Hey St Anne’s,
Before we get into our series in the Book of Proverbs, we’re spending two weeks unpacking one of the important tools we have for growing as a follower of Jesus: Prayer.
What does it look like to be people of prayer? The Colossians 4 Verse 2 kind of people: Devoted to prayer.
I’ve spoken to some of you during the week, and for many, prayer is a source of guilt:
- You feel as though you don’t pray enough.
For some, it’s a source of confusion:
- Prayer feels like you’re speaking into the air
- Or you’re not sure what to pray for or whether you’re praying for the “right things”.
- Prayer feels awkward!
I’ve felt those things!
I’m really excited because, as I’ve prepared, my understanding, appreciation and urgency towards prayer have grown.
And we hope that St Anne’s would be a place:
- Where prayer happens regularly in public and private
- Where you’re praying joyfully and confidently
- Where prayer is a defining characteristic of our community.
Seeing that would give me great joy…
How are we going to get there?
Well, we’re going to explore prayer across 2 weeks:
Next Sunday, we’ll think about what we pray for, the content of our prayers
- We’ll also think about unanswered prayer.
But today, I want us to consider the God we pray to
- Who exactly are we praying to?
- Because what you believe about God changes whether you pray
We’re going to do that in 4 parts today:
- First, we’ll look at the necessity of prayer
- Then our problem with prayer
- The privilege of prayer
- And finally, the promise of prayer
We’ll spend most of our time in the second part.
First, the necessity of prayer
Consider two people:
First, imagine with me a man on a flight from Sydney to Brisbane for a business trip.
Halfway through the flight:
- The plane shakes violently
- He feels his body leave his seat before it slams back down
- ‘Ping’ goes the seatbelt sign
- He hears gasps coming from around him
- He’s lucky he had his seatbelt on
His heart’s pumping, he’s gripping his seat, he’s being thrown side to side in his seat, and in the deepest parts of his soul, he whispers something he never usually says, “Oh God, please…”
The plane settles, ping, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re going through some expected turbulence, please fasten your seatbelts and remain seated.” He lets out a sigh of relief. He laughs a little to himself about that silly little moment of panic, and without missing a beat, he tunes back into the movie he was watching…
That’s the first person.
Second person: Imagine with me a mother of 2.
Life feels like it’s running at 100km/hr on autopilot. Kids’ lunches, work, school pick-up, bathing the kids while her husband cleans, they put the kids to bed… they have an hour at most together, but they’re both too exhausted…
They’re on their phones in bed, realise it’s way too late, half-asleep, they offer up a 2-minute prayer that sounds the same every night, and they pass out — and it’s rinse and repeat tomorrow. She feels guilty about her lack of prayer. Sometimes it makes her feel like she’s a bit of a fraud.
Both of these people understand the necessity of prayer.
The man on the plane prays in his moment of deepest fear, when he realises he is not in control of life and death.
The Mother of 2 knows that prayer is necessary, perhaps because life has spun out of control or perhaps because she thinks it’s what a good Christian does.
After all, the apostle Paul tells the Colossians to:
Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
He encourages the Philippians to:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And what is the promise?
…the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Prayer is necessary.
You might say: “Prayer is ‘talking to God’.”
Prayer is reaching out and asking God to intervene, to change things, to act.
Many of the words in the Bible that we translate as “pray” mean to “ask” or “beg”.
We ask and beg:
- When life feels out of control: work, family, kids…
- When our bodies are failing, and the doctors can’t help…
- When we’re scared, anxious, or depressed…
Prayer is necessary.
The saying goes, “There are no atheists during turbulence”
And so, why don’t we pray more often? Why are we prayerless?
Many of you told me that you find it hard to pray because you’re busy.
You’re not prayerless because you’re busy.
You’re prayerless because you don’t really believe praying is necessary.
The pastor and author Tim Keller tells this story in his book on Prayer.
His wife has Crohn’s disease, and he has thyroid cancer. She asked him to pray together every night. Something they hadn’t had the discipline to do before. And she said this to him:
Imagine you were diagnosed with such a lethal condition that the doctor told you that you would die within hours unless you took a particular medicine—a pill every night before sleep. Imagine that you were told that you could never miss it or you would die.
Would you forget?
Would you not get around to it some nights?
No—it would be so crucial that you wouldn’t forget, you would never miss.
Well, if we don’t pray together to God, we’re not going to make it because of all we are facing. I’m certainly not.
We have to pray; we can’t let it just slip our minds.
Here’s the point:
It doesn’t matter how busy you are, if you really believed something was necessary—life or death—you’d make time for it!
You’re not prayerless because you lack:
- Good habits
- Or free time
They do help…
But the reason you are prayerless… is that you don’t really believe… that prayer is necessary…
And can I humbly suggest to you… You don’t believe prayer is necessary because you misunderstand God…
That’s our Problem with Prayer
The reason you don’t think prayer is necessary is that you don’t know God as well as you should.
Have a one-minute chat with the person next to you: Has God ever answered your prayers?
The Scriptures teach us two things about God: He is both: Sovereign and Responsive.
Sovereign and Responsive
Let me explain.
First, God is Sovereign
Meaning: God is all-powerful and completely in control.
With God, there are no accidents, no mistakes, no:
“Oops, wasn’t looking… Sorry…”
“The Lord works out everything to its proper end…”
Proverbs 16, Verse 4.
Same chapter, Verse 33: Every time you roll a dice, God doesn’t just know that it’ll land on 6. He made it land on 6.
God is sovereign; he is completely in control
But at the same time! God is Responsive
Theologians use the word “personal.” Meaning, God relates to you. He is your Father, not just some impersonal cosmic force.
God listens to your prayers. He RESPONDS to you. He is responsive.
In the Bible, people ask for things, and God answers.
In fact, it’s a bit more complicated than that…
Sometimes God even “relents” … meaning, he changes his mind after people pray… WHAT?!
Yes, let me show you:
Exodus 32, Verse 9.
God tells Moses he’s going to wipe out the Israelites and start again, and what does Moses do?
Verse 11:
11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God… “…13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
And this isn’t the only place. Amos 7: God relents twice in response to Amos’ prayers.
Ezekiel 22: The opposite happens, nobody prays to God for forgiveness, and because of that, God pours out his judgment on Israel; If only somebody had prayed!
James Chapter 4, Verse 2:
“… You do not have because you do not ask God…”
Now, prayer doesn’t change God’s mind in the sense that you catch him by surprise or you twist his arm.
Next week…
We’re going to see that Moses and the prophets ask God to do what he has already promised he would do. Our prayers are what God has decided to use to achieve His purposes. We participate in his plans through prayer. Wow!
Come back next week as we think about how we pray in light of that…
But for now, I want you to see that:
The Bible is clear:
- God is BOTH sovereign and responsive.
- He is BOTH in control of all things and prayer changes things.
And as soon as you lose either of those, you lose prayer
What do I mean?
If you think God is responsive, but not sovereign…
You won’t believe prayer changes anything, and so you won’t pray…
If God is not sovereign, you have no promise that He’s able to change anything. Maybe God’s done his best, but the rest is up to you!
He’s like your coach on the sideline. He can listen, give you tips and encouragement, but at that point, he’s no longer involved…it’s up to you to score the goal. It’s all on you.
But here’s the funny thing. You might be good at scoring goals!
In Sydney in 2026:
- We’re healthier
- We live longer
- We don’t have wars at our doorstep
- We can put food on the table
- We have so many luxuries and comforts
You might not say it, but maybe your prayerlessness shows that, deep down, you don’t believe you need God:
“Don’t worry, God! Stand aside! I’ve got this.”
The only time you pray is when you’ve lost control.
Is that what your prayer life looks like?
No, you need to remember that God is sovereign. Prayer changes things. God wants you to be devoted to prayer—Colossians 4:2! You are not as capable and self-sufficient as you think you are.
On the other hand, if you think God is sovereign, but not responsive
You ALSO won’t believe prayer changes anything, and so you won’t pray…
And I think this is what our kind of church struggles with…
Maybe you think to yourself,
“What’s the point of praying if God’s going to do what he was going to do anyway?”
And so you think the only thing that prayer changes… is the person praying.
“God doesn’t change my circumstances, he changes me!”, you might say.
And so you think the only prayer worth praying is “Thy Will Be Done”…
That appears godly, but notice, it doesn’t matter if God is there at all.
That kind of prayer is just another self-improvement tool…
It’s character development for the polite suburban Sydney-Sider.
Prayer helps me become less self-dependent, less prideful, whatever it is…
But notice, you don’t need God for that; you just need the act of prayer.
Oh, the heart of sinful man! That was me!
When prayer becomes:
- Self-improvement
- Character development
- Something to tick off….
It becomes a work devoid of God, a work devoid of grace, and like all things of that nature:
- It’ll enslave you
- It’ll burden you
- It’ll condemn you.
That’s why you feel guilty for being prayerless.
You’ve forgotten that God delights to hear from you, and so prayer is not a delight.
You’ve forgotten what it cost for you to have access to God…
See the most mind-blowing, mind-bending thing about prayer ISN’T that God is both sovereign and responsive—that IS mind-bending…
But, the craziest part about prayer is that we are allowed to speak to God at all…
Very quickly, I want to think about:
The Privilege of Prayer
Prayer is more than “just talking to God”
Talking to God is not a casual thing…
Imagine walking into the Prime Minister’s office, throwing your arms around him, “What’s up, Albo!”
“So Albo, I was thinking, I’m having trouble with hospital waiting lists… you know… elective surgery… You can… do something… about that, right?
NO! No way…
What makes you assume you have access to God? How do you know He will listen?
This is a prayer from around the same time Moses was around:
The lord in his anger of heart looked at me
The god in the rage of his heart confronted me
When the goddess was angry with me she made me become ill
The god whom I know or do not know has placed suffering upon me
Although I am looking constantly for help, no-one takes me by the hand.
When I weep, they do not come to my side.
I utter laments but no-one hears me.
“I’m struggling, and I’m on my own! God’s forsaken me! I speak, but I don’t even know if he’s listening. If he did listen, instead of helping, it feels like He’s punishing me! And you know what, knowing who I am, maybe I deserve it…”
Maybe you’ve come here this morning, and that is what you feel…
If you’re a Christian, maybe you’ve forgotten what is commonly believed and felt by everyone else in the world: That approaching God is impossible.
But The Gospel is good news…
Romans Chapter 8:
… 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?… 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is
Notice this part:
…[JESUS] is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? …
The Promise of Prayer
…Is that God hears your prayers.
Why?
Not because you were obedient and good—you and I are sinful and rebellious—we don’t deserve to be heard by God…
We never deserved access to God.
But Jesus paid the price for your access to God with His own blood.
If you belong to Jesus, HE brings your prayers to God the Father.
That’s why Christians pray, “in Jesus’ name”, so:
“[You can] approach God’s throne of grace with confidence…”
— Hebrews 4, Verse 16
And in Jesus, nothing can separate you from God the Father any more,
…38… neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation…
Not your laziness, not your failures, not your history, not your sins, NOTHING
…will be able to separate [you] from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus [your] Lord.”
When Isabella was born, my dad, according to Korean tradition, gave her a 24-carat golden key.
Because she’s a baby, she’d put it in her mouth, forget about it, and even throw it away.
She doesn’t know how precious it is.
She doesn’t know how much it cost.
If you trust in Jesus, you know how much it cost…
You know how much it cost for him to give you access to God!
Prayer is a blood-bought privilege.
Imagine, like there’s a Minister of Finance, Minister of Education…
Imagine a Minister of Cornelius
Constantly at the Prime Minister’s side, telling him what I say, instantly, and he receives it with gladness and a desire to do good towards me.
Crazy!!
You have that with God because of Jesus!
You know the story about the Mother of 2 I told you at the start?
Confession time, that was me! Except I’m a dad of one, but you get my point…
I had some habits of prayer, but if you could see my nighttime routine, that would show you what I really thought about prayer.
Deep down, I believed prayer wasn’t necessary. God’s in control; I’m fine. I’ve got this!
Minna would often say to me, “You know, we’ve just been falling asleep or offering token prayers — that doesn’t seem right.” God bless my wife.
If you’d picked apart what I said in public prayers, you would’ve seen that I wasn’t exactly clear about praying in light of God’s sovereignty AND responsiveness. On some level, I didn’t think my prayers made a difference: That prayer was mainly something that worked on me, the prayer.
There’s something wrong with your theology if it leads you to less prayer.
Minna and I had a chat and have resolved to pray more because this matters.
You may need to sit down and commit to a change.
Prayer is absolutely necessary.
Prayer changes things. God uses our prayers.
To you is the privilege of having the ear of the sovereign God of the universe. And He has promised in His Word that he hears you.
So, will you pray?
In a moment, I’m going to lead us in a prayer borrowed from this book: The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers.
Sometimes when we don’t have the words to say, we can pray the words written by those who have gone before us.
The English is a bit quaint, so I’ve gently updated it.
Will you pray with me?
O God, the giver of all good things,
We come to you for the grace we will need for another day;
For everything it will bring and require of us.
We step out into a broken world, and we carry within us sinful hearts.
We know that apart from you, we can do nothing.
Even the things we are involved in—though harmless in themselves—can become occasions for sin or foolishness, unless you keep us by your power.
Hold us up, and we will be safe.
Guard our minds from error and deception, and our hearts from loving anything more than you.
Guard our character from being stained by sin, and our witness from every form of evil.
Help us not to take part in anything where we cannot ask for your blessing or welcome your presence.
Bless all that is good and right for us to do, or otherwise prepare us to face disappointment.
Give us neither poverty nor riches, but please provide what we truly need.
Let us not become so full that we forget you and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Let us also not become so poor that we steal and dishonour you.
May everything in your creation be good for us, as we receive it with prayer and according to your will.
Teach us to use the world rightly, and not misuse it:
to grow what you’ve given us,
to make the most of our time,
to live wisely among those who don’t know you, and with kindness toward those who do.
Help us to do good to everyone, and especially to other believers.
And to you be all the glory, forever and ever.
Amen
As part of this series, we want to provide some resources to help us be a people of prayer.
There’s a page up on the website now, stannes.org.au/prayer, where you’ll find resources and sermons on prayer, including books on prayer that the staff recommend — including the one I just mentioned: The Valley of Vision.
You’ll also see this one recommended, Praying with Paul by Don Carson — this helped me prepare my sermons.
Thanks,