It's a real joy to be with you
this morning.
This is the third Chinese conference that I've
done in one month.
Pretty soon I'm going to have to learn
Mandarin.
I just returned two weeks ago from Malaysia,
where I did two conferences.
Also some pastors' gatherings.
It's a delight to be with you.
This morning I want to share with you
on the area of prayer.
How to develop an effective prayer life.
I am convinced that one of the major
lacks in the body of Christ is the
area of prayer.
I was privileged to be raised in a
praying home.
My father died when he was 87 years
of age.
He was a minister for over 70 years.
Started preaching when he was 16.
But he was a man of prayer.
Even at age 87, he was still rising
every night early in the morning to pray.
He would pray 4, 5, 6 hours a
day.
And he made a tremendous impression upon me.
I also had the privilege of working with
a wonderful man in New Zealand for 15
years.
He too was a man of prayer.
We had one of the largest churches in
New Zealand for a period of time.
It grew to around 15 or 1700 people.
There was always demands placed upon us.
We had numerous meetings.
People always coming for counsel.
And the senior pastor very seldom came to
the church.
He spent most of his time in a
little room off his bedroom.
And he would spend hours in prayer.
Periodically the phone would ring down at the
church.
And the secretary would say, Brother Peter is
on the line.
And I would pick up the phone.
And he would say, David, I'm coming into
town this afternoon.
Why don't we go out for a milkshake?
We had six pastors on staff.
All of us knew what a milkshake was
with Brother Peter.
It meant that we were going to leave
the church and find a little restaurant, a
little table somewhere in the back.
And the senior pastor was going to ask
us about our personal life.
He would say, how is your marriage?
How are you getting along?
And he had a way of sort of
prying that you could not lie.
If you said, oh, fine.
He'd point his finger, no, I can tell.
He would always ask about my prayer life.
He would say, David, I don't ever want
you coming into the church office.
Unless you have spent at least one hour
on your face before God.
He understood that ministry flowed out of relationship.
I could have literally spent all day in
my...
He did not mind.
As long as he knew I was praying.
I want to talk to you again about
prayer.
In the first book of Samuel, chapter 13.
We have an interesting story concerning the nation
of Israel.
Verse 19 to the end of the chapter.
We are told how the Philistines came through
the nation of Israel.
How they systematically eliminated every blacksmith.
Now Israel was an agricultural nation.
And they were dependent upon their agricultural implements
in order to till their fields and cultivate
their land.
Because there was no blacksmith shop, they were
dependent then upon the Philistines.
Every time one of their implements broke, they
had to go to the Philistines to have
it repaired.
The Philistines had a particular charge that they
levied on every single broken instrument.
But that wasn't the real reason behind the
Philistines eliminating the blacksmith shop.
You see, the blacksmith shop was the place
where the weapons of war were made.
Blacksmiths made the swords and the spears.
Blacksmiths made the shields.
And so the Philistines came up with this
brilliant plan that we will take over every
single blacksmith shop.
The Bible doesn't tell us how long it
took.
I don't know if it took a year
or two years or three years.
But it was all part of a very
brilliant strategy.
It says in verse 22, So it came
about on the day of battle that neither
sword nor spear was found in the hands
of any of the people.
They were only found with Saul and his
son Jonathan.
It's very hard for me to believe this
story.
I have to because it's in the word
of God.
But the Philistines were so successful that only
the king and his son ended up with
a sword or a spear.
The nation of Israel was powerless.
You say, well, what does that have to
do with prayer?
I believe there is a greater Philistine.
His name is the devil.
And long ago he came up with a
very brilliant plan.
And that was to systematically eliminate prayer from
the house of God.
Not only from the house of God, but
from the house of God's people.
You see, prayer is where we get into
warfare.
Prayer is the place where we use the
weapons that God has given us.
The Bible says the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal, but they're mighty through God
to the pulling down of strongholds.
And so the enemy knows if he can
eliminate prayer from your life, either individually or
corporately, that when the day of battle comes,
we will be powerless.
I think you would agree with me.
We are inundated with all sorts of attacks
of the enemy.
We now have 25 million websites devoted exclusively
to pornography.
The enemy has come in like a flood.
And the church is largely powerless to do
anything about it.
We don't know how to wage an effective
warfare.
And so we have to reclaim the blacksmith
shop.
We need to pick up the sword and
the spear again.
And use those weapons against the enemy.
In Luke chapter 11, the disciples come to
Jesus after he was praying, and they ask
him if he will teach them how to
pray.
They said, John taught his disciples to pray,
you teach us to pray.
You'll notice that first of all, they observed
him pray.
And then after he finished, they said, teach
us to do that.
My father has commented on this portion of
scripture.
He said, this is the only time the
disciples ever asked to be taught anything.
We have no record of them saying, teach
us how to preach.
The record teaches us how to teach.
The record teaches us how to do miracles.
They said, teach us how to pray.
In other words, as they observed the Lord
Jesus Christ praying, they came to this conclusion.
Everything that Jesus does is based on prayer.
If we can touch the throne of God
the way Jesus touches the throne of God,
we can do the things that he does.
We can do the miracles that he does.
We can teach like he does.
The secret to his success is that he
prays.
So teach us how to pray.
And Jesus gives them the Lord's Prayer.
We have the shortened version.
Luke's account adds a story that we don't
have in Matthew's account.
It's the story of a man who is
waiting for his friend to arrive.
And his friend arrives at midnight.
He's hungry.
He's possibly traveled for a day or two.
Maybe this man did not think he would
arrive so early.
Maybe he thought he will not arrive till
five.
By then, the stores will be open.
I can go get him something to eat.
By the time he gets here, I can
provide him with a meal.
Instead, he arrives early.
And he is embarrassed that he has nothing
to give him.
As you know, in this particular culture, hospitality
was so important.
This is his friend, not his enemy.
By the need of his friend.
But he doesn't have the means to do
that.
But then he remembers something.
That he has another friend.
And the thing he knows about this friend
is this man always has an abundance.
And so even though it's midnight, he begins
knocking on his door.
His friend initially is upset.
He says, you woke me up.
The children are asleep.
But he keeps on pounding.
Finally, he gets up.
He says, what do you want?
And he explains the situation.
And the Bible says he will give him
as much as he needs.
You see, Jesus here is speaking about prayer.
You and I will constantly be confronted with
friends.
Friends that will come to us with a
need.
It may be a spiritual need.
A physical need.
A financial need.
An emotional need.
And the sooner we realize that we have
nothing to give them, the better.
Because when we realize our own insufficiency and
inadequacy, then we will be driven to our
greater friend.
And we will go to him and say,
I need what you have.
You have the resources that I lack.
And we will take from our greater friend
his provision.
And we will give it then to our
lesser friend.
Jesus said that is what prayer is all
about.
It is the recognition that I do not
have the answer.
I do not have the means to meet
the needs of individuals.
But I have a relationship with a greater
friend.
And I can go to him at any
time.
And he will give me as much as
I need.
He is a God that does not hold
back or upbraid.
He gives generously.
And then I can meet the need of
my other friend.
You see, the reason most of us do
not pray is that we do not recognize
our own insufficiency.
We tend to rely upon our experience.
Our training.
Our education.
Our degrees.
I know how to preach.
I have been through homiletic class.
So seldom do we go to our greater
friend.
Prayer is recognizing our total inadequacy and dependency
upon God.
In Luke's Gospel, chapter 18, verse 1, it
says, Men ought always to pray and not
to faint.
The Bible speaks a great deal about prayer.
Notice men ought always to pray, not just
seldom.
Not just once in a while.
It should be a part of our everyday
life.
We should be always praying.
In Thessalonians, the Bible says, As you know,
buildings are not the house of God.
We are the house of God.
Hebrews says, whose house we are.
The Bible says we are to pray without
ceasing.
In other words, we are constantly to be
in communion and fellowship with the Lord.
The early church, the Bible tells us in
the book of Acts, were continually devoting themselves
to prayer and to the apostles' teaching.
Prayer was a part of the everyday life
of the early church.
And yet today, we pray only when we
are desperate.
God, the Bible says, is a present help
in time of trouble.
We should only pray to Him when we
are in trouble.
Now, before we pray, we need to realize
there are obstacles to prayer.
It is no use beginning to pray until
we remove the hindrances.
An obstacle to prayer is selfishness.
The book of James says, we pray, but
we pray with wrong motives.
In other words, we need to ask ourselves,
why am I praying?
What is my motivation?
Am I doing it to the glory of
God or am I trying to get my
own way?
Is my motivation right?
The second area that is a hindrance is
sin.
The psalmist said in Psalm 66, if I
regard iniquity in my heart, God will not
hear me.
In other words, if I have sin in
my life, God will not even listen to
my prayer.
Now, does that mean that God does not
hear the prayer of sinners?
Obviously, that is not true.
The Bible says, if we confess our sin,
He is faithful and just to forgive us.
We all came to Christ on the basis
of being sinners.
He does sin and asks for cleansing and
forgiveness.
But the key word here is if I
regard iniquity.
Let's say after I leave next week to
go back to Texas, I have a friend
who is coming to Los Angeles area.
And I say, listen, if you run into
my friend Michelle, God means that I esteem
her.
She is my friend.
In other words, if there is a
sin that the Holy Spirit has been trying
to draw my attention to, I am refusing
to give that sin over to God.
Then God said, I will.
Then there is the area of submission.
It says, whatever we ask, we receive from
Him because we keep His commandments.
In other words, I am walking in obedience.
I am walking in the light.
I am obeying the Word of God.
And then another area is the area of
our relationship one with another, especially husband and
wife.
In 1 Peter chapter 3, it says, live
with your wives in an understanding manner that
your prayers be not hindered.
And then the last one is Satan.
Satan tries to hinder prayer.
We have a very classic illustration of that
in the Old Testament.
In the book of Daniel, the 10th chapter,
Daniel has given himself to a period of
prayer and fasting.
Three weeks have gone by.
Finally, on the 21st day, an angel comes
to Daniel.
Daniel is afraid.
The angel says, don't be afraid.
He says, from the very first day that
you started to pray, God heard your prayer.
And He sent me with the answer.
So according to the angel, the very first
day Daniel prayed, he was sent with the
answer.
So why did it take the angel three
weeks to get to Daniel?
Maybe that proves that angels are males.
But the angel doesn't come for three weeks.
And then he explains why.
He says, as I was coming to you,
I was opposed by the prince of Persia.
Principality.
Principality over that nation.
Control what is going on in that nation.
He doesn't want to be advanced.
And so he opposes what God is doing.
The Bible says, he stood opposite me.
And the angel is not able to deal
with this principality.
And so the angel calls in to the
throne of God.
Basically says, God, I need some more help.
God sends an archangel, Michael.
He starts fighting against this principality.
And the angel is released to come with
the answer.
He says, I'm going.
The prince of Greece has come.
One of the few times in the Bible
we have a glimpse of spiritual warfare behind
what is going on behind the heaven.
What goes on over nations.
See, just the same way this angel called
in for reinforcements.
This angel has asked for help.
Now, before, those are some of the obstacles
to prayer.
Some of the hindrances to prayer.
And then once we begin to pray, we
need to be convinced of three things regarding
God.
We need to be convinced of his passion
towards us.
His power available to us.
And his presence with us.
If you take any of those three things
away, everything falls apart.
Let me illustrate it this way.
Let's say I'm walking in a very dangerous
part of Los Angeles.
It's late at night.
And I lose my way.
And I end up walking down a very
dark alley of some sort.
And coming towards me are some men.
They've been drinking.
They're angry.
And they're heading in my direction.
And I immediately think to myself, I'm all
alone.
If only my friend was here.
My friend loves me.
My friend would lay down his life for
me.
My friend is incredibly strong.
He can take ten men with no problem
whatsoever.
The problem is, my friend is not present.
I look around, there's nobody there, just myself.
So that's one scenario.
My friend is not present.
Even though he is passionate.
Even though he is extremely powerful.
Alright, the same situation.
These men are coming towards me.
The other side of the road.
There's a man who is huge.
He's got muscles.
He's incredibly powerful.
And he is present.
I can see him.
But he doesn't know me from Adam.
He doesn't want to get involved in my...
And so even though he's very powerful.
And even though he's present.
He isn't any help to me because he
has no love towards me.
Same situation.
I look across the street.
And there is my best friend.
We grew up together.
I know he would lay down.
He is passionate towards me.
He is present.
I can see him.
But he is only this big.
He has no power.
And even though he's present.
And even though he's passionate.
You see, if you take any one of
those things out of it.
We need to know that God is for
us.
That he is passionate towards us.
That he is our friend.
The thoughts he has concerning us are not
thoughts of evil.
But thoughts of good.
We need to know that he's powerful.
This is all power and all authority has
been given unto me.
We also need to know that he's present.
You see, it's no use having a powerful
God.
No use having a powerful God unless he
is present with you.
And so we have to be convinced that
all those three things are true about God.
Then that makes prayer more meaningful.
We feel now like praying.
Because if God be for us, who can
be against us?
Then we have to believe again that we
have access to the truth.
In John chapter 14.
Jesus told his disciples that he was going
to leave them.
He says, I am going to prepare a
place for you.
He said, in my father's house there are
many mansions.
Prepare a place for you.
Now I think there are two ways of
looking at this portion of scripture.
One is to put it way into the
future.
Believe that Jesus is up there frantically finishing
off all the mansions.
Trying to get all the subdivisions finished before
the rapture.
Maybe there's a union strike.
That's why there's a delay.
I don't know.
You see, the only father's house that the
Jew understood was the temple.
It had three main areas.
The outer court.
The holy place.
God was in the holy of holies.
Once a year they had access.
On the day of atonement, the high priest
would go in.
And so only one man out of maybe
a million or two million people had access.
But Jesus said, all that is going to
change.
Because I am going in to where my
father is.
So that you can come in also.
Hebrews says that he has entered in.
He rent the veil.
So that you and I could come.
And in the New Testament now we have
access once a year.
But any time we like.
We don't come in with fear and trembling.
They have a cord around the foot of
the high priest.
The mission tells us if something went wrong.
They knew that the priest had died.
They were terrified of going in.
But Jesus said, I go to prepare a
place for you.
That where I am, you also may be.
He wasn't talking about after we die.
We won't need to pray in heaven.
He was talking about the fact that Jesus
Christ has opened the way for you and
I to come in.
It's that boldness.
Now when we begin to pray.
We need to understand that there are realms
of prayer.
I am sharing this with those of you
who do not have a consistent devotional life.
Many people don't know how to pray.
They pray for 30 seconds or 3 or
4 minutes.
Years or meads.
And that's the end of their prayer line.
It's not meant to be a formula.
But let me give you some suggestions to
help you begin.
The first area is worship.
We have a wonderful story in Luke chapter
17.
Verse 7 to verse 10.
It is the story of a master with
a slave.
The slave is serving his master by looking
after his master's sheep.
Looking after his master's sheep.
He is plowing the fields for his master.
And he comes in at the end of
the day.
He is exhausted.
He is tired.
He wants to sit back and relax.
Have a meal.
And before he does his master says go
clean up.
Wash yourself.
Change your clothes.
And prepare something for me to eat.
After you have taken care of my needs.
Then you can take care of your needs.
Now you can have a little bit of
an attitude.
Like a pretty hard master.
In his field.
Looking after his sheep.
And then he demands that before you meet
your own needs.
You take care of his.
Now you see there are two facets to
ministry.
There is evangelism.
The plowing of the fields.
Breaking up the fallow ground.
Passing out tracts.
The other facet of ministry is looking after
the flock.
Teaching, encouraging.
Exhorting God's people.
He is serving his master.
Like he is a full time worker.
Serving God all day long.
Comes home and he just wants to grab
a coke.
Sit in his lazy boy.
And on CNN.
And relax.
Go get a shower.
Change your clothes.
Make me something to eat.
Satisfy my needs.
Now you see I believe that is what
worship is.
Worship is coming and meeting the needs of
God.
There was a famous preacher many years ago.
Who made this statement.
He said no amount of activity in the
king's service.
Will make up for the neglect of the
king.
You see we can become so busy serving
God.
We never spend time with God.
When we gather together corporately.
And we have our time of worship.
But we need to do that individually.
Before we bring God all of our needs.
We need to magnify him.
We need to come into his gates with
thanksgiving.
We need to thank him for all of
his benefits.
The Bible says he daily loads us with
benefits.
If we can't praise God in America.
You can't praise God anywhere.
New every morning are his mercies.
We need to begin to appreciate all the
goodness.
The Bible says the father seeks those.
Spending time again ministering to.
The second area is the word of God.
The way that God speaks to us primarily
is through his word.
I know God can speak in a variety
of ways.
Through dreams and visions and prophetic words and
so on.
But primarily he speaks to us through his
word.
His word is a light unto our feet.
A lamp unto our feet.
The Psalmist when he prayed said open my
eyes.
That I may behold wonderful things out of
your Lord.
In other words we need revelation.
David said open my eyes.
He was not talking about his natural eyes.
We can prove that David could see.
It was his sight that got him into
trouble.
That I may understand your word.
Give me illumination, revelation.
In Luke chapter 24.
Brother Z is dealing with.
Jesus opened their minds to understand the scripture.
The Bible says the letter kills.
The spirit gives life.
We need the revelation that the spirit of
God brings.
Too many people read this as a historical
record.
There is a past application obviously.
There is also a present application.
There is also a prophetic application many times.
And if we read it simply as a
historical record.
I am boring.
You can't relate to a million people wondering.
It is sort of boring.
These things were written for our interest.
There are all sorts of applications that the
spirit of God wants to bring.
So we need revelation.
The next area to pray about is wisdom.
The Bible says with all you are getting
get wisdom.
Wisdom is the principal thing or the first
thing we should get.
Wisdom is what to do with knowledge.
By understanding the rooms of furniture.
He himself was a wise master builder.
We need to seek it.
It says if we lack wisdom ask of
God.
He is the source of wisdom.
Wisdom in our relationships with each other.
Wisdom in raising our families.
Again wisdom is the principal thing.
Listening to a tape a number of years
ago.
Of a man from England.
And he shared how he was praying for
a group of leaders.
And as he approached one man to pray
for him.
God gave him a picture, a very clear
picture.
He saw this man with a knife.
He was stabbing the senior pastor in the
back.
When he shared this the people sort of
laughed a little bit.
That's a very easy word to deliver.
It's very clear what God is trying to
say.
But he said no.
He said God is a God of redemption.
God is always redemptive in the way that
he works.
And so he said I've learned when God
gives me a word of knowledge to pray.
How do I deliver that?
And so he prayed.
And the Lord said I want you to
have this man stand up.
Have the senior pastor stand back to back.
He said because if I give the word
the way God shared it with me.
That man's future is doomed.
He will never rise to the potential that
God wants.
Because in the mind of his fellow workers
he has been poisoned.
And so when he was back to back
with the senior pastor.
This man said God wants you to protect
your pastor's back.
And he said all of a sudden the
man began to break.
And he said I knew what was going
on.
He said this man knew what was going
on.
Because God was showing him he was not
doing what God had called him to do.
Instead of supporting his pastor.
He didn't destroy his pastor.
But when he delivered the word God has
asked you to protect all of his co
-workers.
What an incredible honor.
This man has been chosen to protect our
pastor.
And so he was honored in the sight
of his brethren.
God was giving him another chance.
What to do with the knowledge that you
have.
We need wisdom.
We pray we are to act.
The next area is the area of warfare.
We have mentioned just briefly spiritual warfare.
Whether we like it or not.
The Bible says your adversary the devil goes
around seeking whom he may destroy.
The person on the left of you.
The person on the right of you.
The enemy is you.
He is after you.
And he seeks to undermine everything God is
doing in your life.
He tries to destroy your walk with God.
He tries to bring doubts and fears and
insecurities.
He tries to overwhelm you with condemnation or
unbelief.
He tries to bring discouragement into your life.
And he tries to destroy what God is
seeking to do.
And he is your adversary.
And he is still a sophisticated
educated country.
We were
that way in the natural a few years
ago as an American nation.
We thought as a nation we were invincible.
And then 9-11 happened.
We were destroyed.
And spiritually we need to be alert.
Too many Christians are passive.
And so in prayer we wrestle the Bible.
And we have to learn to use the
weapons that God has given us.
Those weapons are not natural but there are
times in our prayer life.
To battle against again fears and doubts and
condemnation.
We need to know who we are.
Go to the word of God and use
the word of God as a sword against
the enemy.
Another area to pray about is the world.
The needs of the world.
Jesus in John chapter 17.
When he was praying for his disciples.
People believed through their word.
He said pray the Lord of the harvest
that he sends forth laborers into his vineyard.
We need to pray that God will raise
up instruments to go out into the harvest.
We can't pray that unless we're willing to
go ourselves.
God may say listen I've heard you pray
every day now for weeks.
You speak Mandarin so I think you should
go.
Again to gather in the harvest.
Willing that any should perish.
The reason he said to pray for kings
and all who are in authority.
Is that we would live.
And I'll give you the heathen for thine
inheritance.
So we need to pray not just about
our own needs but about the needs of
others.
God may burden us for a particular nation.
And we need to pray for those individuals.
I was
speaking and she was interpreting.
I sat at the table every day to
eat.
I said to one of the brothers one
day how can we pray for you.
He said pray that we will be faithful.
His team went back to China.
Immediately thought it's so
easy isn't it to forget.
Even as we are enjoying our freedom.
They are relying upon our prayer.
They are seeking to be faithful.
But are we holding up their hands.
The story in the Old Testament of Moses.
Who is fighting down in the valley.
Moses had his hands raised.
To destroy the Amalekites.
The moment he drops his hand.
The Amalekites gain the upper hand.
After a period of time.
Aaron sees what is going on.
And support the hands of Moses.
One is holding one arm.
Once Moses hands were raised.
And Joshua was able to fight successfully.
The Bible says that we are to pray
our father.
To stay our daily bread.
My father met a man in Kansas City.
He worked in the inner city.
Very needy people.
He saw two homeless people.
Sitting six or seven feet apart.
They were in need of clothes.
And they were both praying the same prayer.
God give us some bread.
Suddenly two loaves of bread.
Tumbled out of heaven.
As the brother had this dream or vision.
He said to the Lord.
Lord you gave this man bread.
But you didn't give this man bread.
You see it is give us our bread.
He said I gave this man enough.
But you see we think very selfishly.
The next one is the area of works.
And by works I am speaking about the
supernatural.
Jesus said greater works than these shall you
do.
Because I go.
We are lacking the supernatural in the church.
We have a supernatural God.
Every page of the Bible is full of
supernatural.
It says we are to earnestly.
And Paul introduces the gifts of the spirit
to the church.
He says now concerning spiritual gifts.
I don't want you to be ignorant.
He says when you are pagans or unsaved.
When you are outsiders.
You will let astray the dumb idols however
you will let.
First read therefore I make known to you.
That no one speaking by the spirit.
This is a very interesting introduction.
He is speaking to the Corinthians.
He reminds them of their past.
Before they accepted.
They were unsaved pagans.
And he said you would bring the
word dumb today.
We mean stupid.
He said you bow down to God.
They never expressed.
They never gave you a word of knowledge.
They never gave you a prophetic word of
encouragement.
He known to you that the spirit of.
You see there is a contrast.
So there should be a contrast.
Between paganism and true biblical Christianity.
We have a God that wants to communicate.
He wants to communicate again.
His wisdom.
His knowledge.
His love towards us.
He wants to heal and deliver.
The Bible says he is a God that
does miracles.
And wonders about Jesus Christ.
Who is attested by God with signs.
What made Christianity unique.
The church.
We never hear the voice of God.
Restoration if you like.
Is the same yesterday, today and forever.
He is the Lord and he changes not.
You see we have become complacent.
Pursue the things we should pursue.
And part of our prayer should be.
God restore to the church.
Through blindness and ignorance.
Being in various men over the years.
It is so amazing when it happens.
I mentioned a few moments ago.
This brother that had the story many times.
It was about preaching in England.
Before you drive back.
Why don't you come home with me.
And we can have a dinner table.
There was a lady who was going.
I said to him.
Pray for this sister.
She is going to China soon.
God gives you a prophetic word.
A word of encouragement.
Please feel free to share.
After the meal they gathered around.
And he said the moment he closed.
I said I want you to tell this
lady something.
Tell her that I hate.
He made mummies and babies.
And he said the mind receives information.
The spirit receives revelation.
And he.
And he said his mind and his spirit.
Could not come into agreement.
It didn't make sense to his mind.
To understand the things of the spirit of
God.
The foolishness.
So he waited.
Said Graham if you have a word share
it.
Let's just wait a minute.
He was hoping God would.
Finally he knew he was in trouble.
And so he looked at the lady.
And the colour just drained.
She became angry.
Became almost.
He prayed and she collapsed on the floor.
And to tell her story.
Never shared it with anybody else.
Come into
my bedroom.
And they would sexually abuse me.
He said it happened many many times.
Boys begin by telling me.
We are going to play.
And all
of that pain.
See there's some things that.
We can never achieve in our own.
Natural strength.
Many stories like that.
See the church is lacking.
Another area to pray about is the family.
Or I put wife.
You have a responsibility.
Especially the male the men.
You are the priest of your home.
Job that he would rise up early in
the morning.
He would pray specifically for his family.
Pray for his sons.
Bible says his sons were already seemingly married.
They have their own home.
Sacrifices to God.
Bible tells us Noah prepared an ark.
For the sack that he brought in all
the animals.
God was going to destroy the earth.
He was concerned.
He prepared a place.
Bible says it wasn't the days of Noah.
So shall it be at the coming of
Noah.
We need to prepare an ark for our
children.
But we need to pray and commend them
to God.
Protect them and God.
And we need to be the spiritual.
Again the family is so important.
We have the story of Samson.
His name was Manoah.
His wife is never mentioned by name.
One day there was a visitation.
As an angel came to him.
God revealed to her.
That she was going to conceive and give
birth.
And so the angel came and told her.
He prayed to God.
And he said send the angels back.
That they may teach us how to raise
this child.
What will be his method of life.
Interesting to read different translations.
One says teach us how to educate the
child.
What mode of life is he in.
Here she hadn't even conceived yet.
And he's already concerned about the future of
his child.
This child for a reason.
Put this child into the world.
Because you've got a destiny for this child.
If you tarry for 20 or 30 years.
What plans do you have for my son
or daughter.
I begin now to.
I'm just going to get caught up in
the world.
One day I'll get a degree.
If he became a doctor.
Does this child fit into your kingdom purpose.
That's what these great men did.
Alright we have two more.
The next one is waiting.
The psalmist says I've waited patiently on the
Lord.
Psalm 62 my soul waits in patience or
in silence for God.
Many many times in the psalmist.
The psalmist expresses the fact that he is
waiting.
You see prayer is communication.
Just presenting God with a shopping list.
Make sure you deliver the goods by 3
o'clock.
It is fellowship communion.
We need to wait.
Maybe he'll direct us to a portion of
scripture.
Maybe he'll drop into our spirits.
We need somebody to pray for.
And waiting is not being passive.
It's being open and waiting for the train.
You have to be alert.
The train may leave the station.
And so there's an expectancy.
You're looking for it.
You're expecting.
And then the last one is the area
of weeping.
The bible says Jesus wept over Jerusalem.
It showed again the softness, the tenderness, the
compassion.
Timothy about his tears.
Timothy I recall your tears.
It's pretty tough on a man.
Let's say Billy Graham writes you a letter.
Stood on the internet.
The whole world says to you David.
Why didn't you say David I recall your
great prophesying.
I recall your great signs and wonders.
I recall your great preaching.
Not I remember all your crying.
But you know that was the greatest compliment
Paul ever paid to Timothy.
See as these two would travel together.
And as they would begin to pray together.
Timothy would begin to break in the presence.
Just the same way Jesus wept over Jerusalem.
Timothy would weep over the cities that they
were in.
A hundred
years ago or so.
The Salvation Army was literally taking over the
world with its evangelism.
They were sending teams out to various nations.
There were some ladies that had gone out
to pioneer in a very difficult area.
They had become increasingly discouraged.
They had done everything they knew how to
do.
All they had met with is opposition.
They had seen no breakthrough.
And so in desperation they sent a telegram
to William.
And they said to General Booth the founder.
We have done everything we can.
We have repressed again the discouragement.
A few days later they got a telegram
back.
Simply said.
The Bible says see the God forth weeping.
Bearing preciousness.
Come again with rejoicing.
Bringing his sheaves with him.
God looks again at that brokenness.
To see if there is that tenderness.
That compassion.
Ministries to flow out of compassion.
We can become so calloused and hardened.
We can become so indifferent.
We get so used to flipping channels.
Watching some of the tragedies around the world.
We see famines.
We see wars.
And we need to ask God.
Lord what is
our feeling right now.
You see there is so much that we
can pray for.
I don't want this just to be a
time of.
It to be something very practical.
About these brothers that right now.