Introduction: Prayer Goes Against The Grain
Its unnatural to us
From birth we have been learning self-sufficiency
One way to make my son, really mad right now
Is to do something for Him, that He knows He can do himself
So, for a long time, we have been trying to do it on our own
Prayer flies in the face of those deep-rooted values
Prayer is attack on our self-sufficiency
It is foreign to our pride
And yet somewhere, someplace, all of us reach the point
Of falling to our knees, bowing our heads and fixing our attention
On God and talking to Him
And it’s because we desperately need these 2 things
I want to talk to you about this morning....
1. God’s Presence
We pray because, we understand by intuition or experience
We understand that the most intimate communion w/God
Comes only through prayer
Ask people who have faced tragedy or trial,
Heartbreak or grief, failure and disappointment
Ask them what happened when they reached that breaking point
And they fell on their knees
And poured out their hearts to God
People will say, “I can’t explain it but I just felt that burden lift”
“I can’t explain it, but there was a peace that came in the room”
“There was a calm, a comfort. I knew that God was w/me.”
However they say it, they’re saying the same thing
The presence of God came
Will God calm the storm? I can’t tell you that
But He will calm you! Every single time!
This is clearly seen in Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
I want to tell you
Entering into the presence of God
Is the greatest experience we can have
Its the greatest place we can be
That is our aim every time we gather together on Sunday
It will give you strength for another day
It will give you courage, reassurance and hope
It will give you grace and mercy
It will provide your every need!
Close Relationship:
For many people, prayer is not their strong suit
I began taking time to pray
And my prayer life has been transformed
The greatest fulfillment has not been the list of the miraculous answers to prayer that I have received
Although thats wonderful and amazing to me
The greatest blessing is the substantive difference
In my relationship with God
And when I committed myself to prayer
I didn’t know that was going to happen
People who don’t pray are casually connected
Think about people who don’t get together and talk much
They more so have a connection thru a mutual friend
Momma prays, I call the Pastor and he prays for me
But people who pray committed to prayer
With their Heavenly Father
They know Him
God has revealed Himself to them
He is breathing life into their spirit
The presence of God in your life will change your life
Mark my words, that will be the most fulfilling part of your prayer
Even more so than the answered prayers
You are sure to receive
Fellowship with God, your Heavenly Father
A close relationship with Him is worth more
Than any physical blessing
2. Channel For God’s Power
Through prayer God gives us His presence
And that is the first reason people fall on their knees
But there is a 2nd reason
People are drawn to prayer because they know
That God’s power flows primarily to people who pray
So, Prayer 2ndly is a Channel for God’s Power
The Bible overflows with passages teaching that our
Almighty, All Powerful God is ready, willing and able
To answer the prayers of His people
The miracles of Israel’s Exodus and entering the Promised Land
Were all answers to prayer And great testimonies to God’s power
So were Jesus’ miracles of calming storms, providing Food, Healing the sick, raising the dead
As the Early Church formed and grew and spread
God answered the believers continued prayers
Someone has said, When we work, We work
But When we pray, God works
How amazing is it to think that
His resources, His power is available to praying people
Who are convinced to the core of their being
That God can do what He said He can do
God’s power can change circumstances and relationships
It can give us strength to face another day
It can heal emotional and physical wounds
Remove obstacles on your job, in your home
Jesus said All Power in Heaven and Earth is given to me
So I just believe that there is nothing too hard for God!
Nothing that His power can’t extend to,
Nothing He can’t reach
Nothing He can’t touch,
There’s nothing too big for Our God!
Hands Raised To Heaven:
This passage in Exodus 17,
I’ve gone back to many times in my life
And I want to share it with you today
Its one of the most persuasive passages that prayer matters
In Exodus 17,
The Amalekites came to attack the Israelites in the Wilderness
Moses calls in his right hand man who was his most capable
Who was his most capable military leader, Joshua
After their meeting they decide that Joshua is going to
Choose the best men that they have
And they’re going to fight the Amalekites, they’re not going to run
But here’s what Moses is going to do
He’s going to go up on the Mountain Top with God
Mountain Tops were very significant in the Bible
They were a place to get alone with God
A place to pray and to enter His presence
To make your petitions known
Moses was going to go up on the Mountain Top
With some godly men, Aaron and Hur
And they were going to overlook the battle field
They were going to pray
They were going to pray for victory, for protection and blessing
And they were going to lift up Moses’ staff in faith for victory
So Joshua agrees
He would rather have their Spiritual Leader
Up on the Mountain w/God rather than on the physical battlefield
Moses, Aaron and Hur were going to do Spiritual Battle
While Joshua and his men were going to do Physical Battle
What happens of course is that when Moses’ hands are stretched toward Heaven in prayer and faith
Joshua’s troops prevail in battle, fighting w/a divine intensity
That overwhelms the Enemy
But when Moses’s hands became weary in being lifted
He dropped his hands the Bible said and simply viewed the battle,
To his horror, the tide of the battle shifts right before his eyes
Joshua’s troops are being struck down
The Enemy is gaining a Foothold
Moses stretches his arms toward heaven again
In prayer and faith
Bringing the matter before the Lord
Immediately the battle’s momentum shifts back to Joshua & Israel
And once again they are driving back the Enemy
Then it clicks with Moses
He must keep his arms stretched toward heaven
If he wants to open the door for God’s Power on the Battlefield
Moses discovered that day that God’s Victorious Power
Is released thru faith and prayer
And in my life, I have experienced the very same thing
When we are willing to invite God into our daily life
And our daily challenges and battles
We will experience His Victorious Power
In our home, in our relationships, in our church
Whatever area it is needed!
It may come in the form of an idea, renewed strength, a blessing out of nowhere, a new attitude toward your family
Or maybe even an outright inexplicable miracle
However it comes, know this- His power is released thru prayer!
Keep The Power Flowing:
The other side of that equation is sobering
When Moses put his hands down and just watched the battle
The Enemy began to prevail
How many times, do we stop praying
And the Enemy begins to prevail
The tide begins to shift
God will not send His power to someone who has given up
To someone who thinks they can handle it on their own
Without God
Prayer-less people cut themselves off from God’s power
The result is that familiar feeling of being
Overwhelmed, Overrun, Beat Down, Pushed Around & Defeated
Too many times, we let the Enemy nearly overtake us
Before we turn to God in prayer
That’s why we must Keep the Power Flowing
Keep that valve of prayer open
That’s why we have First Tuesday Prayer & Fasting
To start the Month off right, to keep that valve open
Once Moses made that connection between prayer & power
He spent the rest of the day with his arms up
His arms got weary but he had help,
He had Aaron and Hur holding his arms up
As long as their arms were up in faith believing
God’s power flowed to them
And needless to say, Israel won the battle that day!
Thats what I’m asking you to do
Join me in praying
Join me in being people who pray!
Conclusion:
Are you weary of praying? Do you feel that your prayer is ineffective?
Do you wonder if God is really listening?
Just lift up your hands in faith and in prayer
I don’t know about you, but I have things I need to pray about
Challenge you to be a Prayer
First Tuesday
Commit to them
All year
