Prodigal Prayers
This past Sunday our pastor preached a sermon on the passage of the prodigal son, which he entitled The Prodigal Sons (notice the ‘s’). The sermon referenced the actions of both sons: The son who took his inheritance and left, eventually returning, and the son which stayed with the father, as recorded in Luke 15, notably in verses 11-32.
Today I wanted to give emphasis on the Prodigal Prayers we most often pray as Christians, compared to the Righteous Prayers we should consider more worthy to be offered.
The prodigal prayer goes as follows: “Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.”
Now, what portion of goods did this son mean? Was it not the inheritance in which he would receive upon his father’s death? Therefore, his selfish desires pushed all wisdom aside, giving over to the “I want my way now” attitude, caring not for the wishes of his father.
How often do we, as Christians, selfishly pray and demand that God do that which we voice to Him in prayer? How often are our prayers filled with what we want done, and seldom about the will of God?
It is not necessarily wrong to pray asking God to heal the sick, to help others, and to help us with wisdom in our emotional, physical, financial, and spiritual needs. We just need to realize that we easily become selfish in our prayers by asking all these things of God, never considering His will, not realizing we have taken the glory from God and given it to what we would like to have done.
Scripture declares: “seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Therefore, we must adhere to the fact that we must first seek the will of God over our own wills concerning our prayer life. Remember Romans 8:28, and recall we are to adhere to the Spirit in prayer, for we know not what to pray for.
Recount the son’s prayer “when he came to himself”: “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”
Here we see a couple of things:
1. Confesses he is a sinner and has sinned.
2. Repents by turning from his wicked ways, and returning to that which is right.
3. Requests to be made as a servant, one who is obedient and cares for the will of their master (father) over their own will.
4. Faith exercised in knowing his father had the power and would do so.
Consider your prayer life, and ponder if by chance it is full of merely Prodigal Prayers.
Today I wanted to give emphasis on the Prodigal Prayers we most often pray as Christians, compared to the Righteous Prayers we should consider more worthy to be offered.
The prodigal prayer goes as follows: “Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.”
Now, what portion of goods did this son mean? Was it not the inheritance in which he would receive upon his father’s death? Therefore, his selfish desires pushed all wisdom aside, giving over to the “I want my way now” attitude, caring not for the wishes of his father.
How often do we, as Christians, selfishly pray and demand that God do that which we voice to Him in prayer? How often are our prayers filled with what we want done, and seldom about the will of God?
It is not necessarily wrong to pray asking God to heal the sick, to help others, and to help us with wisdom in our emotional, physical, financial, and spiritual needs. We just need to realize that we easily become selfish in our prayers by asking all these things of God, never considering His will, not realizing we have taken the glory from God and given it to what we would like to have done.
Scripture declares: “seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Therefore, we must adhere to the fact that we must first seek the will of God over our own wills concerning our prayer life. Remember Romans 8:28, and recall we are to adhere to the Spirit in prayer, for we know not what to pray for.
Recount the son’s prayer “when he came to himself”: “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”
Here we see a couple of things:
1. Confesses he is a sinner and has sinned.
2. Repents by turning from his wicked ways, and returning to that which is right.
3. Requests to be made as a servant, one who is obedient and cares for the will of their master (father) over their own will.
4. Faith exercised in knowing his father had the power and would do so.
Consider your prayer life, and ponder if by chance it is full of merely Prodigal Prayers.
1 comment:
"Requests to be made as a servant, one who is obedient and cares for the will of their master (father) over their own will."
A Man who is intellectually free should never be subjected to the mental shackles of an opulent, disgusting, imaginary deity.
The will of the master? Slavery has long been consigned to the history books, Tim. Wake up and smell the damn bloody coffee.
Beast
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