Luke 11:1 – “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

It’s an honor to have the opportunity to speak to you and the people at MDT Church. It’s an honor to speak to other preachers and singers. It’s an honor to sing, to worship and praise. But what an honor it is to be able to talk and listen to God!

Don’t ever allow your prayer life to be hindered by the fear of not saying the right words or not speaking in beautiful sentences to the Lord. He’s not concerned about that. You don’t have to know Greek or Hebrew or any fancy religious sayings, you can pray in “hillbilly.” God just wants you.

The prayer following Luke 11:1 is a recipe of how to pray.

Luke 11:2. “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name…”

We shouldn’t always start our prayers off with our needs. “God, my light bill is due. God, my stomach hurts.” We are approaching the King of all kings. We shouldn’t just burst in His presence asking for a blessing. Instead, we should come with a praise on our lips, telling Him that He’s holy and righteous. This first step in praying is praise to the Almighty! It’s an honor to have an opportunity to speak with God.

Luke 11:2. “…Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.”

Pray about things, but seek for God’s Kingdom first. God’s will, God’s Kingdom is first and everything else comes second. Make it known that you don’t want to pray anything that’s out of God’s will. Let God know that you don’t want anything that will take your time from Him and turn your heart away from Him. Ask Him for His will to be accomplished in your life.

Luke 11:3. “Give us day by day our daily bread.”

When the children of Israel were in the wilderness. I pondered why God didn’t give them enough Manna to last a whole month. I think I’ve found the answer. He wanted them to spend more time with Him. He wanted them to draw nigh to Him everyday.

Luke 11:4. “And forgive us our sins: for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”

If someone has a past with drugs, then they should pray that nothing and no one would get around them and tempt them to turn back to drugs. If a person was a fighter, they need to pray to not get around people that will stir up their anger.

Matthew 6:13. “…For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

Then Jesus goes into a parable of someone coming to a friend at midnight and asking for loaves of bread. That friend tells them to leave him alone.

Luke 11:8. “I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.”

God’s silence doesn’t mean “no.”

Can you think of anything you’ve been praying about where God has been silent when you speak of it to Him? If you’ve been seeking Him for a long time, His silence might not mean “no.”

Waiting on God will reveal our true motives. Waiting has a way of bringing the best or the worst out of people. Waiting on God will transform our character. It has a way of rubbing off the rough edges in our life. Waiting builds intimacy and dependence on God. One of the reasons we get to read about great people in the Bible is because they knew their success hinged on their dependence upon God.

God is just as interested in the journey as He is the destiny.

Psalms 27:14. Exodus 24:18. Millions of people are standing at the foot of the mountain, wanting an answer right then. Exodus 32:1. They got tired of waiting and became willing to worship a strange god.

But God’s silence doesn’t mean “no.”

I made some brownies for me and My Shelia a few days ago. She was so excited for those brownies that she came to me every few minutes when they were getting close to done and asked, “Are they ready yet?” I would say, “Not yet.”

I was not saying “no.” I was telling her she had to wait. When we ask God for something and He’s silent, sometimes, He’s saying “wait.” There are certain things you need to go pray about again. God didn’t say “no” to them. If you quit praying, you’ll never get the answer.

We don’t have to pray fancy words. God will come to us if we just long for Him and seek Him. If we pray, He will listen and Heaven will stand in attention! Lamentations 3:5.

When you are waiting for something, you continually go back to where it’s going to come from. When we are waiting and wanting something from God, then we spend time with Him in prayer. Maybe He makes us wait longer, because He wants to spend more time with us! Why not pray for just a desire to be around the Lord? Why not pray to just want the Lord? We should enjoy being around the Lord!

What is the Lord to you? Is he a scary Judge that demands attention and calls out your verdict? Or have you known Him as the everlasting Father? God shouldn’t be some judge that we dread and are afraid of. Wherever you are in your relationship with God, ask Him for a new level. Let Him know you want Him to be your friend and you want to be His friend. Let Him know you want to know Him as your Shepherd.

If we can know God in different areas, such as Savior, Friend, and Shepherd, it can change our prayer life! God wants a relationship with you. He loves you and wants to be close to you.

Keep on praying! Whatever it is that God is saying “wait” on, just keep going back to Him. His silence doesn’t mean “no,” He might just want to spend a little more time with you! He may be telling you to wait so no one else can take the credit for His work.

You can find time after time in the Bible where God promised someone something and they had to wait. Abraham. Joseph. But God’s silence in those times, didn’t mean “no.”

Friend, He’s waiting on you right now to come to Him and spend some time with Him. Why not worship Him a bit and tell Him you love Him? Why not come to Him again with your need? He’s listening.

Pastor Anthony Wynn