(Luke 18:1 NIV) Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” I trust you enjoyed your extended weekend. I surely did and I am excited about getting back to this series. The Father blessed me to teach a 10-week series on prayer in Iraq and I have been looking over my notes from that series in preparation for this one. A good portion of the Iraq series was based on “Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayer,” by Dr. Myles Munroe. I will quote Dr. Munroe from time to time in this series.
Dr. Munroe said, “Almost everyone claims to do it, but most don’t understand it. Even those that claim to practice it religiously are often confused about how it works. What I am talking about is PRAYER. And most believers don’t have a working understanding of it. They know they are supposed to do it, but they don’t understand how. So they just do what they have heard, whether it works or not, and because of this lack of understanding, many have become frustrated!” You will never maximize what you do not understand! I believe the Father has led me to teach this series, at this time, so that we can collectively gain a better understanding of prayer.
On average prayer meetings at church receive the weakest participation of all ministries. When I was the Pastor of the Gospel service in Iraq we averaged 330 people on Sunday morning, but only about 10-15 at noon on Monday’s for prayer. That’s only about 5% and I am sad to say that those numbers are average for most churches. I believe it is because most have not had a good experience with Prayer. The human spirit hates failure and disappointments. I personally don’t like to lose at anything. When you pray and you believe you are not getting results you equate it to a failure. It’s like putting money into a vending machine that doesn’t give you what you paid for. You might stand in front of it and kick it, shake it, hit it, and even share a few choice words with it, but before long you simply leave, frustrated and upset; determined to NEVER use it again. This is how many believers feel about prayer. They have put many prayer coins in their prayer closet and they have far too few satisfying answers to show for it. In this series we will seek to change that.
I am convinced that prayer DOES work, because it has worked for my countless times and it continues to work for me on a regular basis. Jesus taught that we should always pray and not give up. We should never get so frustrated that we throw in the towel on our prayers or that we give up with the practice altogether.
Dr. Munroe said, “Prayer is the vehicle by which we are meant to commune with the invisible God. It is the medium through which our spirit is intended to affect and be affected by the will and purpose of the Divine Creator.” Our spirit yearns to spend time with the Father in prayer. Let’s learn more about prayer, together, so that we can satisfy our spirit and find rest for every weary sector of our soul.
So what does this mean to you today? It means that you must prepare yourself to grow in the area of prayer. If you have been frustrated and hurt in the past, by what you consider to be unanswered prayers, allow the Father to heal your heart so that you can open it fully to learn more about the practice that can change your life forever!
Closing Confession: Father, I am open to You. My past failures will not keep me from future successes. I come to You with an open heart, a yearning Spirit, and a hunger that will only be satisfied when I can routinely spend time with You in prayer. Prayer shall be the vehicle through which my relationship with You is revitalized forever. As I learn how to commune with You in prayer You take the time to commune with me as well and the results will be amazing! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
