Hallowed Be Thy Name: The Perspective of Prayer

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INTRO:

HELP! HELP! I CRIED OUT. THERE I WAS DANGLING FROM A BENT-OVER DOGWOOD TREE BY THE BACK OF MY SHORTS LIKE A HUMAN DISCO BALL.

I WAS SUSPENDED FOR WHAT FELT LIKE SEVERAL MINUTES

NONE OF MY EFFORTS TO GET DOWN FROM THIS TREE WAS CHANGING MY SITUATION AND ALL I COULD SIMPLY DO WAS CRY OUT FOR HELP BECAUSE I KNEW SOMEONE WOULD EVENTUALLY HEAR ME.

THIS IS A LOT LIKE PRAYER

THIS MESSAGE IS NOT ABOUT HOW TO PRAY

IT’S ABOUT OUR EXPECTATION OF GOD IN AND THROUGH PRAYER

THE PSALMS ARE FULL OF DESPERATE PRAYERS SAYING THINGS LIKE:

READ PSALM 13:1 [ESV]

HOW LONG, O LORD? WILL YOU FORGET ME FOREVER?

HOW LONG WILL YOU HIDE YOUR FACE FROM ME?

READ PSALM 10:1 [ESV]

WHY, O LORD, DO YOU STAND FAR AWAY?

WHY DO YOU HIDE YOURSELF IN TIMES OF TROUBLE?

SLIDE: WHAT IS THE PERSPECTIVE OF PRAYER?

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT GOD WHEN IT COMES TO PRAYER?

DO YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD CAUSE YOU TO PRAY OR KEEP YOU FROM PRAYING?

POINT: WE DON’T PRAY BECAUSE GOD DOESN’T UNDERSTAND OUR PERSPECTIVE; WE PRAY TO SEE GOD’S PERSPECTIVE.

[GET READY FOR SPACE LOOK]

READ: ISAIAH 55:8-9 [ESV]

WE NEED A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE [CHANGE LIGHTS NOW]

THE TENSION OF OUR PERSPECTIVE:

WE FEEL FRUSTRATED BECAUSE WE CANNOT SEE THINGS THE WAY GOD DOES

IF WE WERE ABLE TO TRAVEL TO THE HEAVENS, WOULD WE BE ABLE TO SEE OUR LIVES THE WAY GOD DOES? I CAN BARELY SEE HOMES FROM AN AIRPLANE!

THE PSALMS HAVE MUCH TO SAY ABOUT GOD’S PERSPECTIVE

READ: PSALM 8 [ESV]

THE FIRST OBSERVATION ABOUT THIS PSALM IS THAT IT BEGINS AND ENDS WITH THE PERSPECTIVE THAT GOD’S REPUTATION IS GOOD AND IS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE OF CREATION.

WE WILL NEVER FIND OURSELVES IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE AT A PLACE WHERE GOD’S REPUTATION IS NOT GOOD.

WHEN JESUS INSTRUCTS HIS DISCIPLES HOW TO PRAY IN MATTHEW 6 HE BEGINS WITH:

OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN

HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME

THE BIBLICAL AUTHORS HAD A SINGLE WORD FOR GOD’S REPUTATION (TWO WORDS IN ENGLISH)

SLIDE: CHESED = STEADFAST LOVE

THIS WORD APPEARS 245 TIMES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, BUT IT APPEARS 127 TIMES IN THE PSALMS.

THE PSALMISTS UNDERSTOOD THAT PRAYER WAS NOT ABOUT WHO THEY ARE, BUT WHO GOD IS.

LOOK AT VS 3-4 AGAIN

[GET READY FOR NORMAL SERMON LOOK]

POINT: WE DON’T PRAY BECAUSE OUR WORDS ARE PERFECT; WE PRAY BECAUSE GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS WORD.

THIS IS A MAJOR SHIFT IN OUR PERSPECTIVE WHEN WE REALIZE PRAYER HAS MORE TO DO WITH GOD’S FAITHFULNESS THAN OURS

KNOWING THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING FOR US HERE [CHANGE LIGHTS NOW]

THIS IS CRUCIAL BECAUSE WE LIVE IN A REALITY THAT GOD DOES NOT ANSWER EVERY PRAYER THE WAY WE WANT.

WE ARE QUICK TO JUDGE GOD’S PERSPECTIVE FROM HOW WE FEEL, BUT WE NEED TO REMEMBER HIS STEADFAST LOVE PROCEEDS IN ALL OF LIFE.

SLIDE: “God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.” - Charles Spurgeon

GOD’S HEART IS PERFECTLY REVEALED THROUGH JESUS

READ: COLOSSIANS 1:15 [ESV]

WE LOOK AT EVERYTHING GOING ON AND CONTROL AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

SLIDE: PRAYER INVITES US TO STOP FIGHTING FOR CONTROL AND FOCUS ON THE ONE WHO IS IN CONTROL

[KEYS OUT]

THE TELESCOPE

THERE’S ALL KINDS OF LIGHT BUT THE TELESCOPE ALLOWS US TO FOCUS ON WHAT WE EXPECTED TO FIND WHERE WE EXPECTED IT TO BE

WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING OF GOD IN AND THROUGH PRAYER?

READ: PSALM 13

[PRAY: GET ITEMS OFF STAGE, BAND COME OUT]

[SONG:TRUST IN GOD]

READ: HEBREWS 4:14-16 [ESV]

POINT: WE DON’T PRAY BECAUSE GOD IS FAR AWAY; WE PRAY BECAUSE JESUS HAS BROUGHT US CLOSE.

I DON’T HAVE A FORMULA FOR HOW TO GET ALL OF YOUR PRAYERS ANSWERED.

I DON’T HAVE A PROMISE THAT IF YOU PRAY ALL OF YOUR PAIN AND GRIEF WILL GO AWAY.

I HAVE THE PERSPECTIVE OF PRAYER THAT IF I TURN TO GOD, HE IS THERE AND HE HAS STEADFAST LOVE FOR ME.

MY CHALLENGE: DRAW NEAR TO GOD RIGHT NOW IN PRAYER, DRAW NEAR TO GOD THIS WEEK IN THE PSALMS

THE PRAYERS OF THE PSALMS ARE LOOKING TOWARD JESUS

FIND A PSALM THAT YOU CAN MEMORIZE AS A PRAYER FOR EVERYDAY