Prayer is the secret weapon of the believer and the church and yet the one thing we seem to do the least. There are of course exceptions and great examples but I am not one of those. If my prayer life were to come under scrutiny then it would be found to be sadly lacking.

Meeting for prayer has been described as the engine room of the church and in some cases it’s been reduced to praying hands on media platforms. I hope you will agree much change is needed.

After revelation is given to David regarding the Ark of God, David responds in prayer.

Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 2 Samuel 7:18

David was in no rush, he sat before the Lord. Prayer will always mean loss of time, loss of doing, loss of the next thing to get on to. But sitting before the Lord suggests a posture of listening, waiting and humbling oneself

Several times in verses 18-20 David’s addresses use the expression ‘O Lord God’ he refers to God as Sovereign Lord. David has come a long way since his days as a shepherd boy and it’s all part of God’s plan (vs 19). He has submitted himself to God’s sovereignty. That’s such a great position to take in prayer, not what I want to happen or think should happen but I/we are here for you, to follow your plans your way. “Your will be done”

I find his honesty so helpful.

And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord GOD! 2 Samuel 7:20

David knows he has not deserved any of this. He knows God knows his innermost thoughts and his motives, that nothing is hidden from him, yet God did what he did. It’s grace! So often our prayers are prayers to impress, we spout out theology and our big words. Sometimes we pray to inform or tell others information. Prayer in its simplest form is being honest before a God who is not impressed by poetic abundance but by his child wanting to speak to his father about anything and everything.

Before one petition is on his lips before asking that burning issue David admires God. Admiring God gives us a perspective on everything we are going to ask God for. God is great therefore…

Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 2 Samuel 7:22

You can see that admiration for God flows from David having seen how God has acted in the past. God has done a unique thing for Israel, redeeming it, releasing it from bondage. He acted on their behalf, they were his own people (vs 22-24). Prayer looks back at what God has done and marvels at his interventions and wonders at the privileges and respectfully and humbly asks God to act again.

O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2

David prays for the fulfilment of promises. God likes his people to claim their promises. Promises must never be those things you keep in a book to encourage yourself or just be underlined in a bible with a date next to them but rather things you appeal to God for. You always walk towards promises in prayer.

And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. 2 Samuel 7:25

The reason for asking God to do this is for the honour of God’s name.

And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 2 Samuel 7:26

David is pleading promises, he is being bold in his praying, he pushes his request as much as it can go. Please do what you have said.

And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 2 Samuel 7:28

He is not cheeky in asking for blessing (vs29). O Lord God would you bless Gateway Church Wrexham and everyone in it. Would you bless what our hands touch and our eyes gaze upon. Would you bless each family represented abundantly. O Lord God bless us with salvation, bless us with healing, bless us with an overflow of finance. O Lord God bless us with joy and favour in our nation. Amen.

Finally David’s prayer begins to be answered quickly and speedily. There is a connection between this prayer in chapter 7 and the events in chapter 8. Read the first 8 verses and you get to see how much favour and blessing God gave David, how he heard David’s prayer. So we pray with expectation.

“Do we not forget to watch the result of our supplications? We are like the ostrich, which lays her eggs and looks not for her young. We sow the seed, and are too idle to seek harvest. How can we expect the Lord to open the windows of his grace, and pour us out a blessing, if we will not open the windows of expectation and look up for the promised favour?” (Spurgeon)

If we pray, and then give up when the answer is not immediately forthcoming then expectancy is killed. Consider the approach of George Muller:

“I am now, in 1864, waiting upon God for certain blessings, for which I have daily besought Him for 19 years and 6 months, without one day’s intermission. Still the full answer is not yet given concerning the conversion of certain individuals.”

He refers to others for whom he has prayed anywhere from 1 to 10 years, and says,

Yet I am daily continuing in prayer and expecting the answer… Be encouraged, dear Christian friend, with fresh earnestness to give yourself to prayer, if you can only be sure that you ask for things which are for the glory of God.

Can I make an appeal? Soon we will be meeting again and times of prayer will be part of corporate church life. Will you take personal responsibility to make sure that prayer is no longer the side show in our church but the main event?