Prayer
Finding the Heart’s True Home
by Richard Foster
Part 3— Moving Outward
Chapter 16—Petitionary
Prayer
“ Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of
the Kingdom.”
C. H. Spurgeon
OPENING PRAYER
1. Our
Staple Diet—not optional
Every
parent wants to be asked. It drives
connection.
Petition
is not a “lower” or inferior form of prayer.
Neglecting
petition in favor of more inward prayer is self-serving and the antithesis of what God intends.
Our
petitions are often self-serving and childish, but petition is the child-like relationship that Jesus spoke about in terms
of becoming part of the Kingdom.
2. Unanswered Prayer
A
problem, an embarrassment
P.T.
Forsyth—“We shall come one day to a heaven where we shall gratefully know that God’s great refusals were
sometimes the true answers to our truest prayer.”
Our
prayers are answered but we can’t see them sometimes.
Our
prayers might be bad for us the way we envision them.
We
are capable of infinite self-deception.
3. Sin hinders our prayers
It’s
not that we aren’t good enough—that’s already established, but we get in our own way
We
lack God’s vision
We
lack the ability to wholly discern God’s heart
We
need to rely on the Holy Spirit and the Son interceding for us continually.
4. Paternoster—The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)
A
“total” prayer
Give:
Jesus is concerned with the minute daily necessities of human life
Forgive: We owe an enormous debt—parable of the evil
servant
Commission and omission.
As
long as we can’t forgive, we won’t allow ourselves to be forgiven.
Forgiveness
is a commandment after the fashion of the Spirit: Make yourself open to the Spirit who will cause
you to be able to forgive with His love.
We
won’t forget. We may not reconcile. But we must forgive.
Deliver: Evil=trials—God only tries us when He needs
us to see our hearts.
“Lead
us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”….
Let
there be nothing in me that will force you to reveal my heart through trial.
This
is why the Desert Fathers pursued God so fiercely—they sought out their sin so that there would be nothing
left for God to try them about.
5. Layers of Petition
What
are we told to pray for?
What
do we often pray for?
What
do we avoid praying for?
Make
a list of things you need to pray for.
Keep
going until you exhaust everything God brings to mind.
Start
now, but you will probably need to add to it over several days.
Keep
the list where you can see it.
6. Herbert Farmer: “If prayer is the heart of religion, then
petition is the heart of prayer.”
Closing
Prayer
Dear Father, I don’t want to treat you like Santa
Claus, but I do need to ask things of you.
Give me, please, food to eat today.
I’m not asking for tomorrow, but I am asking for today. Please forgive me for the infinite offenses
to your goodness that I have committed today…this hour. I’m not even aware of most of them. That in itself is a sin against heaven. I’m sorry.
Increase my awareness.
In my
ignorance if I have asked for things that would really be destructive, please,
do not give them to me—do not lead me into temptation. Do protect me from the evil one.
For Jesus’ sake-- Amen
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http://christian-transformationblog.blogspot.com
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