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Episode 12 - How to Pray, Part 3: Ask God
29 Plays3 months ago
This is what most of us think pray is - just asking God for things. Pause, gratitude and praise, can shape our perspective and get our minds ready to engage with God. Listen for the challenge at the end to grow your prayer life!
The Pray & See podcast is a ministry of Central Ohio Youth for Christ.
If you want to start or join a prayer team, email: pray@coyfc.org
Central Ohio Youth for Christ: www.coyfc.org
WellSpring Counseling: www.wellspringcolumbus.org
Gracehaven: www.gracehavenohio.org
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction
00:00:11
Speaker
I'm Brian, your host, and if you're just joining us, go back and listen to episode one to find out why we launched the podcast.
Influence through Faith
00:00:20
Speaker
We're showing and telling you that you have a unique opportunity as a follower of Jesus to positively influence people anywhere, from anywhere, in any situation, with God's power and love.
Answered Prayers and God's Identity
00:00:33
Speaker
Stories that I'm sharing with you about answers to prayer show us who God is.
Studying Prayer and Group Involvement
00:00:38
Speaker
We look at the Bible to get grounded in how praying works and who we're praying to.
00:00:43
Speaker
And I'm inviting you to learn with us and pray with us. Join a prayer group. Pray together with other believers in Jesus for one of our Youth for Christ ministries. If you're listening to this though, ah next step for you ah might not be to join a prayer group, but might be to decide whether or not you wanna put your faith and personal trust in Jesus Christ.
Understanding Salvation by Grace
00:01:05
Speaker
Here's how that works. The Bible says in Ephesians 2, it's by grace that you've been saved through faith. It's not your own doing. It's a gift of God, not a result of works so no one may boast.
00:01:21
Speaker
A lot of people have the conception, and I did too in the past, that earning God's approval meant that you had to do a whole bunch of things, focus on external behavior, live the right way, and hope that you would end up in a good place That's not what the Bible says.
00:01:37
Speaker
The Bible says it is by grace or God's undeserved kindness. We don't deserve it. He wants to give it to us. That's how we're saved. What God requires of us is belief, is trust.
00:01:52
Speaker
Trusting that what he has done through Jesus Christ, living, dying on the cross and raising from the dead for you is enough.
Upcoming Events and Prayer Groups
00:02:03
Speaker
After you make that decision,
00:02:05
Speaker
You have a relationship with God. He sets up shop in your life, gives you the Holy Spirit that helps you to pray. This is where the adventure starts. It's awesome.
00:02:17
Speaker
We're launching prayer groups here at Central Ohio Youth for Christ. We're beginning to plan some back-to-school prayer events. we We're going to have some food. Great time praying for students here.
00:02:28
Speaker
That's coming up in August. Look for more details on that. I hope you can come.
The Prayer Acronym: Focus on 'Ask'
00:02:33
Speaker
On the podcast, though, we're looking at how do we actually pray. And this is important because we have all kinds of different notions of what does it mean to pray and how do you actually do it?
00:02:44
Speaker
What does it mean that God wants to have a conversation with us? What makes it a good conversation? We're building an acronym, P-R-A-Y. Episode 10 was about pause.
00:02:56
Speaker
Episode 11 was about rejoice. Today ask. Let's pray and see what God does. Pray along with me. God, thank you, you want me to ask you for things, not only in my life, but in the lives of everyone I know.
00:03:13
Speaker
And your word says you're able to do immeasurably more than anything we could ever ask or imagine. In my mind, I usually feel more comfortable asking you for things where I can kind of see that what I'm asking you for might happen anyways.
00:03:29
Speaker
Can you enlarge my understanding of who you are, my view of you, and my experience of you so I can ask you for something that really glorifies you?
Chris's Story: Power of Prayer
00:03:38
Speaker
Amen.
00:03:40
Speaker
So in our acronym, P is PAWS. We need to shift our attention, slow down our brain, engage our heart. R is rejoice.
00:03:51
Speaker
PAWS leads us to praise God. A is ask. And in the next episode, we'll look at Y, which stands for yield. Ask.
00:04:04
Speaker
At its core, prayer is really asking God for help. Most of us try to fool ourselves, other people or both, that we don't need anyone's help, let alone God's. In quiet moments though, you may realize, okay, I really need help.
00:04:20
Speaker
I need support. Prayer is asking God for his help and he wants to give it. Asking God to help us is, some people call this petition, submitting a request to God.
00:04:33
Speaker
He wants to hear it. Asking God to help others is intercession or praying on someone else's behalf. We looked in episode one of the podcast about asking specifically, because if we do this, it helps us to pay attention when God answers the prayer.
00:04:54
Speaker
Rejoicing in God, it frames in our mind who it is that we're asking. It's the God of the universe, the ultimate transcendent and yet personal God who took on human form as Jesus Christ to live, die on the cross, and raise from the dead in order to give us spiritual life.
00:05:14
Speaker
In addition to reading the Bible, we can learn about who God is through what he does. Today's story is about Chris, a young leader I shared about in previous episodes. He comes from a challenging family background, and he's been estranged and separated from his family for a few years.
Guidance in Prayer and Biblical Support
00:05:31
Speaker
We studied together recently about family and we've prayed some for his family over the past year. i didn't know how studying the topic was really gonna go because I didn't know what to say.
00:05:42
Speaker
i what What do you say to Chris beyond, hey let's pray more about your family? And a pause during our study, Chris said, you know what? I'm gonna go visit it my family.
00:05:53
Speaker
I thought, wow, ands a that is a monumental statement. And then he added, today. Well, I was shocked. I was maybe a little afraid for him, honestly.
00:06:04
Speaker
We asked God in the parking lot that it'd be a quality time. His experience that night turned out to be way better than either of us would have imagined. It was a great reunion. And his story's not over, but in that instance, it was evident God had been orchestrating something really good.
00:06:22
Speaker
I just recently saw something similar with my own family, too. Today's point is ask God. Sometimes we don't even know what the right thing is to ask.
00:06:34
Speaker
Episode 9 was
Finding Peace and Perseverance in Prayer
00:06:35
Speaker
on how God helps us to pray, that He not only gives us the motivation to pray, but the Holy Spirit translates our prayer so we end up asking the right thing.
00:06:45
Speaker
Listen to this Bible verse in Philippians 4 about asking. We usually call out to God for help when we really need it. could be when you're anxious, when you're up against a large obstacle.
00:06:58
Speaker
This is what the Word says, Philippians 4, 6. do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to god and the peace of god which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds and christ jesus You can't bottle up God's peace. You can't fully explain it, but you can experience it.
00:07:25
Speaker
If you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, you experience it by giving anxiety over to him. And in everything, by prayer, you
Reflecting on Meaningful Requests
00:07:35
Speaker
present your request to God with thanksgiving.
00:07:40
Speaker
We looked in episode three about how gratitude fuels prayer. If you haven't heard that yet, go back and check it out. Gratitude or thanksgiving, it's motivating. It keeps us going for the long haul to persevere in prayer, to pray for the same things for days, weeks, months, years.
00:07:57
Speaker
But it also is eye-opening. It helps us pay attention and see when God shows up. Gratitude grows us spiritually. It's healthy. It's the same with praising God and rejoicing in Him.
00:08:11
Speaker
This sets the stage to ah Ask God to do it. Ask God for that thing. Ask God for things in our lives and to work in the lives of people around us.
00:08:24
Speaker
My challenge for you today is about asking God. What do you normally ask Him for? Do you ask Him for things that are easy or things that you know you can't fix?
00:08:36
Speaker
Do you ask Him for an easy, fun day or to help your friend overcome addiction? to give students coming to your club real hope in a future, to heal a broken family.
00:08:48
Speaker
What are you asking for? If you're not driving, I want you to open to Ephesians 3, verse 16 through 21. I want you to read those verses and ask God these two questions.
00:09:04
Speaker
One, God, what do you want me to ask you for,
Ephesians Prayer and Community Engagement
00:09:07
Speaker
for myself?
00:09:10
Speaker
2. What is something you want me to pray for, for someone else? And who is that someone else? Ask him these questions and then listen, trusting that he will respond.
00:09:24
Speaker
If you are driving, i want to read these verses to you and repeat the questions one more time. Ephesians 3, 16. This is Paul praying. He says, According to the riches of his glory,
00:09:35
Speaker
I'm praying that he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being, so Christ may dwell in your heart through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, the length, the height, the depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
00:10:03
Speaker
Now to him who's able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.
00:10:19
Speaker
Amen.
00:10:21
Speaker
Ask God, what do you want me to ask for myself? What's something you want me to pray for someone else? And who is it?
00:10:31
Speaker
If you want to link up with us to learn more about starting a prayer group or joining one that already exists for one of our ministries, send an email to pray at C-O-Y-F-C dot org.
00:10:45
Speaker
I'm on the other side. Look forward to connecting with you.