prayer – Somerset Church of Christ

May 19, 2025

Ask and it will be given

Jesus preached a lengthy sermon to a large crowd, famously named “the sermon on the mount.” As the people gathered, he began preaching and, while we have a portion of it recorded, he likely preached for hours. When he discussed the topic of prayer, he said, “ASk, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7 ESV). He reinforced this by saying, “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and the one who knocks it will be opened” (vs. 8).

Remember that his audience was not made up of affluent people. The crowds who followed Jesus were often poor, hungry, diseased, and were outcasts. More than likely lots of his followers had prayed in faith but still lacked food, clothing, shelter, and health. We know this because many times Jesus attributed healing to their great faith. An important theme that is directly tied to prayer is “never give up.” Persistent prayer is vital for people of faith.

In fact, Jesus told a parable of the widow who kept begging the unjust judge for justice. Eventually he relented. Jesus’ point was this: “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?” (Luke 18:7). Jesus said that God will “give justice to them speedily.” Jesus set the example for us by praying day and night. He often withdrew to lonely places to pray. Prayer was a discipline–part of his daily spiritual diet.

September 18, 2024

God Can Do Far More Than We Ask

close up shot of a bearded man in black knitted sweater praying

One of the cornerstones of our faith is prayer. Paul told the Ephesians not to lose heart over what he was suffering for them, which was to their glory. He continued, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. . .” (Ephesians 3:14, 15 ESV). Paul is fervently praying that the Ephesians would be strengthened in their inner being so that they can fully comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge.

What he says next ought to make us all pay close attention! “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think. . . ” (vs. 20). God is able to do far more abundantly than anything we could ever ask him, or even think of! That’s pretty incredible. So often we limit our potential because we pray small. Or we think small. God will not just automatically give to us for no reason. God listens to the righteous. He expects a lot from us.

As James says, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). It is always good for us to make it a discipline to pray, pray for others, pray often, and pray big!! The bigger we pray the better. The Bible has plenty of examples of righteous people who were not afraid to pray very big. And we need to do that, too, for the sake of God’s kingdom.

March 6, 2024

When payer goes unanswered

Imagine if we were given everything that we ever asked for in this life. What would happen if we were literally given everything that we wanted? It probably wouldn’t take long for there to be global chaos. Our theme this year is straining toward the goal. One of the reasons we have to strain is because we are often denied and we lose a lot. If we count the losses in our life we quickly realize that life if full of losses. We lose health, loved ones, wealth, and so on.

But what happens when our prayers go unanswered? David experienced unanswered prayer. When Bathsheba gave birth to her and David’s first child, the Lord afflicted the child. “David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground” (2 Samuel 12:16 ESV). For seven days David prayed and fasted but “on the seventh day the child died” (vs. 18). David’s servants were afraid to break the news to him. Imagine praying all day, every day for a solid week. Imagine praying that your child gets better and then he dies.

David suspected that the child died and he asked the servants. They confirmed that the boy died. “Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped” (vs. 20). It certainly wasn’t easy to worship. I doubt David was jumping for joy. But he loved God regardless and worshiped even when his prayer was not answered. Of course we know that David’s live was blessed but it was not an easy path. David would face many very difficult years after this.

June 1, 2023

Ask With Proper Motives

James warns against worldliness. He says that passions wage war within us. He says, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so your fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2 ESV). He also says that when we do ask we don’t receive because of poor motives: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (vs. 3).

The opposite is true, though. We will receive if we ask with proper motives. James says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (vs. 6). When we humble ourselves and ask with proper motives, God will grant it to us. God wants us to be able to help others. He wants us to have abundance so that we can provide for the needs of others.

If we humble ourselves, distance ourselves from worldly desires, and genuinely want to help others God will provide for our needs and grant us what we ask of him. God’s will is that people be taken care of and ultimately be saved. When we work to this end, God blesses abundantly.

March 8, 2023

The Humble Prayer

Our theme this year is God First. This quarter’s focus is on God and you. As children of God, we can’t talk about our relationship with God without focusing on prayer. Prayer is vital to our faith, spiritual health, and for building our relationship with God. Without prayer, we have no communication with God. Jesus showed the importance of prayer in the garden when he said to Peter, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41 ESV).

When God established the Temple as his house, he told Solomon that he will tune his ear to the people who humbly pray and seek his face: “. . . if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). God promises that “Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place” (vs. 15).

Over and over God is calling his people to repent, pray, and seek him. God always says that he heals them when they seek and pray. A case-in-point is when Hezekiah prayed for the Israelites when they repented but celebrated the Passover in a way that was not commanded. Hezekiah poured over the people in prayer “And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people” (2 Chronicles 30:20).

September 21, 2022

Mount Up With Wings Like Eagles

Isaiah wrote during a very dark time in Israel’s history. As an 8th Century prophet, he witnessed the Assyrian invasion of the North in 722 B.C. These were troubling times for Israel, with a host of deaths, wars, and immorality. It seemed like the fires that were burning all over Israel had fuel dumped on each one, exasperating an already terrible problem of idolatry and oppression.

But God’s message in Isaiah 40 was one of comfort for the few who remained faithful. Isaiah begins his message to Jerusalem: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins” (Isaiah 40:1-2 ESV).

God’s message is clear: those who need comforted will receive comfort and hose who are weary will be strengthened. “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (vs. 31). God saw the exhaustion on the people who were sorrowful from all the destruction. They were waiting for God to intervene and do something. No doubt, many people lost family members to war.

God is the same God he was yesterday. If we are weary, God will comfort and give strength.

September 14, 2022

The “Black Eye” Widow

brown wooden gavel on brown wooden table

Jesus gives us a parable in Luke 18 of the persistent widow. In this story, a widow comes to a judge and is pleading for help. The judge did not fear God nor did he respect man. But the widow didn’t give up. Day after day, she came to him, saying, “Give me justice against my adversary.” For a while the judge would not entertain her request.

After a while, though, he said to himself, “Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming” (Luke 18:4, 5 ESV). The word choice here is interesting. She keeps “bothering” the judge. The word used here means to wear one out by overworking them. Then he says he doesn’t want her to “beat me down” by her continual coming. The word here literally means to give someone a black eye. It was an idiom used for someone who was relentless.

The incredible thing is that Jesus is using this widow as an example of how TO pray! “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?” (vs. 7). Jesus is telling his followers to be like the “Black Eye Widow,” to keep coming to God over and over again. We shouldn’t be afraid to be bold and persistent in our prayers!