“prayer Impacts Our Hope” Series

“Prayer Impacts our Hope”

Text:

Ps 71:14 “But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more”. NIV

Introduction:

Good morning, we are about to conclude our series on “The Impact of Prayer”.

The focus of our ultimate message is on how prayer impacts our hope in God.

Have you ever been in a situation that you feel like you are so hopeless? What do you do when you are in a hopeless state? Some people eventually gives up and surrender when they’ve reached this point.

Do you realize what prayer can do to stretch our hope? The psalmist is a good example of a person who would choose to engage in prayer especially when he is in trouble.

One of the verse in the book of Psalms that helps me understand how prayer impacts our hope is in Psalms 71:14 “But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more”. NIV

Every time we pray… Ask yourself this question…

I. What we should hope in?

A. The power of God

v. 16a. "I will go in the strength of the Lord God, not sit down in despair, but stir up myself to and exert myself in my work and warfare, will go forth and go on, not in any strength of my own, but in God's strength disclaiming my own sufficiency and depending on him only as all-sufficient in the strength of his providence and in the strength of his grace." We must always go about God's work in his strength, having our eyes up unto him to work in us both to will and to do.

B. The promise of God

v. 16b. "I will make mention of His righteousness, that is, His faithfulness to every word that He has spoken, the equity of His disposals, and His kindness to His people that trust in Him.

This I will make mention of as my plea in prayer for His mercy." We may very fitly apply it to the righteousness of Christ, which is called the righteousness of God by faith, and which is witnessed by the law and the prophets; we must depend upon God's strength for assistance and upon Christ's righteousness for acceptance.

The next question will be…

II. What we should hope for?

A. That God would not leave us till the end. vv. 17-18

1. What God had done to us when we were young:

v.17a “Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,” NIV.

The good education and good instructions which his parents gave him when he was young he owns himself obliged to give God thanks for as a great favor. It is a blessed thing to be taught of God from our youth, from our childhood to know the holy scriptures, and it is what we have reason to bless God for.

2. What we had done for God now:

v.17b “and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds” NIV.

Those that have not good when they are young must be doing good when they are grown up, and must continue to communicate what they have received. We must own that all the works of God's goodness to us are wondrous works, admiring he should do so much for us who are so undeserving, and we must make it our business to declare them, to the glory of God and the good of others.

3. What we desired to do for God when we grow old:

v.18 “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God,

till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to

all who are to come.” NIV.

This is what he earnestly desires and confidently hopes for. Those that have been taught of God from their youth, and have made it the business of their lives to honor him, may be sure that he will not leave them when they are old and gray-headed, will not leave them helpless and comfortless, but will make the evil days of old age their best days, and such as they shall have occasion to say they have pleasure in.

B. That God would revive and raise us up out of our present condition.

- The best of God's saints and servants are sometimes exercised with great and sore troubles in this world.

- God's hand is to be eyed in all the troubles of the saints, and that will help to extenuate them and make them seem light. He does not say, "Thou hast burdened me with those troubles," but "shown them to me," as the tender father shows the child the rod to keep him in awe.

- Though God's people be brought ever so low he can revive them and raise them up. Are they dead? He can quicken them again. See 2 Cor 1:9. Are they buried, as dead men out of mind? He can bring them up again from the depths of the earth, can cheer the most drooping spirit and raise the most sinking interest.