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- All right, open your Bibles to the 18th chapter of Luke and the first verse.
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- David brought a wonderful lesson on this verse last week. I'm going to bring you a lesson on it this week.
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- We find these words in Luke 18 .1,
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- and he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint.
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- David explained to us the word ought. And it's true that we ought to do certain things, but chances are we won't.
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- That's not what it meant in the olden days. Ought, when this was written, meant that it was necessary, there is a need of, it behooves, it is right, it is proper.
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- So, reading that verse with that in mind, that men find it necessary to always pray, we come to the question, why pray?
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- I think the vast majority of people would reply, so we can obtain from God the things that we need.
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- Well, that's prayer from a human standpoint. In fact, it's not even a prayer.
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- We must learn to view all things from God's point of view. First, prayer has been appointed that the
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- Lord Himself should be honored. We must realize that He is the
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- Almighty God. We tend to overlook that sometimes.
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- Second, God requires that we must worship
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- Him, and real prayer does just that.
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- It recognizes His sovereignty by submission to Him. In Romans 8,
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- David turned to Romans 8, 26, 27, 28, and read those words for us.
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- Romans 8, 26 through 28. Likewise, does the
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- Spirit itself make an intercession, and He that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the
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- Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. It shows us our dependence on Him, does it not?
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- Prayer. It enables us to grow spiritually.
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- It is an exercise in faith. Now, you may ask, in light of Romans 11, 36,
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- For of Him, through Him, to Him are all things to whom be glory forever.
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- Amen. So, Joy, it seems to me that everything is from the
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- Lord, to the Lord, in the Lord, everything. That means all things.
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- So why pray? The first reason is because He commanded us to pray.
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- What is the use of telling God something He already knows? KK, you answer that for me.
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- Alright. He wants to hear it. From us.
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- John wants the use of praying for anything when everything has been ordained.
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- Well, when we're in His will, and we realize that, we get a blessing from Him.
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- Alright. David, what's the use of praying for things when everything has been ordained?
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- The ends of everything, the means, are all part of God's plan.
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- Alright. Prayer is not to inform God as if He was ignorant, is that right?
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- That's true. Matthew 6 and 8.
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- Be not ye therefore like unto them, for your Father knoweth what things you have need of, before you ask
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- Him. God requires that His gifts be sought.
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- We should honor Him by asking just as we thank Him for the receiving.
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- It is not that you will not receive if you don't ask.
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- Yes. He has ordained that we pray, that's right.
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- You know, even your wife likes to be told that you love her, even though she knows you do.
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- Why pray? Well, first of all, in Thessalonians, He tells us to.
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- Jesus prayed very often. Now, why should we do less? We shouldn't.
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- God has decreed that events shall come to pass. But, He has also decreed that they shall come to pass according to the means
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- He has appointed. One of those means is prayer.
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- He has decreed that His people shall be saved. But, they shall be saved through the hearing of the gospel.
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- God has elected the means as well as the end. He runs it all.
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- Among the means is prayer. If all things happen by chance, well, let's look at this for a minute.
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- If all things happen by chance, Russell, what would the world be like?
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- Now, bear in mind that lots of people believe that. Well, you say that because you think that God's running everything.
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- What about the person that does not believe that, doesn't think about it, nothing, they just think, everything is a chance out here.
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- Then, what use is prayer if everything is by chance? Brother Otis, the clearest and cleanest explanation
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- I ever heard of that, I heard on some pages from John McCarver, he says, nothing happens by chance because chance is not anywhere.
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- That's right. You say, I met someone by chance. You didn't meet them by chance. You met them because you went somewhere and you met them.
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- So meeting by chance is a way of saying something came out of nothing.
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- You don't have things happen without causes. So nothing happens by chance.
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- Thank you, Bill. Nothing happens by chance. I grew up the early part of my life thinking everything was by chance.
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- But since all things are regulated by God, prayers have a place in the order of events.
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- Know that. Remember it. Elijah knew that God was about to send rain, but he prayed anyhow.
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- Now, would God have sent rain even if Elijah didn't pray, KK? Yes.
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- Daniel understood the writing on the wall, but he prayed anyway. Then the design of prayer is not that God's will can be altered, but rather that it may be accomplished in his own way and his own time.
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- Prayer. That is a powerful tool. Not to change
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- God's will or his aim. Jesus knew, but he asked anyway.
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- In John 17, 11, he says, And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee.
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- Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be as we are.
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- One as we are. Finally, God's will is immutable.
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- Is that right, Debbie? And it cannot be altered.
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- There's a verse in Jeremiah I would like to refer to. Jeremiah 15, 1.
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- Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people.
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- Cast them out of thy sight, and let them go forth. Though Moses and Samuel were trying to persuade me,
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- I cannot be persuaded. Our views in respect to prayer need to be brought up to date.
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- It is dishonoring to God to expect him to bring whatever we ask.
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- What does that do, John, when we expect God to produce whatever
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- I ask? One thing, you don't feel like he's paying attention to you if you were praying like that.
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- Well, that reduces God to just a servant, doesn't it? Sure. And worse than that, it reduces him to your servant.
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- Prayer is coming to God, telling him whatever we need, leaving him to deal with it as he sees fit.
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- After all, he gives us the need in the first place. No prayer is heard by God unless something very, very key here.
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- What is it, David? A question. All right.
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- No prayer is heard by God unless something, something, something.
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- Oh. Well, I know what you're getting at is that God does not hear our prayers.
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- Even our prayers have to be led. That's it.
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- He brings it forth. That's it.
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- No prayer originates with us. It originates in heaven with him.
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- And unless his Holy Spirit prompts you to pray concerning this thing, it's not a prayer.
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- Daniel 4 .35, And all of the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he doth according to his will in all in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him,
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- What doest thou? If a person stands on a roof, you're at the parapet of a building, and you have a ball in your hand, and you're going to throw it over.
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- But you pray beforehand, Lord, when I throw this ball over, make it hit the ground.
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- Now, birds, did it hit the ground because I prayed or because of one of God's laws?
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- My prayer had nothing to do with it, did it? God expects us when we pray for a corn crop to answer with a hole in our hand.
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- He expects us to get busy. Prayer is more of an attitude of life than action of lips.
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- Prayer is our duty. It should be habitually kept. Your prayer must always be in the will of God, for you, nothing else will be heard.
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- What seems to be his answers to us is simply his will being worked.
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- I get a little tired of these preachers, and people too, that go around bragging about,
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- God answered my prayer. I keep a list, and I check off the ones that he answers.
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- If that's not humanism, I never heard it. We, in our desire to want to do his will, we're privileged to discuss it, and to see the fulfillment of our prayers.
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- Prayer does not change things. It changes us.
