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Recap & Reminders. 84 % of Americans pray on a regular basis. Prayer is unpredictable, and because of this there’s a high potential of being let down. The Problem With Pryaer. Neither rhyme nor reason. The Sounds of Silence. The Perfect Pray-er. Unanswered and Dejected.
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Prayer is unpredictable, and because of this there’s a high potential of being let down.
“Prayer is a subversive act performed in a world that constantly calls faith into question.” - Philip Yancey
The Question: Do We Pray Like We Believe God Answers Prayer?
1 Chronicles 29:10-20 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, Lord,the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15 We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name...
Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, statutes and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”
Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God.” So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrating themselves before the Lord and the king.
David prayed like he meant it. He prayed like a man who believed God answered prayer---even though God hadn’t always answered his prayers...
So what does it take to pray like we believe God answers prayer?
“...you need only keep walking with God and life becomes one long stroll---a marvelous feeling.”
The kind of faith that brings you to prayer despite all that you have been told... or experienced.
It’s not really a sacrifice if it doesn’t hurt to hand it over.
Admission (verse 14)“I don’t get this...” “I don’t understand...” “I feel so broken...”
Remembrance(verse 15-17)When you remind God of his kept promises, you remember them, too.
Petition (verses 18-19)Sometimes prayers for others are hopelessly intertwined with prayers for ourselves...
Attention to our Relationship with GodGod can handle rocky relationships