Seven Features of Prayer That Changes Things.
Ephesians 6:18
Sermon by Pastor Dennis Gleason -- Sunday, June 6, 2004
"Going home for keeps?"
"Sure am," Roger responded.
"Well, you're in luck if you're going to Chicago."
"Not quite that far. Do you live in Chicago?"
"I have a business there. My name is Hanover."
After talking about many things, Roger, a Christian, felt a compulsion to witness to this fifty-ish, apparently successful businessman about Christ. But he kept putting it off, till he realized he was just thirty minutes from his home. It was now or never. So, Roger cleared his throat, "Mr. Hanover, I would like to talk to you about something very important." He then proceeded to explain the way of salvation, ultimately asking Mr. Hanover if he would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger's astonishment the Cadillac pulled over to the side of the road. Roger thought he was going to be ejected from the car. But the businessman bowed his head and received Christ, then thanked Roger.
"This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me."
Five years went by, Roger married, had a two-year-old boy, and a business of his own. Packing his suitcase for a business trip to Chicago, he found the small, white business card Hanover had given him five years before. In Chicago he looked up Hanover Enterprises. A receptionist told him it was impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but he could see Mrs. Hanover. A little confused as to what was going on, he was ushered into a lovely office and found himself facing a keen-eyed woman in her fifties. She extended her hand.
"You knew my husband?" Roger told how her husband had given him a ride when hitchhiking home after the war. "Can you tell me when that was?"
"It was May 7, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army."
"Anything special about that day?" Roger hesitated. Should he mention giving his witness? Since he had come so far, he might as well take the plunge.
"Mrs. Hanover, I explained the gospel. He pulled over to the side of the road and wept against the steering wheel. He gave his life to Christ that day." Explosive sobs shook her body. Getting a grip on herself, she sobbed,
"I had prayed for my husband's salvation for years. I believed God would save him." "And," said Roger, "Where is your husband, Mrs. Hanover?"
"He's dead," she wept, struggling with words. "He was in a car crash after he let you out of the car. He never got home. You see--I thought God had not kept His promise." Sobbing uncontrollably, she added, "I stopped living for God five years ago because I thought He had not kept His word!"
Our text for today is found in Ephesians 6:18:
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
Paul identifies for us two offensive weapons that must be in the hands of the Christian Warrior:
1. The Sword of the Spirit…which is the word of God – the rhema, the spoken Word of God that is appropriate for the situation we find our selves in. It is the Scripture that the Spirit of God brings to our minds…just the right verse or verses that we need for the situation so that we can be victorious.
2. Prayer. Prayer by its simplest definition is talking with God. Sharing our thoughts, desires and requests with Him. We most often focus on the part in which we speak to God; but it also involves listening for God’s response as we worship and pray.
Paul gives us instruction on how we can be obedient to God’s command to pray with the seven features of prayer in this section of his letter.
This is how we are to use this weapon God has given us: We are to pray:
1. Consistently: “at all times…” is how Paul puts it here. Pray, Pray, Pray.
a. George Mueller lived his life in prayer. He prayed when he was awake and as he was retiring to sleep. He prayed morning, noon and night. His life was an example of prayer in action and God provided for Him in many miraculous ways.
b. Smith Wigglesworth said this about his prayer life: He never prayed for more than 30 minutes at a time. But then he never went more than 30 minutes without praying.
2. With balance: “with all kinds of prayers…”
a. He has in mind the various kinds of prayer that God has taught us – Confession
b. Adoration and Worship…praise and worship
c. Thanksgiving for all the blessings we have received, are receiving and will receive
d. Intercession for others
e. Requests for ourselves
3. With Supplication: these are the specific things we request of God. Get specific. One of our Christian friends always refers to this as line item prayers. Give God your requests in prayer and then expect him to answer.
4. In the Spirit: Pray under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Paul told us in chapter 5 verse 18 that we were not to get drunk on wine…i.e., don’t allow yourself to come under the influence of wine; rather be filled with the Spirit…all yourselves to come completely under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Surrender to Him. Allow Him to fill you completely.
a. Under His influence you will be in harmony with the Holy Spirit. Paul says pray under his leading.
b. In Romans 8:26-27 Paul says this: “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying; for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s will.” If we are in harmony with the Holy Spirit when we pray, we will be in harmony with the will of God. That kind of prayer changes things.
c. Under His influence you will have His Power. Things will happen because you pray in harmony with the Spirit and in His Power and in harmony with the will of God.
d. The ultimate expression of this harmony in the Spirit is what is often called “a prayer language.”
i. An American service man married a Japanese woman after coming home from duty in Japan. He became a Christian but she continued worship as a Buddhist. They would both go to the altar to pray but were praying as they believed…He to God and she to Buddha. One day while they were at the altar together another woman came up to pray. She began praying in her prayer language. The Japanese woman stopped in the middle of her prayer and said to her husband: “That woman she pray in Japanese!” And it is not ordinary Japanese…it is temple Japanese. She says God asks why are you praying to Buddha. He has never helped you. Jesus will help you if you give your heart to Him. He loves you.
ii. A prayer language is a special tool available to us as we pray that allows us to pray at a deeper level than we could ever pray in our normal language. This is often referred to as praying in the Spirit.
5. Pray alertly. This is given to us in Paul’s expression “With this in mind, be alert…” In Colossians 4:2-3 Paul says, “ Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” Stay alert when you pray. Stay alert to what is happening around you in your family, in your church, in your neighborhood and pray on the basis of what you perceive around you.
6. Pray with perseverance. Our text tells us to pray “persistently”. Again Paul has other teaching about pray in another place that will help us here: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all he has done.” P.U.S.H. Prayer is what Paul has in mind here. Pray Until Something Happens. Keep at it. Pray and don’t give up. The illustration about Mrs. Hanover of Chicago is a good reminder to us: Don’t quit. Keep on praying even when it appears as if nothing is ever going to happen with our prayer.
7. Pray Impartially. Paul tells us whom to pray for: “for all the saints.” Pray for the Church…yours and the Church Universal…that includes all believers, everywhere and for all time. Pray for fellow believers specifically, persistently, consistently, under the leading and influence of the Holy Spirit, with all kinds of prayer, and alertly. Be aware of the needs of those around you in the body of Christ and pray for each other.
a. If you want to pray effectively for someone else: Do three things:
i. Ask them what they would like for you to pray for.
ii. Ask God for insight into the ultimate cause of the condition or situation they are asking prayer for.
iii. Pray according to the need. This will answer the question of what kind of prayer is needed. Ask God what He wants to do in this situation. Expect Him to tell you.
iv. Pray for them according to what you now believe God desires for them right now. You might simply pray, “Holy Spirit come and show us how to pray.” As we gain experience in prayer that is consistent with these seven features or aspects of prayer, listen to God as well as speak to Him in prayer, we will begin to understand what God’s will is for the situation by the time we get to the prayer phase. This will allow us a greater degree of boldness in how we pray for each other than we would otherwise have.
Spurgeon once said: "There is no need for us to go beating about the bush, and not telling the Lord distinctly what it is that we crave at His hands. Nor will it be seemly for us to make any attempt to use fine language; but let us ask God in the simplest and most direct manner for just the things we want...I believe in business prayers. I mean prayers in which you take to God one of the many promises which He has given us in His Work, and expect it to be fulfilled as certainly as we look for the money to be given us when we go to the bank to cash a check. We should not think of going there, lolling over the counter chattering with the clerks on every conceivable subject except the one thing for which we had gone to the bank, and then coming away without the coin we needed; but we should lay before the clerk the promise to pay the bearer a certain sum, tell him in what form we wish to take the amount, count the cash after him, and then go on our way to attend to other business. That is just an illustration of the method in which we should draw supplies from the Bank of Heaven."
Let me close with these challenging words penned by a Confederate Soldier during the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865:
I asked God for strength that I might achieve.
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked God for health that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for--but everything I had hoped for...
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed.
What should we do with what Paul has taught us here?
Let’s recommit ourselves to be people of prayer. And Pray:
* Consistently
* With well balanced prayers
* Specifically…expecting specific answers to our prayers.
* In the Spirit
* Alertly
* Persistently…P.U.S.H.
* Impartially…for all the saints.
Let’s Pray Until Something Happens about the things we need in our lives individually, as families, and as a church.
When we are obedient to the command Paul gives us here…we will be blessed, people’s needs will be met and God will be glorified.
There is a place in Africa where believers go off into the bush to pray. They generally go to the same place to pray day after day and in time a path is worn to where they pray. When someone neglects prayer grass will overgrow their path and other believers will notice and remind one another that there is grass on their path as they encourage them to return to prayer as they had before.
Don’t let grass grow on your prayer path!
--Dennis Gleason
Roger Simms, hitchhiking his way home, would never forget the date--May 7. His heavy suitcase made Roger tired. He was anxious to take off his army uniform once and for all. Flashing the hitchhiking sign to the oncoming car, he lost hope when he saw it was a black, sleek, new Cadillac. To his surprise the car stopped. The passenger door opened. He ran toward the car, tossed his suitcase in the back, and thanked the handsome, well-dressed man as he slid into the front seat.
