Teach Us to Pray: You Should Pray Like This (Part 3)

November 16, 2021November 16, 2021 / Scott Gourley / Leave a comment

When it comes to prayer, probably the most commonly asked question I get as a pastor is, “How does one pray?” Jesus’ own disciples asked Him this very question. And fortunately, He gave us a model on how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13.

Let’s look at each of His statements individually.

Our Father in heaven

Jesus begins by telling us to address God as our Father in heaven. In Jesus’ day, this would have been a profound statement, as no Jew would have thought of God in those terms. But as Christians, we’re told that we have “received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15). God is now Daddy. He is no austere king sitting far from us upon a throne, but He is our loving Father, stretching out His arms and engulfing us in His everlasting love. All of this is because of the work of the Son. For the Father “predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1:5). It is Christ Himself who has made this our spiritual reality.

And so, the first thing we ought to do as we begin to pray is to remember the unique identity we now enjoy as God’s children because of Christ Jesus.

Your name be honored as holy

Second, Jesus teaches us that we should reflect on the holiness of God. Although the King now sits on the throne with outstretched arms, nonetheless, He still sits on the throne. We should never become so comfortable with the Lord as Father to forget Him as King. As we approach the throne of grace, we must still remember that He is holy, completely separate from us. We are creation; He is Creator. He alone is worthy of all worship.

As we pray, we must recognize His holiness and give Him the reverence that He deserves.

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

Let’s be honest. Most of the time, we think the world revolves around us. And so, a lot of our time in prayer is spent petitioning the Lord about our desires and wants. But Jesus tells us our first concern is to be about the Lord’s will. As I have often said before, prayer is the process by which our hearts become more like His. As we spend more and more time with the Lord, He slowly changes our hearts to mirror His.

As we pray, we should be quick to listen and slower to speak because, as we spend time in His presence simply listening, we will come to know His heart and pray more for His will to be done, not ours.

Give us our day our daily bread

This speaks to our daily needs, not our wants. The Lord is faithful. He will provide. He has provided for our every need. Time and time again, the Lord has proven His faithfulness to us and has come through for us. We can trust Him to continue to take care of us as His beloved children.

As we pray, we should make our requests known to him (Philippians 4:6) and trust that, as we pray for His coming kingdom (see above), “all of these things will be provided” for us (Matthew 6:28).

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors

Our debt has definitely been cancelled by the blood of Christ, who has made us alive and forgiven us from all our trespasses (Colossians 2:13-14). But until we get to heaven, we’re still going to continue to sin here on earth, which means we’re still going to need to confess that sin on a daily basis (1 John 1:9). The discipline of confession and repentance is an ongoing part of the Christian life we cannot neglect. When we do, it not only effects our relationship with the Lord but with our neighbors as well. That’s because our inability to extend mercy to others is directly related to our inability to fully understand the depths of His mercy for ourselves (Matthew 18:21-35).

As we pray, we must continue to confess the sin the Holy Spirit brings to our attention. And we must repent if we have somehow refused to extend the Lord’s grace to others who desperately need it as well.

And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

Whereas, the previous exhortation was to pray for forgiveness from particular sins, here the emphasis is on praying for God’s help in keeping us from future sin. With a world so full of sin, an evil one so bent on our destruction, and our own hearts that are still so “prone to wander,” we must daily ask for the Lord’s continued grace to guide and protect us from evil.

As we pray, we would do well to remember John Bradford’s famous words, “There go I but for the grace of God,” and seek the Lord’s kindness in delivering us from all forms of evil.

________________________

Jesus’ teaching on prayer is not meant to be a prayer we recite daily (although one could). Instead, it’s a model of how we should pray. It speaks to the main things a prayer should cover. Often, I know in my own prayer life, I tend to focus on just one of these areas—my needs, requests, and petitions. But our prayers should be much broader than that, much richer than that. Because as we pray more broadly, we see Him more broadly. Instead of just focusing on ourselves, we see Him—as Loving Father, Holy God, Sovereign King, Merciful Savior, and Mighty Deliverer.

For His Glory and Our Joy,

Scott Gourley

Teach Us to Pray: Go into Your Private Room (Part 2)

November 8, 2021November 16, 2021 / Scott Gourley / Leave a comment

Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:5–6, CSB

Have you ever come across someone who just loved to hear themselves pray?

I remember as a kid, there were always a couple men in the church who’d drawl on and on in their prayers, peppered by numerous “thous” or “thees.” They were always the same ones who’d volunteer to pray every Sunday, and they were the only ones, besides the pastor, who’d be wearing a suit on Sunday. As a kid, I always sensed they were talking more to the congregation than to God Himself.

In the verses above, Jesus teaches us about the dangers of public praying—the danger of hypocrisy—of praying for show, of praying for the applause of man.

To avoid such temptation, Jesus tells us we should pray privately. “When you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret.” This is the verse from which we get the idea of a “prayer closet.” That’s because it’s how the King James Version originally translated it.

The point, specifically, is to find a place where we wouldn’t be tempted to perform for others. The point, more generally, is to find a place where we simply wouldn’t be distracted … for any reason. And so, whether it’s the specific sin of hypocrisy or the general problem of distraction, “Go into your private room, shut the door, and pray to your Father.”

Now, does this mean we need to create a literal “private room,”a prayer closet, like the one depicted several years ago in the Christian film, The War Room?

Maybe. But maybe not.

When we read the Bible, we always want to think about the intended meaning. I believe it’s this: Jesus is calling us to seek out a specific place for prayer that’s free from both temptation and distraction. A place where we can fully commit ourselves to both speaking and listening to the Lord. And because each person is different, this place is going to look different for each of us.

Jesus’ private room was usually on a mountain in the early morning hours, away from His disciples.

But my private room is our dining room table at 7am. As far as privacy goes, it’s really not all that private. But because our older kids are already off to school by that time, and because our younger ones are still asleep, it’s actually a pretty private environment for me.

Now, you might not have such a luxury. Your season of life might be different. But I’m confident you’ll still be able to find a regular place to meet with Him. It just might look different from mine. It might have to be at your office before you clock in. It might have to be on a walk around the neighborhood. It might have to be at a coffee shop with your noise-cancelling AirPods in your ears. It might have to be on your way home from work with the radio off. Or it might have to be at home, even with your kids running wild around you.

Susanna Wesley was a stay-at-home-mom, who raised 10 children from the home but still made time for the Lord each day. We’re told she would sit in her favorite kitchen chair, throw her apron up over her head, and then spend up to two hours in prayer each day. And all this took place while her kids worked and played around her. The children knew that when mom had that apron up over her head, she was in her prayer closet and that they had better not disrupt her or allow their siblings to disrupt her during her time with the Lord.

One has to ask what kind of influence such a commitment to prayer had upon her children. Well, history tells us. Susanna Wesley was the mother of John and Charles Wesley, two of the Church’s greatest evangelists.

Where does this leave us?

Maybe our hearts have been a bit impure. Maybe our environment has been a bit too distracting. Whatever the case may be, the Lord has called us into intimate, vulnerable, and honest conversation with Himself. Therefore, we need to make time for Him. But we also need to find a place, as free from distractions as possible, where we can do this.

Do you have a private room? If not, will you find one this week? And going there, will you shut the door—cutting off the distractions of the world—to just meet with Him?

For His Glory and Our Joy,

Scott Gourley

* This is part two of a four part series

Teach Us to Pray: When You Pray (Part 1)

November 2, 2021November 16, 2021 / Scott Gourley / Leave a comment

Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:5–6, CSB

Notice, in these verses He doesn’t command us to pray. Instead, he assumes that we’re going to pray. Look at what he says. “Whenever you pray” and “when you pray.”

It’s a subtle reminder, but Jesus’ expectation is that we would pray. We breathe; we eat, and we pray. It’s just what we do. As those who have been born again, the Spirit gives us a godly desire to engage in ongoing, daily prayer.

But the question remains: are we praying?

On a regular basis, on a daily basis, are we spending time with the Lord? Are we praying? Not just talking to Him or at Him. But talking with Him. Are we sharing our heart—our ideas, hurts, frustrations, desires? Are we listening to His voice—His concerns, His truths, His desires? And are we responding—to His voice, His leading, His correction, His calling?

Have you been spending regular, quality time with the Lord? And if you haven’t, what needs to change in your life in order to make this happen?

I’ve been personally convicted of this area of my life again. Sure, I pray. But it’s sporadic. It’s often hurried, done only in passing. And it’s usually one-sided. I’m really good at talking—venting about something or asking for something. But I still struggle with listening.

This past week, I was convicted once again that I need to carve out specific time each day to just sit and listen to Him. And so, I’ve gone back to waking up early. Waking up before everyone else. Waking up and spending time with the Lord in prayer, before spending time on my phone. Because, sadly, that’s what I’ve become accustomed to doing in my normal routine.

I really thought the first couple of days would be hard. But honesty, it really hasn’t been all that of a challenge. Instead, it’s been a joy. It’s been a time of spiritual rest, refreshment and renewal, a time of inner peace, something I wasn’t getting before.

“When you pray …”

How’s your prayer life been? Sporadic? Scattered? Hurried? Selfish and one-sided?

If so, it might reveal a need to become more intentional, more disciplined in your prayer life, to set aside a specific time each day to spend with the Lord. And if so, I encourage you to do just that.

Jesus assumes that we’ll spend time in prayer. But let’s not assume it will happen without us prioritizing it.

For His Glory and Our Joy,

Scott Gourley

* This is part one of a four part series.

Teach Us to Pray: Go into Your Private Room (Part 2)

Identity Crisis

August 17, 2021 / Bryan Jerry / Leave a comment

Paul, a servant of God…(Titus 1:1a)

With most introductions, the most important things about a person, about you, get said. It’s
usually an issue of identity that drives our response to, “What’s your name?”, when we meet
someone for the first time. It turns into a moment for us to establish who we are and what we are
about.

I never experienced this more than when I left Florida as a Student Pastor and began seminary.
Every where I went I found myself saying “Hi, I am Bryan, I used to be a Student Pastor,”
especially as we visited churches. It was as natural as breathing, my initial introduction was a
moment to say what I wrongly perceived was most valuable about me. I would vomit insecurity
while tripping over my desire to be perceived as important. A full blown identity crisis! I say
crisis, because that is the result of wrongly gathering your identity from a role. The role comes
and goes, and at times you don’t fulfill the role very well. Identity then goes into crisis mode
and you begin to swirl down the joyless rabbit hole of doubt. I struggled greatly during that time
unsure of myself and wondering if I could do anything of value for the church. This is where
Paul serves us Pastors well. In all the Pastoral Epistles, Paul describes himself in light of God.
In Titus, he says that he is a servant before he gets to his role as apostle. In 1 and 2 Timothy he
does state first that he is an apostle, but that is only a quick mention. He launches into what God
the Father and Christ Jesus has done in calling him to serve in that capacity. He understands
himself and his work only in reference to God’s work. He is first and foremost a servant, ready
to receive whatever the Lord sees fit. Since his ultimate identity is not tied to a role, in joy he is
able to serve as an apostle

Pastor, what is the most significant thing about you? Is it the role you currently have, or the
work God has already done? Don’t let your role as pastor be the place you drawn value and
significance from. That is a gift from God given to you because you are first and foremost a
servant. You are not valuable to the church because you are a pastor, it’s because he has
redeemed you and called you