THE HIDDEN POWER OF YOUR PRAYER
BTCC Summit • December 3, 2006
Verse-by-verse through the Book of Romans
“Unexpected Power” Part 2
“Prayer Confession”
3 people share a time when they lacked confidence in their own prayers
Share results of today’s survey taken at beginning of service:
• “When you pray, do you ever have doubts about whether God is willing to grant your requests?”
IMAG 01 – Unexpected Power
Most of us believe there is great power in prayer…
• It’s just that we have amazingly little confidence in our OWN prayers!
Today, part 2 of our series, “Unexpected Power”:
• THE HIDDEN POWER OF YOUR PRAYER!
END IMAG
Let’s PRAY!
Continuing verse-by-verse through Romans
• Romans 15:30
o P. 805…Zchurch virtual Bible
So where does this lack of confidence in our own prayers come from?
IMAG 02 – The 4 YEAH, BUTS
THE 4 YEAH, BUTS
1. “One person’s prayer just isn’t enough”
2. “I don’t have enough faith”
3. “I’m not worthy”
4. “So many of my prayers have not been answered”
Each of these statements carries just enough truth…
• To make it an excellent LIE!
o Take closer look…
YEAH, BUT #1:
• “One person’s prayer…just isn’t enough”
The PARTIAL truth…
Matthew 18:19-20
“I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
The REST of the story!
Matthew 6:5-8
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done IN SECRET, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their MANY WORDS. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Here’s the HIDDEN POWER of your own prayer
• Say it out loud!
IMAG 03
The HIDDEN POWER of my private prayer:
Jesus loves me so much that He will answer every single one of my wise prayers!
Somebody says, “So THERE’S the catch!”
• “The only prayer of mine I can be sure God will answer is the one that is WISE!”
Yes. That’s right.
• Do you really want God to answer your STUPID prayers?
o Think about it…
YEAH, BUT #2:
• “I don’t have enough faith”
The PARTIAL truth…
Matthew 17:18-20a
“Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, ‘Why couldn’t we drive it out?’ He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith.”
The REST of that verse!
Matthew 17:20b
I tell you the truth, if you have faith AS SMALL AS A MUSTARD SEED, you can say to this mountain, ’Move from here to there’ and it will move. NOTHING will be impossible for you."
Now got to Mark for the FIRST part of that story! (Same incident – immediately after Transfiguration)
• Mark 9:14-29 [p. 714]
Here’s the HIDDEN POWER of your own prayer
• Say it out loud!
IMAG 04
The HIDDEN POWER of my private prayer:
Jesus loves me so much that He will answer every single one of my wise prayers!
YEAH, BUT #3:
• “I’m not worthy”
The PARTIAL truth
James 5:16
“…The prayer of a RIGHTEOUS man is powerful and effective.”
The REST of the story!
1 Corinthians 1:30
“…you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us…our righteousness…”
The VERY NEXT VERSE after James 5:16
James 5:17-18
“Elijah was a man JUST LIKE US. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
Here’s the HIDDEN POWER of your own prayer
• Say it out loud!
IMAG 05
The HIDDEN POWER of my private prayer:
Jesus loves me so much that He will answer every single one of my wise prayers!
YEAH, BUT #4:
• “So many of my prayers have not been answered”
The PARTIAL truth…
Job 30:20
“I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer…”
The REST of the story!
1 John 5:14-15
“This is the CONFIDENCE we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – WHATEVER we ask – we know that WE HAVE what we asked of him.”
You know what our BIGGEST prayer problem is?
• We’re fixated on OURSELVES when we pray!
We totally FORGET how good Jesus is!
• His love, mercy, grace, goodness, generosity to people who don’t deserve it!
o How much He LOVES to answer our prayers!
That’s why this is Paul’s prayer for US:
Ephesians 3:17-20
“I pray that you…may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God….to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”!
When we fill our hearts, our minds and our eyes with JESUS…
• THIS becomes the HIDDEN POWER of your own prayer
o Say it out loud!
IMAG 06
The HIDDEN POWER of my private prayer:
Jesus loves me so much that He will answer every single one of my wise prayers!
So what about those 4 YEAH, BUTS?
• Today we’ve discovered that you can answer each of THEM…
o …with a YEAH-BUT straight out of the Bible!
When Satan plants the thought: “One person’s prayer just isn’t enough”
• What’s your answer?
“Yeah, BUT:
• “Jesus told me He would REWARD me for the prayers I pray when I’m ALONE with Him!”
When Satan plants the thought: “I don’t have enough faith”
• What’s your answer?
“YEAH, BUT:
• “Jesus said a tiny bit of faith – MUSTARD SEED faith – was MORE than enough!
o “All I have to do is be HONEST with Him:
• “ ‘LORD, I believe – please help me overcome my UNbelief!’ ”
When Satan plants the thought: “I’m not worthy”
• “What’s your answer?
“YEAH, BUT:
• “I’m not coming to Jesus in my OWN righteousness –
o “Because of the cross, I’m completely covered in HIS!
• “I’m not asking this because I’M good enough
o “I’m asking this because I know HE’S that good!”
When Satan plants the thought: “So many of my prayers have not been answered”
• What’s YOUR answer?
“YEAH, BUT:
• “The only time God has EVER told me ‘no’…
o …is when it wasn’t BEST –
And I REFUSE to settle for second-best!”
Let’s say it together one more time, because it’s the GOSPEL TRUTH:
IMAG 07
Jesus loves me so much that He will answer every single one of my wise prayers!
Bow heads…
• Only 2 reasons that statement would not be true of you:
#1 – If you’ve not yet given yourself to Jesus
→ Salvation prayer
#2 – If you’re currently living in unconfessed/unforsaken sin
→ Isaiah 59:2, “…your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”
