Be Faithful In Prayer Romans 12:9-13 Psalms 18:6 Acts 9:10-12 Philippians 4:6-7 Matthew 6:5-8 Colossians 4:2 1 Timothy 2:8 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 1 Peter 3:12 11.04.19

BE FAITHFUL IN PRAYER

BREAD

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.   Romans 12:9-13 (NIV)

⁶ In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.  Psalms 18:6 (NIV)

¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”  “Yes, Lord,” he answered.  ¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”  Acts 9:10-12 (NIV)

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  Matthew 6:5-8 (NIV)

² Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2 (NIV)

⁸ I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.  1 Timothy 2:8 (NIV)

¹⁶ Be joyful always; ¹⁷ pray continually; ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

¹² “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”  1 Peter 3:12 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Prayers are instantly noticed in heaven. The moment Saul began to pray, the Lord heard him. Here is comfort for the distressed but praying soul. When our hearts are broken and we bow in prayer, we are often only able to employ the language of sighs and tears; still our groaning has made all the harps of heaven thrill with music.  Our God not only hears prayer but also loves to hear it.  He does not forget the cry of the humble. True, He does not regard high looks and lofty words; He does not care for the pomp and pageantry of kings; He does not listen to the drums of war; He does not regard the triumph and pride of man.  But wherever there is a heart enlarged with sorrow or a lip quivering with agony or a deep groan or a penitential sigh, the heart of Jehovah is open.  He marks it down in the registry of His memory; He puts our prayers, like rose leaves, between the pages of His book of remembrance, and when at last the volume is opened, there will be a precious fragrance springing from it.”  Charles H. Spurgeon

“Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons; but they are helpless against our prayers.”   J. Sidlow Baxter

“God loves to do astounding things. And most of the time, He does those things in response to the prayers of His people.”   David Jeremiah

“We are never more like Christ than in prayers of intercession.”   Austin Phelps

“One of the best ways to discover a Christian's chief anxieties and ambitions is to study the content of his prayers and the intensity with which he prays them.  We all pray about what concerns us and are evidently not concerned about matters we do not include in our prayers. Prayer expresses desire. Prayer is the soul's sincere desire...Paul pours out his soul to God....The basis of Paul's prayer was the knowledge of God's purpose.”   John Stott  

“Philippians 4:6 instructs us to pray about everything. If Paul had wanted us to limit our praying to everything big, he certainly would have told us. God is as interested in your small, seemingly insignificant requests as he is your kingdom-level, life changing needs. God’s interest in your prayers isn’t dependent upon their relative kingdom weightiness. Its’ based on his love for and interest in you. Praying for the little things teaches you to depend on God. Since prayer is communication and dialogue with God, praying for little things teaches you to enjoy his presence.  Seeking God in the little things increases your gratitude and offers perspective.  You should pray for little things, because they often turn into big things.”   Anonymous

“All we love is in his hands. He hears our prayers and our tears when there are no words. He counts them as liquid intercession, which is precious to him (Ps. 56:8a). He is our Mighty Warrior and contends with those forces that are contending with us.”   Sylvia Gunter

“God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. They outlive the lives of those who uttered them.”  E.M. Bounds

“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.”    Charles H. Spurgeon

“Prayer is not so much a formula as it is a friendship – rote as it is relational.  Prayer is a 24/7 access to ‘Abba’ (Daddy) Father Who loves us with an everlasting love as well as Who rejoices over us with singing.  Further, He ‘brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name.  Because of His great power and mighty strength not one of them is missing.’  He is all love and all ability – all achieving power – nothing is too hard for Him.  Prayer is coming into His Presence with singing and into His courts with praise.  It is listening with Faith for His ‘still, small voice’ as well as pouring out our hearts in Trust resting our heads gently ‘between His shoulders’.  It is knowing His answer always has our best interest at heart because He loves us.  It is an unspeakably high gift from the Creator to the created.  Prayers moves the hand and heart of God.”  BHY

“We err when we judge our prayers solely by what we can see happening around us. Prayer is a matter of faith. Prayer is taking God at His word. Prayer is understanding God's promise that if we pray, He will work. And we must keep on praying even when we cannot see what He is doing. We do not see into the world in which God lives, but He definitely sees into ours.”  David Jeremiah  

HEART SAVOR

• ·         Prayer moves the heart and hand of God.  “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” and believers in sweet Jesus are righteous (even though our stinking selves may not readily feel like it!) as we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.  ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)
• ·         Amazingly, God desires to hear the voice of His children – “without ceasing”.
• ·         His ears are ever attentive to His children’s prayers.  They are love songs in His ears.