1 Samuel 12:19-25
“In prayer we are most ourselves; it is the one act in which we can, must, be totally ourselves. But it is also the act in which we move beyond ourselves.” (Eugene H. Peterson, Eat This Book, Loc. 1232)
The book of Psalms is an excellent example of being real and authentic in our prayers to God!
“Prayer ranges from ‘sighs too deep for words’ (Rom. 8:26) to petitions and thanksgivings composed in lyric poetry and stately prose to ‘psalms and hymns and spiritual songs’ (Col. 3:16) to the silence of a person present to God in attentive adoration (Ps. 62:1).” (Eugene H. Peterson, Eat This Book, Loc. 1185)
“I try to remove as many of the church words as I can, to talk to God in authentic language about authentic stuff and in the context of our authentic relationship.” (Regi Campbell, Mentor Like Jesus, Loc. 2055)
Prayerlessness in Scripture:
- Joshua, after a great victory didn’t ask God about the battle at Ai...
- Joshua devised his own plan in attacking Ai and did not seek the Lord until after he suffered a disastrous defeat.
(Joshua 7:2–5) Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water. (cf. Joshua 7:6-9)
- King Asa sought to physicians first (third king of Judah after the divided kingdom)...
(2 Chronicles 16:12) And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.
- King Ahaziah, turned to idols instead of God (eighth king of Israel after the divided kingdom)...
(2 Kings 1:1–6) Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.” 3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ 4 Now therefore, thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” So Elijah departed. 5 And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, “Why have you come back?” 6 So they said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you, and say to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”
(2 Kings 1:16) Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”
- Israel sought help from other nations rather than from God...
(Isaiah 30:1–2) “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin; 2 Who walk to go down to Egypt, And have not asked My advice, To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
(Isaiah 31:1) Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the Lord!
- Israel failed to seek the Lord in repentance...
(Daniel 9:13) “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.
(Isaiah 9:13) For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
(Jeremiah 5:3) O Lord, are not Your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, But they have not grieved; You have consumed them, But they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to return.
Jesus gave us His example of devoted prayer: Nine (9) times in the Gospel of Luke alone we have instances where Jesus is praying (Luke 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28; 11:1; 22:31, 41, 44; 24:30). We have recorded prayers of Jesus, both inarticulate (Mark 7:34; 8:12; John 11:13) and articulate prayers (Matthew 11:25; 26:39; 27:46; Luke 23:46; John 11:41; 12:27-28; 17:1-26).
Nobody ever prays too much, but it is a sin not to pray at all or as a means of manipulating God to get our own way with Him.
Why is prayerlessness a sin?
- Prayerlessness is a disservice to those around us. (1 Samuel 12:23; cf. James 5:14-16)
Samuel knew that it would be a disservice for him to fail in praying for the people, even though they had sinned.
It’s a great service to people when we remember them in our prayers! Think about the many prayers Paul prayed for others to whom he ministered.
Consider that Jesus prayed for us and the Holy Spirit prays with us.
Examples of praying for others: Matthew 5:44; 9:38; 17:21; 19:13; Mark 9:29; 11:17; Luke 6:28; 10:2; 22:32; John 14:16; 16:26; 17:9, 15, 20; Acts 8:15; 24; 9:40; 10:4; 12:5; 13:3; 20:36; 28:8; Romans 8:26; 10:1; etc.
Illus: A couple told the story of attending church in the south, as they watched an especially verbal and boisterous child being hurried out of the service by his father. No one in the congregation so much as raised an eyebrow -- until the child captured everyone's attention by crying out in a charming Southern accent, "Ya'll pray for me now!"
- Prayerlessness is negligence of a divine privilege. (Hebrews 4:14-16; 10:19-20)
The privilege of prayer came at great cost to the Savior Who died on Calvary. When the veil was rent in two He open an even greater access into God’s presence than previous saints had known.
- Prayerlessness is a hindrance to God sending revival.
While the 120 followers of Jesus awaited the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:14; 3:1) they were in an upper room praying. The result was that 3000 souls came to Christ on one day and from there the numbers multiplied. All great moves of God have come in response to the prayers of the saints of God.
- Prayerlessness is the reason we falter when tempted. (Luke 22:40; Matthew 6:13)
Jesus said to pray that we would not be tempted. Prayer doesn’t alleviate temptation, but it prepares you to meet it in the power of God. It helps to minimize temptation and failure.
It is because of the hasty and superficial conversation with God that the sense of sin is so weak and that no motives have power to help you to hate and flee from sin as you should. ~ A.W. Tozer
Prayer – secret, fervent, believing prayer – lies at the root of all personal godliness. ~ Williams Carey
- Prayerlessness is acting independently of God. (John 15:5)
The more we think we can handle things on our own the less time we will spend with God in prayer. When we pray we are expressing our utter dependence on Him.
- Prayerless is overt disobedience to scriptural commands. (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Luke 18:1; Matthew 6:6)
We are all commanded to pray and to do otherwise is disobedience to God. It’s the sin of prayerlessness!
- Prayerlessness is failure to value fellowship with your Father.
From the moment Adam partook of the forbidden fruit God began working out His pre-determined plan to restore mankind to a right relationship with Him so mankind could have fellowship with Him.
To spend little or no time with Him in prayer would be similar to spending no time with your spouse or children. Prayer is about two friends spending time together that moves them into an even closer relationship.
- Have you been praying?
- How much time did you spend talking to Him last week?
- Do you only call on Him when you are in trouble or there is a problem?
- How well do you know your Divine Friend?
Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees. ~ Corrie Ten Boom
Prayer is a foundational discipline of the Christian life apart from which you will always be weak spiritually.
If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for. ~ Charles H. Spurgeon
