The Power of Prayer 6/20/2021

Happy Father’s Day! - Father’s have a tough job. It is subtly implied that father’s are not necessary, significant impact a father makes is belittled. Recently Wyatt and I were watching a show together, it included parents and kids in competition against one another. In introducing the show this is what was promoted… Welcome to… we have awesome moms and embarrassing dads and they are competing for… Notice how Dad’s are portrayed in popular entertainment. It is rarely presented in a way that honors a dad.

To all father’s, thank you for investing, standing strong and doing the hard work.

The Power of Prayer

We live in a secular society where humanity, not God, has become the measure of all things. In recent years I have noticed when tragedy happens in our country, and people begin to make their social media posts of “prayers for...” or “praying for...” (similar posts) there is always someone who posts “we don’t need prayers, we need… legislation, answers, action.” (similar post) In other words to pray is simply too little.

Prayer is presented as in-action, passively waiting on some higher power to step in, doing little, not a serious thing that we must be given to. It is understandable that the world sees time spent in prayer as ineffective, but what is surprising to me is how many Christians see prayer this way. If we saw prayer as God sees prayer… We would pray. There would be no challenge to setting aside the time. There would be no missed days of prayer. There would be no activity not covered with prayer.

It is to this point that I would preach this morning, The Unseen Power of Prayer.

God’s perspective

It has always been that God looks at things from a perspective that is humanly invisible. We cannot see as God sees, and God measures differently than you and I. One of the great failures that we can be susceptible to, is to believe that God’s perspective is our perspective… that God sees things the way I see things.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

God chose David because He looked on the heart. In the eyes of Samuel the older brothers were more desirable. But God said that’s not the one, why? God’s unique perspective encompasses both time and eternity. God looks at the heart as well as the actions of a person and measures them. This is only one of many biblical illustrations that could be given for how God sees differently than you and I.

If we would see life as God sees it, understand the significance of the invisible, unseen thing that has results. Sometime even the results remain hidden to us.

Paul writing to the Ephesians encourages them and us to take up the whole armor of God. Why? Because you cannot see where the enemy will bring the next attack. The conflict is invisible, hidden from view.

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

In essence, the contest is not generally visible.

God does His greatest work in the same realm calling those things which do not exist as though they did.

Romans 4:17 NKJV

17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

Faith

But faith! Faith is the realm in which we see things as God sees them.

Too often we live life as this fellow. He had seen some amazing things in his lifetime, serving one of God’s premier prophets of Israel. But his faith went only as far as his eye sight. He lacked spiritual sight.

So when the King of Syria sent troops for his master and they surrounded them in the city of Dothan, he was overwhelmed. These troops had been sent because two times Elisha had thwarted the Syrians attack by warning Israel when and where the attack would come.

2 Kings 6:15–17 NKJV

15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The servant lacked spiritual sight. Spiritual sight comes with anointing, it comes with prayer.

Just because we cannot see it does not mean it is not there.

Hebrews 11:1–2 NKJV

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

The Greek word translated here as substance had a technical meaning the business world of the first century. It referred to a person’s property. It was also used to refer to the body of documents that supported the owner. The document was the record of ownership, to be deposited in the archives, similar to deeds and titles of ownership today.

Faith is the title deed to answered prayer. Faith is the advance guarantee that we already possess the things hoped for within God’s will for us.

If faith is the evidence, prayer is the submission of ownership into God’s record.

Faith is the title, prayer is submitting the title to right authority!

Overcoming Perspective

The challenge of prayer is that we feel it does not have immediate impact.

There is usually no immediate results seen when we pray. Our mindset becomes I will act, and then pray. We become a doing people, rather than a doing people. We perceive prayer as wasted time or at least time spent in prayer as being less effective than taking action.

We push prayer to the last effort, instead of the first effort… I have done all I can, now I will pray. You are guilty of it, and I am guilty of it. But prayer must shift to being the first, most important thing.

Last week I preached about God’s Remedy for the Unbearable, I used the burning incense as an example of prayer’s effect on life.

The book of Revelation gives God’s perspective on the prayers of the saints mentioning it with the incense of the altar. Allow me to lay some ground work for my next point. Revelation is written by John while in exile on the Isle of Patmos, it is a record of visions given to him while he was praying.

Revelation 1-3 each deal with representative churches and what God would desire for them.

Revelation 4 moves into heaven’s throne room.

Revelation 5 is a celebration of the redemption of the earth and the worthiness of the Lamb to begin the process of reclaiming creation.

Revelation 6 is the opening of six of the seven seals, the beginning of terrible things that are going to happen in the Great Tribulation.

Revelation 7 introduces 144,000 Jews who will be saved as a remnant.

Revelation 8 is the opening of the seventh seal containing the trumpets, and the vials which represent events. The pace toward Armageddon begins to double bringing us quickly to a resolution.

Revelation 8 does not begin with the blowing of a trumpet but with a gathering of seven archangels who will blow the trumpets. Theses seven angels are accompanied by another angel who stands at the altar.

Let’s read it.

Revelation 8:1–6 NKJV

1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

Notice these things.

Verse 1, thirty minutes of silence, something special is about to happen.

Verse 2, Seven angels given trumpets.

Verse 3, Another angel with a golden censor, given much incense to be offered with the prayers of the saints.

Verse 4, Smoke from the incense mingled with the prayers of the saints ascended before God.

5, The angel took the censor, filled it with fire and threw it into the earth.

Two results

On earth and in heaven.

Earth there were noises, thunderings, lightenings, and earthquakes.

Heaven the angels prepared themselves to sound their trumpets.

There is a deep relationship between the prayers of the saints and the ministry of created beings of heaven.

These seven angels, called the angels of God’s presence, or literally the angels of God’s face. They have been active for 6,000 years ministering to the people of God. They are not all named in the Bible, but ancient books of the Jews give their names and ministries.

Uriel - archangel who supervises all wars and conflicts of nations.

Raphael - presides over the spirits of men.

Raguel - angel who presides over various punishments dealt out to nations and humanity.

Michael - has special guardianship over Israel, and the relationships between Isreal and other nations. Michael is referred to in this work in the book of Daniel.

Sarakiel - presides over transgressions and various degrees of disobedience.

Gabriel - supervises the church, paradise, and the spirits of the righteous dead. It was Gabriel who announced the birth of John the Baptist, Christ, and Gabriel will blow the trumpet for the first resurrection.

Ithuriel - presides over frauds, deceptions, and intrigue.

Incredible power and influence is represented in these seven angels standing before the throne. They hold trumpets in their hand, ready to blow. For 6,000 years they have been in service on behalf of man, now they stand before the throne of God. Ready to bring the beginning of the end into process.

Everyone say power!

Everyone say opportunity!

These angels represent incredible power and opportunity.

Another Angel

Another angel, not one of the inner circle. Standing by the altar, a golden censor with much incense and the prayers of all saints. He’s not given a name anywhere in scripture, but he is given the prayers.

It’s a small, menial task. Holding the censor.

If I were there, I would probably want to have one of those trumpets in my hand. I would be ready to blow it with every thing I had. Shake heaven and earth with the trumpet blast. You give me the word God… I am going to make it happen. Exercising my lungs… getting ready to blow.

You might be thinking the same thing...

Nothing else happens until the one with the prayer gets there. Everything hangs on the one with the prayers.

All this power! All this opportunity! Trumpets in hand. 6,000 years of service ministering in front of the face of God, acting in service on behalf of men. But they can’t do nothing until the guy with the prayer arrives.

When it comes to spiritual things, EVERYTHING WAITS ON PRAYER!

Prayer sets aside every other power that is in existence.

The law of nature can be set aside by prayer. Prayer appeals to a divine law that is higher.

True prayer is immortal!

Prayers long forgotten that you prayed in the past continue to resonate in heaven.

Prayer makes something happen.

When the angel sets the collected prayers of the saints on fire using fire taken from the altar, the prayers were cast into the earth, and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightenings, and an earthquake.

There is a connection between the prayers of the saints and action in heaven.

Prayer has a cumulative impact.

It is not a prayer that impacts the earth, it is the prayer (plural) of the saints (plural).

The snow falls on the Alps for many years. Year follows, year - the snow piles higher and higher, until finally the mountain tops are covered with many feet of snow. On some spring morning the snow will begin to melt, and weight is so great that it slips from the mountain top and forms an avalanche, rolling down the mountain side and crushing everything in its way.

In Revelation when the prayers which saints have prayed through out time are opened they will unleash a judgement time on this world, there will be a terrible outpouring of wrath upon those responsible for the martyred saints of God. A deluge that has been stored up until the appointed time.

Why not have the prayers of Branches Church, your prayers start an avalanche of revival, miracles, signs and wonders?

Nothing happens without prayer being made!

Praying parents see their lost children saved. Praying children see their lost parents saved. Praying spouses see their lost spouse saved. Prayer works!!!!

Prayer works, ask the centurion and his servant.

Matthew 8:5–10 NKJV

5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” 7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

Prayer works, you can ask Peter.

Acts 12:5–7 NKJV

5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.

Acts 12:11–12 NKJV

11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.” 12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.

Prayer works! Keep praying like the widow presenting her case.

Luke 18:1–7 NKJV

1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” 6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?

If you are going to tip the scale of your life… prayer!

Commitment to prayer… daily prayer. It may be your first time committing to prayer, commit and see how prayer will change your life.

Commit to being at service 30 minutes before we start for prayer.

Praying saints, praying leaders, praying musicians and singers, praying teachers, praying volunteers. Prayer should be the first volunteer position in the church.