Study in Prayer – January 12 – Don’t Waste God’s Time
Scripture of the Day:
Matthew 6:7
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words…”
Don’t Waste God’s Time
When you read this verse, and some others that Jesus taught on, it sounds like He is telling us to keep your prayer brief and to the point. That may sound harsh to some “religious” folks who want to follow Solomon Paul’s advice in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, where he tells us to, “Pray without ceasing.” I mean, if you take that one literally, you would be talking to God every single waking second. That would be a lot of words and, honestly, you would be doing a lot repeating of your prayers.
So, which is it? Keep it brief or keep it long?
I know some people that make it a point to pray 2-3 hours every single day. They do not feel right if they do not spend that much time in prayer. I know some people that say about 2 minute prayer and they believe they are good to go. So, which one is in good standing with God and which one is not?
The answer – BOTH.
“Both? Brother Bob…Both what? In good standing or not?”
Yes – that is correct. Both!
It kind of sounds like I’m in the Abbott and Costello “Who’s on first” comedy routine, doesn’t it?
But, you have to understand, if one person wants to spend a couple of hours at one time in the presence of God…If that is what the Lord has put on his or her heart to do – then that answers the question! That person needs to be there. However, if they are doing that in attempt to berate God into finally answering their prayers – they are wasting their time.
Jesus taught the parable about the unrighteous judge in Luke 18:5-7. This widow woman keeps bothering this judge to help her until finally, in verse 5, the judge says, “…yet, because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Then she will stop wearing me out with her perpetual requests. And the Lord said, Listen to the words of the unrighteous judge. Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help?”
That sounds pretty much like Jesus is telling His disciples to be like the widow woman and just keep pestering God until you finally wear Him out and He will cave in to your prayer request.
But when you match that up with our scripture verse of Matthey 6:7 where Jesus don’t keep pestering God with all of your meaningless words – we have two opposite sides of the equation. So, what should we do?
I’m so glad you asked!
Jesus is say that if you have a need, keep it before the Lord in prayer. Every time the devil brings up the situation that you are facing, financial, health, family members or whatever, every time the devil brings it to your remembrance, just give the Lord praise for the answer to your prayer request. But don’t go to your prayer closet 29 times a day and spend 30 minutes crying out the Lord every single time.
If you have a financial need that is so urgent, you need a miracle, you take it to the Lord. IF HE tells you to sow a seed and help someone else, do it. That is what will open the door to your miracle. You helping the need of someone else. If all you have left is $20 and you need $200 or $2000 – and as you are driving to work and see that homeless person on the corner, is that $20 going to help you? No. But it will help that homeless person. SOW IT! That will be a HUGE blessing to that homeless person. That will now open the door for the Lord to have someone else sow HUGE into your life.
That is just one example and we will teach on the laws of sowing and reaping later on in this study. But the thing I want you to see is GOD WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYER. He may use other people to do it. Especially where it comes to finances. All the finances in the earth are based, basically on precious metal that God created when He created the earth. He is not going to rain $100 bills down from Heaven and He is not going to create any more silver or gold. So therefore, your financial breakthrough will come from others that have some extra and they are sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and will SOW when and where God tells them to sow. That is what I’m talking about when I say, if the Lord puts it on your heart to sow to that homeless person – do it! He is trying to talk to someone else to sow into your life – and you want them to listen to Him, don’t you?
Anyway…my point of discussion today is not about sowing and reaping. It’s about praying always, praying consistently, using long prayers or short prayers.
The inference in what I believe Jesus is trying to get us to understand is this. You will not twist God’s arm into answering your prayers. Your long prayers with, what the Bible calls, “vain repetitions” or, in the case of our scripture verse today, “babbling like pagans with many words,” is not going to make God feel sorry for you or feel like He needs to just give you what you keep bothering Him about so you will leave Him alone for a little while.
Words do not move God. At least not YOUR words will move God. The Bible says FAITH moves God. When you stand on His Word as the basis of your prayers and when you stand in Faith in His Words as the basis of your prayers and when you stand in Faith and do not doubt the power of His Words in your prayers – that is when you will receive your prayers as answered.
Let’s pray…
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Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do!
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