Our generous Dad in heaven responds to our requests
Prayer
Pastor Tom
October 26, 2008
Imagine that you are in God’s throne room. The Mighty God takes His glorious throne. Thousands upon thousands of heavenly servants stand before Him. You want to ask Him for help to find your keys. Will you ask?
Some of us might hesitate because we’ve been taught that asking God for something is really a sign of spiritual immaturity. Some say asking is a lower form of prayer than the prayer of praise we talked about last week. But asking of God remains a primary need throughout our entire lives. Remember in simple prayer, we learned we must embrace our role as dependents on God? So asking prayer is not immature.
Some might hesitate because we think “I shouldn’t bother God with petty details.” But in one sense, nothing is more important to God than the anxiety we feel over an upcoming medical appointment or the exasperation we feel over our kids or the desperation we might feel over our aging parents. Parents and Grandparents you know how much you crave petty details of your children’s day at school. God longs to hear from us the smallest matters of our lives.
Prayer as Praise to God
Prayer
Pastor Tom
October 19, 2008
We have entered into a study on prayer through this Fall Season. We looked at several prayers dealing with internal issues. These inside issues require regular attention because we often face them. We sin so we must engage in confessional prayer. Life regularly moves beyond our control so we must learn the “giving up control prayer.” Sometimes God says no so we in prayer adjust to His no answers. Last week we looked at commitment prayer where David steadfastly declared his resolve for the Lord while in a cave fleeing from enemies.
Sometimes those personal issues take over and dominate our prayer lives. But if we only pray these prayers, we will only pray about ourselves and God. The Bible points us to go further in prayer. Not only must we look in, we must look up to focus more on the one we pray to. Then we must also look out in prayer for others around us. So today we start looking up in prayer to the One we pray to by considering prayer as praise to God.
This prayer involves no asking of God for anything. It calls us to look away from ourselves and immediate circumstances to focus solely on God Almighty. What does such a prayer look like and how might we engage in it?
Why has commitment become a dirty word?
Prayer
Pastor Tom
October 12, 2008
There’s a new dirty word in town. It’s not one you’ll hear in a curse or scrawled on an overpass. It’s not even a four letter word. It actually has 10 letters. But mention this word and people scatter. Phone lines go dead. Eyes glaze over. Walls go up. Excuses form in the mind.
What is this dreaded dirty word? Commitment! A commitment is “a responsibility; something that takes up time or energy, especially an obligation.” Commitment involves “loyalty or devotion to a cause, person or relationship.” Commitment used to be a widely held value.
We’re going to learn more about God’s great character today through someone who had every worldly reason to abandon commitment to the Lord. He was in the middle of a whole whack of trouble. Yet, he could declare “My heart is steadfast, O Lord, my heart is steadfast.” I’m committed to you wholeheartedly.
When God says no, look for the Yes
Prayer
Pastor Tom
October 5, 2008
What do you do when God denies you something you really want and think you deserve? How do you respond when He says no to a perfectly reasonable request? “Lord, please heal my loved one. Please change my job situation. Please open that ministry door. Please let us get that house. Please help this business to succeed so I can support my family. Lord, bring many to this ministry event. And the Lord says no.”
Well friends, when God says no, it is possible to respond productively instead of pouting. Today, we’re going to look at a situation where God said no to a prayer request from one of the greatest characters in the Bible. We will discover more of God’s character and wisdom. We will learn some productive ways to respond when God says no.