What is the goal when we pray and what really is prayer?
*We live in a world where everyone prays!!! It’s not just a “Christian” thing, Muslim, Hindus, Buddhist, the lady I work with, one of the greatest heathens I know J when she is having a bad day the first things she tells me is “I prayed today, I talked to the big guy up stairs” (Whoever came up with the concept that God lived upstairs J) They all pray! So what makes us as Christians any different?
Should our goal be to become people, men and woman of God who pray? If that’s our goal then it’s too small and to superficial! If that’s the case then we are just becoming “religious” like the rest of the world. The difference is not that you and I be committed to prayer but that you and I be committed to CONNECTING with the living GOD, the Creator through our prayers.
Lets take a look at a prayer meeting in 1st Kings, chapter 18:16-28
16 So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come, and Ahab went out to meet Elijah. 17 When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?” 18 “I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. 19 Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel. 20 So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel. 21 Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.
22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. 23 Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it. 24 Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!” And all the people agreed. 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood.” 26 So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made. 27 About noontime Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!”28 So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out.
*We see this same thing all throughout our culture today. The difference between a follower of Jesus Christ is not that he prays, but that God speaks to you and you hear His voice, that God hears you and answers your prayers OBEY! There is a difference between one who knows God and one who is searching for God; one who CONNECTS to God and one who’s crying out to a “god”.
Elijah interrupts their prayer meeting. Look at what’s going on here. Talk about “emotionalism”. These guys were going at it, to the point of inflicting pain upon themselves. People to the point of cutting themselves trying to get their “gods” attention. I think in our own way we have all been there, I know I have in my life. Cried out at times like David saying “God have you forgotten me?!?!? Do I still matter to you? I mean, come on, I know I’m from Delaware and it’s so small and almost non-existent but please don’t forget me, please hear me!
So, here’s Elijah and he is taunting them, I love it, J my favorite kind of humor is sarcastic humor! And so he’s saying to them “Well, maybe your god is busy, maybe he’s daydreaming, maybe he’s on a trip, maybe your god is in the bathroom! J There have been times in life where I have felt that yes, God is definitely taking a bathroom break!
If your prayer life feels empty and void….lets talk about why? And the reason I wanted to speak with you about this topic isn’t because I’ve got it all together and I know what I’m doing if anything it’s because I’m desperate and longing for more. I feel empty in my prayer life at times, it’s not always my strong area. And as I’ve been walking through this lately God has been teaching me the difference between praying and CONNECTING with Him. And it’s a journey but I’m loving the growing and connecting part of it all.
1 Kings 18:30-39
Are we to the place in our lives where we hear God speak because we are so ready and listening. Are you at the place where God can speak to you because you are so ready to obey Him.
The best evidence that you are a man of prayer is that you are obedient to do what God’s says when you pray.
Examples: hearing God’s voice……not needing to really ask the question “Is this wrong?” Because if you are having to ask the question then you already know in your heart that it is wrong.
If God speaks to you and you continually ignore His voice and refuse to walk in what He says and in what you know is right, if you do that long enough you will live as if you are deaf.
The extreme privilege of prayer is that you CAN hear the voice of God. Elisha’s prayer: answer me God so that these people will know that you are God. Elisha’s wanted them to see the power in his prayer life so that the peoples heart would be turned back to God.
For Elisha, it was at the time of sacrifice that he stepped forward and prayed. God wants to kind of prayer where you can say God I will pray no prayer that I am not willing to be the solution to the problem. I will step up in the time of sacrifice. Stepping up in the time of sacrifice sets it up for God to do a miracle.
