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Prayer

Do Everything for the Right Reason

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This Includes When You Pray

We’re continuing through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This week we are learning how to pray (Matthew 6:1-15). One of the first things we’re told is how not to do it. We are not to pray for show. He tells us to pray for the right reasons.  He gives us an example of this in verses 9-13, also known as The Lord’s Prayer.

Prayer is something that can be seen as weak or needy. But when it comes right down to it … aren’t we all a little weak and needy? We don’t like to admit this. This is not what the world expects. The world has turned things upside down (verses 5-8).

This upside down was true when Jesus was teaching and is still true today.

Several years ago, Tim Tebow became a polarizing figure because of his praying openly. His act of kneeling on one knee in prayer with his head bowed and one arm resting on his other knee became known as “Tebowing”.

There was a lot of pushback from the media. Some people didn’t think this kind of open expression of communicating with God should be displayed.

Often good people of faith and followers of Christ can get sucked into worldly ways. Look at the Sadducees and Pharisees. They had gotten so focused on the law that was from God that they lost touch with God.

If this action was done as some form of exhibition to become popular, it would have been wrong. But Tim’s actions then and now are consistent with him doing this for the right reasons.

All of us need to battle losing sight of God and doing things for the wrong reasons.

Life can and will be hard at times. In the movie, Unsung Hero, we see a real-life example of this:

In 1991, the Smallbone family moved from Australia to Nashville, Tennessee, in pursuit of a new beginning. David and his wife, Helen, uproot their lives and six children seeking refuge in Nashville after the collapse of David’s music company in Australia following a $500,000 loss from one concert booking.

As the family settles into their new home they encounter numerous challenges, including financial struggles and the daunting task of starting over in a foreign country. Despite the uncertainty, Helen’s unwavering faith and David’s determination propel them forward, instilling hope and resilience in their children.

Three of the Smallbone siblings, Joel, Luke, and Rebecca, develop their musical talents and navigate the competitive music industry. Joel and Luke eventually form the duo For King & Country, while Rebecca (St. James) embarks on a successful career as a Christian recording artist.

In the movie, the father, David, becomes upset and distraught as he is trying to provide for his family. This struggle escalates to the point of losing his temper and saying some very hurtful things. Feeling like a failure, he then hides out in bed for a period of time.

Ultimately, he gains the courage to apologize to the family. In his apology he says,

“I lost sight of what it’s all about.”

This happens to all of us, but we can reduce the chance if we remember to do everything we do for the right reason.

Life is Like a Pencil Maze

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And They’re Easier with Help

A maze is defined as, “A path or collection of paths typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching (“unicursal”) patterns that lead unambiguously through a convoluted layout to a goal.”

Life is like a maze. It has a beginning and an end. We can choose what we want the end goal to be. Do we want to spend eternity in heaven or hell?

We start down a path that seems clear. We’re sure is the right one. Then we run into a roadblock. Now we have to turn around and go in a different direction. And just when we think we have it figured out…there’s another dead end.

This maze we call life can be frustrating.

But if we persist, we will eventually find the goal. Finding our way through the maze is easier if we have a map and help. The map is our Bible. The help is God, our church, family, and Christian friends.

This Sunday’s message was from Psalm 5. It is a morning prayer for help…and boy, don’t we all need help getting through this maze called life.

David starts out by stating who he’s praying to and asking God to hear his prayer. He confirms that God does not like evil and will not support sin. He asks God to make His teaching clear and to guide him. He then closes the prayer asking for protection for those who love God.

Starting our day off in prayer is a good way to begin each daily portion of the maze.

In Psalm 1, we are shown the way to happiness. We are also shown a different path. One path is to success. One is like straw blown by the wind. Verse 6 tells us, “The Lord protects everyone who follows Him, but the wicked follow a road that leads to ruin.”

So, if we are aware of the maze of life, understand how it’s better with help, take intentional actions, and continue learning as we go…we’ll make it to Heaven in the end.

Dedication is a Lot More Than Just a Word

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It Requires Action and Commitment

The past several weeks, we’ve discussed prayer and some of the different reasons to pray. There have been examples of prayer from Scripture and examples of people praying. 

Prayer is how we communicate with God. 

The first week, we discussed Hannah and her remembrance to thank God for her answered prayer. Second, David’s recognition that God knows our thoughts and prayer is our realization of this. Third, David repented for his mistakes. Forth, Solomon asked for wisdom. Fifth, Elijah called Ahab out for his mistakes in leading the people to do the wrong thing and their acceptance and changing. Sixth, Hezekiah took situations to God in prayer and we should do the same. And finally, last week Jabez’s prayer was an example of how simple prayer can and should be. We often make prayer too complicated. 

This week is about Solomon’s dedication of the new temple and a physical location to connect with God. Like in the beginning of this series on prayer, we talked about the stacking of stones as a good physical reminder. The same was true for the temple. 

So, what is dedication?  

Dedication is the act of devoting something to a divine being for sacred use then setting it aside for a particular purpose. Dedication goes back to the 14th century. Back then, it referred to the solemn act of dedicating something–such as a calendar day or a church–to a deity or for a sacred use. Centuries later, it was used for the act of devoting time and energy to a particular purpose. Nowadays, dedication commonly indicates loyalty or commitment to a cause, ideal, or purpose. 

After the completion of the temple in Jerusalem, Solomon’s prayer of dedication included praise, guidance, and requests. This temple was a physical reminder of how big and special God is. 

There were seven requests to God in this prayer: 

  1. Discernment to judge fairly between people when someone wrongs someone else. 
  1. Forgiveness when we start living like the world and turn back. 
  1. Teaching us to follow the right path. 
  1. Giving Your people what they deserve based on how they act. 
  1. That all people everywhere will know who You are. 
  1. Help with fighting life’s battles and enemies. 
  1. Sending us reminders that we can’t do this on our own and we need to seek You in all things. 

We need to remember that the temple is not God. We need to remember that rules are not God. We need to remember that pomp and circumstance are not God.  

God is not a building or some physical statue. God is alive! 

In this fallen world, we are going to mess up. This does not mean that we can’t be forgiven. However, forgiveness is not a pass for messing up either.  

We need to dedicate ourselves to God through our actions and commitment.

We Should Pray Like Jabez

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And How Did He Pray?

As names in the Bible go, Jabez is not someone who we hear a lot about. He is mentioned in 1 Chronicles in middle of the genealogy of Judah. As you’re reading through the long list of names there in Chapter 4 Verse 9 and 10, Jabez pops up. 

Another thing that’s a little different is that rather than telling who his father, bothers, or sons were, it says… 

There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request. 

And that’s how we should pray.  

Then in Verse 11, it goes right back to: so and so was the father of so and so and on and on. 

Other than the fact that Jabez’s prayer is stuck in the middle of this genealogical list of names, what makes it a good example of how we should pray? 

Prayer is our direct line of communication with God, our way of expressing our hopes, dreams, and desires. Among the countless prayers that have been uttered throughout history, this one stands out. 

This prayer resonates with those who long to move beyond the limitations of their current situation and experience God’s abundant provision. 

But what makes this prayer so different?  

It’s the simplicity of it. In a couple of short sentences, it recognizes our need for God’s power to transform our lives. It’s the boldness to ask for God’s favor, knowing that He delights in blessing His children. It’s the faith to believe that God can take us from the ordinary to the extraordinary, from the mundane to the miraculous. 

There are the four simple but powerful points to Jabez’s prayer –  

  1. First, Jabez asks God to bless him. - This is a recognition that all blessings come from God and that we are dependent on God’s favor and provision. Jabez desires God’s blessings in all areas of his life, both spiritually and materially. 
  2. Next, Jabez asks for an enlargement of his territory. - This can be understood as a request for God to expand our influence, impact, and opportunities. Jabez wants to make a greater difference in the world and fulfill his God-given purpose. 
  3. Then, Jabez asks for God’s hand to be with him. – This is a plea for God’s presence and guidance in his life. Jabez recognizes that he cannot accomplish anything without God’s help and desires to walk closely with Him. 
  4. Lastly, Jabez asks God to keep him from harm and free from pain. – This is a request for protection and deliverance from any form of evil or suffering. Jabez desires to live a life shielded from harm and filled with peace. 

And the last words of Verse 10… “And God granted him his request.”  

Too often we make prayer something too lofty and grand. Something that, as flawed and imperfect sinners, we have no right to tell God. After all, He made everything and can do anything.  

We need to stop kidding ourselves. God already knows our hearts and minds. He knows what we want before we do.  

This doesn’t mean that God isn’t all powerful and shouldn’t be honored. What it does mean is that there is a balance of honor and relationship.  

God wants a relationship with us.  

We are supposed to honor our earthly parents, but we’re also supposed to have a relationship with them.  

Jabez spoke to God honestly, openly, and respectfully and God heard him. 

If we align our desires with God’s, He will hear our prayers as well.

Prayer is How We Communicate with God

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This Includes Saying Thank You

Communication is a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behaviors. It is the transmitting of information. It is a two-way street; it goes both ways.

Too often when we pray, we’re focused on asking God for things we want, and we should ask God for those things. But this doesn’t mean that praying for things we want means we’ll get them.

We need to make sure the things we’re asking for are in alignment with the things God wants.

The other thing that happens too often when we pray. We forget to thank God for all the prayers He does answer.

Notice how the definition of communication above isn’t just talking. It’s the exchanging of information.

When it comes to prayer, communication includes our thoughts. God knows our thoughts, the good, the bad, the positive, the negative, the ugly, and even the sinful because there is nothing that God does not know.

In Psalm 139:1-2 David says, “O LORD, you have searched me and know me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.”

The message of David tells us that our thoughts, whatever the dynamics of them may be, are important to God, and because it is so important to Him, He discerns fully and continually reminds us that these thoughts matter.

However, we should also be careful as to what we are thinking about. This is particularly mentioned in Isaiah 55:8 as stated, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” 

David had an interesting relationship with Saul. One minute David was like a son to Saul, and the next, Saul was trying to have David killed.

Through all this tumultuous relationship, even after having a couple of opportunities to put an end to it and take Saul’s life, David stayed true to God and His plan.

After Saul and his sons are killed in battle, David is made king. David went to the Lord with a prayer of thanks. (2 Samuel 7:18-29) David humbles himself and asks God why He has made a simple shepherd a king. David says,

“You know what I’m really like.”

David goes on to say, “O Lord God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever. And may your name be honored forever…”

Prayer is often looked at as a formal thing. Something that is high and mighty. It is talking with God after all.

We need to remember that it is just communication with our Father in Heaven. Remember to thank Him for all that we are and all that we have.

Stacking Stones Is a Good Reminder

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Prayer Is How We Communicate with God

Relationships where there is no communication don’t last.

A relationship is two or more people being connected. It’s hard to connect in any meaningful way without communication. Communication is how we let others know what we’re thinking and feeling.

Granted, different people communicate differently, but when there is none…there is no relationship.

Praying is how we build a relationship with God.

This week’s sermon was about Hannah. She was the mother of Samuel and one of the wives of Elkanah. She had not had any children yet, and Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, had children.

Peninnah kept throwing this fact in Hannah’s face. (1 Samuel 1:6)

Hannah prayed long and hard for a child. She vowed to dedicate him to God’s service. God answered her prayer, and she gave birth to Samuel. She brought him to the temple as a young boy and left him with Eli the priest.

In her gratefulness, Hannah prayed a prayer of thanksgiving to God. (1 Samuel 2:1-11)

Three observations from the prayer:

  1. We need to share our hearts with the Lord. It doesn’t matter if our requests seem insignificant to us. We need to share these things more than once. Hannah shared this with God for years. (1 Samuel 1:7)
  2. Sometimes the answer to our prayer may not be what we want. Maybe what we’re asking for comes with consequences. Imagine what it would be like after waiting years for a child to give them up.
  3. We need to praise and thank God for answering our prayer. God knows better than we do. This is why we should remember that God knows more than we do. Hannah had more children (1 Samuel 2:19-21), and Samuel became a great leader. (1 Samuel 3:15-21)

Remembering to take the time to thank God is important.

This is the hard one for me. It’s not that I’m not grateful, because I am. It’s just that I have so many to-do lists, that I move on to the next thing rather than pausing and thanking God.

It’s a lot like taking pictures of construction projects. I do a great job of taking pictures before we start and in the early stages. Then, as the project moves forward, I take less and less often forgetting to take completed pictures because I’ve moved on to the next project.

Just like I need to be reminded to take pictures of completed construction projects, I need something to remind me to pause and thank God for answered prayers.

Ebenezer is a male given name in Hebrew that means “stone of help”. There are several instances of the Israelites stacking or standing up stones as reminders of answered prayers.

Ebenezer was the name of the stone that was erected by Samuel to commemorate a victory over the Philistines. (1 Samuel 7:3-12)

This was a reminder to everyone that God had answered their prayer.

As a way of reminding us of answered prayers, Pastor Lisa passed out small colored stones to everyone in the congregation. These are to represent specific prayers.

She placed a clear glass cylinder at the front of the sanctuary for us to drop our stones in when prayers are answered. We can then get another stone for another prayer.

I’ve decided to carry my stone with me and place it on my desk during the day, set it by my phone in the evening and put it by the bed at night. This is to be a constant reminder of my prayer. Then, when this prayer is answered, I’ll put it in the cylinder and get another stone.

Stacking up stones in this cylinder is a great reminder of God answering our prayers.

How We Deal with Suffering is a Decision That is Up to Us

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It Helps a Lot When We Decide to NOT do it Alone

There is a lot of suffering out there, whether it’s illness, abusive relationships, someone taking advantage of someone else, or death. As hard as it is, these things are all a part of life.

It’s easy to get caught up in the struggle and pain of these situations. We wonder, why do these things happen. This is a question that we won’t be able to fully answer this side of eternity.

Even though there’s suffering, there are miracles happening around us every day.

It’s up to us to choose which we spend our energy focusing on.

A good example of this is the story of critical care surgeon Dr. Kathryn Butler.

She felt distant from God until she witnessed a medical miracle.

As she worked in the emergency room, she was treating a 22 year old man who had been bludgeoned with a baseball bat in his sleep. His wife, lying beside him, died during the assault and his four-year-old son witnessed everything.

Dr. Butler thrived on the urgency of the emergency room—the chaos, the opportunities to reach people in dire moments. Yet on this particular night she struggled to focus. She kept thinking of his four-year-old son in footed pajamas, and the images of brutality he might never forget.

While wrestling with these thoughts, paramedics rushed in with a 15-year-old boy dying from a gunshot wound. The bullet had torn open his aorta. He could not be saved.

While fighting back tears, her trauma pager went off again. Another 15-year-old boy. Another gunshot wound. This time, the bullet had struck the boy’s head.

The next morning, as she finished her shift, she wandered about as if lost. She despaired over how little life mattered to people. Each of her patients had suffered at the hand of someone who looked at him and saw no worth.

How could God allow such evil?

She had grown up as a nominal Christian. Her family observed certain Christian traditions, but never read the Bible or talked about the gospel together. She understood Christianity to be synonymous with good behavior.

After work, she drove for hours parking at a bridge that spanned the Connecticut River. She gripped the guardrail, tipping her face against the wind, breathed, and felt . . . nothing. She opened her mouth to pray, but no words came.

Doubt led to hopelessness, and hopelessness to despair. She dreamed of eternal sleep, of numbness, of annihilation. Thoughts of taking her own life troubled her daily. She fought the impulse to return to the bridge over the Connecticut River and jump over the railing. Only the love for her husband, Scottie, brought her home each evening.

Months later, Scottie lost his job. While she struggled with the problem of evil, he sought the church, understood the Word for the first time, and accepted Christ as his Savior. Scottie invited her to join him in worship, but she remained disillusioned. When she finally attended church to appease him, everything seemed awkward and foreign.

Later she transitioned to work in the ICU. Among her patients there was a middle-aged man who suffered cardiac arrest after a hip replacement. A lack of oxygen during the arrest had caused severe brain injury and neurologists predicted he would never recover.

The man’s wife and daughters would be at his bedside daily praying for a miracle.

One morning, the man’s wife was at his bedside, singing. As Dr. Butler approached his wife said, “I was praying and praying last night, and when I woke up, I knew everything would be fine. God told me he’s going to be just fine.”

Dr. Butler admired her conviction and her hope, especially since Dr. Butler had neither.

Yet her husband’s clinical data promised that everything would not be fine.

Over the next few weeks his wife continued to sing and pray. The medical staff struggled to conceal their worry. They would shake their heads and cast each other glances that said, “This is heartbreaking.”

One afternoon, he moved his toe. The doctor said, “I’m sorry, but it was probably just a reflex.

“No,” his wife insisted. “Watch.” She put a hand on his shoulder and shouted into his ear for him to wiggle his right big toe. He did.

The next day, he turned his head toward them. Then, he blinked on command. In two weeks, he was awake. In three, he sat in a chair.

At best, the neurologists had anticipated he might occasionally track moving objects. No one expected that his condition would so dramatically resolve.

Medical science could not explain his recovery.

Dr. Butler suspected she had witnessed a miracle. Yet, still wrestled with God. How could He bestow such blessings, yet allow suffering?

Dr. Butler’s husband continued to encourage her to read the Bible. So, she started with the Gospels, then Romans. As she read with a newly opened heart there was unveiled Christ’s love that she had never fathomed.

The agony He suffered for our sake. He had endured heartache and had confronted the face of evil. And He bore such affliction—our affliction—for us. Romans 5:1–8 revealed the awesome magnitude of God’s love for us.

He knows suffering.

The Lord took away Dr. Butler’s despair and fashioned a canvas for His perfect work in her. Just as Christ raised Lazarus so that others might believe, so he redeems suffering—the gunshot wounds, the mourning, the lost jobs, the despondency beside bridge railings—for his glory.

In his mercy, he descends to buoy us up, and to complete miracles we cannot comprehend. He pours blessings upon us every day, but also the hard nights, and every breath in between.

What’s important to remember is that we don’t have to go through these difficulties alone. There is God, family and friends to help us through.

It’s up to us to believe.

I’m Stuck God, Please Help Me

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Remember to Say Thank You for The Tow Truck

 

We pray when we need or want something. Even non-believers do this. There are countless examples of people saying things like, “When the plane was going down, I prayed, even though I didn’t believe in God.”

 

Prayer is a natural “God given” reaction. As long as we’re traveling smoothly down the center of the road, we ‘think’ we have it all under control. But when we find ourselves stuck in a ditch; we ask God for a tow truck.


After we’re pulled out, we forget to say thank You, just like the lepers in Luke 17:11-19 did. Ten were healed and only one returned to say thank You. This is a pretty low percentage of thanks.

Everything big and small should be discussed with God. He’s not only interested in the big problems.


If our request is loud, our thanks should be louder.


It is easy to get pulled down by the daily grind of the world. We have our head down working through the day’s problems and forget to look up. By not looking up we miss the miracles happening all around us. We think we have everything under control, but…not so much.


Regardless of man’s plans, God’s plans are bigger.


It’s easy to let the negative outweigh the positive. We need to be intentional about looking at the positive. When Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked on the island, he made a list of the negatives and positives of his situation. Making this list allowed him to see that things weren’t as bad as they first appeared.


When we find ourselves stranded on an island, we need to make a list.


Finally, we need to share these answered prayers with others. This sharing is an example of God’s involvement in the world. Seeing this routine involvement in the small as well as the big, let’s people witness God’s relationship firsthand.

 


Visit with God while traveling down the middle of the road. Don’t wait until you’re stuck in a ditch.

Are You Getting What You Pray For?

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If Not, Maybe the Problem Lies in Your Expectation

 

We’ve all had times when we prayed for something only to be disappointed. Whether the outcome we prayed for happened only to make things worse. Or, maybe we prayed and prayed and never got the answer we wanted.

 


What’s the problem with our praying?


We need to align our praying with God’s plans.


Pastor Lee told a story about a church that was struggling financially. They needed $10,000 to meet their year-end obligations. The church began a prayer campaign to this end and soon they were given some stocks worth $5,000. The leadership of the church met and decided to go ahead and sell the stock and continue to pray for the remaining $5,000.

 


The next day when the pastor was planning to go sell the stocks there was a snowstorm that kept him from going. After a few days the storm was over and the roads had cleared, he went to complete the sale of the stocks. In the few days he was unable to go, the stock price had doubled. Prayer answered.


Why is it when we pray for peace or healing or some other worthy cause we don’t receive it?


We need to align our praying with God’s plans.


Maybe we need to alter our expectations, but not our faith. In Luke 11:1-13, Jesus teaches us how to pray. Most of us are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer, Verses 1-4, and many can recite it from memory. We’re less familiar with Verses 5-13. Here He tells us to continue asking and you will get what you ask for. The problem is that often what we ask for is not the thing WE SHOULD ASK FOR.


If we break down praying, there are six main points:

  1. – Remember that God is God. He made everything and can do anything He wants. We need to align our wants with His.
  2. –  We’re given just what we need each day. God wants us to have blessings overflowing, but to not be wasteful.
  3. – Forgive us because we continually mess up. Jesus has already paid the price for our failures…we just need accept the payment and mess up less tomorrow.
  4. – Forgive others. This is paying forgiveness forward. If we’ve been forgiven, it only makes sense to forgive others.
  5. – Protection from being tempted. Put on and wear the Armor of God, Ephesians 6:10-16. This protection is ours to use, but we have to put it on and wear it every day.
  6. – Be relentless in your asking. Ask…ask…ask…ask…and ask again, just be careful what it is that you’re asking for. Once you get it, it might not be what you thought.


When we align our praying with God’s plans for our lives, things go a lot smoother and the outcome is much better.


A lady was shopping for an anniversary card for her husband and found the perfect card to give him. On the front of the card it said, “Well it’s not what you prayed for…” On the inside it said, “but apparently it’s the answer.”

 

 


We need to align our praying with God’s plans and then we’ll get what we pray for.