2017 is the year of Prayer at CDG. The Sunday morning Adult Bible Study Group after a series titled "Prayer Begins With Relationship now looks at the question Prayer Does It Make Any Difference? We are using a book by the same title written by Philip Yancey. In his book Philip explores the intimate place where God and humans meet in Prayer. Polls reveal that 90 percent of people pray. Yet prayer, which should be the most nourishing and uplifting time of the believer’s day, can also be frustrating, confusing, and fraught with mystery. Writing as a fellow pilgrim, Yancey probes such questions as: •Is God listening? •Why should God care about me? •If God knows everything, what’s the point of prayer? •Why do answers to prayer seem so inconsistent? •Why does God sometimes seem close and sometimes seem far away? •How can I make prayer more satisfying? Yancey tackles the tough questions and in the process comes up with a fresh new approach to this timeless topic. “I have learned to pray as a privilege, not a duty,” he says, and he invites you to join him on this all-important journey. These are my notes for the study. The audio of the study is at the end of the notes.
Always Pray In Faith For a copy of the book, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference click or touch this LINK or the picture at the end of the notes.
Philip believes that the Bible provides examples of two different kinds of faith. Now the dictionary definition of faith is;
- complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
- strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.
The Bible definition is:
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is trust in the unseen. It is not trust in the unknown, for we may know by faith what we cannot see with the eye. Faith is the ultimate assurance and the ultimate evidence that things not seen are realities (pragmata). - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
The two kinds of faith that Philip sees are bold child-like faith and fidelity or a hang-on-by-the-fingernails faith
Bold childlike faith is the belief that God can and will do anything no questions asked. God will heal every disease no matter what. He will provide no matter what. Just like a child not questioning an parent this is the kind of faith that doesn’t question God. That is the kind of faith that Jesus says that we should have.
Matthew 18:2-5 (NKJV)2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,
3 and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
Matthew 8:10 (NKJV)10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
Luke 7:9 (NKJV)9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"
He believes that you can take childlike faith too far. Here are his examples. If you have the faith that God is going to handle it like you parents handled it when you were a child, and you wait until you are well or employed or married or whatever new state you are asking for, you may never get there.
Fidelity faith is the kind of faith that Abraham, Joseph, Job, and the heros of faith in Hebrews had. No matter what the obstacles God will do what He said He would do.
That kind of faith will allow you to withstand even if you don’t get the answer that you desire. There’s the story of a man who had Crohn's disease for more that 20 years. Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterized by inflammation of the digestive, or GI tract.
symptoms include:
- Frequent, recurring diarrhea
- Rectal bleeding
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fever
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Fatigue and a feeling of low energy
- Reduced appetite
Over time, your symptoms may change in severity, or change altogether. You may go through periods of remission—when you have few or no symptoms. Or your symptoms may come on suddenly, without warning.
He knew that he was not going to get any better after twenty three years. He had stopped asking God for a miracle and had resigned himself that he was going to have Crohn’s disease until he died or some not medical insight of drug was discovered. He had to learn to live with it. So now his prayer was for strength to endure, for meaning in his suffering, for faith to believe in a good and loving God even when he has to go in for a painful surgical procedure. That’s an example of living out fidelity faith.
Paul is our example of a man with fidelity faith. A level of faith that realized difficulty but withstands.
Philippians 4:11-13 (NKJV)11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NKJV)7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The Practice of Prayer
The greatest tragedy in life is not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer - F. B. Meyer.
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| Photo credit Quiet Time with God: A How-To Series |
Matthew 6:5-6 (NLT)5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
I don’t think that Jesus was talking about a literal closet but a place where it was just you and God. It could be a literal closet, or a place in your home where it is quite with no major distractions from outside you, But it doesn’t have to be a literal place if you are able to “create space in which God can act.” Philip calls it a God-space to prevent our lives from filling up with other things. Paul talks about being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:15-20 (NLT)15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Greek word for filled used here means "Keep on being filled with the Spirit."
If we can create that God-space we can hear God better. We’ve talked about Him sometimes, in fact quite often speaking in that still, small voice. When we are able to create that God-space, memories, scripture, urges to pray for specific, or specific situations will often happen. Sometimes when we are praying and we can’t think of anything to say then as the scripture says the Spirit speaks for us
Romans 8:26-27 (NLT)26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.27 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 own will.
Sometimes it’s just good to spend time with God for no other reason than you love Him. That is not a waste of time. It’s like spending time with a loved one or a friend somebody that you love. That time is never wasted you always get something from it.
Prayer as Therapy
Prayer can actually be a kind of therapy. It helps us to get away from all the stuff that’s going on in our lives and in the world. All the crime, hate, constant pressure to buy this, go here, do that. When in our time with God we go to and read and study the scriptures we learn what God’s like, and if we keep being filled with the Spirit we start becoming more like Him. We start letting the fruit of the Spirit develop in us.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
It’s like a child, and this is appropriate on Father’s day, don’t intentionally start our imitating our Fathers, it just happens. As time passes we start to look and act like our Father. You often hear, and it's usually said as a joke, I’ve said it myself, I don’t want to become my father or mother but your brother and sisters and others who know your parents will say that’s exactly what’s happening. You know that God’s purpose is for us to be conformed to the image of Jesus. That’s why He works everything together for good as Romans 8:28-29 say.
Romans 8:28-29 (NLT)28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
On page 288 there are two paragraphs about the therapeutic aspects of prayer. I want to caution you that the guy who wrote it was probably not a Christian but non-Christians often use the principles that God has given us in scripture for their benefit. The only problem with them is that the benefits are temporary while ours our permanent and eternal. Anyway on page 288; Dr. Alexis Carrel, a French physician, who was awarded a Nobel Prize in Medicine, published a book in 1936 extolling the therapeutic value of prayer. Pray regularly, he advised, and you will find your life improved. Teh bodily poster itself - relaxing, joining hands, bending knees - ha health benefits. Prayer helps us resolve emotional conflicts, purge guilt, and overcome negativism. And by verbalizing what goes on inside, the pray-er practices a kind of self-induced therapy. Now we know that it’s the Holy Spirit who actually does the therapy but the point is that prayer gets us into the position for the Holy Spirit to do this.
Any therapeutic value to prayer comes as an outgrowth, not the goal of prayer. When you spend time with God it’s like the example that Jesus gave the disciples of the vine and the branches.
John 15:5-8 (NLT)5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
If you stay attached to the vine the fruit will grow, so it’s our job to stay attached and abide.
Bible Study Audio
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