Keys to the Kingdom: Prayer

Services

Sunday -9:15 AM Bible Study / 10:30 AM Worship Service / 6:00 PM Evening Service --- Wednesday - 6:15 Bible Study & PBYF

by: Elder Randy Waters

07/01/2023

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Greetings in Jesus’ name! I hope you are enjoying the summer and spending special time with your family too. Thank you for your faithfulness and commitment to worship the Lord publicly in the local church. It is truly a rich blessing from God to stand before such a beautiful congregation of folks that love Jesus and want to learn more about and follow Him. Even though America today offers many distractions, the gospel call is a stronger attraction.

July is freedom month and we surely should thank God and our military
forces for the freedoms we enjoy here in this country, especially the freedom to assemble in Jesus’ name and to proclaim and sing His word and praise His holy name. The greatest freedom though is being free from the bondage of sin and the shackles of shame. We have someone to thank for this wonderful freedom too. His name is Jesus. The name of Jesus is the sweetest name in any language. Truly, “how sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear, it soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds and drives away his fear.”

Freedom on a national level as well as on a spiritual level is often taken for granted, even neglected. We must remember that freedom is not free, nationally nor spiritually. The blood of soldiers provides America’s freedom and the blood of Christ purchased the believer’s freedom. In either case, the cost of freedom is great and should never be slighted nor apologized for. America’s freedom should prompt patriotism and the Christian’s freedom should prompt prayer.

Freedom can be realized and enjoyed only when we realize it is a work in progress and not a once and for all done deal. The Declaration of Independence announced and described the statutes of America’s liberty, but also implied the need of maintenance and monitoring to assure the continuance of such a just cause.

The death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary paid our sin debt in full. Because of His death, burial and resurrection, eternal salvation for His elect family, for sinners like us, is a finished work. His justifying grace liberates us not only from the penalty of sin, but also from sin’s power. Yet, we cannot coast to Heaven dining on Heavenly Ham sandwiches or hovering under umbrellas, flicking the sand off our toes at the beach. Even though God has declared our freedom in Christ, we still have a beach headed, sinful nature of unredeemed flesh just living to shackle our stride as we try follow Jesus.

So, if we’re going to enjoy our spiritual freedom, we must be aware of the enemy’s presence and tactics to tie us up in sinful practices and unbelief. A war veteran, who was a P.O.W., once said, “you’ll never really know and appreciate freedom, until you’ve had it, lost it, and regained it again. The most miserable person in the world is not an unsaved person. The most miserable person is a saved person out of fellowship with God. If you don’t feel close to God today, guess who moved!

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Luke 18:1

Prayer is a request to God. A request is an asking for something needed. We are a needy people as far as our life in the kingdom of God is concerned. Jesus Christ is not only a precious Savior, He is also the neatest need meeter. A friend of mine who worked for a large timber company told me that it seemed like his work consisted mainly of going to meetings. He said, “Sometimes the only reason we meet is to decide when our next meeting will be.” We shouldn’t neglect to pray because that would suggest we don’t need anything. Actually when we don’t feel like praying is the very time we need to pray. Jesus says that we should pray always. Jesus is always right and we always have a need. Our greatest need is God. When we have Him, we have enough, for He is sufficient. Prayer acknowledges the greatest blessing of grace, God’s presence. God’s presence is where peace is found and contentment is cultivated. Prayer is hands on hope. Prayer pleases God because He likes us to ask Him for help and to trust His providence every day. If we prayed more, we would fear less and we’d find God’s ways are not our ways, but are the best ways.

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Hebrews 13:5-6

These two verses will mean a lot to us when and if we pray to God. Religion can be ritualistic and rutty but prayer enables us to maintain a right relationship with God. There is a big difference in a wedding and a marriage. Just like a big, fancy wedding will not guarantee a good marriage relationship, baptism and church membership will not provide the continual joy and strength we need to function faithfully in His kingdom. However, prayer will do all of that!

Prayer is the “plug-in” to Divine Power. The first thing I do when our fan or appliance is not working when I turn them on, is to make sure they are plugged in. Maybe if your life isn’t working right, you ought to check your connection. A person without prayer is about like a plane without wings or a train without a track or an automobile without tires. A man or woman without God is the weakest creature on Earth, but when plugged in to God Almighty, becomes the strongest.

“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” II Corinthians 12:10

Note, this statement of scripture through the Apostle Paul is the result of prayer. (verse eight). When Paul got his plug right, his life was right and his life was right because his relationship with God was right. When we get God right, everything else is right. Prayer is how we get God in the right place because we put ourselves in the right place — on our knees.


Prayer Shakes Things Up

Most real, heart-felt, fervent prayers happen when we are shook up. Bad news
does travel fast and is not necessarily heard on Fox News or CNN, but rather in our own homes and hearts. A child on drugs, a pending divorce, a tumor, a death, a stroke, or a storm all have tendencies to move things around in our lives. This rearrangement is necessary in keeping our priorities in their proper place. Problems will make one pray when nothing else will! The reason the worst problem a person can have is to have no problems at all, is that of lack of prayer. Problems are like speed bumps which are placed near a stop sign or dangerous intersection. Maybe God has placed a problem in your life to cause you to stop, which may prevent a more serious accident.

I recently dug the red potatoes out of my garden and put them in a wheelbarrow. The potatoes were all sizes, some pretty big and some real little ones. I just piled the potatoes all together in the wheelbarrow and then rolled the wheelbarrow some distance to the barn. The barn is a cool dry place, a good place to keep potatoes. So, when we need potatoes, we just go to the barn and get a few out of the wheelbarrow. It is noteworthy and not by accident that the biggest potatoes are on the top of the pile, although that is not necessarily the order I placed them in. The reason the big potatoes are on top is because of all the shaking the wheelbarrow endured on the way to the barn. With potatoes and with people, the big ones always shake up and the little ones shake down.

Having the Holy Spirit indwelling us is a really big deal, a done deal too! But it often takes a lot of shaking to reveal that He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. Prayer is really like shaking hands with God. When we shake hands with men or with God, we shouldn’t give them a “fish,” but a firm grip. Regarding prayer, this is like saying, I really need you God and even though I’m shook up, I’m going to look up to you my helper. When we pray we are always going in the right di- rection — up.

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were as- sembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31

Prayer Settles Things Down

Probably the most important thing to know and believe about God is that He is sovereign. Sovereign means all powerful, over-all and ‘in charge.’ If God were not sovereign, our prayers would truly be pitiful. What comfort would it give us to ask our Heavenly Father to do something about a problem we couldn’t do anything about, if He couldn’t do anything about it either. Just to know God is with us and for us will settle our most stormy seas of circumstances and bring calm consequences to our souls. Even the Lord Jesus seemed to be more settled concerning His mission to Calvary after He prayed in Gethsemane.

“And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Matthew 26:39

Once there was a man whom God told to push on a large rock every day. The man loved the Lord and did so, even though it didn’t make much sense to him to do that. The large rock represented a big problem the man was dealing with and the pushing represented the man’s prayers every day. Finally, the man told the Lord that he was really frustrated about it all especially since he had not moved the rock one inch. To which the Lord replied, “You haven’t changed the rock’s position, the change has been in you. Look how much stronger you are now than you were before from all that pushing you’ve done!”

Prayer may not always change our circumstances, but prayer always changes us, and that settles it. If God’s word is forever settled in Heaven, surely our prayers are. Nothing is more settling to the soul than conversation with the creator of the universe. Keeping on good speaking terms with God is critical to the Christian and should be the greatest catalyst for not sinning. Sin is upsetting to a genuine Christian because it interrupts communion with the very one who loves us the most and to whom we owe a lot. One of the most comforting and settling situations for a child of God is to pray for forgiveness of a sin, and feel and know forgiveness and cleansing.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9

Nothing is ever settled without prayer. So many times we do things or say things, or go places or befriend people without praying about it at all. No wonder there is so much chaos and confusion in the world, our lives, churches, and even our homes. God always answers our prayers if they are prayed in faith, in Jesus’ name, without unconfessed sin, and in submission to His will. His answer will come in one of three categories: yes, no or wait. No matter which category His answer comes to us in, it ought to be settling to us, after all, God is much wiser than we are and His mercy and goodness is a soft bed to sleep on.

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stab- lish, strengthen, settle you.” I Peter 5:10


Prayer Simplifies Our Lives

Anything you are supposed to do very often should be simple. Eating our food is not some sophisticated ritual requiring elegant etiquette. Rather, eating is a simple act of taking food into our bodies for strength and sustenance. A meal can and should be enjoyed whether in the Pink House on River Street or on the tailgate of a pick-up truck in the back side of nowhere. Two things are required in order for a meal to be memorable; appetite and company. The same is true for prayer. Every true believer is given a hunger for righteousness. And God provides at least three meals a day whereby we can dine with the Divine at the table of prayer.

“I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Psalm 81:10

God even provides a prayer table in the wilderness!

Prayer simplifies our lives by filling our most basic need—God. We can
complicate our lives, and often do, because we think we don’t have enough. But the answer to our confusion and chaos is simple—we don’t have enough God. Remember when you get God right, everything else will be right. Prayer helps us get God right. Not only is God good all the time, He is also right all the time so it makes good sense for us to talk to, and spend much time with such a secure source.

KISS stands for keep it simple stupid and is a design principle which states that designs and or systems should be as simple as possible. Whenever possible, complexity should be avoided in a system as simplicity guarantees the greatest levels of user acceptance and interaction. I avoid doing things that I have to read the directions to put together or operate. My children or grandchildren do not have to say all the words right or to get in a particular position for me to love and communicate with them, does yours? A mother or father seems to know what their child is asking even though the words are not properly pronounced.
Since Jesus tells us we must be like little children to enter the Kingdom, we can be sure He wants us to pray simply.

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:6

I once knew a man who was a simple man. He lived near me and just did odd jobs and would ride a bicycle to work every day. He rode with me to a place in Alabama, near Horseshoe Bend State Park on the Tallapoosa River. I had asked him to go to assist me in planting pine trees on a small area of property owned by a client of mine. I knew this guy would be more comfortable camping in a tent on the riverbank than he would be in a Holiday Inn Express, so he and I camped there. That night, we were sitting around the campfire after supper and in an effort to stimulate conversation, I asked him what his favorite food was. He seemed to go into a deep thought, even straining before he most clearly and confidently said. “My favorite food is a hotdog—if it is fixed right.”Likewise, the favorite food for the soul of a Christian is a simple prayer—if it’s fixed right!

Don’t let religion confuse and complicate your life. Camp out with God! Look at stars at night and feel the warmth of His fiery grace and see the Light Of The World no matter how dark the night. Sometimes the menu at the finest restaurant is so complicated you are not sure what you want nor what you’re getting after you order it. God doesn’t provide a menu though. The table is already set with just what we need. God is not hard to please and neither should we be. If life shakes you, settle down and keep it simple too. Prayer praises God, exalts the Son and honors The Holy Spirit.

Brother Randy


Blog comments will be sent to the moderator

Greetings in Jesus’ name! I hope you are enjoying the summer and spending special time with your family too. Thank you for your faithfulness and commitment to worship the Lord publicly in the local church. It is truly a rich blessing from God to stand before such a beautiful congregation of folks that love Jesus and want to learn more about and follow Him. Even though America today offers many distractions, the gospel call is a stronger attraction.

July is freedom month and we surely should thank God and our military
forces for the freedoms we enjoy here in this country, especially the freedom to assemble in Jesus’ name and to proclaim and sing His word and praise His holy name. The greatest freedom though is being free from the bondage of sin and the shackles of shame. We have someone to thank for this wonderful freedom too. His name is Jesus. The name of Jesus is the sweetest name in any language. Truly, “how sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear, it soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds and drives away his fear.”

Freedom on a national level as well as on a spiritual level is often taken for granted, even neglected. We must remember that freedom is not free, nationally nor spiritually. The blood of soldiers provides America’s freedom and the blood of Christ purchased the believer’s freedom. In either case, the cost of freedom is great and should never be slighted nor apologized for. America’s freedom should prompt patriotism and the Christian’s freedom should prompt prayer.

Freedom can be realized and enjoyed only when we realize it is a work in progress and not a once and for all done deal. The Declaration of Independence announced and described the statutes of America’s liberty, but also implied the need of maintenance and monitoring to assure the continuance of such a just cause.

The death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary paid our sin debt in full. Because of His death, burial and resurrection, eternal salvation for His elect family, for sinners like us, is a finished work. His justifying grace liberates us not only from the penalty of sin, but also from sin’s power. Yet, we cannot coast to Heaven dining on Heavenly Ham sandwiches or hovering under umbrellas, flicking the sand off our toes at the beach. Even though God has declared our freedom in Christ, we still have a beach headed, sinful nature of unredeemed flesh just living to shackle our stride as we try follow Jesus.

So, if we’re going to enjoy our spiritual freedom, we must be aware of the enemy’s presence and tactics to tie us up in sinful practices and unbelief. A war veteran, who was a P.O.W., once said, “you’ll never really know and appreciate freedom, until you’ve had it, lost it, and regained it again. The most miserable person in the world is not an unsaved person. The most miserable person is a saved person out of fellowship with God. If you don’t feel close to God today, guess who moved!

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Luke 18:1

Prayer is a request to God. A request is an asking for something needed. We are a needy people as far as our life in the kingdom of God is concerned. Jesus Christ is not only a precious Savior, He is also the neatest need meeter. A friend of mine who worked for a large timber company told me that it seemed like his work consisted mainly of going to meetings. He said, “Sometimes the only reason we meet is to decide when our next meeting will be.” We shouldn’t neglect to pray because that would suggest we don’t need anything. Actually when we don’t feel like praying is the very time we need to pray. Jesus says that we should pray always. Jesus is always right and we always have a need. Our greatest need is God. When we have Him, we have enough, for He is sufficient. Prayer acknowledges the greatest blessing of grace, God’s presence. God’s presence is where peace is found and contentment is cultivated. Prayer is hands on hope. Prayer pleases God because He likes us to ask Him for help and to trust His providence every day. If we prayed more, we would fear less and we’d find God’s ways are not our ways, but are the best ways.

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Hebrews 13:5-6

These two verses will mean a lot to us when and if we pray to God. Religion can be ritualistic and rutty but prayer enables us to maintain a right relationship with God. There is a big difference in a wedding and a marriage. Just like a big, fancy wedding will not guarantee a good marriage relationship, baptism and church membership will not provide the continual joy and strength we need to function faithfully in His kingdom. However, prayer will do all of that!

Prayer is the “plug-in” to Divine Power. The first thing I do when our fan or appliance is not working when I turn them on, is to make sure they are plugged in. Maybe if your life isn’t working right, you ought to check your connection. A person without prayer is about like a plane without wings or a train without a track or an automobile without tires. A man or woman without God is the weakest creature on Earth, but when plugged in to God Almighty, becomes the strongest.

“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” II Corinthians 12:10

Note, this statement of scripture through the Apostle Paul is the result of prayer. (verse eight). When Paul got his plug right, his life was right and his life was right because his relationship with God was right. When we get God right, everything else is right. Prayer is how we get God in the right place because we put ourselves in the right place — on our knees.


Prayer Shakes Things Up

Most real, heart-felt, fervent prayers happen when we are shook up. Bad news
does travel fast and is not necessarily heard on Fox News or CNN, but rather in our own homes and hearts. A child on drugs, a pending divorce, a tumor, a death, a stroke, or a storm all have tendencies to move things around in our lives. This rearrangement is necessary in keeping our priorities in their proper place. Problems will make one pray when nothing else will! The reason the worst problem a person can have is to have no problems at all, is that of lack of prayer. Problems are like speed bumps which are placed near a stop sign or dangerous intersection. Maybe God has placed a problem in your life to cause you to stop, which may prevent a more serious accident.

I recently dug the red potatoes out of my garden and put them in a wheelbarrow. The potatoes were all sizes, some pretty big and some real little ones. I just piled the potatoes all together in the wheelbarrow and then rolled the wheelbarrow some distance to the barn. The barn is a cool dry place, a good place to keep potatoes. So, when we need potatoes, we just go to the barn and get a few out of the wheelbarrow. It is noteworthy and not by accident that the biggest potatoes are on the top of the pile, although that is not necessarily the order I placed them in. The reason the big potatoes are on top is because of all the shaking the wheelbarrow endured on the way to the barn. With potatoes and with people, the big ones always shake up and the little ones shake down.

Having the Holy Spirit indwelling us is a really big deal, a done deal too! But it often takes a lot of shaking to reveal that He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. Prayer is really like shaking hands with God. When we shake hands with men or with God, we shouldn’t give them a “fish,” but a firm grip. Regarding prayer, this is like saying, I really need you God and even though I’m shook up, I’m going to look up to you my helper. When we pray we are always going in the right di- rection — up.

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were as- sembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31

Prayer Settles Things Down

Probably the most important thing to know and believe about God is that He is sovereign. Sovereign means all powerful, over-all and ‘in charge.’ If God were not sovereign, our prayers would truly be pitiful. What comfort would it give us to ask our Heavenly Father to do something about a problem we couldn’t do anything about, if He couldn’t do anything about it either. Just to know God is with us and for us will settle our most stormy seas of circumstances and bring calm consequences to our souls. Even the Lord Jesus seemed to be more settled concerning His mission to Calvary after He prayed in Gethsemane.

“And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Matthew 26:39

Once there was a man whom God told to push on a large rock every day. The man loved the Lord and did so, even though it didn’t make much sense to him to do that. The large rock represented a big problem the man was dealing with and the pushing represented the man’s prayers every day. Finally, the man told the Lord that he was really frustrated about it all especially since he had not moved the rock one inch. To which the Lord replied, “You haven’t changed the rock’s position, the change has been in you. Look how much stronger you are now than you were before from all that pushing you’ve done!”

Prayer may not always change our circumstances, but prayer always changes us, and that settles it. If God’s word is forever settled in Heaven, surely our prayers are. Nothing is more settling to the soul than conversation with the creator of the universe. Keeping on good speaking terms with God is critical to the Christian and should be the greatest catalyst for not sinning. Sin is upsetting to a genuine Christian because it interrupts communion with the very one who loves us the most and to whom we owe a lot. One of the most comforting and settling situations for a child of God is to pray for forgiveness of a sin, and feel and know forgiveness and cleansing.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9

Nothing is ever settled without prayer. So many times we do things or say things, or go places or befriend people without praying about it at all. No wonder there is so much chaos and confusion in the world, our lives, churches, and even our homes. God always answers our prayers if they are prayed in faith, in Jesus’ name, without unconfessed sin, and in submission to His will. His answer will come in one of three categories: yes, no or wait. No matter which category His answer comes to us in, it ought to be settling to us, after all, God is much wiser than we are and His mercy and goodness is a soft bed to sleep on.

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stab- lish, strengthen, settle you.” I Peter 5:10


Prayer Simplifies Our Lives

Anything you are supposed to do very often should be simple. Eating our food is not some sophisticated ritual requiring elegant etiquette. Rather, eating is a simple act of taking food into our bodies for strength and sustenance. A meal can and should be enjoyed whether in the Pink House on River Street or on the tailgate of a pick-up truck in the back side of nowhere. Two things are required in order for a meal to be memorable; appetite and company. The same is true for prayer. Every true believer is given a hunger for righteousness. And God provides at least three meals a day whereby we can dine with the Divine at the table of prayer.

“I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Psalm 81:10

God even provides a prayer table in the wilderness!

Prayer simplifies our lives by filling our most basic need—God. We can
complicate our lives, and often do, because we think we don’t have enough. But the answer to our confusion and chaos is simple—we don’t have enough God. Remember when you get God right, everything else will be right. Prayer helps us get God right. Not only is God good all the time, He is also right all the time so it makes good sense for us to talk to, and spend much time with such a secure source.

KISS stands for keep it simple stupid and is a design principle which states that designs and or systems should be as simple as possible. Whenever possible, complexity should be avoided in a system as simplicity guarantees the greatest levels of user acceptance and interaction. I avoid doing things that I have to read the directions to put together or operate. My children or grandchildren do not have to say all the words right or to get in a particular position for me to love and communicate with them, does yours? A mother or father seems to know what their child is asking even though the words are not properly pronounced.
Since Jesus tells us we must be like little children to enter the Kingdom, we can be sure He wants us to pray simply.

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:6

I once knew a man who was a simple man. He lived near me and just did odd jobs and would ride a bicycle to work every day. He rode with me to a place in Alabama, near Horseshoe Bend State Park on the Tallapoosa River. I had asked him to go to assist me in planting pine trees on a small area of property owned by a client of mine. I knew this guy would be more comfortable camping in a tent on the riverbank than he would be in a Holiday Inn Express, so he and I camped there. That night, we were sitting around the campfire after supper and in an effort to stimulate conversation, I asked him what his favorite food was. He seemed to go into a deep thought, even straining before he most clearly and confidently said. “My favorite food is a hotdog—if it is fixed right.”Likewise, the favorite food for the soul of a Christian is a simple prayer—if it’s fixed right!

Don’t let religion confuse and complicate your life. Camp out with God! Look at stars at night and feel the warmth of His fiery grace and see the Light Of The World no matter how dark the night. Sometimes the menu at the finest restaurant is so complicated you are not sure what you want nor what you’re getting after you order it. God doesn’t provide a menu though. The table is already set with just what we need. God is not hard to please and neither should we be. If life shakes you, settle down and keep it simple too. Prayer praises God, exalts the Son and honors The Holy Spirit.

Brother Randy


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