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Text: James 5:13-18 ● Okay, first of all, my prayers produce nothing even remotely similar to this. Immediately, I’m offered simply another confirmation of how pathetic my prayer life really is! I understand James’ sensitivity in his approach, but, let’s face it, “this guy’s out of my league!” Of all the activities in which we participate as Christ-followers, this issue of prayer will raise more questions and leave us with less certainty than anything else. ● As reflected in the questions that we find ourselves asking: “Is God really listening? If he is, should I expect him to answer?” “Do my prayers make a difference, or is God just going to do what he had planned anyway?” “Does God really like one team better than another? Does he respond when a baseball player crosses himself, or makes the sign of the cross in the dirt as he steps into the box?” “Does God hear some prayers and not others?” “When people say that they prayed and God spared their lives, what am I to assume about the others who were praying and died?” “Why pray for daily bread when I have a job and enough food in the house to survive a nuclear winter?” “How will God simultaneously grant a farmer’s appeal for rain on the same day as a bride’s request for fair weather?” ● Admittedly, we often find it difficult to meet the expectations of Scripture regarding prayer… 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “pray continuously”, when our efforts seems sporadic at best. Philippians 4:6 suggests that we pray “with thanksgiving”, even while the situation seems to be getting progressively worse in spite of our prayers. Luke 18:1 says that we should “always pray and never give up”, when I’m ready to abandon it at the first sign of God’s unresponsiveness. ● Frankly, I’m a bit intimidated by Jesus’ commitment to pulling the “all-nighters”. I wonder how he found the time to “get away” and even if he did, what would he have to talk about for that long? ● God must have known that this whole prospect of talking to an unseen deity about troubles us might appear a bit like some form of “mental escapism”… that even if it’s not effective, at least it’s ‘therapeutic’! He must have known that believing our prayers would be of any consequence when dealing with a sovereign God would be problematic. He must have known our impulses to take ‘corrective action’ would usually override the seeming ‘passivity’ of prayer (I mean, prayer is nice, but we really need to ‘do’ something here!) ● Apparently, our approach of God will always be consistent with our view of him. What we think about when we think about God will greatly factor into our resolve toward prayer. Sometimes we pray because of our view of God. Sometimes we stop praying because of our view of God. ● Baylor University in conjunction with Gallup: (USA Today) “American’s Perceptions on God” 92% of Americans believe in God. But, they found (4) distinct views of who that God is. Their conclusion was that you learn more about people’s behavior by their image of God more than any other measure. Authoritarian (31%)- God is just primarily ticked off! He has absolutely nothing to be happy about. Certainly concerned and involved, but operating with a short fuse. Ready to throw down on anyone who screws up! Prayer to a God like this might be a little intimidating. Benevolent (23%)- God is all about kindness and mercy; he tends to wink at our selfishness and keep giving us whatever we want. He’s much more approachable, but not as respected because he is so easily manipulated; a pushover. Distant (24%)- extreme opposite of personal and involved; more of a cosmic force. Prayer not really compelling; what good would it do. Critical (16%)- notices everything that’s wrong and is quick to point it out (like Simon Cowell). We pray because we know that we should and we’re hoping that when God does respond, he will say something nice about us. ● In virtually every poll done on the topic, prayer usually ranks high in importance, but very low in practice. Theoretically, prayer is an important part of our lives; practically, we pray for about the same length of time that it takes to brush the cat or nuke a “Weight Watchers” meal (5-7 minutes). The polls most often reveal that we are typically not satisfied with the experience, we rarely sense God’s nearness, we are most often frustrated and virtually always riddled with guilt for our failure to perform! ● Here are some of the issues we confront when it comes to God: God’s “now-you-see-me, now-you-don’t” tendencies… In any relationship, there exists a (2)-way dynamic: they must seek each other, but with God it seems more like ‘hide and seek’: we seek and he hides (and God is really good at it!) But, within the context of that assumption, we discover an inherent handicap: God knows us intimately and fully, and our understanding is partial, at best. And, what he does choose to reveal about himself, he must do in such a way as to make the prospect of seeking him appealing without scaring the “bejeebers” out of us (I really confused the ‘spell check’ on that one!) Exodus 20:18-19 18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." ● God’s approach to us must resemble a successful approach to children. We stoop down as to lessen the feelings of our “bigness” and we must also speak to them in a way that is consistent with their level of comprehension. We also deal with… God’s apparent lack of accountability. He tells me to ask, then he doesn’t seem to answer. I feel like I’m emailing God and what I get in response is an ‘error message’! Psalm 50:15 “Call to me when trouble comes; I will save you…” Luke 11:9-10 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you…” (I keep knocking, but no one seems to be home, or, he’s hiding behind the door because he knows it’s me!) “Who do we talk to when we’re disoriented and even God isn’t making sense?” God is great, God is good. Psalm 95:7 “He is our God, we are the people he cares for…” Psalm 100:3
“… the Lord is God! He made us- we are his
people, the sheep of his pasture…” “Don’t be afraid- I am with you! I am your God- let nothing terrify you!” ● I said several months ago.. It’s easy to believe that God is great; but, sometimes life makes it hard to believe that he is good! ● Sometimes I pray and nothing happens, and other times I am less consistent with my prayers and things seem to progress nicely! (why pray now and screw everything up?!) ● My experiences of God have caused me to question and investigate: “What makes on person persevere in prayer and the other person, at least temporarily, abandon their confidence in God?” “What makes one person raise their hands in surrender and the other raise their fists in resentment?” ● Let me offer you (4) prayers that we learn from Jesus that you can start using now (while you’re in the lifelong process of learning/discovering prayer). ● I think that most of us would agree that most of Jesus’ prayers were offered in what we would consider “pressure-packed” situations. When we pray in those times, it just seems to make everyone else around us really nervous, right? ● But I noticed something about Jesus’ prayers in the midst of such circumstances: rather than focusing on the gravity of the situation, he used it as an opportunity to discover or celebrate some truth about Father God’s character. John 11 (Lazarus) 39 "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." 40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." John 17 24 Father, I want those you gave me To be with me, right where I am, So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me, Having loved me Long before there ever was a world. John 17:9-10 9 I pray for them. I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world But for those you gave me, For they are yours by right. 10 Everything mine is yours, and yours mine, And my life is on display in them. ● Here are the (4) remedial prayers you can begin with: Suspend your disbelief long enough to consider that it may be true! In other words… pray as if you believe it’s true. 1. “Father, I know that you hear me”. Jesus dispels any notion of a disinterested and distant God and confirms that even when the situation seems to indicate that God has ‘gone deaf’, he does hear us. 2. “Father, I know that you love me”. Jesus does not dismiss their heavy hearts or skirt the issue of the impending realities, but emphasizes the love and provision of the Father more than the details of the problem. 3. “Father, I know that you believe in me”. Hearing those words of confidence that Jesus spoke brought courage and confidence to their troubled hearts. 4. “Father, I know that I can trust you”.
‘All I have is yours, and all
you have is mine’. |
