Our Talk with God

We’ve often heard of our walk with God; however it’s also important that we talk with God.  It is VITAL that we talk with God.  Do you believe you are talking with God when you pray?  Do you believe you will receive what you ask for? What should we say when we talk with God?  Does God tell us how we should talk with him? Does God hear us when we talk with Him?  How do we know if He hears us?  What sort of attitude should we have when we talk with God?  When should we talk with God?

SPS: Today you will learn how to enhance your talk with God.

G4336

προσεύχομαι

proseuchomai

pros-yoo'-khom-ahee

From G4314 and G2172; to pray to God, that is, supplicate, worship: - pray (X earnestly, for), make prayer.

(Mat 6:5)

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

This is an example of someone praying to impress other people rather than impressing God.  They are more interested in human praise than they are in God’s reward.  They want the immediate accolades, and swell up with false pride in their ability to publicly declare their own holiness with self-righteous displays.  An example of a hypocrite’s prayer versus a sincere prayer follows:

          (Luk 18:9-14)

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: (Luk 18:10)

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. (Luk 18:11) The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  (Luk 18:12) I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' (Luk 18:13)

And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'

(Luk 18:14) I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

(1Pe 3:12)

FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE ON THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ARE OPEN TO THEIR PRAYERS; BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL."

Jesus is showing us the proper attitude that we should have when we pray.  God wants to hear humility in our prayers, not self-righteousness!  The Pharisee compares himself to the tax collector, and thanks God that he is so much more righteous compared to the tax collector!  Barf!

It is so common in the world to base our opinions, to make our judgments based on outward appearances.  The Pharisee made a great show, an outward appearance of righteousness.  God is not impressed by outward appearances!

          (1Sa 16:7)

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

When we pray, what does God want to see in our heart?

(Psa 34:18)

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

(Psa 51:17)

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

Barnes’ Notes:

Psalms 51:17
The sacrifices of God - The sacrifices which God desires and approves; the sacrifices without which no other offering would be acceptable. David felt that that which he here specified was what was demanded in his case. He had grievously sinned; and the blood of animals offered in sacrifice could not put away his sin, nor could anything remove it unless the heart were itself penitent and contrite. The same thing is true now.

Are a broken spirit - A mind broken or crushed under the weight of conscious guilt. The idea is that of a burden laid on the Soul until it is crushed and subdued.

A broken and a contrite heart - The word rendered contrite means to be broken or crushed, as when the bones are broken, Psalms 44:19; Psalms 51:8; and then it is applied to the mind or heart as that which is crushed or broken by the weight of guilt. The word does not differ materially from the term "broken." The two together constitute intensity of expression.

Thou wilt not despise - Thou wilt not treat with contempt or disregard. That is, God would look upon them with favor, and to such a heart he would grant his blessing. 

(Isa 57:15)

For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

So far we know that when we come before God we must have the right attitude.  We should have a contrite and humble spirit.  Sometimes I launch into prayer without the proper perspective.  One scripture that helps me have the proper perspective, to have the right attitude when I pray is Revelation chapter four:

(Rev 4:1) After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this." (Rev 4:2) Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. (Rev 4:3) And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. (Rev 4:4) Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. (Rev 4:5) And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. (Rev 4:6) Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. (Rev 4:7) The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. (Rev 4:8) The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" (Rev 4:9) Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, (Rev 4:10) the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: (Rev 4:11) "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."

This is who we pray too!  Our absolute and universal sovereign!  The Lord God Almighty! 

Do you realize what you would have to do to gain an audience with the President of the United States? 

In an article written by Richard L. Burke titled “HOW TO: Get In To See The President” published by The New York Times Magazine, April 8, 2001, he shows us how difficult it is to see much less speak to the President!

It may be easier to get an audience with the pope, or even Madonna, than to get squeezed onto the calendar of the president of the United States. ''There are 270 million Americans,'' says Andrew Card, President Bush's chief of staff and No. 1 gatekeeper, ''and if all of them want five minutes of his time, I think that works out to 1,183 years.''

The Lord God Almighty does not require advance scheduling for you to have an audience with Him, the sovereign of the universe! He made it possible for us to gain an audience with Him, anytime, anywhere. 

(1Ti 2:5)

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

We cannot buy and audience with Him even if we wanted to.  We don’t have to be a celebrity or sports star. 

(Rom 8:26) Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Rom 8:27) Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

(Rom 8:34) Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

(Heb 7:25)

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

What an extraordinary privilege and opportunity we have!  Our sovereign God of the universe will let us talk to Him at will!  We don’t have to go through a bureaucracy.  We don’t have to buy influence.  We don’t have to be rich and famous.  God lets us approach Him through our Mediator, our Savior. 

We know we need to have a contrite heart and a broken spirit when we approach God in prayer.  What is a very important reason for prayer? 

(Jas 4:8)

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

(Jas 4:10)

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

We draw near to God when we pray.  We know that sin separates us from God.  It’s vital that we pray and draw near to God, and that we talk to Him with the right attitude.  It’s so important for our eternal life!

2 Chronicles 15 New Living Translation (NLT)

15 Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, 2 and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you.

Prayer is a vital way to seek God.  It is our talk with God, the sovereign God of the universe!

Our Savior provides us with a model prayer, showing us an example of how and what we should pray.

(Mat 6:6)

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

(Act 16:13)

And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.

(Mat 14:23)

And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

(Mat 19:13)

Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.

Back in the day Ambassador College provided prayer closets for students to use for prayer.  The point is that we need personal time with God, time to draw near to Him with a contrite heart and broken spirit.

(Mat 6:7)

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

We must be sincere when we pray to God.  He is not interested in praise from our lips, he is interested in praise from our hearts! I recently read an article online about a church in Germany that has a literal robot minister that parishioners can program in what blessings they want, and the robot gives the blessing and light flashes from its robot hands.  I don’t think God cares much for the idea, and in fact, I believe He detests it! 

(Mat 15:7)

Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

(Mat 15:8)

'THESE PEOPLE DRAW NEAR TO ME WITH THEIR MOUTH, AND HONOR ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME.

I know I’ve been guilty of saying a perfunctory prayer over food, and sometimes I’ve said it so fast that when I start to eat I can’t remember asking it, so I ask it again and slow down, and really mean it when I thank God for my food and ask for His blessing.  He has no interest in hearing a vain repetition from us, from prayer wheels, or from robots.

(Mat 6:8)

"Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

God wants us to have a sincere talk with Him, and speak from our hearts and not just our lips.  We can’t fool Him with lip service.  He knows what we need before we ask. 

(Mat 6:9)

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Let’s talk about the first part of this verse, the opening of the prayer “Our Father in heaven.”  We are to direct our prayer to the Holy Father, the sovereign God of the universe!  The only truly good gifts come from our Holy Father.

(Jas 1:17)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

(Jas 1:18)

Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

When we direct our prayer to God the Father, we pray through Jesus Christ, in the name of Jesus Christ.  This is the perfect time to give God thanks.

(Eph 5:20)

giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

When we pray, our Mediator is Jesus Christ.

(1Ti 2:5)

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

(1Ti 2:6)

who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

"The function of a mediator is to intervene between two parties in order to promote relations between them which the parties themselves are not able to effect. The situation requiring the offices of a mediator is often one of estrangement and alienation, and the mediator effects reconciliation" (New Bible Dictionary, Second Edition, 1982, article "Mediator"). Jesus Christ is the preeminent Mediator.

Without Jesus as our Mediator our prayers would be worthless.

Let’s look at the last part of verse nine; “Hallowed be Your Name.”  We should give praise to God when we pray, when we talk to Him.  To “hallow” means to honor and hold in high esteem and reverence, to venerate.  We should acknowledge God’s authority and use prayer as a way to praise Him.  My dad would sometimes recommend to people asking for guidance about how to pray to pray a Psalm.  The Psalm 111 and 113 are wonderful examples of heartfelt praise to God.  You might find it helpful to grab your hymnal and look up “praise” under topics, and find inspiration for your prayers in the dozens of hymns listed there.

(Mat 6:10)

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

Pray for the fulfillment of God’s plan, and pray for God’s Kingdom to be established on earth.  God’s Kingdom coming to earth was at the heart of Christ’s message (Mark 1:14) and should be our central focus (Matthew 6:33).  As we see a suffering world, we should be inspired to pray fervently that God’s will—His rule—will be established on earth to bring peace and end suffering.

(Mat 6:11)

Give us this day our daily bread.

Faithfully rely on God to care for you, and provide your physical needs.  God wants us to develop faith that He will “supply all [our] need” when we are unable to cope (Philippians 4:19).  We demonstrate that faith by bringing our daily physical needs to God and trusting Him to provide for us after we have done our best (Matthew 7:7-11).

(Mat 21:18-22)

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. (Mat 21:19)

And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away. (Mat 21:20) And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" (Mat 21:21) So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. (Mat 21:22) And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

Caveat!

(Jas 4:1)

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

(Jas 4:2)

You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

(Jas 4:3)

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

(Mat 6:12)

And forgive us our debts,

We need to pray daily for forgiveness of sin.  The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  Forgiveness comes through the blood of Jesus Christ.  In order to be forgiven of the sins we commit daily, we “confess our sins” to God in prayer (1 John 1:9), and then seek His help to overcome those sins (Luke 3:8 [NLT] Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.”; Ephesians 4:22-24).

As we forgive our debtors.

It’s important that we pray for better relationships with other people.  God wants us to be at peace with one another (Matthew 22:36-40).  When those relationships are damaged, we should be quick to forgive and to ask God to help us behave in a way that leads to reconciliation (Matthew 5:23-24; 6:14-15).

(Mat 6:13)

And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.

Pray for spiritual strength and growth.  Sin and Satan’s influence are constant dangers for Christians.  We need to pray for God’s strength to battle sin (Ephesians 6:10-18) and develop the very character of God (Matthew 5:48; Ephesians 4:13).

Closing of Prayer

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

God’s Kingdom and worship is reinforced. Christ closed the model prayer by reinforcing the principle of praising God and focusing on His Kingdom.  Our daily prayers should focus on these two important areas.

Amen.

Is It Proper to Use 'Amen' to Close a Prayer (Matthew 6:13)? – Forerunner Commentary

 

Some have questioned the use of the word "amen" at the end of a prayer because an Egyptian god was called Amen (the supposed personification of air or breath and represented by a ram or a goose). However, we can find no evidence to link the Hebrew word amen—meaning "truth" or "so be it"—in any way to this or any other pagan deity.

 

What we do find is that the inspired writers of the Bible were led to use this Hebrew word frequently. Jesus Himself included the word "amen" as part of the model prayer He gave for all Christians (Matthew 6:9-12). Surely that is endorsement enough!

 

What about the claim that those who wrote the Bible got this word from the Egyptians? It would appear that if anyone "borrowed" this word from another people, the Egyptians got it from what was once the pure language spoken by everyone before the building of the tower of Babel. Was this a deliberate counterfeit? In the Bible we find that Jesus Christ is called "the Amen" (Revelation 3:14).

How does the Bible define this word? Notice, Jesus is "the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness." Its use here, directly connected with the word "true" and emphasizing the truth for which Christ stands, conclusively shows its meaning as used in the Scriptures.

Conclusion:

I hope that today you have learned some things that will help you enhance your talk with God.

(1Th 5:16) Rejoice always, (1Th 5:17) pray without ceasing (habitually), (1Th 5:18) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1Th 5:19) Do not quench the Spirit. (1Th 5:20) Do not despise prophecies. (1Th 5:21) Test all things; hold fast what is good. (1Th 5:22) Abstain from every form of evil. (1Th 5:23) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Th 5:24) He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. (1Th 5:25) Brethren, pray for us.