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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/scott-macleod/prayer/
Let's turn in our Bibles to 1 Kings, chapter 8, please, and join a few thoughts on prayer. Tremendous privilege we have to be able to pray to our Father in heaven. I know it can become a little ditty, a routine, something that we can all take for granted, but this has refreshed my own little soul on it.
I trust it will do the same to you. So 1 Kings, chapter 8, this has to do with Solomon. We're going to look at prayer in the Old Testament and then prayer in the New Testament, and there is quite a difference.
1 Kings, chapter 8, just going to read a few scattered verses just so you can get the sense of it. Verse number 22, and Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel and spread forth his hands toward heaven, and he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee in heaven above or on earth beneath, and so on.
Look at what he says in verse number 30, just at the end, near the end of the verse. Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place. Look at verse 32, then hear thou in heaven. You get the same thing in verse 34, then hear thou in heaven.
36, then hear thou in heaven. 39, then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place. You get the same thing in verse 43, 45, 49, and 52. A lot of references to hear thou in heaven. You know, if we were to take the sun, which is 93 million miles away, that's quite a distance.
Sometimes we have problems hearing people when we're like 20 feet away. Now you try to imagine this distance. Here is a man on earth, and he's asking God to hear in heaven. That's quite a distance. But this is what was on Solomon's heart, and this is what the Old Testament folks enjoyed in the Old Testament.
They were on earth, God was in heaven, and it's amazing to think that God would hear from heaven over that distance. Just recently there was a young fella, and he asked his father, how do we know from the Bible that God actually hears us when we pray?
I thought that was quite a question, quite an intelligent question to ask. So it just sort of lined up with what was on my mind, and that's what we're going to look at. That's kind of the general idea, what we had there in 1 Kings, but let's go to an actual event that took place.
2 Kings chapter 20, and this just shows us how quickly this tremendous distance of earth and heaven can be, that connection can be made. 2 Kings chapter 20, this is of course Hezekiah, he's a king, and he's sick.
It tells us that in verse number 1, 2 Kings chapter 20, and verse number 1, in those days was Hezekiah sick unto death, and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amos, came to him and said unto him, thus saith the Lord, set thy house in order, for thou shalt die and not live.
Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight.
And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass before Isaiah was gone out into the middle court that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, turn again and tell Hezekiah, the captain of my people, thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I've seen thy tears, behold I will heal thee.
Isn't that something? Now just think of the distance between earth and heaven. Think of it. I mean, we have troubles getting connected sometimes, email and can't call somebody on the phone, then you try their email, you try their text, you try everything again, and you just get frustrated because you can't get them.
So here's a man, here's Hezekiah, and he hears the news, because of sin, and you're sick and you're going to die. And the prophet turns and walks out of the bedroom, and while the prophet is walking out, Hezekiah simply just turns his face to the wall, and he starts to pray to God.
And Hezekiah makes, or Isaiah makes it, I don't know how many feet out of his room to the middle, barely to the middle court. And right away, God just sends a message from heaven into the mind of the prophet, turn around and go back into the bedroom.
I heard his prayer. I've answered his prayer. Here's the answer. Well, that's encouraging, isn't it? And Isaiah just spins around with the answer in his head and walks back into the bedroom and says, the Lord has heard your prayer.
Here's the answer. You're going to get another 15 years. Tremendous. That's how instantaneous our prayers go up to God and how quickly an answer can come back. That should be a tremendous incentive to pray.
It's not that when we pray, sometimes I pray out loud because sometimes it keeps me awake, I have to say that. That's a good way to get used to your voice, those that are young. But we're not just filling a room with our words, right?
There actually is someone listening when we pray. It's my father. It's tremendous to think of. Now, let's come a little ahead in scripture to Nehemiah. Let's look at another prayer we have in the word of God.
This I love, Nehemiah chapter 2. When I come to Nehemiah chapter 2, it's just the simplicity of prayer. There's no form. There's no ritualism associated with it. It's just so instantaneous. Look at Nehemiah chapter 2, and here we discover that this man is actually in the middle of a conversation with a king.
He prays right in the middle of his conversation. Look at what you have in verse number 1 of Nehemiah chapter 2. And it came to pass in the month Nisan in the 20th year of Artaxerus, the king, that wine was before him.
So you know that Nehemiah was the cupbearer. And I took up the wine and gave it on to the king. Now I had not been time set in his presence. Wherefore, the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick?
This is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid. And rightly so, because people often lost their lives when they were sad in the presence of the king. And verse 3, and said unto the king.
Now he starts a conversation with the king. Let the king live forever. Why should not my countenance be sad when the city, the place of my father's sepulcher, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven, and I said unto the king. Right in the middle of a conversation. And the man prays. He did not have to say, King, just a minute.
I have to go find which way a certain direction. I got to roll something out on the floor. I got to be by myself. I got to be in a certain posture. I got to be on my knees. I got to have my hands up. Got to have my eyes closed.
No. He was looking at the man. He was talking to the king. And just while the king was responding to his words, just like I'm looking at William, and while I'm looking at him, waiting for him to talk, I'm praying to God.
Isn't that tremendous? He wasn't rude. You see what I mean? It's free of ritualism. It doesn't have to be at a certain time of day. It doesn't have to be done in a certain way, in a certain position. All of that stuff.
It's just simple. The mind is speaking to God. Isn't that encouraging? I find that tremendous. Just recently, we were speaking to people who had just come off a plane. And I don't say this to be sarcastic or rude or ignorant or anything like that.
But there were people of a certain faith on the plane. And they came to the stewardess, and they said, it's our prayer time. Where can we pray? So up in the galley, they rolled out their carpets. They asked which way east was.
And there it was, right there on the floor. Like I said, I don't say that to be sarcastic. That's sad. I find that very sad. That it has to be that form, that ritualism. Now, we want to be very careful.
We don't want to get and think it's some light thing. It is tremendous that I'm coming into the presence of the living God. That is marvelous. I mean, I went through a period in my life where, you know, okay, getting on your knees.
I mean, okay, my knees are getting kind of sore. I'll just pray at my desk, you know. And you know, I felt I was losing something. I don't know. Maybe you're different. But it just sort of feels good, me personally, to just bow down and pray to God.
Now, we're not trying to make this ritualistic, okay? Because I pray lots of times sitting in my seat. I pray in the plane. I pray in the car. I find it very enjoyable. You turn the light out at night, close your eyes, and I just start to pray, just start to talk to my Father.
It's going over the day, going over scripture. It's very soothing, very calming. I mean, you can, if you don't grab a hold of your mind, it will go. It will. I got an awful wicked heart here that will just take my mind everywhere.
And we have to almost grab its reins, and we got to pull it in and direct it. And here's this man, didn't close his eyes, didn't ask for a moment of silence, just while he's looking at the man, it just says he prayed to God.
Tremendous to think. Now, let's come ahead to the book of Daniel. Daniel will help us with prayers that don't seem to be answered. Daniel chapter 10. There's a lot of fascinating things that happen in this thing, and we can get occupied with those, but there's something that we're told right at the first that's very interesting.
Daniel chapter 10. Daniel is praying over a vision that he's been given, and we read it in verse number two. There was, verse one, there was something revealed onto him. He didn't understand it all. And verse number two, Daniel 10 and verse two, in those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks.
I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all till three full weeks were fulfilled, 21 days. And then finally, an angelic being comes to him in verse 12.
Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel. Now notice, for from the first day that thou did set thy heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
But the prince of the kingdom, that would be a fallen angel, prince of the kingdom of Persia, withstood me 21 and 20 days. But lo, Michael, there's one of the good angels, one of the chief princes came to help me, and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days, for yet the vision is for many days. I mean, it's very easy, isn't it, when you're praying about something and you're not getting the immediate answer?
Don't you sort of start to think, maybe God's not hearing. Why isn't there no answer? But here's this man, and I don't know what went through his mind for 21 days, but I'll tell you this, on the 21st day, here comes this angelic being through with the answer.
And the first thing that he assures Daniel of is this, your words were heard the first day, the very first day. It's not that there's been a delay. There has been activity in the, we can't see it, but in that angelic realm.
So think of it for a minute. Here's this man, Daniel, on earth, and here's God in the third heavens, and this man prays, and the very first day, his request goes up, and then God dispatches an angel. Go down there and show that man what this vision is all about.
So as that angelic being leaves the third heavens and starts to enter into the second heavens, all of a sudden, we're told he encounters this fallen angel over the Persia empire, and they get into this fight for 21 days, unbeknown to Daniel.
And what happens? This good angel calls back to heaven for Michael to come and help him. I'm not making this up. This is, we just read it. It's fascinating to think of. And out of third heavens comes Michael to help this first good angel, and the fight continues, which frees up the good angel, the first one, and he continues down into the earth.
And he comes into the room and talks to Daniel, and he tells Daniel all about this battle going on in the heavens. Fascinating, isn't it? You see, the devil doesn't want you and I talking to God. He doesn't want God talking to us either.
But we're just given a little tiny insight. Sometimes there's reasons for delay. That doesn't mean we should stop praying, because our prayers are heard. They are heard. God will answer in his own time.
You've heard people say the heavens are like grass. Well, maybe this is what Daniel thought, but just be assured, dear child of God, whatever is burning your heart, whatever is on your mind, you can be assured of this.
The very first time you start to pray about it, heaven heard. God heard and God knows that verse I quoted is from the Old Testament. There, the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open onto their cry.
I just don't have one ear of my savior on me. I got both ears and he's hearing everything, be it audibly or be it silently. And that is the wonderful privilege of prayer. Now, let's look at prayer in the New Testament, which is completely different.
Go to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 9 for a minute. This is something that if I got a hold of this more, this would be quite a prayer changer for me. Hebrews chapter 9, Hebrews, as you know, is going to contrast the physical with the spiritual.
It's going to contrast the earthly tabernacle with the spiritual tabernacle, all changed because of Christ. A new and living way has been opened up. So verse number 1, just to sort of set the stage, Hebrews 9 verse 1, then verily the first covenant, there's law and all that's linked with it, had also ordinance of divine service and a worldly sanctuary.
And we all remember the tabernacle, the holy place and the holies of holies, and there was God's presence right in the midst of that. Verse number 11, but Christ being come a high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands.
That is to say, not of this building or this creation. So he's contrasting the spiritual with the physical. Come over to chapter 10. And we have these words in verse 19. Notice this now, having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say his flesh.
Now, what is the difference? I want you all to get a hold of this. In the Old Testament, there was a man on earth praying, physically linked with this earth. And those words of his went up into heaven.
OK, now that is not what happens to you and I today when we pray because of the Lord Jesus coming, because of this new and living way being opened, that veil that separated God from us, it has been removed.
So what we learn from the book of Hebrews is this. When I pray individually and when we pray corporately, we enter. We go up through that distance, spiritually speaking, and we actually enter into the third heavens, right into the holies of holies, right into the presence of God.
It's not that I'm on earth like Solomon and I'm trying to ask God, hear my words. No, no, no. I, we, I can't really explain it to you. I don't understand how it happens spiritually, but we literally enter into the very presence of God.
And he's right there in front of me. Isn't that tremendous? That's that's awesome. It's one thing to speak to someone at a distance. But what a what an amazing thing to think. Can I say it this way? As busy as God is with all of the events of the world, the instant, the very instant I enter into prayer, I'm right there before him.
He's all occupied with me. I've got his full attention. Isn't that tremendous? Now, that should that should really affect me when it comes to prayer. How many of us? It's happened to me. You're in the middle of praying and you doze off.
I'm I'm weak, right? Because I lost I lost sight of the fact of who I'm praying to. I lost sight of the privilege and my mind started to drift and I just sort of my head. Oh, wow. How many of us? We pray and then our mind wanders happens to me.
Why just lost sight of whom speaking to just sort of got distracted and my mind wanders off somewhere. Wouldn't this help me in prayer if I got a hold? Let's let's let's think of it this way. Do you not find it irritating?
I do. When you're speaking to somebody and you start to get the feeling like I'm interrupting them. They're really not interested in what I'm saying. And you can almost see them starting to back away from you like, oh, yeah, yeah, that's great.
That's wonderful. You almost to the point where you feel like I'm sorry I come up and said hello to you. Or do you know what is even more irritating? When you're trying to speak to somebody and they're like, oh, I got a text.
Oh, and you're like. Hey, I'm more important than the text. That's what I feel like saying. But we got to be polite. I'm so thankful that God doesn't do that to me. He assures me, Scott. When you come into my presence.
I'm 100 engaged in you. You've got me all that wonderful. You know that little that word boldness. It's made up of two Greek words. All. And speech. There's nothing. That I cannot say to my father. Nothing.
I can just simply come into his presence. With no embarrassment. I don't have to hide anything. I don't have to feel awkward. You know, like we might have a close friend and we might want to talk about something that we we kind of, oh, I don't know whether I should say this.
What will they think of me? You're hesitant. What a comfort to be able to just completely bear my soul. To my father. He'll never laugh at me. He'll never mock me. He'll never go. Oh, you dummy or something.
Nothing. There's no ridicule. There's no sarcasm. There's no. No, not just an open ear. So may our prayer life be just sort of transformed a little bit. It's not a routine. It's not a ditty. It's one of the highest privileges we have as believers to be able to speak to our father in heaven.