Gathering Summary | Prayer

JANUARY 7, 2024 | Prayer

When it comes to prayer, we often give plenty of excuses of why we don’t pray:

• “I don’t know how.”
• “I don’t know enough about the Bible.”
• “I don’t have time to pray.”
  
  

This week at the Gathering we discussed the foundations of prayer and looked at the model Jesus gave us when he taught his disciples to pray.  In Matthew 6 Jesus tells his followers to not be like the self-righteous who pray long, self centered prayers in order to look more holy.  One of the things that we must understand about prayer is that we are not the center of Prayer, God is.  Many times we treat prayer as a last resort.  We finally pray when things hit rock bottom and we don’t have any other choices. We treat God like a genie in a bottle, asking him to fix what is wrong, give us what we want, or help us in our time of crisis.

Prayer was never intended to be a last resort, but the source of power being connected to the Living God.  We were created to be connection with him.  We defined prayer as:

“PRAYER is INTENTIONAL – INTIMATE – DIALOGUE with God.”

God created us to be in relationship with Him.  Even after Genesis 3 and sin entered the world he stayed connected through his relationship with the people of Israel.  And when Jesus came we became righteous (In RIGHT relationship with him).  We now have access to the power of God through intentional, intimate dialogue with God.  

Jesus gives his disciples and us a model for Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 with the Lord’s Prayer. Here we see a model (not the only model) for us when we pray.  We see a guide that doesn’t put us at the center of prayer, but benefactors of the dialogue with our God. "ACTS" Model:

Adoration | Adoration is all about praising God for who He is.  Jesus says “Holy is your name.” We should start our prayers focusing on God and who He is.  Focusing on his character and his faithfulness.
 
Confession | After beginning with Adoration, it should humble us knowing that God is holy and we are not.  Which leads us to seeing how our sin and confessing.  In that confession we acknowledge we are sinners in need of savior and the grace that was given us.

Thanksgiving | Throughout scripture God’s people are called to be people of Thanks.  After our time of praise and confession, we should thank the Lord for all that he has blessed us with and full of thanks that Jesus has redeemed and restored us.

Supplication | Jesus tells us that when we ask it we will receive.  When we knock he will answer.  We should ask for needs, guidance, provision, and protection.  But knowing when we ask, his ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55) and knowing He is still good even we don’t get what we have asked for.