You are listening to Radical with David Platt , a weekly podcast with sermons and messages from pastor , author and teacher David Platt . I'm convinced that the majority of Christ's followers , majority of Christians today , see and know , at least accept , the need and importance of prayer . We read a lot of books about prayer . You go to the Christian bookstore . There are tons of books on prayer . We talk about prayer , we ask people to pray for us , we ask people how we can be praying for them , and yet today , across the board , the church is anything but a praying church . So what does it mean to pray and why should we pray ? I want us to begin this morning to dive in over the next four weeks into Luke , chapter 11 , and I want us to see Jesus answer to that question . I want us to see Jesus showing us some things about prayer . Each of these weeks we're going to focus on one word that I think Jesus is highlighting that deals with our praying . This morning we're going to look at desperation , next week , desire , the next week boldness , and then close out in confidence . Desperation , desire , boldness and confidence these are words that , sadly enough , we don't often times associate with prayer . I want us to see how they're at the center of what it means to pray , starting with desperation . This morning , most everybody prays when they're desperate . I mean really desperate . Even most atheists or agnostics would admit that when they get into a circumstance where there's no way out , there's at least a desire to pray to a God they may not even believe is there . There are things we do when it comes to praying that are based on desperation . One of the most famous sports plays in all of history is rooted in prayer . It's what happens at the end of a football game . When your team is down and you've got one chance left to go 50 yards you throw up a what A Hail Mary . You throw up a prayer . The most , one of the most famous plays in all of sports history is based on that . Watch this with me on the screen Six seconds left to go in the game . At the 48 yard line . Flooney is back . Four seconds , three seconds , two seconds , one second . This game is over . Hail Mary , dave , it is . It is going for a touchdown . I don't believe it . Boston College is won what . I'm forced to take one for the end zone . They live it down there . The whole rationale is that you get to a point where you can't accomplish something without divine intervention , and so you throw up a prayer , you throw up the Hail Mary . I think the reason why we bring Mary in at the end of our football games is because we're convinced , at that point , you've played the game up until that point with the best of your resources , your personnel , you've tried to implement your game plan . You've got to the end . Now you're out of time , now you're out of opportunity , you have no other option , and so you bring Mary in , you throw up a prayer , you throw up a Hail Mary , and that's when maybe , just maybe , something will happen . The question I want to ask you this morning , though , is what if our entire Christian life was intended to be lived in complete and total desperation upon a holy God ? What if desperation was not supposed to mark the tragic circumstances we face alone ? What if desperation was at the center of everything that being a Christian is about ? What if leading your marriage and leading your home and leading your job ? What if every single thing you do today as a follower of Jesus Christ was not possible without divine intervention ? I'm convinced that's the case . I'm convinced that the folks in the New Testament knew that to be true , and we need to realize that the core of praying is desperation for God to show up every moment , every day of our Christianity . And so what I want us to do is I want us to read this passage and I want you to think about this word desperation . Luke , chapter 11 , verse 1 through 13, . One day , jesus was praying in a certain place . When he finished , one of his disciples said to him Lord , teach us to pray , just as John taught his disciples . He said to them when you pray , say Father , hallowed be your name , your kingdom , come , give us each day our daily bread . Forgive us our sins , for we also forgive everyone who sins against us and lead us not into temptation . Then he said to them suppose one of you has a friend , and he goes to him at midnight and says friend , lend me three loaves of bread , because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me and I have nothing to set before him . Then one of the one inside answers don't bother me , the door is already locked and my children are with me in bed . I can't get up and give you anything . I tell you , though , he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend , yet , because of the man's boldness , he will get up and give him as much as he needs . So I say to you ask and it will be given . You , seek and you will find . Knock and the door will be open to you . For everyone who asks receives . He who seeks , finds . And to him who knocks , the door will be open . Which of you fathers , if your son asks for a fish , will give him a snake instead , if he asks for an egg , will give him a scorpion ? If you then , though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children , how much more will your father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him ? What we are going to do over the next four weeks is dive into this passage , week after week after week . This morning , we will probably get through one or two verses , but I want us to see this picture of desperation and prayer . I want us to ask the question why pray ? And I want to show you , in this passage and in the life and ministry of Jesus and the early church , I want to show you three primary reasons for prayer . This is the motivation , the attitude of prayer . Number one we pray to express the depth of our need before God . We pray to express the depth of our need before God . Luke talks about prayer more in the life of Jesus and in the early church than any other New Testament writer , especially in the Gospels . You look at Mark and Matthew . They use they use prayer or prayer 13 , 17 times . When you get to Luke and Luke and an ax , which he also wrote , you see pray or praying mentioned 50 different times . Luke records nine prayers that Jesus prayed , seven of them . He's the only one who records them . Matthew , mark , john don't record them . So what I want us to do is take a little tour and I want us to see Jesus in prayer throughout the book of Luke . So turn me back to Luke , chapter three , luke , chapter three . You might underline these different places where we see prayer emphasized in the book of Luke . Luke chapter one starts with a picture of prayer , but we get to Jesus here in the beginning of his ministry , kind of inaugurated by his baptism . And listen to what chapter three , luke , chapter three , verse 21 , says . It says when all the people were being baptized , jesus was baptized too . And as he was , what ? As he was praying , heaven was open and the Holy Spirit decided on him and bodily form like a dove and a voice , came from heaven . You're my son , my love with you . I'm all pleased . Other gospel writers talk about the baptism of Jesus . Only Luke mentioned that it happened while , as he was praying .
You get to the very next chapter , luke , chapter four , and says verse one this is after the baptism of Jesus , before he inaugurates his public , public ministry . It says Jesus , full of the Holy Spirit , returned from the Jordan and was led by the spirit in the desert , or for 40 days he was tempted by the devil . He ate nothing during those days . At the end of them he was hungry . You realize what that means . It's like one of the biggest understatements in the New Testament . He was hungry . Luke says , of course he was hungry because he'd been fasting for 40 days . Here he is praying . At the very start this whole ministry begins with a battle , literally face to face , with the devil . In Luke , chapter four , verse one through 13 , and it's focused on him praying and seeking the Father in the middle of it . Go to chapter five , luke , chapter five . Look with me at verse five , verse 15 and 16 . Verse 16 is the mention of prayer , but I want you to see the setup . It says the news about Jesus spread all the more so the crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses . Everybody's coming to see Jesus . When it says in verse 16 , underline it . Jesus , though , often withdrew to lonely places and he prayed . Next chapter , chapter 6 , verse 12 , jesus is about to call the 12 apostles , or the 12 disciples , to himself . So what does he do before he calls them ? Before he chooses them , calls them into service . It says in chapter 6 , verse 12 one of those days , jesus went out to a mountainside to Pray and he spent the night praying the God . When morning came , he called his disciples to him and chose 12 of them . So he prayed . Before that , look over in chapter 9 , luke , chapter 9 . Look with me at verse 18 . This is a conversation that Jesus has with his disciples , where he asked them who do people say I am ? This is a very pivotal moment in their faith journey . Right before that , I want you to see what he was doing . Luke , chapter 9 , verse 18 . Once , when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him , he asked him who to the crowd say I am ? Matthew tells the same story , but Luke emphasizes the fact that he was praying . Look over in the same chapter , chapter 9 , verse 28 . It says this is the picture the Transfiguration . About eight days after Jesus had said this , he took Peter , john and James with him and went up on a mountain to do what ? To pray . Look over in Luke chapter . We've got Luke , chapter 11 . Obviously that we're studying . Go to Luke , chapter 18 , luke , chapter 18 . This is a parable that Jesus tells , similar to the one that we're gonna look at in a couple of weeks in Luke , chapter 11 . It says in Luke , chapter 18 , verse 1 then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always Pray and never not give up few more . Look in chapter 22 , chapter 22 , verse 32 . This is a theme that Luke is emphasizing over and over again , chapter , chapter 22 , verse 32 . This is when he's talking with with Simon Peter before he's about to go to the cross . It says in verse 31 Simon , simon , satan is asked to sift you as wheat . But I have prayed for you , simon , that your faith may not fail . Can you imagine hearing those words , jesus saying to you ? I'm praying for you . I remind you that he is at the right hand of the father . It's interceding for us . Even now . That is his whole purpose , at the right hand of the father praying for us . Look in chapter 22 , look over in verse 40 . He goes to the Mount of Olives in verse 39 . And it says in verse 40 on reaching the place , he said to them Pray , that you will not fall into temptation . Same thing down in Verse 46 why are you sleeping ? He asked them get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation . It only makes sense that you get one chapter over . Chapter 23 , verse 46 the last breath Jesus takes . You'll never guess what he's doing . Chapter 23 , verse 46 Luke tells us Jesus called out with a loud voice Father , into your hands I commit my spirit . And when he had said this , it breathed his last . He is praying from start to finish . Now the question is why was prayer so important to Jesus ? Why did Jesus pray ? I mean , let's be honest , jesus , the thought of Jesus praying is a little odd in and of itself . David , you're saying that he was talking to himself . Well , we can get there later on , but let's just suffice to say that obviously , prayer was very important to Jesus . Why is that ? Well , keep turning . You're in Luke 23 . Keep going to the next book . Look at John chapter 5 . I want to show you two verses and John that answer that question . Why was Jesus always praying ? Why was he praying before he made decisions ? Why was he praying in the middle of this or that ? Why was he telling others to pray ? Look at John chapter 5 , verse 19 ? This is a verse we studied about a month or two ago . It says in verse 19 , john chapter 5 , jesus told them I tell you the truth , the son can do what ? Nothing by himself . He can only do what he sees his father doing , because whatever the father does , the son also does Same thing . In John chapter 14 , john chapter 14 , verse 10 , jesus is talking with his disciples . He's explaining his relationship to the father and it says in John chapter 14 , verse 10 , he tells them don't you believe that I'm in the father and the father is in me ? The words I say to you are not just my own . Rather , it is the Father living in me who is doing His work . We asked the question why was Jesus always praying ? I think a deeper question is when you look at Jesus' life and ministry in the gospels , what did he do as a man that was apart from His Father actually doing that through Him . What did he do on His own in the gospels ? And the answer is absolutely nothing . There's not one thing that Jesus did on His own . It was all independence on the Father , everything . I only see what I see my Father , I only do what I see my Father doing , because he said it I can do nothing by myself . Now that begs the question if Jesus Christ , god in the flesh , would say that I can do nothing by myself , then who are you and I to think there is anything in our Christian lives that we could do on our own ? There's absolutely nothing , and I'm convinced that's why the disciples came to Jesus and asked them to teach them to pray . I mean , these guys knew all about prayer . They grew up good Jewish guys and they knew to pray in the synagogues and on the Sabbath , and they knew to pray in this circumstance or that circumstance and they knew how to follow this religious ritual . But they saw in Jesus something very different . They saw at Him that this was not just a religious responsibility he had . This was something that literally nourished Him . This was something he hungered for . There was a necessity for Him that His life was dependent on Him . And so he came up to Him and he said , lord , teach us to pray like you're praying . Not that they didn't know how to pray the religious exercise way , they needed to know how to pray for real . And though they're pretty slow bunch of guys in the gospels , by the time we get to the book of Acts they've caught it and they had learned the secret of dependence on God . Keep going to the next book . Look at Acts , chapter one . Now I want you to see that it wasn't just Jesus that was emphasized as praying all the time . Listen to the early church Acts , chapter one , verse 14 , or take a tour here . It says this is the very beginning before the Holy Spirit's even come down . And it says , verse 14 , they all joined together constantly in what Prayer along with the women and marry the mother of Jesus and with his brothers . You get to chapter four . We're gonna fly through these . Keep up . Chapter four , verse 24 . They had been persecuted by the Sanhedrin , brought before the Sanhedrin . It says that God together went back to their people and says in verse 24 , when they heard this , they raised their voices together in prayer to God and they begin to pray . And then you get over to chapter 31, . It says after they prayed , the place where they were meeting was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly . God , may it be so in your church today . Look over in chapter nine . Look in chapter nine , verse 40 . We've got somebody here who has passed away . She's died . Her name was Tabitha . So what happens ? Verse 40 ? It says Peter sent them all out of the room and then he got down on his knees and he did what he prayed . And turning toward the dead woman , he said Tabitha , get up . She opened her eyes and , seeing Peter , she sat up . Look in chapter 12 , verse five . This is a passage we studied last fall . Chapter 12 , peter is in prison , facing almost imminent death . And it says in verse five Peter was kept in prison but the church was earnestly praying to God for him . The church was praying for him in prison . Look in chapter 13 , verse two . This is the church at Antioch , ready to make the gospel known in all nations . How do they start making the gospel known in all nations ? They start by praying . It says while they were worshiping the Lord , verse two and fasting , the Holy Spirit said set apart from me , barnabas and Saul , for the work to which I have called them . So , after they had fasted and prayed , they placed their hands on them and sent them off . Next chapter , chapter 14 , verse 23, . They need elders , leaders in the different churches that are being started . And so what do they do ? It says in chapter 14 , verse 23, . Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and , with prayer and fasting , committed them to the Lord , in whom they had put their trust . Two chapters over chapter 16 , look at chapter 16 , verse 25, . Paul and Silas find themselves in prison . Things aren't going well , things haven't quite worked out the way they were supposed to . And it says in chapter 16 , verse 25 , about midnight , paul and Silas , what are you doing in your prison ? You pray . They were praying and seeing hymns to God . The other prisoners were listening to them pray . You see the theme go to the very last chapter , chapter 28 , chapter 28, . Look with me at chapter 28 , verse 8 . Paul is imprisoned and he's shipwrecked . Things aren't working out quite the way Paul had planned , but listen to what happens in verse seven . We'll start there to get the setup . There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius , the chief official of the island . He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably . His father was sick in bed , suffering from fever and dysentery . Paul went in to see him and after prayer , placed his hands on him and healed him . When this had happened , the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured . Things are happening as the people of God are praying throughout the book of Acts . Here's the fundamental root conviction of prayer . Our conviction is that we can do nothing without God . That is why we pray , because we are desperate for him and we can do nothing without him . In the early church knew this . What I'm concerned is is that what was fundamental for the early church has gradually become supplemental in the contemporary church ? In the book of Acts they did not pray before meetings or after meetings . They didn't pray during meetings . They didn't pray the beginning of meetings or at the end of meetings to close them out . Prayer was the very purpose of their meeting together . It was fundamental for them . They knew this . Is prayer in your life , fundamental or supplemental ?
This one , it's prayer at the church of Brachils , and this is the humbling question that I've been coming face to face with and planning for this series and preparing especially this week , is prayer at the church at Brachils , in our faith family . Is it fundamental or is it supplemental ? Is it an added thing that we do over here or is it something that we are constantly doing because we are cognizant of our dependence on him , the conviction we have in prayers we can do nothing without him . And that leads to our confession in prayer , which is what the disciples said in Luke , chapter 11 , verse one Lord , teach us to pray . Some of us might think I don't need to learn to pray . Prayer is just talking to God . Well , you're wrong . We need to learn to pray . And here's why because if we could do nothing without God , then that means we cannot pray without him , which is why the disciples came to him and you don't ever see them in the gospels asking Jesus to teach them to witness . You don't ever see them asking them to teach them how to perform miracles . You don't say teach us to teach , like you do . All you see is them saying teach us to pray , because this is the core upon which our Christianity is dependent us coming to God and complete and total depends on him . We pray to express the depth of our need before God . Second reason why we pray Not just to express the depth of our need before him , but second , to explore the mystery of intimacy with God . Here's where it gets really good To explore the mystery of intimacy with God . He tells them guys , you see me going aside to these places and spending these times in concentrated prayer . You wanna know how to pray ? You begin praying by saying Father , and we're gonna get to that more later on this week . But I want you later on next week , but I want you to see for our purpose this morning , to see the intimacy that Christ is talking about in prayer , that he's talking about here in Luke , chapter 11 , and other places . And I want us to begin to think about this intimacy in light of how we most often look at prayer . If you're like me , most of us grow up thinking about prayer and seeing prayer as asking for things , and we learn to pray saying God help me with this , god give me this , god bless me with this , god protect me . And we pray for others , and so we pray the same thing God help them , God protect them , god bless them and God keep them and God be with them . As if that was a question . But we always say it anyway , god , god be with me . We pray these things and that's how we learn about prayer . Heather and I are even struggling with this a little bit now with Caleb . I mean , he's 14 months old and so his knowledge is theology of prayer is not quite there yet , but even when we sit down for a meal and we want to show him the importance of thanking God for what he has provided for us , and so we have him cross his hands , and so we cross our hands . I realize that's nowhere in scripture , but we just do it to say , ok , there's something different about what's going on right here . The only problem is now Caleb has no clue about prayer , but he does know , when he does this right here , that he gets food , and so whenever he's hungry , he'll go to this right here , and so obviously his theology of prayer is going to need to be developed . But I'm wondering if that's where many of our theologies of prayer are . If we do this , we're bowing our heads when we want something , when we need something , and , to be honest , if we were just got level honest with each other this morning , this is probably one reason why a lot of us don't pray a lot . Maybe you've stopped praying altogether , because if prayer is asking for what you want and you don't get it every time , then what's the difference in praying ? It becomes this thing where your whole goal is to make sure to put the right amount of change in the machine in order to get what you want to get out . And I want to find the right code or combination . And all of a sudden prayer becomes this thing . We're not sure if it's actually going to work or not . We try it . I remember growing up as a kid . I remember we had a close family friend who had had a blood transfusion and through that had contracted AIDS , and I remember every single night in my bed I can remember praying that God would bring about a cure for AIDS . As a little kid , just praying God , bring about a cure for AIDS so that Mr Mike can be healed . It didn't happen . So what does that mean about prayer ? How do you deal with that in prayer ? I'm guessing some of you have been there before Maybe you're there right now and we start thinking all right , well , if I'm going to do this thing , then what is the right code or combination to get what I want ? And the question I want to ask is what if that's not the purpose of prayer to begin with ? What if , maybe what we've seen , modeled and how we've learned prayer really misses out on the entire purpose of prayer ? Not that asking for what we want and bringing our needs before God is not a part of prayer I think it is all over scripture . But what if it's just this closet over here , so to speak , and there's an entire house of prayer and we spend all our time in the laundry room over here of prayer giving our lifts to God and we wonder why we have all these struggles with why we should pray and all these difficult questions that we can come up to think about about prayer , because we've kept ourself cornered out from the rest of this house . That's called prayer . What if prayer was intended to be so much more than that ? What if prayer wasn't just ask me , bless me , asking for him to bless me or keep me or protect me , or help me ? What if there's a depth of prayer that's much
farther beyond that ? Do you remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount when he shared the Lord's prayer there , when he said when you pray , don't keep on babbling like pagans , for they think they'll be heard , because there are many words . Do not be like them . And let's know what he said . He said because your Father in heaven what . He knows what you need before you ask him . The Father in heaven knows what you need before you even ask him . Now , for some of us , it's just time to throw up our hands . Well then , what is the point ? If he already knows everything , then what is the point ? And if that is the question we're asking , then I think we're on the verge of breaking through into what prayer is really all about . What if the Father in heaven is not sitting there with a clipboard and a notepad asking you to slow down because he's got to write down everything we're asking for ? All , right , now , make sure I get this . What if he already knows everything that you need and that maybe there's an intimacy that he's designed for fair that supersedes even what we want and what we need ? What if that's the reason he told him go in your room and close the door and pray to me and start by saying , father , how I would be your name ? What if there is a mystery that God intends to take place in this thing called prayer that we will miss with our list of things . I wanna remind you this morning we are not desperate for something , we're desperate for someone . We're desperate for someone , not for something . This is key in prayer . What if God has fashioned and designed this whole thing called prayer for you ultimately to enjoy him , to enjoy being with him and to feast on his goodness and his grace and his mercy personally in a way that nothing else in our Christianity can even begin to compare with ? What if there is something mysterious that happens when you go in a room and you close the door and you pray and you spend this time in intimacy with the Father ? What if there's something that happens in those moments that can't be matched by anything else that we do in our lives ? What if the purpose of prayers , at least in part , fundamentally to explore the mystery of intimacy with God ? I wanna remind you this morning , all across this room , that the most important thing in the world is not your job and it's not your finances , and it's not your football team and it's not your family , it's not your husband , it's not your wives and it's not your kids , it's not your potential hoped for husband or wife . The most important thing in the world is your personal , intimate relationship with Jesus Christ . It is the most important thing in the world . It is the most important thing in the world because , ladies and gentlemen , everything in our lives flows from this one thing . Everything flows from it . What this means is Jesus is showing us why he was constantly going aside to be with the Father . Because there was an intimacy with the Father that happened when he was alone with the Father in prayer . That would affect every single thing he did . In fact , I think Jesus even teaches us in order to develop , nurture that kind of intimacy . I think he teaches us to set a time where we're aside with the Father . Now , I know that first thing many of us think or say at this point as well I pray all the time . I pray without ceasing . It says that somewhere in the Bible , doesn't it Pray without ceasing ? So that's what I do . I pray without ceasing . When I'm putting on my makeup and driving to work , that's when I pray . And when I'm doing this or that , that's when I pray . I'm a student . When I'm driving to school , I pray . God , don't let there be a pop quiz , don't let there be a pop quiz . And I can pray when I'm driving home and I'm late for my curfew . God don't let mom and dad be up . God don't let mom and dad be up . So I pray all the time . I don't need to set aside concentrated time . Well , it sounds good , but I tried that in my marriage and it didn't work . You know , we're together all the time , we talk all the time as we're running to here and there , as we're going to this place to do ministry and that place to do ministry , we're always talking . Well , there's something about intimacy that just doesn't happen and you're constantly going here and there and everywhere . And that's why we see Jesus setting aside time where he was alone with the Father , not only setting a time , but going to a place , go to a place . Now again , there's a tendency here to say well , I can pray anywhere . I am Doesn't say that somewhere in the Bible too . Pray anywhere . Well , no question , the Holy Spirit of God lives inside of us and we can pray anywhere . But Jesus did talk about there being a right place and a wrong place to pray . He did say do not be like the hypocrites , for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners . They've received their reward in full . He says when you pray this is what he told him . He said this is Jesus , not not mean this is Jesus . When you , when you pray , go into a room , shut the door and Pray to your father , who is unseen , which is really comforting that Jesus knows that this is kind of a weird thing For your father , who's unseen , and the father who sees what is done in secret , he will reward you . So you're thinking up well , that's the secret . All right , I'm going in the room , I'm closing the door . Now I'm gonna get what I want . No , no , maybe maybe there's a reward that's greater than getting what we want and there's a reward that's greater than getting what we need . Maybe there's a reward and just being in a room alone where God can encounter us with an intimacy that's just between you and him . Maybe there's a beauty and a mystery to what happens when we fall on our faces alone , but I enclosed doors , when nobody else can see us , and we can experience a reward from him that is unmatched by anything this world could ever give us . Maybe that's what she's saying when he says I , you know , I go to solitary places and I spend these times . That's the whole context of this one day Jesus was praying in a certain place . This is what he would do we'd go off . You look at Mark , chapter 1 had a very busy day and he says scout the next morning and he went on a mountainside by himself to pray . When Peter comes in , he's like where are you ? Don't you realize there's all these things going on ? It's almost like Peter is saying you don't have your cell phone , your pager , anything on you . You're just over here praying . We need you over here , but maybe there's something that happens in that time , at that place , that God has designed for us to experience intimacy with him . And so I encourage you to pray everywhere , pray all the time , but but set aside a place and a time To go in your room , close the door and pray to your father , who's not seeing . I Am convinced that that one practice will revolutionize your life , not just your prayer life . I think it will revolutionize your life Because there is a reward that is waiting from your father in that room that can't be found anywhere else intimacy with him . We pray to explore the mystery of intimacy with God . Third purpose we pray To express the depth of our needs for him and explore the mystery of this intimacy with him . And third , to experience the power of being used by God . Power of being used by God . Now , we're gonna dive into this more in the weeks to come , but suffice to say at this point that there's a very common question that people would ask and it deals with this whole picture of Jesus praying . We talked a little earlier about this . Meaning is talking to himself . I wonder what is ? How does this work ? He's talking to his father , who is sovereign over everything in the world , and Some would say that if you have a strong view of God and his sovereignty , that just squelches prayer . And the argument goes something like this , or the thought line is well , if God knows everything and God's in control of everything and God has an ultimate plan and design that is going to be accomplished , then what is the point of me praying ? And we're gonna dive into that in the next couple of weeks , but I want to suffice to say at this point , in response to that thought line , which is very reasonable , don't miss it that God's sovereignty Also means that he , in all of his sovereignty , has ordained a Set in place in this divine plan . He is set in place prayer to be a means , maybe even the means Through which he shows his power and his glory most clearly to his people , that if God is in control of everything , he's also in control of setting up this thing called prayer in our lives , and he's designed it so that you and I would be a part of what he's doing in this whole plan through this means called prayer . Think , this is the way God has designed it . The design of prayers twofold one we get the help . The overarching message of Luke , chapter 11 , verse 1 through 13 , is that we have a father and who in heaven who is ready to help us . It was ready to give to us , just like a father desires to give to an earthly child , even more so a father and have . He wants to give to us . But he's designed it so that we get the help in such a way that he gets the glory . This is why Jesus prayed like he did all throughout these passages in Luke . Then you get to other places . Remember John , chapter 11 Lazarus has died , he's in a tomb and John Jesus comes there . You had a whole crowd of people . What's he gonna do ? He really messed up and got here late and he gets there and before he calls Lazarus out of that tomb . What does he say ? He prays . They says , father , I'm praying . I already know you're listening to me , but I'm praying , so these people around you would believe that you have sent me , believe that you have the power to do this . And then he calls out Lazarus and he comes out . It's why Jesus , before he , took five loaves and two fish and fed over five thousand people , why he lifted up his hands and he prayed , because he wanted the people to see that God gets the help in such a way that only he gets the glory . And that is what we we are called , we have the privilege of showing to this world , not that we do things , not that we go to Venezuela and we go to Ukraine and we go to Honduras because we like to do things . We go there and we ask God to give us everything we need and we ask him to do it in such a way that only he gets the glory . And we're walking with him and we're fulfilling this mission with him and he's providing us with everything we need . That's why we must be a praying church , because I want us to show the world that only God could do what he's doing in the church of prequels . I want people to see people who are completely dependent on God , so that we get the help and he gets all the glory . That's why he's designed prayer to be what it is Now it's . At this point I want us to take a step back and realize two things . Number one the power of prayer is useless . The power of prayer is useless . So have you not sure what I mean by that ? Power of prayer is useless , one of my biggest concerns . They said we'd walk away from this morning , that you would walk away from this morning or from this series Committed to pray more , and the end goal would be for you to pray , to be more structured , be more organized in your prayers , that you would be known as a man of prayer or woman of prayer . Because if that is our end goal , then we are .
We are no different than Hindus , buddhists , muslims or millions of other Christians who have yet truly authentically connect with the living God of the universe . We live in a world where everybody prays Hindus , muslims , buddhists . Even Congress prays there . There , there is no power in prayer . If that is our goal Just to pray Then we will end up creating Christianity be just like every other religion in the world . However , power of people who connect With the living God , almighty of the universe , that power is unstoppable . Power of prayer is useless . The power of people who connect with the living God is unstoppable . Prayer is a means by which we encounter , we connect to the living God of the universe and it's at that point that we will see prevailing powerful , victorious prayer . It's through God supplying it , it's God's power , not our power , in prayer . It's God's power Poured out on his people through Expressing the depth of their need before him , exploring the mystery of intimacy with God , experiencing the power being used by God . You remember this ? Back in first Kings , chapter 18 , elijah and the prophets of Baal . You remember that whole story ? Elijah confronts these 450 plus prophets of Baal . He says you guys build an altar and you pray to your God and you see if he brings down fire . Then I'll pray to my God and we'll see if he brings down fire and we'll see who , who the real God is . It calls him out and he talks trash to these guys . He just confronts him face on . They build this thing and for hours , all day long , they cut themselves , they slashed themselves , they're praying over and over again , they're yelling louder and lice is on the side and he's taunting them . Maybe you should shout louder . Maybe your God is asleep or he's Traveling you know God's have to travel out of town sometimes or maybe he's busy in the beauty of first Kings , chapter 18 , is that phrase , and it's its most Common root , is literally a Trace , the means in the Old Testament Maybe , maybe he's on the John . Okay , that's what it means . It's just what it means . Maybe you know God's have to use the restroom and maybe that's where he is . Maybe that's why he's not answering . And so they call out over and over again and it's not happening . Elijah steps up and it doesn't pray all day . All he says is God , I know that you hear me and I know you want to show your power , and so I pray that you would do it . And all the sudden , although that altar is filled with water all around it , fire comes down from Heaven and everybody falls on their faces saying the Lord is among you , the living God is among you . God , deliver us From empty prayers that are done because there are religious duty , because that will not separate us from any other religion in the world . However , I'm Convinced that with our world , we're there the religions of the world are meeting together and nations are intersecting together . The God designs to show the prayers of his people to be the means by which he shows his Unstoppable power , in such a way that when we pray , god acts and people say the living God is Among you . I am sick and tired of Christianity being a Routine of religious exercises , including prayer , that seemed formless and leaving us asking what is the point anyway ? God , make us a people who express the depths of our need before and take the time and go to the place where we all , corporately and individually , can explore the mystery of intimacy with , when it ultimately we're people that experienced Power of being used by him . As you fall in her face before David young to show Pastor and son Young to show Pastor and
soul . South Korean talks about how his church prays In our church and other churches in South Korea . He says our prayer time begins at 5 am In the morning . We pray for one or two hours . It's every day of the week . After our prayer time we begin the normal routines of our day and since the most important thing in our lives is prayer , we have learned to retire early to bed . On Fridays we spend the entire night in prayer . I get together at 10 30 . I pray till About four or five in the morning , so they'd have an hour To get to the next place where they pray on Saturday morning . On Sundays , we pray before each service , we pray during each service . The sound of thousands of Of Korean believers praying together reminds me of the thunderous roar of a mighty waterfall . They have a place called prayer mountain , which is literally a city of prayer . This becomes so large and attracted so many that they have an auditorium that sees 10,000 people there Every day . During the week , there are nearly three or four thousand people there that are fasting and praying . On the weekends they have 10,000 , at times as many as 20,000 . And we'll come to prayer mountain . David Yong-Chui Cho pastors a church of 850,000 members . That God would Would grant us the grace , trust that he wants to do , in and through the church of Barquilles , things that today we could never thought , and that he would grant us the grace to be a people who are so desperate for him that we fall on our face and say we need you , god . We want to know you intimately and we want to experience the power of being useful .