Paul, in our text today, writes of his prayers for the people of Colossae. The sixth mark of an alive church is prayer. Prayer is one of the core values of the Christian Faith. It is an important and valuable piece of your Christian life. It is important because it is your direct link to the God of the Universe. It is valuable because it helps you in so many ways. I spoke briefly last week about the need for prayer for your Session and Pastor Nominating Committee.
If anyone looked at Gulf Prairie Presbyterian for this indicator, they would find ample evidence of this mark called prayer. You have become a praying church! Many of you know the power of prayer. You put names on the Prayer List regularly. I have no way of knowing, but I believe that many of you use that List on a regular, daily basis. You have this amazing prayer chain calling network that alerts all of our members quickly if there is an urgent need for prayer. But you will need to exercise your prayer life even more as you move into this new phase of life together as Gulf Prairie Presbyterian Church. Today, I want to share some thoughts that might help you to accomplish that.
Before I get into discussing the several issues that surround your prayer life, let me dispel a couple of the rumors that often are circulated, particularly those on the periphery of the church. The first is the idea that, because I am a minister, I have a better connection with God than others do. Some people think that I have something like DSL always on and a direct link to God, while they only have a slow speed dial-up connection. The fact is that all of you have the same ability to communicate with God through prayer.
There's one other misconception to clear up. That is the idea that God is like a cosmic bellhop. Many of you have traveled and stayed at a hotel or inn. In many instances, the service is quite spectacular, as the customer is provided with exceptional amenities, such as room service or bell-hop service. The purpose is to make the individual as comfortable as possible without a care for anything. Just call and they will be at your service. For many people, this is how they perceive God and their relationship with Him. They expect that they only need call to God in their time of need, but can ignore Him when there is no "need." Like a bellhop, to be there when we call. But truly, God desires a relationship beyond meeting our needs alone.
You see, most simply defined, prayer is communication with God. But it is two-way communication. Not only do we talk with God, but we also listen for His leading and seek His answers to our prayers. To find them, we must look in the most mundane and unusual places, as well as the amazing and miraculous places.
I have said it many times before, but it bears repeating: God wants to build a relationship with you. But, just as with your best friend, a relationship does not grow and deepen without ongoing conversation. You need to be talking with Him regularly, daily.
Aside from building and maintaining a relationship, there are four areas of your life, to which we can point, where prayer is important to believers.
First, prayer is an important part of your life as a believer and of the church. You depend on prayer for God's guidance and leading in all that you do. It is important to seek God's presence and guiding hand upon us in everything you do. Linda and I have spent a lot of time talking with God about this decision to retire, about where to live and about a job for her. Every meeting held in the life of the church is opened and closed with prayer. Whenever there is an important decision to be made, whether in the life of an individual or the life of the church, we pray that God will lead us in making the right decision.
We provide you with the Prayer List to lift up those with special needs. In addition, we have a system set up to contact the whole congregation by phone or by e-mail to spread urgent requests when they become known to us.
Through prayer and Scripture, God directs the church. I read about a large church that had quite a few employees on its staff. One day, a storm knocked out the electrical power in the area, so the employees were unable to do much at the church. They all left and put a sign on the door that read: "Church closed due to lack of power." A praying church will always have power. God uses prayer to empower the church to do the things God has called it to do. Prayer was part of the pattern of the early church, and increasingly, prayer has become the pattern for this church.
Notice that prayer was part of the regular practice of the early church. In Acts, we see it again and again. In Chapter 12, verse 5 we read that while "Peter was kept in prison" . . . "the church was earnestly praying to God for him." This was consistent with other things we know about the early church:
In Acts 12, we find the early church was praying for Peter. When Peter was released, he went to the home of believers where there was a prayer meeting taking place. He knew they were praying and he wanted them to know that their prayers were answered in an amazing way! Prayer held a key role in the life of the early church.
The second area of importance in prayer is that it brings comfort and peace to individuals. Think about Peter in that Acts 12 text I just mentioned. Here he is, heavily guarded, about to stand trial before Herod. Given Herod's great public relations boost in the trial and death of another apostle, James, Peter's fate was likely to be the same. What was Peter doing that night? He was asleep. How could he sleep with that hanging over his head? He knew the rest of the believers were praying for him.
That's one of the reasons we have the prayer list and the prayer chain. At any given time people in our church or their friends or family members may be in crisis. An accident or sickness, loss of a job, financial disaster, broken relationships, the list goes on. But we are here to be in prayer for those who ask - to offer comfort, and reassurance that it's not the end of the world, that God is still in control, and that the church is here for those who will let us help them in their time of need.
I receive e-mails regularly asking me and others to be in prayer for people who are sick or injured. I often e-mail the senders and ask if those for whom they requested prayer have a church home. You see, the reassurance of a praying church and a pastoral visit are some of the things that really help a person through the tough times.
God intends us to bear one another's burdens. God intends that prayer will bring peace in the midst of trying and difficult circumstances. God intends prayer to bring peace in any circumstance. God cares about the little details in our lives, as well as the crises. The apostle Paul reminded his readers:
"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus."(Philippians 4:6-7 LB).
The third lesson to learn about prayer is: God answers prayer -- but not always the way we expect.
If we look at that scripture in Acts 12 that I mentioned a moment ago, we realize that at first, Peter was not sure about what was happening to him as the angel appeared and began to lead him away from prison. He thought he was dreaming or having a vision. I'm sure Peter fully expected to go to trial; I doubt he expected to be set free.
But after he and the angel left the guards behind, after the prison doors swung open and they had walked down the street a ways, the angel disappeared - leaving Peter in the street. It was then Peter realized what God had done. He went straight to a house where the Christians often gathered and where they were praying for him.
Part of the surprise of Acts 12 was what the church learned about their own lack of faith. I'm sure they were praying for God to deliver Peter, but probably deep down they realized it was a long shot. They had seen what had happened to James, and they were smart enough to know what Herod intended for Peter.
They couldn't believe it when Peter knocked on the door! As a matter of fact, the text there says, "When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, 'Peter is standing at the door!'" (Acts 12:14 NLT) They thought the maid who went to the door was crazy! They were probably afraid Herod had come for them. But God did release Peter! God does that kind of thing.
I think I have shared this story before, but it is such a powerful testimony to the power of prayer. Tony Campolo tells about how he was in a church in Oregon and prayed for a man who had cancer. He said, "In the middle of the week, I got a telephone call from his wife. She said, 'You prayed for my husband. He had cancer.' I said, 'Had?' Whoa, I thought, it's happened."
She said, "He died." Tony said, I felt terrible; but then she continued, "Don't feel bad. When he came into that church that Sunday, he was filled with anger. He knew he was going to be dead in a short period of time, and he hated God. He was 58 years old, and he wanted to see his children and grandchildren grow up. He was angry that this all-powerful God didn't take away his sickness and heal him. He would lie in bed and curse God. The more his anger grew towards God, the more miserable he was to everybody around him. It was an awful thing to be in his presence. After you prayed for him, a peace came over him and a joy came into him. Tony, the last three days have been the best days of our lives. We've sung. We've laughed. We've read Scripture. We prayed. Oh, they've been wonderful days. And I called to thank you for laying your hands on him and praying for healing."
Campolo concludes, "Then she said something incredibly profound. She said, 'He wasn't cured, but he was healed.'"
The fourth point about the importance of prayer is that God works in difficult and impossible situations. You may be facing one yourself right now -- a different kind of prison: one of debt (especially as gas prices continue their climb towards $4.00 and beyond), bad habits or failed relationships. God is always at work and prayer helps you get perspective on God and His work.
I have people say to me things like, "I wonder if God hears my prayers," or, "I don't think God loves me, he doesn't answer my prayers," or even, "It's a waste of time. God doesn't care about me." My friends, don't let Satan put lies like that in your mind! You see, God works according to an eternal timetable; one that doesn't always make sense to us. Prayer, according to the scriptures, is not like a genie in a bottle whose job it is to grant our wishes. We don't always get what we pray for, but God is always there to walk through those painful episodes with us.
Jesus is committed to forming his character in your life. For each of you that means pulling off layers of stuff that mar that image of Jesus; stuff like impatience, hatred, selfish ambition, immorality, or envy. Jesus wants to replace that stuff with his stuff: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If that means making you wait or saying "no," Jesus will do that. He loves you too much to leave you the way you are. He is committed to forming his character in your life. Your prayers are answered from that perspective.
In our text today, Paul wrote, "We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding." (Colossians 1:9b NLT) Then, a couple of verses later he says, "We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need." (Colossians 1:11 NLT)
You see, friends, Paul is asking for powerful things for these folks in Colossae. There is no reason you cannot ask for powerful things as well. Let's face it, complete knowledge of God's will and spiritual wisdom and understanding! Wow! Who would not want to have that? Well, start praying for it. Ask God to help you understand His will for your life. Of course, if you do that, you have to be ready and willing to obey it. Sometimes, that becomes a stumbling block. You want His will, but you want it to conform to what you want for yourself. So, as the saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for (or pray for), you may get it." You see, when we truly seek to follow God's will, it may lead you to very different places than you had planned for yourself. When working as an engineer and seeking God's will for my life, I certainly had no clue that He would call me to serve as a pastor. However, as I have looked back over my life, I can see times and events that were preparing me for this very calling.
Paul also prayed for the people to "be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need." That is what I pray for you in the months and years to come. You will need God's power to help you endure the challenging task of discerning His will for pastoral leadership. You will need patience, as the task always takes longer than people think it should. But, God is good and He will help you through the interim period. So, lean on Him, trust Him. Know that He is in charge and if you collectively seek His will, He will show you, at the right time, who it is He wants to serve as your next pastor.
In closing, let me re-emphasize that prayer is an extremely important mark of an alive church. The way that you are involved in prayer really says a lot about the life and vitality of Gulf Prairie Presbyterian. Don't let that powerful communication fade or die out during the interim period. I've said it before, in some of my previous messages on this subject, but I can't repeat it often enough: keep the Session and the Pastor Nominating Committee in your prayers. Ask God to guide, them as they work at the arduous task of selecting a new pastor.
Let's face it, we serve an awesome God, an amazing God, an all-powerful God! If you seek His will and guidance in everything you do, and are willing to submit yourselves to Him, you will come through this interim period just as strong as you are now - maybe even stronger. You will present to your new pastor an exciting and alive church that is devoted to doing the will of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who wouldn't want to serve a church like that?
Prayer:
Gracious and Loving God, You are amazing. Your love and power are beyond our
comprehension. We lift up this church, its present and future leadership and ask that they always
seek You out. May they always know and do Your will and thus experience Your many
blessings. In Jesus name. Amen.
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