Sermon Central
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On Bended Knees- Prayer Series
Contributed by Shine Thomas on Nov 21, 2019 (message contributor)
Summary: Illustration: There was a woman who lived in a remote valley. With great trouble and a lot of expense she had electricity installed in her home. After some months, the lineman noticed that her electric meter was hardly running. So he called the woman and asked her,
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Speaker: Rev. Shine Thomas
Illustration: There was a woman who lived in a remote valley. With great trouble and a lot of expense she had electricity installed in her home. After some months, the lineman noticed that her electric meter was hardly running. So he called the woman and asked her, “I just checked your meter and it is fine but you don’t seem to use the electric power at all. Is there a problem?” “Oh no” she said. “We’re quite satisfied. We turn on the electric lights every night to see how to light our lamps and then we switch them off again.”
Now this woman believed in electricity, so she took the trouble to install power in her home. However she did not understand the benefits of electricity so she used it sparingly. Many of us believe in prayer, we know the power of prayer, but we hardly pray.
Today we are going to study about prayer and the result of prayer.
Isaiah 62:6-7 6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, 7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.
Isaiah 60-62 is a prophetic poetry which proclaims that the glory of God will come back to Jerusalem. We must understand that this time a majority of people of Israel are in exile in Babylon, but there was a small group of people who had come back by now to Jerusalem. When they saw the city it was totally lying in ruins. Yet God promised them that Jerusalem will be restored, that it would become a glory and a praise of the earth.
How can Jerusalem be restored? Isaiah 62:6-7 AMP I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem, who will never hold their peace day or night; you who [are His servants and by your prayers] put the Lord in remembrance [of His promises], keep not silence, 7And give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise in the earth.
Israel literally was in ruins now. There were no walls, no gates, no proper houses, and no watchmen. Literally it was impossible for Jerusalem to have watchmen. Moreover they were under the Babylonians. It was beyond human imagination all would come back to Jerusalem, rebuild their city and walls, and protect their city by placing watchmen. God here is speaking about spiritual watchmen; people who pray day and night. God says if you pray then God can restore back Jerusalem. Prayer can restore things.
The present condition of the world is not too different. Jesus Christ has offered salvation but only a few are in it. When we look outside the church, the world is lying in spiritual ruins – No peace, increasing suicides, corruption, divorce, etc. God is looking at this condition and telling today that Bangalore will be restored; India will see a change and the glory of the Lord will be revealed in our land. But in order for this to happen we must put watchmen, pray until we see a change. It is only God who can change our condition and God moves only by prayer.
God wanted to restore Jerusalem, but for that to happen the people had to pray. Do you see something here? There is a connection between God’s heart and our prayer. There is a connection between your future and your prayer. Only when you pray can God do the things he wants to do in your life. Only when you pray the glory of the Lord will be revealed in your life. Be a watchman in your knees.
How is your prayer life? How much time do you pray in a day?
Now you maybe telling me pastor I do not know to pray. I cannot pray like that sister or brother. Looking at some who prays we think that we are not good at praying. Prayer is communication; it is like a child talking to the father.
Illustration: Every child talks uniquely to the father. Sam calls me pappa. Glory calls her father daddy. Suppose imagine one day Glory is talking to her daddy and they are talking about his health, his diabetes and diet. Imagine Sam is watching all this and thinking to himself, “I do not talk to my pappa like this. I think I must call him daddy.” The next day he sees me and addresses me, “Daddy, How is you diabetes? Are you eating more chappatis? Please take less sugar. It will drive me crazy. I would love Sam to tell me, “Pappa I love you. Buy me a football, buy me some chocolates.” I would love to hear that. Then as Sam grows up I know he will mature in his talk and he will start to talk big things. This is exactly how we pray.
