Private Prayer to Public Power

Story of Elijah asking God in a calm voice to show consume the sacrifice…What allowed Elijah to be so confident? How was it that Elijah had no doubt that God would answer his prayer in such a dramatic way? I mean Elijah put himself out there on this.

We got there a little late so I did not get to worship with the guy playing praise chorusses but I did make it for the call to prayer. I believe that he was part of Campus Crusade and he opened the word and before he read he explained how things would work. He would read the word and then we would break into groups and pray.

It was great for the first couple of weeks because it was new and it was exciting to see so many students gathering on what was traditionally the party night at college.

I got into it immediately and went from squeezing the hand next to me to praying as God moved me. After a few weeks I noticed something though…I noticed that I was saying pretty much the same things I had heard the leaders of the prayer time were saying. I would get loud at the same time they did and even squeeze the hands of the person next to me at the right times.

After prayer people would tell me how much the felt the spirit when I prayed and the thanked me for being such a great prayer person.

After a few more weeks I found myself needing to work up myself to go to pray. I would be thinking about what I would say and how I would say it during prayer groups instead of listening to the word of God and allowing it to inform my prayers.

Pretty soon I started engaging in conversations about how the prayer time had lost its power. People were no longer being moved and there were no healings and how it needed something else. Until I stopped going all together.

Today I want to share with you how you and I can have

What if there was a way that you could be sure that you would see God show himself in corporate times of prayer?

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God is involved in our lives so much that He already knows what you and I need before we ask Him. He already wants to meet our deepest desires, our private prayer time allows God to help us understand what those really are. By starting in private in a Humble state God prepares us for His greatness to show itself to us. Then when God moves in a powerful way in a public setting God truly gets the credit.

Elijah was able to approach this with confidence because Elijah was in such communion with God he never had to wonder if what he would call for in public was in God’s will or not.

How many times have you proclaimed something that God did not bring to fruition? I have done it on several occasions. It we are honest we all have. It is embarrassing to us to God and our Church when we do it so it often leads us to not proclaim anything at all.

I don’t know about you but it also leads me to question if the impressions I get from time to time are really from God or a figment of my own pride?

If we are honest I think we all have moments like this. However I believe there is a way that God’s will can be proclaimed publically with 100% confidence.

I am convinced that Our private prayer gives power to our public prayer.

When Jesus answers the Disciples request on how to pray I find it interesting that He begins with making sure we are praying with the motivation of seeking God and not the motivation of getting anything from God.

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

The issue is not the place but the purpose. The hypocrites Jesus condemned love to pray in ways that cause them to be seen. When the purpose is to be seen, the reward comes from being seen and that reward is payment in full.

Matthew: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition Prayer 6:5–15

the issue is not the place but the purpose. The hypocrites Jesus condemned love to pray in ways that cause them to be seen. When the purpose is to be seen, the reward comes from being seen and that reward is payment in full.

Hahn, R. L.

6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him

6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

This is not a prohibition on praying in public it is a call to a deeper relationship with Jesus. Praying through before you proclaim to pray God’s will is a must because we always want God to be exalted in times of prayer.

When we pray and we are going to call on God to do something really radical then it is important that we are close enough to God to KNOW this is God’s will…otherwise we are either unintentionally or intentionally drawing attention to ourselves.

Prayer is never to be done with intention of drawing attention to ourselves it is always to bring glory to God.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

There are no special words, there are no patterns of speech that impress God. The only people that are impressed with high handed or emotional words are people.

Matthew: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition Prayer 6:5–15

Another pattern of prayer to be avoided is babbling like pagans (6:7). The use of many words implies such babbling is the constant repeating of particular phrases. Probably the issue is not repetition of phrases in prayers as much as the assumption of many that they can manipulate God with the right phrases. This assumption fails to understand the nature of God. He knows our need before we ask him (6:8), and His love is committed to seeking what is best for us. We do not have to persuade God to do good things for us; nor will the right phrases force Him to do something that is not good for us.

Prayer for People to view is not going to lead to power. It is the prayer in private that lends public manifestation of God.

God is involved in our lives so much that He already knows what you and I need before we ask Him. He already wants to meet our deepest desires, our private prayer time allows God to help us understand what those really are. By starting in private in a Humble state God prepares us for His greatness to show itself to us. Then when God moves in a powerful way in a public setting God truly gets the credit.

This is an incredible blessing for us. It takes all the pressure off. We no longer have to seek a pattern or a process or even take responsibility for when or if God will move. We will be able becuase of our private time in prayer to approach anything with confidence and expeactation of seeing mightly moves of God.

Our private prayer gives power to our public prayer.

How do we Develop a Private time of Prayer that leads to Public Power?

Share your heart with God

Seek God’s confirmation in Scripture

Invite another in prayer for confirmation (Where two or Three)

Proclaim it confidently and humbly in public

Praise God publically when it comes to fruition

When we approach our corporate times of prayer like this we can then be confident that God will show himself in with Physical healing, Emotional healing, Spiritual growth, Testimonies of God’s faithfulness and above all else and overwhelming sense of God’s AWESOME presence.

Dream for a moment about what a gathering of people who live and breath in the presence of God in the private times of prayer would look and feel like.

It starts with you and I spending time seeking this relationship.

Our private prayer gives power to our public prayer.

Matthew: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition Prayer 6:5–15

Another pattern of prayer to be avoided is babbling like pagans (6:7). The use of many words implies such babbling is the constant repeating of particular phrases. Probably the issue is not repetition of phrases in prayers as much as the assumption of many that they can manipulate God with the right phrases. This assumption fails to understand the nature of God. He knows our need before we ask him (6:8), and His love is committed to seeking what is best for us. We do not have to persuade God to do good things for us; nor will the right phrases force Him to do something that is not good for us.

God is involved in our lives so much that He already knows what you and I need before we ask Him. He already wants to meet our deepest desires, our private prayer time allows God to help us understand what those really are. By starting in private in a Humble state God prepares us for His greatness to show itself to us. Then when God moves in a powerful way in a public setting God truly gets the credit.