Real Prayer

Follow up:  you are invited to a 4-week email series with many more teachings about prayer, and resources to help. More info HERE.

SERMON OUTLINE

1. Prayer and Our Relationship with God

  • Prayer as position: “we are under God”
  • Prayer as presence: “we are with God”
  • Prayer as power: “we are in God”
  • Prayer as purpose: “we are for God”

2. Prayer in All Circumstances of Life: James’ Final Words

  • Praying when we are in trouble (5:13)
  • Praying when we are happy (vs. 13)
  • Praying when we are not well (vss. 14-15)
  • Praying when we are guilty (vs. 16)

34 thoughts on “Real Prayer”

  1. Silent or out loud? I tend to be an in my head pray-ER when alone. Does it matter since God is all knowing? Thank you and God bless!

  2. I know we are to pray to God about everything..and I do believe he listens. ..I guess I have a hard time doing it regularly because I don’t feel like it changes anything. ..we pray for God’s will to be done…and he already knows what that is..and it’s written in the book…so me praying doesn’t change anything. ..and I feel like with all the horrible things going on in the world…the trivial things I need or want on a day to day basis or weekly..monthly agenda just sound selfish so why even bother God about it….

  3. How do I know whether to “bombard heaven” until the answer comes or pray once and trust God for the answer?

  4. Should I continue to pray for my unsaved friend? What if he is not one of the elect that God intends to save?

  5. Is there a “right way” to pray? I’ve heard so many different “models” for prayer, but most of the time, I just feel like I’m talking to myself. Distraction is also a problem for me. How can I become a better pray-er?

  6. When is it appropriate to pray to God the Father and when is it appropriate to pray directly to Jesus?

  7. Dear Pastor Mel,
    Thank you so much for that profound thoughts about Prayer. As I sat and listened to you, there were many questions I had about in my own heart, I must stay each one of them were answered. Any time when I am waiting at the train station, bus station, walking on the road side and our village roads, I felt those were the most precious time to pray. I enjoyed doing that. I look forward to hear more of the remaining part of your message.
    Thank you once again.
    Blessings
    Paul Dass
    India

  8. It is hard for me to tell someone I will pray for their healing, especially someone who is not a Christian. If that person does not get well I feel I have proven to them that prayer doesn’t change anything – God’s will has already been decided so what difference does it make if you pray about your problems or not.

  9. 1. How do you know with certainty that answers or messages are from God (any of his triune personalities) in response to your prayer(s), and are NOT your own mind, feelings, desires, or emotions? How can you recognize that divine messages in response to prayer are from outside your self, i.e., your own ego or mind?
    2. Can prayers be answered to the pray-er in ways other than “the still small voice” of God? Are prayers answered in ways that are not oral/verbal utterings of Holy Spirit, or of God (any of his triune personalities)?
    3. How can/does Holy Scripture interact with, or contribute to, discernment through prayer?
    4. What are the different ways that discernment works? I believe prayer is one way, but not the only way. I’m a Methodist and try to apply the Wesleyan Quadrilateral to help discern God’s involvement in my life.
    5. How does Holy Spirit interact with our prayers, and more importantly, help us with our prayers?
    6. Is the Lord’s Prayer sufficient, with the help of Holy Spirit, who already knows my heart, mind and soul, to convey my most sincere, relevant, and reverent communication to God, which then encompass thoughts and prayers (conscious and subconscious) of adoration, confession, supplication and thanksgiving?

  10. I love this guy! It shows I still have hope as an extreme ADD sufferer!
    My Teachers also had to tie me down from time to time

  11. I have Mel Lawrenz “Prayers for our lives” and it such a blessing to me. My time with God is every morning and evening but after receiving the booklet I have found that I go to God in prayer any time and any place. I am looking forward to this study as a blessing.

  12. Linda Habisreitinger

    Hello,
    My comment is a question about prayers of those who are not yet saved…my husband is not quite ready to accept Jesus as his savior, however, recently he has begun praying with me in a godly way…and has been reaching out for God to touch his heart…do the prayers of those who are honestly searching but are not yet saved reach God the way the prayers of us who are believers do? Will God answer his prayers the way He has answered mine. By the way, I am praying constantly for my husbands’ salvation and I know that God is answering my prayers.

  13. I listened to the first teaching on Prayer,and my heart was truly bless,I surely learned somethings concerning Prayer and I am excited to hear more so I can apply what I hear because I truly desire to have a more meaningful relationship with God and a deeper prayer life.

  14. ADEOYE AKINKUNMI

    WHY PRAYING, HOW NECESSARY IS IT FOR US TO CLOSE OUR EYES?
    WHY PRAYING, ARE WE TO COMMAND GOD OR MAKE A REQUEST?

  15. Helene Walkowsky

    I am eagerly looking forward to your sermons. I have an active prayer life and do intensive Bible study but I am sure I will learn a lot from you. I hope there will be an opportunity to ask questions afterwards. May our Lord bless you in this wonderful undertaking.

    1. I pray as a way of lifting up my heart and mind to God in conversation because I love God and love to converse with Him. I pray trusting Him to fulfill all His promises Jesus made to those who would pray in His name believing that we have already received our requests,supplications and petitions.

  16. I struggle with how much time to spend praying for myself vs. time spent praying for others. How can I be humble, but at the same time, not forget that God cares deeply for me and wants to take care of me.

  17. Starweista Jacobsen

    When we don’t know what to pray for, but God knows, don’t we turn it to Him, the Holy Spirit, and ask for His guidance?

  18. What would your response be to someone who says “but I can’t pray in public – I can’t pray as well as others”?

  19. I have been praying for many years for the salvation of my loved ones with no break through.
    How should I approach God in prayer? Do I tell God what to do or tell him my problems and let Him do the rest.
    I want to know the correct way to pray to get my prayers through to him

  20. Diane Kulkarni

    Amazing presentation of truths I have been aware of but could not put into words or seem to apply to myself! Thank you so much! May I get a transcript to read? I have shared this link with my email prayer group of 68 individuals.

  21. How can I better realize prayer’s importance.

    Example….I know financially giving to a charity in need is very important…
    But I struggle with praying for their needs “is just as important & valuable”….

  22. My heart, soul, and spirit needs the refreshing of conversation with our Lord – throughout the day. I continue to pray for my husband who, while denying it, has a drinking problem…I continue to pray for the strength and wisdom in the ongoing care of my adult disabled daughter who has a mind of a 3-5 year old, I continue to pray to my Abba to wrap His love around me out of a fog of loneliness in these issues and so many more and I feel He is about me…I assure you that if I did not have Him to talk to (pray) I would have curled up and given up so many times in this life! I talk, admire, and respect our Lord and tell Him all that is burdening me as well as what is delighting me…He is my Lord, my Counselor, my Best Friend…He already knows everything but He listens to me and I am so thankful that He does…He restores my soul and allows me the lean on Him and for those precious moments of smiles and when I can lay my head on the pillow at night knowing all is well, I thank Him. Life is tough and man so full of trials but without Him to travel through them with me and to talk to it would surely be horribly miserable! I love Him, thank Him, and look forward to Him leading me through all circumstances in my life and when answers, joys, glimpses of His goodness present themselves, I will surely praise Him…as well as continue to talk to Him throughout all that come my way.

  23. I just find it SO very difficult to pray out loud! I stutter. I repeat myself. At bible studies I feel judged. I can easily write the prayers in a prayer journal or in an e-mail directly to them though.

  24. Matthew 5:23-24 says, “…if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” So in the aspect of prayer – which in itself is an offering to the Lord – it often feels to me that I need to personally atone to each and every person I have ever injured or offended in some way BEFORE I can approach the Lord in prayer. Since that is an task that could be insurmountable, and perhaps one with legal ramifications, I generally feel that I cannot come to the Lord in prayer – for He knows I haven’t “first be reconciled to [my] brother”.

  25. I take care of my mother that’s a hundred years old and sometime I pray so God give me strength to deal with her and to deal with my health problems and some time I feel like my prayers are not heard.

  26. Thank you Mel, loved the Sermon. I was wondering if you will release the Spanish version of “Prayers for our Lives”?. I have a copy of it but i want my mom to have one to and she only reads Spanish. Thank you brother. Praise God. Amen.

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