Sermonettes by Kathryn - How the Scripture Encourages us to Pray

My great-grandmother was an amazing woman of faith. SHe was also a minister and for many years wrote short sermons for her ladies group. I have decided to randomly pick one and type it as often as I can. THey will encourage and inspire greatness in the Lord.

Jeremiah 33:1-3 1 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name; 3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

I’m going to talk on, “How the scripture encourages us to pray.”__

The words in this scripture were spoken to Jeremiah while he was in prison, and they are just as real for anyone today.

This was the second time that the Lord had spoken to the prophet Jeremiah while he was in the dungeon. God never leaves His people because they are being persecuted by the world, nor even when they are put in prison.

Jeremiah was encouraged in a three-fold manner.

First- to continue in prayer. In verse 3, He said, “Call unto me.” He is saying, “Pray, though you have already prayed.”

In Chapter 32, verses 16 & 17: (16) Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying, 17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

Pray through you are still in prison after prayer. If deliverance is slow in coming, pray the more earnestly.

Pray because the word of the Lord commands us to pray. And pray because the Holy Ghost moves us to prayer and gives us confidence.

Second, We are to expect answers to prayer for the next thing. He said in Vs. 3, I will answer thee and show thee. __ The Lord will answer us because He has told us to pray, and that He would answer. And I know that His word is true. He cannot lie or deny himself.

Third - He tells us to expect great things in answers to prayer.

Reading part of Ch 32 vs 18 and 19 we can see some of the great things that we can look for. They say, 18 Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name, 19 Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:

This verse says, Great in councel. Isn’t it wonderful to know that He is our counselor; to know that we can go to him when we need counseling?

You remember in Isaiah 9:6 it says, For unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon His shoulders: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mightly God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

And in Ch 33, vs 6 He says, 6 Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.

In verse 7 He promises liberation from captivity. It says,7 And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. And in vs 8 He promises forgiveness of iniquity. It says, 8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.

Someone might say, But he was saying all that to Israel in the Old Testament, but we are told in I Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

And the word also tells us in Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. And so it would appear that if true prayer with faith is not answered the nature of God must have changed. But know that in Malachi 3:6 He says, For I am the Lord, I change not.

There are so many promises in His word concerning prayer. Matthew 21:22 says, And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing _(you notice it says, believing) ye shall receive._

John 5:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

And to have his words abiding in me means that I know the promises of that word and that I’m standing on them.

I John 3:22 says, And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

And Luke 18:1 says, And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

And we all knmow that little verse in I Thess 5:17 which says, Pray without ceasing.

We all know as has been pointed out to us that we are not expected to stay on our knees all the time; that we are to live a prayer. And to me it also means that we never stop having our times of prayer; that we never get so out of touch with God that we can’t call upon Him in any instant and know that he hears us (Babs).

Isn’t it wonderful to be able to call upon his name and know that He is right there to answer in an instant if necessary.

I’m glad that we as children of God don’t wait for a World Day of Prayer to pray, but we pray every day, and know that he hears us.

Kathryn I.