The Seed Blog: Restoring Our Faith in Prayer

We have done a number of lessons on prayer through the years, but this one will be very different because it won’t be about ‘how to pray’ but rather a restoration of our faith in prayer. A remembering of its power and purpose, when done effectively because everything that we do—everything that we are as a church, and as individuals—to God completely relies upon our desire to pray. It is that paramount in our lives. Many of us do not pray as we know that we should be praying. And when we do pray, most often, it is not in real earnestness and passion. it is not with boldness and faith. And if you get behind all the proper ‘church answers’—and often behind even our own conscious thoughts sometimes—we do not pray as we should because we do not truly believe that it makes a real difference. If we did, you couldn’t stop us from praying. A lot of Christians kind of feel that other than drawing closer to God and bending my will to fit His, do my prayers really matter? Do they actually change anything?

Hasn’t God already decided what He’s going to do? Isn’t His Will going to be done no matter what? I really believe this comes from two main sources: 1) we’re going to get an honest word of truth from Jelly Roll (Need A Favor). Listen to these genuine, and too often true, lyrics:
“I only talk to God when I need a favor
And I only pray when I ain't got a prayer
So, who the *$%@! am I, To expect a Savior, oh
If I only talk to God when I need a favor?
Hard cover King James only been savin' dust on the nightstand
And I don't know what to say by the time I fold my hands…
I only talk to God when I need a favor.”
Many of us say token prayers but live our lives the way we see fit; making our own choice, doing our own thing, never genuinely seeking God’s will or work in our lives. And when we are hit with trouble that we cannot handle, or issues out of our scope of control, we finally turn to God with earnest, desperate faith. And we get angry and/or doubt Him because He does not suddenly bend to our will and command; and we assume that either He isn’t real, doesn’t care, or prayer doesn’t work. 2) The second reason we see prayer as ineffective is because (even in most churches today) when faced with some of the most terrible of circumstances, it will often be said: “Well, for whatever reason He chose, it was just God’s will.” As though everything that ever happens in life is completely out of our ability to affect God’s direction, and He has it all laid out in His perfectly desired will already; whether we pray or not, “It will be, as it will be.”
If that mentality is carried to its full extent, then answer these questions: Is it God’s perfect will that anyone be lost? 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3-6: “No.” It is not God’s perfect will that any be lost—and yet, many [most] will be. Is it God’s will that people commit suicide, get divorced, pursue homosexuality, become drug users? Of course not. And yet all of these things happen by the thousands, daily. It is obvious that many things happen outside of God’s desired will regularly. The question then, becomes “why?” The answer is simple, but the effects are monumental. God created us in His image. God gave us free will to love, rule and reign in this creation, and He honors that free will, even when it hurts us all. Unfortunately, we have used that free will to close Him out of much of our lives to pursue a life without His guidance or power and He has honored our choices. Unfortunately, in rejecting or ignoring His will in our lives, we have left ourselves open to the whims of a very real and eager horde of fallen angels, working their own will in every aspect of our lives daily—usually unopposed because we have given them authority: John 14:30. Their sole desire is to hurt you, make you stumble, and destroy all of God’s desires for your life. Why do they think they have a chance at doing this? Because we have the free will to let them: Ephesians 6:10-12. This, along with the effects of a now cursed world, bring many things into our lives that are not God’s perfect will, but rather a part of His permissive or allowed will against His greatest desires in respect of our choices. If all of these things happen in our world that are not a part of God’s ‘perfect will,’ then some of the things which happen to us that we simply accept as ‘just the way it’s supposed to be,’ are not always just an unchangeable part of God’s perfect will, but things we have allowed into our lives with our own abuse of freedom? Or, because we have not given our sovereignty to Him? We think prayer is often ineffective because God will do what He wants anyway, but God is often just waiting for us to give authority of our lives back to Him, over the powers of this world, over our own authority, so that He is free to act in our lives, in His Loving food will. Why would God repeatedly tell us to pray for His intervention and protection; tell us He would move mountains on our behalf; promise to hear our cries? And yet, not be ready to change the world’s course of events on our behalf? Exodus 32:10-11, 14 God to Moses- Concerning rebellious Israelites. God, in His omniscience, perfect knowledge, gives us free will to involve ourselves in His works, and builds our requests and reactions into His greater plan—even before we ask. But it happens because we ask. He shapes history, makes His plans in union and partnership with the prayers of His Saints. God decided before the world was made that He would send Jesus. Why? Because He knew the decisions we would make. Yet, He loved us so much, He made plans based on our fall. Whatever you and I are not praying about in our lives is left open to the powers of darkness; is left open to the effects of a cursed world and a fallen creation, rather than being placed under the authority and power of our God. He is often waiting to move in our lives, but we are not inviting Him in with real expectation and faith, or because we are not wanting all of Him. We just want His assistance when needed. “I only talk to God when I need a favor.” We are either all His, or we are not. The truth of this surrender makes all of the difference in how He can move in our lives and prayer: 1 John 3:22; John 15:7-8; John 9:31.
It is my greatest desire for us—as a church—and our only hope to be what we are called to be—to invite and release God in this body so that He may be everything He wants to be, rather than what we want Him to be. So that He may do things which only He can do for His glory; so He might fill us with His presence of real unhindered love; so that we might actually have the power and presence of God in our midst; so that we might become His tool, His weapon, His hands and feet, His force on earth. Sounds radical and extreme, doesn’t it? Good! Otherwise, we are just another puppet church, not taking seriously every command Jesus gave about what it takes to follow Him. What good would a new, but dead building be to His Kingdom? Prayer is the pivotal point for this to happen where we openly, expectantly ask Him to move; where we openly give our sovereignty, trust and control to Him. This is my request, my plea to us as a church: 1) That we realize what a high cost was paid for us to have this privilege and power of prayer: John 16:22-27 (Speaking of His Death and Resurrection). Jesus was saying that because of His death on our behalf, not only did we receive His new life as He took our death, but that we received new rights—His rights—to come before the Father looking like Him, asking in His Name, asking in His authority. Why did we get this great honor and privilege? Because He has won for us and humbly given to us His righteousness and glory before the Father: John 17:4-5, 22-23; John 14:20-21; 2 Corinthians 3:18. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice alone, we have the right to call our God, Father, and to be seen and answered through His glory in us. We have to see this privilege for what it truly means; we have to stop overlooking it and taking it for granted. 2) That we be given to Him and Him alone, completely and passionately; that we stop chasing and trusting the ways of this crumbling world and be devoted to Our King who is completely devoted to us. Otherwise, how will He be able to do His good works through broken and self-serving vessels? How will we seek and see His desires when all we see is what we want in every situation? If we are receiving privilege and power through His name, doesn’t it stand to reason that we should be living and working in His love and glory? 1 John 3:22; John 14:12-14. 3) That we learn to pray in real faith and boldness, not acting as if faith was the catalyst (not faith in faith), but having real faith in the character of our God, in the love and desire that we know He has for us—in His ability and willingness to answer our prayers on Jesus’ behalf. 4) That we would understand clearly that we are standing against real, evil, brilliant, powerful spiritual entities, and the fast-changing, possessed world is proof of their power. Realize that our prayers are the only thing which can take away their authority and unleash God’s power in our lives, our church, our nation: Ephesians 6:18; 1 Timothy 2:1; Colossians 4:2; Philippians 4:6; Romans 12:12; Luke 18:1; 2 Chronicles 7:14.
Why do we even have to ask if He already knows? Because it’s the world He gave to us; it’s our life that is in need; and He wants us to Invite Him in to work to give Him sovereignty in it. Because He wants us to see the need and respond in real love as well; because He wants us to see that it was Him who heard, cared and acted on our behalf, in love; because some of His greatest work may be in changing you by using you in the crisis, and that is His most important goal. Know there will always be times that our sincerest desires cannot be a part of His plan (otherwise we’d live forever, never have problems, never be tested), sometimes because of circumstances we cannot see; sometimes because of others’ free will; sometimes as a direct need to grow our faith and character or show our faith to a doubting world. Our Jesus—God Himself—experienced this in His human frailties so that He could feel our struggles; so He could offer Himself completely in faith and obedience. Did Jesus’ earthly Dad live to the end? (Think Jesus wanted Him to die?) Listen to this Incredible Passage: Mark 14:34-36. When we do face these moments in our lives, where God’s answer is simply “I cannot do it this time, trust Me.” We need to do exactly what Jesus did: rise up from prayer at that moment and face whatever is to come with resolve, determination and passion for our God: Mark 14:42. (Jesus went to meet His trial with faith). But how many times is God’s perfect will missed because we will not get involved with real, faithful prayer? How many times has God’s perfect will been accomplished and people were saved, healed, comforted, provided for, and He had to use someone else because we did not pray for His will and power in our lives?
We are instructed to pray for: greater faith; His spiritual and physical gifts; opportunity and direction; brother and sisters to join us in the harvest work; His power and knowledge; His words and love when we are working; for all who touch our lives. Lose the self-conscious awareness and pride, humbly pray together in His House, at His altars, together. Show Him how badly we want and need His presence, and trust Him to bless, guide, and anoint us—and let’s watch what He can do through prayer.