Sermonette: Prayer
#1686s
James Beaubelle
Given 24-Dec-22; 19 minutes
description: When we pray according to the will of our heavenly Father, we can count on three separate responses: 1.) prayers answered in the affirmative in a relatively short time, 2.) prayers answered negatively, and 3.) a requirement on God's part that we wait, developing faith and patience. Unbelief will always go unrewarded. Praying according to God's will means curbing or overriding our own desire, using forethought in our petitions, realizing that our Father's direction is steadier and more beneficial to us than our own cravings or short-sighted whims (I Corinthians 16:9). Because Jesus Christ's role is as High Priest (Hebrews 4:2-16), we have express access to God's throne in the third heaven. This prayer portal should remain open 24/7, but when we formulate our petitions, we should ask with forethought and considerable reflection, continually refining focus and clarity. Our intercessory prayers require thinking, working and cooperation with God's nudging and direction. God is often in the habit of waiting for His people to come before Him before He answers. We need tell Our Father in concrete detail what we have been dealing with in sufficient detail that we know what we are requesting Him to do. In the model prayer in Luke 11, we are advised to 1.) begin with a reverent acknowledgment of the Father, 2.) inviting God's government into our lives, 3.) asking for our daily sustenance, 4.) requesting forgiveness of our sins, 5.) asking that He would protect us from the evil one and influences tempting us to sin, enabling us to hold evil at bay, and 6.) expressing thankfulness for the gift of the Holy Spirit and His Son Jesus Christ—the Rock of Salvation.