Prayer

FOCUS STATEMENT

As we learn a rhythm of prayer, we become connected to God in new and exciting ways.

ME

When I was serving as a chaplain, I was always being asked to pray.

As many of you know, I worked for a long-term healthcare facility and I became accustomed to praying or people:

In their apartments

in the skilled nursing unit,

in the hallways

during chapel

at the resident council meetings

and at the hospital to name a few.

One time, while I was leaving the funeral home after officiating a service,

I received a call from the front desk

asking that I urgently go to the hospital…to visit Mr. So-and-So.

For the purpose of this sermon, I will call him John…though that was NOT his name.

Evidently, he was NOT doing well and death was imminent.

So, I rushed over to the hospital and visited John…worried I wouldn’t get there in time.

I got to his room…and, not sure if he could hear me...

I let him know that I was there…that I cared for him…and that many people were praying for him.

There was, obviously, no response from him.

So, I made some small talk and then just sat there quietly for a time.

Finally I put my hand on his and prayed what I hoped to be an appropriate prayer…

and when I said Amen and open my eyes....

He was staring at me, eyes wide-open…and said:

“Pastor, that was the most beautiful prayer ever!”

I nearly fell over from shock!

Ever since I have been serving the church, I have been asked to lead in prayer...

Now obviously, I pray in my official capacity...

But people will often, knowing that I am a pastor, request that I pray.

At family functions, with friends, at church meetings, at town functions…you name it!

WE

Let me ask you this: How often do we pray outside of Sunday morning or at meals?

And how do we define prayer in our lives?

When it comes to spiritual disciplines like prayer,

the more we exercise it, the stronger and healthier we become.

Prayer is something that everyone can do.

We all deal with this issue of “being a good pray-er or bad pray-er.”

But the Scripture teaches us that the power of prayer is in praying honestly and fervently,

and that it ought to be a regular practice rather than just an as-needed or one-time event.

Even the most faithful people struggle with prayer,

but it is not about “getting it right,”

but rather developing our prayer life as a discipline.

The word discipline comes from the same root as disciple

meaning “pupil” (or learner).

As we are followers of Jesus Christ,

we learn spiritual practices like prayer

that help to shape our lives following God’s example.

GOD

As our faith deepens, and we develop the exercise of prayer regularly in our daily life,

it can become second nature to us...

as natural as breathing.

The Holy Spirit is the breath of life,

and when we develop the discipline of prayer,

that “spiritual breathing” comes to us more easily.

In today’s Scripture passage, we see this idea of the Holy Spirit ‘interceding’.

Verse 26 says even when we don’t know what to say or how to pray,

when we are in tune with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit is hearing our heart and our faith,

not just our words,

and the Spirit helps us to pray.

Prayer is not just a thing we do,

but prayer is directly connected to what our relationship with God looks like.

Even when prayers don’t seem to flow how we want them to,

if they are rooted in the Spirit, then they still connect us to God in fellowship.

Intercession in Korean literally means ‘help.’

So, when we cannot pray as we want with words,

if we are willing to be honest with ourselves and vulnerable with God,

then the prayer is still genuine, because the Spirit helps us.

We can even invite the Spirit to intercede in our prayers when we struggle with how or what to pray.

The Holy Spirit can manifest in many different ways:

sometimes in song,

or in tears and lying prostrate,

or rocking,

or speaking in words

or a language that no one else in the room understands.

Part of the spiritual discipline of praying is

understanding how the Spirit is calling us to communicate with God at any given moment.

At the end of verse 27, which says “the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.”,

Paul points to another important feature of prayer...

being rooted in God’s will for our lives.

Sometimes our human desires do not fall in line with God’s will.

This was true even of Jesus,

who prayed in Gethsemane, “My father if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matt. 26:39).

It is okay, even necessary, to express our pain and our desires to God.

But part of growing in prayer is recognizing that at times

God’s will for our lives may not be the same as our own

(the end of Jesus’ sentence, above, is “yet not what I want but what you want”).

Prayer is not a one-way conversation;

it also involves listening to God, learning and becoming receptive to God’s will for us.

We can be intentional about asking and listening for this.

As we grow in a life of devotion and meditation,

we can become more open to understanding the ‘heart of God.’

YOU

[Show War Room video clip]

How do you make sure that you are committing to growing in your prayer life?

What would it be like if prayer became an ongoing conversation for you

and not just something, you do every so often?

Are you making daily space in your life for prayer and listening to God?

What daily rhythm or practice can you do to begin practicing this more in your own life?

Perhaps you can join…or even start...a prayer circle with some of your friends.

Or perhaps you can, find a quiet space in your house...

And declare that your prayer space…or prayer room.

What would it look like to begin by setting an alarm on our phone to go off every day at a specific time...

and then you pray a one line prayer when it goes off, increasing to twice daily, etc.?

It is all about developing a routine.

WE

What does it look like for us as a community

to begin helping each other become dedicated and stronger in our prayer life?

And more than just praying together, how can we sharpen our skills with one another to develop healthier prayer lives?

I would love nothing more than a prayer ministry to start up…here at First UMC of Newton...

We can pray together and…GROW in our PRAYER.

If this interests you, contact me.

Let us, together, become a community that grows closer to God through intentional, regular prayer. Amen? Amen.