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[Psalm 34:1; Romans 12:2; I Thessalonians 5:17]; Matthew 6:6-13; Colossians 4:2; Philippians 4:4-7; Galatians 5:16, 17. 22-24; Psalm 57:7, 8; 59:16, 17; 108:1-6; 143:8, 9; 149:5; 92:1-5; 55:16, 17; 62:5-8

God desires our worship when we sit at the dinner table, not just when we come to His communion table. Let us pray.

God longs to hear our prayers in the workplace just as much as in the sanctuary. Let us pray.

Throughout various times in our lives, we may not be thinking about our Father at all, but each and every moment, He is thinking about us. Let us pray.

In Matthew 6, Jesus Christ taught his disciples the heart of prayer. He began by saying, "WHEN you pray." It is a presupposed fact that a disciple will pray. Prayer is mostly between an individual and the Father. It is private and intimate. There are times when prayer is public but for the most part it is between you and God.

Jesus taught that prayer was not to be a vain repetition, but there was to be heart and purpose in prayer. When we talk with someone we care about, there is meaningfulness behind the words we communicate. The same should be true in our prayer to God. God is not some distant being we are detached from. He is our Father in heaven Who has all the resources of heaven at His disposal. He is holy. Jesus reminds us there is dignity in the relationship between God and us. As we come into His presence, we remember He is our Father, but is also the Creator of the heavens and earth and worthy of our respect and awe. In teaching on prayer, Jesus reminds us that prayer is not an avenue whereby we direct the Almighty in His affairs. We pray that His will be done. He knows best. We are to pray daily. This allows us to be mindful of who our sufficiency is.

Prayer should be part of our lifestyle as we seek the face of God in order to have our lives continually transformed and changed. Colossians says we are to continue in prayer with an attitude of thanksgiving. Philippians says we are to be anxious for nothing but to bring all our prayers and requests to God with thanksgiving. We, as people, are really good at fretting and being anxious. In God’s eyes, we are fairly "needy" people. Yet, as stated in Matthew 6, He knows what things we have need of before we ask.

The lusts of the flesh will always war against the spirit of God. The things we allow in our lives which inhibit us from doing the things of God are by our choice. A practical exercise to help us better walk with God is to take a 4 x 6 card and hold it horizontally. Drawing a line down the middle, write "My Desires" (which should be godly) on the left side and "Stumbling Blocks" on the right. If stumbling blocks are keeping us from achieving our godly desires, we should approach them with the Word and prayer and ask the Father to help us eradicate them. He will not make us do it but He will help us.
God wants our heart. We can develop a habit pattern that begins early in the day as we seek Him through His Word and prayer. Then throughout the day, we can think of God and rely upon Him to help us with our daily work. As we go to bed at nighttime, we can be thinking of God, our Father. God’s ears are open to our prayers. He desires that we worship Him continually. There may be times when we forget about Him, but He never forgets about us. God’s desire for us in light of prayer is that we "Pour out our heart before Him." Let us pray!


#258 Let Us Pray -- Jan. 13, 2002 ©2002 / Steven A. Michels 55:20 minutes
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"Let Us Pray" -- Rev. Steven A. Michels [Psalm 34:1; Romans 12:2; I Thessalonians 5:17]; Matthew 6:6-13; Colossians 4:2; Philippians 4:4-7; Galatians 5:16, 17. 22-24; Psalm 57:7, 8; 59:16, 17; 108:1-6; 143:8, 9; 149:5; 92:1-5; 55:16, 17; 62:5-8 God desires our worship when we sit at the dinner table, not just when we come to His communion table. Let us pray. God longs to hear our prayers in the workplace just as much as in the sanctuary. Let us pray. Throughout various times in our lives, we may not be thinking about our Father at all, but each and every moment, He is thinking about us. Let us pray. In Matthew 6, Jesus Christ taught his disciples the heart of prayer. He began by saying, "WHEN you pray." It is a presupposed fact that a disciple will pray. Prayer is mostly between an individual and the Father. It is private and intimate. There are times when prayer is public but for the most part it is between you and God. Jesus taught that prayer was not to be a vain repetition, but there was to be heart and purpose in prayer. When we talk with someone we care about, there is meaningfulness behind the words we communicate. The same should be true in our prayer to God. God is not some distant being we are detached from. He is our Father in heaven Who has all the resources of heaven at His disposal. He is holy. Jesus reminds us there is dignity in the relationship between God and us. As we come into His presence, we remember He is our Father, but is also the Creator of the heavens and earth and worthy of our respect and awe. In teaching on prayer, Jesus reminds us that prayer is not an avenue whereby we direct the Almighty in His affairs. We pray that His will be done. He knows best. We are to pray daily. This allows us to be mindful of who our sufficiency is. Prayer should be part of our lifestyle as we seek the face of God in order to have our lives continually transformed and changed. Colossians says we are to continue in prayer with an attitude of thanksgiving. Philippians says we are to be anxious for nothing but to bring all our prayers and requests to God with thanksgiving. We, as people, are really good at fretting and being anxious. In God’s eyes, we are fairly "needy" people. Yet, as stated in Matthew 6, He knows what things we have need of before we ask. The lusts of the flesh will always war against the spirit of God. The things we allow in our lives which inhibit us from doing the things of God are by our choice. A practical exercise to help us better walk with God is to take a 4 x 6 card and hold it horizontally. Drawing a line down the middle, write "My Desires" (which should be godly) on the left side and "Stumbling Blocks" on the right. If stumbling blocks are keeping us from achieving our godly desires, we should approach them with the Word and prayer and ask the Father to help us eradicate them. He will not make us do it but He will help us. God wants our heart. We can develop a habit pattern that begins early in the day as we seek Him through His Word and prayer. Then throughout the day, we can think of God and rely upon Him to help us with our daily work. As we go to bed at nighttime, we can be thinking of God, our Father. God’s ears are open to our prayers. He desires that we worship Him continually. There may be times when we forget about Him, but He never forgets about us. God’s desire for us in light of prayer is that we "Pour out our heart before Him." Let us pray!