Large Group recap 9.10.10 - Prayer

Today at Large Group, Pastor Young Kim from Grace Covenant Church came to give a message about prayer. He introduced to us one example of a prayer model that we could follow, based on Nehemiah's prayer in the first chapter of the book of the same name. Why take from the Bible? Because prayer and reading the Word of God are kind of like the two wings of a plane (or two oars in a rowboat); without one or the other, you can't fly straight. Here is a short summary of his points:

1. The first part is Adoration, or worship of God. Oftentimes we go to God with a shopping list of things we want him to give us, but that isn't the right mindset. Talking with God is like talking to a friend, but also like entering the throne room of a king- the King of Everything, that is. Thinking about God causes us to worship, and in some cases that's all God really wants from us.

2. The second part is Confession, or repentance of sins. Some church cultures put too much emphasis on this part and really make prayer seem like a downer. Repentance isn't wrong, but kind of like praying with a shopping list, it gets in the way of actual communication with God. If you put your thumb right up to your eye, it takes up your entire field of vision and consequently looks like the biggest thing in the world- even bigger than the moon or the sun or Pastor Young's head. In the same way, don't let your problems eclipse God in weight or importance. God is bigger than your problems, be they addictions, temptations, or circumstances beyond your control.

3. The third part is where some who follow the ACTS model of prayer might insert Thanksgiving. But Nehemiah instead prays a Remembrance of God's promises in the past. He quotes Deuteronomy in verses 8-9 because he knows that God has a plan and that he will stick to it. We have the Bible at our disposal to use as an entire arsenal of prophecies and promises that we can invoke when we pray. So, ask God for a "life verse," or a promise or idea from the Bible that will remind you of his promise and his plans for your life. You can also choose Bible verses to stick in your pocket for a day or a week; this is a good biblical discipline.

4. The last part is Supplication, or petitioning God for things that you desire to see. The reason "asking for stuff" goes last is that often you will find that once you have worshiped, repented, and remembered promises, you forget what you wanted to pray for in the first place. Which is fine because God already knows. It's important to remember that God will always answer your prayer. The answer might be, "Yes." Great! But the answer might also be, "No." And then we get bummed out. Even worse, the answer might be, "Wait." God's timing is not in the least like ours. Waiting will build character and strengthen our faith. While it sucks to wait now, hindsight is 20/20 and we'll eventually get the bigger picture as long as we are patient.

Pastor Young also gave two small words of advice on prayer: The first to just Do It. The only way to become more faithful in prayer is to actually pray; just talking about it and feeling guilty about not doing it are useless. The second is to pick a place and a time for prayer. Put it in your schedule: every morning in your room at 9am for 30 minutes, for example, or every Saturday afternoon on a bench in the Rose Garden. Once you get used to the habit of praying, or associate a certain place (thesis carrel in McCabe?) and time (midnight?) with prayer, it will become easier to pray. It will become easier to talk with God. Isn't that great?


What did you get from Pastor Young's message that you can apply to your life? What points did I miss? What is something neat you've learned or experienced about prayer? Share your thoughts!