Prayer (Part 2) Series

Prayer (2)

Scott Bayles, pastor

Blooming Grove Christian Church: 3/1/2015

Last Sunday we began a brief series on prayer. In Matthew 6, Jesus reveals four secrets to a successful prayer life, urging us to pray sincerely, pray secretly, pray simply, and pray securely. But even when we follow Christ’s prescription for prayer, there’s no guarantee that God will answer our prayers the way we want him to.

I’d like to start this morning by sharing a short scene from the movie Bruce Almighty. For those who haven’t seen it, God (play by Morgan Freeman) gives Bruce (Jim Carey) divine power, but with great power comes great responsibility, including the responsibility to reply to millions of prayers each day. Let’s see how Bruce handles this responsibility.

NEXT SLIDE: Bruce Almighty Clip

Many of us might be thrilled at the thought of a “blank check” from God. Ask for anything you want and the answer will always be yes! In the movie, it seems like a good idea at first. Some people get rich when their stocks triple overnight, one woman loses 47 pounds on the Crispy Crème diet, but when 400,000 people win the state lottery rioting ensues. By saying yes to everyone Bruce caused more problems than he solved.

I think most of us are mature enough to recognize that God must sometimes say no. Millions upon millions of people pray every day. God hears hundreds of thousands of requests for help, healing, and happiness per hour. When two opposing coaches pray for a victory, God can’t say yes to both of them. When 400,000 people all pray to win the lottery, it’s probably wiser for God to say no. Sometimes people just ask for the wrong things either out of selfishness or shortsightedness. So we understand that God sometimes says no.

We just don’t like it when he says no to us.

So my question is—what do we do when God says no?

If anyone knows the answer to that question, it’s Paul.

Paul knew how to pray. His first encounter with Jesus left him blind and befuddled in a borrowed bedroom for three days. For those three days, Paul fasted and prayed. Nothing else. He didn’t eat. He didn’t sleep. But he prayed. Years later, Paul occupied a Roman dungeon, his hands and feet in stocks. Yet, in the middle of the night, those damp dungeon walls echoed with the sound of singing and prayer. Throughout the 13 New Testament letters Paul wrote, he references prayer 59 times, assuring the Christians of Thessalonica, “Night and day we pray earnestly for you” (1 Thessalonians 3:10 NLT). Paul was clearly a man of prayer. If anyone knew how to get results, it was him. Yet, on at least one occasion, God said no.

I’ll let Paul tell you the story:

So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NLT)

Many of us can relate to Paul’s experience. When a loved one’s life hangs in the balance. When the lump is diagnosed malignant. When the money runs out before the month does. When a dear friend is in the ICU. When our marriage is struggling or our kids are straying. We pray. We praise God when he says YES! We show up at church the next week and tell everyone what a miracle God did. But what about the times God refuses our request? I think Paul’s experience helps us know what to do when God says no. First, let’s talk about Paul’s problem.

• PROBLEM

Interestingly, Paul doesn’t explain exactly what his problem is; rather, he simply refers to it as “a thorn in the flesh” (vs. 7 NIV). Such vivid imagery, isn’t it? The sharp end of a thorn pierces the soft skin of life and lodges beneath the surface. Some have suggested that Paul suffered from malaria, epilepsy, or a degenerative eye condition. It may have even been a particular sin that Paul struggled to overcome. Whatever the case, it was a chronic debilitating problem that hindered his ministry and prevented him from serving God to the best of his ability.

I for one am glad that Paul doesn’t tell us what his problem was; if he did I might not be able to relate to it. But as it is, we all know what it’s like to have a “thorn in the flesh.”