Key Scripture: Genesis 4:26

“At this time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.”
I. Introduction:
This is the first reference to prayer in the Bible. Adam and Eve had direct communion with God, but from the time of their offspring, from Seth onward, mankind has been calling upon the name of the Lord.
Prayer is:

Calling upon the name of the Lord.
Crying out to the Lord.
Pronouncing God.
Proclaiming God’s presence.
An intentional coming before the Lord.

The essence of prayer is acknowledging God as the sovereign Lord, creator, sustainer, giver, and the very breath of our existence. We read in Gen 1:1-29:

“In the beginning God created.”
And “God said…let there be light.”
And “God saw…that the light was good.”
And “God called…the light ‘day’.”
God said, “Let there be an expanse.
God said, “Let the water be gathered.
God said, “Let the land produce.
God said, “Let the water team with living creatures.
God said, “Let us make man in our own image.”
God blessed them, and God spoke to them.”
And God said, “Behold, I have given you all these things.”

God is here translated from ‘Elohim’, the supreme being- the fullness and manifold nature of His being. Scripture speaks of the face of God, the voice of God, the glory (kabod) of God, the Spirit (ruah or breath) of God.

Gen. 2:4- “ In the day that the Lord God made…the earth and the heavens.’
Gen. 2:5- “For the Lord God had not caused it to rain.”
Gen. 2:7- “Then the Lord God formed the man.”
Gen.2:18- “ The Lord God said it is not good that the man should be alone.”
Gen. 3:8-9- “The Lord God said to the man.”
Gen. 3:21- “ The Lord God made skins to cover them.”
Gen. 4:26- “At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.”

The Lord (Jehovah), He is the one who sees and provides.
He is the one whom His people should rally toward.
He is the one who is kindly disposed toward me. He is the one who is there.
He is the one who is dwelling in the midst of His people.
He is the one who is our righteousness.
He is the Lord, God, Almighty and sovereign, and men knew that they should call upon Him; they knew that they should seek Him. Men and women of faith seek the Lord, call upon the Lord, know He is the source of, and the initiator and the sustainer of all things.

II. The apostles consistently exhort the followers of Jesus toward prayer.

Ephesians 6:18- “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind be alert and always keep on praying…”
Phil. 4:6- “The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Col. 4:2- “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
1 Thess. 5:17- “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
James 5:13- “Is anyone of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is anyone sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

III. Four forms of prayer:

Unceasing prayer

Eph. 6:18- “Pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
1 Thess. 5:17- “Pray without ceasing.”
This is prayer that we do at anytime, anywhere, all the time, whenever we think about it. For me this is repeating certain prayers and verses over and over. The prayer I pray most often is called the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me.” I say this when I first awake. I say this various times throughout the day. I say this in times of temptation. I say this when I lay down at night.
I have taken verses of scriptures and repeated them as often as I can. Such as, “The Lord is my shepherd.” The prayer moves from a declaration to an awareness that the Lord is shepherding you throughout the day.”

The ‘God is here’ prayer

Phil. 4:6- “The Lord is near, do not be anxious about anything”
The Celtic Prayer: “Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.”
I am more aware of God’s presence with me when I pray these prayers. It calms my fears, my frustration, and my anxieties. My confidence in any situation goes up. My peace in the outcome of a thing goes up. I’m no longer holding onto my way, but I’m trusting whatever the outcome is that God will most certainly have His way. I may sense His presence or I may not. But it doesn’t matter. I know He is there.

C. The ‘what is God doing?’ prayer

Eph. 6:18- “Be alert…”
Col. 4:2- “Be watchful…”
In this kind of prayer we are looking to see what God is doing. It is not looking at what isn’t getting done. It is asking, “What is the Lord (the Holy Spirit) doing?”
1 Peter 1:6- “Though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may be proven genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” God may be doing a work of refining and purifying in our hearts, in our marriages, a refining of love, a refining of relationships, a refining of humility, a refining of trust.
This is also a prayer of thanksgiving. When you see things God is doing, your prayers turn into thankfulness. We will not thank God for what we don’t have. But we are meant to thank God for what we do have. An ungrateful person can’t enjoy anything. A grateful person can enjoy everything. Phil. 4:8- “Finally, brothers, see what is true, see what is honorable, see what is commendable, see what is praiseworthy.” .

The ‘In the Spirit’ prayer

Eph. 6:18- “Praying at all times in the Spirit.”
Rom. 8:26- “Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Paul says, “I will pray with my spirit and I will pray with my understanding.”
There is praying in another tongue (language). It is ‘in the Spirit’ prayer.
There is the prayer of groaning- a deep inner yearning, a longing, where you hardly know what to say, but the Spirit takes that and intercedes with that groaning in accordance to the will of God. It is the prayer of “We cannot do this in our own strength, we cannot do this without the help of the Holy Spirit.”

So this Friday as we come together in prayer and worship, and as we begin to gather in prayer trios, let us:
Pray in the Spirit. Pray into what God is doing. Pray with awareness of His presence. Pray without ceasing.

Discussion Questions:

What is the essence (primary purpose) of prayer?

At this point in your life, how would you describe your prayer life? What is the main form or main focus of your prayers right now?

What do you think is the purpose of corporate prayer as compared to private prayer? Why do we need both?