Praying J.I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom. Praying. Objectives. Chapter 6: Asking 8/10/2014

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1 Praying J.I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom Objectives Understand and apply key scripture passages related to prayer Chapter 6: Asking Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. (Mt. 7:7) Friends and Fellowship McLean Bible Church Paul Dorosh August 9, 2014 Pray more Adoration (praise), confession, thanksgiving, supplication (requests) More regular devotions (for example, reading through the Psalms regularly) 2 Praying 1: The God We Pray To 2: The Path and the By-Paths 3: Brooding (Meditating on God s Word) 4: Praising 5: Prayer Checkup 6: Asking 7: Complaining 8: Hanging on 9: Joining in 10: With My Whole Heart 3 Praying : Chapter 6 (Asking) How should we pray? The Lord s Prayer Four questions 1. What should we ask for? 2. Why should we ask? (What should be our motivation?) 3. On what basis do we ask? 4. How does God answer our prayers? (What should we expect?) Small group prayer 4 We are all beggars Martin Luther s last written words were: We are all beggars. That is true. p. 147, par. 1 Read p. 147, par. 1 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you have not received? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? 1 Cor. 4:7 5 Begging God to Supply Commitment to the real God in real faith for the living of the real Christian life, and within that frame, [commitment] to the disciplines of brooding [meditating on Scripture] and praising and being searched, is the launching place of real prayer. But at the core, where real people of prayer bend their knees, prayer is asking, begging God to supply felt needs. p. 149, par

2 The Lord s Prayer Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Mt. 6:9-13 Four Questions and a Caveat 1. What should we ask for? 2. Why should we ask? (What should be our motivation?) 3. On what basis do we ask? 4. How does God answer our prayers? (What should we expect?) Read p. 152 par. 4 through p. 153, line 3 Tell me. And we need to realize that when we ask him for things, he is asking us questions about our asking p What Should We Ask For? In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. John 16:23 See also John 14:13-14 and John 15:16. These amazing promises are NOT a blank check. Asking According to His Will This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15 Read p. 154, par Understanding God s Will the classical and sound distinction between God s will of command and his will of events [sovereign will] does not get us very far How then are we to formulate petitions according to God s will? The answer is twofold: by following the guidelines of, first, observed need, and second, inner inclination. p. 155, par Giving God Reasons for Our Requests We should lay before God, as part of our prayer, the reasons why we think what we ask for is the best thing. telling God why what we have asked for seems to us to be for the best, in light of what we know God s own goals to be (generating good, saving sinners, extending the kingdom and enriching the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and glorifying himself ) p. 158, par

3 Embracing God s Will We should tell God that if he wills something different we know it will be better, and we really want him to do [that] p. 157, par. 4 embracing God s will shows the submissiveness of humility p. 159, par. 1 Jesus prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will. Mk. 14:36 13 What NOT to Ask For We should not ask for things we want and now request just because we want them and no higher reason than that. (See p. 160 and Jesus response to the request in Luke 12:13-15.) God will not be manipulated. Praying many words will not help. When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they thing they will be heard because of their many words. 14 Mt. 6:7 The Right Time for Boldness When we are clear that what we are asking him to do is to meet a real need and that he will glorify himself by doing so, we should make our request boldly and persistently, thus showing strong faith in his holy goodness. Packer and Nystrom, p. 161 Two parables Persistent friend at midnight (Lk. 11:5-8) Unjust judge (Lk. 18:1-8) 15 (What is Our Motivation?) Read p. 162, par. 3: Hallowed be your name Read James 4:1-3: Asking with wrong motives In contrast, consider Abraham s motives in Genesis 18 and his concern for God s honor Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked!... Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just? Gen. 18: (For God s Own Sake -- Honor) O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands Dan. 9:4 Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame because of our unfaithfulness to you. Dan. 9:7 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him (For God s Own Sake -- Honor) Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Dan. 9:17 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name. Dan. 9:19 Dan. 9:

4 1. Our adoptive relationship with God. We weren t born God s children, nobody is, but we become God s children through faith in Jesus Christ Our relationship with the Father of Jesus as our Father is basic to all that we ask in prayer. Packer and Nystrom, p. 165 Read Mt. 7:7-11 If you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to 2. The mighty promises of God Read p. 166, par 3. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. those who ask him? 19 2 Peter 1: Sometimes We Have to Wait The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Bear in mind that our Lord s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gives him. 3. Personal faith-full purity of heart If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; But God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer Psalm 66: Peter 3:9, Personal faith-full purity of heart Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, Nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt Isaiah 59:1-3a 23 How Does God Answer? We are, then, constantly to be using our limited wisdom to work out what might most fully advance the good of those for whom we pray, the relief of each need about which we pray and the glory and praise of our prayerhearing, promise-keeping heavenly Father. If our reasoning was right, what he does is what we asked. If our wisdom failed, what he does is what we should have asked. p. 173, par

5 My Grace is Sufficient for You Read 2 Cor. 12:7-10. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Cor. 12:8-9a 25 God Fixes Our Prayers on the Way Up In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God s will. Rom. 8: Seemingly Unanswered Prayer Read p. 177, par. 3 from We are not implying through squarely under God s wrath Yes, God answers prayer, at the best time and in the best way. I speak the truth in Christ I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. Rom. 9:1-2 Brothers, my heart s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. Never doubt that as you bring your requests to him today. Packer and Nystrom, p Rom. 10:1 Homework(!) Pray. Read Chapter 7: Complaining 29 5