PRAYER

March 31, 2012

492

Why do we pray?

Even Yeshua prayed! Did He not come to do His Father’s will? Yet He prayed according to the Word of God for the Father’s will to be done that would accomplish the purpose for which He came. And because He loved God His Father more than even His own life, and always desired to please Him, then God heard His prayers, and His Son had confidence that they would be answered in the way that best served God’s purpose for Him, in Him, and through Him.

Isaiah 62:1-7 For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until its righteousness goes out as brightness, and her salvation as a burning lamp. And the nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of Yehovah will name. You also will be a crown of glory in the hand of Yehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You will no more be called Forsaken; nor will your land any more be called Desolate; but you will be called My Delight is in her, and your land, Married; for Yehovah delights in you, and your land is married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so will your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so will your God rejoice over you. I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, who will not always be silent all the day nor all the night; you who remember/remind Yehovah, do not be silent. And give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

1 Timothy 2:1-6 First of all, then, I exhort that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For God is one, and there is one Mediator of God and of men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Does God already know what we need?

Of course! He knows everything! He does not give us everything that we think we want, but He is glad to provide what we need, according to His call and purpose for our lives to prepare us for glory.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says Yehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you shall call on Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Ephesians 3:14-21 For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, forever. Amen.

Revelation 3:14-22 And to the angel of the church of the Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Head of the creation of God, says these things: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I counsel you to buy from Me gold purified by fire, so that you may be rich; and white clothing, so that you may be clothed, and so that the shame of your nakedness does not appear. And anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame and have sat down with My Father in His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Does God already know what we will pray?

Of course! He knows everything, from outside and within.

Hebrews 4:12-13 For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight, but all things are naked and opened to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember former things from forever; for I am God, and no other is God, even none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from the past things which were not done, saying, My purpose shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure;

Exodus 2:23-25 And it happened after many days the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the sons of Israel, and God knew them.

So why does God want us to pray?

God has called us to be a kingdom of priests, who will one day rule and reign with Yeshua in His Kingdom. We are being prepared now, and prayer is a way to consciously let God know that we are actively interested in what He is doing, and that we are interested in His business. (Lk 2:49)

God is a Father who likes to hear from His children, those who honor and love Him. Prayer, whether silent or spoken, is the language and means of communication with our Creator and Redeemer.

Even though God already knows everything, He wants us to come to Him and talk with Him, ask Him questions, to hear what is on our own hearts and minds. He may have a question for us, and He wants an answer: Jesus said to the blind man, ‘What do you want?’ What do you think the Lord would have done if the blind man, who had faith that Jesus could heal him, had answered, ‘You already know; I don’t need to tell you!’ The man, in complete dependency and humility, answered, ‘I want to see!’ (Mk 10:51)

What is to our attitude when we pray or intercede?

Self-judgment and dependency upon the one true God. The Hebrew word for common prayer is l’hitpalel (להתפלל), which conveys the thought that we are possibly guilty of some crime, so that we come in humility to the Judge [of all the Earth].

Ps 124:1-3 A Song of degrees; of David. Except that it was Yehovah who was for us, O may Israel say; Except that it was Yehovah who was for us when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us;

Dan 9:3-19 And I set my face toward the Lord God, to seek by prayer and holy desires, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to Yehovah my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and awesome God, keeping the covenant and lovingkindness to those who love Him, and to those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Your commandments and from Your judgments. Neither have we listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our rulers, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us the shame of our faces, as it is today to the men of Judah and to the people of Jerusalem, and to all Israel who are near and who are afar off, through all the countries where You have driven them because of their sin which they have sinned against You. O Lord, shame of face belongs to us, to our kings, to our rulers, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of Yehovah our God, to walk in His Laws which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yea, all Israel has transgressed Your Law, and turned aside, that they might not obey Your voice. Therefore the curse has been poured out on us, and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His Words which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing on us a great evil. For under all the heavens it has not been done as it has been done to Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this evil has come on us.

Yet we did not make our prayer before Yehovah our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand Your truth. Therefore Yehovah has watched over the evil, and has brought it on us. For Yehovah our God is righteous in all His works which He does; for we did not obey His voice.

And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out from the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have brought fame to Yourself, as it is today, we have sinned, we have done wrong. O Lord, I pray You, according to all Your righteousness let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain. Because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a curse to all those who are around us. And now, O our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his holy desires, and cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. O my God, bow down Your ear and hear. Open Your eyes and behold our ruins, and the city which is called by Your name. For we do not present our prayers before You on account of our righteousnesses, but because of Your great mercies. O Yehovah, hear; O Yehovah, forgive; O Yehovah, listen and do. Do not delay, for Your own sake, O my God; for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.

Priority of Motive – Mt 6:9-13

—Love of God: sanctity of the Father’s Name coming again of Yeshua to establish God’s Kingdom on Earth

—Love of others as oneself:
— personal need, but with concern for others
—recognizing of our own need for forgiveness
–mercy towards others
–dependency upon God’s help to keep from doing evil, and from becoming captive to evil doers
–proclamation of YHVH’s supremacy, and that all is for His sake