On Palm Sunday at Murray Church, we discussed what Jesus meant in Matthew 21:13a, where he said, “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,” This is not simply a call for more time of prayer when we meet on Sunday Morning. But it is a challenge for each of us who claim a relationship with Jesus to be people of prayer. Each believer is a part of God’s eternal Church every moment of every day. Jesus is reminding us of our opportunity and responsibility to stay connected with our Lord through prayer.
We have discussed the role God has given men as the spiritual leaders of our homes. Many of us also have the opportunity as men to impact our workplace and those with whom we share recreational activities with the truth of the Good News of Jesus. These openings to influence the lives of others must be empowered by prayer.
We are reminded of this important truth in Paul’s letter to a young man named Timothy. Paul is giving instruction and encouragement to this young believer in preparation for his role as a spiritual leader. We see in 1 Timothy 2:1-8, I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people, 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles. 8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.
Obviously, our prayer is important to our Lord. When you consider that God is all knowing and ever present in our lives, it could be argued that we shouldn’t need to pray since he already knows our thoughts before we verbalize them. This points out an important understanding. God’s desire for us to be men of prayer is more for our benefit than his. If we follow his formula for prayer, it begins with adoration of God. As we praise him, it reminds us of his greatness which gives us the motivation and confidence to endure in this troubled world. We next ask for his will to be done. This takes the pressure from us to have to be worried about this life. We can rest in knowing that he will guide our steps if we will listen. He then invites us to make our requests known to him. Again, he knows our needs. But in asking, we can let go of our concern for those needs and leave the outcome in his powerful hands. And finally, we ask for protection from Satan. God has promised that he has been victorious over Satan, but in praying for freedom from temptation, we are able to apply God’s almighty power in our journey to resist the evil one.
There is no greater gift you can offer your family than to model being a man of prayer. There is no stronger ministry you can do for God’s Kingdom than to be a powerful man of prayer. There is no better tool for sharing the Gospel of Jesus with pre-believing friends and family than to be a man of consistent prayer. God has offered us this amazing gift, all we need to do is pursue it with our whole heart.