Matthew 7-11 Prayer

Prayer is an essential to any kind of religious faith. Over the years and years of believing in a higher power,

11 Is there anyone among you who if your child asks for a fish, will give you a snake instead of a fish? (Luke 9:11). Alternatively Matthew asserts, “Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread will give a stone? (Matt 7:11). In the time of Jesus, the limestones were the same shape and color of bread. In Luke the serpent or eel resembled fish. In Jewish law the eel would be considered unclean and not fit for consumption. This passage stresses, “An earthly father will not give a son who begs of him something for sustenance (a fish or an egg) something similar-looking, but which is a possible source of evil to him” (Luke X 914). Just as an earthly father will protect their child, our Heavenly Father and His infinite wisdom will only answer prayers in an infinite way. He will give to them the extreme gift of the Holy Spirit from those that seek it.

As Christians we partake in rituals that consist of prayer, baptism, and the eucharist. Prayer is used on several occasions and for conveying distinct concepts. Prayer can be used as a way

From introductions to soulmates, communication is essential at all stages of a human relationship. In the same way, it is communication with God is a required part of our walk with him. It is easy to look at this aspect of the Christian life and view it as a chore. However, we should not view prayer as an obligation we need to fulfill, but as a blessing we are able to enjoy. While there is no correct way to pray, there are guidelines that can be followed to make your prayer life richer than it would be otherwise. These strategies can be found in Paul’s writings to the church at Ephesus and through the prayer method represented by the acronym ACTS.

The books of Matthew and 1 Corinthians are mainly focused around love and what that is supposed to look like through Christ. Starting with Matthew, it begins by walking us through the birth of Jesus and all of the events that took place during and after. It also talks about his baptism and specifically that John the baptist was who performed it. After everything about Jesus’ early life is introduced, it jumps straight into his preaching. Chapter four of Matthew is where it really begins to talk about Jesus’ work. Not only does it introduce us to his preaching styles, but it also quickly introduces Satin who seems to follow Jesus around for a while attempting to cause problems.

Christopher Raines, I appreciate your emphasis upon prayer. It is something I myself often emphasize while talking with others and think it is a critical aspect of the Christian’s life, both leader and follower. I often see posts on Facebook and hear people saying things like “I’ll pray for you” or “I’m praying”, and while I appreciate the sentiment it is often only that, a sentiment. Saying “I’ll pray for you” has, for many, become just a nice though, what they are really saying is “I’m thinking about you” but prayer is much more than sentiment.

W. Pink defines the design of prayer in his book, The Sovereignty of God, by saying, "Not that God's will may be altered, but that it may be accomplished in His own good time and way. It is because God has promised certain things, that we can ask for them with the full assurance of faith" (172). In prayer, Christians recognize the importance of how Christ is the sustainer and ruler of all things by fully depending on him. They show this submission by putting their faith and trust in Christ when they ask him for things. Many people in prayer, Christian or not, usually ask for safety throughout travels, for healing when a loved one or themselves are sick, for comfort through hard times, for wisdom and discernment in making a decision, etc. What people do not realize is that they are simply proving the very fact that Christ is completely sovereign and in control of everything when they ask him to keep them safe, or to heal them or their loved one, or to comfort them when they are going through a trial, or to give them the wisdom in making any decision. By stating and asking those things, they are unknowingly acknowledging He is in control of every single one of those

“Prayer is essential in the Christian's life. Without it efforts to witness will be far less effective, and will be far more vulnerable to the enemy. When witnessing, the support of the Lord is needed. Fellowship with the Lord is required for evangelism to be successful. Prayer makes this all possible.” (Slick 2015)

When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him (Matthew 5:7, NLT). In Matthew 5:9:15 He gives us the model prayer: • Our Father-we pray to the Father • Hollowed be thou name-worship • Your kingdom come-praying that His kingdom be established, and that His will be done on the earth as it is in heaven.

Prayer is our way as Christians to communicate with God, whether it is from thanking Him for all the blessing He gives us, to asking for a prayer request, to just talking to Him about how our day is going, all are ways to talk to God. In the movie the War Room, Elizabeth was a Christian, but didn’t take time to pray. But through the guidance of Clara, she was encouraged to take time and pray. One of her problems in Elizabeth’s marriage was communication and patience,

For Judaism, the word “pray” means “divine” and emphasizes the One to whom prayer is director. With Jewish, prayer is an integral part of everyday life. One of the purposes of prayer is to increase their awareness of God in their life, and the role that God plays in their life. The most important part of any Jewish prayer is the introspection it provides, the moment that they spend looking inside ourselves, seeing their role in the universe and their relationship to God. For Islam, the main purpose of prayer is to lead one to do good, to refrain from evil and to behave better towards others.

Matthew 6.25-34 is the passage called “Do Not Worry.” This passage is a part of the Sermon on the Mount. The passage is telling believers to not worry about the physical necessities of life because God will grant the necessities to those who reject any distractions. Do Not Worry is significant due to its message that it brings. Matthew wanted listeners to know that with God, the earthly treasures of the world are worthless.

First, Miller’s incitement that we must learn to pray as a child is profoundly encouraging as it brings prayer to common ground, making it simple to grasp. Most of us can relate to how we interact and talk with our fathers (or some father figure). We can remember asking for help, crying out in desperation, saying thank you for good gifts, etc. Miller’s encouragement reminds me of Psalms 131: “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother [italics added]; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me. Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore.” Sometimes we can get so hung up praying “theological”

This essay will look at Luke 7:11-17 the retelling of when Jesus Christ raised the child of a widowed woman, and 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 a section of the Pauline letter to the church at Corinth where he is trying to address in this section the issue of the division of Corinth.

Having been a Christian for many years I thought that I had a fair knowledge of what it meant to pray. I was amazed and humbled by the idea that through Jesus’ restorative act on the cross I am able to come into God’s presence - and not only come but be welcomed and even longed for. I believed that prayer is a powerful tool to petition God , a vehicle to praise Him , and an instrument to increase our intimacy with Him . I understood that people pray in a variety of ways, based on the teaching they have received, their experience, and even their personality. Most commonly, I engaged in prayer as a conversation with God.