 Taek Kim |
Purposeful
Prayer
Sermon:
Scripture: |
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Once
in a while I get an e-mail with jokes, stories or helpful
information that I think is worthy of saving. One that I saved
contains a list of cute prayers by children. Here are a few: Dear God, I want to be just like my daddy when I get big, but not with so much hair all over. Dear God, I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that okay? Dear God, Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don’t you just keep the ones you have now? Dear God, I think the stapler is one of your greatest inventions. Dear God, If you watch me in church Sunday, I’ll show you my new shoes. Dear
God, I bet it is very hard for you to love all the people in
the world. There are only four people in our family and I can
never do it. Can you remember praying similar kinds of prayers when you were a child? I remember when I was around ten years old and asked God how the world was made; why there weren’t any dinosaurs around; and other such questions. At the end of my prayer full of questions, I asked God to remember and to be sure to answer them when I get to heaven. I know God will not forget the questions I asked. And though they may seem trivial when I think about being in heaven one day, I trust that they will be answered. But
is getting answers to questions the reason for prayer? In some
cases, it is. But there are various forms of prayer. There are
prayers for praise, thanksgiving, intercession, confession,
petition, and many other occasions. The Book of Psalms is a
great place to find prayers from the heart that range from
joy, love and thanksgiving to sadness, anger, frustration and
complaint. The
psalmists did not hesitate expressing their thoughts and
feelings to God. And though prayer can seem like a monologue
many times, prayer is a conversation with God. We lift up
thoughts and words, and we also take time to be still before
the Lord and listen. Listening to God is another sermon topic.
As God’s children, we are called to pray on all occasions
with all kinds of prayers. God is always with us, and he knows
what is on our minds and hearts. “Then,
why pray?” a girl asked me during a Sunday school class
after we talked about prayer and God being omniscient,
all-knowing. It was a very good question. Basically, she was
asking what the purpose of prayer was if God knew what we were
going to say. And why pray if there seems to be no real change
in outcome since some things are just going to happen
regardless of how much and how long you pray? I shared with
her that the main reason for praying is because we have a
relationship with God. God calls us to be in love with him
above all other things, focusing more on who we are praying to
than what we are praying about. Prayer is necessary in our
relationship with God, as communication is in any
relationship. Have
you ever been with little children who have hundreds of
question and stories to share with seemingly no need of air to
breathe? I actually love it. I know some parents would tell me
that I wouldn’t after several days of it. But I would love
it because there is a very beautiful thing that happens when
people spend time together, talking about anything. That is
the growth of a relationship. Whether it is with children
amongst themselves or a child with an adult, communication is
absolutely necessary for maintaining and building healthy
relationships. I
remember an older couple sharing with me about their
grandchild and how she asked all kinds of questions, shared
about her newest ideas or thoughts, wanted them to take her
places and buy her all kinds of foods and candy, and always
had a story or two to tell them each day. Of course, there
would be times when she was sad, upset and dissatisfied. But
they always listened and also shared stories of their lives
and family history to her. And at certain moments during her
stay with them, usually before her bedtime, she would say,
“I love you, Grandpa and Grandma.” She knew her
grandparents loved her unconditionally and were there for her.
Their relationship made it possible for them to enjoy the time
they shared. How
sad are relationships when communication is mainly for
transferring information, gaining benefits, or a means to an
end. Many times relationships are strained or unhealthy
because the focus is not on loving each other, but mainly on
what one can gain. Maintaining healthy, loving and growing
relationships requires communication that focuses on loving
one another. Our
relationship with God is unique because he is our creator, has
done everything to give love to us, and is always with us. God
calls us to love him above all. We are a forgiven and freed
people, forgiven for our sins and freed from condemnation and
freed to live abundant lives. We are also freed from slavery
to sin and death so that we may live for and with God as
witnesses of Christ’s love to the world. God loves us with a
perfect and unconditional love. We are children of God because
of the amazing love in and through our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. God wants us to draw nearer to him. God desires us to
be like children, not only innocent and trusting, but also
openly loving and wanting to talk to him in prayer. Jesus
taught us to pray, and we pray that prayer at each service. We
also see several forms of prayer Jesus used during his last
three years on earth. And in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter
26, we are given an intimate account of Jesus’ talk with his
Heavenly Father. Jesus prayed a prayer three times before
being betrayed by Judas, one of his disciples, knowing of the
type of death he was to face. That
is the only time Jesus asked for something he desired, knowing
it wasn’t what his Heavenly Father wanted. Jesus knew his
main purpose on earth was to die and rise again. Christ opened
his heart and let loose his inner desires while praying at the
garden of Gethsemane. Before praying he said to his disciples,
“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of
death.” Jesus, with his face to the ground prayed, “My
Father, if it possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not
as I will, but as you will.” Jesus,
the second person of the Trinity, knew what it was to be
hungry, tired and in pain, experiencing life on earth. He knew
he would be beaten, whipped, brought before a jury, condemned
to death, suffer on the cross and die. But worse, Christ knew
that he would take on the sins of the world and be forsaken by
his Heavenly Father. For the first time, Jesus would
experience what he never had before, and that was the taking
on of sin and having the fellowship he always had with his
Heavenly Father broken. Not that he no longer was God’s son,
but rather the relationship was changed the moment Jesus took
on the sins of the world. Christ had a deep fear of what was
to come, and Jesus prayed not because he wanted other than
God’s will to be done, but because he was God’s son. From
that relationship flowed Jesus’ thoughts and feelings. We know the three persons of God: God the Father, God the
Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We see in Christ’s prayer the
intimate relationship he had with his Heavenly Father.
Purposeful prayer is prayer that flows from the relationship
we have with God, drawing us closer to and deeper in love with
him. I
spoke earlier about the Book of Psalms containing various
kinds of prayer. Psalm 22:1-19 stuck in my mind when I thought
about what Jesus may have prayed silently while dying on the
cross, upon taking on the sins of the world. From the New
International Version: My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from
saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I
cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not
silent. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the
praise of Israel. In you our fathers put their trust; they
trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were
saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. But I am
a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the
people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking
their heads: “He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue
him. Let him
deliver him, since he delights in him.” Yet you brought me
out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my
mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my
mother’s womb you have been my God. Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls
surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide
against me. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are
out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away
within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my
tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust
of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has
encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can
count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They
divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly
to help me. After
hearing such a prayer, you could look at what was said or what
emotions were behind all the words or for what reasons the
prayer was uttered. You could also see what is shown about the
relationship between God and the person praying. We can begin
to understand more of Jesus’ reason for praying the same
prayer three times at the garden of Gethsemane when we look at
it from a relational perspective. If anyone, Jesus would be
the person to receive what he prayed for.
For in essence, he is God! And no one is closer to the
Heavenly Father than the Son of God. Jesus’ entire life, including his prayer life, was a
testimony and reflection of his relationship with his Heavenly
Father. From Jesus’ prayer and the prayer of the psalmist,
we are given examples of prayer that shares all. God knows how
we feel and our every thought, and he desires for us to share
them with him. And though we are the body of Christ and the
Holy Spirit lives in us, we are still to go to God in prayer
and continue in a journey of growth in our love for God. I
thought about my prayer life and realized how my relationships
with loved ones help me gain a better perspective on prayer.
After Jamie, my fiancé, and I started dating, we talked for
hours and hours, asking each other questions, trying to get to
know each other as much as possible. As our relationship grew,
so did our depth in questions and sharing of future goals and
plans. We began a long-distant relationship soon after we got
engaged. She is here tonight, visiting from Washington, D.C.
this weekend. When we began this long-distance relationship,
Jamie bought me a cell phone that included free nights and
weekends. She was intentional about making sure we talked
regularly. I must admit that at one time I began talking to
her as if I were fulfilling a duty. It was evident, and I
realized I was not focused on our relationship but rather on,
and treating it like, the task at hand. When I realized what I
was doing, I asked myself, “Why am I talking with Jamie?”
That question rang in my mind when I thought about prayer. Why
do we talk with God? I know why I talk with Jamie. It is
because I love her and desire for us to continue growing in
our relationship throughout our lives. There
are times in our lives we stop in the midst of daily routines,
tasks and work and ask ourselves, “Why am I doing all
this?” Today, we are challenged to ask ourselves, “Why do
we pray?” We pray for ourselves and for others, with praise
and thanksgiving, and in times of sorrow or difficulty. We are
to pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers. And above
all, we pray because God calls us his children and to be in
communion with him. We pray with the purpose of loving and
drawing nearer to God, the One who loved us so much he sent
his only Son to die and resurrect so that we too may live
abundantly and eternally. Let our prayers be freely lifted and
uninhibited because we, as God’s children, are loved by God
and called to love him with all we are and have. Let me close by inviting you to take a few minutes now to talk with God. Share with God what you may not share with anyone else, knowing God truly understands. If you have not prayed in a while, come to God openly knowing God loves you unconditionally. Pray from your heart. If you don’t know what to say, tell that to God. Begin where you are at, and when you come to an end, be silent before God.
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