Why Pray?

How long should I pray? Is prayer effective? Does it even matter?

We don't pray because God needs to know about our life, but He does want to hear us talk to Him. And we don't pray because God is a genie who will give me what I want or even, what I think I need.

Prayer is more than that. Join Scott and Dan as they have a conversation about prayer. We pray that this conversation can help you as you walk on your journey with God.

Produced, edited and hosted by Scott Askew and Dan Daugherty

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Hey everybody, this is the Creek cast with Dan and Scott, or Scott and Dan, or whichever one you want to list first. We don't care. It is a Monday, March 9th. Is that correct? That's correct, yes. Oh my Dan, how you doing? Super tired. Yeah, super tired too. Dan and I were just sitting here talking. Do we even bring it up? Do we even bring up how tired we are today? Because we're both uh oh, I could take a nap, that's for sure. Um and I think Dan's right there. So uh and we have comfy chairs in our offices, and it's not well, it would be out of the question if we didn't. It wouldn't be out of the question. Whatever. We might do it if we didn't have an elders' meeting immediately following this. So that's right, that's right. Uh anyway. All right. So welcome, welcome to the Creekast. It is a pleasure to have you here today. We want to talk about um prayer today. Um, and we have had some recent fan mails um concerning um large topics that we're going to prepare for in the future. Um, Calvinism, um, you know, what is our take on Calvinism, on certain tenets of Calvinism, such as predestination, foreknowledge, and things like that. And so um, while we're preparing for those talks, and those will be coming up, I guess, at some point, uh, maybe next week, maybe the next, we're not sure. Um, but today we were talking about, we we had talked about just kind of having a conversation about prayer. And uh prayer always seems to come up when we're talking to folks about it and um the effectiveness and how to. Yeah, the how to and the nuts and bolts of prayer. And and so um I feel like before we begin a talk on prayer, we should probably pray. So uh, Dan, would you open us with prayer? And uh let's uh let's pray, guys.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

All right. Father in heaven, we praise you, we thank you. Lord, we ask that you just bless this conversation today, Lord, uh, as we talk about talking to you, uh, Lord, because that's what prayer is. It's uh it's an open line of communication with with who you are, God, and what you've done. Um, and uh we come before you with humbled hearts uh and lives, Father, to to say thank you for what you've done for us to open that communication. Lord, we ask that you just bless this time, uh, bless these efforts, Father. Um, Lord, we know that we don't know everything there is to know about prayer. Um, because Lord, with you there's always some kind of mystery. And we uh we just ask God that you would just teach us, Lord, more as we learn more. And we ask God that you would just uh uh not only help us to learn it, but to apply it. Lord, just bless this time and we just ask God that you'd bless those who are listening. It's your name you pray, Jesus. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Amen. Amen. So as we start today, we want to kind of jump in with both feet. And um uh, I mean, I I prepared some things and Dan prepared some things. We didn't talk as much this time about what we prepared together because prayer, I you know, in in three decades of ministry, prayer is one of those things that you hear people talk about nuts and bolts and how they do it and everything else, and it's such a honestly, we could probably do a half a year on prayer and still barely really scratch the surface of all the writings and everything else there. I mean, don't you think, Dan, it's uh it's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

Yeah, and there's this uh in and over the the last few decades of learning what prayer is, you know, as as just being a Christian, um scripture speaks abundantly on the subject of prayer. Uh but then you have all these um movements, if you will, that come through our our churches that you know um of of how to pray and um little acronyms and you know that you know thing thing you know acronyms that we've taught before. Acts, ACTS or I just adoration, confession, I do pray, yeah, you know, type and anyway the the the the ones that come through though, like um we got to be very careful because sometimes they're they're not biblical, right? You know, I think of things like contemplative prayer, yeah. Oh yeah, um, you know, which is a huge movement. It is now, it's amazing, especially in women's ministries. Yeah. Um but uh you know explain real quick if you don't mind, God. Contemplative prayer, um, you know, if you if you look at the word contemplative, it just means to think about, basically. I mean to to contemplate, to think. Um, but this practice is not not thinking about prayer. I mean, because prayer does involve thought.

SPEAKER_03 4:39

Right.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

Um contemplative prayer is is relying on the the mysticism of of life, um, which we are told through scripture that this mysticism is not the same as mystery. There's a there's a mystery of God. Um, but this mysticism is something that we have to be very careful of because we're we're dabbling into things we're not supposed to be dabbling in. Right.

SPEAKER_03 5:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Um, this is what the Gnostics did.

SPEAKER_03 5:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Uh mysticism, spiritual, everything's spiritual rather than uh, you know, uh a physical matter, including Christ on the cross. It was not a physical thing, it was a spiritual thing.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

That's what the Gnostics talk about. Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

And so and so we it's a meditative practice, is what it is. Yeah. So the Bible talks about meditation, but it isn't the meditation that we we see in our culture today. It isn't crossing your legs and clearing your mind. Right. It's meditating on God's word, on his presence, uh, meaning that you are uh laser focused on either his word or his presence. Right. Um contemplative prayer is a practice that brings that focus uh into the mysticism area of that. And so um the centering prayer and the things like that, um, you know, trying to hear God's voice and those types of things. I mean, we've got to be very careful because we've got to be um diligent in the way we approach God.

SPEAKER_03 6:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

It seems to me like a lot of these ideas of prayer are very uh me-centered instead of him-centered. Yeah, um, which which I uh is dangerous. Yeah. Um, and so we're approaching God. Yeah, he isn't approaching us. Yeah. And so um, so we need to keep that in mind that as we come around him and trying to center on on him, uh, if you will, that that meditative practice is not biblical.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

No, I I remember there was an article I was reading to prepare for this, and it was a guy who was um he was a plane, he was in a plane, he was landing, and the plane was experiencing problems, and there was wind gust, and they were having to land sideways, and everybody was jostled around. And he said he didn't realize it until the plane landed and they were ushered off the plane very quickly, um, that the people all around him were really shouting things out at God. They were, you know, and he said, he said the saying, there are no atheists in foxholes. And um he he was just talking about how um, but they were they were praying backwards, it seemed like to him. And he couldn't justify the prayers of every one of those people. Maybe they were devout Christians who prayed correctly. He said, But isn't it often the case that our most common prayer is please? Um, and our you know, help me or save me or make sure the van, you know, Ty was just telling Dan our van all the way to Tennessee this weekend and back was giving us trouble and it wouldn't start this morning. Praise the Lord, we got home safe. And I was able to figure out what's wrong. But that that idea of please help me, please help me, please help me, and that doesn't occur until later in the Lord's model prayer. And he said, Why is it that we pray backwards? We pray for gimme, gimme, gimme now, and we don't recognize the father relationship that we should have with him, you know, and that was something that really because it puts us before him when we pray. And that should never be the case.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

And and that's exactly what contemplative prayer does because it's it to me, it's it's no different than the Eastern mysticism, religious new age cult, yeah type practices. Right where it's it's this it's this clearing of mind, it's in the and and the grace of the open spirituality that uh uh among among uh that all religions type type of thing that teaches. I mean, in my apologetics class, uh my theology class that I'm teaching at at the at the Christian school uh for 11th graders, we we're we're talking about right now the um the different types of uh religious practices and cults and stuff. And uh, you know, that's that's a huge one. Um I mean, you can get as far as you know the people who practice with crystals and you know rocks and stuff like that, and um, or just the people who who just you know sit there and and just ground themselves in the earth and you know, none of which is biblical. No, no, no, none of that is, and none of it's biblical.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

I like uh Tyler Staden, who wrote um Pray Like Monks, Live Like Fools. He um he writes about the practice that he has where he reads his he reads scripture, prays before he reads scripture. He asks God to exp, you know, help him understand what he's reading. Yeah, and after he's finished with it, he carries in his mind, he doesn't, you know, and this is where it kind of got me a little bit. I still like the practice, but it's really close. And so what he does is he takes in his mind his Bible into a room and Jesus is sitting at a table and he sets the Bible on the table and he asks the Lord in that prayer, he says, Father, tea or Jesus, teach me what you would teach me, but he's focused on Christ. Right. And I think sometimes contemplative prayer just focuses on you know it's a shotgun approach, right? Well, let me let me look at the sky and see what's going to speak to me today, and it's dangerous. It really is.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

Yeah, yeah. It it it throws to me, it throws out uh John 14, 6.

SPEAKER_03 9:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:50

Um I am the way, the truth, and life, no one comes to the Father except through me. Yeah, when when you when you invite in a practice that is not biblical, you are in a dangerous place. That's right. And so, you know, it it Jesus says, if you're not for me, you're against me.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

You're against me, there is no medal.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Yeah, yeah. And so, um, you know, and so so we've got to be very careful on on the the the movements, if you will, or the the new fads of prayer. Um, uh, you know, like if you remember the prayer of Jabez, um Bruce Wilkinson right there. Yeah, that was a huge, huge movement. Yeah, you looking back, it's like, man, we were so naive.

SPEAKER_00 10:33

Oh, yeah. Yeah. We were so naive. And I think the concept of the prayer of Jabez was that if you ask God for something, ask him to increase it in such a way that you can be a blessing to other people. Right. But it there is no formulaic prayer that gives you things in the Bible. That's not what scripture's point is. Even if you read the Psalms, even if you read, you know, uh, what is it, Luke 11, 9, ask and it shall be given to you, knocking you shall door will be open, seeking you will find, or however that order is, I'm sure I messed that up. When you when you talk about prayer, prayer isn't a prayer isn't a formulaic, even within the Lord's model prayer, right? It's not a formulaic idea. It's a it's an idea of coming to God with him as the center, with him as the provider, with him as the gracious God that he is, and yet a God of holiness that I am not able to attain to without him and his and his power. And so um the prayer I remember the prayer of Jabez well because I read that book in one night. Yep, and then I'm sitting there going, Well, I know even in my stupidity, I remember thinking, well, I can't just pray this prayer and get what I want. Right, right, right. But what it did cause me to do that night is it caused me to lay the book to the side. And I actually did pray that night. I said, Lord, whatever you want me to do, I'm gonna do. Open the door and I'll walk through it. Uh, just show me the way and and I'll and I'll do it. But I was also in a season where, you know, my my heart, I wanted to go to Australia, I wanted to be the dive instructor, and yet I knew God was calling me into ministry and I was doing everything I could to get out of it.

SPEAKER_02 12:06

Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

And so I prayed that prayer that night, though, with the idea that if God sends me into ministry, I'll go, but I just didn't see how he'd do it. And the next morning I walk in and I'm fired from my job at the swimming pool teaching diving. And I was like, and it wasn't the prayer of Jabez, it was a prayer, I think, that God, I surrender to you and I'll do whatever you tell me to do with my whole heart. And when God, when I did that, it was well prepared. They were planning on firing me long before that, but it it took my heart aligning with God, and that's another thing that prayer does. Prayer should align our hearts to God rather than align God's heart to ours. Yes. God's heart's in the right place. Yes, it usually isn't. Right.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Well, it's why Jesus even prays, which you know, we believe in the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, um, one God, triune God, uh, and three personages. Um, but Jesus' prayer is not my will but yours. That's right. Um, you know, and so uh why why in on earth would we um would we take take a prayer and say, you know, and make it so us centered that we're not seeking the will of God. Right. Um, you know, because I I prayed those prayers too back back in the day when I was trying to figure out what I was gonna do with my life. And um I wanted to play college football and be a uh conservation officer. Um God had different plans. And you know, my prayer was always um God um make this happen.

unknown 13:35

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

And then at the very end, I'd say, but but of course your will be done. Right. Like my heart was not postured in in God's presence, it was postured in my my own ambition and desire.

SPEAKER_03 13:46

Right.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

And so, you know, and so that's you know, and we'll talk about it in a minute, but you know, what are the things that are foundational to have a good prayer life? Yeah, um, that we need to have that that biblically speaking, yeah, um, that that we need to kind of take in and say, okay, um, I'm not perfect, but you know, these things are are in order. Um, and so uh, but one of those things is is is seeking and approaching God with humility, yeah. And laying our desires out.

SPEAKER_03 14:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:16

And because he he does care about our desires, but scripture over and over and over and over and over tells us that as we begin to desire more of God, we will desire more of what he wants.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

That's right. So when we align with him, and that's I I'm glad you brought up Jesus praying because I I wrote down a few of Jesus' prayers just where they were. In Luke 6, 12, right before Jesus picks the twelve apostles, what does he do? It says, In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them the twelve. Um, so before he chooses his disciples, he goes out and pray. In Luke 9, 18, um, he's he's getting ready to ask the disciples, um, who do you say that I am? Right before that, he prays. You know, is it time, Lord, for me, is it time, Father, to for me to reveal myself to my disciples truly? And so, um, and and that's where Peter, of course, says, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And then in Luke 9.29, um, he's getting ready to be transfigured. He prays uh while he's on the Mount of Transfiguration, then is transfigured. Of course, the night before he's crucified, he prays. And then um, and then in Luke uh 3.21, um, he prays uh after he's baptized. Dan just preached about that, and he's prayed after he's baptized, and we have the the appearance of the Trinity right there uh in front of in front of people, and and it's just these these times Jesus' prayers were powerful, but they're also models of when we seek God's will in prayer, his will be done. And yes, the Bible says, ask, ask and it will be given to you, but but according to what? According to God's will, not our will. That's right. Yes. And that's the kicker. Yeah. Yeah. Because again, we put ourselves in the middle of our prayers.

SPEAKER_01 15:57

So so then then uh effectively we can say no amount of money you give, no amount of time you give, no amount how many seeds you sow into somebody's ministry, that is not going to affect what how God answers you. Exactly right. Exactly right. So why do we fall for that crap?

SPEAKER_00 16:14

I don't know. Well, because again, we're we look at ourselves because we're me centered. Yeah, we're me centered. And I I really think I guess and I guess there's a whole psychology that we could have gone through with this. Because the psychology of prayer is really interesting to me because we we pray to get things, but then again, I think there's sometimes when we're almost bipolar about it, about prayer, because we're we pray to get things on one end, because we know the Bible says to pray and receive and stuff. Um, but at the very same time, we're almost afraid to approach God sometimes for forgiveness because we feel like we don't deserve it. Right. And for some stupid reason, we're almost sadist in it that that we're we're hurting ourselves in the process of not finding forgiveness because we can't we don't possibly deserve that. So even when we ask for forgiveness, it's like asking for something that we feel we know we can't achieve and therefore we're not worth it, right? And all this stuff. And and I'm not getting into the self-esteem thing. I'm just saying that if if God tells us I forgive you through Christ, right, then yeah, you don't deserve it. But Christ has given that to you. It's a gift, and it's not a guilt thing. Right. I don't know why we live in guilt so much as Christians, and I hear it all the time. I feel guilty, I feel guilty, I feel guilty. And of course, we would go, well, stop sinning. But but when we go to God with it, I think it ties into this idea. Um, Jesus goes to God because I mean he had every he had every knowledge that he could, he was his father, but at the very same time, to ask for those things, it was in within the will of God. And part of the will of God is for you to be forgiven in Christ Jesus. And that's something that we have to embrace. That yes, we will fail, but but we also have this incredible and amazing grace through Jesus that puts us in a position to receive God's blessings. And that's I don't know why the psychology is that we don't deserve it, but I guess that's just the world we live in. And again, me centered because of the world we live in. Yep, yep. But it's crazy. I don't know, it's just nuts. So I I like the passage in Nehemiah 2.4. I've always loved it where Nehemiah is talking to Artaxerxes and um the king. You couldn't make the king mad, uh, or you couldn't let the king think that he upset you. I mean, you're talking about a bad guy. The this king was a bad guy. Yep. And then um Nehemiah looks sour because he's been praying about the walls of Jerusalem for like three or four months. And I mean, praying, like all the time praying. And then Artaxerxes it says, Then the king said to me, uh, what are you requesting? And so Nehemiah is ready for this, right? He knows exactly what he's gonna say. And so me, I would just blurt out, yeah, I gotta go back to Jerusalem. But the passage actually says, Then the king said to me, What are you requesting? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I love it that in the midst of this great question that he's been waiting for four months to approach with the king, he doesn't answer, he stops and he prays. And what is the priority of prayer, Dan, in in your life, and why why do you like approach God the way that you do in prayer? Um and I know it's not about you, but I mean, what do you what are you thinking when you come before God? To me, prayer is warfare.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

Um prayer is is uh is the is a weapon that God gives us in the midst of the warfare. Um so therefore it's vital. Yeah. It is absolutely vital. If you are a Christian and you don't pray, you're going to lose. Yeah. You're going to lose these battles. Um, first of all, you're living out of disobedience. Right. Um, but second of all, you're you're you're you're missing the greatest opportunity to tap into the greatest power that's ever been and ever will be. And so like, why would you not? Right. Um and and again, I I'm not I'm not a great prayer. Right. Um I I wouldn't put myself in the great prayer category either. No, I I I struggle with it. Um because maybe maybe at times I'm too cautious on how do I appro how I approach God.

SPEAKER_02 20:20

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:21

Um, but and on the flip side, like like in the back of my mind, like I have to remind myself that I'm approaching the God of the universe. That's right, who loves me, but there's still a there's still a fear that I have of God, of an awe that I have before him and a reverence before him when I when I'm talking with him. Um and sure, I I think I can go before him and and talk to him like I would you or my, you know, or like an earthly father or something like that. Um but um but on the flip side too, it's like I I'm coming before before the maker of the heavens and the earth, the one who who spoke and it happened. And so like like I still have that in the back of my mind when I go to pray, that okay, I'm I'm coming before God. Um and so, you know, but but I have to treat it as as as warfare. It it's it's um we l we live in two realities. We live in a physical and we live in a spiritual. The scriptures are very clear about that. That's why Paul writes that we need to fix our eyes on the the unseen, not the seen. Um because the seen is temporary. The unseen is the eternal things. And so um, so we live in we live at the same time in those those two realities. And so um, without prayer, um we're not we're not going to have any any type of um breakthrough when it comes to um how we live in that spiritual realm. Um because there's a battle going on. And so I so I I treat it, I treat it as an essential element to my faith. It's it's a it's a it's a non negotiable. Yeah, absolutely. I I don't have an option, right? I have to pray.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Right. And so everything that we have should drive us to pray.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

And so, you know, then comes to so how do you do it? And, you know, what's gotta be in line and all that stuff. And and like all that aside, I I knowing I have to pray and it's not an option, I have to come before the Lord and offer up who I am to him because it's him, it's not me. And I have to, I have to submit right then and there to his authority, not my desires and wants. Right. And so it's hard because you know, we we treat we treat God as this magic genie.

unknown 22:33

Right.

SPEAKER_01 22:33

Where if you just, you know, I we get three wishes and he'll grant whatever we want. And that's that's just not the case. Wishing for more wishes. Right, right. And so so, you know, when I come before him, I have to come uh with with a with a sense of brokenness.

SPEAKER_02 22:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:45

Um, it's like what I talked about yesterday during my sermon. You know, the whole sermon was was centered on uh John's call out of the wilderness into repentance. And what does it mean to repent and and have life in Christ? Right. Um, because that's who he's pointing to. Um, you know, without repentance, you don't have life. It's not just saying, yeah, I believe. That's great. You know, the Bible says to repent. And so we've got to come to that point of repentance. And that's, you know, for me, every time I come into prayer, I come in with repentance. I come in with adoration first. And I I I do the pray, uh, pray thing. So I come in with P being praise, praise and adoration. Then I get that R meaning repentance. So I I gotta come broken before God. And so I have to lay out all that I am before Him. And then that A for pray is another. And so I lift up other people, their needs, uh, their whatever it's health or or financial need or whatever like that. And then that why is I finally I pray for the things that that that I I have on my heart uh concerning myself. So it's yourself. Um, and so I've just kind of had that as a practice of mine because I don't know how to pray really well.

SPEAKER_00 23:55

Right.

SPEAKER_01 23:55

I if I don't do it that way, then I then I forget I'll I'll put myself before before uh adoration or praise.

SPEAKER_00 24:03

And I think and I think most people would find themselves in that situation from time to time where they do put themselves first. And if you realize that and you're praying, stop. Yeah, repent. Go to God and say, Father, I'm sorry. I I I was placing my needs above above what you what you want of me. And and then go back because God is forgiving. It's not it's not a you didn't make a mistake. I think a lot of people I know me before when I was younger, I would stop and go, I really jacked this prayer up, so I'm just gonna go on and uh and give up. There there is no giving up in prayer. Um and God, look, God already knows what you need. That's right. It it's the it's the dependence upon ourselves and the and the and this this culture of a heart that is navigating closer and closer towards God over time. And and when you navigate closer to him, you learn of his holiness, you learn of his great power, you stand in awe of him, and the closer you get. I know when the apostles, you know, asked Jesus how to pray, they were already praying. I mean, they they were already praying. And Jesus said, you know, we'll pray like this, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. And that right there kind of sets things where they should be because it it it puts them in a place where they know who God is and they knew who they were. You know, I'm not God, you know, our our father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. And then they learn that he's holy, and they learn where what the responsibilities are of both parties. And so when Jesus said that to the apostles for the first time, the apostles aren't like us. When we hear our father who art in heaven, we've said it so many times that we just it just it's it's nothing.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

I mean, we it's just it's it's tradition, it's ritual, it's not a good thing.

SPEAKER_00 25:42

Yeah, it's eaten up and all that. But when he said it to his apostles, our father who art in heaven, when he used that word our father, they would have gasped. They would have been like, well, well, no, you can't, you can't say our father. That is they had been raised in a strict school of such reverence that our father was way too far. And the thing is, is that you can say in our father and have that reverence for him that he deserves, but you have to be mindful of it. You can't be unmindful and pray. And that's why I think a lot of people do write stuff down or they they use the Bible to guide them to pray. And I'm fine with that. If people want to use the Psalms and you know, kind of use the Psalms to guide them in prayer.

SPEAKER_01 26:27

And we we should. We should pray, we should pray the scriptures.

SPEAKER_00 26:31

Absolutely. We should constantly. There's a there's a thing with David Platt. Um, uh it's a podcast, and I was looking it up, and it's it's only like six to eight minutes long a day. But what he does is he reads one verse of scripture and then he kind of explains it and then he prays it. Yeah, and I think it's a good little it was a it for me, the few that I listened to were good little practice on just how to take passages in the Bible and learn how to pray them because that's something that I've never been great at. Psalms, yeah, I can pray the Psalms, right? But he he prayed Leviticus 1-4. And I was like, How in the world are you gonna pray Leviticus? But he's he did a really good job with it, and that's that's something that I think we can do. Oh, yeah, but it has to start with God, not with us, and he is the father, and we are the child, and the child is is obedient, and and and God blesses obedience.

SPEAKER_01 27:18

So and I love what Psalm 8, um, speaking of the Psalms, what Psalm 8, 4 says, what is man that you are mindful of? Yeah, yeah, uh, and the son of man that you care for him. And so, like, like like that should be our posture. Yeah, like like God, and it's not we're not telling you God is not going to hear your prayers if you don't have a certain formula, right? Right, right. Um, God, God hears the cries, and the Psalms are are are very, very clear on that, that he hears the cries of his people. Yeah, um, but the cries of his people are not being being lifted up as um me-centered cries. Uh if if they are, it's because of their brokenness and their, you know. Um, and so uh I think we need to keep in mind what what the psalmist writes in in Psalm 8 is that you know, what is who is man that you God are mindful of him? Like you would listen to us. Like I mean, it's such a such an amazing, amazing passage.

SPEAKER_00 28:16

Absolutely. And some, of course, uh a good psalm for that, and I'm glad you said that, because you know, we we're talking about not putting yourself in the middle of it. And we do honor God, but there are some times when you go to God broken. I remember um a friend named Connie, and uh Connie has passed on uh now, but uh, and I've told this story so many times, but I went to visit her at her mom's house. She was living with her mom, and she I think she had MS, and and it was just slowly, you know, deteriorating everything that she had. And and uh she comes walking down the hallway, collapses. There were handrails on the hallway, and she missed one and she collapsed in the floor. And I ran over and I I asked her, Was she okay? And um, I sat down beside her in the hall. And I remember those I was young, man, I was so young. And um, I had known her since I was a little kid, and I was just in the footsteps of ministry, just in the first few. And um, she looked at me and she said, I don't know how to pray. She didn't talk about her fall, she didn't talk about anything else. She said, I don't know how to pray. And I said, and I and and the Holy Spirit probably gave me the words, but I said, Connie, I think you start with, Father, I love you. I need help. And and to this day, that prayer acknowledges God first, yeah, my love for him, and then and then I need your help. And while that doesn't sound like a great prayer, I'm not saying you have to be a great prayer. Um, I've known great prayers. I've known people who could pray the King James Bible under the table. I mean, they were just the these and the thou's and the wilt snots and the, you know, and everything else. And I'm sitting there going, man, that guy's like, if this was the Olympics of prayer, he'd get gold medal. I mean, that's that's impressive. You know, I'm I'm, you know, not even in the arena, but I mean that that's impressive. But that's not that doesn't have to be how prayer is. Prayer is an honest coming to God. And and if your heart's in the right place, then it it acknowledges who God is and who you are, and it sets you in a place where you can actually have the right heart about it. And guys, if you're not hearing the theme that we keep beating around here, let's be clear. We are talking about your humble heart coming before the God of the universe. That's right. That's what we're talking about. It's not about me getting a genie rub or me, you know, figuring out the the meaning of life all in one flail swoop. It's about me coming to God repeatedly through days and through weeks and through months of prayer faithfully because he is God and I am his child, and by the blood of Jesus Christ I am saved, and I have a lot to be thankful for. That's right. And when my heart's in that position, then I can come to the Lord in prayer properly. Doesn't matter about form. I mean, I mean it does. You have to acknowledge him. But it but if you're praying alphabet prayers or you're praying, you know, where you pray for everything A, B, C, D, E, or, or you're writing your prayers down, you start in the right place and you tend to finish in the right place too.

SPEAKER_01 30:58

Because how many people have you known? I've known a few where they are great prayers. Yeah. But they are terrible Christians.

SPEAKER_00 31:06

They I it it's unbelievable when you say that, how how many faces, and I'm not being judgmental in my heart. No, not at all. But how many, I probably four or five faces popped in mind of people who were tremendous prayers, especially in public, but really struggled with their private life. Right. And um, some of them are better, some of them aren't. But yeah, it it's it's it's not about the show. No, Jesus even says that. He says, Don't be like the hypocrites and stand on the street corner, with their hands in the air, but yeah, he says they he says they've received their reward, and what's their reward? The the praise of man. He said, Go into your closet, close the door, and you'll be rewarded. And what's the reward? It's the presence of God.

SPEAKER_01 31:46

Which which is funny in and of itself because now we've got this movement of prayer closets. Yeah, yeah. And is Jesus telling you to go find a closet and dedicate? No, he is not. That is not what he's saying. He's talking about privacy. That's right. He's talking about a heart that is not um looking for uh public accolade. That's right. It's it's a heart that is surrendered to God. And so that if you if and when you do pray in public, that is what's reflected. It's not you. It's the heart. It's the heart. It's it's who you who you are. Yeah. Um he wasn't literally talking about going having a closet. Right.

SPEAKER_00 32:27

Now, if you do that, that's the Jews, the Jews didn't have closets as far as I know. They had one room houses.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

Yeah, I mean, Dan Daniel, I mean, Daniel's a great example. When he went and prayed, and he was told not to. Yep. Um, he went to his home and he prayed. Yep. And he got in trouble. He prayed by the window, he, you know, and they got massive amounts of trouble. He still found out about it. Yeah. Um, you know, so again, I I'm not knocking you if you have a special room in your house or a closet where you go and pray, but that's not what what Jesus was trying to say.

SPEAKER_00 32:58

He was saying that your prayer and guys, if and Dan mentioned earlier that it that prayer is a weapon, and I believe it is. And if if if it's a weapon, you know, I've I've never been in war, I've never trained with weapons heavily, except when I was young and we we shot a lot, guns and rifles and stuff. And um, but I did I did coach a lot of basketball. And one of the things I always told my basketball players was we practice in private so that we can play in public. Yes. And and I I'm not saying that that you play as a Christian, but what I am saying is that the things that we do in private fuel the public life. And if you're out there in public and you're drained, or you're out there in public and you don't have anything to go on and you don't have the energy to serve and you don't have the desire to love your neighbor, I would say that you're you're not putting the right fuel in the engine to begin with. Right. And the fuel is is prayer. It's it's private prayer, reading scripture, it's it's us. And we I know we talk about scripture and prayer, scripture and prayer. Those those fix everything. Well, guys, that's because they kind of do. When we do them in the right heart, they do kind of fix everything. And uh when we're willing to read scripture and pray to God over the scripture, with the scripture, and and and take God's will above our own, then incredible things can happen.

SPEAKER_01 34:11

And it's not magic, it's God's power.

SPEAKER_00 34:13

It's not. There's nothing magical. There's no there's no mantras, there's no there's no chakras. It's who you're depending on. That's right. It's all about surrender. Isn't it crazy that we that we love a Jewish carpenter who left the throne room to come to earth to touch lepers and be joked that he parties too much um and and to wash his servant's feet, one of whom was about to betray him. Right. And and yet that humility is what we're looking for in prayer. And um the world builds you up. And I understand that. But man, you've you've got to be broken to come before the Lord. The Lord loves a contrite heart. That's right. He truly does, one that's broken in repentance before him.

SPEAKER_01 35:02

So so with that, I I think uh I just wanted to share seven uh I have seven foundational elements of prayer um for the sake of time because uh we do have an elders' meeting to get to. So I'm not sure what we're at yet. We're at 35. 35 minutes. This is gonna be one of the shortest podcasts you'll probably hear here. So we'll let Dan do these seven and we'll probably wrap up. But uh no, I I I wanna and we've talked about these uh, you know, uh there's no in particular order here. Uh we've talked a lot about these uh so far, but um effective prayer rests on on foundational things in scripture. And these are all these are all scriptural. Um maybe in the show notes, if I have time, uh we'll we'll put the scripture references here, but um, these are easy that you can find them. Um number one is keeping God's commandments is a foundational element of your prayer life. Yes. Um living in obedience.

SPEAKER_00 35:56

Yep. Obedience has to be a part of it. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 35:58

If you are living in your in your if you're trying to follow Jesus in disobedience, and I said this in my sermon that you can go back and watch it. Um I I said very clearly the fact, you know, we we argue about baptism and what's it for? Why should I do it? Do I have to do it? The answer is yes. It's a command. Jesus said to do it, so you should be baptized. That's right. Period. Why are we arguing about this? Because we like arguing. Yes, and we like honestly, I'm tired of it. We're prideful about things. Just do it because it is obedience. Right. So if you're living in disobedience and you're trying to pray to God about things, I mean, what what's the point of that? You're right, you're in you haven't aligned yourself fully with Christ. It doesn't mean you're gonna be perfect. Right. So we we think that, oh, I I I messed up, I can't, he's not gonna hear my cries. That's not what we're saying. No, we're talking about the habitual living in in sin, the lifestyle of sin. That's right. Yeah. Number two is align your requests with his will rather than your own. That's right. Um, you know, you have to you have to pray, God will listen to everything you have to say, but if it's not his will, it's not gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00 37:04

Jesus knew what was gonna happen in the Garden of Gethsemane, and yet he still prayed, Father, take this cup from me, not my will, but your will be done. Right.

SPEAKER_01 37:12

So so instead of praying, God, uh uh I need more money. Right. So, you know, if if you could bless these amount of numbers that I've I've bought here. Add a zero to my banking account. Yeah, um, you're you're missing the point. So put your put your life in in line with his will and say, God, teach me to be better with what you've already given me.

SPEAKER_00 37:33

Yeah. Yeah. I mean and and it's it's again aligning to his purpose rather than ours.

SPEAKER_01 37:42

Because if you're a jerk and you're poor, you're gonna be a jerk when you're rich.

SPEAKER_00 37:44

That's right. So it's not gonna change a whole lot.

SPEAKER_01 37:46

Align your heart with God's will and then you'll be good. Um, number three is approaching prayer with humility. We've talked a lot about that. It's not about you. Right. He is God, you are not. Uh, number four, maintaining holiness in both heart and conduct. Okay, you should you should conduct yourself um in a in a way uh that is in line with what you say. Um and and so um you fall in private long before you fall in public. That's right. And so you need to you need to maintain a holiness, uh, a separateness. Uh it doesn't mean that you can't do certain things. This isn't a can or cannot do thing. It's is this in line with what God would want me to do and to be according to his word? And am I conducting myself in private the same way I'm conducting myself in public?

SPEAKER_03 38:34

Right.

SPEAKER_01 38:34

Um, also, number five, praying with genuine passion and intensity. Um if you if you're approaching God and there's there's just no life in you, I mean, again, I I say that I say this in my class all the time on Sunday mornings. Um that the the idea of a a Christian who is grumpy is an oxymoron. The mo the most joyful people in the world should be Christ's followers. And so this goes with prayer. Like when you're coming to the Lord and you're and you're less like just joyless and you're I mean, uh come to him with passion um because you're coming before the Lord, who is a passionate God, who who seeks and seeks you, and he finds you, and you and you are put with uh with this power of his spirit inside to to do these things and and then the intensity that you have uh matters. I mean, come before him and you know, just because that that's God is this way, God is intense.

SPEAKER_00 39:37

And Dan's not saying that we won't have bad days. No, we we will struggle with some things, but if you're consistently coming to the Lord a grump, consistently coming to the Lord with nothing, yeah, then then that that's a that's a that's when you need to really repent and humble yourself before the Lord and and find the find them find the majesty in Him and Scripture and uh and just have someone preach the gospel to you again. That's why Christians should preach the gospel to each other constantly.

SPEAKER_01 40:02

So number six, establishing consistent prayer habits. Um make it a habit. Yeah. If if it's a certain time of day that is easier for you to devote to prayer, do that.

SPEAKER_02 40:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:15

Um, but again, prayer doesn't have to be a um uh before bed or before meal time. It it's it's Paul says pray without what? Ceasing. And so our conversation with God should continue on throughout the day. But there are certain points of like, you know, whether it's in the morning before you start your day uh or at night before you you you lay your head down, um, have have passionate, intense prayer with him and be consistent in that. Um when people ask you to pray, and I'm I'm big on this, and and this is just me, I'm not saying this is a biblical mandate. Uh this is Dan speaking, this is uh first Dan chapter one, verse three. Um basically, like if you ask me to pray for you and I know I'm not gonna pray for you, I'm not gonna tell you yes. Right.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

I I I really want to cultivate more of the habit, which I I think I've done better lately, is when someone asks me to pray for them, I just go ahead and do it. And um, I just put my hand on their shoulder and say, okay, let's pray. Or I take their hand and say, Let's pray.

SPEAKER_04 41:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:15

And uh, but I agree with you. Don't don't tell somebody you're gonna pray for them and then don't. Uh we had a prayer request come through late last night, and uh Dan messaged me and said there was a prayer. And so I made sure I told Dan I would pray, so I made sure I prayed. I mean it's just following up with the same.

SPEAKER_01 41:29

I I stopped, I stopped right there when I got it and I started praying.

SPEAKER_00 41:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:32

Um and that's what we should do. And that's that's the consistency in prayer.

SPEAKER_02 41:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:37

Uh it is inconsistent when you tell people I'm gonna pray for you, and then you don't.

SPEAKER_00 41:42

Yeah, and then you and then you and if you find yourself forgetting, if you find yourself a little notepad helps, or take out your phone and open the notes app and just write down, pray for so and so, or make it a reminder. I mean, we've got to become more intentional about these things so that we're actually following through.

SPEAKER_01 41:57

Yep, that's all a part of the consistent prayer happening. And lastly, trusting in God's promises. Yeah, we should pray with expectation. Expectation that God hears us, number one, and that God has the best intent and intention for us.

SPEAKER_03 42:11

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 42:12

Um, he doesn't seek to harm us, he doesn't seek to cause pain. That's right. God always wants what is best, but it's according to his will, not ours. That's right. And so we have to be okay with that. We trust in God's promises. Every promise he's ever made, he's fulfilled, and he is continuing to fulfill. And so we don't have a faith in a God we can't see or whatever. We we have a faith in a God who is committed to his promises and who is a a a God of his word. Um uh and you you are, if you're saved, you are you are living approved for that. Um but he's consistent and he and his promises are true. And so when we come to the Lord in prayer, we should know we're coming before the Lord of hosts who hears your cries and who will answer the prayer according to his will, and we just have to trust that he knows what he's doing.

SPEAKER_00 43:06

Yep. I and I agree. I as you're saying that I'm sitting here thinking of different psalms that you know to that, and one that sticks out, of course, is Psalm 42, where it's you know, as the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, oh God. My soul thirst for God, for the living God. Who when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, where is your God? And um this this psalm continues. I think it I think Psalm 42 and 43 are actually one writing, but they're separated into two psalms. But it's um it's a psalm that the the psalmist writes he's far away from uh he or she, because I don't think it's ascribed to David. Who's ascribed to? Yeah. Yeah, it's just yeah, oh to the choir, oh to the choir masculine masculine of the sons of Korah. So um, but it's it's a um it's a psalm that basically says I'm far away from God and I want to draw nearer. And guys, look, you you can go to God today praying. I don't know what you're praying about. I mean, you know, there there's no telling what you're praying about. Maybe you're praying for a loved one to be healed, or maybe you're praying for a child to come home, or you know, maybe, I don't know, maybe you're praying for, you know, this a bump that you have somewhere, um, or maybe you're praying for a loved one who's, you know, in dementia or going through Alzheimer's or whatever. I I don't know what you're praying for today. But it all begins like like Dan just gave us this list. It all begins with us approaching God correctly. Yeah. Not from a standpoint that He is Amazon or a genie going to give us what we want if we ask the right way. That's that it's not a it's not about asking the right way. Yeah, say please, say say the magic word. It's nothing about that. It is about us coming to the God of the universe and understanding that we don't have any right to be there on our own. We right we're standing before the God of creation who is majestic and beautiful and and is holy, and to be able to actually be in his presence is is not just something that Jesus did, it is everything that Jesus did. And and we may say, Oh, well, I just have to surrender, and it's it's not no, you surrender everything because Jesus did. That's right. And so to draw near to God is I I I hope that if you're worried about how to pray, I hope that you understand it starts with Father, I come to you humbly. Please forgive me of my sin because you are glorious, you are amazing, you're incredible, and you've provided Jesus to do so. And and if it starts in a contrite heart, the Bible says a a broken reed, he will not what is it? Broken reed, he will not I forget the passage. Yeah, some of you are listening to this going, oh a broken reed, he will not uh but uh uh uh uh he will not he will not stu snuff out a uh oh geez, and I mess up a passage on the podcast. I can't remember. Can you find it real quick?

SPEAKER_01 46:07

Yep. It is Isaiah 42, 3. A bruised reed he will not break. Yeah. And a smoldering wick. He will not snuff out. He will not snuff out.

SPEAKER_00 46:19

Yeah. So that sometimes you are that that bruised reed, and sometimes you are that that wick. And um, and when you come, come humbly, because there's still there's still that majesty there within us. The Holy Spirit still resides. So um we should um we should come to him correctly. Come to him broken. That's right. Because that's what we are. Yep. And and the faster you realize the brokenness, the the the faster you'll embrace the completion in Christ. Yeah. So all right, guys. Dan, I really appreciate it, buddy. Um, we've got our dad joke 3,000 um again. And uh for those of you who like this part, you're welcome. And for those of you who don't, you can turn off the podcast right now. And uh you won't have to listen to it, but we hope you'll stick around.

SPEAKER_01 47:03

You can send us fan mail of um gift cards for coffee. Oh my goodness, and I'll consider not doing that.

SPEAKER_00 47:12

Oh my goodness. So you're bribing. You're threatening them. Threatening.

SPEAKER_01 47:16

Oh wow, I will keep doing this unless I get coffee. No, just joking. Just joking. All right, here we go. The Nana joke 3,000. We'll we'll now speak. Make a joke. Oh my god. That's great. Toucan. Fantastic.

SPEAKER_00 47:38

All right, so that's fantastic. I will never be able to get that out of my head. That's a that's a great one. That's my favorite one so far. Oh, we need to here. I'm gonna pray. That's my favorite. I think uh we're gonna pray to end this. Go ahead and pray. Oh Lord, Father, we come to you, Lord, humbly, and we thank you for this time we have together. Lord, thank you that we're able to laugh, that we're able to have fun. But Lord, also the privilege to come to you, Lord, not a right, but a but a privilege that you have given to us through your son Jesus Christ, who has affected salvation for us. And Lord, um, that we're able to come uh before you, Lord, to be to be able to speak to you. And Lord, um, in all your majesty and all your glory and all your beauty and all your power. Lord, you're amazing, and we love you so much. Thank you, Lord, for forgiving us when we fail. And Lord, be with us as we try to strive to pray more. And Lord, if there's someone out there who don't know the words to say, let their heart be broken and come before you. And Lord, the Lord, the words will come. Uh Lord, let them speak to you reverently and humbly and let them know you more. We thank you for Jesus Christ, who has done everything for us. And it is in his um majesty that we get to live. And so, Father, bless us now to realize such things and help us, Lord, as we go. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. All right, love you guys. Go eat some fruit loops. We'll see ya.