"Harnessing God's Power Through Prayer"
Values Series: Acts 2:42-47
Sunday, April 21, 2013

Introduction: We are in a series where we are looking over the values we have as a church. Last week Pastor Mike started us off by talking about our value of being devoted to prayer. Pastor Mike talked about how prayer is not treating God as if He is a genie in a bottle, where we make our request and He grants it to us. This will be especially important, this week, because we are talking about seeking God’s power in the midst of our needs.

            Pastor Mike helped us to understand that the main purpose of prayer is to be in communion with the living God. As you would in any healthy relationship, there needs to be time of communication and conversation. As God wants to be in a loving relationship with us, we experience this love as we draw close to God in prayer.

             We also talked about the types of prayer: praise and worship; groans; repentance and confession; listening and surrendering; and prayers of protection from evil. It is important to understand that prayer is not a “tool” we use to get what we want. Rather, it is a means to be in relationship with God. Along with this, it is the way God is able to communicate to us His will (along with the Bible, which we will talk about next week).

            Yet, in the midst of all of this, God does ask us, to ask of Him. This morning we are going to try and understand what it means to ask of God; how we are to ask; and the result of our asking.

I.                   What does it mean to ask of God?- (Matthew 6:9-15, 7:7-8; Philippians 4:6-7; James 1:5, 4:3)

a.      Our Father- The Lord’s Prayer opens with these wonderful words: “Our

Father…” In this opening salutation of this wonderful prayer taught by Jesus, Jesus wants us to understand that we should call to God in a very personal way; we should know God in a very personal way. The word “Father” comes from the Aramaic word “Abba.” This word is very personal and intimate, because it can be translated as “daddy.” As we are in a love relationship with God, we need to understand that God wants us to come to Him as a child would come to their father.

Illustration: “The President and the Little Boy,” p. 140,  More Hot Illus.

            During the civil war a young soldier in the Union Army lost his older brother and his father. He decided to go to Washington D.C. to see President Lincoln to ask for an exemption from any further military service so that he could go home to help his mother and sister do the spring planting on the farm.

            When he got to the White House front gate, he was told by the guard that there was no way that he could see President Lincoln. Disheartened he sat down on a park bench. Not long after sitting down, a little boy came up to him. “Soldier, you look unhappy. What’s wrong?” The soldier decided to tell the boy his story, and tell him how he couldn’t get in to see the president…. The little boy answered: “I can help you, soldier.” And with this he grabbed the soldiers hand and led him back to the front gate of the White House. The boy continued to walk the soldier straight up to the front door of the White House. To the soldier’s astonishment, they walked right through the front door; past generals and high-ranking officials. Finally, they reached the Oval Office, where the president was working. The boy didn’t even knock. He just walked right in, pulling the soldier behind him. AND, there behind his desk, sat President Abraham Lincoln….The president looked up at the boy, and then at the soldier. And then said: “Good afternoon, Todd. Can you introduce me to your friend?”….. And Todd Lincoln, the son of the president, said: “Daddy, this soldier needs to talk to you.”….The soldier pled his case, and right then and there received an exemption from President Lincoln.  

            As the president’s son, Todd Lincoln had open access to his father. So we too, as children of God, loved by Him, have total access to come to God. We are called by God to make requests of Him. As Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

            We might think that God is too busy keeping the cosmos in order to have time for our requests. We might think that we are too insignificant to be allowed by God to come to Him. We might think that God doesn’t want to hear about our little problems. What is my problem, my issue in regards to the whole of the world? If that were the case Jesus would never have told us to make requests of Him. If that were the case Jesus would never have said to us in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

            What does it mean to ask, seek, and knock? It means that we come to God to boldly make our requests. It means we ask because in asking we are acknowledging that God is the One who is able and willing to answer. We seek because we cannot do it on our own. In seeking we humble ourselves before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We knock because in our knocking we are showing our willingness to open the door of our hearts to allow God to be the Lord of our life and the One who cares for our needs.

b.      Being committed to prayer- I have seen many people try and pray and

then stop after a short time. What I mean by “try and pray” is that they don’t understand what it means to pray. They don’t know what it means to ask God for anything. The only thing they have to relate it to is to ask someone for a favor. So often times people see prayer as asking God for a favor. God, will you do this for me? When they don’t get the results that they think they are supposed to get, meaning that God doesn’t do the favor for them as they ask or in the timeframe they expect, then they stop praying, thinking that their prayers aren’t working.

            A second thing that people have trouble with in being committed to prayer is that it becomes a rote activity. You might pray a simple memorized prayer at your meal: “God is great, God is good, now we thank Him for this food.” Because it is memorized, and because it is the same all the time, it loses any meaning. The Lord’s Prayer can be this to us when we say it repeatedly without thinking about its meaning. In the repetitiveness of the praying there seems to be no power and no activity on God’s part.

            We need to understand that we need to make prayer a commitment in our lives; a discipline. We need to understand that prayer is not only for bringing us into communion with God, but we pray to change. Through our times of prayer God can transform us. If we are not willing to change, then our prayers will either be shallow, or selfish. Again, if we don’t get our desired results, we will stop praying.

            We ask because we want to know God. We ask because we want to be like God. We ask so that we can think like God. We ask so that we might desire what God desires and love what God loves. We ask so that we might see things like God sees them. In this respect the asking takes on a whole new meaning. The asking is not for the purpose of worldly gain, but for the purpose of coming into an understanding of how we are to be in this world, and how God desires to use us for His glory.

            Have you ever had a time when you didn’t understand what God was doing in your life? I’m sure you have had many times like this. When this happens, it is good to ask of God to give you understanding. As James says in the book of James, chapter 1, verse 5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

            I want us to have a clear understanding that while we are called by God to ask of Him, we must know what it means to ask. James warns us in chapter 4, verse 3: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” When we do not know what it means to ask of God, we will fall into the pattern of asking for the purpose of our own selfish desires. This is not the purpose of prayer!

II.                How are we to ask of God?- (Luke 18:2-8; John 14:12-14; Joshua 6:2-5)

a.      Ask with persistence- In Luke 18:2-5 Jesus tells an interesting story.

The story takes place in a town where there was a judge who did not fear God. In this town there was also a widow who kept coming to the judge making the plea for justice. The judge consistently refused her request, but the woman kept coming back. Finally, because of her persistence, the judge said to himself: “Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!”

     Now a lot of people think that Jesus is telling us that if we are persistent, God will get tired of our same prayer over and over and over, and will grant us whatever we want. This is not what Jesus is saying. The widow was a person who could not protect herself. In Jesus’ time widows had no education, job, money, property, power, or status. She had only one way to get rid of the adversary in her life: she could go to the local judge and plead her case, throwing herself on his mercy. And this is what she did.

We as humans are like the widow. We are impoverished and powerless. We are unable to handle our problems on our own. We often feel like we have nowhere to turn. Jesus makes clear in Luke 18:7-8 what He means by telling this story: “Will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly.”

     As God’s children, God wants us to come to Him when we have needs, concerns, requests, desires. We are His adopted children and should feel that there is an open invitation for us to regularly come to God. God is a God who loves to bestow His blessings on us, so we should ask God for this. As I love to give to my kids, so God loves to give to us. And God knows how to give great gifts! God loves to bless us abundantly. The Bible tells us that we serve a God who is simply looking for opportunities to pour out His blessings on us. So why not be persistent in our asking?

b.      Ask for God’s glory- Yet, as soon as I talk like this I want to give a

warning. Because we are sinful and selfish, it is too easy for us to ask for things. I know that when my kids get lots of things, it makes them want more things and ask for more things. We live in a world that is rampant with things we want. Cell phones; cars; motorcycles; boats; games; tv’s; stereos; ipods; and on and on and on it goes. Commercials are designed to make us want. We are a very selfish and possession oriented society. So when I talk about persistently asking God to bless us, our minds immediately go to the things we want, that we don’t have!

            Up to this point in the sermon you’ve heard me talk about asking, and being persistent, and making requests. But let me give you a little perspective. In John chapter 14 Jesus is talking to the disciples about His going away. He tells them to not be troubled because where He is going they will one day come, and that He will be preparing a place for them to come. Then He says in verse 13: “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do…” That sounds great; right? WHATEVER I ask for, Jesus will give it to me. And our minds start to wander to all the things we want.

            Let me explain this by reading the whole passage; verses 12-14: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” When Jesus says He will give us whatever we ask, it is in reference to doing great works for the kingdom of God. What great works did Jesus do? He healed the blind, made the lame walk, and removed demons from those possessed. But even more, He led people to a saving faith in Him. It is these works that Jesus tells us that we will do. It is these works that He will empower us to do if and when we ask! “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do.”

            When Jesus tells us that He will give us what we ask in His name, it is also to be for His glory. When we pray for healing for someone and they are healed, it is to be to the glory of God! While I appreciate it when people think of me as a good prayer, it is only because of the grace and glory of God that my prayers are answered!

c.      Ask with big dreams- Thirdly, when we think about how we are to

ask, we are to ask with big dreams. If what you pray can be accomplished by your own doing, then your prayers are not big enough. If the answer to your prayer doesn’t require the power of God, then you are not asking in the right way.

            Prayer comes out of our ongoing relationship with God. In this relationship we form a bond with God, so that we can begin to know the mind of God and the will of God. It is a connection that is made so that when we do pray something big, we not only believe God will do it, but we know why God will do it! Through this we

are inspired to pray big prayers because we know that we worship a big and powerful God who is able to answer these big prayers. We know that when we experience circumstances beyond our abilities or control, we have a God who can come alongside and take care of the need.

            One great example of this is the story in the Bible of the Israelites circling Jericho for seven days. Imagine when the Israelites came upon Jericho! What they saw was a six-foot wide lower wall and a fifty-foot high upper wall that encircled the city. It appeared to be an impregnable fortress. God had promised Jericho to Israel, but God had promised the impossible, they must have thought.

Then in Joshua 6 God gave the Israelites the battle plan: “Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. ³ March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. ⁴ Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. ⁵ When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.’”

            Have you ever wondered why they didn’t use a battering ram? Or cut off the water supply? The soldiers must have felt foolish doing this! By their obedience God answered a 400-year-old promise. He proved that what He promises will come true. He did it this way so that the people would know that it was God’s doing, and not theirs!

            The key is praying with the idea of glorifying God. We can’t pray a vague prayer, but must pray a very concise and purposeful prayer: something like: “Lord, help us to bring Your word of truth and life to those who are lost so that they might come to this church. Let us do this FOR YOUR GLORY!”

III.             What is the result of our asking?- (Matthew 6:13, 21:21)

a.      Surrounded by God’s Presence- From birth we learn how to be self-

sufficient. We learn to walk on our own, eat on our own, talk on our own, think on our own. Because of this, it is a challenge to humble ourselves and admit that we need anything or anyone else. It is against our nature to pray to God to care for our needs or to watch over us.

            Yet, we know that we need to pray. We need to pray for those in our life who are sick or struggling. We need to fall to our knees and pray that we would be able to have wisdom for the difficult decisions that have come upon us.

            But there is an even more profound result that happens when we pray. When we pray we experience the increased presence of God in our lives! EX. Think for a moment that you are having a conversation with someone on the phone. You hear their voice, but you know they are far away. But let’s say that this person walks into the room where you are. You will definitely feel their presence. You will have a more profound experience with them than you did on the phone.

            You might experience God’s presence some when you are going through your day, but when you stop and take the time to pray, you will feel God’s presence all the more. This is even truer when you pray with others. I love how we are committed to meeting on Saturday nights in this sanctuary for prayer. I am always moved deeper in prayer with others than when I just pray by myself. I invite you to be a part of these prayer times!

            Why is this experience of God’s presence important? It empowers you beyond any doubt that you have, that God is indeed real and active. It fills you with the Spirit of God so that you might be able to do what God is calling you to do. It leads you into a new confidence to live for God and speak for God.

b.      Pray for God to keep us from evil- Going back to the Lord’s Prayer,

we see a the phrase “…and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Without God we will regularly get ourselves into trouble. Without God’s help and guidance we will walk down the path of temptation and sin. This prayer needs to be a constant prayer in our lives. Satan is active and wants to keep God’s blessings from happening in our lives; in our church.

            Have you ever noticed that when you are walking in God’s will and things seem to be going well, there will be a trial or struggle that will come along? Have you ever wondered why that is? It is because if Satan can derail us, frustrate us, then he can keep us from living for God and serving God.

            I have seen this happen in my life. I have seen this happen in others lives when they try and get right with God. Pastor Mike and I were talking last week how Satan is definitely throwing struggles into the life of this church as we go through this merge. God wants the merge to happen. God sees the great reward that will happen as we join together. Satan doesn’t want it to happen and will make it difficult for us.

            We have to pray regularly for God to deliver us from evil. We have to humble ourselves before God and acknowledge that we are subject to temptation and evil. We have to realize that evil is real and it is only in God’s protection that we can be saved from it. We are vulnerable to the evil that is in the world. Praise be to God that He is more powerful than the world and its evils!

            To pray this prayer reminds us of our need to regularly seek God. To pray this prayer keeps our minds focused on the things of God. To pray this prayer helps us to stay strong in living for God and making good and right decisions. It is right for us to pray this prayer. I know that I regularly pray for God’s protection over my children’s lives. I want to bathe them in this prayer and implore God. But in the midst of praying this, we need to pray that we are wise in our choices, because our choices can lead us to evil.

c.      Harnessing the power of God in prayer- As believers we can be

confident that our prayers will be answered. God has chosen to include us in the process of His powerful activity in this world by telling us to pray. Our prayers are more than wishes or desires. But to harness the power of God in our prayers we must pray with believing, faith-filled hearts! As Jesus says in Matthew 21:21, “And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.”

            Why aren’t many believers praying with power? They get too focused on the mountain. In focusing on the mountain we concern ourselves with the problem, and not what God calls us to do in the midst of the problem or struggle. Instead, to harness God’s power in prayer we need to listen to what God calls us to do, and believe that as we follow and serve faithfully, God will move the mountain.

            As the Great Hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” says:   Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be. Refrain- Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

            The power of prayer comes from believing that God is a faithful and powerful God who is not only capable of answering our prayers, but is capable of doing even greater things than we ask. The power of prayer comes from also walking faithfully. As we pray to God, we are empowered to live for Him, and as we live for Him we see His power exhibited in and through our lives. This in turn leads us to greater and deeper faith as we pray all the more.

Conclusion: Do you allow your prayer time to lead you into a deeper relationship with God? Do you believe that prayer is powerful? Do you believe that prayer changes you and changes the circumstances around you?

            I hope that these last two weeks has helped you to see the importance of prayer for you as a Christian, and for us as a church. I want to encourage you to find a way to deepen your prayer life. Maybe by coming on Saturday nights or to Come Thirsty when there is a time for corporate prayer. Maybe you can be more diligent and focused in your own times of prayer.

            Understand that prayer is about asking so that you can further live out your call for the kingdom, and bring glory to God’s name. Let’s us full commit ourselves to being a people and a church of prayer. Amen.