At First Baptist Pascagoula, our Pastor was on vacation this week, so our Associate Pastor, Dennis Ray Smith, led Wednesday night Prayer meeting. In keeping with a seemingly year long series by the Pastor, Dennis Ray spoke about prayer, giving a short message on things that hinder our prayer life based on notes he took from a three day conference led by T.W. Hunt author of several highly regarded books on prayer and discipleship.
As Dennis Ray cribbed from Hunt, so I now proceed to crib from Dennis Ray. The notes, such as they are, are mine own.
God’s Answers to Prayer:
1. Yes
2. No
3. Wait
4. I Can’t Hear You
Things Separating Us from God:
1. Anger: I often wonder if God is not better described as “outraged” than angry, since His self-description runs like this:
Exo 34:6-7 NET. The LORD passed by before him and proclaimed: “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, (7) keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”
2. Idolatry: What is an idol? Anything that pushes God from the heart, including seemingly good things overdone.
3. Indifference to the poor and suffering: God is always on the side of the underdog in the Bible, as in this favorite verse:
Isa 57:15 NET. For this is what the high and exalted one says, the one who rules forever, whose name is holy: “I dwell in an exalted and holy place, but also with the discouraged and humiliated, in order to cheer up the humiliated and to encourage the discouraged….”
And also famously, here: Isa 1:11-17 NET. “Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am stuffed with burnt sacrifices of rams and the fat from steers. The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats I do not want. (12) When you enter my presence, do you actually think I want this — animals trampling on my courtyards? (13) Do not bring any more meaningless offerings; I consider your incense detestable! You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations, but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations! (14) I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies; they are a burden that I am tired of carrying. (15) When you spread out your hands in prayer, I look the other way; when you offer your many prayers, I do not listen, because your hands are covered with blood. (16) Wash! Cleanse yourselves! Remove your sinful deeds from my sight. Stop sinning! (17) Learn to do what is right! Promote justice! Give the oppressed reason to celebrate! Take up the cause of the orphan! Defend the rights of the widow…!”
4. Hypocrisy: Prayer is about impressing God, not men.
5. Unforgivingness: As again, in God’s self-description above, and also in the Lord’s Prayer:
Mat 6:9-15 NET. So pray this way: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored, (10) may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (11) Give us today our daily bread, (12) and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. (13) And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (14) “For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.”
6. Broken relationships: Here, as usual in the Bible, the focus is not necessarily on yourself. Settle that problem the other guy has with YOU, before coming to God on your knees. Again, as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
Mat 5:23-24 NET. So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, (24) leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift.
Much food for thought in these short notes, I think.
