Prayer Is for Real!
Worship
Bright Intervals
40 Brief Worship Services and Meditations for Any Occasion
Object:
Greeting and Call To Worship
Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, we who are so often heavy laden come into your presence this day. Grant us rest for our weariness, forgiveness for our sin, and strength for all we must face in life. We pray in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"Sweet Hour Of Prayer"
The words to this wonderful old hymn were written by an English lay person who owned a small trinket shop in Coleshill, England. William Walford often served as a lay preacher in many of the churches in that area. One day in 1842, a friend stopped in his shop and Walford asked him to write down a poem he had just completed in his mind, titled "Sweet Hour Of Prayer." The reason Walford asked his friend to write down the words was that he himself was blind. Walford was a person who knew firsthand the power of prayer.
Scripture Reading
Matthew 6:5-13
Meditation
Prayer is probably the most talked about and least practiced subject in the Christian church today. Do you recall the story of the old man out in a rowboat who got caught in a terrible storm? The waves washed away first one oar, and then another. As his little boat filled with water, the man lifted his eyes to heaven and said, "O Lord, I haven't bothered you in the last 25 years. Get me out of this mess, and I won't bother you for 25 more!"
Like that old man in the boat, many of us only pray in dire emergencies. Yet we talk about prayer all the time. There are study groups on prayer, sermons on prayer, prayer meetings, and prayer vigils, but in spite of all our talk, prayer is a very underutilized part of our spiritual lives. One thing is for certain, however. Prayer is for real! Why else did Jesus' disciples want to know more about prayer, except they saw what happened to their Lord every time he prayed?
For many of us, our biggest frustration with prayer is that it seems as if a lot of our prayers go unanswered. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus reminds us that selfish prayers seldom get answered. There was a little girl who decided to skip her bedtime prayers. When asked why, she said simply, "There are some nights when I do not need a single thing!" God answers our prayers in one of four ways: "Yes," "No," "Wait," or "Have I got a surprise for you!" But we will hear the "No" answer most often until we get ourselves off center stage and realize that prayer is about doing God's will, not our own.
Here is a little verse that speaks to our selfish prayers:
You cannot pray the Lord's Prayer and even once say "I."
You cannot pray the Lord's Prayer and even once say "My."
Nor can you pray the Lord's Prayer and not pray for one another,
And when you ask for daily bread, you must include your brother.
For others are included ... in each and every plea,
From the beginning to the end of it, it does not once say "Me."
The real lesson about prayer that Jesus taught his disciples was the importance of trusting God. All of our prayers should contain two important phrases: (1) In Jesus' name -- meaning, is what I am asking pleasing to our Lord? and (2) Not my will but thine be done. The Catechism of the United Church of Canada says this about prayer:
Prayer is laying our lives open to God ... casting ourselves on the mercy of God ... telling God the desires of our hearts ... and accepting God's way in our lives.
Prayer is for real, but the secret of its power lies in the surrender of our wills to the Living God. In the twelve-step program used by Alcoholics Anonymous, the most fundamental step is this: "We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God..."
Closing Prayer
O God, we thank you for the gift of prayer. Forgive us for focusing so much on our own needs, and not turning our hearts fully over to you. Teach us the wonder and the power of time spent in prayer with you each day. May we discover as did the disciples of old that prayer is for real. Amen.
Benediction
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you, both now and forevermore. Amen.
Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, we who are so often heavy laden come into your presence this day. Grant us rest for our weariness, forgiveness for our sin, and strength for all we must face in life. We pray in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"Sweet Hour Of Prayer"
The words to this wonderful old hymn were written by an English lay person who owned a small trinket shop in Coleshill, England. William Walford often served as a lay preacher in many of the churches in that area. One day in 1842, a friend stopped in his shop and Walford asked him to write down a poem he had just completed in his mind, titled "Sweet Hour Of Prayer." The reason Walford asked his friend to write down the words was that he himself was blind. Walford was a person who knew firsthand the power of prayer.
Scripture Reading
Matthew 6:5-13
Meditation
Prayer is probably the most talked about and least practiced subject in the Christian church today. Do you recall the story of the old man out in a rowboat who got caught in a terrible storm? The waves washed away first one oar, and then another. As his little boat filled with water, the man lifted his eyes to heaven and said, "O Lord, I haven't bothered you in the last 25 years. Get me out of this mess, and I won't bother you for 25 more!"
Like that old man in the boat, many of us only pray in dire emergencies. Yet we talk about prayer all the time. There are study groups on prayer, sermons on prayer, prayer meetings, and prayer vigils, but in spite of all our talk, prayer is a very underutilized part of our spiritual lives. One thing is for certain, however. Prayer is for real! Why else did Jesus' disciples want to know more about prayer, except they saw what happened to their Lord every time he prayed?
For many of us, our biggest frustration with prayer is that it seems as if a lot of our prayers go unanswered. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus reminds us that selfish prayers seldom get answered. There was a little girl who decided to skip her bedtime prayers. When asked why, she said simply, "There are some nights when I do not need a single thing!" God answers our prayers in one of four ways: "Yes," "No," "Wait," or "Have I got a surprise for you!" But we will hear the "No" answer most often until we get ourselves off center stage and realize that prayer is about doing God's will, not our own.
Here is a little verse that speaks to our selfish prayers:
You cannot pray the Lord's Prayer and even once say "I."
You cannot pray the Lord's Prayer and even once say "My."
Nor can you pray the Lord's Prayer and not pray for one another,
And when you ask for daily bread, you must include your brother.
For others are included ... in each and every plea,
From the beginning to the end of it, it does not once say "Me."
The real lesson about prayer that Jesus taught his disciples was the importance of trusting God. All of our prayers should contain two important phrases: (1) In Jesus' name -- meaning, is what I am asking pleasing to our Lord? and (2) Not my will but thine be done. The Catechism of the United Church of Canada says this about prayer:
Prayer is laying our lives open to God ... casting ourselves on the mercy of God ... telling God the desires of our hearts ... and accepting God's way in our lives.
Prayer is for real, but the secret of its power lies in the surrender of our wills to the Living God. In the twelve-step program used by Alcoholics Anonymous, the most fundamental step is this: "We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God..."
Closing Prayer
O God, we thank you for the gift of prayer. Forgive us for focusing so much on our own needs, and not turning our hearts fully over to you. Teach us the wonder and the power of time spent in prayer with you each day. May we discover as did the disciples of old that prayer is for real. Amen.
Benediction
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you, both now and forevermore. Amen.
