Praying The Scriptures

Tonight's gonna be a little different. I usually preach on Wednesday nights. This is gonna be more of a teaching setting, but I think there's a lot of edification that comes through.

Through just teaching, this is gonna be a lot more practical. You can grow in your prayer life. How to, just some practical ways you can grow in your prayer life. And tonight I want to look at what I call praying the scriptures. What does it mean?

Why should I? And how do I pray the scriptures? So we're just gonna kind of walk through this and maybe take some time to pray through some of these sections potentially as we walk through some of this. So maybe to start off, if you have your Bibles, you can look over to Romans chapter eight. We can stand and read a couple of verses there, pray, and then we'll jump right in. Romans eight, verse number 26 and seven is a good passage that lays some foundational thoughts as we think about this.

The Bible says in Romans eight, 26. Likewise, the spirit also help with our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought. What that saying is, as Christians, we don't know how we're supposed to pray. We don't pray like we should, sometimes out of ignorance and sometimes just out of the intensity of the moment.

Sometimes grief can be overwhelming. Sometimes the struggles of pain, trying to reconcile our present pain with the goodness of God. There's a lot of things that can cause this, but we don't know how to pray as we should or as we ought, but the spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings, which cannot be uttered. So there is a intercessory work here that aids the frailty of the person who is praying.

Verse 27, and he that searches the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the spirit because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Father, we thank you for your word tonight. And as we examine many different texts of scripture, we we pray that you would grant us the wisdom from heaven on this topic of praying the scriptures that that you would increase our prayer life, that we would treat prayer as the Bible treats prayer, that we would put it on the top shelf and we would elevate what you elevate. Lord, help us to be people of prayer. Let Lighthouse be a church that that is a house of prayer that we gather together and seek your face and lift up the word of God and lift you up through prayer and and that in our quiet time at home and and Lord, that we would we would take our worries, our strains, our goods, our bads, all the things in life that happens, and we would find ourselves early and often on our knees that we would be a worshipping people and God that your word would draw us into a deeper understanding of prayer. And we would apply it to our prayer life. We asked this in Jesus name, and God's people said, Man, you may be seated tonight. So first, I want to want to just kind of answer the thought of what do I mean when I say pray the scriptures?

Sometimes there could be confusion about that thought. But when I say we should pray the scriptures, what I mean is to take the scriptures and inject them into your prayer life to use scripture as you pray. Your prayers are not separate from scripture. Rather, your prayers are filled with the scripture. So it's not that you just go and have a time of reading the Bible and then you go pray, but rather that your prayers would would take scripture and insert them into your prayer life. And two ways that I've done this in my life is I take a chapter or larger section of scripture and I and I and I own that scripture for my own life.

I take that and I apply it as though it were my own words. I make it my own Psalms 32. These are some Psalms that I've done this with.

And there's many sections of scriptures, but things like Psalms 32 is a great Psalm. Psalm 46. If you're repentive, Psalm 32, Psalm 51. If you are in fear, Psalm 46.

If you if you are just elevating the glory of God's knowledge and his his his his presence that fills all things and that you would seek him to examine your life. Psalm 139 is just just so rich. Psalm 103 has become such a precious chapter to my soul. I can't hardly get a day without reciting that chapter. And a lot of these what you'll find is you don't you don't go into it for the purpose of memorizing sections of scripture, but the result of it is you memorize sections of scripture.

What I'll be sharing with you tonight. I don't know how many verses there are, but most of these I can quote and I don't lift myself up to say that I'm just telling you that when you insert these into your prayer life, you just know the verses. They just become they become fluid in your life and and it becomes so enriching for your spiritual health. Philippians 4 is so wonderful.

There's just some chapters that are that are very, very healthy and I could list many others, but those are those are some good places to start. So to take a larger section of scripture, pray that chapter, pray that section. And then secondly, I have specific people I pray for or a specific request that I pray for and I gather verses in reference to those needs or in reference to the application of that thought. Also, this so enriches your prayer life because when you read the scriptures, you read it for the purpose also of enriching your prayer life. So you don't read the Bible separate from your prayer life. You read the Bible with an intention to increase your prayer life. So so say you read Romans chapter eight, you take Romans chapter eight, and I can tell you Romans chapter eight. If I was on a stranded island and they said, what's what's the one chapter you would want? I would say, give me Romans chapter eight.

It's great chapter in the Bible, in my opinion. That is so it's worth memorizing. So so if you if you ever got stranded, you could pick another chapter if you memorize it, you know, and but you there's there's so much there. But when you read through that, you would say there are some things I would like to take from that and apply that into my prayer life in different ways. But I would encourage you also to get a journal, get a pad of paper.

And I know with all of our gadgets, it's like paper. They still make that, you know, anybody else get cramps when you write. Yeah, if I write a lot, I'm like, good night.

How did I used to do this? You know, my hands cramping up here. But but begin a prayer journal with the information I'll discuss tonight. And I gave you a handout just to kind of be a guide, maybe an encouragement. And I know there's like a lot of verses and you're probably thinking, are you really going to go through all these verses? What I want to do is just just just move through some things to where you can say, I want you to just circle a passage and say, hey, out of these 20 or 30 verses in this section, I just want to circle maybe a small handful of those that I would like to start with. Or maybe you would want to that really speak your heart that you say, you know, I really like to like to focus on that that verse or that section of verses and and begin to build your prayer life in a way that the scriptures would lay out. So so let me give you some thoughts on why we should pray the scriptures.

Let me give you maybe, I don't know, eight or ten of these. First of all, we don't know how to pray like we should. And we see that here in Romans Chapter number eight. Paul here is telling us if we know not what we should pray for as we ought. There's a there's a in other words, there's there is a right way to pray when he says that. And there's there's kind of a wrong way, a wrong mode of a wrong approach to God. Paul clearly says we don't know what we should pray for as we ought.

Our weakness and ignorance in life are so great that in many respects, we don't know what we should pray for. I think about Peter when he found out Jesus was going to go to the cross. Peter's request would have caused Peter to end up in hell. The Peter know how to pray at that point, at that point, right?

He didn't know. And Jesus rebukes him. He says, get behind me, Satan.

In Matthew 16, Jesus says, I'm going to go to the cross, suffer and die. And Peter says, be it far from you, Lord. He's rebuking the Lord.

Now, you see the problem there? Rebuking the Lord. How is he Lord if you're rebuking him, right?

This is he would say things like this. Not so, Lord. You need to change some language there. You'd either get rid of the word Lord in your language or not.

So you can't combine those words. So we don't always know how to pray. And we see here also in Romans 8, 27, it says, and he or God that searches the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit. So the Father knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit makes intercession for the saints. And guess how the Spirit intercedes for us?

According to the will of God. So the Holy Spirit always prays according to the will of God. And that brings me to my second point, which scripture helps align our will to God's will.

The reason you should pray the scriptures is because we don't know how to pray like we should. And we need to pray the will of God just like the Holy Spirit does. And the question is, where does the will of God found? It's not found in mysticism.

It's not found in having dreams at night, right? It's in the word of God. We come to the book, right? This is the word of God. People say, did God tell you to come to Xenia and start a church?

No, he didn't. Why did you come here? Because he brought me here.

Well, how did that work? God is sovereign. But I think I could have gone and started church anywhere that if God's word is preached, he could build his church. So before I came to Xenia, I didn't know if God wanted me here. You know what I did?

I'll just tell you. I said, Lord, I don't know if you want to go to Xenia, I'll start a church there. I thought maybe you want me to go to Beaver Creek. They have a lot of restaurants down there.

Xenia didn't have a whole lot at the time. And so I was praying about Beaver Creek or Xenia and we were praying in that direction. And I said, I'm going to call three churches. I don't know the churches in Xenia, never really been there before. I'm going to call three of the biggest churches I know.

And I'm going to ask them this question. Are you guys seeing very many souls saved? And I said this, God, if they say they are, I'm not coming to Xenia.

That's exactly what I prayed. I'm not coming, I'm not coming. I'm not going to go somewhere if there are souls being saved, life, churches going. And I called the three biggest churches I know and this is what they said. I won't name the churches. But I said, I said, you guys see, you know, I'm just checking on your church. You guys see very many people saved.

This is no lie. All three churches said like the exact same response. They said, well, not really. I said, you guys, you guys see many people saved or baptized?

No, not really. Not very many. I said, well, you know, how many? Maybe five, 10, 15 a year.

I said, you're seeing 10 or 15 people saved a year? Yeah. I'm like, are you the secretary there? Are you representing your church correctly?

I mean, and I, after three churches, I said, Lord, I know where you want me to go. And that's that's what I'm telling you that if God could have shifted that thing, right? Is he sovereign? Can he do that?

Yeah, he can do that. So so that's how he works. So so we just go to the go go to the word of God. We seek him.

We sometimes lay some like a fleece down like that. But God God will direct you through his scriptures. So the will of God is found in the word of God. Prayer must be built off the word of God as well. First, John 5, 14 and 15.

It says this. And this is the confidence that we have in him. That if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.

Did you notice the statement there? If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And so and if we know he hear us whatsoever, we ask.

We know that what we that we have the petitions that we desired of him. So so prayer must be built off of the word of God. Just as our lives are to be built on the word of God, how could our lives be built on the word of God and our prayers not be built on the word of God? Do you expect preaching to be based on the word of God? What do you say?

Believe that. So should our prayers be built on the word of God? It should preaching involve scripture. You know, if I only show like two or three verses, an entire sermon, you know how many people would say something to me? I remember one Sunday I only turned like 25 verses in back there.

They're like, is something wrong? They say usually at 50 or 60 every sermon. And I said, I said, you know, I can give you some more, you know, but I want to be walking through these little slower on some of these passages. But but this is this is a an expectation and and I think a right expectation that whoever is teaching and preaching should be preaching the word. It should flow out of the message. And if that's true in preaching, should it not also be true in prayer? Should it not also be true in how we direct our words to God? The model of prayer. Also, thirdly, is is our Lord and the model prayer the Lord gave is scripture. So what we've been studying in Matthew six on Sundays in the model of prayer, learning how to pray is we're learning to pray the scripture. Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. That's a right way to pray.

That's a right that those are right truths there. And those are scriptural statements. And so since the Bible teaches us how to pray, how could you pray without scripture?

Does that make sense? If the Bible is what teaches us how to pray, how could we pray without using the word? Fourthly, praying the scriptures helps you build your life on the word of God. It allows you to do what Matthew seven talks about, where Jesus said, if you if you obey my words, you build upon the rock. If you're not obeying my words, you're not building the rock. I want my prayer life to be built on the rock. I want to know what I'm bringing to God is based on the scriptures.

I'm not just thinking things up. Well, I don't know what I should say or how to pray. Well, learn the Bible and then take that to God. Take what's here to God. You say, well, I don't know what you mean by that. Well, you will by the end of the sermon.

So stay around. Next, prayer is to be our guide in life. If the scriptures are supposed to teach us how to live, should they not also teach us how to pray?

Which they do. So things like Psalms 119, one of five, thy word is a lamp into my feet and a light into my path. If that's true in our life, should it not also be true in our prayer? Lord, let your word be a lamp to my prayers. Let it be a direction for how I pray. Proverbs six twenty three for the commandment is a lamp and the law is light and the proofs of instructions.

The way of life. We see that next praying scripture will guard us from praying fleshly prayers. Anybody ever get in the flesh at some point in your life when you're praying and we can do that and and we don't always intentionally do that. Think about Peter. Jesus says at that point, Jesus began to say unto them and this is Matthew 16, how he's going to go up to Jerusalem, be crucified and raised again the third day. If Peter would have prayed to Jesus using scripture, then he would not have rebuked Christ. He would align his will up with the scriptures that Jesus just proclaimed because everything Jesus said is scripture. It's it's equal to scripture, even though much of it wouldn't it's wouldn't inspired.

It still would have been equal. So so we must line our will up with the word of God. James four, two and three says you lust and you have not you kill your desire to have you cannot obtain your fight your war.

You have not because you ask not. And then he says this, you ask and receive not because he asked him this, that you may consume it upon your lust. So so sometimes we ask for things we don't even realize it's a selfish motivation and one one hindrance to our prayer life is those wrong motives. And so when we when we go to the scriptures and we allow our prayer life to be built on the word of God, we allow our flesh to be put into a subjective place or a we hold our flesh down, I should say, and allow the word of God in the spirit of our life to be able to direct those prayers.

Next, we need to pray the scriptures because the scripture is the truth. Philippians four, again, is a great passage of scripture that I take people to when they deal with anxiety, worry and these kind of things. But in the face of worry and anxiety, Paul says in Philippians four eight, he says, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, what sort of things are honest, whatever things are just, what sort of things are pure, lovely, good report, there be any virtue, there be any praise, thank on these things.

So he says, think on what is true. Praying scripture allows us to align our hearts with the truth. So think about if I'm if I'm filled with worry and fear and I come to Philippians four and I say. Be anxious or careful for nothing, but in everything, God, let my requests be brought to you and God, I am asking this with thankfulness.

I'm thankful for the trials you bring me through that your peace, which passes all understanding, would keep my heart of mind through Christ Jesus, that you would guard me with your peace in whatever is true. Let me think on that. Whatever's honest, Lord, some of these things that are filling my mind that are not true, that are. Well, this is a potential that can happen. Well, 93 percent of the things that we fear might happen never do happen. So we worry about 93 percent of things that never do come to realization.

So let me focus on what is actually true. You ever have that person usually an insurance salesman? Hate talking to insurance salesman. Well, you know, let's talk about your car insurance, you know, your house insurance. They go through all these five thousand eight hundred eighty seven ways your house can be destroyed.

And you're by the end of it, you're like, you know, this is crazy. You know, we're going to die tomorrow. And and it's all worried. But but taking the word of God allows you to line your heart up with the truth, focusing on the truth and sanctifying John 17, 17. Jesus sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Also, scripture is powerful. Praying the scripture is to pray with power. Let me ask you, what's the most powerful word that ever came to the planet?

We have it in a book. And so take the most powerful entity that there is and use that in prayer. Hebrews four twelve says for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than to any two edges sword piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit in the joints and marin is a discern of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

And it's quick and powerful. That means it's living. It's alive and it has power. Consider Isaiah fifty five, nine through 11. Love this passage.

First, the heavens are higher than the earth. So are my ways in your ways and my thoughts in your thoughts, for is the rain cometh down from the in the snow from heaven and return is not hither, but water through the earth and make that bring forth and but that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. This is what God says in verse 11. So shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth. It shall not return void unto me, but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing where I sent it. I pray that probably every Sunday, God, let your word not return void, just like you sin rains and it accomplishes your purpose.

What's rain do? God sends it down and it brings life. It sustains life. God, let your word bring life to the dead and sustain life for the saved. Let it not return void.

Let it not go out and not accomplish. If you can allow your reign to bring forth fruit, let your word return with fruit. You think God wants to answer that? You think that's a better prayer than what Josh could come up with? Yeah, that's that's taking God's word and bringing it back to the throne.

That's how we're to approach him. So so and then also, I would say, what better can you pray than scripture? I mean, what what better could you say you have better words to come up with? Do you think you have a better rationale? I just think I have a better way of putting it. We'll take that route. What better could you say than what the Bible says?

I mean, just Joshua one, eight, nine. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. Thou shalt meditate upon it day and night. Thou may prosper with it.

So ever thou goest. Jesus gives these words to Joshua as he's getting ready to enter the promised land. And so we if you want to prosper, observe everything that's in his word.

Don't let it depart out of your mouth. And so blessings from God are found in aligning our words with God. Also, the scriptures give us promises that are clear truths like the Bible says things and says these are promises that God has given to you.

You don't have to live in fear because love casteth out all fear. So if my life is drowning in fear, then go to the Bible and say, well, I don't have to live in fear. You know, if if you have some struggle, go to the Bible and find the promise of God that applies to that reality and use that in your prayer life. It's amazing how much time we take in talking about our problems versus studying the scriptures and finding victory over them. And so there are some examples of praying the scriptures in the word of God.

Let me just give you a couple of these. Solomon prayed according to God's word. First Kings 8, 22 through 28. I mean, just think if you're Solomon, your dad's David. Imagine him going to school. People saying like, my dad's pretty tough. He'd be like, my dad can whip your dad. He took down a giant. I mean, that's awesome. But but also the intimidation of taking over the throne after David.

You think there's some intimidation there? Right. First Kings 8, 22. And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation.

This is after the temple had been built. And he spread forth his hands toward heaven and he said, Lord God, that's that Yahweh Elohim of Israel. There is no God like thee in heaven above or in earth beneath who keep his covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before them. The with all their heart who is kept with thy servant David, my father, that thou promised him. Thou spake also with thy mouth and has fulfilled it with thine hand as it is this day. He's literally living in the setting of where God said he's going to build the temple and it will be his son who builds it.

Not David. David prepared for the temple of Solomon, build it. And he says, you brought to pass everything you said. Verse 25.

Therefore, now look what he says. Therefore, now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David, my father, that thou promised him. You see what you see what Solomon's doing? God, keep your word. You said there shall not fail thee, a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou has walked before me. And now, oh, God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified. Which thou spake us into thy servant David, my father. God, you said in your word, your word would not return void. It would accomplish everything you sent it to do as it's proclaimed.

Let it not return void. You see, you take God's word, his promises, and you apply them to the setting you're in and say, God, let come to pass what you said you were going to do, and I trust you with that. Verse 27.

But will God indeed dwell on the earth? And he continues his prayer in verse 28, yet have respect into the prayer of your servant. And so Solomon is extremely humble in that setting. Moses interceded to God on behalf of the nation of Israel in Exodus 32 13 when God was going to wipe out the nation of Israel because they were so sinful. And this is what Moses said to God. He says, Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swearest by thine own self and said unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and all this land that I have spoken of will give it unto your seed and they shall inherit it forever. The next verse says God repented him of the judgment evil that he planned to do to them. So that's that's taking God's word in applying it to the setting. Nehemiah does the same thing for sake of time. We won't read through that.

You can do it on your own time. I think you have those verses in your handout Nehemiah chapter 1 verse 4 through 11. And he just applies it to the setting. Jacob does this in Genesis 32 verse 9 through 12. So God comes to Jacob and says, Return to your homeland and I will bless you there.

So after 20 some years, he goes back to his homeland. And when he had left his his his older brother, his older brother, Esau, the big, hairy, you know, warrior guy, hunter guy. He had he had stolen the birthright from he comes back and and Esau meets him with 400 men on horseback. And Jacob, like scared to death, falls to his face before God and said, oh, you said, Lord, that you would bless and Lord, do what you said you would do. And he begins to take God's word.

And you know what? Everything was OK. Esau was no longer mad at Jacob. God blessed it, but he came to God based on what God said. He used the word of God in that prayer. We see in the song of the Psalmist do the same thing. So in one nineteen forty one, let thy mercies come also unto me.

Oh, Lord, even my salvation. How according to thy word, you know, I've taken people to the scriptures and says, OK, what's the Bible say about salvation? What's it say about your sin?

Do you believe that? Do you agree with the scriptures? Do you believe that you've sinned and violated the word of God?

Yes. OK, what's the Bible say about repentance? Are you willing to turn away from your sin and turn to God? Doesn't mean you're perfect, but you want Jesus more than sin and you are willing to turn to Christ and away from the wickedness of life. And yes, the Bible says whosoever shall call upon the Lord shall be saved. Are you willing today to confess Jesus is the Lord of your life?

Yes. And sometimes after people surrender their life to the Lord, they say, you know, I don't I don't have any great feelings. Should I feel something? I said, now, much more important that the Bible says something than you feel something. Do you believe what God just says here?

Yes. Well, then take that to the throne and say, God, you said if I call upon you will save me. Lord, save me according to your word.

See it? I don't need a feeling when I have a verse. What's more reliable? We're not in mysticism here, right? I would much rather die on my deathbed having Psalms twenty three or first John five thirteen. Or John fourteen. I would rather have the scriptures than I would have why, you know, I feel really good.

There's a lot of people going to hell that feel really good. Psalms one, I could just go on and on, but but the scriptures, you find these guys praying the scriptures. Daniel nine, Daniel prayed the scriptures when he knew the 70 years had come to fulfillment, right? Prayed the scriptures. So let me let me just walk you through what I think is maybe a way to journal this. How to pray the scriptures on your paper there, and you can you can write down some notes if you like. Again, this is more of a teaching. This is this is a little different than a preaching sermon style. But start prayer with worship to God. We looked at that Sunday. And we're going to be working through Matthew six the next couple of weeks on Sundays.

And I really believe it's going to be great blessing as we do as it's been to our souls already. But start with worship. Matthew six, nine.

We looked at this. It says, let's all read that verse together after this manner. You guys are Matthew six, nine. Do we have that verse? OK, sorry. I have it on my paper.

You don't have it on yours. Matthew six, nine ready after this manner, therefore pray our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Now, now again, when you go to God in prayer, sometimes you say, oh, you shouldn't you shouldn't say those words. Let me ask you, is it wrong then to pray scripture?

Is that not scripture? So I think it's good to say, Lord, I'm going to and you can you can say that every single time you come to God in prayer, as long as you do it with sincerity and you don't think it's just some ritualistic thing you have to do. But you come and say, Lord, I want to I want to think through this prayer, this model prayer that you gave.

And the first part of this, I think about what you're saying. You're telling us to hallow your name, to see God as our father and to hallow his name. So what are the ways I can worship God? So if you have a prayer journal, this is what I would encourage you to do. Have a page at the top where it says I would just put the title God. The next page, I would put the son and the next page, I would put the Holy Spirit. Or you can break that down however you want to on the same page. But but there are things that I would worship the father for.

I would I would. There are things I would take time in my day to praise the father for. So when I when I pray the scriptures, things I do are things like, Father, I just want to thank you that you so love the world that you gave your only begotten son, that whosoever would perish would whosoever believe in him would not perish, but have everlasting life.

You would pray First John for 10 and 11 here in his love. Not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the proper father. Father, thank you that you loved us like that. It wasn't me that came loving you as you came loving me.

First John three one. Behold what manner of love the father had bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. And you praise God for that. We praise God also for being part of his family.

Romans 8 15. We've not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but we've received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry. Abba, Father, Father, I just want to praise you because you've made me your child. You've adopted me into your family. I don't have to live in fear anymore. I praise you that you care for us.

It's another thing. Matthew 6 31 and 2 that I don't have to take thought what I eat or drink whatsoever. Put on because if you close the grass of the field and the birds of the air, you take care of them. How much more will you take care of us? Don't let me have little faith. Thank you, Father. Matthew 6 8 that you know what I have need of before I even ask you.

Matthew 6 8 James 1 17. Thank you, God, that you give only good gifts. Every good and every perfect gift coming down from the father of lights with whom is no variable.

This neither shadow of turning God. I thank you that everything you've ever given me is always good, even if it doesn't feel good. You can tie in Romans 8 28, right?

All things work together for good. We also have a father who wants constant communion with us. Praise you, God, my father, that that you have taken up residence in me. First Corinthians 6 19 and 20 that you've bought me with the price. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, let me glorify you in my body, my spirit, which belong to you. We can we can praise God that Revelation 21 34 also highlights that.

Also, we have a father who loves us enough to discipline us. We can we can praise God that Hebrews 12. Verse number six is for whom the Lord loves.

He chases even as a and scourges every son whom he receives. We can thank God even for the disciplines. We can praise God because he will forgive us of our sins. As Matthew 6 14 and 15 tells us, as we forgive those who sin against us, our father also forgives us. I love thinking through the Luke 15 passage of the prodigal son verse 17 through 24 that that. I pray, Father, thank you that you showed grace not only to the younger son, but also to the older son. Both sons were rebellious and wicked. And you were gracious with the rebellious younger son and the older son was just as rebellious, even though he was at home. And you were even gracious to him.

And just just sit on that for a while. I praise God for his power. I think about Psalm 62 11. God has spoken once, twice.

Have I heard this? That power belongeth to God. I think about Revelation 19, verse six. The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

God, I thank you that you have all the power. You think that's important to know when you see a world in chaos? We're worried about nuclear war, and that's a very real threat. I don't want to get there are some rabbit trails. They're running all over. I got to got to refocus here.

Man, keep me focused, Lord. You know, when when there are. We when there are when there are when your nation is more worried about LGBTQ. When we're worried about calling people Z and Zen. And our military is making rainbow color bullets. When those things are happening. The Heritage Foundation came out and said many of the areas of our military are are not where they need to be. For the defense of our nation like they could be, because there's a lot of things that have been diverted. 15000 people short on the recruitment last year.

There's a lot of it, but we're getting our pronouns right. What nation does this? It's an it's a nation that's self destructing. It's a nation itself, destructing. When you are becoming energy dependent on Russia.

You have lost your sensibilities. Do you know, electric cars, you ever consider this? This is a total rabbit trail. You know where the power comes from? Electric cars. People say electricity. Well, where is that electricity come from?

Fossil fuels. Why do you think they're letting gas prices go high? They're wanting to evacuate.

They're wanting to remove vehicles with energy dependency like that. And they don't even it's it's insanity. God gives you leaders that are insane when you when you fall away from the word of God. This is what happens. We're watching the nation unravel, friends.

We're watching it. Thank thank God that the Lord God omnipotent reign of the right. Anybody glad for some forty six and Psalms chapter two and the list goes on and on. Thank the Lord we can take our heart there. That makes me feel a lot better after I think through some of the worldly things. Better to go to the scriptures in the news. I couldn't imagine watching the news first thing in the morning. I would ruin my day.

If you do that, I can tell you you're living with unnecessary stress. We also pray, I think, praising God for his wisdom, the inscrutability of God that Romans 11, 33 through 36 speak of. It's it's a it's a doxology that Paul really breaks into at the conclusion of a theological discussion for 11 chapters. Oh, the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.

How unsearchable or unscrewdable the idea is beyond human grasp. The judgments of God, his ways are past finding out just this celebration of the glory of God. And in Romans 11, 33 through 36, for of him and through him and to him are all things.

I love praying through Romans 139. Lord, thou has searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down, sitting in my uprising.

Thou understandest my thought up far. You begin to pray through the great, vast knowledge of God. Lord, if I were to take the wings of the morning and dwell in the outermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me in the right hand shall hold me. You get the verse 17 and 18 where where it says, And thy thoughts which are of me, O God, are more in number than the sand.

If I if I should count them, they're more numbered than the sand. The thoughts that God has of us. It's just so overwhelming. It drives you to Psalms 139, 23 and four when it says, search me, O God. Know my heart.

Try me. Know my thoughts. There's any wicked way in me. Lead me in the way everlasting. When you begin to dwell on the omniscience of God, it brings you to exposure. Not only worship of God, but exposure of your own sin and just a a soul cleansing. Also, Isaiah, 55, 10 and 11. Lord, as your thoughts are higher than my thoughts, I praise you for that. And your way is higher than my ways. Thank thank God for his omniscience. And then that that pushes you into Proverbs three, five and six, doesn't it? Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Lean not until your what? Own understanding. Why? Because you don't know it all.

Neither do I. In all our ways, acknowledge him. And guess what? He'll direct our path. So, Lord, I need some direction right now. I need you to lead me in this. I'm going to trust you with the outcome of this.

I'm going to ask your guidance and direction and willingness. I worship God for his holiness. First Peter 115 and 16. The Bible says, Be holy as he is holy in all conduct and conversation that we are to be holy like him. Worship God in his holiness. He's Yahweh mekadesh kim, as the Hebrews would say.

The Jews would say in Hebrew, the God of holiness, worship him for his grace and mercy. Get engulfed in Ephesians two, verse one through 10. It talks about the depravity of man in the first three verses.

And then it gets into verse four and it says, Oh, the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Ephesians Chapter two, verse number four says, But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, hath he quickened us together with Christ. By grace are you saved.

And it just just rolls into this. For by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourself. It's a gift of God. And that goes into verse number 10 as well, that we're his workmanship. Think about Romans five, eight. Worship God because he proved his love toward us that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. And then also, I pray that God would help me to worship him in spirit and in truth, according to John four twenty four. They that worship God must worship him in what spirit and in truth.

You think that's important to think about? Help me to worship you both inwardly and accurately. Spirit and in truth. Help me to help me to bear fruit. Jesus, you said in John fourteen that you're the true vine or John fifteen, you're the true vine. And in verse eight, you said, Herein is your father glorified. My father is glorified when we bear much fruit. So shall we be your disciples.

Lord, help me to bear much fruit for you. And then and then I worship the father for the comfort he gives. Second Corinthians one for that he is the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our afflictions. Thank you, Lord, that you you sustain us in such gracious ways that we can't even comprehend when we go through the trials of life.

How did that person get through that? Because the God of all comfort upholds them and he upholds us. So that that's the father. And you can add one hundred and fifty pages by tomorrow from verses to just that that small section.

OK. But but those are just some thoughts that you can you can think through about the father. Then I then I I transitioned from worshiping the father to the son. I praise God for his. For his perfect obedience to the father. Lord Jesus, thank you that you obeyed the father perfectly, that you did everything that was pleasing to him.

The Bible says in John fourteen thirty one. All that the father gave you to do, you fulfilled it all. Thank you that you were perfect in obedience to him. I pray through first Peter to twenty four. Thank you that you're the all sufficient savior, that you bore our sins. In your own body on a tree that we being dead, the sins should live unto righteousness by by grace, we are saved. I think about first Peter three eighteen for Christ also once suffered for sins, adjust for the unjust that he might bring us to God. Thank you that you suffer for me.

Thank you for that. If I can't go some point in my day to worship Christ for his suffering, I have forgotten it. And that needs you think that needs to be repented of? Isaiah fifty three. If you're not familiar with Isaiah fifty three, you must become familiar with Isaiah fifty three.

You must know that chapter. Who had believed the report to whom is the army will reveal for a growing before him as a tender plant, as a root of a dry tree, and you just that whole chapter is speaking. And it actually flows back into Chapter fifty two, where it talks about he is no man has been marred like him.

He's more and more than any man. Verse four and five. He was wounded for our transgressions.

He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him by his stripes. We are healed or we like sheep have gone astray.

We've turned everyone to his own way. The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was taken prison man from judgment in just the whole chapter is the greatest Old Testament declaration, in my opinion, of the coming Messiah, who would be the suffering lamb of God. Many Jews have been converted from Isaiah fifty three.

It's just a rich chapter to be engulfed in. Second Corinthians five twenty one, we worship him because thank you that the father and first second Corinthians five twenty one, that that the father made Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. First, John to to God, I Christ, I thank you that you were the propitiation for our sins and not ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. I thank you that in John ten twenty eight through thirty one. John ten twenty eight through thirty one that you're the good shepherd who gave his life for the sheep and that you call your sheep. And when we know your voice and we come under you and and you give us eternal life and you hold us in your hand and the father also holds us in his hand. And and you and the father are one and you keep us. And I praise you for that. I and worship Christ. I love to worship Christ that he didn't come to condemn the world, but he came to save the world.

John three, six, seventeen and eighteen. We need to worship Christ because he never leaves us nor forsakes us, according to Hebrews thirteen, verse five and six. He says there in that passage, I will never leave you nor forsake you, that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what men shall do unto me. Why should you not fear what men do unto you? Because the Lord is your helper and he never leaves you nor forsakes you. You think that's that's an encouraging passage?

Absolutely. Matthew twenty eight twenty, he says, I'm with you always, even under the end of the world. We can praise Christ because he has all the power and authority. Matthew twenty eight eighteen says, he said, all power is given to me in heaven and earth.

We think about Hebrews chapter one, verse three. He upholds the world by the word of his power. Christ, I worship you in your power. I think about this, this world spinning in the vastness of space tilted exactly how it is.

And how he just keeps it perfectly in this five hundred eighty million mile orbit around the sun, while the sun is being drugged through and our galaxy is being drugged through the entire universe in a massive orbit. I mean, we are we are so small and he upholds all this by the word of his power. I'd love to read through Psalms twenty two, twenty three and twenty four and become familiar with his chapters and then worship Christ as the one who would come to be crucified. As Psalms twenty two prophesies as the good shepherd who walks with us through our life in Psalms twenty three. And then Psalms twenty four. He's the king of glory who's coming back and worship him in that three fold image that Psalms lays out. And then praise him because he's the humble king who they use the word kenosis. He emptied himself of the free exercise of certain divine attributes.

He didn't lose them. He just laid those attributes, the free exercise society laid aside his glory. He took upon the crown of suffering, but the crown of glory will be applied to him. And as Philippians two says, before you Christ, every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of the glory of God, the father. Hebrews Philippians chapter two, verse four through eleven speaks about those things. So you see how when somebody says, you know, I struggle praying for more than a couple minutes.

I can tell you, you have not learned to pray some scriptures. You getting this? You think this is more important than staying up and watching? I don't know if Jay Leno is still on.

I have no idea. You think you think this would be important to get up and spend some time doing? You think you think God might do some special things in your life because you made him a priority? And you begin to say, God, I I don't earn this.

I don't deserve this. But you said in your word, we have not because we. You're already saying the scriptures like that. And you just become you become a scripture focused person. You think through these things and you know what you do when you make much of prayer. You know what happens to you?

All the things that you deal with in life. You just think, well, that'll be a prayer. That'll be a prayer. You just you just take that there.

Where else would you take it? You know what God's plan A, B and C was in the garden for the bitter cup? Pray, pray and go away and say the same words again the third time.

That's what he did. Same the same words, it says. Just pray, pray and pray. Then I praise the Holy Spirit.

I love things that A.W. Tozer writes about worshipping the triune God. But but I praise the Holy Spirit for his work of conviction. And that John 16, verse eight through 11 says. Thank you, Holy Spirit. May you convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment to come. I praise the Holy Spirit for his sealing work.

Thank you that you are the earnest of our inheritance. You're the down payment that you are the one who seals us into the day of redemption. Let me not grieve you, Holy Spirit, according to Ephesians 113, 14, Ephesians four, verse 30. I praise the Holy Spirit for baptizing and placing me into the body of Christ.

Salvation first Corinthians 12, 13, for by one spirit, we are all baptized into one body. I praise the Holy Spirit and I pray that he would fill me with his presence. And the idea of being filled Ephesians 5, 18 is that we would be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Boy, this is a prayer we all need to pray every single day. You're only baptized once by the Holy Spirit, but you're filled over and over and over. And so the filling of the Holy Spirit is surrendering control to him. Be not drunk with wine where in his excess, but be filled with the spirit. And then I pray that I would walk in the spirit, not in the flesh. Galatians chapter five, verse 16, 17.

I pray that I would be filled with the fruits of the spirit of love and joy and peace. I praise you for your fruits and may they fill my life. I praise him for the boldness he gives in witnessing, as Acts 1a says, that we will be filled with the Holy Spirit and we would have boldness after the Holy Spirit's come upon us and we would be witnesses. I praise him and I seek his enlightenment. Open down mine eyes, Psalms 19, verse 8. Open down mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. You know what Paul prayed in Ephesians chapter one, verse 15 through 17? He says, I pray that the eyes of your understanding would be opened, that you may be enlightened and he's praying. That's one of the chief prayers he has for the church at Ephesus.

God, open my eyes. Give me understanding of your word. Praise him for dwelling inside of us, John 14, 26 and John 15, 26, that he's our resident truth teacher, that he's going to lead us into all truth, that I praise the Holy Spirit for being my paraclete, that he is my helper.

That's from a Greek word, parakletos. He's the one who comes besides and helps us. He aids us.

He is our advocate. I mean, we don't know how to pray. Romans 8 says he helps our prayers. I can tell you there's a whole lot of things the Holy Spirit does that we don't even see. We can praise the Father, the Son and the Spirit, worship him in his glory in these aspects.

So let me bring you to the next point. We need to pray for God's purposes to be accomplished in our life and the life of those around us. The blank there is God's purposes.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. This is where you build a list of those in your life to pray for. Years ago, I had a guy preach this sermon, and he said he prayed for 46 things for his wife every day.

And I thought, boy, I don't pray 46 things for my wife. And it really convicted me, so I began to build a prayer list for her and just verses that would come to my heart and mind as I read and as I thought through. And these are some of the verses over the years that I just pray for her. I prayed for her this week, these verses.

But for your spouse, these are some verses that I find to be enriching. Ephesians 1, 3, God, I pray that you would bless her with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, that you would bless her with all spiritual blessings. I pray, Father, in 1 Peter 5, 5 and 6, that you would fill her with humility, that she would humble herself on your side, that you would lift her up in life. I pray, God, Ephesians 5, 18, that you would fill her with your Holy Spirit. I pray, God, that in Galatians 5, 22 through 24, that the fruits of the Spirit would be filling her life, evident in her life, fill her with love and joy and peace and longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, self-control.

Fill her with those fruits. God, I pray that you would, as Ephesians 6, 10 through 18 says, that the battles, the spiritual battles that we face in life, that she would put on the whole armor of God, that any wiles of the devil would be overcome and that she would put on the breastplate of righteousness, that you would fill her with righteousness, you would give her the sword of the Spirit and begin to pray through those things. I pray, Matthew 5, 16, that her light would shine before others, that they would see her good works and glorify her Father in heaven. I pray that, God, that Matthew 6, 33, that she would seek you first in your kingdom and all these things would be added. One of the prayers I pray for the church, for my kids, for my wife, for myself, Matthew 22, 37 through 39, Jesus says, the Bible says, Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Love your neighbor as yourself. Those are the first and second greatest commandments. You think those should be on the prayer list?

Yeah, yeah, you have to. Like, how could you not pray those verses? So make those like a big one, Matthew 22, 37 through 39. Love you with all of her heart, soul, mind and strength. Let her love others as herself. I pray, Luke 10, verse 38 through 42, that she would be like Mary who sits at the feet of Christ and not as Martha that would be busy and allow the cares of this world to disrupt her spiritual life, that she would be like Paul in Philippians 3, 7 through 12, that she would count the world's goods and everything the world would have to offer as refuse, as waste, that she may win Christ and be in Him, knowing Him and seeking Him above all things, that she would have Romans 12, 1 and 2 in her life, that she would not be conformed to this world, but she would be transformed by the renewing of her mind, that she may prove what is the good acceptable, lead her into that perfect will for her life. God, I pray Proverbs 31 that she would be that Proverbs 31 wife that she is and that she would always be that. In Romans 8, 29, that you conform her to the image of Christ. In Romans 13, 23, that she would be crucified with Christ, that she would live that crucified life. In Romans 13, 14, that she would put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, that Psalms 42, 1 and 2, that is a deer pants for the water brooks, that her soul would paint after you, O God. And Psalms 63, 1 through 3 would be in her heart that she would cry out, O God, thou art my God early that I would seek you and that she would be found in your presence early, that 1 Corinthians 10, 31, that whether she eats or drinks, whatever she does would be done for your glory. And the list just would go on and on. You begin to build a prayer for your spouse.

How many spouses are like, yeah, you know, she's not treating me right. God says the problem's not with her, the problem's with you, young man. Pray for our kids. You think Matthew 5, 16 would be good to pray for our kids at school?

Let their light shine before men. You think it'd be important to pray Romans 13, 14 for our kids, Lord, let them put on the Lord Jesus Christ, make no provision for the flesh? You think it'd be important to pray Ephesians chapter 4, verse 22 through 24, let them put off the old man, be renewed in the spirit of their mind and put on the new man? You think it'd be important to pray Acts 1, 8, that they would have boldness in school, shine the light of Christ? You think it'd be important to pray for our kids, 1 Thessalonians 5, 17, that they would grow in their prayer life and these kind of things? Also, I would also add to your list, pray not only for your spouse, for your children, but also add in there your church family. If your kids are lost, pray for their salvation. I pray for my kids' future spouse, that when they all get married in 30 years from now, that they would be, you know.

Yeah, you know, there's more boys seeming to be coming around my house these days. But pray for your kids, future spouse. I pray specifically for their future husbands, that they would fear the Lord, that they would love you, God, more than they would ever love my daughters, that, God, they would seek you first, that they would lead them spiritually.

I pray very specific. I care a lot more about my kids' future spouse than I do their grades. Do you hear me? I care about their grades, but I can tell you I care about their spouse much more.

It's a big deal. Pray about it. Church family, you know what we need to pray Ephesians 4? Lord, let us walk in unity. Well, that's a great verse to pray, isn't it? Why, there's a couple Christians, and I don't know of any situation, but people say something like this. You know, there's a couple Christians, they were really disagreeing about some things. You ever prayed Ephesians 4 over the situation?

Why don't we flatten your worry and start lifting the word of God up over the situation? People get so worked up sometimes. I always think about life like a balloon. There's some people that blow air in it all the time, and I'm always like, let the air out, let the air out. They're like, no, I'm serious. Just let the air out, let the air out. You know, it sounds bad coming out, but it needs to come out, all right? Settle down. Don't be a balloon blower.

Does that make sense? Walk in unity, love one another. I pray John 13, 34, and 35 for the church. Lord, that we would love one another as you've loved us by this, all men shall know we're your disciples. I pray that we would be sanctified by the word, John 17, 17. I pray the word would consume us.

I pray John 5, 14, like every single Sunday. The word, the whole verse says, wherefore, thus saith the Lord God of hosts, because you speak this word, behold, I will make my word in thy mouth fire, and this people would, and it shall devour them. God, I pray that your word would be in my mouth of fire, and turn this people into wood, and let them be devoured.

You know what that's saying? Let the word, which is fire, conform us into the image of that fire. Consume us. Conform us into its glory.

Let it burn us up. I pray 2 Corinthians 1, 4 for those who need comforting, Lord, that you would be the God of all comfort. I pray John 14, 27 for those who need peace, those that are struggling. I pray Psalm 103 for those who need healing. God, you forgive all our iniquities.

You heal all our diseases. I pray, God, that you would fill our church with love, Matthew 22, 37 through 39. I pray that we would serve God with reverence and godly fear, according to Hebrews chapter number 12, 28. I pray that God will remove any sin, as 1 Corinthians chapter 5 says. I pray often, really every week, for God to allow us to be a Philadelphia church, that Revelation 3, 6 would be true, that God, you would give us an open door that no man can shut, and shut no man can open in Romans 3, 8, I should say. And then pray for lost souls. Who are you praying for?

I think about Romans 9, 1 through 3. God, give me tears to weep for those that are lost. Let me cry out for those souls. I pray 2 Peter 3, 9, Lord, you're not willing that any would perish, but all will come to repentance. 1 Peter 2, 4, you would have all men to be saved, and God, so give these souls the gospel.

Let me be a mouthpiece. Give me boldness and wisdom, 1 Peter 3, 5, that I would be ready always to give an answer. Let me wrap up on these last couple things.

Our time has hastened along. Number 5, pray for God's provision. We're going to be talking about these last few things on Sundays, so we'll be able to walk through these. Pray for God's provision. We'll talk about those on Sundays.

You have a general idea there as I've gone through. Number 6, pray for forgiveness. As we'll see in Matthew 6, 12, that'll walk through that. Several verses there I've given you. Number 7, pray for protection.

Pray for protection. This is such a heavy truth that I will, that's one of the most important topics to deal with in this Lord's Prayer, and when we get to that here in the next couple weeks, you will see why. There are several verses there.

I would spend time reading them. I've given you less verses on these last because I knew this would happen. And then number 8, close with worship and affirmation God's in control. You need to get off your knees with the reminder that yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen. And then you face your day. Then you face your day. You see the difference between somebody saying, I pray in the evening. You mean you go through the whole day without coming to God, like that?

Like without some focused thought? You think you can pray like that with your Facebook buzzing you every 30 seconds? We have to have some isolation alone with God, seek Him, make much of prayer. So why pray the Scriptures? Because we don't know how to pray like we should. Scripture aligns us to the will of God. The Word of God is powerful.

There's nothing better we could pray. Start with worship. I would get a journal.

I would begin to do this. I'm brought to tears when I look back over the years. I flip back through sometimes these journals and I'll see. So what happens is all these people I pray for, I write all these things down. And as people, as prayer requests are answered, I circle them.

And nearly all the requests are circled. It just becomes crazy. I'm like, praise God, praise God. And then you go back in the years and you're like, I remember that.

It's amazing. Now I know where that person's at today. Lord, you are just so awesome.

I can go back and circle that one now. And sometimes you just go through and you're just so humbled. And what that does is it just gives you such encouragement to keep praying because you say, God, you answered in the past.

You're going to answer in the future. Should we be people of prayer? Amen.

So I know tonight's more of a teaching setting, but I think it's helpful sometimes just to think through some practical ways. There's other ways you can pray. You don't have to get a journal.

You don't have to do any of that. I heard a godly man say this one time, though. He said, I don't know anybody who has a great prayer life that doesn't have a prayer journal.

That's what that man said. And I thought, well, that should encourage us to do some prayer journaling. You should know what you're asking God and you should know if he answered it. And I don't know about you, I can't remember what I did yesterday.

So I need to write some stuff down and write some stuff down. So I'll stand this evening. Father, your word is so rich. We are so thankful. I'm not sure how all that came out tonight, but, Lord, I just wanted to encourage your people to begin to make prayer and scriptures unite that we would be people who pray the word of God. We would look at our lives, our God and the word. We would worship you. We would look at our spouse and pray for them. We would look at our children, our church, neighbors, situations in life.

We would be people of prayer. Lord, I pray that you would just allow us to leave here tonight with the elevated thought of God, that we would not be unmoved by this, but that we would grow in this area. The world is dying and going to hell and we can't be worried about what they're worried about. We've got to get worried about what you're worried about, Father. Thank you for your mercy and grace. It's overwhelming. When we start thinking rightly about you, we start thinking rightly about the world. And there is a peace that comes that is so rich. Thank you. Christ's name.