Matthew 6:9-13
It used to be said that the 911 emergency system was state of the art. All you needed to do was dial those numbers, and you would almost instantly be connected with a dispatcher. In front of the dispatcher was a read-out that listed your telephone number, your address, and the name by which that telephone number was listed at that address (at least that how it was with landlines). Also listening in were the police, the fire department, and the paramedics. A caller might not be able to say what the problem is. Or perhaps a woman’s husband had just suffered a heart attack, and she was so out of control that all she could do was hysterically scream into the telephone. But the dispatcher didn’t need her to say anything. He knew where the call is coming from. Help was already on the way. But there are times when there is a delayed response and even no response at all. Sometimes our prayers resemble an experience with dialing 911.
In the gospel of Matthew chapter six verses nine through thirteen Jesus provided the following instructions for prayer to His followers: “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom com, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts. As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
The Purpose of Prayer
Prayer, opening the chambers of our hearts and sharing its inventory with God, connects us with the government of heaven. It’s well known that a relationship cannot grow in maturity without constant communication (to come into unity). In Genesis three, we read that Satan used the serpent to cause disharmony between God and humanity through mistrust. Therefore, we can say that it is the work of the enemy to prevent us from communicating with the government of heaven. He also wants to keep heaven from communicating with us. The late Billy Graham was quoted: “Prayer is simply a two-way conversation between you and God.” Isaiah 56:7 states: “For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples. And Jesus did not say ‘if’ but “when” you pray according to Matthew 6:5. This shows that we are expected to pray. This planet has become the battleground between the forces of good and evil. The war started in heaven and has advanced to earth. If we have any hope of being victorious in this fight, then we must learn to establish ongoing communication with God through prayer. As we do so, we will receive understanding and strength to reflect the principles of His kingdom in the way which otherwise could never be accomplished.
The Power of Prayer
The apostles James encourages us with the words “…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.” There have been times when I was in an area and didn’t have cellular connection while someone I was with did. On several occasions I requested to borrow someone’s phone to make a call I otherwise could not make. Some have a connection with heaven and some do not. Some have learned to trust in the Lord and recognize His leading while others have not. Some communicate effectively and others do not. This is not a trivial matter. The power of prayer could mean the difference between life and death. The close of a person’s probation or the granting of a second chance. How many times have we experienced relief from distress after meeting someone who was able to simply make the right call to the right person? How much more important is it for us to be available to make contact with heaven? Except the Lord intervenes, we will succumb to the results of a sinful environment. Except we pray, the Lord will not intervene.
The Privilege of Prayer
How fortunate are we to be welcomed into the palace of the King of the universe! Kings of the earth require special processes before meeting with people but not so with the living God. In Esther’s day, the king of Persia had a law that anyone who entered his chamber without his permission would be put to death. While laboring to lead her people in a fast for Divine intervention she stated: “When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”i Esther 4:16 She literally risked her life by choosing to stand before the only one who could help in her time of need! If we really understood what we are up against each moment in this demon infested world we would not desire to do anything but pray. If we realize how invested the host of heaven is in our welfare it would be hard for us not to pray. If we were honest about our feebleness nothing would be more important to us than prayer. This privilege allows us access to the unlimited resources of wisdom, strength, insight, comfort and all else stored in the bank of heaven. It’s not based on our moral or economic status but faith in God’s goodness. If it concerns us, it concerns God!
Imagine a city with no emergency team available to respond to emergencies. Such is a life, a home, and a world that refuses to communicate with the response team of heaven. We are living an emergency. There are landmines all around and within us. I think it is worth concluding with two thoughts from E.M. Bounds: “This is not a praying age; it is an age of great activity, of great movements, but one in which the tendency is very strong to stress the seen and the material and to neglect and discount the unseen and the spiritual.” And “Prayer is the greatest of all forces, because it honours God and brings Him into active aid.” I hope that we each are inspired to make prayer our priority.