2019 looks at the history of Old Testament Israel showing that the failures and successes of the Israelites led to the coming of Jesus, the Savior who redeems us from sin and empowers us by His Spirit to bear spiritual fruit in obedience to Him.
Why Is It So Hard to Pray - Burk Parsons - It's hard to pray because humbling ourselves, getting over ourselves, and coming to the end of our stubborn and sinful selves is hard. If I thought for a second that my feeble prayers changed God's mind and His perfect will, I would stop praying altogether. And then he says, "I'm sinful." I pray because I believe in the power of God. I trust Him. And I must share with God my life, my needs, my interactions with people and their needs. Prayer is my continual surrender of my perceived control of my life over to God for His control, knowing He cares more about me and what is best for me than I do. I agree, in prayer, of His perfect will for my good and His glory.
1 - What is Prayer - Barry J. York - Westminster Larger Catechism 178 - "Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit; with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies." It is creaturely dependence in recognizing our needs and offering them to God. Our desires to God. We don't make requests on our own merits, but on the merits of Christ. To enter unto God through prayer can only be done by entering the holy places by the blood of Jesus ("In Jesus name"). And the Holy Spirit enables us to talk to the Father. The Spirit groans for us. Prayer, then, is having the Spirit's breath helping us to communicate, the Son's blood making a way, and the Father's ear attuned to our every plea.
2 - Why Should I Pray - Douglas F. Kelly - The Trinity speaks of community and we pray because we were made likewise to commune with God. Prayer is hindered by sin. Jesus' coming restored complete man's fellowship with God, though the Lord continued to speak to us after the fall. We pray because God calls us to speak to Him. Directed by the Holy Spirit, we receive blessings.
3 - To Whom Should I Pray - Jon D. Payne - Prayer is a principal element of worship. Biblical prayer is ordinarily addressed to the Father, in the name of the Son, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Paul mentions, "Through [Jesus] we...have access in one Spirit to the Father" (Eph. 2:18). Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father in heaven..." Jesus is our mediator, our one mediator. In Jesus we have fellowship with the Father. Apart from the Spirit, we are spiritually dead and have neither the ability nor the desire to pray (Eph. 2:1, Rom. 8:7). We can occasionally pray directly to Jesus or to the Holy Spirit for this underscores the divine personhood of the holy Trinity.
4 - How Does the Holy Spirit Help When I Pray - Ken Jones - Romans 8:26, "The Spirt helps us...intercedes for us with groanings..." The Holy Spirit is indwelt in every believer (Rom. 8:9; Eph 1:13-14). The Spirit ministers to us, illumines our minds to comprehend God's grace in Christ. Paul contrasts the weakness of our flesh with the help of the Spirit (Rom. 7-8). Thus, the Spirit helps us in prayer, to recall who we are and comprehend the grace of the Lord to whom we're praying.
5 - Does Prayer Change Things? - Fred Greco - We have needs and the Lord is the best and only provider for our needs ("He cares for me" - I Peter 5:7). God has given prayer as a means for us to come to Him, to trust Him, and to understand that He loves us and cares for us. God speaks to me through the Bible. I speak to Him through prayer. We pray to shape us more into the image of Christ. But God also use the prayer of His people to bring about His will. He chooses prayers of His people to initiate His deliverance of His people or them. So we pray, that the Lord will change both our circumstances and us.
6 - Is It Better to Pray Out Loud Or Silently - Bruce P. Baugus - Jesus taught His disciples that our Father hears prayers offered silently or in secret. Jesus warns hypocrites who like to pray aloud in front of other to be seen. We should mostly pray in secret or silence, ready to pray aloud when the occasion presents itself. Praying with others often offers mutual encouragement and edification. God always hears the prayers of His people.
7 - Do I Need to Follow a Pattern while Praying - Robert Rothwell - Jesus provided prayers by saying, "When you pray, say ..." (Luke 11:1-4), and, "Pray then like this..." (Matt. 6:9-13). We have ways to pray, but we also have a lot of various prayers in scripture, letting us know that there is variety in prayer. From these prayers, we can substitute our names in those prayers in scripture and it can help us stay focused on pray, especially when we are prone to wander when we pray. There are many resources for prayer and we do well to take advantage of any that help us pray more.
8 - Is it necessary to end every prayer with "In Jesus Name"? - Mantle A. Nance - The Gospel of John mentions Jesus asking His disciples to pray in His name (John 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24). "Ask in my name." We don't have to end each prayer with "In Jesus Name" but we need to have the knowledge that our access to God is because of Jesus. Thus, by stating his name, we honor Him and we call attention to His name. There is a delight then to pray in His name. It is not a burden and shouldn't be, but a joy and privilege.
9 - What does "Amen" mean? - Jared S. Oliphint - Amen marks the end of hymns, prayers, and even creeds. It is a word of connection of God's people - today to the past. It is a word of agreement. Saying the word directs our focus from ourselves and onto God. It seems to unite everyone in the thought and idea of the prayer.
10 - Where and When Should I Pray - Like a marriage or any relationship, frequent conversation is necessary and needed to keep the relationship thriving. And yet need to be careful that it does not simply become a to-do list item to check off. Location or setting is not important. We need to pray where we need to pray.
11 - How Long Should I Pray - C.N. Willborn - Questions of length and quantity over quality are often about ourselves. Paul's prayers appear to be sporadic. Length is not the most important thing. We will pray until we die. As we encounter people, events, thanksgiving, a sinner, temptation - pray.
12 - What Posture Should I Use When I Pray? - Kevin Struyk - Any posture is good, what matters most is the condition of our heart - broken, contrite, humble, and dependent. Postures mentioned in the Bible include kneeling to pray alone, kneeling to pray with others. Kneeling is bent over, limiting distractions, showing honor. David sits before the Lord in prayer. Solomon stands and extends his hands in prayer. Paul exhorts Timothy and others to lift holy hands. Pray at all times means we will be in many different positions.
13 - Does It Help If Others Pray for Things With Me - Thomas Brewer - Why do we have multiple people? Praying for the same thing? Perhaps we think that God will be more likely to do something. But that implies that we can conform. God’s will to ours. But God does what he pleases and prayers about making his will, or will, rather than making our will his. It’s God‘s will that we pray for one another and at all times. This is the way he is set things up. How many more people pray won’t increase the chance of altering gods will but God does choose to listen to an act, according to the prayers of his people when they pray together, according to his will and in his spirit.
14 - Are the Prayers of Some People More Effective - Kevin D. Gardner - As we progress in sanctification our prayers become more and more aligned with the will and the heart of God. God is more and more inclined to grant what we desire, because what we desire will be what he desires.
15 - Does My Sin Hinder My Prayers? - David E. Briones - James 4:3 says, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." We will not get what we ask for if our motives are ungodly. Jesus modeled prayer for us and we look at those words of His prayer to help guide us in how we pray. He said, "Your kingdom come, your will be done." Thus, we pray to desire God's gifts in order to glorify and enjoy Him, now and forever. God is not a divine ATM where you insert a card, request a certain amount of cash, and take out what you want. God knows precisely what we need and what we do not need. We need to echo Jesus' prayer, "Not my will, but yours, be done." Sin can hinder our prayers but it's not always true that a hindered prayer means sin is present. A no from God is an answer to prayer. We should always work to trust God that he has our best interests in view.
16 - Can I Pray Imprecatory Prayers? - John W. Tweeddale - Imprecatory is a prayer of lament and echoes ideas and prayers in scripture and our prayers are rooted in scripture. These prayers express the hurt and outrage that the people of God have at times in a world desecrated by sin. Thus, we can pray that God will punish the wicked, judge wicked leaders, dislike those that preach another gospel, thus we lift our voices to God, not our swords or words towards others of vengeance or payback. We let God do our fighting.
17 - What If I Don't Feel Like Praying? - Adriel Sanchez -
18 - How Can I Pray for Non-Christians? - Michael Lawrence
19 - How Can I Pray for My Spouse? - Joe Holland
20 - How Can I Pray for My Children? - Burk Parsons
21 - How Can I Pray for My Church? - Aaron L. Garriott
22 - Does God Hear Non-Christians When They Pray? - Keith A. Mathison
23 - How Can I Pray for Those who Are Ill and Dying? - Kelly M. Karic
24 - How Can I Pray for the World? - Daniel Timmer
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After We Fail
Coping With Anxiety
A Prison for Our Souls
Truth in a World of Lies
Gripped by Glory
Aspects of the Lord's Supper
Boldness and Clarity as a Light to the World
The Loneliness Epidemic
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