Pastor's fodder: March 2024

Prayer Made Simple In 1961, the Green Bay Packers had in the preseason several terrible practices in a row. Their coach, Vince Lombardi, gathered the whole team together and in frustration he said, “We are going to go back to the fundamentals. Then he held up a football and he said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” From the back of the room, the famous receiver Max McGee said, “Coach, could you slow down, you are going a little too fast for us.” Six months later they won the NFL Championship. Sometimes we need to go back to the fundamentals of prayer. Before we look at how to pray here are three fundamentals. Three ways you should never pray. Never let your prayers be hazy. Never let your prayers be crazy. Never let your prayers be lazy. Say it with me. Never last your prayers be hazy. Ask for specific things. Don’t just say, “God give me a good day.” He might have a different idea than you do of what a good day is. A good day for me is finishing my “to do” list. A good day for Gos is when I become more like Jesus. Second, never let your prayers be crazy. Don’t always pray selfishly. Now there is nothing wrong with asking God to meet your needs but sometimes we go way above that. James says we don’t get our prayers answered for two reasons. One is we don’t ask. And two, we ask amiss…with wrong desires. Third, never let your prayers be lazy. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. When you pray God will answer in one of four ways. When the request is wrong, God will say, “no.” When the request is right, but the timing is wrong, God will say, “slow”. When the request is right, but you are not, God will say, “grow”. When the request is right, the timing is right and you are right, God will say, “Go”. Ask and let God sort it out. Phil 4:6 Don’t worry about anything. Pray about everything. I don’t think God is any more real to us in our life than when we see a specific answer to prayer. We say, “That was a God thing.” Luke 11:5-13 ”And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;“ Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭5‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Notice three loaves. It wasn’t hazy. It was specific. ”for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?“ Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ It was not crazy. This is not for me. I have someone who needs some food. And the point of the rest of this parable is that his prayer wasn’t lazy. Most important word in the Bible on prayer. Is mentioned only one time in the entire Bible. ”And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.“ Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Importunity has the idea of being shameless. Without blushing. I don’ care what anyone thinks. Notice how many times the word “ask” is used in verses 9-13. ”And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?“ Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭9‬-‭13‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Helpless, I have nothing to set before him.” Do you see that in verse 6? Also, it is a prayer of urgency. Look in verse 5: “And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves …?” Urgent, I can’t wait until tomorrow. He says, “I’ve got to have some bread, because I’ve got a friend to feed. He’s come to me in my journey, and I have nothing to set before him.” There’s helplessness. There’s urgency. And there is shamelessness. I mean, it’s midnight! The man inside says, “Go away! It’s midnight!” But he won’t go away. He says, “My children are in bed. You’re going to wake the baby. If you wake up my baby, my wife will get on to me, and I’ll get on to you. Listen. The kids are asleep.” Maybe the dogs begin to bark in the neighborhood. But he won’t stop. And finally in the story Jesus told, this man, who was the next-door neighbor, says, “All right, stop knocking! Be quiet! I’m going to get three loaves of bread. I’m going to give you as much as you need. Just please stop banging on my door, will you? Just take the bread and get out of here!” And that’s the way Jesus taught us to pray. Importunity, helpless urgency with consistency. There was only one time Jesus went outside the borders of Israel. It was to answer a prayer of importunity. Let’s take a look. Matthew 15:21-28 Then Jesus went from there and departed into the regions of Tyre and Sidon. There, a woman of Canaan came out of the same regions and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David. My daughter is severely possessed by a demon.” But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and begged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, help me.” (Notice her helplessness). But He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and to throw it to dogs.” (She is shameless). She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” (She wouldn’t give up. She knows this is her only chance. Jesus has to answer her prayer now. This is urgent). Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith. Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. (Because of her importunity, Jesus answered her prayer). Jesus will go anywhere to answer a prayer of importunity.