09/29/2024 Midtown Church Elk Grove
Pray 30: The New Normal
“Posture Check: Positioned for Prayer”
Pastor Christa Armstead
Matthew 6
“Lord, teach us to pray.”
1.) Do I have a heart that’s ready to approach God?The Psalms are actually a collection of prayers and songs—people writing about their real-life issues.
Psalm 58:6-8
“Break the teeth in their mouths, O God; LORD, tear out the fangs of those lions! Let them vanish like water that flows away; when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short. May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along, like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.”
Psalm 103:1
“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.”
The Psalms of Ascent include Psalms 120 to 130.
How am I posturing my heart during the week?
What am I doing to feed my soul?How am I approaching God?
Psalm 121:1-2
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Psalm 122:1-2
“I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’ Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem.”
Psalm 129:5
“May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.”
2.) Prayer is more about the posture of our hearts than what’s coming out of our mouths.The right spiritual posture describes the attitude, disposition, or orientation of our heart and mind toward God.
We can come to God in prayer standing, sitting, eyes lifted or closed, but the most important thing is having our hearts postured correctly.
Luke 18
Jesus tells a parable of two different men who were at church praying.One was a Pharisee (considered to be very religious). The other was a tax collector (considered to be very sinful).
“The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Ephesians 2:9
“Not by works, so that no one can boast.”
God gives more grace to the humble.James 4:6
“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’”
Luke 14:11
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
“The man who kneels to God can stand up to anything. In the act of bowing down, the soul is lifted high above the shadows of fear and doubt.”
— A.W. Tozer
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