Hillsborough Reformed Church at Millstone
Pentecost XVI Sept. 19, 2004 John 14:1-14
¡§The Answer to Prayer¡¨
Do you know how to pray? The good news is that the Bible says that God himself helps us to pray. (¡§Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words ¡V Rmns 8:26.¡¨)So we are pretty safe that when we pray, we¡¦re doing it right¡Kbecause God helps us get it right.
Did you know that there is only one thing we know for sure the disciples asked Jesus how to do?
They didn¡¦t ask Jesus how to be fishers of men. The disciples did not ask Jesus how to preach. The disciples did not ask Jesus to ask them how to run a church committee ¡V I wish they had! They DID ask Jesus to teach them to pray! Of all the things you and I might imagine they¡¦d want some help with, this might be the last! (Lk. 11:1)
Praying isn¡¦t that hard. Parents pray for their children. Students pray to pass their exams. People looking for work pray to get hired. A young man will pray that the pretty girl he is asking for a date will say ¡§yes.¡¨ Soldiers pray for God¡¦s protection. Military chaplains get more soldiers at services when a battle looms.
What are most of our prayers like? Are we forever asking God for things?
How is your prayer life? Barbara Brown Taylor is probably the most brilliant female preacher in our country today. In a recent article she wrote about things she knows she should do more of ¡V included in the list was ¡V ¡§pray more.¡¨
Jesus makes an incredible promise this morning. Let me repeat John 14:14 for you: 14If in my name you ask me„T for anything, I will do it. That is some promise! Do you believe that? Do you think it is true? I do.
I believe every prayer is answered.
That doesn¡¦t mean every prayer is granted. If you ask for an ¡§A¡¨ in your exam and only get a B-, it doesn¡¦t mean God didn¡¦t answer your prayer. Do you know what it means if you prayed for an A and got a B-? It means you should have studied more. God is not a vending machine. God is not a cosmic Santa Claus granting our every wish.
So if you want to know about the answer to prayer, you need to know something about prayer. You don¡¦t have to be a Christian to know that there is a rough parallel between a subject going to a king for the king to grant the subject a favor within the power of the king to grant. So, you, the weak one, go to the one with power for something you want. The king then decides whether or not he wants to give it to you.
My guess is this is how most people think of prayer.
So we need to ask, is this how the New Testament talks of God? Is God the all powerful grantor or withholder of what people want?
What did Jesus call God? Better ¡V what did he tell us to call God? Father! Our FATHER who art in heaven.
Now when you want something from your father, is it just a question of you wanting something your father can give or refuse to give? Well it may sound like that when you want the car keys Friday night! But while may seem like a pressing issue to a teenager at the moment, no young person would characterize his or her relationship with their father that way. There is love, respect, caring, guidance, discipline, many, many things¡Kwith love at the root of it all.
So from that example, what do we learn about prayer? We learn that prayer is a relationship.
Prayer is a meeting.
Prayer is a coming together.
When a young person goes on a date¡Kit isn¡¦t so important whether you go see Spiderman II or Shrek II. It doesn¡¦t matter so much if a couple on a date goes to Charlie Brown¡¦s or Old Man Rafferty¡¦s. It matters that young man and young woman are together.
A survey was done of boys before Father¡¦s Day. The surveyors asked what the most important things about a father were. The answers were things like, he plays catch with me. He shows me his work. He takes me on errands with him. Every single answer in the top ten had to do with a father spending time with his son. It is all about a coming together. It didn¡¦t matter whether they went to Dorney Park or the Car Parts store ¡V it mattered they went together.
Prayer is the same.
It is matters that you are together ¡V you and God¡KGod and me.
The scripture reading this morning is a favorite. It is read at funerals¡K¡§Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe„T in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father¡¦s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?„T 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.¡¨
We may read this passage and start thinking, ¡§Hey, I wonder what my room will be like?¡¨ Will it be plain and austere like a monk¡¦s cell, or will it be jazzed up with wild colors and a state of the art entertainment center. How will my view of the jewel bedecked walls of heaven be?
But that isn¡¦t the point of this whole thing. I mean, sure I¡¦m glad there are many rooms in the Father¡¦s house, I think that means there will be one for me! One for you too. But that isn¡¦t the point.
Listen to the end of those verses: ¡§And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am, you may be also.¡¨
You see, it isn¡¦t so much the room in heaven that matters. It is your neighbor. Who is right there next door? Jesus!
It is exactly like what Jesus said to the thief as they hung dying from the cross ¡V ¡§Today you will be with me in Paradise!¡¨ We might read, ¡§Paradise, Ah!¡¨ But I think the thief said, ¡§With you! Ah!¡¨
What Jesus wants us to know is that every prayer is answered. Jesus is the answer.
Sp part of the secret of answered prayer is being satisfied with the answer!
The story is told of a man who lost his footing at the edge of a cliff and tumbled over the side. As he fell, he grabbed a thin branch on the face of the cliff and was holding on for dear life. With each passing minute, his hands grew more and more tired. Finally he cried out in desperation, ¡§Is there anyone up there?¡¨ A voice answered, ¡§Yes, it is the Lord!¡¨ The man cried out, ¡§Help me!¡¨ There was pause then the Lord answered, ¡§Let go of the bush and I will save you.¡¨ The man looked down at how far it was to the bottom of the cliff. Finally he yelled, ¡§Is there anyone else up there?¡¨
Are we guilty of that kind of praying? God is standing by to give us Jesus. But Jesus wasn¡¦t exactly what we had in mind?
We need faith. We need to trust God. The Psalm says, ¡§This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and delivered him out of all his troubles I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.(Ps. 34:6,4 RSV).¡¨ God has the power to crush your fears. God can deliver you out of your troubles¡K.maybe not solving your problems as you wish them solved, but giving you divine perspective, and that may be even better.
One of the greatest problems for Jews of Jesus day was that they were ruled by Rome. Every single day the Jews had to look at the occupation army who ruled their country. What did Jesus do about it? He made the problem go away. He got people focused on their relationship to God and love for one another. In that case, you see, it didn¡¦t matter who ruled the country. Ultimately, God rules.
How much can we trust God?
The story is told of the pioneer days in our country. A man was making his way west when he came to the Missouri River. It was winter and the ice covered the river from bank to bank. But how could the man be sure it would hold his weight? He knew people often drowned in that river when the ice broke. Yet he had to cross. He walked out a little way, then gripped with fear he crawled on his hands and knees. He looked back and saw how far the bank was now behind him and knew he would drown if the ice broke and the frigid water swallowed him up. To spread his weight even more, he lay out flat on his belly and slowly drew himself sliding across the river a few inches at time. All of a sudden from behind him he heard whistling. He whipped his head around and there saw a big man, a farmer, walking across the ice leading a team of horses drawing a heavy wooden sleigh full of hay. He was smiling and whistling and tipped his hat. The timid man stood and brushed off the ice crystals and managed a sheepish smile. That old farmer had crossed the ice many times and knew it could be trusted.
How we doin¡¦?
Are we crawling inches at a time in our faith, or are we standing upright and whistling along the way?
Jesus asks what father, if his son asks for bread will give him a stone ¡V imagine the cruelty of teeth cracking against rock ¡V or said Jesus, if he asks you for a fish will give him a serpent ¡V imagine the fiery bite of the fangs. Jesus says if we, sinful as we are, can give good gift s to OUR children; just imagine the gifts God will give to us HIS children, when we ask! (Mt. 7:10)
This week, rev up your prayer life. When will it be¡Kon the commute to work? Making the point of taking a few minutes at lunch time? On the ride home. After you watch the news? While you are washing dishes?
Will you set a time to meet the answer to prayer in your daily life? Imagine the good things God has in store for you!
The Niagara River ran mightily to the ocean for many millennia. But one day someone wondered if you could harness all that rushing water to generate electricity. More than 100,000 cubic feet per SECOND! And what power came out of that river. (¡§My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me -II Cor. 12:9b.¡¨)
Jesus is mighty river. The power is flowing right there for you all the time. Tap into Jesus to become who God wants you to become.
Fred D. Mueller
