Sunday's Message - Pray in Faith

Although it’s not hard to believe that we’ve been called by Christ, actually living that call may be a whole lot more challenging. And so, during the Sundays between the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Lent, we’ll consider seven ways we can live as followers of Jesus. The topics are listed below. 

• January 16 – Decide to Follow (Mark 1:14-20)
• January 23 – Grow in the Word (2 Timothy 3:10-17)
• January 30 – Pray in Faith (Matthew 6:5-15)
• February 6 – Claim the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26)
• February 13 – Fellowship with Believers (Colossians 3:12-17)
• February 20 – Witness to the World (Matthew 28:16-20)
• February 27 – Minister to Others (1 John 3:15-24)

During this third message, we used Matthew 6:5-15 to discuss how we might pray in faith. 

You can stream all our services live by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube channel. If you miss one of these messages, you can find a copy and podcast on the Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community blog (https://thenettransform.blogspot.com/). 

The passage and message are below:

Matthew 6:5-15 [Contemporary English Version]

When you pray, don’t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward.

When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you.

When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask.

You should pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,

help us to honor

    your name.

Come and set up

    your kingdom,

so that everyone on earth

    will obey you,

as you are obeyed

    in heaven.

Give us our food for today. 

Forgive us for doing wrong,

    as we forgive others.

Keep us from being tempted

    and protect us from evil. 

If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Pray in Faith 

As I hope most of y’all know, we’re in the middle of a sermon series we started a few weeks ago entitled, “Living the Call: 

Seven Ways to Live as Followers of Jesus Christ.” You see, during the period between Epiphany, the end of the Christmas season, and the beginning of Lent, which of course leads to Easter, we’re talking about seven things we might want to do as Christian disciples. And a couple of weeks ago, we kicked it off by talking about how, before they do anything else, followers of Jesus need to make the decision that they’re actual going to do it, you know, follow, something that happens when we decide to open our minds and to leave behind our past and to move into our future. Now that was week one. And last week, we looked at how followers of Christ may also want to grow in the Word, something that’s certainly possible when we decide to take the Bible and to do the three “Ls,” namely, to love it and to learn it and to live it. And that was week two.

And this week, we’re going to look at the third thing that I believe will help us live the call we’ve received from Christ, and now I’m talking about praying to God in faith. And I’ll tell you, personally, I think prayer is one of those topics that kind of unites Christians. I mean, most of us think it’s really important but I believe most of us also think we could probably be better at it. And I think that’s why, if you stroll through a Christian bookstore or thumb through a catalog, you’ll probably find a whole section devoted to prayer. As a matter of fact, just a few days ago I ran across an article on the Presbyterian Church website entitled, “Praying for Others: Ask questions and keep it simple.” Now if you’re interested in reading it, you can find it if you scroll down the SPC Facebook page or check out our blog, the address is in the bulletin. Anyway, it was written by a hospital chaplain and she was saying that, in her opinion, praying for others is a collaborative effort, in other words, that sometimes we do it for others and sometimes others do it for us. But it always involves “us” and “we.” Now that’s what she said. And even though I think her point is spot on, the article itself shows me that prayer, well, it’s a big deal for most Christians.

And for that reason, that’s going to be our focus this morning. You see, we’re going to talk about how we, as people called by Jesus Christ, can pray in and with faith. And to do that, we’ll take this passage from the Sermon on the Mount and look at four things that we can trust as we approach God in prayer, something that I hope will improve our praying. 

For example, when we pray, we can trust that God has interest, you know, interest in us; in other words, that God wants us to pray because he has a real interest what we have to say. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s why, before he got into the actual praying itself, Jesus gave his disciples and he gives us all kinds of guidelines in the passage we just read. I mean, remember he said, 

When you pray, don’t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward.

When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you.

When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask. [Matthew 6:5-8, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said. And you know, based on that, it seems pretty clear that God really likes us to pray with humility and with privacy and with as few words as possible, something that should probably be included in the training of every minister. You see, this is what God likes, because he simply wants us to pray.

And I’ll tell you, when we recognize this, I think how we pray changes a little bit. I mean, if I believe that God really isn’t all that interested in what I have to say or that, if I’m not careful, my prayers could get on God’s last nerve, man, I’m going to approach him with some real doubt, maybe even some genuine fear and trembling. My goodness, what if I say something that kind of ticks him off, then where will I be? No, if I’m not sure that God is interested in hearing from me, well, how could I not be hesitant? But you know, if that’s reversed and if I trust that God really does want me to talk, because he’s interested in what I have to say, that may lead me to be a little bit bold in my prayers. Man, I think I’ll feel the freedom to pray as much and as often as I can and my prayers will become more like conversations with a friend than a petition to a deity. And who knows, if we are able to accept this truth about God, we may actually be able to identify with what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: Always be joyful and never stop praying. Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do. [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, CEV] You see, I believe our prayers become more often and less formal, when we trust that God has interest. And that’s one.

And second, when we pray, I also believe that we can trust that God has authority, in other words, that regardless of what we offer up, God can address our needs and concerns. Simply put, God is free from all those things that limit us. And you know, I think that we can see a recognition of that reality in the very pray Jesus gave us disciples to pray, you know, the one in the passage I just read. Now, a few minutes ago, we used the Contemporary English, but let’s get real, we’re a whole lot more comfort with the same verses from the King James:

After this manner therefore pray ye: 

Our Father which art in heaven, 

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, 

Thy will be done in earth, 

as it is in heaven. [Matthew 6:9-10, KJV]

You see, this is the one who hears our prayers, and I’m talking about the one who dwells in heaven and whose name is holy and whose will is going to be done on earth just like it is in heaven. You see, the one who has an interest in us also has authority.

And if this is something that we remember, and I’m talking about when we go to him in prayer, then I believe how we pray changes. For example, there’s no way that we can pray without hope, wondering about whether our need exceeds his power. Man, that’s not going to happen. Instead, we’ll be able to share with God exactly what’s going on, won’t we; and we’ll do it even when the problems that we face seem enormous, at least to us. And we’ll do it even when the odds are definitely against us, you know, like being behind by three points with thirteen seconds to play. It’s like the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews said: So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help. [Hebrews 4:16, CEV] I’ll tell you, I believe we’ll be able to pray with hope, when we trust that God really does have authority. And that’s two.

And third, I also think that our prayers become different when we trust that God has compassion; in other words, that God cares about us. You see, whether we like it or not, God doesn’t tolerate us nor does he put up with us. And frankly, I think that great Puritan preacher, Jonathan Edwards was dead wrong when he said this in his most famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of a Angry God”: “The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked.” No, that’s not right. Actually, I believe it’s like that minister told me forty years ago, we’re going to have to live with the fact that God loves us.And I think that’s why Jesus told his disciples that they could ask God for help. Remember, he said, again from the King James:

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, 

as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, 

but deliver us from evil: 

For thine is the kingdom, 

and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. [Matthew 6:11-13, KJV]

You see, God has compassion for us, his children.

And I’ll tell you, just knowing that changes the way we approach him. I mean, where in the past, we might have thought that God was always irritated by something and that in his sight, sometimes we really are like loathsome insects dangling over the fires of Hell, that shouldn’t be our perspective anymore. You see, although we might fear Jonathan Edwards’ angry God, we can approach the one who’s perfect in his love with both confidence and joy. It’s sort of like John wrote in his first letter: This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. [1 John 5:14, CEV] You see, I believe we’ll pray with a more positive attitude and outlook, when we trust that God has compassion. Now that’s three.

And fourth, when we pray, we can trust that God has expectations; in other words, that God is looking for us to respond. Now, let me be clear; I’m not saying that God’s concern for us is conditional and that he only loves us when we’re lovable. Let’s face it, if that were the case, outside of a couple of y’all who will remain nameless, most of us are in real trouble. I’m not saying that. Still, for us to understand and to experience his compassion fully, we really need to be willing to show it to others. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s why Jesus ended his little lesson on prayer with this:

If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. [Matthew 6:14-15, CEV]

I mean, let’s get real; how in heaven’s name can I ever really understand the nature of forgiveness or truly appreciate the fact that I’ve been forgiven, if I’m not willing to pass a little of that forgiveness on to others? But I don’t think we should limit this to forgiving. Suppose God answers my pray and gives me more food than I need for the day. You see, since I’m praying not for “my” but for “our daily bread,” might not God expect me to share some of my extra with those of us who don’t have enough? Frankly, I think he does, because I believe God has expectations.

And I’ll tell you, because of that, after we pray, well, we probably shouldn’t sort of sit around and do nothing and wait for the blessings to pour in. Instead, maybe we should do for those around us, particularly those who aren’t on top, maybe we should show them the same sort of stuff that we trust that God shows to us. In other words, maybe we should take an interest in them and open ourselves so that we hear what they have to say. And maybe we should recognize that even though it certainly has limitations, we have enough the authority and the power to make the lives of those who are often ignored better. And maybe, just maybe, we should muster up some compassion so that we can fulfill these words from Jesus himself: “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.” [Matthew 25:40b, CEV] You see, whenever we approach God in prayer, we can trust that he has expectations. And that’s four.

Now I expect prayer to remain a hot topic among Christians. And I also expect that people will continue to write articles and books on how we might be more effective in our prayers. And even though I think that’s perfectly fine, let’s remember that, when we pray, we can trust that God has interest and authority and that he has compassion and expectations. In other words, regardless of the techniques we may choose to use, as men and women called by Jesus Christ, we can follow him by praying in faith.