The Power of Prayer

Welcome to our very first COMBINED high school group on Wednesday nights! We are beyond thankful that you are here!

We are calling this group Reality Youth Group… and the meaning behind this name is extremely important.

We know that God is real… and I hope you know that as well. If you have yet to come to that conclusion for yourself… that’s okay. Our hope is that you will come and explore what the Bible has to say about God and experience His love and truth at work in your own life.

I DO NOT want you believing that God is real because someone told you He is real… I want you to know that God is real because you have a real relationship with Him!

In life, you are going to face real challenges… real obstacles… real moments where important decisions are being made… decisions that might effect you for the rest of your lives. These moments will TEST what your life is built upon. At Reality Youth, we want to help you build your life on the foundation that is the Word of God.

Here’s the deal… the truth in this book is real, God’s power is real, Jesus really did die on the cross for you, and His love for you is real!

We want to connect you with the real love and power of our very real heavenly Father!

So tonight, we begin with a short teaching on something that is very important in our walk with the Lord… that is PRAYER. WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER!!!

This talk about prayer is going to be combined with some talk regarding vision. Why vision? Because I want you to begin to want and to dream for what God has in store for your life!!!

What kinds of things are you hoping for tonight?

Good grades, new car, strong friends, less bullies...

Peaceful home, better self confidence… the ability to make it through the day while holding it all together...

The list could go on and on.

What kind of things are you hoping for tonight?

Can I tell you something, and I hope you will believe me… God has great things in store for each and every one of you this evening. And even when it seems like things are bad… God is still good. The key is to stop looking at what is going on around us and start looking to God for help!

Tonight, I am going to encourage you to believe in something bigger than you… or even your circumstance. I don’t know where you come from or what you have been through… but God does. I don’t know what a 24 hour time period will bring your way… but God does. And I can tell you that so long as your faith remains in the Lord, He will never let you down.

This evening, we are going to start talking about a guy named Nehemiah. Nehemiah was an Israelite and these people had been going through some rough times.

They were living under the control of the Babylonians. They had been exiled from their land and homes, and their city, Jerusalem, was in complete ruins.

People were suffering and… they had no way to defend themselves. The walls surrounding Jerusalem were gone… they were rubble… they were history.

Nehemiah was serving in a… high up position. He was cup bearer to the king of Babylon - Artaxerxes. Does anyone know what the cup bearer does? IT’S NOT A JOB I WOULD WANT!!!

But there he was and he gets a report concerning the condition of his people and it breaks his heart. What could this guy do to change the reality that his people was facing?

The city’s defenses were gone. The people were suffering. It was a BAD reality that seemed impossible to overcome.

There are two things I want to show you from this story that were instrumental in the change that was to come. And these two things are important for you to grab a hold of as we aim to answer the question “What kinds of things are you hoping for?”

One: Nehemiah Prayed.

Nehemiah 1:4 NIV

4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah went to God, first.

He didn’t go to Facebook or Twitter or talk to his friends or do anything like that… the reality that he was just made aware of drove him to his knees. Nehemiah called out to God.

Nehemiah knew… that the REAL circumstances his people faced were impossible for them to overcome on their own. They would need to believe in something bigger than themselves in order to overcome this terrible situation. That something… rather someone… was God.

No matter where you might be in life tonight, I want you to understand that you are going to face moments that are bigger than you… bigger than your resources, your education, your physical ability, your mental capacity… YOU ARE GOING TO FACE THE IMPOSSIBLE.

So what do we do then? Throw up our hands and give up? Do we give in to what is happening and just go with the flow? Do we ask questions like, “What can I possibly do about this problem?”

These questions lead us to settle… settle for the reality that the world has presented us and miss out on what God has for us.

So instead, I encourage you to do something else - Take that situation to God in prayer! Have the faith to say to God, “Lord, I know this is bigger than me… but NOTHING is bigger than You!” And that is exactly what Nehemiah did! He took it to God in prayer.

Our ability to believe in something bigger comes from the fact that we know the someone behind the something! God is the only source that makes the impossible… a possibility. He can turn the most dire situation around! PRAYER CONNECTS US WITH THE SOMEONE WHO IS BEHIND THE SOMETHING BIGGER!

Two: Nehemiah had Vision.

When Nehemiah prayed and called out to God, I believe God began to give him a vision… a vision of the walls around the city being rebuilt. Why do I believe that? Because of the audacious request that Nehemiah makes of the king!

Rebuilding the walls of a city is a BIG task. Remember, this was before cranes, bobcats, bulldozers, cement trucks and even cement! This was rock, mud, lots of heavy lifting and digging. Nehemiah needed help and after talking to God, he begins to talk to Artaxerxes.

And the question that Artaxerxes asks Nehemiah is interesting.

Nehemiah 2:4 NIV

4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven,

Did you catch what just happened? The king asks a question similar to what I asked in the intro. What do you want? What are you hoping for? And what does Nehemiah do before answering? HE PRAYS AGAIN!

And then, he reveals the vision. Nehemiah 2:5

Nehemiah 2:5 NIV

5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

Boom… there’s the vision. A rebuilt city with walls to defend it. If you read the rest of the chapter you will see the king’s answer to this audacious request. Not only does he say yes, but he also provides protection and supplies for Nehemiah and his team!

Although the reality was the walls and the city was destroyed… Nehemiah saw something different - he saw a city rebuilt. He saw a different reality that could only come from God! And… I believe that vision of something bigger was given to Him by God as Nehemiah prayed and called out to Him.

That’s what VISION is… the ability to look beyond what is seen… to the unseen that God has in store for us!

Nehemiah gained that ability when he talked to God… when he prayed to God regarding the reality of the broken city.

Time for a NEW Reality.

As I said before… I don’t know where you are in life this evening. Maybe all is going well… but maybe you feel like life looks a lot like the city that had been destroyed.

Its defenses were gone. It was in ruins. It was in need of help. It was in need of a change of reality.

God wants to move in you NO MATTER WHAT your life may look like tonight. Maybe all is good, maybe things are not going so good. No matter what, God has something BIGGER in store for you. The question, once again is, WHAT ARE YOU HOPING FOR TONIGHT? What is it that you want or need God to do in your life?

Before we seek God on that question, we first need to know God on a personal basis.

The change of our reality begins the moment we ask Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of our lives.

This means we ask Jesus to forgiven us of our sins.

It means we choose to build our lives on His Word and ways.

It means we serve Him… we come into relationship with Him. He died on the cross to make this new reality a possibility for you. Will you receive new life from Him tonight?

PRAYER - Salvation

Secondly, we need to seek the Lord. Do you want what God has for you? I know it might be difficult to see beyond where you are but God has something amazing in store for each of you! Will you reach out to Him in prayer tonight?

Take the next ___________ minutes and ask God to come in… and believe for something bigger, something unseen. Ask God for new vision and new hope.