We should realize that true prayer is not a natural response. We are not naturally bent to pray in the spirit, in truth, and through our real heart looking for God’s will in the prayer.
[This sermon is one of a series entitled "Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes," which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.]
Last week we talked about the state of our nation as compared to God’s standards. We looked at the testimony of Amos to the kings of Judah and Israel. We noted that God does not play favorites. He chose Israel, not because they were the best, or because they were the most handsome group, but only because He wanted to. God expects His chosen people to act as chosen children of His kingdom should act– focused upon Him, humble, meek, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, seeking purity and growing more pure in life every day. His people will be poor in spirit and mourn for those who suffer. He is angered, therefore, when His chosen people are arrogant, overbearing, full of self-righteousness and impure, or when His people are rich with their own spirit and could care less for the less fortunate. In short, when we do the opposite of the Beatitudes because we are given freedom, power, authority or money, it angers God. God was pleased with Job because although Job was the wealthiest man in the area, he was humble and meek toward all his house and servants. God was displeased with Jeroboam and Uzziah because they were proud and arrogant and abused their servants. God judged them by destroying their kingdom and the land they occupied.
This week, we turn to a decidedly more positive subject. Although this section of scripture does not have great glowingly hopeful passages, we find great comfort here. We will attempt, over the next couple of weeks, to answer the question, “How can we best pray to God?” When we think of prayer we consider James 5:16:
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
This verse is rich with theology, penitence, grace, and repentance all rolled into two sentences that tell us what to do, and what happens when we do it. Much of our society, as we have frequently noted, is focused upon individualism, privacy, and its demanding of respect or garnering self-esteem. This verse tells us we have others to help us, and commands us (“confess” is an imperative) to commit our failures and faults to each other so that we may be encouraged. When I read this verse, it makes me think of how many people, worldly or Christian, would first say to themselves, or pray, “Give me the strength to go through with this.” Then they walk up to the person they offended and tell them how they failed them or stole from them, or lied to them. When we have to do these things, we normally do everything we can in order not to repeat the experience. Someone might pray this before speaking to hundreds. In stepping up in character, we frequently realize we do not have the strength to do it on our own. We need courage or strength from outside ourselves to accomplish the task. Personal accountability forces an individual to face reality. Most of this weakness comes from an inner truth that many attempt to deny. This inner truth is that we know we are fallible, we make mistakes, we all have character flaws and there is a perfect, demanding Judge for all of us. We know it. Character flaws drive the Christian to God for improvement. It drives natural man[1] in a variety of directions including substance abuse, overbearing and abusive denial, or just selective ignorance. Some give in to these flaws, accept them as a normalcy that is inherent in man, and see no need to change. These people become morally inept in their apathy. Those who are spiritual despots normally run from this accountability. Not the Christian though; and when the Christian goes to prayer, talking directly to God, he knows where he truly stands. This brings us to our discussion today about praying thoughtfully.
Please look at Matthew 6 and verse 7. Praying thoughtfully is essential when we talk to God. When we last discussed prayer, we talked about the heart that needs to be directly involved in the prayer, your heart. A very important aspect of prayer we should all realize is that God knows what we are going to pray before we pray it. He also knows our true heart in prayer. We will explore these two truths along with our subject today, and to reinforce the meaning of this verse.
The miracle is that we even have prayer. This is an amazing hope, an amazing venue, an amazing reality that we can have a relationship with God. We can express great and frequent gratitude. Every Christian that I know of prays for their food. Many people do this who are not Christians, but claim to be. A number of infidels pray for their food such as Jews, Islamists, Mormons, Catholics and any number of unbelievers in Christ. At Christmas and Thanksgiving, we hear of wonderful prayers from people all around the world and across our nation especially, where people pray over their dinner. We’ll talk about which prayers are actually heard though.
A number of individuals pray regularly. Islamists pray four or five times a day to Satan; a being they have misnamed “Allah.” Jews pray at the Wailing Wall in Israel all day, and some all night long. What does all this mean? It means that every single religion has a standard prayer time, place or occasion. The question is, which is right, and which is effectual? The passage in James we quoted earlier says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Apparently, there are effectual and ineffectual prayers. There are fervent and apathetic prayers. There are also righteous and unrighteous men. Our verse today opens a discussion concerning the ineffectual and apathetic prayer. It deals with prayer that does not necessarily come from the unrighteous, although that may be the case. Today we look at ways to make our prayer effectual by praying the entire contents of our heart as we learned in verse 6. Praying in your heart is not going to manifest itself in words. Though the theme of your prayers may take on a consistent tone, proper prayer from the heart searches for God and is exercised to glorify God.
“Prayer testifies of our true allegiance.” If someone were to analyze your prayer life, what would they find? Would they find consistency? Would they find robotic response? Would they find both? If someone asked you when you pray, what would you answer? If someone asked you what you pray before your meal, what would you say? We could ask how often you pray, and where it is that you are comfortable praying. I believe the most telling question dealing with this subject is, “What do you pray?” Those prayers will tell others whether or not you truly pray from the heart seeking God’s intervention; alternatively, whether or not you truly believe the answers to prayer come from your actions. Essentially, most people say they believe, but they do not pray like believers. As Christians, many of us “say we believe, but we do not pray like believers.”
It may be good to do a “Tim’s translation” here. If we translate this verse very literally, we find,
“but praying one should not babble, as the heathen (pagan or Gentile) seem to, for (they suppose or presume is the sense conveyed) that in many words they will be heard.”
We have covered much ground concerning the first two words of our verse “but praying.” We found weeks ago that praying is an expected endeavor in the believer’s life. Therefore, we will concentrate on what is entailed and included in these prayers–what and how to actually pray to God. That is the crux of this discussion today. We will consider heartfelt prayers of the Christian as opposed to the repetitive prayers of the natural man. Moreover, we will consider when those prayers are actually heard. One could ask, When does God hear me?
I. Prayer from the Heart (Verse 7b)
On any given Sunday, every individual walks into this assembly with a myriad of issues on their heart. This exact same scenario is played out in most every town across our nation, and many around the world. Some have marital problems. Some have children with problems. Others have grand children who have significant problems. Some have medical problems. Some are enduring emotional distress and depression. Some deal with spiritual problems. All deal with them internally; but many do not turn them over to God.
Another heart concern that is certainly common is salvation. Many people walk into churches or some religious assembly somewhere truly searching for God. What they want is freedom from the problems in their life. God can provide a release, a relief in the form of truth, but many do not immediately understand they will still have to deal with the issues, what ever they are, in any case. God does not just come into your life and make everything perfect. You still have to live your life. The difference is who you live it for, and where your ending destination turns out to be. That is why salvation is always the first step.
Other conditions drive people to be here and drive people to prayer in the process. Some just cry out when alone for help. Some cry out when tormented by the stresses of life. Some seek God for simple assurance that they are doing the right thing. People cry out from their deathbed. Parents, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters cry out for their loved ones who are on their deathbed or threatened with death. We can go on and on about why people break down and cry out to God. The bottom line is, are these prayers actually from the heart?
A heartfelt prayer, a real heartfelt prayer, normally emanates from a heart that is not necessarily searching for instant relief, but for a complete change. Whatever the case may be, an individual who is issuing a heartfelt prayer, even in exasperation, is doing so and saying ultimately that they will change, they will repent, they will submit. There may be some here who have been at that end, at that point. Heartfelt prayer seeks change and looks at change as the answer. It is in itself different every time it is spoken. This is why vain (thoughtless) repetition is ineffectual. Heartfelt prayer is unique every time it is brought before God, even if it is in the same theme as a previous prayer. Heartfelt prayer communicates with God, listens to God, and seeks within the heart the things of God in order to bring about peace and calm, a sense of understanding with God. I have heard many tell of repeated relief in a situation whenever they commune with God in prayer. If from the heart, prayer is not a mindless repetition of some written words that we elicit either in mind or vocally. Instead, it is deep, soul searching, change for God.
During the opening of the services today we announced the Haiti disaster and opened our offering plates for Bibles International. Many of you have heard that a 7.0 earthquake struck there. Those of us with friends located there have been praying for their preservation in the Lord. Equally, we know the Lord will execute His will. Still, many cry out for preservation of their loved ones. No doubt, there will be prayers of anguish, prayers of deep suffering, prayers of great depressive loss, and prayers seeking answers for the disaster in Haiti. Mingled with these prayers will be prayers of repentant salvation. Of all the prayers that waft up to God, the ones that He hears are from the heart, of true change, or of heartfelt gratitude in God’s preservation. Some will find the truth of the Savior in the Son of God. When an unbeliever’s prayer reaches out for the truth in Christ and wafts up to the Father, it is heard.
Many of those who reach out for deliverance from their current situation, for relief from the emotional anguish they are experiencing, or deliverance from physical pain are doing so in an effort to end the moment. When people pray from the heart, truly they are inside their heart, looking at their heart, searching for the truth in their heart, and desiring changes in their heart through their prayers with God. The prayers of most people, although they seem heartfelt, are nothing of the sort. They are prayers that will be repeated, they will come again and again to the unsaved. Many unsaved folks develop a calloused heart that their prayers are not answered in the way they believe they should be answered. These prayers are empty because there is first no real faith in the response. They fail or feel ongoing anguish because they only want what they see as relief. These people are not praying from the heart, they are praying from an empty emotion bent on their own perceived needs or desires. Prayers from the heart are normally not born in thought before, but meditation and communion during prayer with God. Granted, a seasoned Christian who is truly poor in spirit and meek may perceive a change that needs to take place. They may even perceive the change correctly: but real change is from and of God.
Using a trial as an example, if a believer is undergoing severe persecution, the prayers in their deepest despair are to be able to face their predicament, or receive deliverance from it. In either case, the believer is seeking a deep heartfelt change. The deliverance from the trial is also a heart learning experience for the believer. They realize they have learned or their faith has been strengthened in the trial. This is why God released them. It can be a most joyous time. Equally, a believer is joyous over the endurance of a trial and the ability to withstand it. This comes from answered prayers of strength.
Prayer from the heart does not have to be trial based. A believer simply but deeply wanting the will of God in their life is a wonderful example. We have prayed for desires, but submitted ourselves to God’s will in many things. My wife and I have frequently prayed for a house. We would like to have one. We would greatly enjoy being able to entertain groups at our home. However, God has not seen fit to provide us with a home. We continue these prayers but we have not written a prayer that says, “Lord, give us a house so we can entertain people” or some such other verbiage to repeat to God. We simply bring this petition before Him and accept His answer. He will, or He will not give us a house. It is that simple. Our hearts need to commit to His service, His will, and His desires, regardless of a home. We need strength to commit to God’s plan, whatever it may be and the wisdom to execute it.
Praying thoughtfully and from the heart also means we know scripture (Jas 1:5-8). We are supposed to ask for wisdom in dealing with our heart, in dealing with our lives, in dealing with other people’s lives. God gives wisdom generously and without reproach. However, when we do ask, we must ask resting in our faith that He will give this wisdom. We have no reservations when we ask, when we submit our petitions, that they will be answered in some form or fashion that supports His will. We must stand firm in faith, as did Abraham or we will be as someone that is moved about the beach like a wave moves the sand thereupon.
Am I contending that every prayer be this deep, this much in the heart, this endearing, this soul searching? Yes – that is prayer. Why enter into a season of prayer, even for your meal, if you do not truly mean it? We all have rather standard prayers for mealtime. Get out of the mode – open your heart to more than the food on the table. If you are praying for food or giving thanks for it, the food is already provided. Therefore all you are doing is seeking God’s blessing – but for what – another meal? Every time Christ prayed over a meal was very significant. Make all your prayers effectual – pray always from the heart.
What if someone believes they are praying from the heart, yet they see no answer to prayer? Many in great emotional anguish get angry with God for not answering their prayers, not bringing back their loved one, not preserving their loved one, or just plain not giving them what they want. These individuals invariably begin to question if God is even hearing them.
II. Prayers Being Heard (Verse 7c)
Anyone who lacks faith should have no expectation of receiving an answer from God (Jas 1:6-7). We can look at Matthew 21:21 where Jesus very plainly says it takes faith to have prayers answered. Jesus walked up to a fig tree and, seeing that it carried no fruit, commanded it to never bear fruit. It withered and died. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed, but Jesus said it is simply a matter of faith. Jesus had complete faith in the Father, and complete faith in the will of the Father. In this total faith lies the key to successful prayer. As He tells the disciples in verse 21,
“…If he have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.”
No where in scripture do we find Jesus in vain, repetitious prayer. This is simply heathenish. It is not a matter of being heard because of the amount of words, but by the quality of faith in prayer. This is not praying for the same thing. We are encouraged to pray with persistence (Luke 18:1-8; Rom 12:12; Col 4:2). If you do not have enough faith, ask for it and God will give grace. We find this faith called for in Mark 11:23 where again we are encouraged to move mountains. These persistent prayers do not repeat themselves except in subject. If you find yourself continually repeating yourself, check your heart for the need to change – what is it you really need to do? This is faith – looking for the answer to prayer not in repetition, but in heart change. If God does not change things for you, He may need to change them in you.
God answers prayer that He hears, but that prayer, as mentioned above, must be a believer’s prayer, or an infidel seeking salvation. A believer can simply ask for faith in prayer. Whatever you ask for you can receive it if it will glorify the Father (Lk 11:9-13, 1 Kings 18:25-36). Your heavenly Father will give you the greatest gift of all – salvation through faith in Christ Jesus the Savior.
God hears your prayers for your heart change (1 Jn 1:9 -sermon on this text here; Ps 32:5). God hears your prayers that concentrate on service to Him (Tit 2:14). God hears your prayers for preservation in His will (1 Cor 10:31). God hears your prayers for steadfast testimony during trials (Ps 29:11; 86:16).
Ladies and gentlemen, a fervent prayer of a meek and humble believer is heard and desired of God (1 Pet 5:5). God hears the prayers of those who desire to obey Him (Jas 5:16). We should pray sincerely (Ps 145:18). This does not mean only in your own personal quiet time, but at any time you pray. Pray earnestly (Acts 12:5). Focus upon your desired prayer, but pray to God with full faith in the answer, whatever it may be (Matt 26:39-44). Pray in unison with other believers – with the same heart (Matt 18:19-20). Many quote verse 20 “…where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” The question is, how many know this is in relation to prayer with brothers and sisters in Christ? Pray with a resolute resolve that the will of God will be done (Ps 27:4). A focused prayer in faith is the easiest prayer for God to answer.
We should realize that true prayer is not a natural response. We are not naturally bent to pray in the spirit, in truth, and through our real heart looking for God’s will in the prayer. We pray many times just as the heathen does, for his or her own devices. Pray sincerely, simply, earnestly, faithfully, together with others, with a definite resolve, and you should put forth great effort. Dig deep into your heart and find where you believe you have nothing left. Pray in that place. Dig deep folks. Go deep into your dark sinful heart that needs to change and be filled with God’s will. That should be your prayer closet. Look to hang and store good godly things in there. This develops a poor and mourning spirit, a great gentleness, a wonderful hunger and thirst for righteousness and purity. This prayer develops mercifulness, and peacefulness. This prayer strengthens you for persecution and false accusations. This is heart-changing prayer that a believer rejoices in–this is prayer of the heart.
[1] We should refer to the unsaved as “natural man” to distinguish their natural tendency to sin and propensity to gravitate toward selfishness, hate, chaos, self-destruction, and sin in general. This is in direct opposition to the Christian who focuses upon the things of Christ, daily displaying in a greater way the things in the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, and the Beatitudes in our current study. Matt 5-46-48-2 – Loving Perfectly
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