Good afternoon! It was a drizzle-filled one here in Mt. Vernon, but we continued our series on prayer today, and we talked about the priority of prayer!
Here’s some of the things we were talking about on the show today!
Prayer is:
- The key to intimacy between Christ and us
- Our interaction with our heavenly father like we would interact with an earthly father (Matthew 7: 9-11)
- Human frailty, joined in communion with divine perfection
- Too wonderful and important no to do it
- A big deal to God so it should be a big deal to us
Praying isn’t easy because it requires us to pause and focus our thoughts; it requires us to rely less on self-sufficiency; it requires humility…but…
We need God, so we need to make it a priority!
Prayer should be first in the order of things (I Timothy 2: 1-8)
Jesus prioritized prayer above everything else; his disciples saw this consistently, so that may be why they asked him in Luke 11:1, “teach us how to pray.”
Jesus said in Mark 11:17 that “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations…”
Everything else that occupies the church’s time and energy will be lacking in power and blessing and the fragrance of God’s presence if prayer is not kept first.
We can’t make prayer an add-on or an afterthought…
We were never intended to live out the Christian life or accomplish his work on the earth in our own wisdom or strength. The plan has ALWAYS been to rely on the Holy Spirit and live a life of obedience in prayer.
Acts 1:14 – a deep devotion to prayer was always connected to the success of the New Testament church.
Devoting yourself to something carries the idea of insisting and clinging to something. We see it again in Acts 2:42 and Acts 6:4.
Everywhere we turn, prayer should be there to meet us. When it does, scripture reminds us that we can expect these things to happen:
- Evangelism of the lost (Colossians 4:3)
- Cultivation of discipleship (John 17)
- True Christian fellowship (Acts 2:42)
- Wise decisions (James 1:5)
- The overcoming of obstacles (Mark 11:22-24)
- Needs met (Matthew 6:11)
- Ignition of true worship (Matthew 6:13)
- The sparking of revival (2 Chronicles 7:14)
“Father forgive us for relying on our wisdom, strength, energy and ideas rather than abiding in You and seeking You first. Help us lay aside anything that hinders us from pursuing Your best. Help us to prioritize prayer and devote ourselves to it in our personal lives, our families, and our churches. Make our churches truly houses of prayer for all nations. Revive us again, O Lord. Help us walk by Your strength and bring You great glory in our generation.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Our word of the day today: inanition
the exhausted condition that results from lack of food and water
the absence or loss of social, moral, or intellectual vitality or vigor
Inanition describes a state of suffering from either a literal emptiness (of sustenance) or a metaphorical emptiness (of interest or energy), so it should come as no surprise that the word ultimately derives from the same idea in Latin. Inanition, which first appeared in Middle English in the 14th century as in-anisioun, can be traced back to the Latin verb inanire, meaning “to make empty,” which in turn comes from inanis (meaning “empty”). Another far more common descendant of inanis is inane. The family resemblance is clear: inane is used describe things lacking significance or substance.
Thanks for listening!
-Lilly
Driving Notes 