God's story prayer so party God's
stories about prayer and it goes like
this prayer is what we call a
conversation we have with God that means
even though God created the entire
universe and has power over all things
he wants to have a relationship with us
he wants us to know him that's pretty
amazing we can talk to God anytime
anywhere about anything but let's look
at four examples of different ways we
can pray one way to pray is to praise
God that's when we tell God what we love
about him like a guy named Jehoshaphat
he was king of gods family want some big
time armies declared on them
Jehoshaphat was terrified so he talked
to God about it he said God you are the
mighty ruler of all things we don't know
what to do but we're looking to you for
help King Jehoshaphat believe God could
help them so as he went into battle he
sent people ahead of his army to praise
God they said give thanks to the Lord
his faithful love and doors forever
yep that means he thank God before he
won the war and when God heard his
praise he caused those big armies to
attack each other
Josaphat didn't even have to fight a
second way to pray is to repent see we
all mess up which means we turn away
from God one
we ask him to forgive us and we turned
back to him one time another king named
David made a big mistake he took
something that wasn't his
then David tried to cover it up which
turned it into an even bigger mess when
David's good friend Nathan told him he
disobeyed God David repented he said
have mercy on me O God because of your
unfailing love mercy is when someone
gets forgiveness they don't deserve and
guess what
God will always forgive us when we
repent of course anyone can pray to God
not just Kings one woman named Hannah
reminds us of a third way we can pray we
can ask God for something now Hannah
really wanted to have a baby and she
told God that but you know what was
crazy about her prayer even though she
really wanted a baby she said God if you
give me a son then I will give him back
to you kids isn't that unusual to ask
for something you want then give it back
well a year later Hannah had a son and
she did exactly what she promised she
gave her son back to God by sending him
to live with a priest named Eli and do
God's work and Samuel just so happens to
be a great example of a fourth way we
can pray like any good conversation we
shouldn't do all the talking we should
listen to that's because God is in
control and we've got to yield or give
in to what he wants we yield when we
listen to what God says and obey Him no
matter what we want one night God called
Samuels name three times when Samuel
finally realized God wanted to talk to
him he said speak Lord for your servant
is listening
Samuel stop to listen and God told him
things what Samuel obeyed what God told
him God kept talking to him and when we
pray when we praise when we repent when
we ask and when we yield we remember
that he's the one in charge and that we
get to talk to him because we're loved
by him
and that's some what the Bible says
about prayer so in case you missed it
here's the quick version prayer is
talking to God prayer is also listening
to God
there are a lot of ways to pray Josaphat
praised God David repented Hannah asked
God for what she really really wanted
samuel listened and they all wanted what
God wanted more than what they wanted
prayer reminds us that God is in control
He loves us and wants to be close to us
and that's a part of God's story
[Music]