Christian Prayer
Christian Prayer
Prayer is an offering up
of our desires unto God
for things agreeable to
His will, in the name of
Christ, with confession
of our sins, and
thankful
acknowledgement of
His mercies.
Thomas Vincent 1674
The praying hands of Albert Dürer
By Abrecht Dürer
Christian Prayer
Prayer is an offering up
of our desires unto God
for things agreeable to
His will, in the name of
Christ, with confession
of our sins, and
thankful
acknowledgement of
His mercies.
Thomas Vincent 1674
The praying hands of Albert Dürer
By Abrecht Dürer
What is ‘Offering up our Desires
to God’?
• ‘Do not worry about
anything but in
everything, by prayer
and supplication with
thanksgiving, let your
requests be known to
God’.
(Phil 4:6)
• Often in trials,
difficulties, hardships,
illness and loss
• Pouring out the heart
• Silence before Him
The Eagle Nebula
What is ‘Offering up our Desires
to God’?
• Cry for help. ‘This poor
soul cried and was heard
by the Lord’
(Ps 34:6)
• Declaration of need
without resourcing.
’When the wine ran out,
the mother of Jesus said
to him “they have no
wine”.
(Jn 2:3)
The Eagle Nebula
There is no Need for Worry/Anxiety
in Requesting from the Lord!
• We are God’s children.
‘Ask and it will be given
to you, seek and you
will find. Knock and the
door will be opened to
you’
(Mat 7:7-8)
• He never refuses to
hear our prayers
Earth with New Moon
There is no Need for Worry/Anxiety
in Requesting from the Lord!
• He won’t give us evil
things. ’Is there anyone
among you who, if your
child asks for bread,
will give a stone /
fish/serpent?’
(Mat 7:9-10)
• He will answer them in
his way with perfect
wisdom and love
Earth with New Moon
How Do we ‘Offer up our Desires’
to God’?
• Test the rightness
of things we pray
for!
• Test our own
sincerity in asking!
• Then, it is a pouring
out of our heart to
him in faith and love
‘Trust in him at all
times O’ people; pour
out your heart
before him’ (Ps 62:8)
Spiral Galaxy
Christian Prayer
Prayer is an offering up
of our desires unto God
for things agreeable to
His will, in the name of
Christ, with confession
of our sins, and
thankful
acknowledgement of
His mercies.
Thomas Vincent 1674
The praying hands of Albert Dürer
By Abrecht Dürer
What are ‘Things Agreeable to
His Will’?
‘And this is the boldness
we have in him, that if
we ask anything
according to his will, he
hears us. And if we know
that he hears us in
whatever we ask, we
know that we have
obtained the requests
made of him’
(1 Jn 5:14-15)
Earth with Clouds
How do we Know we are Asking in
God’s Will?
• No demands! That is our
will.
• Discussion about what he
wants from us. That is his
will. ‘If you abide in me,
and my words abide in
you……
(Jn 15:7)
• Not for our own desires
but for his glory and
honour. His will.
• Service for God
Our prayers will then be
according to his will
The Swan Nebula
How do we Know we are Asking in
God’s Will?
• We need wisdom to seek
his will (rightness,
sincerity, scripture or
just listening to him)
‘If any of you is lacking in
wisdom, ask God, who
gives to all generously and
ungrudgingly, and it will be
given you’
(James 1:5)
The Swan Nebula
How does Scripture Tell us to
Pray in God’s Will?
• With sincerity. ‘Let us draw near
to God with a sincere heart
(Heb 10:22)
• With humility. ‘O Lord, you will
hear the desire of the meek’
(Ps 10:17)
• With faith. ’But ask in faith, never
doubting, for the one who doubts
is like a wave of the sea, driven
and tossed by the wind ’
(Js 1:6)
Orion Nebula
How does Scripture Tell us to
Pray in God’s Will?
• With fervency. ‘the prayer
of the righteous is powerful
and effective’
(Js 5:16)
• With perseverance. ‘Then
Jesus told them a parable
about the need to pray
always and not to lose heart’
(Lk 18:1)
• With a spirit of forgiveness.
‘So when you are offering
your gift at the alter …..first
be reconciled to your
brother or sister and then
come and offer your gift’
(Mat 5:23-24)
Orion Nebula
How do we Know we are Asking in
God’s Will?
Apply the test!
Can we say to Jesus
“Lord, please give me
this for your sake
and in your name”?
The Cat’s Eye Nebula
Christian Prayer
Prayer is an offering up
of our desires unto God
for things agreeable to
His will, in the name of
Christ, with confession
of our sins, and
thankful
acknowledgement of
His mercies.
Thomas Vincent 1674
The praying hands of Albert Dürer
By Abrecht Dürer
How do we Pray ‘in the Name of
Jesus’?
• Jesus taught ‘if you ask
for anything of the Father
in my name, he will give it
to you’ (Jn 16:23)
• Paul says ‘Give thanks to
God the Father for
everything, in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ’
(Eph 5:20)
Hourglass Nebula
How do we Pray ‘in the Name of
Jesus’?
Jesus’ name!
Is his nature and character
• He is the Son of God
• He has the unique
relationship with God
• He can perfectly reveal
God to us
• He is Saviour of our
souls/friend of sinners
The Cone Nebula
A Vision of the Role of Jesus in
Assisting our Prayers
From the Revelation of St John
‘Another angel, who had a golden
censor, came and stood at
the alter. He was given much
incense to offer, with the
prayers of all the saints, on
the golden alter, before the
throne. The smoke of the
incense, together with the
prayers of the saints, went
up before God from the
angels hand’
(Rev 8:3-4)
Pluton
What Role has the Holy Spirit as
we Pray ‘in the Name of Jesus’?
1
The Holy Spirit helps us
to pray even when we
don’t know what to ask
for.
‘The Spirit helps us in
our weakness. We do not
know what we ought to
pray for but the Spirit
himself intercedes for
us with groans that
words cannot express’
(Rom 8:26)
The Ring Nebula
What Role has the Holy Spirit as
we Pray ‘in the Name of Jesus’?
2
•
•
•
•
•
Jesus said
‘The Father will give you
another Counsellor, to be
with you forever. This is
the Spirit of truth…’
(Jn 14:16-17)
Helping – directing our
words
Prompting – individuals or
situations
Guiding – riches of God’s
promises
Wisdom – when/what to
pray
Teacher – learn truth
Black Hole
What Role has the Holy Spirit as
we Pray in the Name of Jesus?
3
The Holy Spirit joins
the hearts of believers
in corporate prayer.
‘The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love
of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy
Spirit be with all of
you’
(2 Cor 13:13)
Jupiter
What Role has the Holy Spirit as
we Pray in the Name of Jesus?
4
‘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’ (Eph 6:18)
•
Praying for things that
the Spirit leads us to
pray for – brief and on
the hoof or arrow like
Earth with Crescent Moon
Christian Prayer
Prayer is an offering up
of our desires unto God
for things agreeable to
His will, in the name of
Christ, with confession
of our sins, and
thankful
acknowledgement of
His mercies.
Thomas Vincent 1674
The praying hands of Albert Dürer
By Abrecht Dürer
What Sin Must we Confess?
• Original or actual sin
• Against the Law or
Gospel
• By omission or
commission
• In thought, heart or
lip
Saturn
What Sin Must we Confess?
‘Against you, you alone, have
I sinned, and done what is
evil in your sight, so that
you are justified in your
sentence and blameless
when you pass judgement.
Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother
conceived me’
(Ps 51:4-5)
Saturn
How do we ‘Confess Sin’?
•
•
•
•
•
Humbly
Fully
With grief for them
With hatred for them
In the strength of the
Lord
• Not to return again to
the practice of them
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The Shorter Catechism 1674
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How do we ‘Confess Sin’?
‘If we confess our sins,
he who is faithful
and just will forgive
us our sins and
cleanse us from all
unrighteousness’
(1Jn 1:9)
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Christian Prayer
Prayer is an offering up of
our desires unto God for
things agreeable to His
will, in the name of
Christ, with confession
of our sins, and thankful
acknowledgement of His
mercies.
Thomas Vincent 1674
The praying hands of Albert Dürer
By Abrecht Dürer
How do we ‘Thankfully
Acknowledge his mercies’?
‘Do not worry about
anything but in
everything, by
prayer and
supplication with
thanksgiving, let
your requests be
known to God’.
(Phil 4:6)
Night Star
N
i
How do we ‘Thankfully
Acknowledge his mercies’?
• For life, temporal and
spiritual, both here
and in eternity
• For salvation
• For the Holy Spirit
• For the privilege of
prayer
• For answered prayer
• For unanswered prayer
Night Star
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Our Relationship with God in
Prayer
When we pray daily
• It becomes personal
• It becomes more
intimate
• We develop a new
perspective
• Communication
becomes honest
• We start to praise
during prayer
And - Our Relationship with God
means we work together
• ‘My father is still working
and I also am working’
Jn 5:17
– Jesus intimacy with the
Father shown in the privilege
of working with the Father
• ‘Follow me and I will make you
fishers of men’
Mat 4:19
- Jesus reveals the disciples
work
And - Our Relationship with God
means we work together
• ‘For we are what He has
made us, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand to
be our way of life’
Eph 2:10
• ‘Like good stewards of the
manifold grace of God, serve
one another with whatever
gift each of you has received’
1 Pet 4:10
Working with Our Lord
• Understanding and
participating in God’s
work also brings
intimacy in prayer
What is your
assignment?
 If in Authority?
 God working thru you?
 Prayer warrior?
Conclusion
• ‘I know not what place my prayers may have,
but I do know that when I pray, I have the
privilege of opening the resources of heaven
to those for whom I pray’
• When God is about to work, he frequently lays
a burden on his people to pray for that thing.
Prayer appears to be a necessary part of
God’s way of ‘doing business’.
Derek Prime
Practical Prayer
Father, glorify your name!