This past week, I was in a funk for the most of the week.
Things were just “off” for me.
Lisa can always sense when something is “off”, but I couldn’t put my finger on why something was “off” for the longest time.
Then, at some point Friday, the “why” was revealed to me.
(a little later explain my “be ready 2-3 weeks in advance “theory””.I say theory because it has not yet been proven as a fact)
Let’s go back to Wednesday night for a brief moment.
During our Wednesday night devotional and prayer meeting here at CPC, I got a text from my brother, informing my other siblings and mom, that his oldest son had been admitted to the emergency room. He gave some scant details and asked us to pray for his son.
(later, talk about praying for someone right then, not just reply “praying”, or something to that affect. Jeff Drastata)
So, that night and throughout Thursday the Holy Spirit was “gnawing” on me. Ever had the Holy Spirit “gnaw” on you?
Now, you might say “the Holy Spirit wouldn’t gnaw on you”. Because that word has an understandable somewhat negative connotation. You know like “I’m so hungry, my stomach is gnawing on me”.
One definition is “a sensation of dull, constant pain or suffering”. But, this “gnawing of the Holy Spirit” was more like a constant reminding.
Today’s message is more like a “reminding”. A pastor once told me that sometimes his job was to be “Chief Reminderer”. He went on to explain that not every week, is going to be an “aha” message, but some are to remind us things we may have forgotten or put aside.
Today’s message is “The power of prayer”.
I know, the type of tantalizing title that has each of you at the edge of your seat.
I was thinking about the story found in Mark 14:32 and how the disciples must have felt about prayer.
SKIP VERSE 36 (read 32-35, then 37-42) SKIP VERSE 36Prayer put them to sleep!
Ok, as Chief Reminderer, I’ll remind you that you are in church before I ask this question “ever fall asleep while you were praying?” Now, I can fall asleep anywhere! Perhaps, not as easily as some of you, but I once fell asleep in the middle of the day while I was on the phone with someone! Thankfully, I wasn’t praying!!!
Can you imagine being one of those disciples in Gethsemane with Jesus, and falling asleep?
Maybe we aren’t in Gethsemane praying with and for Jesus, but we’ve all been those disciples!
There are many occasions where Jesus prays, or teaches the importance of prayer.
Today, as Chief Reminderer, I’d like to touch on a few thoughts about prayer.
James 5:16 tells us this
• Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
o So much to unpack here, but we’ll save that for another day.
? I believe we can develop an effective, fervent prayer life by being in God’s word every day.
? Deuteronomy 8:3 ends like this
• But man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
• We just finished a 2-part series on forgiveness.
o We need to pray for forgiveness-Both for ourselves and for others
• We need to pray for protection.
• Pray for deliverance
• Pray for salvation.
There is a specific reason why I plucked those 4 things to pray for and we’ll close out with that reason, in a few minutes.
But a couple of more thoughts about prayer:
For years, I never understood why when we pray we say “in Jesus name”. About 7 or 8 years ago, Pastor Tom Ruane explained it to me.
• He said “Jesus gives us permission to pray in His name.
• He went on to quote John 15:16
o Jesus said “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, (catch this) that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give you”.
You ever said this or heard someone say
• I just don’t know what to pray!
o Well guess what…God takes that excuse away from us. It is found in Romans 8:26 (read bible)
Ever felt like you don’t know how to pray or that your prayers are inadequate?
Jesus helps us with that also:
But He begins with how not to pray
• Matthew 6:5 (read 5-8)
I’m going to take a side trail for just a minute.
Ever get a text asking for prayer?
Unfortunately, my replies are too often something like:
Praying now, or emoji of praying hands.
Obviously, I and the Father know that if I am praying or not, but when I ask for prayers, and someone replies with and actual prayer, a peace flows through me!
That my friends, is an effectual, fervent prayer covering me!!!
Now back to Wednesday night:
• I replied in a text, with an actual prayer to my brothers’ request.
So, what was that gnawing from the Holy Spirit for most of the day Thursday?
That I should go see my nephew in the hospital on Friday.
You see, he had overdosed on cocaine and was in ICU.
I, like many of you, would rather do any 4800 other things than drive to the medical center any day, much less a Friday!
I was resisting that gnawing or urging of the Holy Spirit!
In fact, I told Lisa, I don’t really don’t know why God has put this on my heart, but I need to go see Prescott in the hospital tomorrow.
Understand, that I hadn’t been close to him in years, and knew little of his situation other than he had been struggling with addiction for a long time.
I got to his room, and within just a few minutes, the social worker came in his room to visit him.
She told him his options, which were few, and it was at that time that I learned he was homeless. She gave him a sheet with different housing options and explained that he needed to call.
After his 3rd call, it dawned on me why I was the Holy Spirit was gnawing on me!
I picked up the phone and called Brad Brock.
About 9pm Friday night, Prescott, his dad and I checked him into the House of Hope.
Here’s been my question ever since.
• Did my prayer make any difference?
Ok, we are about to wrap this up:
Remember that funk I was in last week, up until Thursday?
This may be a little hard for me to put into words, therefore it may make absolutely no sense to you.
I believe I was in that funk, because God hadn’t put a word on my heart for today’s message, and instead of relying on Him, I was being like my little brother and being defiant by relying on my own understanding and not trusting in the Lord with all my heart as instructed in Proverbs 3:5-6.
One final thought about prayer.
I intentionally left out v36 on that passage of Mark 14:32-42.
• It reads like this: “Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.
Let’s close by reciting the Lords Prayer.
Matthew 6:9-11 Stand with me as we honor God while reading His Word.
Four key points on prayer we learn from what Jesus taught us
Your will be done- We can pray about anything and everything, and ask His will be done, not ours!
Daily bread
Forgiveness
Protect us from temptation
Deliver us
Last year I learned about a church in Atlanta, that has prayed 24/7 for over 50 years. I learned this from a pastor friend, so I am taking him at his word.
Assuming it is true, a can’t help but believe they have seen miracles!
As Chief Reminderer, I’m reminding us that we need to believe in the power of prayer!
