How to Pray I. Introduction A. Most Christians understand the need to pray 1. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 2. Most have heard many lessons on prayer or that mention prayer B. Furthermore, most Christians understand that they need to pray more often, more fervently, and with greater devotion C. But many have a stumbling-block: how should they pray? 1. What are the types of things for which we should pray? 2. How do we go about praying? How should we speak to God? 3. What kind of direction can we find for what and how to pray? D. These are good and important questions for our consideration E. Let us search the Scriptures and learn how we are to pray II. Mechanics of Prayer A. It is good to first quickly consider some "mechanics" of prayer B. Address, Conclusion 1. Examples of prayer in Scripture are mostly directed toward God the Father 2. Matthew 6:9, Luke 11:2, Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6, 1 Peter 1:17 3. Some examples of praying to Christ as Lord (2 Corinthians 12:8-9), yet He directs us to pray to the Father (cf. Matthew 6:9, Luke 11:2) 4. Conclusion of prayer normally indicates that the prayer is done in the name of Jesus (cf. Colossians 3:17), and the declaration of "amen," meaning, "so be it," seen in 1 Corinthians 14:16, Revelation 5:14, 7:12, etc. C. Type of address 1. Many types of address exist on account of tradition 2. Many believe that God should be addressed with reverence, and therefore, speak in antiquated or seemingly more formal English 3. Others take the lead of Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6 and believe that speaking with God should be extremely casual (i.e., invoking God as "Daddy") 4. Examples from Scripture point in a middle path a. No indication in Hebrew or Greek that the language of prayer is fundamentally different from the language of everyday conversation (filthy language clearly excluded-- Ephesians 5:4) b. Indication that we can approach the throne of God with boldness (Hebrews 4:16) c. Yet recognition that God remains holy and worthy of reverence (cf. Hebrews 12:28)-- overly casual language therefore not preferable D. Prayer, therefore, with proper address and conclusion, a conversation with God, as a child talks respectfully with his Father, or a servant his lord! III. How to Pray A. If we have ever wondered how we should pray, we should not feel ashamed of the question B. Luke 11:1 1. The disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray 2. Evidently John the Baptist provided similar instructions to his disciples 3. Therefore, it is natural to want to know how best to petition the Father 4. Also, cf. Romans 8:26-- we are not aware of all the things for which we ought to petition God, and the Spirit assists us in that C. The "model"-- the "Lord's Prayer" (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4) 1. Jesus then goes on (in Luke) to provide a model for prayer 2. A similar model presented as part of the "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew 3. Ritual use of prayer misguided-- such is not the intent! 4. Instead, the prayer is a model of the elements that often go into prayer 5. Invocation: Our Father/Father 6. Declaration: "hallowed be Your name" (cf. Numbers 20:12, John 12:28)-- recognizing that God's name is holy, and that He must be reverenced 7. "Your Kingdom come"-- while it is here now (cf. Colossians 1:13), we should still make requests on behalf of the promotion and advancement of the Kingdom and the sustenance of those who do that work (cf. Matthew 9:38, 28:18-20, Romans 1:16, Colossians 4:3, 2 Thessalonians 3:1) 8. "Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven"-- appeal that we die to self, live to God, that His purposes will be accomplished (cf. Matthew 26:39, Galatians 2:20) 9. "Give us this day our daily bread"-- request for sustenance, that God will provide the necessities of life (cf. Matthew 6:25-34) 10. "Forgive our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors"-- request for forgiveness of sin (1 John 1:9), predicated on the recognition that we must forgive others if we will be forgiven ourselves (Matthew 6:14-15, 18:21-35) 11. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"-- not that God actively tempts anyone (James 1:13), but an appeal to be strengthened to avoid temptation and to stand firm (cf. Ephesians 6:10-18, James 1:13-16) 12. Thus we can see that the "Lord's prayer" involves the types of things for which we should pray, not necessarily the exact words to pray D. Thanksgiving 1. Another critical element of prayer is the giving of thanks 2. Tied to prayer in 1 Corinthians 14:14-17, 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 3. We have many reasons for giving thanks a. Physical blessings-- the creation (Genesis 1-2), our material wealth b. Spiritual blessings-- all given in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), Christ, the Word, salvation, the church, etc. 4. Thanksgiving critical for the right perspective 5. When we give thanks, we are humbled by our dependence on God 6. When we give thanks, we recognize how many good things we have-- keeps the challenges of life in focus E. New Testament Prayers 1. We can also learn from prayers offered in the New Testament writings 2. For clarity's sake, we will consider a few that are most explicitly prayer 3. Romans 16:25-27 4. Ephesians 3:20-21 5. Hebrews 13:20-21 6. Jude 1:24-25 7. Many themes abound: appeal to God through Jesus Christ; all glory and praise to Him; petitions for the strengthening, encouraging, and equipping of brethren 8. These can help us better understand how to petition God in prayer, recognizing the situation-- Apostles and their associates writing to churches or Christians in an attempt to encourage them F. Situational Prayers 1. Much of what has been addressed are "general" prayers or "daily" type prayers 2. But what about various situations that we encounter? How shall we pray then? 3. We have seen situational prayers in terms of strengthening Christians from the NT examples 4. There is a wealth of petitions in the Psalms that can be of value in terms of situational prayers 5. Yes, Psalms were sung in Temple services, and can be sung today (cf. Ephesians 5:19) 6. But the Psalms also serve as petitions to God-- thoughts composed that could be used by others to present their feelings toward God 7. Psalm 19: request for holiness, being kept from presumptuous sin 8. Psalm 20: petition for faith 9. Psalm 23 10. Psalm 25: petition for strength in time of difficulty from enemies, distress 11. Psalm 30: request for restoration after presumption 12. Psalm 32: request for forgiveness 13. Psalm 38: request for healing 14. Many, many more could be cited! 15. One could use the words of the psalms themselves, in whole or in part, or use them as a basis for meditation and for one's own expressions to God 16. Nevertheless, there remains this wealth of resource for us to use to make petitions to God in various circumstances! G. Prayers for Others 1. As in all things, prayer not just about ourselves, our own needs 2. We have many others for whom we should pray 3. 1 Timothy 2:1-3: prayer for all men, authorities, so that we can live in tranquility, for people to come to the knowledge of the truth 4. James 5:16-18: praying for one another-- value of the prayer of the righteous 5. As mentioned, prayer for taking Gospel out to the world, those who do so (Matthew 9:38, Colossians 4:3, 2 Thessalonians 3:1) 6. The return of the Lord also features prominently in prayer (1 Corinthians 16:22-- maranatha, "Our Lord, come"; 2 Peter 3:11-12, Revelation 22:20) H. As we can see, the Bible provides plenty of instruction regarding how to pray, and provides insight regarding the types of things for which we should pray! IV. Conclusion A. We have examined how we are to pray B. We have seen some mechanics of prayer C. We have explored Jesus' model prayer, prayer in the NT, petitions based in the Psalms, and prayers for others D. Let us pray without ceasing, always giving thanks to the Father! E. Invitation/songbook