Passion And Prayer

Hey this is Mike Swick from if not for God podcast our show stories of hopelessness turned and I hope your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just seconds.

Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network encouraging prayer, God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything encouraging prayer Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling and many other books on prayer provides weekly biblical insight help you learn to mom and now always we hone in on coming week before Good Friday, I guess it's only two weeks away. It's time we think about all. Jesus did and going to the cross for us and because of that. James you want to talk about passion and prayer. That's right, and I will start with that moment of Jesus putting in the Garden of good family. Think of how passionately he prayed there the gospel of Luke tells us that while he was praying Jesus literally sweat drops of blood that the medical phenomenon called human to process and occurs under extreme physical or emotional stress. You know I think of how alone. Jesus was in those moments on the Matthew tells us how he fell to the ground when he prayed, and how he told his disciples to watch and pray with him twice and he comes back and checks on them twice in their sleep since he really see the contrast between Jesus passion in prayer and what the disciples are to yes you do you know have been thinking about that because that's convicting and that's why wanted to talk about it because when I look at what the Bible teaches us about prayer and especially the way Jesus prayed. I see how much we need to to give ourselves to this and pray with passion and when you and I were talking about this earlier you said it's not about emotion it's about devotion. Explain what you mean what you know emotion is absolutely vital when we pray, but it's it's not the real heart measure of our prayers. If you will, we can get ourselves all worked up emotionally and still have our hearts are far from God. You know be insisting on my will be done. For example, report devoted to be consistent in our praying in in our relationship with God is good to be more that I will be gone in and so were devoted like that emotion will certainly come because when the spirit moves in your heart you, you find yourself moving your motions as well. But again, devotion is the starting point and your Shirley see that in Jesus per yeah you do you see this consistency in prayer.

Jesus often withdraws to pray alone. He prayed all night. Sometimes he prays with others teachers on prayer again and again on persisting in it. In Hebrews 57 tells us how he prayed. It says he offered up prayers and petitions with vertebrate cries and tears. So there's Jesus you know, praying with emotion again that work for petitions there in the Greek is actually related to the work for all of branch which is kinda cool.

So you know you see Jesus so often he's he's praying for us and what he's doing is is he's holding out and all of perhaps four way brace while that's beautiful because he is the way we find peace with God, yes. And you know it when we go to him in prayer. He gives us his peace. And unlike any other place. James you made a discovery. This past week that really encouraged you to pray more to share with us absolutely. I spent a year during my doctoral studies focused on the great British preacher Charles Spurgeon and his particular take on prayer because man he was passionate about it. I especially studied his emphasis on on United prayer, but II was reading a quote from another author, a Puritan who lived two centuries before Spurgeon. I thought the more I read this book from the sky.

Wait a minute, this sounds familiar, and sure enough, I researched it more and I discovered it was one of Spurgeon's favorite teachers on prayer in his name was Thomas Brooks and he has all these amazing quotes on on cold prayers versus warm prayers. It's okay James you set up the football and that I now take it with her from the clerk cold. Prayers are like arrows without wing they pierce not pickup, not flying out of heaven. Such prayers have no heavenly fire in them fervent prayers fly as high as heaven, and will certainly bring down blessing cold prayers speak of a denial such prayers never win upon the heart of God that do not first warm our own hearts lazy prayers never procure noble answer machine as I read that it makes me think of the answers to prayer that we don't see because we don't push hard enough. My signature means makes me think of how we could be tempted to make prayer this cozy thing. I mean, you get a cup of coffee you settle down in a comfortable chair. You put on low praise music. Have you ever felt like that that can be a little too comfortable, you know I like to pray that way sometimes I get convicted sometimes are not always but it's an interesting observation and it it raises a real important distinction and we we don't want to be legalistic that there's nothing wrong with playing like a spring like that is as long as what were really doing is giving ourselves to God. When we pray and ask ourselves being hard on myself when I'm praying, if you really praying to be times where you get out of that chair you get on your knees you turn off the music and you just cry out to God, you know, however, we pray, we need to pray with passion because it's how Jesus prayed and into do that sometimes we need to get rid of the distractions, even though it hurts makes me think of that old person says it hurts to get down on my knees but I'm gonna do it anyhow because God deserves it for him to pray with passion. Sometimes it's, cost of something. Thank you for this topic today. James, especially the season is challenging and helpful, and so could you closes I would. I will better pray with that but let's pray father thank you thank you that because of Jesus we can come boldly before the throne of grace. Thank you that you have given us these amazing promises.

Thank you for this privilege. Father forgive us for those times when we just make it.

Is this comfortable thing. Help us Lord to rise up to call on you to cry out to you to pray more like our Savior, we praise you Lord as we do, we will see you move in ways we never have before because you are faithful thank you Lord for showing us how to pray in Jesus name I hear more from Pastor James by visiting the website James Banks.org or by visiting these church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you to pray. This is the Truth Network