Prayers Of Desperation

Prayers of desperation

1 Samuel 1:1-21

Introduction-

I have titled the sermon today Prayer desperation.

Illustration-

Jim Symbala (Pastor at Brooklyn Tabernacle) was in a prayer meeting when he noticed a women praying aside of him. He noticed her because in her prayer she became a little loud and her prayer was as if Jesus Himself was sitting next to her. She said. God…you have to do something about my sons addiction, you… have to intervene. If you don’t intervene my son will die from an overdose. He cannot do this himself and I do not know what I need to do to help him. At first, he was taken back, then just as quick, he suddenly realized that is the way that we must approach God with our prayer request.

We have to be desperate- we have to acknowledge that God is in control and He is the only one that can do what is needed when the impossible is what is left.

This may seem like an odd title but when you look at society today, it should make sense. If I said to you today that prayer desperation is a movement of God, how would you interpret that?

Today more than ever we need God to intervene in our lives, our world, our everyday circumstances.

We need Him more than ever and it seems the more we need Him, the more we seem to push Him away.

I am saying this morning without any hesitation that if we are to see God do what is needed in our lives, our community, our families, we need to be desperate and sincere and intentional when we approach him.

For Almighty God to transform our city, our families, our churches, He must first transform each of us.

We are the tools He will use.

We are His people and any revival that will begin will begin in our hearts and our lives first before it will begin in the hearts and lives of those that do not profess Jesus Christ as Lord.

That has nothing to do with age but by being in His presence and experiencing God first hand and living out His love and His promises to a world that desperately needs Him.

So if you are 15 or 90 this morning, it begins in you and will go out to those that you come into contact with.

Turn with me to 1 Samuel 1-21

Elkanah had two wives- Hannah and Peniannah.

Hannah was baren and had no children and Peninnah had children.

Peninnah every year as they went to the temple to worship and sacrificed to the Lord ridiculed Hannah for not having children.

Hannah everywhere she turned was reminded that by mans standards that she was less of a person because she did not bare any children to Elkanah.

(3) Year after year… she went to the temple and was reminded of her inability to have children.

Anyone else relate to the fact that it seems like every struggle you have there is always someone that feels it is their ministry to tell you all the things wrong with you.

To point out the obvious and do it in a wrong spirit and wrong motive.

This month is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Reformation.

Most people think that is just a “Lutheran thing”. Martin Luther turned Europe, Germany, and eventually the world upside down because of his faithfulness and his honesty for God. He wrestled with the fact that he was a sinner and God was holy. To really experience the truth God wants you to see, experience, and live you need to realize that fact. There is a holy God and you are a sinner. Once you approach God with that authority and majesty, there Is a God thing that happens... a holy God pulls you in to Himself and lets you know how much He loves you. Martin Luthers reformation had 4 very important elements to never forget about God and approaching God with our needs and desires.

(1)- Solus Christus- (Christ alone) the foundation of the Christian faith is in Jesus Christ. We have sinned and turned away from God, but God did not give up on us. He provided a way back to fellowship with Him and his name is Jesus. Our salvation rests in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

(2)- Sola Fide- (Faith alone) His struggle and most of our struggles is how can we a sinner come to a holy God? He knew that Jesus Christ was the mediator between God and man but he also saw Jesus as the great judge. He fasted, confessed his sins as often as he could. He even went to Rome and tried to see if he could find how he could be worthy of salvation. While in Rome, he was reading the Scripture Romans 1:17- “The righteous will live by faith.” Salvation is through Christ, you cannot earn it, it is a gift from God that you accept by faith! That verse changed his life!