How to and How Not to Pray: What Shouldn't I Pray For?

Today's episode of A New Beginning is brought to you by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God.

Learn more at harvest.org. And while you're there, browse our library of free ebooks designed to help you grow in your faith. Here's the thing we need to know about prayer. The objective of prayer is not to change God, it's to change you. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us understand the purpose and principles of productive prayer. Prayer is not to inform God, rather it's to invite God.

I'm inviting Him into my life, I'm inviting Him into my challenges, I'm inviting Him into the things that I am dealing with. Prayer is getting closer to God. That's why you should pray. Some of us might see prayer as more transactional than relational. When we pray, we focus on asking God for something specific. But today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out that that can miss the relational aspects to prayer. Prayer is more than an intercom to heaven. Prayer is a lifeline to the God who loves us and sustains us and who holds our future in His hands.

And today Pastor Greg shows us how to steward this privilege appropriately. You know we're all looking for certain things in life. It's sort of like when I go to the market with my wife. My wife looks for certain things in a market and I look for other things.

My wife looks for practical things like eggs and milk and butter and seasonings and the staples. And I look for well things that are important to me like chips, maybe pretzels, and fruit. Man I love summer fruit. How many of you love summer fruit?

It's the best fruit. I mean we've got peaches. We've got nectarines. We've got grapes. We've got cherries and watermelon.

I love all the fruit of summer. So you know we'll meet at the check stand. Sometimes we're texting back and forth. And then we get there and my wife will tell me, you don't need any of these things right now. So well you know we all have the things that are important to us. Things that we're looking for.

Well listen to this. God is looking for some things too. What is God looking for? Well number one God is seeking lost people. In Luke 19 Jesus said, the Son of Man has come to seek and save thou which was lost. And Jesus told the story of a shepherd who had a hundred sheep and one of the sheep went astray. And he searched until he found it.

I mean speaking of the market. Have you ever been shopping and lost sight of one of your children? That's a terrifying thought. Now you don't say, well I've got three other kids. I'm good. I'll just forget them you know. Some kids maybe.

No not really. Never. No you search.

You search frantically, obsessively until you find the child. That's how God feels. He loves all people. He wants all people to believe in Him. He is seeking people to believe. And when we share our faith we are reflecting the heart of God. Number two God is seeking true worshipers. Jesus said in John 4, God is the Spirit and those that worship Him must do so in spirit and truth.

Listen to this. The Father is seeking such to worship Him. So as we were just thinking God is looking for someone whose heart is turned toward Him.

Someone who really understands what worship is. Prayer set the song. And God is looking for us to be a true worshiper not only in what we sing but in how we live. Number three God is seeking spiritual fruit. In Luke 13 7 we read of a farmer looking for fruit on his tree. And Jesus is looking for spiritual fruit or another way to put it results in our life.

Tangible results that would show that we are really growing in our faith as one of His followers. Number four God is looking for someone to stand in the gap. In Ezekiel 22 30 God says I look for someone among them who would make up a wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land and I should not destroy it but I found no one. God is looking for people that care enough to pray. People that would pray for well our nation.

That God would send an awakening to America. People that would pray for others. He is looking for people who will stand in the gap. And lastly God is looking for intercessors. In Isaiah 59 16 we read he saw there was no man and wondered why there were no intercessors. God is looking for people to pray.

And it is interesting the word that is used there in Isaiah 59 for he wondered could be translated astonished. In other words God is astonished that people are not praying. Now let's just say for the sake of an illustration that praying was hard. Let's say that every time you uttered a prayer it was like having a root canal. Well you could see how that would cause you to not want to pray as often but prayer is so awesome you would still pray.

You would just say well it is going to hurt but it is worth it. But prayer is not like a root canal. Prayer is not painful. But yet many of us do not pray. Why is it we don't pray? Let me offer some possibilities or what I should really say excuses. Number one we don't pray more because we say well I don't have the time. Right. Well I am so busy I just don't have the time.

Here is my question to you. How much time do you spend on social media? Latest research says people in the United States check their Facebook, Twitter, and other social media accounts 17 times per day basically once every waking hour. Teenagers spend nine hours every day consuming media.

And it is so true. I mean if you see someone driving erratically they are not drunk. They are texting. Or they are looking at their Facebook page or their Instagram page. And people just walk around staring at their phones. I am amazed when I am sitting at an intersection and I see someone crossing like five lanes and maybe it is their turn but they are like this the whole time just looking at their phone. I am thinking what if someone ran the red light.

You would get hit. People are crazy about this social media. You stand in line to get a cup of coffee. Everyone just staring at their phone. In the old days, the old days, we used to talk to each other. Hi.

How is it going. Now we are just like this the whole time. You know. So don't tell me you don't have time to pray. Hey listen. What if you prayed as often as you checked your Instagram or your Facebook page like 17 times a day.

Someone put it this way. One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the last day that prayerlessness was not from a lack of time. So don't tell me you don't have time to pray. You do have time to pray.

Number two. We don't pray more because well we don't think prayer is all that important. Now we probably would never admit that but it is the truth.

But if that is true. If prayer is not important then why would Jesus Christ have spent so much time in prayer. In fact it is His prayer life that caused the disciples to come to Him and say, Lord would You teach us how to pray. You know life is a lot easier when you pray about things. Because not only are you asking God to help you but you are asking God for wisdom. The Bible says, if any man lack wisdom let him ask of God who will give it generously and not hold it back. Listen. I need wisdom.

Don't you. There is a story of Jericho falling. Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land and this massive city of Jericho stood before them. And God's battle plan was amazing. He said, ok just march around them. March around them.

Blow your trumpets. And then on the last day give a shout and the walls will fall. Well there were no swords. There were no spears. There were no shields. No weapons used. And they did what God said and the walls of Jericho fell.

Well then after that there was a much much smaller city called Ai. Joshua didn't pray about that one. Oh this is a piece of cake.

Let's go take it. And they were soundly defeated. If they would have prayed about it they would have seen it differently. So prayer really does matter.

Number three. We think prayer sometimes doesn't really work. You know I don't know if prayer really works we will say. Well maybe that is because we are not praying God's way. And that is why we are looking at the Lord's Prayer. It shows us how to pray.

How to bring your needs before God. And you have needs. I have needs. We have problems.

We have questions. This is why we need to pray. Because prayer among other things is God's appointed way for us to obtain things.

There are things you need in life and God will provide them for you through prayer. James 4 says, you have not because you ask not. Maybe you wonder why do I wonder through life never knowing the will of God.

Question. Have you prayed about it? You have not because you ask not.

Hey why is it that I have this illness and I have gone to doctors and no one has been able to help me. Hey have you prayed about it? Maybe you have not because you ask not. Why do I have this financial problem and I can't seem to get on top of it.

I have tried everything. Have you actually prayed about it? You have not because you ask not. I think you know me well enough to realize that I am not saying God will always heal you or God will always give you all the money you think you need. But I am saying that there is a place for asking the Lord to provide for our needs. And so pray. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message in just a moment.

I want you to know tonight one thing. God loves you. In a new book on the life of Billy Graham, Pastor Greg Laurie brings us a deeper appreciation for the man and his message. No matter what you've done, no matter how you've lived, no matter what the color of your skin, no matter what your racial background, no matter what language you speak, God loves you. And he wants to come into your life.

He wants to give you a new beginning. Billy built bridges to people and he always shared the Gospel and he always emulated Christ and I think we can learn from his example. So I write about that a lot more in this new book I've written called Billy Graham the Man I Knew. It's an evangelist book at the life of history's greatest evangelists. Get your copy of the new biography Billy Graham the Man I Knew.

Go to harvest.org. And now Pastor Greg gets very practical in today's study about the privilege of prayer. Let's continue. Let's talk about how to pray but before then let's talk about how not to pray. That's what Jesus addresses in the verses that precede what we call the Lord's Prayer.

Look at Matthew 6 starting in verse 5 and our Lord says this. 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. But 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 you in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray don't use vain repetitions as the heathen do or the nonbelievers for they think they will be heard for their many words. Therefore don't be like them for your Father knows the things you have needed before you ask Him.

We will stop there. Notice Jesus did not say if you pray or if you have time in your busy schedule and pray. No He says when you pray. He is assuming we understand the importance of prayer. But here is an insight that might surprise us that sin knows no boundaries. You know we think oh I get it that you know I can sin when I go to this place or hang out with these people. But who would ever think that one could sin when they are coming into God's presence to pray.

But Jesus is showing you can still be guilty of hypocrisy and self-centeredness. See the primary problem of the Pharisees with the religious elite, the leaders of the day is for them prayer was theater. It was a performance. You know they would stand on a street corner.

Sometimes someone would sound a trumpet. And they would pray their great beautiful eloquent prayers. And Jesus said, you know what God doesn't care about stuff like that. You are putting on a show. You are praying to be seen by men.

You are so worried about impressing people. God is not impressed. I heard about a young lawyer that was opening up his brand new office and his desk had just arrived and his chair had come as well. So he is sitting in his chair behind his executive desk and waiting for his first client to come in.

And a man comes up the stairs and the lawyer sees him and picks up the phone and talks to his imaginary secretary. He says, yes yes I am so busy right now. Tell them to call back later. I have so many clients.

I just don't have time. And he hangs up the phone. Sure this would impress this guy. And then the guy walks up and the lawyer says, ok how can I help you? And the man said, I am from the phone company.

I am here to hook up your phone. Not so impressed. That is how it is for us when we are trying to impress God with the things that we say and do. See here was a problem with the Pharisees. They had ritualized, memorized prayers that they would pray over and over. I am not a big fan of memorized prayers. You know sometimes parents will say to their children, ok remember to say your prayers before you go to bed. No better yet teach them how to pray. I was with my grandchildren the other day and we were getting ready to eat and we decided every kid should pray. So it was beautiful. Every one of them had their own way to approach the Lord.

And the older ones were a little more perceptive. And little Christopher, he is just a little guy. He actually said, I don't know how to pray.

It was so cute. You know so we are sort of teaching him how to pray and he is figuring it out. And we are like that. You know I don't really know how to pray. But you know some of the prayers we teach our kids. I mean really think about this prayer that has been prayed by children for so many years. Is this a good prayer to pray?

Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray to the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake I pray to the Lord my soul to take.

Really? So basically you are saying to your child, you know you might die tonight in bed. And if you should die before you wake just pray God takes your soul to go to sleep. And sleep tight. And don't let the bed bugs bite.

Oh that is great. We are traumatizing our children. Who writes some of these things for kids. Rock-a-bye baby in the tree tops. When the wind blows the cradle will rock. What? You put a cradle of a baby on the top of the trees.

What are you a psycho? When the bough breaks the cradle will fall and down will come baby cradle and all. Oh you are brilliant. You put your baby and a cradle in the top of the trees and he has fallen to the ground. Oh here is another one. Jack and Jill went up a hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.

So basically Jack has had a serious head injury. But that is not enough. How about this one. Sing a song of sixpence. A pocket full of rye. Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. Who wants a pie filled with birds? Were they alive when you put them in the oven?

Or were they dead? Either way I don't want a pie full of birds you know. But these crazy ritualized repeated prayers. Listen. God doesn't hear prayers like that. It is possible to pray with no thought of God whatsoever. Jesus told the story of two men that went up into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee. And he actually prayed this prayer.

It is unbelievable. He said, God I thank You I am not like other men. He said, I don't commit adultery. I don't cheat. I don't sin. And I am not nearly as bad as that tax collector over there.

Poor tax collector. And Jesus said, do you want to know who God heard? He heard that other guy who simply said, God be merciful to me a sinner.

Listen. You can pray without thinking of God and you can worship without thinking of God. We have all done it. You know you have your hands lifted and you are worshiping and you are thinking, why would she wear that to church? Lord I just praise.

Why would she wear that to? And you are just, Lord you are so good. And I am going to go to In-N-Out Burger after this. I am going to get a burger animal style with chopped jalapenos. See these are probably my thoughts more than yours.

But by the way since I am on that subject when you go to In-N-Out try the burger animal style with chopped jalapenos. You will thank me for this. And sadly this is all you will remember from the sermon as well. Sometimes people use prayers and opportunity to boast.

You have seen it. You know you have a little group of people praying and they will pray, Lord I thank You for all that I have been able to do for You as I was reading Your Word for two hours this morning on my knees. I just rejoice in the eight people I led to You and stop it. You are just bragging in prayer. Sometimes people will use prayer as an opportunity to gossip. Lord we pray for Jim who is having an affair and his wife. Oh Lord I just realized his wife is here in the little prayer circle.

Oh Lord comfort her. Gossiping in prayer. Sometimes we pray to impress. You have heard of dressing to impress. You can pray to impress. We thank the great and wonderful God for Thou has blessed us.

Why are you doing that? Are you trying to impress people? What about people that pray when you are out in public and someone says let's pray for the food and they have to make a show.

It is a performance. They pray really loud. Stop with the long prayers when the food is calm. Ok. You know let's not pray for everybody everywhere. Let's just Lord thank You for the food.

Let's eat our food. But you know prayer can be a strange thing for a lot of people. But here is something you need to understand. Why do we pray? Well Jesus says in verse 8, your father knows what you need before you ask him.

Oh. Well if that is the case then why pray? If I can't change mine why pray? I have heard people say I have been wrestling with God in prayer.

Man I hope you lost. I would hate to see what would happen if God did what you want Him to do. So here is the thing we need to know about prayer. God knows what you need before you pray. So the objective of prayer is not to change God.

It is to change you. You are not telling God something He is not aware of. Prayer is not to inform God. Rather it is to invite God. I am inviting Him into my life.

I am inviting Him into my challenges. I am inviting Him into the things that I am dealing with. Think of prayer as a conversation between a father and a child. The value of prayer is it keeps me in touch with God. Prayer is getting closer to God.

That is why you should pray. Great insights on prayer today on a new beginning from Pastor Greg Laurie's practical series based on the Lord's Prayer. And there is much more yet to come as this study continues. We hope you heard all of today's insight, but interruptions often happen. If you want to catch what you may have missed, go to our website at harvest.org and look for the title of today's study, How To and How Not To Pray. Well, we have been hearing from so many listeners who have been enjoying Pastor Greg's new book called Billy Graham, The Man I Knew. And right now Pastor Greg is revealing some of the surprises found in the book.

These are ten things about Billy you have likely never heard before. Give us another one today Pastor Greg. Well, this one is kind of a fun one, but I need some psychedelic rock in the background to set the scene. Okay.

Here it is. Billy was a preacher with a genuine appreciation for culture, even psychedelic rock. So here is what happened. So it is the late 60s.

Of course, the whole rock scene is exploding and all these bands are forming and kids are growing their hair out long. A lot of preachers would say I want nothing to do with that. But Billy embraced it and tried to understand it.

So here is something I actually learned while I was writing this book. He went to a concert featuring the Grateful Dead. Can you imagine Billy Graham at a dead concert? Now I don't know if he was wearing a tie-dye t-shirt.

But in performing at the concert with Grateful Dead, Kent Heat, Johnny Winner, and Santana. And so he sort of went under cover. Now I don't know that Billy did a great job going under cover. You know, I remember I would be with him and he would pull a ball cap over his head as though that would hide his face.

I mean, his face looked like it should have been a Mount Rushmore. His profile was so well known and I know when I went out with him and he wore that ball cap, people still recognized him. But anyway, he went under cover and engaged in conversations with many of the young people were there and even got up on the stage at this rock concert and preached the gospel. And 350 young people came to the Lord. Most people have not heard this story. Here's another story. Billy embraced contemporary Christian music later in his crusades.

I know this because I watched it happen. There were a lot of these great bands that were forming back in those days. DC Talk, Audio Adrenaline, of course Michael W. Smith. And so Billy started having them on his platform on youth night. Not everybody on his team agreed with this.

I remember there was some spirited discussion on the topic. Of course I was in favor of it because it was a way to build a bridge to his audience. And I think at times when there would be some band that would play before Billy and they'd get a lot of applause. But when Billy came on the stage, the greatest applause was saved for him. Here's what I loved is Billy just was his authentic self. So Billy wore suits when he preached and he would come out wearing his suit, preached as he always preached. But those kids loved him and they hung on his every word.

But this shows me even in his later years, Billy was flexible and willing to adapt to the changing culture. You know the apostle Paul said he became all things to all men. And I think one of the problems in the church today is we're answering questions no one is asking.

And we're not answering the questions that are being asked. Billy always had a great interest in knowing what people were dealing with. He wanted to understand the people he was speaking to. And he always wanted to build a bridge. Billy Graham was a bridge builder, not a bridge burner.

He was a peacemaker, not a troublemaker. He always wanted to bring people to Christ. And so this is one of the things I bring out in my new book that I just wrote called Billy Graham, The Man I Knew. And I'd love to send you a copy for your gift of any size. And whatever you send to us here at Harvest Ministries, we can promise you it will be used to reach more people with the gospel and with the teaching of the word of God. So whatever you can send, it's appreciated and we'll send you your copy of Billy Graham, The Man I Knew.

Yeah, it's a fascinating read, an inspiring read. And you can be one of the first to receive Billy Graham, The Man I Knew. We'll send it to say thank you for your investment in the mission of this ministry.

It's an investment in touching lives like this one. This listener wrote, Thank you, Pastor Greg. It's because of you 24 years ago that I gave my life to God. I was higher than a kite up all night and started watching you on TV. And you spoke so frankly to me.

I knew what I had been doing was putting me in a hole. Thank you again. Well, you know, your support helps us reach people like this. And with your investment, let us thank you with Pastor Greg's new book, Billy Graham, The Man I Knew. Just write a new beginning, box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24-7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300.

Or go online to Harvest.org. Well, there's a lot more to learn about effective prayer. And we'll pick up that subject again next time as Pastor Greg continues his message, How To and How Not To Pray. Be sure to join us here on A New Beginning. Thanks for listening to A New Beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Sign up for daily devotions and learn how to become a Harvest Partner at Harvest.org.