Prayer Is the Answer
Pastor Rod Thompson
Midland SDA Church
February 23, 2019
A relationship with Jesus is the core of the Christian life. It is the heart of Christianity. If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, Christianity is like trying to ride a bicycle without a bike. It’s like trying to sit on a chair that doesn’t have any legs under it.
Story of Elmer driving his tractor with his hymnal in his hands
He was grateful for the sun shine and the rain. Everything was going good with him, he was just talking to God, just as if he were sitting there talking to a friend.
I want to talk to you today about prayer. There are many books that you could read, there are seminars you could attend that talk about how to get answers to prayer.
But today I want to take a little different view, So I’m not going to talk about how to get your prayers answered, but rather that prayer is the answer.
The fact that we have the ear of heaven, that we dial that number and God pays attention. PRAYER IS THE ANSWER.
Steps to Christ P96
Through sincere prayer we are brought into connection with the mind of the Infinite. We may have no remarkable evidence at the time that the face of our Redeemer is bending over us in compassion and love, but this is even so. We may not feel His visible touch, but His hand is upon us in love and pitying tenderness.
Steps to Christ P100
Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. "The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." James 5:11. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice.
In other words God says, you can talk all you want, I don’t mind.
Steps to Christ P100 cont.
There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest… The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth.
God says, this is the way it is
Christ Object Lessons P174
Amid the anthems of the celestial choir, God hears the cries of the weakest human being. We pour out our heart's desire in our closets, we breathe a prayer as we walk by the way, and our words reach the throne of the Monarch of the universe. They may be inaudible to any human ear, but they cannot die away into silence, nor can they be lost through the activities of business that are going on. Nothing can drown the soul's desire. It rises above the din of the street, above the confusion of the multitude, to the heavenly courts. It is God to whom we are speaking, and our prayer is heard.
Story – Trying to stay in touch with our kids. Land Line, snail Mail, cell phones, email, skype
All of our conversations – Are the monologue or dialogue?
We are communicating with each other, we are dialoguing
God wants to talk with us. That is He wants to dialogue with us
But far too often our prayers are one way. We say our prayers, and when we are done what do we do? We say amen. It’s kind of like putting a period on it and closing the door.
Meanwhile God is wanting to communicate with us.
You might ask, Well if God wants to communicate, how come I’m not hearing from Him?
Read John 14:21
God is saying to us, I have something I want to say to you. From my own heart, I want to talk to you.
Psalm 46:10 Listen, O daughter, Consider and incline your ear; Forget your own people also, and your father’s house.
That sounds a lot like, be still and know that I am God. Is that a clue? Do you think we might hear more from him if we were still longer?
In 1 Kings 18 Elijah has a confrontation with Ahab, with the 450 prophets of Baal there on Mt Carmel. He calls down fire from heaven, God responds and the false prophets are killed. Elijah runs ahead of King Ahab back to Jerusalem. It is a high day for the people of God. And then Jezebel sends word. You tell Elijah, by this time tomorrow, he’s dead meat.
Elijah runs for his life. He travels 40 days and 40 nights to mount Horeb (Sinai). God confronts Elijah, asks him, what are you doing here? Elijah says they are seeking his life, he’s the only one left who is zealous for God.
Read 1 Kings 19:11-12
God comes quietly on the wings of doves in a still small voice.
Desire of Ages P668
If we come to Him in faith, He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Our hearts will often burn within us as One draws nigh to commune with us as He did with Enoch.
He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Does that sound like monologue or dialogue prayer?
Our hearts will burn within us. Does that sound like monologue or dialogue prayer?
One day a small child in Sabbath School was trying to explain the story of Enoch to his friend. He said, one day God & Enoch went for a walk. And the just talked and talked and walked, and they went so far, and then god said to Enoch, hey it looks like we are closer to my place than yours. Do you want to come home with me? And Enoch said, yah, let’s go! And that’s how it happened.
That passage that we just read from Desire of Ages said that God wants to do that with us too. Enoch didn’t have a monopoly on that. If we would dialogue with God, how often would our hearts burn within us?
You might say, Well if that’s true then why am I not hearing from Him? Go ahead let Him talk, I’d love to hear it.
Story of Rachael – speech impediment – every once in a while she has to stop and take a breath.
Maybe one of the reasons we don’t hear from God is because we do the same thing with Him. We pray up a storm, and then when we are done we say Amen! And then we are up and on our way to the next great thing we have to do. And God is saying but, but, but, Could I – Oh maybe tomorrow they’ll be still and know. Oh what I wanted to share with them.
Read John 10:24
Question? How do you hear the shepherds voice?
The sheep get to know the shepherd’s voice by being regularly in his presence.
Have you ever had someone call you on the phone and say, “I bet you don’t know who this is?” And you say, yes I do, because you know them.
You have to be regularly in His presence to know His voice.
I want to give you 7 mediums of expression that God gives us to communicate with Him. If we are listening for His still small voice.
Education P260
An intensity such as never before was seen is taking possession of the world. In amusement, in moneymaking, in the contest for power, in the very struggle for existence, there is a terrible force that engrosses body and mind and soul. In the midst of this maddening rush, God is speaking. He bids us come apart and commune with Him.
God begs us to “be still and know that He is God.
Many, even in their seasons of devotion, fail of receiving the blessing of real communion with God. They are in too great haste. With hurried steps they press through the circle of Christ's loving presence, pausing perhaps a moment within the sacred precincts, but not waiting for counsel. They have no time to remain with the divine Teacher. With their burdens they return to their work. These workers can never attain the highest success until they learn the secret of strength. They must give themselves time to think, to pray, to wait upon God for a renewal of physical, mental, and spiritual power. They need the uplifting influence of His Spirit. Receiving this, they will be quickened by fresh life. The wearied frame and tired brain will be refreshed, the burdened heart will be lightened. Not a pause for a moment in His presence, but personal contact with Christ, to sit down in companionship with Him--this is our need.
That’s relationship talk isn’t it?
Job 33:14 For God may speak in one way, or in another. Yet man does not perceive it
So how does God speak to us?
1. In Nature
Psalm 8:3-4 When I consider Your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him?
I’ve heard it said that nature is the first book of God and the Bible is the second
Story – God moment at Niagra Falls.
2. Providential circumstances
Proverbs 3:6 In all you ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path
Example – Move to Alpena, With Dad, Pastor, SDA, SDA Pastor
3. Go speaks to us through Music
Palm 40:3 He has put a new song in my mouth – Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.
Everyone here can probably give an example of God putting a song in their heart. Or maybe you listen to a CD, strong tower radio, go to a concert and all of a sudden you are refreshed, the worry is gone. God has got your back, your front, He’s got you covered.
Example Snow flakes coming down – sound pops in your head, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas or let it snow
4. God speaks through other people
1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
God will speak to you through other people. Maybe it will be a perfectly timed phone call. The person at the cash register in the store. A friend who you haven’t heard from in a while. A teacher at school. Someone in the foyer at church, a coworker who had a conversation with you and god used them to say just the right word of encouragement to you.
If your ear is trained to listen for the voice of the shepherd, you don’t make a mistake about this. You know it was Him speaking to you.
Unless Jesus is seen as the heart & core, the central theme, the pivotal message of each of our doctrines than the doctrines are not being taught correctly
Story - HMS Richards senior was asked, what is the core message of the SDA church. He said, Jesus only!
5. Inspired reading material
Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver
How many times have you come across a paragraph that was exactly what you needed at that moment?
There is an enemy out there trying to discourage us, and God sends a word just at the right time
Great Controversy P 632
As the wrestling ones urge their petitions before God, the veil separating them from the unseen seems almost withdrawn. The heavens glow with the dawning of eternal day, and like the melody of angel songs the words fall upon the ear: "Stand fast to your allegiance. Help is coming." Christ, the almighty Victor, holds out to His weary soldiers a crown of immortal glory; and His voice comes from the gates ajar: "Lo, I am with you. Be not afraid. I am acquainted with all your sorrows; I have borne your griefs. You are not warring against untried enemies. I have fought the battle in your behalf, and in My name you are more than conquerors."
Friends that’s dialogue prayer
6. Scripture This should have been number 1
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path
The most dependable way to hear from Jesus (the word of God)
Vol 6 Testimonies for the church
The word of the living God is not merely written, but spoken. The Bible is God's voice speaking to us, just as surely as though we could hear it with our ears. If we realized this, with what awe would we open God's word, and with what earnestness would we search its precepts! The reading and contemplation of the Scriptures would be regarded as an audience with the Infinite One.
Sometimes the word of God speaks in generalities, sometimes it’s very specific
Example – when God led me to the story of the father who told his two sons to go work in the field. One said yes but never went. The other said no, but later changed his mind – that was me.
Is that Monologue or Dialogue?
7. Thoughts and Impressions
John 10:3-4 To him (Jesus) the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear His voice; and He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when He brings out His own sheep, He goes before them; and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.
First – If you are not in a daily, meaningful, ongoing, regular fellowship with Jesus. If you are not spending time in His word, you’re not dialoguing in prayer, if you’re not spending time each day with him, listening for His voice. Then you can forget this one.
Because thoughts and impressions could be coming from the devil. You have got to be grounded in God’s word and a relationship with Him. But if you are grounded. Sometimes you will get a thought or impression that will come to your mind.
Example – woman at the restaurant - inspired to give her some money
Story of Simeon – right place, right time, saw the Messiah before he died
Read Psalm 27:7-8