/relationships are not built by just occasionally talking to someone.

·        They are built because time is invested and conversations happen often

·        Abraham was called a friend of God BECAUSE he spent time talking to the Creator. 

·        Can you imagine having that close of a relationship with God?

·        To be called a friend of God as Abraham was – he wouldn’t have been called God’s friend if he didn’t talk with Him often

*Prayer is us talking to God.

*Reading the Bible is God talking to us.

The more you pray and read your Bible, the more you’ll begin to hear and recognize God’s voice.

One of the children asked me how you will be able to tell know if it’s God’s voice or the devil’s.

I explained that the devil will not try to tempt and entice you to do something that’s good and right….he will, however, try to make something look good and try to justify something that goes against the Bible.

·        Some say: “You don’t need to go to church to be saved”

·        Yet the Bible instructs us to ‘remember the sabbath to keep it holy’ and ‘forsake not the assembling of yourselves together’

·        We need the pastor to instruct us and teach us what God’s Word says

 

·        Some say: “you can do the same thing at home that you do at church”

·        Are you really?  Are you reading your Bible, praying, singing songs of praise and worship?  Are you keeping the sabbath holy?

·        You still need a pastor – that’s Bible – and the Bible still instructs we need to go to Church.

 

·        Some say: “I don’t need to pray or pray much. God knows I love Him”

·        Then prove it!

·        A relationship is not maintained and will not last if the husband and wife do not communicate often and express their love…often.

·        Yet, people treat their relationship with Jesus so lightly.

·        When that happens, it becomes a one-sided relationship.

·        Gradually, a person will choose the things of the world over time with Jesus

Sunday, the children sang the song, “Lord, I lift Your name on high.”

The chorus talks about how He came from heaven to earth to show us the way of salvation.  Then, from the earth He went to the cross, my, your, our debt to pay…”

Take a moment and think about the cross.  Really think about it.

Think of all that Jesus went through, the agony, the excruciating pain as that whip tore the flesh off His back time and time and time again as they swung it while mocking and reviling Him.

Think about the pain Jesus felt as the crown of thorns was being pushed into His scalp.  He felt the Blood running down His face and His back. Then to feel a robe mockingly placed over His bloody wounds and later removed again.

He was spit on and struck.

Think about the excruciating pain He felt as they began to hammer those nails through His flesh and bones.

Think about Him hanging there, naked, writhing in pain, struggling to breath.

We don’t want to think about it.  It’s awful!  It’s horrifying!

But think about all that He felt and tell me we pray enough?

Think about all He endured and how He must feel when we make excuses and say we don’t think it’s necessary to pray very often or very much.

How must Jesus feel when people treat prayer, Bible reading, and Church attendance so lightly after all He endured and went through….for us?  All of which are time spent with Him, giving Him attention, honor, and praise that He is more than worthy of.

I saw a video from a foreign country. People were walking up and down the streets, trying to stay under the covers of canopies to avoid getting drenched from the pouring rain. But yet, when a sound was made, they all stopped walking, knelt down on the wet muddy ground with rain pelting their heads, and prayed….they did this, not for the One true God but to a false god who will one day have to confess that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords.

If they are that dedicated to stop what they’re doing to kneel and pray in mud and pouring rain, how much more should those of us who are Blood bought Born Again Christians being dedicated and faithful to prayer? 

We don’t have to stop and kneel in mud and pouring rain yet we should not neglect being diligent and dedicated to pray and seek God’s face more and more and more.  Especially as we see the endtimes unfolding.

Prayer is more important that our daily food or necessary air that we breath.

Prayer is time spent in God’s presence.

I don’t believe we can ever pray enough. 

Jesus is deserving of so much more time and honor than what we give Him.

God said in His Word that when we seek Him, He will be found by us WHEN we SEARCH for Him with all our heart. (Jer 29:13). 

There is a difference between merely searching and searching with all our heart.

It will take more than just a casual prayer time.

The old saying used to be, “they’re too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good.”

I disagree. 

The more you pray, the closer you’ll draw to Jesus, and the more you’ll become a vessel that can hear His voice and He can use to reach this lost and dying world.