Discovering the Power of Prayer
1 Thessalonians 1:1-3
Story
George is doing some paperwork in the dining room when he has some interesting encounters with his children.
Steve, his 14 year-old son, walks in from school and dumps some homework on the table. “I need some help with this” he mutters, and wanders off to play Playstation.
An hour or so later Joy, his 16 year-old daughter, comes in after spending time at the shops with her friends. “I hate my skin and my body shape”, she says. “Thanks for the crummy genetics dad” she grumbles as she slips on her headphones.
Just before dinner his 19 year-old son Mark, comes in shuffling some papers of his own. “I’m getting a loan for that Ford GT. I need you to go guarantor for me.” With that he places the papers on top of Georges paperwork and strolls off to the kitchen to find something to eat.
How do you reckon George is feeling right now?
Steve said he wanted help, but he is not taking any responsibility himself. He wants George to make his life easier. What he needs is for George to help him learn.
Joy is feeling low, and she takes it out on her dad. She wants to stew in her misery, and if her dad wants to help he should buy her some nicer clothes or beauty treatments. What she needs is comfort, someone to listen to her insecurities and fears and to care about that. She needs gentle instruction about true beauty, and how inner beauty finds its way to the outside too.
Mark thinks that he needs a hot car, and the GT is just the thing. He needs George to sign on to the loan to have any hope of getting that car. What he really needs is guidance. He needs to talk things through with George to make sure that this really is the right decision to make, and to work out how George is going to support him in doing what is wise.
Sometimes you and I relate to God a bit like Steve, Joy and Mark relate to George. We do to our Heavenly Father what they did to their earthly father. All of us can at times be distant, moody and demanding.
That is not the sort of family life that God wants with His children. And even though like Steve, Joy and Mark we don’t realise it, that’s not the sort of family life that we want with God. We were created for something more. We long for something more.
Prayer
Lord, help us to learn afresh today how we can relate to you as our Heavenly Father. Help us to hear You speaking to us today. Help us to have open hearts and minds to receive what it is that you tell us. Amen.
Recap
Those who were here last week will know that we are starting a series in the book of 1 Thessalonians. Last week we explored the story of the book and we discovered that it really is a good news story. In many of the New Testament letters we hear of problems occurring within churches which need urgent attention. This letter to the Thessalonians is mainly a letter of thanksgiving and celebration, because things have been going so well in the church. The Christians are sticking by the truth of the Gospel, and their lives demonstrate that God is at work within them.
As we approach the text we can ask the question: “What was it that helped this church to be so effective in its life and ministry? What can we imitate today?” We started answering that question last week, but there is more to come. So with that in mind, let’s start reading.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-2
Paul, Silas and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you.
2 We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.
3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
The first thing we discover in reading the letter to the Thessalonians that gives us a clue to their vitality is this: they were people who were prayed for.
Paul would later write this encouragement to the Christians in
Knowing that the Thessalonians copied the example of Paul and the example of Jesus, we can deduce that like Paul and like Jesus they became people of prayer themselves. In the closing stages of his letter, Paul asks that they continue to imitate him in this respect. He asks them to pray continually, and to pray specifically for Paul and his companions just as they are prayed for by Paul and his companions. You get the feeling that Paul believes prayer is important!
So today we are going to talk a little bit about prayer, and we are going to see if this is an area of our lives that God is going to grow us in this week.
What is Prayer?
Let’s first say what prayer is not! Read Matthew 6:5-8 with me:
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.”
- Prayer is not about impressing People
A lot of people struggle to pray in public for exactly this reason – we keep thinking about what others think of us. There are insecurities that bubble up and stop us from praying freely. There’s pride which causes us to pray to the people instead of to God. We pray or don’t pray because of what we want others to think or not think about us. That’s not the prayer that God is interested in.
- Prayer is not about impressing God
Sometimes people struggle to comprehend a God who genuinely loves us and is interested and involved with us. Like hopeful pagans, they think that there is a formula to prayer that will succeed in getting their wishes granted. In most world religions there are ceremonies or processes that need to be completed before someone can pray to their gods. In a sense they need to earn the right to be heard, the right to receive the attention of their god. That’s not Christian prayer. Jesus says that God is already interested in you and aware of your needs.
- Prayer is about drawing near to God
Remember our study in Hebrews 10 a few weeks back? We described how Jesus has done everything required to bring us into the presence of God, to make us a part of God’s family. Listen again to Hebrews 10:22 “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith”.
That is the essence of prayer – drawing near to God in faith and sincerity.
I came across a great little article on prayer from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. This is part of what it said:
Prayer is the way to renewal and spiritual life. Prayer is aliveness to God. Prayer is strength, refreshment, and joy. Through the grace of God and our disciplined efforts prayer lifts us up from our isolation to a conscious, loving communion with God in which everything is experienced in a new light. Prayer becomes a personal dialogue with God, a spiritual breathing of the soul, a foretaste of the bliss of God's kingdom.
Holy Pascha,
Prayer is conversation with God. It is speaking and listening. It is growing in intimacy. It is growing in confidence and depth.
- Prayer is about drawing near to others
The Apostle Paul longed to be there for the Thessalonians to support them, but he couldn’t draw near to them in person. However he could draw near to them in prayer. Prayer can never just be about ourselves, it must include others. In fact Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1 “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone”
Paul demonstrates this in how he prays for the Thessalonians. He thanks God for them, he remembers them and their needs. So while physically distant he is spiritually standing side by side with them.
How should we pray?
Let me read to you a little more from the article from the Greek Orthodox Church that I mentioned earlier…
How is one to pray? Only the Holy Spirit can guide us to pray as we should. Just as a child learns to walk by walking, one can best learn to pray by praying, trusting in the help of God. Put your whole soul into your prayer. Think about the meaning of every word you pray. Make it your own personal prayer. Be persistent in prayer. Do not yield to carelessness or neglect. Strengthen your prayer through a lively faith in the Lord, a spirit of forgiveness toward others, and genuine Christian living.
As we pray deeply within our hearts we grow in prayer. By the grace of God we suddenly catch a glimpse of the miracle of the presence of the Holy Spirit working within us. At first it is only a spark but later it becomes a flame freeing and energizing our whole being, provided we do nothing to grieve the Holy Spirit; and if we do sin we repent of our sin immediately and ask for God's forgiveness. To experience the fire of God's holy love, to give it space within us to do its cleansing and healing work as a breath of the Holy Spirit, and to use it as light and power for daily living -- such are the goals as well as the fruits of true prayer.
What I love about this article is that it summarises a large number of Scriptures which talk about prayer, and it reflects the experiences of Christians through the ages.
I am going to give you some practical suggestions to develop your prayer life. Remember that these are not formulas to help you impress God or other people by how well you pray. They are tools that you can use to help you develop a lifestyle of prayer.
· Develop good routines
The first part of a good prayer routine involves setting a time and place. Think about the best time and place for you to be unhurried, uninterrupted and clear-minded.
The second part involves a routine of content. Include time for reading your Bible, as prayer involves listening and not just speaking. Use an outline such as ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication) to help you develop a well-rounded prayer focus.
The third part involves a routine of response. Learn to respond prayerfully to all the situations of life. Talk to God about what you are doing, how you are feeling, what you need help with or whatever. Eventually it will become second nature to you. Our responses to circumstances are learned behaviours. That’s why psychologists use therapies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to train people to respond better to things that are going on in their lives. Christians are in training too. We are not training to sort out a few problems in our lives or to be more successful. We are training to live in close relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. I have a saying which goes like this: “Circumstances are not God; God is God”. Too often I see and hear people (including myself) live as though they do not have a choice about what they do and how they feel. We do have a choice, and we make that choice in how we respond to the circumstances of life. When we respond prayerfully, we keep God on His throne in our lives.
- Surround yourself with reminders
Put verses like Colossians 4:2 up on posters around the house. Put a prayer journal by your bed. Do cross-stitch or whatever else you can to have reminders around you to jog your mind to be drawing close to God in whatever you are doing through the day. Listen to Christian songs, radio, messages or the Bible on CD. Surround yourself with things that will stimulate you to be moving through your day in conversation with God.
- Recruit a support team
We’ve talked a fair bit in recent weeks about the importance of the church. The Thessalonians learned prayer by imitating Paul and Paul’s companions. We learn prayer by doing it with each other. Get yourself into a group that prays. Commit to pray for someone else as a prayer partner. Ask someone to check on you sometimes to see how you are going in prayer. Learn to talk about what you are praying about and share answers to prayer.
Conclusion
There’s a church in
Some of you may have heard of Andrew Evans, founder of the Family First political party. In 1970 he was invited to be the pastor of an Assemblies of God church in
It’s funny how God sometimes brings us to the point of hopelessness so that we can learn to depend on Him. The Apostle Paul couldn’t do a thing for the Thessalonians except pray for them. Andrew Evans was feeling like a failure as a pastor – he couldn’t grow the church and he could solve people’s problems. Theologically, we know that this is always true, but sometimes we place too much importance in our own efforts.
Andrew agreed to help the man if he would agree to meet every Saturday for prayer and fasting. They prayed for the marriage, for the church, for the community and so on. After 8 months this grew to include other members of the congregation. They had 31 people who set aside one day a month each for prayer and fasting – every day of each month was covered. By 1992 there were 300 people who were on the intercessor’s group – people who give one day a week to prayer and fasting. Andrew observed that whenever members are slack in their commitment to prayer, it is felt in the church.
Adapted from an article in Renewal Journal
(c) Renewal Journal #2 (93:2),
http://www.renewaljournal.com/
A lot of people look at churches like
If you want to be challenged more about the importance of prayer, read this book – Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala.
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