Prayer is Intentional

 

“Intentionally Communicating With God”

DAN. 9:1-23 

THEME: Regularly Engage in Two-Way Communication With the Lord in order to Build an Ever Deepening Fellowship With Him.

RELEVANCE:

Many good communication books are on the market today. The Bible, however, is God’s foremost book about God’s communication with us. The Scriptures are the supreme source of insight on prayer and talking with God. It is the source from which we receive new insights and eternal wisdom regarding our prayer ministry.  

The Christian life is NOT a set of religious rituals, nor merely a list of beliefs.  God is a Divine Person and we must never forget he offers us a personal relationship to enjoy and maintain.  Intimate associations grow, prosper, and are strengthened through wholesome self-disclosing communication—prayer.  Victory or defeat is decided in your Christian life on the battleground of your daily walk with the Lord.

INTRODUCTION:

1.  Each of Us Has a Need to Communicate with God. That need has been built into us by our Creator. It is part of God’s design—part of His imprint on our lives. We desire to be in touch with our Maker.

2.  Prayer Is Communication with God. In its broadest definition, prayer includes both verbal and nonverbal communication—it covers our thoughts and actions toward God, as well as our words toward Him.

Daniel’s prayers illustrate and model two-way communication with God.   

MESSAGE: 

I.   PRAYER IS TO BE INTENTIONAL; DO IT ON PURPOSE (Dan. 9:3-6)

1. PRAYER DOES NOT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT.

Daniel 9:3-4, And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: [4] And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

1.      We must Engage in the Process Regularly.

A.    We must turn our minds, hearts and voices toward God. Vs. 3-4, “I set my face,” “I prayed.”

1.      Daniel demonstrated a purposeful persistence in prayer. Even Jacob in his prayer cried, “… I will not let thee go, except thou bless me” (Gen. 32:26).

2.      Daniel was concerned about his people. Perhaps he was shaken by that little horn in chapter 8, Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian king of the Seleucid dynasty. He would abuse Daniel’s people, and he would desecrate the temple. All of this caused Daniel great concern.

3.      We must make a conscious decision to pray daily. Certainly Daniel did!

 

B.     We must designate specific times of prayer and devotion with our Heavenly Father.

1.   Daniel disciplined himself to pray three times a day (Dan. 6:10).

2.   Nehemiah was a godly leader of constant prayer (Neh. 1:14; 2:4; 4:9; 6:9).

3.   The Lord Jesus made a major priority of prayer each day (Mk.1:35).

a.       Jesus rose a long while before daylight and went out to a place where He would be free from distraction and spend time in prayer. The Servant of Jehovah opened His ear each morning to receive instructions for the day from God the Father (Isa. 50:4, 5).

b.      If the Lord Jesus felt the need of this early morning quiet time, how much more should we! Notice too that He prayed when it cost Him something; He rose and went out a long while before daylight. Prayer should not be a matter of personal convenience but of self-discipline and sacrifice. Does this explain why so much of our service is ineffective? –Believer's Bible Commentary

c.       Despite a full day of ministry (vv. 21-34), Jesus got up the next morning very early, before daybreak (about 4 a.m.) and went out to a solitary place (cf. v. 4) where He spent time praying. 

d.      Mark selectively portrayed Jesus at prayer on three crucial occasions, each in a setting of darkness and aloneness: near the beginning of his account (v. 35), near the middle (6:46), and near the end (14:32-42). All three were occasions when He was faced with the possibility of achieving His messianic mission in a more attractive, less costly way. But in each case He gained strength through prayer.—The Bible Knowledge Commentary 

C.     We must include these various aspects of this passage in our own prayers.  True prayer is:

1.      In response to the Word (v. 2). 

a.       The determining factor which brought Daniel to this prayer was his study of the Word of God. The Word reveals the will of God. A study of God’s Word, followed by prayer, is the formula for determining God’s will.

b.      The promises Daniel read are (Jer. 25:11; 29:10).

2.      Characterized by fervency (v. 3).

a.       James 5:16,…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

3.      Characterized by self-denial (v. 3).

4.      Identifies unselfishly with God’s people (v. 5).

5.      Strengthened by confession (vv. 5–15).

a.       He Confesses His Own Sins and the Sins of His People. He reviews Bible history and confesses that the nation has been wicked and God has been righteous to judge them.

b.      He Knew the Warnings Moses Had Given (v. 13, see Lev. 26).  He knew that he and his people deserved far greater disaster than God had sent to them. It is wonderful to see Daniel identifying himself with his sinning nation, though he himself had not been guilty of these sins.

6.      Dependent on God’s character (vv. 4, 7, 9, 15).

7.      It has as its goal, God’s glory (vv. 16–19).

D.    This is proper expression of intentional prayer to the Lord.  While we may express our prayers through feelings and thoughts, prayer must be intentional for it truly to be a form of communication.

2.      We Must Engage in Prayer Instead of Complaining. 

A.    I am NOT discouraging confiding in a friend regarding a burden or struggle, but if you ask for prayer, be sure to pray for yourself also.   

B.     Prayer is far better than merely complaining to each other.

1.      Ex 17:3, And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? Again the people of Israel complained about their problem instead of praying. They had followed God’s leading into the desert, but now were doubting his ability to take care of them.

2.      Some problems can be solved by careful thought or by rearranging our priorities. Some can be solved by discussion and good counsel. But some problems can be solved only by prayer.

3.      We should make a determined effort to pray when we feel like complaining, because complaining only raises our level of stress. Prayer quiets our thoughts and emotions and prepares us to listen to the Lord.

C.     Silently wishing something might be so is not prayer.

D.    Confessing a fault to another person is not prayer.

E.     Feeling a spring in our step as we rejoice in the warmth and beauty of an April day is not prayer. No, we must intentionally engage in prayer.

2. PRAYER WILL HAPPEN WITH PERSONAL INITIATIVE.

Daniel 9:3-4, And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: [4] And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession….   

1.      Take the Matter Straight to God. Daniel took the initiative and took the matter to the Lord in prayer.  He by-passed everybody else and went straight to the Lord his God.

 

2.      Don’t Miss out Because You Fail to Pray.  Many times our problems and challenges persist because we failed to pray over the matter.

A.    James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

B.     To be engaged in prayer, we must voice our problem to God … with an expectation that He not only will hear us, but will respond to us.

C.     To be engaged in prayer, we must yield our desires to God … and expect Him to answer or change our desires as part of the process.

D.    To be in genuine prayer, we must make our confessions to God … and actively receive His cleansing and forgiveness.

E.     To be people of prayer, we not only must feel positive, good, or thankful, but must give voice to our thanksgivings and praise … and open ourselves fully to experience the presence of God at work both in and around us.

3.      Initiate Prayer By Speaking With Your God.

A.    Psalm 4:3, But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.  The godly are those who are faithful and devoted to God. David knew that God would hear him when he called and would answer him.

B.     We too can be confident that God listens to our prayers and answers when we call on Him. Sometimes we think that God will not hear us because we have fallen short of his high standards for holy living. But if we have trusted Christ for salvation, God has forgiven us, we have fellowship, and he will listen to us.

C.     When you feel as though your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, remember that as a believer, you have been set apart by God -- and he loves you. He hears and answers, although his answers may not be what you expect.

D.    Look at your problems in the light of God’s power instead of looking at God in the shadow of your problems.  Make prayer intentional.

 

Teach Your Children to Pray

Teach Your Children to Pray

Some of our fundamental responsibilities as parents are to teach our children about the Lord, how to be saved, how to read God’s Word faithfully, and how to pray as a part of nurturing a relationship with Him. It is a fantastic idea to make this a goal for our young people before they graduate from high school. While some parents completely abdicate themselves of any vital spiritual education obligations for their children, genuine Believers, who believe the Scriptures, understand the crucial nature of a child’s spiritual maturation (Deut. 6:1-9).We desire for the Bible and Christian prayer to be welcome in America's public schools, but let us make sure they are a prominent part of our American homes. Fewer lessons are more important than teaching our children and young people to pray and talk with God.

Note two imperatives the Psalmist of Israel empress us with. Psalm 27:14, says “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” A few psalms later in Psalm 37:34, he says, “Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.”

These verses emphasize dependence, expectation, and patiently waiting on the Lord for answers, direction, help, guidance, and strength. It is extremely important that we teach this to our young people.  These aspects of life are a vital part of their prayer life. If we are always praying about something and never really expecting God to answer then we are teaching our children a ritual and not real prayer (Matt. 6:5-15). We desire for them to know God intimately and connect with Him habitually through prayer. So what practical steps can we take to help our young people experience intimacy with the True and Living God?

Pray Together Often as a Family

This is important because it trains the children to depend on God and to receive direction from the Lord. They start out in life depending on their parents, but as they progress and learn family prayer they begin to learn to depend completely on the Lord for all things.  They move from dependence on parents and beyond dependence on friends to dependence on a loving Heavenly Father. The resources of parents will run out, the direction and insight of friends is often insignificant also. Experience informs us that friends are often as clueless as we are.  But God’s resources are without limits and His wisdom is always available and reliable.

This is extremely important to a young person who has intentions of doing all the will of God with their lives.  They need to know that God will speak to their hearts and give direction regarding His will. Therefore wait!  So, pray as a family about major and minor decisions—college, school work and goals, relocations, new church home, friends, romantic interests, relationships, and transitions like new jobs, or new schools, and new neighbors, sports ventures, and on the list goes.

One of the benefits is they will learn from your model as a parent, and you will also help them perceive what family life should be in their own homes when they are married adults. Our young people will also learn early in life that God does honor His promises when we stand on them in faith; that He gives direction, but it is not always easy to obey Him. They will begin to discern the way of obedience leads to blessing; to trust and obey God in all things.

Set the Example by Making Every Matter a Subject of Prayer

Prayer is to be a normal daily practice and God can be engaged multiple times and in many ways throughout the course of a given day. Let prayer be habitual and natural; weave it into the fabric of everyday life.

Many times in the morning I will have a season of prayer after my Bible study and reading. I usually do this sitting in my chair in our home study. When I feel impressed to do so, I will cast myself face down on the floor/couch of our guest bedroom to pray. When our daughter was very young, she would come in and find me praying. She would play with my prayer sheets to let me know she was there. On other occasions she would simply sit quietly beside me and then whisper, “Daddy, can I pray with you?” It was the cutest thing!  I would invite her to join me and we would have a time of prayer together. I would pray, and in turn she would pray as well. I think we prayed for Sunday School classmates to be saved, our pets to be happy, and even a few dolls and stuffed animals to be blessed!  

We must realize that one of the most important things that we could teach our young people is prayer. Teach them how by doing it, teach them what to pray for by doing it.  Don’t just hold a class, do it.  Don’t merely lecture about how to trust God for things, do it. Pray before the school day, family devotions, before trips, before bed, before meals, during special events like birthdays, holidays, church events and goals, before examinations and tests, during a crisis and any other time.

Pray With Individual Family Members

This is a genuine way of showing interest in them as a person. You genuinely demonstrate that you really care for them through private prayer with them. Pray about their individual problems and challenges. Become a discerning listener, this is especially needful with your teens and young adults. Pray about the decisions immediately before them as well as the big decisions of life like cars, jobs, careers, college, courting/dating, marriage, and God’s will. Pray with your children even after times of punishment and discipline. This is important, because it helps them recognize early on their accountability to God through their parents. Such prayers should also clearly communicate love for their child after they have been properly talked to and wisely disciplined.  

Draw Your Family’s Attention to Answered Prayer           

Teach that sometimes God answers Yes, No, and Wait (Stanley). But He always answers prayer. Teach them to look and expect God to answer. Make it a habit to announce or acknowledge when and how God answered a specific prayer request. Recount previous occasions when God came through for them individually or for the family. Have a time of thanksgiving after receiving an answer from the Lord. Such exercises are healthy and reinforcing.

While there are always parents who only pray at church on Sunday morning, let us be parents who pray daily and teach our children to do so as well. Yes, there will always be parents who explain away their spiritual obligations to God and their children by saying, “I don’t want to force religion on my children.” As painful as it is, some parents will continue to demand that the youth workers and children's ministries at church be highly effective in training their children. The problem is these same parents will do little or nothing to reinforce at home what the church is trying to instill in the young people. It is as if they have subcontracted the church's youth workers and ministers to do what they refuse to do. Many Christian parents are quite loud about the need for the Bible and prayer in our public school system, but they fail to open the Bible as a family and family prayer is often superseded by television and social media outlets! I personally think the Word and prayer should be cherished first and foremost in the home. If this develops then the rest will naturally follow.
As Bible-Believing Christians, let us lay a solid foundation in our children’s lives by impressing them to become people of communication with the Most High God. I have never met a parent who regrets teaching their children to walk with God and pray faithfully. Sadly, I have met too many parents who wish they were far more diligent about teaching their children faith in God and how to talk to Him. Let us take our fundamental responsibilities seriously and train our children in righteousness. Take the initiative and start today. Teach your children to pray.