Circle Makers: The Ripple Effect
Circle Makers • Sermon • Submitted
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· 38 viewsOur prayers have a "ripple effect" on through the generations. As we learn to develop a habit of prayer, and work to draw our circles, we must remember that our prayers ripple down through the generations as a testimony to those who come after us.
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In 1983, physicist Lorne Whitehead published an article in the American Journal of Physics titled “Domino Chain Reaction”
-We’ve all heard of “the Domino Effect”, right?
— “The effect produced when a single event sets off a chain of similar events.”
Well… Lorne took it a bit further…
You see… He discovered that a domino is capable of knocking over another domino that is one and a half times its size… That means that a 2” domino can knock down a 3” domino, and a 3” domino can knock down a 4 1/2” domino, and so on and so on…
(knock over the dominos)
What is interesting about this is that… By the 18th domino, you could knock over the Leaning Tower of Pisa… by the 23rd domino you could knock over the Eiffel Tower… and by the 28th domino, you could knock over the Empire State Building!
That is the power of the Ripple Effect.
Prayer works the same way!
Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
20 Now 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,
That means… God can multiply the effects of our prayers!
There is no limit to what God can do with our prayers — no matter how BIG … or how small.
Today… as we finish out this series… as we complete our 40 day challenge of focused, intentional prayer… We are going to look at 4 basic truths about prayer that cause the “Ripple Effect.”
I. God desires to hear our prayers.
Have you ever thought about that?
— God desires to hear us express our needs…
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:
God hears our hearts… He knows our needs, BUT… He waits for us to tell Him what we need!
Look at:
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.
30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
Here it is… Jesus is just walking down the street… leaving Jericho… getting His journey started, and… 2 blind men start yelling at Him!
What does He do?
Matthew 20:32 (NIV)
32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
— Do you really think that Jesus didn’t know what they wanted?!? NO! But… He wanted them to tell Him…
Have you ever noticed that Jesus didn’t do a whole lot without being asked first?
Look at:
Matthew 20:33 (NIV)
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
Then, scripture tells us that Jesus had compassion on them and healed them.
Only after they asked!!!
James tells us “You do not have because you do ask.” (Jm 4:2)
What is it that you really need God to do?
What is it that your spirit groans for?
Romans 8:26 (NIV)
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
That’s true!
However… God still waits for us to speak our needs!
“God will not answer 100% of the prayers we do not pray.” — Mark Batterson
God wants to hear us call out to Him… to ask Him for help… to express our needs…
I remember when I first got custody of my son… He wouldn’t speak… He just shook his cup at you and grunted…
God won’t let us just “grunt” either!
He expects us to use our words… you use the voice He gave us… to talk to Him!
The Psalmist understood this, and he tells us:
1 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
In the NIV, we are told to pray 125 times!
In the NRSV, we are told to pray 155 times!
God considers prayer important! He loves to talk to His children.
18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
God invites us to talk with Him, about EVERYTHING!!!
Imagine Jesus standing right here… or sitting down with you at your breakfast table… and asking: “What do you want me to do for you?”
What would you say?!?
What would you ask Him?!
Are you dreaming BIG?!
— Are you sharing those dreams with Him?!
Do you believe God wants to do exponentially more with your prayers and in your life?!
Like so many others in scripture, those blind men did! And it changed their lives forever!
God can do exponentially more than we can ask or imagine!
II. God takes our small prayers and does absolutely amazing things with them.
In Zechariah 4, the people have begun building the second Temple… By comparison, the second Temple was not any where near as grand as the Temple that Solomon built…
Look at what God says to them in verse 10:
10 “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?”
Do you see what God is saying?
— God is saying “Don’t despise the small things.” Don’t think that the little things - the small prayers… the little needs… the seemingly trivial issues - don’t matter… or are to small to bother Me with… (now hear this) They are important to Me!
Mark Batterson states: “If you do little things like they are big things, God will do big things like they are little things.” — Mark Batterson
That’s where we get it a little backwards though… isn’t it?
We say “Don’t sweat the small stuff!”
We have been taught to not worry about the little things… to not bother God with them…
That we have to do “Big Things for God!”
The idea has been ingrained in us…
To be a part of God’s “next big thing”… we have to do big things!
Can I just say… NO!
Oswald Chambers states: “It is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God; but we have not. We have to be exceptional in ORDINARY things!”
God cares about the small stuff!
The little things are important to God! Because… they are important to us.
10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
Just because something is small, does not mean that it is unimportant!
Look at the three smallest bones in the human body — the malleus, incus, and stapes ( or hammer, anvil, and stirrup)…
Theses bones are tiny, but… they play a vital role in our lives!
Without them, we would not be able to hear!
— Sometimes things can seem to small to need prayer…
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
What seems small to you and me may be significant to God!
What small things are you bringing to God?
Let me ask you…
Who are you praying your prayers for? (not who are you praying about?)
Who are the answers for?
When God answers your prayer… Is that answer meant only for you?
III. God’s answers to our prayers are not “just for us”.
1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,
2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,
3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,
5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites,
6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’
7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
Joshua told the Israelites to pick up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan, and to set them up as a memorial at Gilgal.
Why???
Joshua 4:6–7 (NIV)
6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’
7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
“We think that what God does for us is for us, and it is. BUT… it’s also for the next generation!” — Mark Batterson
You see… That’s our testimony.
When God answers our prayers, He gives us a testimony that we can tell our children… They become a memorial for us!
Prayer is an awesome thing! It is empowering! It builds our faith! It connects the power of Our Father in Heaven with our lives on Earth!
Prayer is the difference between letting things happen and making things happen!
Prayer turns ordinary people into prophets… It shapes the destiny of our families… our churches… our community… and our country!
Let me tell you: “The only thing lacking for God to change the total insanity of the world today into the perfection that is heaven is for Christians to be on their knees before Him.”
Do you remember last week’s message?
What came to your mind when you realized that your prayers for your children are prayers for your grand-children and great-grandchildren?
What are you praying for them?
Do you remember your prayers?
Do you remember the answers?
There is a saying: “The longest pencil is better than the longest memory.”
It is easy to forget what we’ve been praying… It’s even easier to forget the answers!
Let me ask you: “Do you journal your prayers?”
Do you have a place that you write them down? Do you look back at them?
Now… “How will you give God the praise, thanks, and glory if you forget them?”
How will you give Him thanks when He answers forgotten prayers?
Journaling is a way to remember… both the prayers and the answers.
(The Last point…)
IV. We need to develop a habit of praying and thanking God for what He has done.
Acts 10 tells us that Cornelius “gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.”
And he received answers BEFORE he even came to know Christ!
Paul tells us to “pray continually”…
That means that we are to always be connected to God through prayer.
Let me tell you: “When we pray regularly, irregular things begin to happen on a regular basis!”
George Muller was a Christian evangelist who founded the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England.
In his lifetime, Muller cared for over 10,000 orphans and established 117 schools in England.
In today’s market, Muller raised $150 million to fund these ventures… All without ever asking anyone for a single penny!
How’d he do it? Simple — He prayed.
Muller made it a habit to turn every need into a prayer.
In total, God answered over 30,000 prayers for Muller.
How do we know?!?
He wrote them down!
Muller’s testimony to the goodness of God lived on in his prayer journal.
And future generations continue to benefit from it.
In my office I have a set of books — “Wesley’s Works”…
John Wesley lives on in those books…
“Prayer is a gift that keeps on giving, long after we’re gone. We may forget the prayers we’ve prayed, but God doesn’t!
It all starts with us!
40 days ago we began by drawing a circle around ourselves…
We began to “dream big”… to “pray hard”… and to “think long”…
Let’s continue to build on what we’ve started…
Let’s allow God to build that fire in us…
AND… Let’s see what those ripples do!