Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

God hears our hearts… He knows our needs, BUT… He waits for us to tell Him what we need!

Look at:

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:

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.

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:

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.

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…

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”.

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)