Prayer

As we continue our review of the basics by which a church stands and is built upon, let’s us linger a bit longer on the topic of Prayer.

Many of you have at least one of these in your homes( hold up a telephone). If there is more than one person in your home, when it rings all run for the phone especially if you are a teenager, thinking and shouting, “I got it, It’s for me. A phone or rather listening or talking on the phone helps personally connect us to others. When we were on the Philadelphia Mission Trip most of out students called home regularly. Why? They missed their family and they wanted to hear their voice. It perhaps gave them the confidence that though they were far away from home, home would still be waiting for them when they returned.

Now what would happen if you were given the private phone number of a famous person be it the president, or a famous sports star, music star, or actor, and you were to told to call them. Would You?

Well this morning I am going to personally give you the phone number of someone much greater than that famous person that you came up with, I want to give you the phone number of God Himself. And his number is so powerful you don’t even need a telephone. Are you ready for that Number?

Then turn with me in your Bibles to Jeremiah 33 verse 3. Or as we will put it Jer 333.

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unseachable things you do not know.

God the author and creator of everything desires you to talk with Him. God has placed that desire deep within our hearts as well- A longing to connect and talk with God. A longing that is as deep as it was for those teens on that mission trip to talk with their mom or dad. To deny this deep desire is to live out your life every day with a sense that something is missing.

Psalm 46:10 says to be still and know that I am God. Begin today in the quiet moments of this sermon to stop and reflect. “Is there a sense in your life that something is missing? Do you live out your day with a sense of incompleteness and emptiness? Then Stop, and remember God, and then choose to talk with Him and include him in your daily life.

Listen to one man’s account of how Prayer changed His life and the lives of an entire nation.

Do you remember last Fall the Sniper that terrorized the Washington area. Well before they were apprehended the snipers killed 10 and wounded 3. What you may not know is, prayer played a vital role in bringing that ordeal to an end.

50 Christian truckers got together to pray that somehow the sniper terrorizing the Washington area would be caught. Ron Lantz was scheduled to retire in a few days and didn’t even live in the area, but he felt sure that God would answer their prayers. In fact, he told the others attending the prayer meeting that God was going to use him to catch the sniper.

A few days after they began to pray Ron was listening to the radio as he was driving through the region and felt compelled to pull off the highway to a rest stop. It was just a couple of miles from where the initial prayer meeting had taken place. As he pulled in, he was shocked to see a car similar to what was being described on the radio.

Carefully trying to read the license plate, a chill went up his back as the numbers matched. He quickly called 911 and remained there for what he said were the longest 15 minutes of his life, until the police arrived. He even pulled his truck across the exit, there would now be no escape for these elusive murderers. The rest is now history-the snipers were taken into custody without incident and the horrifying ordeal was over.

Guys according to Jeremiah 33:3, we serve a God who gives incredible answers to prayer.

Listen again To Jeremiah 33:3 this time from the New American Standard version: Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

In this verse we are commanded to Call upon God. This command and this verse falls within a context of scripture that seems rather odd. Jeremiah was in prison for speaking out about sin and immorality. Jerusalem was being attacked by the Babylonians. Defeat seemed pretty imminient. The Past Glory of Israel was a distant memory. All seemed lost.