Prayer Exploration begins

We had a fun evening yesterday as we began Exploring Prayer together. We had some talk, some creative activities, and even a free gift to take away. It was a good evening to Try Praying and we intend to continue doing that over the next six weeks leading up to Easter.

Try Praying is the name of one of the booklets that we will be using to help us. There is a web site that accompanies the booklet here.

If you would like to join in, then you are very welcome. We will meet for the next five Wednesdays at 7pm in Winchburgh Church. If you just want to come along for one of them to try it out then we will be happy to see you.

Below is a summary of our first talk on Prayer. It is based on the first chapter in Ian Coffey's book, "What you always wanted to know about Prayer", that is another resource which we will be using during the series.

Our question for this week is: Why is Prayer Important?

Prayer is not easy. It takes time and effort to become ‘good’ at prayer. Even Jesus found it difficult at times. Just think of Gethsemane.

However, it is easy is describe prayer. It is simply, ‘Conversation with God’.

Here’s a quote: ‘Prayer is the conversation of friends. It is not a mere convenience for letting God know what we are thinking or what we want. Prayer is that for which we were made. It is at the heart of God’s plan of salvation. To understand the tremendous privilege and import of prayer we need to see it in the context of God’s purpose to have a relationship with his people.’

Let’s go back to the beginning. Genesis to be precise. Not as far back as Adam and Eve - although they talked with God, we have no record of any significant prayer conversations. The first Big Prayer in the Bible was Abraham.

It’s worth a read when you get home. Abraham’s story begins at chapter 12, when God tells him to ‘Go’. There are many snippets of conversation as the journey progresses. At chapter 18, God appears to Abraham as a man, along with two angels.

This is a hard passage to understand. There are two big questions.

1. God seems so merciless. Does God really love people? If He wants to have a relationship with us then why does He destroy people?

2. And how can one person have a negotiation with God? Is God someone we can barter with? Is God’s judgement so easily turned away? Is He so easily persuaded?

In the old days, people thought that lightening, thunder, earthquake, and flood, were caused directly by God. Nowadays, we have written God out of our understanding so much that we call them Natural Disasters. But if God is all-knowing, and all-powerful, then could He not have prevented the disasters?

He did his bit. He went down to the city, spoke with Lot and his family, and they left. They all escaped, except for Lot’s wife, who hung back & didn’t get far enough away.

The people of the city didn’t listen to God. They tried to seduce Lot’s visitors. It was a lawless and godless place. Did they people deserve a chance? Of course they did. God gave them a chance. They declined to take it seriously.

And what about Abraham bartering with God?

Well that’s a joke!!! How can you barter with someone that knows everything?!!!

God already knew the Lot’s family were the only ones who deserved to escape. Why do we think Abraham changed God’s mind? God knew Abraham’s inner thoughts before Abraham even started the dialogue. The ignorant person in this interchange is Abraham - not God. Abraham didn’t know God very well at all.

God saved all the good people in the city. Probably all the decent people had long since left the place. They had gone somewhere safer. Only Lot and his family were left. And God went down to make sure they left in time - just in time.

God knew that the disaster was going to happen, and when it would happen. The people were going to pay the price of ignoring God - they died.

God didn’t kill them. They chose. Life with God - or life on their own. They lost.
They made the wrong choice. God invites us to know Him. God invites us to ask Him to respond.

Our God is not a remote, disinterested God. He offers us partnership. He offers us a role in the decision-making of the world. When we pray, God listens, and then He speaks. The NT writer James said, “You do not have because you do not ask.” (James 4:2). There are several places in the Gospels where Jesus encouraged his disciples to ask God for what they needed. Jesus said that God would provide.

If the world is not the place that people want it to be then it’s all down to the people. It’s no use blaming God. It’s long past time that people started listening to God, and talking to God.

And those of us who have begun to get to know God, who have started to learn how to pray, there is so much more to know. God is beyond our knowing - and yet invites us to know Him.

Jesus’ disciples spent 3 years with Him. Afterwards, they preached in the city and 3000 joined them. They passed by the sick and even those in their shadows became well. They prayed for the dead and they received back their life. They journeyed throughout the world and people believed in Jesus, the Son of God, who was crucified, buried, and raised from the tomb.