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Servant School - Prayer

Servant School

March 31, 2022

Introduction

Welcome to our Servant School class on Prayer

This week, our lesson is titled “Great Prayers of the Bible”

Great Prayers of the Bible

We are going to take the last three weeks and look at great prayers found in the Bible.

We are NOT going to be able to cover every single prayer, that would take several years, but we will take a few of the Old Testament prayers this week, next week we will look at a few New Testament prayers, and on our final week we will unpack the Lord’s Prayer.

Old Testament Prayers

The first time we see the concept of prayer mentioned in the Bible goes way back to the time of Adam’s son Seth.

(Genesis 4:26 NKJV) And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.

This is what prayer is about, calling on God by name.

The Old Testament name is Yahweh

We have record of Abraham calling on the name of the LORD (Gen. 12:7-8; 13:3-4; 21:33).

(Genesis 12:7–8 NKJV) —7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.

(Genesis 13:3–4 NKJV) —3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

(Genesis 21:33 NKJV) —33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.

Isaac called on “the name” (Gen. 26:25)

(Genesis 26:25 NKJV) —25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

Even Jacob the “heal catcher” prayed to Yahweh (Gen. 32:9-12)

(Genesis 32:9–12 NKJV) —9 Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies. 11 Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. 12 For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”

Abraham’s Servant

The first recorded prayer where we have the actual words that were prayed, was from Abraham’s servant as he went to find a bride for Abraham’s son Isaac.

This servant was sent on an important mission. Abraham wanted his son Isaac to have a bride from the old country, far away in Haran. This servant was sent to bring back the right woman to help Abraham’s line continue.

(Genesis 24:12–14 NKJV) —12 Then he said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

When the servant arrived in Haran, he prayed. What I’m curious about is … how did he know how or what to pray?

Lesson

Prayer is learned

There is a something inside each human that knows that God is real, but we don’t always know just how to talk with him.

Abraham’s servant learned to pray from Abraham himself.

He watched and listened to Abraham.

Jesus taught his disciples how to pray:

(Luke 11:1 NKJV) Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

The disciples saw and heard Jesus praying.

I don’t think Jesus did this in a way to draw attention to Himself. Jesus tended move away from the group to spend time in prayer.

Some of the disciples had been followers of John the Baptist. John apparently taught his disciples how to pray.

So this disciple asks Jesus to teach them as well.

What will follow is the “Lord’s Prayer”. We will get into that in a few weeks.

Don’t feel bad when you feel inadequate in prayer.

Prayer is something we “learn”. It’s something we grow and mature in.

Prayer is also something we can teach others.

I think there ought to be a sense in which our family and friends are aware that we pray.

We don’t pray in a way to draw attention to ourselves, but those close to us ought to be aware that we devote time to prayer.

I know that some of you have picked up some of my own little “ticks” and “nuances” in prayer because you hear me pray in public, but you’ve also heard me pray with you.

Sometimes in group prayer I am kind of grunting “um-hmm” in agreement with someone’s prayer – and I know where I got that from. I got that from my first Senior Pastor Emory Campbell. That’s what he used to do when we were in prayer groups. I find it interesting that others in our church do the same thing.

Prayer is learned. Grow in prayer. Teach others to pray.

The story in prayer doesn’t end there because after God answers the servant’s prayer and he actually finds Isaac’s bride, he responds in worship…

(Genesis 24:26–27 NKJV) —26 Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord. 27 And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”

Don’t forget to say “thanks” to God and acknowledge Him when He answers your prayers.

Moses

We have quite a few of Moses’ prayers recorded.

One of them occurred after the Israelites had rebelled against God and made a golden calf.

Moses responded to the incident by interceding for the people and asking God to forgive them (Ex. 32:31-32).

(Exodus 32:31–32 NKJV) —31 Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

Shortly after that, Moses sought God in the Tabernacle. God had been warning Moses that He might not go with the people into the Promised Land because of their rebellion.

(Exodus 33:12–23 NKJV) —12 Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ 13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.” 17 So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.” 18 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” 19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

Lesson

Conversation

I like the idea that Moses is asking to know God better.

I think this is a wonderful thing to pray for.

I like the idea that with Moses, prayer was a conversation.

It wasn’t just Moses speaking to God, but God responding.

I think we often need to leave room for God to respond in our prayer times.

Elijah

During the days of Elijah, the kingdom of Israel was divided, and the northern kingdom had been led into the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth by King Ahab and his wife Jezebel.

God would use Elijah to pray for a drought as a way of getting the nation’s attention (1Kings 17:1)

(1 Kings 17:1 NKJV) And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”

After 3 ½ years, the nation was ready to hear about their need to return to the worship of Yahweh, the one true God.

Elijah called for a showdown on Mount Carmel.

Play Video: Wyatt Earp – Gunfight at OK Corral

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq4vAlHA2z4

Well it wasn’t quite that kind of a showdown, but this would be between he and the prophets of Baal. They would set up two altars and both call on their “god”. The “god” who answered with fire would be the one the nation would follow. The prophets of Baal spent most of the day making lots of noise, but Baal was silent…

(1 Kings 18:30–39 NKJV) —30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.

Note that the altar was built “in the name of the LORD”.

We’ve seen that early prayer in Genesis was about men “calling on the name of the LORD”.

An altar was meant to be a place where men reach out to God.

Elijah would build the altar, sacrifice a bull, and pour water over the entire offering just to show that he wasn’t pulling any tricks. Then Elijah prayed. We pick up the story in verse 36…

36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

Lesson

Short Prayers

I think that sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking that “longer prayers” are “better prayers”.

I’m not sure why we think this.

Perhaps it’s because some folks we respect tend to go on and on in prayer.

Perhaps it’s because we think we have to somehow convince God to do something and so we are going to “win the argument” with lots of words.

Perhaps we think we have to give detailed instructions to God so He doesn’t answer incorrectly. I’ve heard some folks pray as if they were the surgeon directing God to strengthen this tendon and that bone and take away certain impurities in a person’s blood.

You do know don’t you that God knows a lot better about what needs to be done than you do.

I think folks who pray like this may just be wanting to impress us with their medical knowledge.

Elijah’s prayer is two verses long. Just two verses. I recorded myself reading those verses in 22 seconds.

Elijah’s prayer called down fire from heaven.

Short prayers can be powerful.

James said this about Elijah –

(James 5:16–18 NKJV) —16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Elijah was just like us, a normal human being.

Isn’t it interesting that the “prayer” James mentioned wasn’t the one about fire coming from heaven?

Jehoshaphat

Jehoshaphat was one of the good kings of the southern kingdom of Judah. In his day, the nation was attacked by a confederacy of three kings. Ammon, Moab, and Edom all joined together to attack the nation of Judah.

Jehoshaphat responded to the news of this impending attack by calling the nation to fast and pray. Then Jehoshaphat called the people together in Jerusalem, and he led them in prayer.

(2 Chronicles 20:5–12 NKJV) —5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?

Jehoshaphat started his prayer by acknowledging who God is and how great He is.

I think it’s a good thing to remind ourselves of who we are praying to.

Often in the Psalms you will see God referred to as the “maker of heaven and earth”.

I find that reminding myself of God’s greatness reduces my fear and helps me to focus on trusting God for the answer.

7 Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? 8 And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’

Jehoshaphat reminds God, himself and the people of their history.

He reminds them that God has been faithful, that they are God’s people, and that God has made promises to them about calling on Him.

We need to remind ourselves of our heritage as believers.

We need to remind ourselves of the authority Jesus has given us.

We need to remind ourselves of the forgiveness that Jesus has given us and the access we have before God’s throne.

10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them—11 here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

With these last three verses, Jehoshaphat lays out the situation and his request.

He asks God to take care of these enemies.

He acknowledges their lack of power.

He acknowledges that they are trusting in God.

As a result of this prayer, God would give a prophetic word through a man named Jahaziel who would give God’s response (2Chronicles 20:15-17)

(2 Chronicles 20:15–17 NKJV) —15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

God tells the people that He will take care of this.

They don’t need to be afraid.

They just need to watch what God is going to do.

Jehoshaphat and the people responded to this encouragement by bowing and worshipping the Lord.

Then they went out to look at the battle.

They sent the worship team ahead of the army.

The people gave praise to God saying “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever”.

(2 Chronicles 20:22 NKJV) Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

The enemies were defeated because they all turned on each other and wiped each other out.

Lesson

The power of praise

I think that praise is an expression of our faith.

Jehoshaphat and the nation gave God praise because they trusted God to keep His word, that prophetic word given by Jahaziel.

Praise isn’t a magic charm that twists God’s arm to work.

Praise that’s powerful comes from a heart that has agreed to put the problem into God’s hands, and to trust that He is going to answer.

I think this is what brings God’s peace when we pray. Paul wrote,

(Philippians 4:6–7 NKJV) —6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

It’s not just about praying, but praying with “thanksgiving”, with praise.

When I am willing to let go of the problem and trust God with the issue, I find His peace.

I hope that helps

In Class

Any comments from tonight’s teaching video? Questions?

There were three main “lessons” in the message. Do you recall what they were?

Prayer is learned

Short Prayers

The Power of Praise

Were you challenged by any of those ideas?

Have you ever felt like you didn’t want to pray out loud in front of others because you didn’t think you could come up with “enough” words to pray?

Jehoshaphat started his prayer by acknowledging God’s greatness.

Can you think of some ways you could start your prayers similar to this?

Can you give me ideas about God’s greatness? Why is God “great”?

(some of David’s songs tonight were about God’s greatness)

How are you doing on your daily prayer time? How many days this week did you set time aside to pray?

Let’s see how we did on our homework. Can anyone recite the blessing from Numbers 6?

(Numbers 6:24–26 NKJV) —24 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’

Can anyone recite Hebrews 13:20?

(Hebrews 13:20 NKJV) Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Did you do the homework assignment of starting a “prayer list”?

May I see it?

Have you learned anything yet by praying for these people every day?

If you’ve been reading with us in our Daily Bible Reading, there have been lots of passages about prayer this week.

Did you see any passages on prayer?

Here were some of mine…

(John 16:23–24 NKJV) —23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

(John 17:24 NKJV) —24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

(Deuteronomy 21:8 NKJV) —8 Provide atonement, O Lord, for Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not lay innocent blood to the charge of Your people Israel.’ And atonement shall be provided on their behalf for the blood.

(Deuteronomy 23:5 NKJV) —5 Nevertheless the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.

(Deuteronomy 26:13 NKJV) —13 then you shall say before the Lord your God: ‘I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.

(Deuteronomy 28:23 NKJV) —23 And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron.

(Acts 1:14 NKJV) —14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

(Acts 1:24 NKJV) —24 And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen

This week we are going to finish the Hebrews 13 blessing:

(Hebrews 13:20–21 NKJV) —20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.