Three Motivations to Pray

00:00:00.000 | Why should we invest the time and energy it takes to pray?

00:00:08.820 | This was a question taken up by John Piper in his sermon, "Pray Like This, Hallowed Be

00:00:13.180 | Your Name," which he preached on December 30th, 2007.

00:00:17.100 | Here's what Pastor John said.

00:00:19.060 | Number one, because we're told to so many times, over and over and over again.

00:00:26.580 | Here's a few.

00:00:27.580 | James 5.16, this is God telling us to pray.

00:00:30.540 | Pray for one another that you may be healed.

00:00:32.780 | How many sicknesses are there in the church because they don't pray for each other, that

00:00:38.020 | God would be willing to heal?

00:00:40.820 | First Thessalonians 5.17, pray without ceasing.

00:00:45.180 | Luke 22.40, pray that you may not enter into temptation, that you may not enter into temptation.

00:00:51.980 | Luke 18.1, he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose

00:00:57.380 | heart.

00:00:58.380 | Luke 6.28, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

00:01:03.620 | You're in a rotten situation, getting ripped off, being lied about, pray, pray, pray for

00:01:08.540 | them.

00:01:09.900 | Matthew 6.9, pray like this, our Father in heaven.

00:01:14.100 | That's number one.

00:01:15.100 | We pray because dozens of times in the Bible we're told to pray and God loves us.

00:01:21.060 | He wouldn't tell us to do something that's bad for us.

00:01:24.420 | It's good for us.

00:01:26.500 | Number two, we pray because it is a means to the increase of our joy.

00:01:34.060 | Now, you might think, well, that's what we expect you to say, but you expect me to say

00:01:40.020 | it because I'm a Christian hedonist.

00:01:42.500 | But the case is, I'm a Christian hedonist because of texts like this that blew me away

00:01:47.140 | 35 years ago.

00:01:49.460 | John 16.24, "Until now," Jesus said, "you have asked nothing in my name.

00:01:57.820 | Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full."

00:02:02.420 | Ask, ask, because in coming to me as a needy person and depending upon me for everything

00:02:13.900 | you need, your joy will be fuller than if you try to get that need met another way.

00:02:22.900 | He wants you happy in him and he says, "Ask and your joy will be full."

00:02:33.420 | Number three, because it is simply a staggeringly awesome privilege.

00:02:44.620 | It is simply a staggeringly awesome privilege.

00:02:48.420 | Now you've got to think of this.

00:02:50.620 | We just must be blown away by this.

00:02:56.300 | God runs the world with infinite wisdom.

00:03:02.140 | You and I never inform him of anything he doesn't already know.

00:03:09.300 | We never add to his wisdom, ever.

00:03:14.420 | When we pray, we do not improve upon his knowledge about what he should do next.

00:03:22.180 | This is really basic.

00:03:23.600 | This is who God is.

00:03:26.300 | Romans 11, 34, "Who has known the mind of the Lord?

00:03:31.300 | Or who has been his counselor?

00:03:33.360 | Or who has ever given a gift to him that he should be repaid?

00:03:37.180 | For from him and through him and to him are all things.

00:03:40.120 | To him be glory forever."

00:03:41.540 | Nobody ever counseled him.

00:03:44.140 | Nobody ever gave anything to him that he didn't already own.

00:03:47.700 | We are never obliging God to act out of his need for us.

00:03:54.420 | He doesn't need us.

00:03:55.420 | He doesn't need your prayer.

00:03:56.420 | He doesn't need anything about you.

00:03:58.620 | He's God.

00:03:59.620 | That's the meaning of God.

00:04:01.540 | No needs.

00:04:03.760 | We have needs.

00:04:05.300 | He's the need meter.

00:04:06.900 | And how the need meter gets glory is by hearing the prayers of the needy.

00:04:11.980 | And it's simply staggering that God would ordain, now get this, that God, the sovereign

00:04:17.900 | ruler of the universe, would ordain that prayers cause things.

00:04:26.100 | Prayers cause things to happen that would not happen if you didn't pray.

00:04:32.340 | I wonder if any Calvinists out there squirming.

00:04:39.340 | Listen to this, when James 4.2 says, "You do not have because you do not ask."

00:04:51.500 | That does not mean you would have anyway even if you didn't ask because I've got a plan.

00:04:59.940 | The verse doesn't mean the opposite of what it says.

00:05:04.500 | It says you have not because you ask not.

00:05:10.300 | That means prayer causes things to happen that wouldn't happen if you didn't pray.

00:05:20.580 | This is why this is a staggeringly glorious privilege to be taken by the sovereign God

00:05:30.380 | of the universe who runs all things according to his infinite wisdom and fold it in to his

00:05:35.820 | causality.

00:05:39.300 | This is breathtaking.

00:05:41.680 | If you do not avail yourself of the privilege of bringing to pass events in the universe

00:05:53.840 | that would not take place if you didn't pray, you are acting like a colossal fool, aren't

00:06:02.140 | you?

00:06:03.140 | I'm just thinking logically here.

00:06:05.840 | If you are offered the privilege of engaging with God in such a way that your request could

00:06:14.040 | bring into being things that would not otherwise come into being, not to avail yourself of

00:06:22.780 | that privilege is folly of the highest or lowest order.

00:06:31.120 | That's why we pray.

00:06:33.000 | God is beckoning us into our share in the running of the universe.

00:06:38.400 | Wow.

00:06:39.400 | Amen.

00:06:40.400 | That was from John Piper's sermon, "Pray Like This, Hallowed Be Your Name," which was preached

00:06:43.760 | on December 30, 2007.

00:06:45.840 | We have over 1,200 sermons like this one from John Piper in our archive at DesiringGod.org.

00:06:51.360 | And on Wednesdays, we like to dip into that archive to pull out a classic quote for the

00:06:54.480 | podcast.

00:06:55.480 | And I welcome your suggestions.

00:06:57.280 | If you have a favorite John Piper sermon clip, please email us the name of the sermon and

00:07:01.080 | if possible, the timestamp of when and where the clip occurs in the audio.

00:07:05.100 | Please put the phrase "sermon clip" in the subject line of an email and send it to us

00:07:08.920 | at AskPastorJohn@DesiringGod.org.

00:07:12.640 | Well how can we prepare for the rapture?

00:07:15.120 | Many of you have asked and Pastor John responds tomorrow on the Ask Pastor John podcast.

00:07:19.080 | We'll see you then.

00:07:19.520 | [BLANK_AUDIO]

00:07:28.000 | [ Silence ]

Three Motivations to Pray

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