Mark 1: 35-39

Why Pray?

      (sermon outline)

·        Well, almost all of us have completed our first small group meeting on PRAYER: DOES IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. If you haven’t gotten into a group yet … there is still room.  Just see June after the service and we will sign you right up.

·        FIRST:  Let me make this perfectly clear – you do not have to agree with everything that is in the study guide or on the DVD. 

·        Like I said about Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life) – Philip Yancey is NOT God … and he doesn’t have all the answers AND you do NOT have to agree with everything he says.

·        One of the benefits of being in a small group is that we get to not only hear from Philip Yancey, but we get to hear from all the others in our group. 

·        You’d be surprised how much you can learn from one another … right?  

·        That being said …  I’m curious – how did it go?  Any insights?  (get insights from the congregation)

·        My insights … Truth is God is in control.  But remember we are NOT puppets on a string. God knows so much more than we do…. He wants to share that with us … can’t really do that unless we are in communication with him.

·        Don’t worry, be happy … not exactly in the book – but isn’t that what giving God control is all about?

·        TRUST … How do we do that? How many of you trust Sarah Palin, Joe Biden, Barak Obama, or John McCain?  We don’t know them very well, hard to trust them.  How about Marylyn?  We do trust her because we know her!

·        Only by getting to know the person/God whom we want/need to trust… only be learning that we can count on him…)

·        Realizing we can’t do it all ourselves… job, marriage, kids, church … you name it… and the GOOD NEWS is that God is here to help.  God wants to help!  …

·        This past week has been a good start … but it is only the beginning.  We have so much more to learn and experience. 

·        I hope that you will do the PERSONAL JOURNEY portion of the study … and write in your PRAYER JOURNAL at the end of each session.  I think it will help… really!

·        So now there is chapter two … WHY PRAY?   The answer: We pray so we don’t have nightmares…(Relate my childhood experience with prayer … forget = nightmare!)

·        That is obligation … duty … fear … NOT why we should pray!

·        Our text would suggest that we should pray … because Jesus prayed.  He prayed often.  He prayed alone.  He prayed with his disciples.  He was all about being in relationship with his Father.

·        But we are not Jesus, are we?  We have all known times when prayer seemed to just not work for us, right? 

·        Haven’t you had times when prayer just frustrated the heck out of you?  We wonder if God is really listening and if he is, then does he care?

·        Often, I think we approach prayer more as a duty, an obligation that goes with being “religious.”  We agree that it is important – that it is vital to our spiritual health and vitality … but we don’t do it very well.

·        Part of that has to do with what we see as the purpose of prayer … there are those who see it as little more than a form of “magic.”   Prayer as an attempt to manipulate God to do what we can’t do our ourselves.

·        i.e. God, I can’t control my weight – you do it.  God, I can’t control my kids – you do it.  God, I need a job – can you get me one?  God, my friend really is making me mad – will you fix her?   My dad has cancer – please cure him! AND we expect God to MAGICALLY make everything all right.

·        I don’t think it works that way … God is involved, inspiring and encouraging … but not a magician.

·        Prayer is more than that.   – it is more about relationship between God and ourselves.  It is about nourishing and nurturing our relationship with God.  It is about learning to be more Christ-like.

·        God cares about our problems and wants to help us – but he is not a vending machine.  We don’t drop in our quarters and choose a prayer request for him to answer.

·        Prayer is the lifeline that connects us to God.  Truth is when our faith begins to erode … stagnant and lifeless … often our prayer life is found lacking. 

·        As prayer diminishes, faith proportionally erodes.  

·        The more we pray and OPEN OURSELVES to God’s presence … the more we see God in everything … every day, every hour … everywhere.

·        Prayer recharges our batteries.  It gives us the strength and wisdom to go on.  To face life and life’s challenges.  … to deal with my weight, kids, job, marriage, church…

·        It gives us the chance to reflect on the day and acknowledge why we are grateful/thankful.  It helps us to see where God may have been in our lives that day … cuz he is!

·        Jesus knew he couldn’t do his mission alone.  He needed to constantly be consoled, strengthened, affirmed, and directed.  He went where he knew he could get those things … his Father.

·        We have the opportunity to do the very same thing. 

·        Do you need to be consoled, strengthened, affirmed, directed?  I certainly do!

·        This coming week we will be studying prayer with questions such as “Is it worthwhile?”  “Does it make a difference?”  Why pray about what God already knows?” and “Does God really care?”

·        How important is it to God to be in relationship with us?  “For God so loved the world (us) that he gave his only begotten son (Jesus) that whosoever believed in him would not perish, but have everlasting life.”

·        God gave up his son … to make it possible for us to be in relationship with him….  BIG DEAL!!!

·        Doesn’t make any difference where you are in your relationship with God right now … PRAYER can help.  In the next five weeks we will be studying how to do that better and deeper.

·        This is an amazing time in the life of this congregation.  I am glad we are on this journey together.  Be blessed my friends…

·        AMEN!