Devoted To Prayer

The local church is to be devoted to prayer as an outworking of our love for God, an expression of our love for others, and an act of dependence on God. This sermon briefly reflects on why the church is to be devoted to prayer and then explores how the church can be devoted to prayer.

Tyler’s Main Points

  • 3 reasons for the church to be devoted to prayer:
    1) God tells the church to pray because prayer is for our good.
    2) The church must be devoted to prayer because the needs are great.
    3) The church must be devoted to prayer because we depend on God to meet these needs.

  • Tyler’s 10 helps to be more devoted to prayer:
    1) Devote yourself to prayer.
    2) Simply pray.
    3) Pray spontaneously.
    4) Pray with a schedule.
    5) Pray with others.
    6) Pray in solitude.
    7) Pray the Bible.
    8) Pray with the aid of prayer books.
    9) Pray from a list.
    10) Pray in response to answered prayer.

Tyler’s 5 Key Texts

  • Acts 1:14
  • Acts 2:42
  • Acts 6:4
  • Romans 12:10-13
  • Colossians 4:2-4

Key Takeaways

  • Prayer is an outworking of our love for God and expression of our love for others. Love is not only spelled T-I-M-E, but P-R-A-Y.

  • Prayer is the Christian’s way to communicate to God— the human soul directly addressing God and speaking to the one who created it.

  • Prayer is the Christian’s conscious choice to draw near to God, where there is fullness of joy.

  • We know there is a need for the expansion of God’s kingdom, a need for salvation, and spiritual growth in us and all around us. The onslaught of various anxieties, the allure of false saviors, and tragedies and trials of many kinds are all opportunities to draw near to God in prayer.

  • We must constantly remind ourselves that God can do more in 5 seconds than we can do in 50 years by our own strength and wisdom.

  • Discipline is a conduit to delight. We must make a conscious decision to be intentional and disciplined in our prayer life.

  • Don’t quench your God-given, Spirit-inspired desire to pray as a born-again Christian.

  • Tyler suggests praying spontaneously whenever a need or request arises, when you’re worried or anxious, when someone confesses sin, and when your heart is stirred in delight for God.

  • On Sundays, Tyler invites the church to pray for God accomplish His purposes when the church gathers, for the church to understand God’s Word that is about to be proclaimed, for God to empower us to respond in faithfulness to the preached Word, and for God to empower His church to know Him and love Him more throughout the week.

  • Tyler recommends the aid of prayer books such as Every Moment Holy Vols. 1 & 2 and The Valley of Vision.

  • Let others know you are praying for them and what you are praying for them!

Discussion Questions/Application

Personal application:

  • Which of Tyler’s suggestions will you purposefully implement this week? Pray!

  • Spend time praying as led by the following prompts:

    God, I praise you for…
    God, I thank you for…
    God, will you help me…

Discuss with your community group:

  • Discuss your current prayer lives — What is holding you back from being more devoted to prayer? What most helps you pray consistently and sincerely? How can you encourage one another in this area?

  • Take time to intentionally pray for one another this week (requests, worries, confessions, delights etc.).

Additional Passages Referenced

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalm 16:11; Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:14-21; Romans 8:15; Philippians 4:6-7; James 5:16; Daniel 6:10; Mark 1:35.