How to (and How Not to) Pray (#1 of 2)

Greg Laurie: God knows what you need before you ask him. Therefore, why should I pray? After all, I can't change God's mind. Well, listen, the objective of prayer is not to change God, it's to change you.
Guest (Male): Prayer is more than just a shopping list of things we want. Today, Pastor Greg Laurie points out, sometimes prayer changes our very relationship with the Lord.
Greg Laurie: Prayer is not to inform God. Prayer is to invite God. Prayer is getting closer to God.
Music: This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Can you hear the angels singing? This is the day, the day when life begins.
Guest (Male): Think of the conversations you have with a good friend of yours. If the only time you spoke to them was to ask a favor or borrow a couple of bucks, that relationship would start to feel pretty shallow. Good friends connect with each other and let the relationship deepen.
Guest (Male): Today on a new beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us see prayer is more than just a request line. We'll see it's a way for us to deepen our relationship with the Lord and bring our will in line with his will. We'll see prayer is a lifeline to a loving God.
Music: This is the day, the day when life begins.
Greg Laurie: Grab your Bibles now and turn to Matthew chapter 6. The title of my message is "How to and How Not to Pray." "How to and How Not to Pray."
Greg Laurie: I heard the story of a pilot who was flying a plane load of passengers to their destination. Suddenly the rudder malfunctioned. He radioed the control tower in panic and said, "The rudder has malfunctioned. What should I do?" The air traffic controller said, "Keep calm, captain. Just repeat after me. Wings flap, check. Velocity, check. Altitude, check."
Greg Laurie: The pilot made the appropriate adjustments and everything was fine. A few moments passed and the starboard engine failed. He goes back to the radio tower, "The starboard engine just stalled. What should I do?" The air traffic controller radioed back and said, "Okay, keep calm, captain. Repeat after me. Wings flap, check. Velocity, check. Altitude, check."
Greg Laurie: Now both engines went out. "Mayday, mayday, both engines have gone out. What should I do?" The air controller said, "Now keep calm, captain, and repeat after me. Our Father who art in heaven." Hallowed be your name.
Greg Laurie: The Lord's Prayer. Most of us know it or at least we know parts of it. It's a prayer that is sort of behind glass. In case of emergency, pull this prayer out. And there's certainly nothing wrong with praying the Lord's Prayer verbatim, but it's more than that. It's really the words of Jesus given to us in how we can pray.
Greg Laurie: Imagine if you went to an elite university and you were able to be taught by the most impressive people throughout history. For instance, you could study music under Beethoven himself. Or you could have a drama class taught by William Shakespeare. A political science class taught by Thomas Jefferson. A philosophy class taught by C.S. Lewis. How about this? A class on prayer taught by Jesus Christ.
Greg Laurie: Hmm. I'd sign up for that. I'd be all over that course. I'd want to know what Jesus had to say about prayer. And that's what the Lord's Prayer is. It all started when his disciples came to him and said, "Lord, would you teach us how to pray?"
Greg Laurie: And the encouraging thing is Jesus did what they asked and in doing so, acknowledging that prayer is something you can learn. You learn how to pray. It takes time. I love when little children are just starting to pray. And we'll say, "You pray," and they'll offer their cute little prayers.
Greg Laurie: And they're learning, they're growing. I remember as a young Christian, the first time I was asked to pray publicly, I was so nervous. You know what I'm talking about? What am I going to say? So it was a big prayer circle and we went around the circle and somehow I ended up being last. By the time it got to me, all the good stuff had been prayed for. I didn't know what to say or what to do. And you know that feeling.
Greg Laurie: Well, Jesus is teaching us now how to pray. So this is a model prayer or a template prayer. You know when you go to a housing tract that's being built and they have the model homes? I love model homes because you walk in and it's as though someone lives there but they don't. They have fake fruit and fake things in the fridge and photos of who knows who, who supposedly live in this fake house.
Greg Laurie: But it gives you an idea that that pile of dirt over there is going to turn into a home, well, that won't look anything like this actually. But it's a model home to give you an idea of what the homes will look like. Jesus gives us a model prayer to show us what our prayers ought to look like.
Greg Laurie: But before we learn how to pray, let's learn how not to pray. Matthew 6, verse 5. Jesus says, "When you pray, you should 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." You might underline that, "That they may be seen by men."
Greg Laurie: "Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go to your room. 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. When you pray, don't use vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think they'll be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them, for your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask him."
Greg Laurie: We'll stop there. It's a tragic thing, but really sin knows no boundaries. It can follow us to the very throne of heaven, where I'm actually missing the whole point of what prayer should be, focusing the intention upon myself. This was the problem with the Pharisees. They prayed to be seen by men. The Pharisees loved the theater of prayer. It was sort of like a performance.
Greg Laurie: They would go to a street corner and stop and pray loudly, and people would look, "Oh, look at that religious man. Oh, how devout he is, how impressive he is." Jesus is saying, "God's not impressed." He's not impressed one bit because you're doing it for others to see. And so he's showing us that is not how we should pray, nor should we offer ritualized, repeated prayers.
Greg Laurie: That's why I don't really love memorized prayers, that people pray over and over and over again, just say, "10 Our Fathers and you'll be okay." What, is there some magic in a little prayer that we pray? When we pray, God looks on the heart. It's a conversation with God. For instance, here's a memorized prayer we'll say to our children, "Okay, honey, it's time to go to bed. Now pray this prayer. Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." Who came up with this crazy prayer?
Greg Laurie: This is not a good prayer. You're saying to a child, "If you should die before you wake, honey, you may die in your sleep tonight." My only hope is God will take your soul, you little heathen child. So sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite. Oh, great. This is pointless. You want to teach them not a memorized prayer, but you want to teach them rather how to pray.
Greg Laurie: And so Jesus told the story of two men that went to pray. One was a Pharisee, one was a publican or a tax collector. The Pharisee literally prayed this prayer, "God, I thank you, I'm not like other men. I don't cheat, I don't commit adultery, I don't sin, and I'm certainly not like that tax collector over there."
Greg Laurie: Meanwhile, the tax collector, the sinner, who would acknowledge as much, just said, "God, be merciful to me the sinner." Jesus said, "That man, the sinner, went down justified before God because the other man prayed a prayer to impress other people." It's very easy to pray and not be thinking about what you're praying about. Don't tell me you haven't done it. I've done it.
Greg Laurie: What is worship? It's prayer set to song. So when I'm singing a song, especially one that's directed toward God, I'm praying. But are you always thinking of what you're saying and thinking of what you're praying when you're singing that or are you thinking of other things?
Greg Laurie: "After church I'm going to go to Chick-fil-A." No, I can't, they're closed on Sunday. "I'll go to In-N-Out Burger instead." Or "Why is she wearing that at church?" "That person is singing too loudly. What's going on over here? Why is Greg so strikingly handsome? It distracts me."
Greg Laurie: Excuse me, those are my thoughts, but actually they're not, but the point is, I'm thinking about other things with no thought of God whatsoever. Sometimes in prayer, people use it as an opportunity to brag about their accomplishments. It's more of a braggadocio than a testimony. You've seen this. Someone prays, "God, I thank you that I just read 15 chapters of Leviticus this morning."
Greg Laurie: "Breaking my three month fast, I was able to share the gospel with 12 people." Stop. What is that about? That's about you. That's about you trying to impress other people. Sometimes people use prayer as an opportunity to impress others. "Our most gracious Heavenly Father, our most bountiful God, we come before you today to beseech thee." Okay, nice.
Greg Laurie: But is this really about God or is this about you trying to impress others? Or long prayers. Long prayers. You know, a meal comes. You should ask a blessing on the meal. I was just over on Maui last Sunday, speaking at our church, which is doing great. I was flying back and there was a guy a couple rows in front of me and his meal came. And he prayed, he bowed his head and prayed. I thought, "Well, that guy must be a Christian."
Greg Laurie: And afterwards, he said, "Hi, I'm a Christian." I recognize him. "Oh, nice to meet you." And he goes, "Why didn't you pray over your meal?" And he was right. No, it's not true. But I don't know if I did because sometimes I forget. Do any of you ever forget to pray? So when, okay, the food comes, it's hot. Someone says, "Let's ask the blessing," and you're asked, "Don't pray a 20-minute prayer."
Greg Laurie: Other times people use prayer as an opportunity to gossip. You're praying and someone says, "Lord, I just found out that Jim has been unfaithful to his wife." Wait, what? Jim who? All of a sudden it's not about prayer, it's about the latest gossip you just heard. These prayers go no higher than the ceiling.
Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.
Guest (Male): We really enjoy hearing when Pastor Greg's teaching and preaching touches lives.
Guest (Female): Hi, Pastor Greg. My family wants to let you know how much we appreciate your ministry. We watch your sermons on YouTube every week. Also, my husband and I listen to your A New Beginning radio program on our way to work. It helps us grow in our walk with the Lord. A few times, I've felt God speaking to me through your messages. More power to you and Harvest Ministries.
Guest (Male): When we hear from you, it's not only a blessing, it also confirms that the program is making an impact. If you have a story to share, call Pastor Greg and let him know. Call 1-866-871-1144. Again, 866-871-1144.
Guest (Male): Well, we're talking about prayer today as Pastor Greg presents his message from Matthew 6 called "How to and How Not to Pray."
Greg Laurie: Jesus gives us insight verse 8. "Your Father knows the things you need of before you ask him." God knows what you need before you ask him. Therefore, why should I pray? After all, I can't change God's mind. Well, listen, the objective of prayer is not to change God, it's to change you.
Greg Laurie: God knows what you need, but prayer is not to inform God. Prayer is to invite God. Let me say that again. Prayer is not to inform God. Prayer is to invite God. The value of prayer is it keeps me in touch with God. Prayer is getting closer to God.
Greg Laurie: Sometimes God allows things in my life to bring me to him in prayer. It can be a challenge, it can be a need, it could even be a tragedy, and I come to the Lord and I call upon the Lord. So, that's how not to pray. Let's talk about how to pray. Matthew 6, verse 9. Now, this is the Lord's Prayer. I would like us all to say this out loud together.
Greg Laurie: Let's see what Jesus says. "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, for yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever."
Greg Laurie: Amen. The Lord's Prayer, great one. Memorize that. It's not too long. A template for all prayer. The first three requests in the Lord's Prayer deal with the glory of God. "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Greg Laurie: The final petitions deal with the needs of man. "Give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Don't lead us into temptation." So, how do we pray? Here's point number one if you're taking notes. We pray to a Father in heaven who loves us. We pray to a Father who art in heaven. "Our Father who art in heaven."
Greg Laurie: Not our vending machine who art in heaven. Not our butler who art in heaven, our Father, a Father who longs for communication and fellowship with us. A Father who loves to bless us. He's a generous Father. He's a good Father. Jesus said it is your Father's good pleasure to give to you the kingdom. He's not a stingy God.
Greg Laurie: He's a generous God, so I come to my Father. I remember when I first met Billy Graham, I called him Dr. Graham. That's what everyone called him, Dr. Graham, so I called him that. And one day he said to me, "Greg, don't call me Dr. Graham, call me Billy." I said, "Well, Dr. Graham, I don't know if I can do that."
Greg Laurie: It took me a while to get comfortable with calling this man that's been so powerfully used of God, Billy. It just seemed too personal. But I eventually started calling him Billy. But I noticed his children called him Daddy, as they do in the south. Even adults still call their parents Daddy and Mama. And then the grandchildren called him Daddy Bill. Well, I didn't call him Daddy Bill. That was not my privilege. That was only for his grandchildren.
Greg Laurie: But I can call God Daddy. Because the Bible says God has not given us the spirit of bondage again to fear, but one of adoption, whereby we cry, "Abba Father." "Abba Father." Abba Father is the Hebrew equivalent of Daddy or Papa. It's a term of endearment.
Greg Laurie: I remember times I've been in Israel, and I'll see a little, a little Jewish boy calling his father, "Abba," he'll say, or his mother, "Ima." It's a term of affection. This is the kind of relationship we have with God now, where we can call him Father, but even more, Papa, Daddy, Abba, all the same thing.
Greg Laurie: When Jesus was grappling with what was ahead in the Garden of Gethsemane before he went to the cross, his first words were, "Abba Father." A term of dependency, affection, closeness. And after Jesus rose again from the dead, remember he said to Mary Magdalene, "I'm going to my God and your God, to my Father and your Father."
Greg Laurie: A whole new relationship with God, our Father who art in heaven. So I contemplate that. And then I say, verse 9, "Hallowed be your name." "Hallowed be your name." It means I set God apart in my life. In other words, he is above everything else. He is Lord of all. Because if he is not Lord of all, he's not Lord at all.
Greg Laurie: When I say "hallowed be your name," it means in my life and character, I'm setting Christ apart, and I'm seeking to live a holy life. Therefore I should ask myself about things I pursue, my ambitions, my interests, "Is this for his glory? Can I write 'hallowed be your name' over this? This career choice, can I write 'hallowed be your name' over this? This TV program, the music I listen to, the sites I visit, the things I stream, etc. Can I write 'hallowed be your name' over it?"
Greg Laurie: If I can't ask the Lord to bless it, then I shouldn't do it. So when you got up this morning, "Let's go to church." Can you say, "This is for God's glory?" Of course you can. "Let's go to lunch." Can you say, "This is for God's glory?" For the most part, yes.
Greg Laurie: But now you're going to go to a party and get drunk. "Lord, just bless this night as we go get drunk." No. You can't ask God to bless that. "Lord, I'm going to go with my boyfriend tonight and we're we're going to have sexual relations." No, no, there's no blessing there. Now you're outside of the will of God. You can only ask God to bless the things that will bring him glory. Point number two, when we pray, we should always ask for God's will to be done.
Greg Laurie: When we pray, we should always ask for God's will to be done. Look at verse 10. "Your kingdom come, your will be done." Did not Jesus model this for us in the Garden of Gethsemane? He said, "Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done."
Greg Laurie: Reminding me the primary objective of prayer is to line my will up with the will of God. True praying is not overcoming God's reluctance. It's laying hold of his willingness. Prayer is not getting my will in heaven. It's getting God's will on earth. Prayer is not getting my will in heaven. You don't want your will in heaven. You want God's will on earth. First John 5:14 says, "This is the confidence we have in him if we ask anything according to his will. He hears us. Then we'll have the petitions desired of him." Prayer is surrender to the will of God.
Greg Laurie: So, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name." Point number three, we should pray for God's kingdom to come. "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." What is the kingdom of God? It's the rule and reign of Christ in your life. Jesus said on one occasion, "The kingdom of God is in the midst of you." And what he meant was, "I'm here, and wherever I am, that's what the kingdom of God is."
Greg Laurie: So when we're told in Matthew 6:33 to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, it means put Christ first. Put the will of God first. Have Jesus rule and reign in your life.
Music:
Guest (Male): Good encouragement today here on A New Beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie is leading our study of the Sermon on the Mount, and we're currently gleaning some important principles from our look at what we call the Lord's Prayer. Prayer is such an important part of the Christian life. It's more than how we communicate with the Father, it's our very lifeline to God's throne.
Guest (Male): In fact, prayer is the way we first come into a relationship with God. Pastor Greg, maybe somebody's listening today who would like to begin that kind of relationship. God wants us to come to him, doesn't he?
Greg Laurie: That's right. The Bible says, "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." So, think of it this way. Maybe you're out in a rip tide in the ocean, and you can't get your footing and you're in trouble, and you see a lifeguard. Call out for help, and the lifeguard will rescue you. The same is true spiritually, you're drowning in your sin. You need help. Jesus will save you. He will rescue you, but you must call out to him. And you know how you do that? You do it in prayer.
Greg Laurie: So let me just lead you in a simple prayer, and you can pray this prayer after me. You can pray it out loud if you like. And this is where you are calling out to Jesus to save you. Just pray this. "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, and I know you are the savior who died on the cross for my sin, and rose again from the dead. Now, Lord, I turn from my sin and I put my faith in you. Be my savior, my Lord, be my God, and my friend. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."
Greg Laurie: Hey, if you just prayed that prayer, I want you to know that Christ himself has come to live inside of you. And I have a resource I want to send you. It's called the New Believer's Bible. So the New Believer's Bible is the New Testament in the New Living Translation with hundreds of notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this commitment you are making to follow Christ. There's some other materials included as well in what we call the New Believer's Growth Pack. But let me get this New Believer's Bible into your hands as quickly as possible.
Guest (Male): Here's Dave to tell you more.
Guest (Male): Yeah, we'll be glad to send it all your way, free of any charge, if you prayed along with Pastor Greg today. Just ask for the New Believer's Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. You can reach us any time, 24/7 at 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click no God.
Guest (Male): Well, Pastor Greg, let me let me read a listener comment that we recently received.
Greg Laurie: Okay.
Guest (Male): It goes, "I have been a Harvest Partner for many years now and see the impact you've made on many people who've become Christians. I am in awe. I thank the Lord for the continued successful ministry of Harvest on a daily basis. Thank you, Pastor Greg, for being used by God to change my life and redirect my paths. Your example of Christianity has been so consistent."
Guest (Male): Isn't that encouraging that she says those nice things, but also that she believes enough in this ministry to become a Harvest Partner? What is a Harvest Partner?
Greg Laurie: Well, a Harvest Partner is somebody that gives to our ministry on a regular basis, even on a monthly basis. And what I really appreciate about this listener, and if that person happens to be listening, let me just say to you personally, "Thank you so much." But what I really appreciated was when she said, "I've been doing it for years." And you know what? I also want to say this to this person, or any person that supports us in this way. You share in the fruit of what we are doing.
Greg Laurie: There's an interesting story in the life of David, where he was going against his enemy with his army. They were tired from battle, and a bunch of them said, "We just can't go into battle." And his army was already relatively small. They said, "We're going to have to sit this one out." Well, the remaining soldiers went into battle, the Lord blessed, and they were victorious.
Greg Laurie: And when they returned with the spoils of the battle, those who had fought said, "Don't give any to those people that sat this out." Well, the fact is, those folks who had sat it out, on this occasion, had fought in previous battles. And David said, "Hey, no. Those that tarry by the stuff," that's King James. "Those that hang out by our our possessions share in this as well."
Greg Laurie: And you know, the the reward, the blessing goes to all those who participate. It goes to all of us that believe in the power of the gospel. So when you give, you're part of the team. You're making it possible for us to reach more people with the gospel. So would you tarry by the stuff? To put it in King James vernacular, would you invest in our ministry? And then we pray that you will share in the reward of what God is doing as well, as Paul said, "It's fruit to your account, spiritual fruit to your account, laying up for yourself treasures in heaven." So prayerfully consider becoming a Harvest Partner today.
Guest (Male): Yeah, that's right. And we can take your call right now. It's a 24/7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300. Again, 1-800-821-3300. Or just go online to harvest.org. Well, next time, more insight on prayer as taught to us in the Lord's Prayer. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.
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