It's Balanced With a Disciplined Obedience - Supplication, Part 2b

I belie that prayer is extremely powerful. It is the tool that moves the hand of God. I don't believe that we change the mind of God. From our human perspective, we think that God changes his mind, but from the Infinite perspective from the divine perspective, God never changes his mind. He's got one plan. That's plan A. There is no plan B in heaven, it's all plan A. But yet, prayer works in conjunction with the sovereign will of God. Over in 1 Samuel 1, Hannah prayed, and Samuel was born. In 2 Kings 4, Elish prayed and a child was raised from the dead.

In Acts 12, we saw it last week: the believers prayed, and Peter was released from jail. In Joshua 7, Joshua prayed about Israel's defeat in the battle at Ai. And Achan's sin was discovered. And over in James chapter 5, turn there with me if you would, please. James chapter 5, Elijah prayed. And it didn't rain for three years. And of course, you're going to say, well, Elijah was a great prophet of God. Of course, when he prayed, God answered. Well, the Bible tells us in James chapter 5 that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.

Verse number 17. And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced. Its fruits. James was known as old camel knees. He was known for his prayer life. He would close out this letter with an emphasis on prayer. That's the whole direction he's going in James chapter five. And in verse 16, he says that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. He says, Prayer is energized, prayer is powerful.

Prayer is powerful when you understand that you need to pray in specifics. Elijah prayed in specifics. Powerful prayer does not pray in generalities. Well, Lord, bless the missionaries. Lord, bless the food. Lord, give me a good day. Hope today goes smoothly. God wants specifics. God wants details. God make sure this happens. Give Him all the details. He knows Him anyway, right? But spell them out for him because he wants specifics. Effectual, ener prayer, prays specifically, not gener. Energized prayer praised in line with the word of God and the will of God.

Effective, energized Prayer understands God's word and prays in line with God's Word. That's what makes prayer powerful and effective. Energized prayer needs to be fueled by the Spirit of God. The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man, not the unrighteous man. So, we've got to make sure that God's Spirit's controlling our lives and moving our lives, so the things we say and speak are energized and controlled by the Spirit of God. And powerful prayer is prayer made in faith, believing without doubting.

No wavering, but believing that God can do a might work. Energized prayer is not marked because it's long prayer. Energized prayer is not marked by the fact that it's loud prayer. And energized prayer is not marked by the fact that you have large words in your prayer. Energized prayer is marked by the fact that you pray in faith, believing that God is going to do His perfect will. And that's how God's will manifests itself in your life. You got to believe that prayer is powerful. And all you got to do is read the Bible and to see that.

It's so good to read about what God does when people just drop to their knees and pray. And as you read those stories, you say, Man, that's what God wants to do in our life. Most of us sit back and say, Man, boy, I wish things like that would happen with me. Well, the reason they don't happen is because you don't drop your knees and pray. You've got to pray, man. You've got to get on those knees and beseech the throne of grace. You've got to go boldly into his presence. You got to take care of those prerequisites.

You got to confess those sins. You got to be compassionate toward the needy. So those prayers are heard. And you've got to want the glory of God more than anything in the world. You've got to taste the glory of God. You've got to passionately pursue God. So that He is manifested in your life. Number six. It's important to know the pattern of prayer. That's Matthew chapter 6, and we're not going to spend much time here at all. If you want to know about this one, then you can buy the tape series entitled The Lord Teaches to Pray.

Which went through Matthew chapter six. But the disciples' prayer is not something that is just to be recited. There's nothing wrong with reciting it, right? Because it's scripture. And God wants us to memorize scripture, but God had just spoken about meaningless repetition, right? That's how the pagans pray. They use the meaningless repetition. And the Lord says, that's not how you pray. This is how you pray. And this pattern came as a response in Luke 11 to the disciples' question that said, Lord, teach us.

How to pray. The only thing the disciples asked the Lord to teach them. And the reason mean is because that's all they saw the Lord doing. And so they wanted to know what that meant and how to do it. Your kids ever see you pray? Your kids ever ask you to teach them how to pray? The disciples saw the Lord always praying. Finally, God to them.

Lord, could you kind of teach us how to do that? Why do you do that? Teach us. You know, if it was me, I'd say, Lord, teach me how to preach. But he never asked the Lord to teach them how to do that. Lord, teach me how to cast out those demons. That water, that walking on water thing, how'd you do that? Can you teach me how to do that? That's what I'd be asking them. But the disciples didn't ask them that. Just one thing. Lord, teach us how to pray. So the Lord did. He gives him the pattern for prayer.

And it centers around God and his glory, then men and his needs. We're back to God's glory again. The pattern of prayer centers around God first.

All prayer must focus on God. Not man. And so prayer centers around the fact that I am to be consumed with his preeminence. Hallowed be thy name. I am to be concerned about his program. Thy kingdom come. His kingdom is more important than your kingdom. And I am to be committed to his plan. Thy will be done, not my will, Lord. And then when I look at my need and I pray, Lord, give us and forgive us and lead us not into temptation, but to deliver us.

From evil, I am praying and rejoicing in this provision because God is the one who's going to give me those things that I need. And I pray, receiving his pardon and responding and showing pardon to others. And I pray, resting in his protection. Because he will not lead me into anything that is so difficult that it will cause me to fall away from him. So I can say, To thine be the glory. Both now and forever. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. God gives the pattern for prayer to help us understand how our prayers are to operate.

And I would encourage you if you. Have not purchased that tape series that you do so and go through it and learn what the Lord is trying to teach us about His will and His kingdom and His name, and that how He is our Father, and that's how we are to beseech Him as our Father. Because he is the one who loves us so. And next, I want you to see the promise of prayer. Turn with me over to 1 John chapter 5.

1 John 5, verse 14. And this is the confidence which we have before him that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. That's the promise. God hears. Now think about that for a moment. You got all these Christians in the world praying to God, and he hears. Now, in my house, it gets kind of busy. You know, the kids running around, you know, always asking questions, always talking, always competing for mom and dad's attention. And I had this unique ability to toot out my children. I'm very good at that.

My wife has not yet. Got to that point in her wonderful pilgrimage of living. But I've got to the point where I'm able to tune them out. And they're daddy this and daddy that and daddy this daddy that, and I'm kind of like, mm. You know, in another world. And sometimes my wife says, you know, honey, do you hear what they're asking you? Do you hear what she said? Do you hear what he said? Are you listening? And honestly, I would say, no, I'm not. Aren't you glad the Lord never does that? Sorry. Too busy.

Too many people on the line today. Call back. Let me put you on a hold just for a minute here. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. The Lord's not that way. He hears. That's the promise of prayer. If you ask anything acc to his will, he hears. He literally takes note of the request. He writes it down. Isn't that good? You didn't have to literally write it down. He never forgets anything anyway. But he takes note of the request. He listens favorably. In other words, you have a guarantee of an answer.

That's the promise of prayer. Now, follow this through very closely with me. God says, You ask anything in my will, according to my will, you have this guarantee that I hear you.

And if I hear you, Something's going to happen. I believe that God answers all pray. He answers it in different ways, but he does answer them. So that he is glory, of course, is put on display. It was George Mueller who said that prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, it's laying hold of God's willingness. That's good. For God is not reluctant to give his children what they need. He's willing to do that. And we talked about that last week. He wants to do that because that's his. His desire. Turn back with me to Mark chapter 11.

Mark chapter 11. In Mark chapter 11, verse number 12, and on the next day when they had departed from Bethany. He became hungry, and seeing at a distance a fig tree and leaf, he went to see if perhaps he would find anything on it. And when he had come to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he answered and said to it, May no one ever eat fruit from you again. And what's the next phrase? And his disciples. We're listening. They were listening, but they were not learning.

You go on, you have the story about how Jesus drives the money changers out of the temple. And then you go down to verse number 20. And as they were passing by in the morning, The next day, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. And being reminded, Peter said to him, Praise the Lord. It was just like you said. Is that what Peter said? No. Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which you cursed has withered. It actually happened. Not that I doubt you, Lord. Don't get that from me, but I do. It actually did what you said it was going to do.

Produce no more fruit. You're a dead tree. The next day? It's a dead tree. How well were they listening? God says, You have to believe me.

Listen to what he says. And Jesus answered, saying to them, Have faith in God. Sure I say to you, whoever says to this mountain be taken up and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes. That, what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him. Now, of course, some of you are saying, well, how many times do we actually pray for a mountain to be removed and it be removed? I mean, come on, he's being a little facetious here. That's exactly why there are no mountains removed in your life.

If you think that, because that's not what Jesus said. Christ doesn't speak to hear head rattle. Christ doesn't speak to entertain himself or those around him. He speaks truth. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted. To you, God promises answers. Now, sometimes those answers Are different than what we ask for. Is that not true? One author said it this way. I asked for strength that I might achieve, and God made me weak that I might obey.

I asked for health that I might do greater things. I was given grace that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. God gave weakness that I might feel the need of him. I asked for all things that I might enjoy life, and God gave me life that I might enjoy all things. I received nothing that I asked for. But all that I hoped for, my prayer, was answered. God sometimes has a different agenda.

And sometimes God decides to delay the answer. A great illustration of that is Zacharias and Elizabeth, Luke chapter 1. We won't turn there, but I would encourage you to read that sometime. The Jewish rabbi said that there were se things that would excommunicate a person. From God. The first on the list was a Jew who has no wife.

A Jew who has a barren wife. Of course, you know that Zacharias was a priest. Elizabeth was his wife. She wasn't able to get pregnant. Now you can imagine the prayers that must have been given on behalf of Elizabeth's womb that she would have a child. But God did not give her a child. Because it's God who opens and closes the womb. But God had decided not to open Elizabeth's womb. One day, Zacharias is in the temple. He's doing his priestly thing, and the angel of the Lord comes. And says, Zach, I got news.

Your wife 's pregnant. She's going to get pregnant. Zach said, She's up in years. That ain 't going to happen. It ain't going to happen. The angel of the Lord said, You prayed for a child. But I want to give you more than a child. I want to give you the forerunner of the Messiah. You see, God had a delay in his answer. He could have given them just another child. But he decided to give them the greatest man who ever lived. See the difference? They could have had just another baby. But God says, I don't want you to have just another baby.

I want you to have John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah. I want you to have the one who, by the words of the Messiah, would be the greatest man who ever lived. And of course, the story goes on, and Zacharias was unable to speak for the nine months during the pregnancy of Elizabeth because he didn't believe that a person of that age could get pregnant. And have a child. The point of the story is this: that God delays. And when God delays, he does it because there's something better down the road.

That if he answered today, it would be not near as great. As if he answers tomorrow. You see what they would have missed out if God would have answered their prayer years earlier? But God didn't. He had a greater plan. It was one author who said these words: Unanswered yet? Nay, do not say unanswered. Perhaps your part is not yet wholly done. The work began when first your prayer was uttered, and God will finish what He has begun.

Keep incense burning at the shrine of prayer, and glory shall descend sometime somewhere. Unanswered yet? Faith cannot be unanswered. Her feet are firmly planted on the rock. Amid the wildest storm she stands undaunted, nor quails before the loudest thunders. She knows omnipotence has heard her prayer and cries, it shall be done sometime, somewhere. That's true, true believing faith. That's true prayer. The promise of prayer. Let's lead this to our last point. And that's the plan of prayer. Your plan.

What is your plan? You got one? What is your plan? For prayer. If you were to go back to Matthew chapter 6, we see what God expects us to pray. He says in Matthew 6, verse 5, and when you pray. Matthew 6:6, but when you pray. Matthew 6:7, and when you pray. Matthew 6:9, This then is how you should pray. God expects us to pray. God expects his children to talk with him. I expect my children to talk with me. When my children decide not to speak with me, I ask them why they're not speaking. God expects us to speak with Him.

And of course, then when they do speak, I ask them, Why are you speaking? They can't win from losing, can they? But with the Lord, he wants you to speak with him. He expects us to pray. The question is: what's your plan? You got a plan? If you don't have a plan, you're in trouble. John Piper, in his book, Desiring God, says this. Unless I am badly mistaken, one of the main reasons so many of God's children don't have a significant prayer life is not so much that we don't want to, but that we don't plan to.

If you want to take a four-week vacation, you don't just get up one summer morning and say, Hey, let's go today. You won't have anything ready. You won't know where to go. Nothing has been planned. But that is how many of us treat prayer. We get up day after day and realize that significant times of prayer should be a part of our life, but nothing's ever ready. We don't know where to go. Nothing has been planned. No time, no place, no procedure. And we all know that the opposite of planning. It is not a wonderful flow of deep, spontaneous experiences in prayer.

The opposite of planning is the rut. If you don't plan a vacation, you will probably stay home and watch TV. The natural, unplanned flow of a spiritual life sinks to the lowest ebb of vitality. There is a race to be run and a fight to be fought. If you want renewal in your life of prayer, you must plan to see it. What's your plan? We can talk about prayer. We can hear sermons about prayer, but we've got to ask ourselves the question: where's our place of prayer? Wh is our time of prayer? Where is my list that I pray for people who have needs?

Do you have those things? Have you mapped it out? If you're going to go to work and you've got an agenda to accomplish, you write it out to make sure you get it all done. If we want to have a relationship with God, we've got to make sure we spend time with Him. Put Him into our daily schedule to pray and to commune with Him al. J. C. Ry has recorded these words. What is the reason that some believers are so much brighter and holier than others? I believe the difference in 19 cases out of 20 arises from different habits about private prayer.

I believe that those who are not emin holy pray little, and those who are eminently holy pray much. The question being, how holy are you? It will be determined on how much time you spend in prayer.