March 8, 2005
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Old Bible study notes:
Matthew 21: 12-16 – my house shall be a house of prayer
1. We are to realize that we are the Temple of God. 1 Cor. 6. We need to make our house (our body) a temple of prayer. Many of us do not believe that prayer works, for if we really believed that prayer worked, we would be praying lots more than we do. Prayer is the fountainhead from which all blessings flow.
2. Purity – Jesus drove out the moneychangers from the Temple. Before we can really feel a release in prayer, we must drive out our known impurities in our lives, our known rebellion. That involves confessing our sins to God and asking His forgiveness.
3. The result of prayer is power. V. 14. Jesus healed the blind and lame, you release power through prayer.
4. Result of prayer is praise, V15. The priests were asking by what authority Christ did that, the children were praising and God pointed out that out of the mouth of children praise is perfected.
The flow is Purity (confessing sins) leads to a house of prayer, leads to power being released, leads to praise of God.
Some will say that their prayer lives are shallow, how can one develop a prayer life.
1. Desire to pray – comes from reading the scriptures, hearing testimony and hearing messages about prayer which develops the desire.
2. Discipline. The price of not praying is not being able to pray. It is much like learning how to jog, when you first start you don’t jog long, but if you consistently jog, you begin to build up endurance. With prayer, you begin to pray, and make sure you pray daily. Some days you will not feel like praying, but pray anyway. As you pray more and more you will discover a delight in prayer. But that delight may not come day one, it comes over consistent prayer.
3. Once you have prayed consistently, you will find an increased desire to pray and your prayers will change and grow.
Now God is sovereign, and He deals with us where we are. Prayer and praise is not a formula. God can answer a feeble prayer of a non-believer, as we grow in God, God may stretch our faith by causing us to need more discipline. God will help to develop our temples to be more what He wants in our lives for our own good. The above is not a formula, for God deals with us individually.
They are now talking about 8-12 inches of snow today. I sent my kids out to the bus in balmy weather with sprinkles, now it is blizzarding, sigh. Is there really a season called spring? My faith is shaky on spring these days.
Heather
Comments (11)
You know how you can read something and not know what to say because everything written is all so true? All I can say is Amen. Tahnk you for sharing that.
Here in my town area, it’s snowing/raining at the same time. It was amazingly beautiful out yesterday, up in the 60s. Now we’re back to the 30s. Amen anyways, winter is only a season… Take care, ~E
Is prayer about getting our results or about giving Him glory?
Is it about power or connecting/abiding?
Anna, in my book it is about giving God glory. I do not like those who I kind of think of as Walmart prayers who ask God for things. I ask God more about relationship and understanding, and to be more what God wants me to be.
Heather
I just read over your past few posts. Mondays are a busy day for me with my class at night, so I need to get caught up now.
An intersting note about Matthew 21: 1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5“Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’
The donkey in those days was not actually a sign of humbleness as we are often taught, but of royalty. The horse was for work and so to ride in on a horse just meant you were a worker or in the army or such. But Royalty rode on donkeys not horses. So the people when they saw him ride in on the donkey that day knew that he was saying that he was royalty…a king. No disguise as a humble servant, he was proclaiming his kingship loud and clear with what he knew everyone would understand. Cool huh? You can read more about it or to make sure I am accurate here. http://www.pbconline.org/sermons/christ-6.html
I heard about this years ago and it always changed the way I read that passage.
Love your other reflections also.
Good job on the girl scout cookies and blah to more snow for you!
Marlene
((HUGE HUGS))
Thanks.
xo
Hiya Heather! Thanks for the birthday wishes! Your words were extremely nice.
“Prayer and praise is not a formula.” Indeed! I think one problem we’ve had over the last 10-15 years is that we’ve made it all so formulaic – so religious – that it’s more out of duty than desire.
BE blessed!
~!Steve
I think whenever God’s power is exhibited it does glorify God…since God chooses to display His power through our weaknesses that glorifies him…and prayer is the vehicle HE chose for His power to be exhibited on the earth…
I have found it is easier to read and study about prayer, than to do it.LOL. God help me to pray more.
prayer is discipline.
Right on. Well stated. Excellent points. Mind if I steal material occasionally? I write sermons. Sometimes I even get to preach ‘em. Can see you get credit if you like . . .
Teelow, these studies are part me, part Pastor Don, part other studies that I do from various sources. They are for sharing, so no I don’t mind at all.
Heather