Purposeful Prayer
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A Victorious Year Ahead
A Victorious Year Ahead
Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray.
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.
As we enter a new year, we have the opportunity to set our sights on new and exciting things!
I want to spend a few moments discussing the Plan, purpose and power of prayer
I don’t think we really comprehend the awesome and privileged position we have in regard to entering into prayer!
Prayer is a conversation that we have with God
In the beginning man communed directly with God face to face, but after the fall communications were stressed
Look at
So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
Adam, who walked with God in the cool of the garden was “afraid” to speak to God
From that moment until the words “It is Finished” were spoken, communicating with with God took planning, preparation, and sacrifice to enter into the presence of God.
When Christ lifted His head and spoke those words, a new era of communication was opened.
We read in the Gospels that,
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
The veil that had separated man, his sin, was finally removed and access to the presence of God was opened!
Notice in verse 1 that David asks God to consider his meditation.
The word here means “to have a specialized knowledge that is effectively implemented” or “to cause knowledge or wisdom to be imparted”
David isn’t trying to persuade God to move but rather asking for God’s insight to a matter!
It means taking time to process information, that means that we must be listening for a response!
Only God has “specialized knowledge” of the future therefore able to make the correct decision about our prayers!
Our vision is clouded at best!
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
It is a childish thing to think that we will get everything that we want! Growing up means understanding that everything doesn’t always go our way!
Look at verse 3
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.
David’s focus after praying is upward not inward to his emotion!
You see, God’s plan for us is
Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
The plan of God is to conform us to the image of Christ. One of the main attributes of Christ was His trust in the Father
In the garden this is demonstrated clearly
saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
That my friends is total trust!
So we could say that the purpose of prayer is to teach us patience!
Paul clearly communicated this when the Holy Spirt wrote
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
The process of prayer helps us refocus our attention on God’s Word and not our feelings
James told the brethren that being double minded will produce nothing, doubting God’s sovereignty is the death of ur prayer!
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
It is when we can stand on the rock that our faith is not shaken regardless of the storm or shaking!
Since the purpose of prayer is patience, the purpose of patience is persistence!
“To stand” is an active verbs which means it is is an activity not a passive practice
It takes purpose, practice, and patience to stand on God’s Word
It is wrong too simply through a prayer to the heavenlies and expect God to answer.
So, the power of prayer is to give us patience, persistence, and purpose
These three things are what the church will need to navigate 2022!
I am calling the church to a set aside this week for fasting and prayer.
Take a day and or two or three and dedicate them tho the Lord.
God wants to restore what the enemy is trying to destroy in our fellowship
You will hearing more about the direction of the group in the coming weeks.
Ask the Lord what your part will be this year!
It will take every piece working together to see the release of GOd’s power in our group
Our children need to be trained up n the way of the Lord and encouraged
Our friends need to hear the truth of the Grace of God so they too may share in His love
We need to be built up and encouraged to press on through this storm
