Ride the Wave

Welcome

Hey family. Thank you for worshipping with us today. We are so glad we are here. No matter where ‘here’ is; in-person, online, family lounge, podcast; thank you for being with us. We would not be the same without you. If there is something we can do to serve you and your family or community, please let us know.

Set Up

When you think about Jesus, what comes to mind? Miracles? Healing? Teachings? Love? All of that is true. What comes to mind for me is discipline and focus and rhythms. Knowing He is who He is, I also know that He is our example. When I tabulate all of the things mentioned, the glue that holds it all together was His devotion to God expressed through prayer. Jesus had a stellar prayer life. When we look at how He was able to steward everything with grace, patience, boldness, and authority…I believe it was His prayer life that kept Him connected to God. Jesus had unbroken fellowship with God and it was prayer that kept the connection strong.

We all love good wifi. However, there are times when it can be a tad unreliable. Depending on whatever else is pulling on it. I have made a switch when most of my devices are directly connected to the ethernet port. It is a direct connection; an unbroken bond. That was the prayer life of Jesus.

That is the prayer life that we should aspire to have. One where, we are disciplined, gracious, patient, bold, and full of authority. It is from this place we are able to thrive spiritually, no matter what we face.

Scripture

Luke 22:39–42 The Message

39 Leaving there, he went, as he so often did, to Mount Olives. The disciples followed him. 40 When they arrived at the place, he said, “Pray that you don’t give in to temptation.” 41 He pulled away from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, 42 “Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?”

This is Passover and there were 4 cups that would be drank: Sanctification, Wrath, Blessing, Praise. Jesus was about to drink from the cup of wrath and didn’t want to.

Luke 22:43–46 The Message

43 At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. 44 He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face. 45 He got up from prayer, went back to the disciples and found them asleep, drugged by grief. 46 He said, “What business do you have sleeping? Get up. Pray so you won’t give in to temptation.”

Prayer

Reading further we see that Jesus was arrested, tried, condemned, and executed.

There is something God intends us to see. Jesus endured all of this with peace and I believe it is because of His prayer life. Let’s get into it. Message title, Ride the Wave

Abba, Father, I thank you for who You are. Our creator who has ordered our steps. You have led us to here today to hear from you. I pray that as you speak, we hear you. Give us open eyes, ear, and hearts. In the name of Jesus, amen!

Illustration

My family and I just got back from an amazing impromptu vacation. I say impromptu but it was planned in our hearts for years, but we were able to finally pull it off. We went to Atlantis at the Bahamas. It was epic. Literally a dream and prayer come true for us. It was a great. We did the Abyss and the Leap of Faith.

What turned out to be the most chaotic was the Rapids. I thought this was a simple lazy river that wraps you around the resort but it turned out to be so much more. There’s a few strategic spots on the journey where gushes of water propel you forward. I didn’t see it coming. The water smacked in the face, knocked me off my raft and I lost my glasses. The life guard had to help me. There is nothing more embarrassing then being a grown man and having to be saved by another grown man in water that only comes up to your waist.

Transition

I guest this speaks to how unexpected things can disorient you. Unexpected things can knock you off your ark of safety and cause you to lose your perspective.

Sometimes we are just floating down the lazy river of life enjoying the view and a wave just smacks you across the face and it leaves you gasping for air.

Sickness

Bills

Relocation…move unexpectedly

How do you respond?…PRAYER!

Prayer is our first response, not a last resort.

Background on Prayer

Prayer is a relational conversation with God.

Types of prayer

Think of it this way, whenever we see people engaged in dialogue with God, we can view it as prayer.

There are all types of prayer. Petitions, entreaty and supplications. Thanksgiving, praise, hymns, and lament. Intercessory prayer like Abraham for Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah. Prayers of repentance like David in Psalm 51. Prayer for healing like Hezekiah. Prayer for strength like Samson. Prayer for wisdom like Solomon.

Why pray?

The Word renews your mind, prayer renews your heart. Prayer gives me peace and perspective and patience. We can over think and under pray. We can overreact because we haven’t prayed. Prayer is our first response, not a last resort.

Jesus prayed. A LOT. He taught on prayer. He said, you have not because you ask not. He tells us to be persistent with our prayers.

I know God is in control. I know He works all things together for the good, but I still pray. Hezekiah was given a death sentence but he prayed and lived.

Prayer is a relational conversation.

How to pray?

Prayer is so simple but can be so complicated. The earliest biblical prayers stem from a conversational intimacy with Yahweh and include spontaneous and unfiltered requests. Over time, prayer evolved into more fixed and liturgical forms.

When the tabernacle, temple, and priests were establish the personal prayers went away. People would do the shema and other Psalms but the idea of drawing close to God was reserved for the experts.

When Jesus died the barrier of sin that kept us distant from God was removed. Because of this we can come boldly into His presence. He wants to hear from you. Jesus didn’t die just to outsource spending time with you. Prayer invites God into the conversation.

Before you worry about it, talk to God about it!

When talking about prayer, His disciples asked, teach me to pray. (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4)

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

In the name of Jesus

Through the Holy Spirit

Using the Word of God

Observations

James 5:16 CSB

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

Jesus demonstrated what James 5:16 describes as an effectual fervent prayer life. Where do we begin? What do we say? How does it work? Let’s examine one of his most passionate prayers.

Place

Jesus enters the garden, fully aware of what is about to happen. He tells His disciples to watch and pray and He goes a bit further and He begins to pray. Why didn’t Jesus just stay there and pray with His disciples? I believe it is because He wanted to focus.

You ever notice how easy it is to be distracted? Especially when it comes to prayer? We are inundated with text messages, memes, news, etc. We live in a world where everything is integrated. My living room is connected to the kitchen. The kitchen is connected to our primary eating area. It’s an open floor plan. Very open. However, it doesn’t make the best place to focus and pray. There are so many distractions. The same way my garage is for my car. The bathroom has a purpose. Our closet; the bedroom. They each have a space and intended purpose. I have a chair upstairs that is my prayer and prep chair. I have a spot on my back porch that is my devotional spot. I have intentionally created a place for me to engage God.

Do you have a space for prayer? A place where you can minimize distractions and engage God uninterrupted? Jesus consistently would go off to remote places, to silence all the voices so that He could have conversation with God. If you want to truly have an effective and impactful prayer life, you need to establish a place for prayer.

Time

Jesus was incredibly disciplined. He was raised in a Jewish context so that means He was raised to pray 3 times a day. This was the same for every Jewish person in the text. However, that alone wasn’t the goal. Jesus grew increasingly frustrated at how the religious people thought that their discipline or being pious was the same as righteousness. Jesus modeled something more intimate. He showed that if something is important, you prioritize it. In fact, if you want to see values, look at the priorities. The gospels account for at least 38 times when Jesus prayed. It was a priority to Him. However, making sure the priority doesn’t become a rigid checklist. Remember, prayer is about our relationship with God, not to impress man. So if it’s for God, the goal is to prioritize it. If it is important you make time for it.

Maegan and I LOVE to spend time together. She really is my best friend. That said, there are moments when I think it is safe to say, we need our own space. She is typically downstairs, I go upstairs and it’s an opportunity to watch our own tv shows etc. However, we still touch base with each other. I will randomly check in. She will do the same. It would be kind of weird if I went the entire day, not talking to her at all. Some convos are short. Others are a little longer. The point is, we maintain some level of constant connection.

This is how prayer should be. Yes, you should have a set time to pray in the morning, afternoon, and evening, but I believe just spontaneous touch points are powerful. I will randomly just thank God for my family. My home. Pray for people as they come to mind. I have my intentional prayers, but I relationally touch base throughout the day. Paul says to pray without ceasing. This means being prayerful at all times.

Jesus constantly prayed and this fueled His unbroken fellowship with God. If we want to have an impactful prayer life, we must have an intentional and organic.

Posture

Jesus falls to His knees and prays. We see passages that speak about lifting holy hands to God. There are texts that speak about laying prostrate before the Lord. However all of these start with the heart. Prayer is about the posture of humility and surrender. Humility is a choice. It is choosing to recognize that God is God and you are not. Surrender is to trust that God is in control.

1 Peter 5:7 CSB

7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

Somethings we just can’t carry on our own. We are called to care, not carry it. Prayer is the place where we humbly surrender our will.

Jesus lived a life of humility and surrender. When there was a miracle, He prayed. When there was a challenging day, He prayed. After He taught all day, He prayed. Jesus enjoyed unbroken fellowship with God throughout His entire life. This allowed Him to face His most daring challenge and trust God through it. It is that trust that allowed Him to say, “not my will, but yours be done”. An angel came and strengthened Him. It is at the place of surrender, we find our truest strength.

Effective prayer has a place, a time, and a posture.

Closing

So back to my water park experience. The instructor said to me, just ride the wave. Finally, I figured it out. It was all about posture. When the waves come, you have to engage your core to lower your center of gravity. This allows you to stay on top of the wave and it actually moves you forward quicker.

Let’s look at that. The way to survive the waves is all about posture. Engage your core to lower your center of gravity and ride the wave. Let the momentum carry you further, faster.

You wouldn’t think there is a connection but this sparked something in my heart. The Word of God is the foundation we stand on, but it is prayer the core. The stronger our core, the more stable we are.

Hear me, storms and unexpected waves are inevitable, but the way we get momentum and go further, faster is to engage your core. A strong prayer life will allow you to keep perspective and establish momentum.

Jesus lived a life of prayer. It kept Him in sync with God and allowed Him to stay on top of everything that came His way. He was arrested and publically murdered but this pain gave birth to our faith that has saved billions. I believe Jesus saw you in prayer and it gave Him the peace to complete His mission.

Altar/Response

Moment of Transparency

I was supposed to be in DC today. The preacher that I had lined up got covid. Lyndsey called me with options but I needed to make a decision. I told her I would call her back. I hung up and began to express my frustration. Tickets were already bought, message was already done but this wave came and was about to knock me over. The Holy Spirit said, stop talking about it and talk to me about it. I prayed, got clarity, pivoted and moved forward.

Everyone of us has a next step. Some, we need to activate our prayer life. Others, we need to be more intentional with our prayer life.