Week Six (Prayer) - Sunday

Prayer

Did you know that we have the power within us that can forever change the world, yet is probably the most misunderstood and misused power in the world? The power within us does not originate with us, but has been implanted within us and is ready at our beckon call. It is the power to call upon God, the Creator of the universe, on our own - through prayer.

Of course you had probably already surmised where this was leading by reading the topic of this session. I am fairly confident that most of those who read this book have prayed to God at least a few times in their lives. But I am also just as confident that most people, even most Christians, lack full appreciation of the power of prayer and may even give little regard to it.  I know such a statement sounds rather harsh, but that is what is evidenced in most peoples lives today. Conversely, people who have healthy prayer lives demonstrate it in their day-to-day living. They cannot help but show it because in prayer, they have been presence of the Living God and they are changed from that experience.

I know, this sounds more like the ravings of some fanciful fanatic, but maybe it's time we become a bit more fanatical about something that has such awesome power. Many become fanatics when they talk with someone they idolize or adore. So why is it that we have demoted talking with God as a hum-drum ritual that we feel has little impact on our lives?

The reason is because we have either forgotten or have never experienced being in God's presence through prayer. Sadly, much of the fault lies within the Church, for allowing prayer to become so trivialize and perfunctory. But some of the fault also rests within ourselves, for not taking the initiative to make it a top priority in life. If we really want to make a difference in our lives, in the lives of those we love and care for, in the Church, and in the world, we must make prayer a Holy Habit!

Before we can attempt to make prayer a Holy Habit,  a vehicle with great power and not a mundane ritual, we must first understand what prayer is and is not.

PRAYER IS NOT                                                      PRAYER IS

- me only talking to God                                            - a dialogue

- a means of getting our wishes granted                    - an act of humility

- a good luck recitation                                              - an integral part of a relationship

- perfunctory                                                              - deliberate

- limited only to clergy or eloquent speakers            - open for all to employ

This list could go on and on, but I believe you get the picture with these few. But to gain a better appreciation for the power of prayer, let us look at it a bit more closely. It is without doubt that prayer is mentioned throughout the Bible. To begin to list all the references to prayer in this sacred text would be ludicrous for this program. But there are a few examples that need to be lifted up to show the development of prayer and its relevance today.

To begin, while we enjoy the freedom to exercise prayer at our pleasure, this has not always been the case. During the generations near the onset of human history, God chose to speak to the people through chosen men and women. If you recall, Moses was one of those individuals. The ancient Hebrews were not in a free relationship with God, one where they could talk with and petition God on their own, They had to have a mediator. This was because God is holy...so holy, as a matter of fact, that if anyone looked at God they would instantly die. So, God holiness kept people at a distance and only the mediator, known as the priest, who was chosen by God, could approach God on the people's behalf. To keep the distance between God and the people distinct, an elaborate structural system was devised, called the tabernacle. The tabernacle was actually a series of tents and dividing walls. It was made up of tents so that the whole tabernacle could be mobile and travel with the people. In the innermost section of the tabernacle was a tent called the "Holy of Holies." Only the priest could enter this tent because it was here where God resided. In order for the priest to be able to enter in the "Holy of Holies," the priest had to completely pure, purified through a rigorous ceremony, otherwise the holiness of God would destroy him. Can you imagine the fear and trepidation a priest must have felt before entering the tent? What if he was defiled in some way that was unbeknownst to him or had forgotten?!

Of course, to be in God's presence in such a manner must profoundly change a person. Exodus 34:29-35 describes how Moses was physically changed by his encounters with God's presence. In these verses, the writer tells that when Moses talked with God, his skin would shine. The Israelites would then know, just by his appearance, that he had been talking with God. As a matter of fact, his face would shine so much from this encounter, Moses had to cover his face with a veil! Friends, that is what we should want to happen to us  - to be in God's presence so much that people can see it on our faces! Now you may be saying to yourself by now, "That couldn't be me. Moses was chosen by God; I am not." To put this simply, you're wrong. It can be you. You have been chosen by God. Jesus made this possible.

Two of the gospels, Matthew and Mark, tell us that when Jesus died, the curtain in the temple (which had by then replaced the tabernacle) was torn in two, from top to bottom. No longer was there a separation between God and the people. The people of God became holy the penalty of sin was paid by Jesus redemptive act on the Cross. The need for a priest to petition God on behalf of the people was now nullified. The people could now approach God directly through prayer.

But Jesus di more than just provide us the ability to pray; he taught us how to pray. Jesus' life was centered in prayer, His disciples, those whom he chose to follow him, saw how important prayer was to him. They saw that through prayer, he derived his strength and guidance. They hungered for it too. So once, when Jesus finished praying, one of his disciples became bold and said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray too." Jesus, sensing their yearning to draw close to God replied, "When you pray, say:

           

            Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.

Luke 11:2-4 (NIV)

You may well recognize this as part of the prayer we call The Lord's Prayer.  We can use this as a model for how we should pray as it contains some crucial elements of prayer: Praise, Repentance, Asking, and Yielding (PRAY). It is also faithful to the standard as set by the Great Commandment:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'  The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)

Now, how often should we pray? Some seem to feel that when we have a need, we should pray for it once and then no more. The reason for this is they believe that if we pray for something more than once , we are implying that God did not hear us the first time or that we are attempting to coerce God to abide by our wishes. But, I would suggest that Jesus gives us a different point of view as he follows up the basis for the Lord's Prayer:

Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Luke 11:5-13 (NIV)

Here, her uses the analogy of a person who knocks on a friends door at midnight wanting food. Even if the person does not answer the door for a friend, he will because of the persistent knocking. So, we should pray without ceasing.

Prayer giant, Terry Teykl, tells of a true story that happened recently of a man whose child died unexpectedly.  When the man arrives home and found his son had died, he refused to let the funeral home take his child’s body away.  Instead, the man kneeled by the lifeless body and prayed for God to restore life to his precious child.  The minutes turned to an hour.  Then the hour became many hours.  Others in the home thought the man to be crazy and talked of having the police to come and intervene.  But the man prayed on.  Then, after many, many hours, the child began to breathe!  God had heard the man’s cries and restored the child’s life!  Terry then poignantly points out, “What if the man had listened to the naysayers?  What if the man had given up just minutes before?”

I know that this story sounds incredulous, but friends, aren’t we really talking about the power of God?  Are we so bold to say that God couldn’t or wouldn’t do such a thing?  Where’s our faith?!  God is the faithful one, so if prayers go unheeded or unanswered, the fault lies with us!  If we say we believe in the power of prayer, the power of God, then we must show it!  Our lives must show it!  Prayer must be one of our Holy Habits.


JOURNAL QUESTIONS

1. Reflect on your sermon notes and journal reading from today.


GROUP EXERCISE

10 minutes - Community Building (informal time of gathering)
10 minutes - Sharing of Concerns and Praises
  5 minutes - Prayer for One Another
30 minutes - Discussion of Topic
                     - What journal entry would you like to share?
                     - What do you use to prepare for prayer?
                     - Read Colossians 1:3-14. List the elements listed in verses 9-14. How would the world 
                       be changed if you began praying this way?
  5 minutes - Wrap Up/Closing Prayer