A Powerful Way To Pray

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This is the Truth Network encouraging prayer, God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything encouraging prayer Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling and many other books on prayer provides weekly physical insight help you learn to love and now well today on encouraging or working to talk about a very powerful I.

Not only did he do it. He did it on Good Friday. He did it from the cross. But he did so naturally the symptoms were not even aware that this is going on until we go a little deeper and look at what is really saying. So it's talking about is playing the word of God and not only God's word but really prayers from God's word. Jesus did it on several occasions during Easter week and on one occasion we talked about before, and that is at the Last Supper. That's right. Scripture tells us in Matthew and Mark at the end of the Last Supper after they had sung him. They went out to the metabolic so we know it was a Passover meal they were sharing.

We also know what hymns were sung at the Passover. At that time. Psalm 113 through 118 called the hello and many scholars believe that it was the last someone 18 because it was behind the Passover meal and in that Psalm are these words stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Now this is where it really gets interesting to Jesus quoted those words about himself in Mark 12. What you see here is Jesus singing and praying the word of God and this is been the most vital moments of his life were re-fulfilling the very reason why he came in he's just getting started. While I watch me will, of course, Jesus came to set us free from our sins, and you seem indicating several times that he was destined for the cross. And of course the disciples don't understand that. But when you see him there on the cross.

You see him praying not only the word of God. But in the moments where he's in his greatest anguish.

You see him actually praying prayers from God's word and that really is the best reason for learning how to pray God's word and prayer prayers from it, because Jesus did it, and were called to follow him. It also shows you really how much he treasured Scripture that is so true and and where he did it the way he did it are both surprising, likely praised my God, my God, why have you forsaken me is actually praying.

Psalm 22 verse one and I really encourage our listeners to sit down and read through that entire Psalm because there's so much in it. Janet David talks about people mocking him and saying he trusts in the Lord and let the Lord deliver them. All that was happening to Jesus. I find it amazing.

Before I knew that I used to think it was just a cry of despair and abandonment. But really Jesus knows exactly what he's doing and it seems to me that he's quoting it prophetically.

No showing how it's being fulfilled in the very moment he's actually being crucified and you you see that elsewhere in Scripture.

You know, for example. Later in Luke, Jesus opens the Scriptures to them both on the lot walk to Emmaus and and later you know in the upper room where the disciples are to to show them from the Scripture that they have, which is Mozilla's and Saul and it is just amazing and again. Psalm 22 is a Psalm that ends in the note of triumph where it says future generations will serve the Lord, for he has done it to me. That sounds a lot like it is finished and hope there's another song that he prays from the cross as well. Psalm 31 specifically where he says, into your hands I commit my spirit that's in Psalm 31, five Ryan S nothing when it happened so fast we can miss it but it's really there. Yeah it is the point of all this for our listeners is to show how much comfort there was for Jesus and praying God's word in in those moments were so difficult because God spirit moves through his word.

When we read it and take it to heart and and praying at and he helps us so much and this is something any of us can learn to do it is not about just memorizing stuff and quoting it back to God.

Again, it's about taking it to heart especially good to just sit down with the Psalms and and just be with God in them. Yesterday I read Psalm 145 just the beginning where David Wright, I will exalt you. My God the King. I will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. I thought what a great future that is to know why I need to learn that and I need to say that as a way of putting my heart on the right track so so again, whether it's a passage where you sense God may be speaking you are prayer like the Psalms. Whatever it is that jumps out at you know it and pray it. Yeah, it really can be as simple is that the more we do to support time we spent in his word again, taking it to heart. The more I think we we will find on bringing Scripture to mind that that we can break, praying just come to us. You know, one of the things I really like about this is it helps us be that much more aware of God right let them into our lives that much more.

Instead of just praying about things we want or need. This can help us think about him more praise and more, and really just let them in the moment yeah yeah like again as I was reading it in Psalm 145 every day. I will praise you.

If that reminder and when we turn the Scriptures into prayer. It is the scoutmaster Armory machin said, praying God's word and prayers from it, not just for ourselves but also for others it's a beautiful powerful thing the other day in our mutual pastor friend of ours David Beatty was praying for me and he knew I wasn't feeling well and began praying the word of God. Again, one of the Psalms, and it's clear he had memorized it. Let me tell you, I just so felt the Lord's presence in that moment because it will just David praying with the spirit of God moving through his word wow that's really powerful because Jesus set the example for us in this. It helps us see why it matters so much and we can start small right like the beginning of Psalm 145, I will exalt you and just pray it through the day until we know it and then take another phrase the next day yeah Robbie, one of one of the things I know you been doing is memorizing Psalm 119 longest Psalm in the Bible and I know you've been praying it as well. Oh my, yes, praying the hundred 19 Psalm is been so powerful in my life so just watch it wrap things up with a prayer that we were really take God's work to heart and learn how much it helps to pray it.

Let's pray father your word is a lamp to her feet and a light to our path and we praise you for for our risen Savior help us all hear more from Pastor James by visiting the website.

James Banks got a large, or by visiting these church in Durham, North Carolina.

May God bless you and encourage you.

You pray this is the Truth Network