It’s a Privilege to Pray

God sits on His throne in His temple. Jesus sits beside Him, vigorously pleading for those He loves. For us. The Holy Spirit is there too. On our behalf He utters groans that words cannot express. And then there’s us. Sitting here, yet welcomed into the presence of this Almighty God (Psalm 11:4, Psalm 18:6, Jeremiah 50:34, Hebrews 7:24-25, Romans 8:26-27).


–He invites us to come with confidence (Hebrews 4:16).


–He tells us our prayers are powerful and effective (James 5:16).


–He says pray about anything and everything. When we do He gives us His peace (Philippians 4:5-6).


–He tells us that faith the size of a mustard seed can say to a mountain, –“Move!” and it will move (Matthew 17:20).


–God says He loves us more than we can know and that He is able and willing to do more than we ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:18-20)


It’s a privilege to pray.

Let us Thank the Lord

Some wandered, hungry and thirsty. Others were in prison. Some suffered affliction, near death. Others were in a storm, filled with fear (read their stories in Psalm 107).

All of them cried to the Lord in their trouble. All of them were delivered from their distress. How should they respond? Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men (Psalm 107:8,15,21,31).

Whatever trouble you face, cry out to the Lord. And when he delivers you, say thank you. Happy Thanksgiving.

Why We Give God Thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 107:1).

Saying thank you is a way to give back to God. It’s noticing who God is and what he does.

Come with Thanks

Come into his presence with thanksgiving (Psalm 95:2).

Enter his gates with thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4).

Thanksgiving acknowledges God’s generosity and goodness.

Being Thankful is a Choice

I will give thanks to you, Lord,
with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds (Psalm 9:1 bold mine).

We choose to be thankful to God.

Grief

I cannot take away your grief. Life is hard and sometimes full of sorrow.

But I can encourage you to pray to the God of all comfort. He is familiar with suffering and acquainted with grief (2 Corinthians 1:3; Isaiah 53:3).

Words that Weary the Lord

You have wearied the Lord with your words.
“How have we wearied him?” you ask.

You have wearied him by saying that
all who do evil are good in the Lord’s sight,
and he is pleased with them.

You have wearied him by asking,
“Where is the God of justice?”
Malachi 2:17

A Reason God Ignores Prayer

You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings . . . You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?”

I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her (Malachi 2:13-14 bold mine).”

If you want God to hear your prayers, keep your marriage vows.

Don’t Bear the Burden of Sin

This is what the Lord says — “You refuse to ask for my help. . . . Instead, you have burdened me with your sins . . . I alone will blot out your sins for my own sake. Let us review the situation together and you can present your case ( from Isaiah 43: 1-26 NLT).”

You don’t need to bear the burden of your sin. Jesus died and rose to set you free.

A Benefit of Thankfulness

Thank God for all he has done. . . . Then you will experience God’s peace (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT).

A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body (Proverbs 14:30 NLT).

Thankfulness brings peace which leads to health.

Bring Delight

Have you ever considered that you can give God joy? We’re told that the Lord delights in the prayer of the upright (Proverbs 15:8).

Bring God delight. Like righteously and pray.