Desperation a Prayer motivator?

1
Desperation a Prayer motivator?
Love on its knees

• Matt 2122 "And all things you ask in prayer,
  believing, you will receive."

2
John Bunyan said

• You can do more than pray after you have prayed,
  but you cannot do more than you pray until you
  have prayed
• John Calvin the reformer said
• Our prayer must not be self-centred. It must
  arise because we are so bound up in love for our
  fellow men that we actually feel their need as
  acutely as our own

3
Prayer, one of the first things!

• Philippians 11-4
• Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To
  all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi,
  together with the overseers and deacons Grace
  and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord
  Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I
  remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I
  always pray with joy.

4
The love part

• Philippians 17-8
• It is right for me to feel this way about all of
  you, since I have you in my heart for whether I
  am in chains or defending and confirming the
  gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me.
  God can testify how I long for all of you with
  the affection of Christ Jesus.

5
Jesus the intercessor

• Heb 725 Therefore He is able also to save
  forever those who draw near to God through Him,
  since He always lives to make intercession for
  them.

6
Paul makes big requests

• Philippians 19-11
• And this is my prayer that your love may abound
  more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
  so that you may be able to discern what is best
  and may be pure and blameless until the day of
  Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness
  that comes through Jesus Christto the glory and
  praise of God.

7
How are we motivated?

• Philippians 21-4
• If you have any encouragement from being united
  with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any
  fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and
  compassion, then make my joy complete by being
  like-minded, having the same love, being one in
  spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish
  ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
  consider others better than yourselves. Each of
  you should look not only to your own interests,
  but also to the interests of others.

8
Selfless thinking and action

• Philippians 225-26
• But I think it is necessary to send back to you
  Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow-worker and
  fellow-soldier, who is also your messenger, whom
  you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs
  for all of you and is distressed because you
  heard he was ill.

9
How important is this?

• Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to
  show that at all times they ought to pray and not
  to lose heart,
• Luke 2136 "But keep on the alert at all times,
  praying that you may have strength to escape all
  these things that are about to take place, and to
  stand before the Son of Man."
• Eph 618 With all prayer and petition pray at all
  times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on
  the alert with all perseverance and petition for
  all the saints

10
The challenge

• Rom 1210-13
• Be devoted to one another in brotherly love
  give preference to one another in honor not
  lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit,
  serving the Lord rejoicing in hope, persevering
  in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing
  to the needs of the saints, practicing
  hospitality.

11

• Colossians 19b-12
• .asking God to fill you with the knowledge of
  his will through all spiritual wisdom and
  understanding. And we pray this in order that you
  may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please
  him in every way bearing fruit in every good
  work, growing in the knowledge of God, being
  strengthened with all power according to his
  glorious might so that you may have great
  endurance and patience, and joyfully giving
  thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to
  share in the inheritance of the saints in the
  kingdom of light.