Hello, friend. Welcome back to Authorized Sword Ministries.

We're so glad you're here again.

Where We've Been

In Lesson One, we learned that prayer is talking with our Father. In Lesson Two, we walked through the Lord's Prayer, the pattern Jesus gave us. Praise, surrender, daily needs, confession, protection, and praise again.

Today is Lesson Three. It's called "Coming Boldly to the Throne of Grace." We'll look at how to pray with confidence, and what to do when the answer seems slow in coming.

Our Key Verse

Here is our key verse. Hebrews 4:16.

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." — Hebrews 4:16 (KJV)

Think about that. A throne is where a king sits. In the old days, nobody walked up to a king's throne unless they were invited. But God invites His children to come. And not timidly. "Boldly."

Why can we be so bold? The verses just before tell us. Jesus is our great High Priest. He understands us, and He opened the way. And notice what kind of throne it is. Not a throne of judgment for God's children, but a "throne of grace." We come to find mercy and help.

In Jesus' Name

That's why we pray "in Jesus' name." It isn't a magic phrase we tack on at the end. It means we come to God because of who Jesus is and what He has done, not because of who we are.

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." — John 14:13-14 (KJV)

To ask in His name means to ask for what fits who He is, and for the Father's glory.

Ask, Seek, Knock

Right after Jesus taught the disciples the Lord's Prayer in Luke 11, He told them to keep at it:

"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." — Luke 11:9-10 (KJV)

Ask. Seek. Knock. Each word is a little stronger than the one before. Jesus is teaching us to keep on praying. And He tells us why we can trust the Father to answer well:

"If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" — Luke 11:11-13 (KJV)

A good father doesn't trick his children. Your heavenly Father is better than the best dad on earth.

Praying According to His Will

Here is a wonderful promise:

"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." — 1 John 5:14-15 (KJV)

How do we know God's will? Mostly by knowing His Word. The more of the Bible we know, the more our prayers will line up with what God wants.

Things That Hinder Prayer

The Bible is honest about a few things that can get in the way.

One is unconfessed sin that we hold on to:

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:" — Psalm 66:18 (KJV)

Another is selfish asking:

"Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." — James 4:2-3 (KJV)

Notice, some people "have not" simply "because ye ask not." So ask! But ask with a clean heart and the right reasons.

When Answers Seem Slow

Now, what about when you pray and pray, and nothing seems to happen? Jesus knew we'd face that. Luke tells us why He told one of His parables:

"And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;" — Luke 18:1 (KJV)

"Not to faint" means don't give up. God always hears His children, but He doesn't always answer the way we expect. Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes it's wait. And sometimes it's no, because He has something better.

The apostle Paul prayed three times for God to take away something that troubled him. God's answer was no. But listen to what God gave him instead:

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." — 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (KJV)

Even when God says no, He gives grace. And while we wait, He gives strength:

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." — Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

The Door Is Open

Friend, the throne of grace is open to every child of God. But the way to God is only through Jesus Christ. If you've never trusted Him, the first prayer you need to pray is a prayer for mercy. Turn from your sin, trust Jesus to save you, and ask Him. He will not turn you away.

Next Time

In Lesson Four, the last lesson in this course, we'll learn to pray the Scriptures, and see how men and women in the Bible prayed.

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." — James 5:16 (KJV)

A Prayer

Before we go, let's pray together.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for this friend who is listening right now.

Thank You that because of Jesus, we can come boldly to Your throne of grace.

Help us to ask, to seek, and to knock, and not to give up. Search our hearts, and clean out anything that hinders our prayers.

When the answer is wait, give us patience. When the answer is no, give us Your grace.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Thank you for spending this time with us.

We'll see you in Lesson Four.

From all of us at Authorized Sword Ministries, God bless you.