Episode 26: Finding Power in Honest Prayer

Ever feel like your faith isn't strong enough? A desperate father once prayed the most honest prayer ever recorded: I do believe; help my unbelief. What if God is more interested in our sincerity than our certainty? What would change if you prayed with that same raw honesty today?

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Build, a podcast from Danville First Baptist Church. Build is where Sunday's message becomes Monday's conversation. Each episode we dig deeper into what God is teaching us, talk about how it shows up in real life, and help you keep building your faith beyond the weekend. Let's get started. Welcome to Build, the podcast of FBC Danville, where we aim to build on Sunday's sermon and openly build on our relationship with Christ. This week we were back in Mark, which will be for a couple more weeks, I hope. And uh last week we had the transfiguration and we pick right up with nothing, nothing, uh, no time wasted, you should say, right into the to the next thing. And um there's I won't I won't take away hopefully if I mean anybody's gonna say, but it's it's just a it was a really cool telling of last week we had Peter wanting to be in that mountaintop moment, and we talked about how that's we all would like to stay there. You obviously always would rather be on the mountaintop than in the valley, but here we have have Jesus and them coming off of the mountain, like literally coming off of the mountain, and they walk into chaos, and like it would there's no better way to to like it happened for Jesus too, you know. So don't so don't don't feel like that that you're a victim because Jesus lived that out too. Yes, for sure. Um, so what's what's what's some thoughts?

SPEAKER_03 1:42

Yeah, like you said, uh literally and figuratively coming off the mountaintop moment to the valley. Um they're doing it geographically and then they're doing it societally. Um and it's just we talked about Sunday of how you know, if this was made up, this would have been different. The story would have sounded different, but it is so real and it's so easy to identify with this story. Um, because I mean I I know we've all experienced it. You come off the mountaintop moments of whatever conference, church camp, great service on a Sunday, whatever it may be. And then you hadn't even sat down in the car sometimes, and things are already going uh haywire. I remember receiving a phone call on the way home from church camp one year, and I was like, wow. Here we go back to life. Um back to reality. Um but anyway, yeah, Jesus, Jesus and Peter and James and John come off the mountain, and there's a group of people, a big, large crowd. There's a dad desperate for his son to be healed. There's scribes that have the responsibility and should have the ability to do something about this son that that doesn't that is demon-possessed and and is having convulsions and and and is in desperate need. And instead of doing anything, they're arguing because that's really all they're concerned with and aren't really concerned with people. They're concerned with, you know, popularity and political points and and and all the worldly things that they could be possibly concerned with. And Jesus, you know, says, How long do I have to put up with you guys? Yeah, how long do I have to put up with you guys? And he's not talking about the disciples, and he's not talking about the dad, and he's not talking about the son. I think he's talking to the crowd and to the scribes, and mainly to the scribes. Um and so um, you know, it's a it's a very dramatic scene, you know, you picture it, it's gonna be loud and chaotic and and all these things. And then it's it has been for a long time one of my favorite verses. Uh when the when the dad, when Jesus says, if I can help you, what do you mean if I can? Of course I can. Uh anything's possible to the one who believes. And the dad says that beautifully raw statement, I do believe, help my unbelief. Uh, and he is the one person in the story that he's like he's the hero in the story.

SPEAKER_02 4:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:00

I mean, obviously Jesus is the hero in the story, but as far as just like who did it right, he's the one that did it right. And he's the only one that admitted that he didn't have it all together. Right. And the only one that wasn't, you know, doing all the all the other things. And and it's just a great reminder that prayerful dependence, true dependence, true sincerity. We use that word a lot here. It's one of our three, you know, core characteristics sincere, service, and sacrifice. Sincerity to me is being honest, transparent, and caring. Honest, transparent, and caring. Uh, be real, uh, in other words, and the dad is the one who's real in the story. And uh just a great reminder that the power in our faith comes from Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:49

And we get to experience that when we depend on Jesus. And when we don't, we're disconnected from the true power source. And uh it's just, it's it's amazing how these things line up because this is something I've spoken to y'all individually about. I've spoken on the podcast the last couple of weeks, like this is something that is stirring in me uh for several weeks now. Just true, powerful, uh, transformative prayer. What does that look like, sound like, is you know, what is that?

SPEAKER_02 5:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:25

Uh and you know, here's a great example of it right here. It's not long, it's not eloquent, it's just real and it's just raw. And the whole prayer is if you want to do it, you can. Yeah. Please do. Like I have nothing to offer. Yeah, and I just love it. I love, I love that verse, and I love this story.

unknown 5:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

I'm right there with you. I I think, you know, four or five years ago, I started claiming this as my life verse, which is different, you know, when I was younger. It was always, you know, I can do all things through Christ, or whatever you do, do heartily is for the Lord, and and all these things that that are are good. Sure. You know, like we have power because we are gods. But most of the verses that over the years that I've been like, okay, this is my this is my verse for the year, this is my life verse. This is if I were gonna tattoo something on my body, this is what it would be. And four or five years ago, it changed. And it was just like, dude, like that's it, right there. That's who I want to be. Lord, I I believe. I believe and I trust and I want to follow. But help me when I don't, help me when it's hard, help me when I can't. Um and and honestly, probably God began putting this verse on my heart probably 20 years ago. I heard a uh sermon by Miles McPherson at a Promise Keepers um event, and it was one of those things that like hit me all those years ago, but it really I didn't understand the depth of it until I was a little more seasoned in Christ and hit with turbulence that I realized that you know no matter how much faith I think I have, and it and even though we can quote scripture and say, well, you have enough faith, you just need a little faith. No matter how much faith, no matter how much trust, no matter how much belief I have, I need Jesus to fill in the gaps of the areas that I that I don't believe. And and even if I say I do, the areas that are really deep down I've held on to um to protect myself or to protect my family. And and in the end, when we're authentic and we're we're honest, Lord, I do believe. I trust you a hundred percent, but help me trust you a hundred percent because we can't do it on our own.

SPEAKER_03 7:53

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:55

It just flies in the face of the you know, be more, do more, have more faith. You know, the reason that you didn't get the miracles because you don't believe hard enough, trust hard enough, read enough, pray enough. And and I just am so anti that mindset, that type doctrine, that type of preaching, like that is it's manipulative, it's defeating, it's anti-gospel, it's anti-scripture. Um, and the the thing that this that this story, this event, it's not a story, this event is telling us and teaching us is it, it's it's just keep reminding yourself, keep asking the Lord to remind you that it's it's not about how much you believe. It's about you that you believe in him.

SPEAKER_00 8:47

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 8:47

That's what it is, because you're never gonna believe enough. I actually had a conversation with someone last night and they were like, have you ever like, I know this is weird for me to say as a Christian, but have you ever like thought about like kind of like what if? You know, what if, what if it's all made up? You know, all that. And I said, anybody who says they've never thought about that is disingenuous, sure. Uh because or just naive or or shallow to their faith. Like, who hasn't thought about that? Like, I believe, I believe what scripture teaches. I believe it happened. I believe Jesus is the Son of God, I believe his blood covers my sin. But of course I have sat around and thought, you know, like, is there like some weird thing that just made all this up? And I'm just believing something that's made up. Of course I've had that thought. I don't think that's true, right? But but I've had that thought, you know what I mean? And so, you know, the try harder, do more. Like, that's not what scripture says. It says, This is the one point that I didn't make Sunday that I had really thought about all week long. And, you know, in 51 minutes and 26 seconds, I'd made all the points I needed to make. Uh, but but really the the word that you could put on top of all this, you know, prayerful dependence, leaning on Jesus, you know, not it's not about having enough faith, it's about having faith in him. It's it's a it comes down to that concept that's all over scripture. It's abide. Yeah, that's really what it is. It's abide. Just abide in Christ. Remember to abide in Christ. Like the branch apart from the vine has nothing. It's no use. It doesn't matter how hard. Yes, it's kindling. The branch apart from the vine is worthless. It has no power, it has no life, it has no chance. It doesn't matter how hard it tries, it's dead. It's dead. Yep. But when it's in the vine, it's got every single thing it needs when it needs it. We just got to abide in Christ. And that concept really started really hammering on me, because it would have been two summers ago with this summer coming up when our daughters were at Praiseworks and sang Abide. Yeah. And oh dude, like a big, huge, you know, student-led choir. And it's just like, that song's so good of a reminder of that. And I, and and just, you know, I depend on you. Like that. I love that part of that song because I could I need to sing that bridge all day, every day, because I'm so prone to depend on me and to depend on my strength. And um, so yeah, depend on him, abide in Christ.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

Well, and this passage is just such good evidence of God's grace towards the believer. And that's, you know, when scripture says work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, that flies in the face of say a prayer, walk an aisle. Yeah. And, you know, I know, I know that's not what we teach, but that's what some people think we teach as Southern Baptists. It's not. We still think that we should count the cost, take up the cross, and follow Jesus. That it is an idea, but we have to work out our own salvation. We have to work through these questions of Lord, I do trust, I do believe, but this doesn't make sense. This doesn't feel good, this doesn't feel right. Help me trust you more so that I don't lean into my feelings, but I lean into the truth of scripture. And I just think this event, and I think that's why you know the Lord included it in his word, is for knuckleheads like me who say, you know, everything I do, I do pretty passionately. And so when I believe, I believe passionately. And when I get rocked, I struggle passionately. And so I can just see this father like Jesus, I believe I do believe, I believe. But right now, I'm watching my son suffer and I'm worried about him every day. Lord, I believe that you can heal him, but help where I have doubts and fears. Right. Help where I'm human. And and Jesus, of all the people in this story, that Jesus was not frustrated, yes. He was not frustrated with the dad, with that guy. He said, Oh, listen. It's it's about to happen, man. It's about to happen. And that's just such oh man, it just you can be so thankful for Jesus.

SPEAKER_03 13:33

You can hear, as fathers, you know, you go a layer deeper, right? You can you can hear that in his voice of Lord, don't punish my son because I don't have enough faith.

SPEAKER_00 13:44

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:45

Don't punish my kid because I'm screwing it up. You know what I mean? I prayed that before, right? Like I believe, but help my unbelief. Don't don't let my son suffer because I'm not who I should be.

SPEAKER_02 13:58

Right.

SPEAKER_03 13:59

Um, and yeah, in many different ways from many different angles. So I prayed that prayed that prayer before. You know, another another factor in this story uh is the lack of power and obedience and um effectiveness of the of the nine disciples and how that that affects the faith of this father.

SPEAKER_02 14:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:26

And you know, I I I I thought about that some and how where do I go anywhere with that, you know, this past week? I prayed about that, and you know, it's always easy to get on your soapbox and start bashing. And I definitely, I definitely I don't like to, I'm not a bashing type preacher. It's not what I do. I'm passionate, but I don't like to bash. Um I don't like to condemn. It's not my role. But, you know, you think about that like there is a lot of responsibility as a follower of Christ. I don't want to be, I don't want to be, you know, we asked the question, what which person in this story, which group do you fall into? That was kind of the the thought going through it. Like, because we all are at different, you know, we've all been in the crowd. We've all been a scribe, we've all been self-righteous, worried about the wrong thing. Like we've all been different ones in this in this story. Um, and and so the question was like, where do you fall into this? And I don't, I don't ever want to be the nine.

SPEAKER_02 15:19

Right.

SPEAKER_03 15:20

I don't ever want to be part of the nine that that know Jesus, that claim Jesus, that put Jesus' name on things, but when the rubber meets the road, just not actually affecting anything positively for the kingdom. You know, when the demon needs cast out, I forgot to depend on Jesus. And I thought it's, you know, I've been reading my Bible, I've been having a prayer time, you know, I've I'm I'm working hard in the ministry, like whatever things that we use to qualify ourselves and to justify ourselves, like and and and to walk into a spiritual battle with no armor and no bullets because I'm depending on me instead of depending on Christ. And in that affecting the faith negatively of someone else because well, you say you follow Jesus, and here you are, like blowing it. You can't cast out the demon.

SPEAKER_02 16:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:13

Why how come you could cast out those other ones in those other towns? We heard about that. My is it is it my son? Is he not good enough? Is it me? Am I not good enough? Like you just think about you start taking all that out to the to those ends, and I just never want to be in the nine. I know that I am, sure. I know that I have been. And it's easy to be in the nine, but I don't want to be in the nine.

SPEAKER_00 16:36

Yeah, but to further demonstrate this father's faith is that there had to be something that when when he saw Jesus show up on scene, that if he had been doubting something, he didn't let he didn't completely let their like a man's lack of power stop him from from going to the source. Yes. That's good. And and you know, like that's what that I think that we we sometimes carry as as the professional Christian that we don't we don't want that to happen. That that something in in our life makes somebody think differently or or go a different way because we we're not the source of this power. Right. Yeah, but he is, and so sometimes go around us, right?

SPEAKER_03 17:24

Because and I I just I want, and this is what's in my heart, in my gut, in my soul that's stirring. I want to be a conduit for the power of Christ in this world. Sure. That's like the Lord is like impressing that upon me these last several weeks. And I don't know where I again, I don't know where this is headed, I don't know where it's fleshing out, I don't know why it's falling on me now. I don't know why I'm receiving the information and the and the and all those things that I'm receiving now and the and the things I'm being exposed to that all kind of keep this conversation going over and over and over. Um, but I I I that's really my heart's desire. I want to be a conduit for the power of Christ. I want to believe, see, and do what the New Testament early church did and what God's Word says his followers will do.

SPEAKER_02 18:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:21

And that that like that may make some people uncomfortable. Like, that sounds kind of charismatic. Like, I don't care what label you put on it. All I'm saying is I don't read in there anywhere where it says, well, after the ascension, well, after the canon is completed, well, I don't see anywhere in there where it says, well, at this point, well, then the church will just be about showing up on Sundays and having a service. Suddenly the Holy Spirit isn't strong enough to do any of those things. To do any of those things. And you, you, you know, you hear things, you you listen to podcasts, you hear interviews, you read stories. Like elsewhere in the world, these things are happening often. And we, I feel like we have logicked the power out of our faith a lot in the Western church. And, you know, there's nothing per se wrong with logic and and wisdom, but it is when it overrides the grace and power of Jesus Christ in your life and in your mindset and in your heart. Um, and again, I I'm not saying that, you know, that I'll that I think I'm being called to be a faith healer or something like that. You know what I mean? I'm not that's not what I'm saying. But but I know Jesus can still do those things. Yeah, he's still capable. And I don't want it to be because my mindset and my heart set is off. If the Lord wants to do something like that, I want to be receptive to it uh and be able and let the Lord work through me for that to take place so that others' faiths are strengthened, so that the kingdom grows, so that Jesus is glorified, and so that we can step back and go, dude, he still does it, man. It's the same God, it's the same God in in Acts 1 today in 2026. And in Exodus, and all exactly all exactly, it's the same one. And and I don't know what that means. Uh I keep coming back. I don't know what that means. I'm not saying that, you know, Lord give me the power to walk into the hospital room and heal every person I pray over. Like, I'm not saying that.

SPEAKER_00 20:23

You haven't bought a tent yet.

SPEAKER_03 20:24

No, I haven't bought a tent, you know. I'm not selling any oil or anything, like there's no link on the website to go buy the thing that's gonna fix you. Like, it's none of that, man.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

It's money, it's none of this cloth.

SPEAKER_03 20:35

Here's a story. Here's a story I heard last week, right? And I haven't verified this, I haven't looked into this guy or nothing. But the truth of this, I think, is a truth and applies. The guy's a policeman, and and there's a child that is kidnapped, right? And this police officer says, Lord, do you know where this kid is? You're all knowing. I think you know where this kid is. Wouldn't you want us to find this kid if you know where he is? What would that look like? What what am I if you were gonna show me where this kid is, what would that look like? And like, and I know it sounds like far-fetched and and all the things, but he was literally driving around on his beat and and and felt like the whisper, like, pull that car over. Pull the car over and asked the guy to open the trunk, and the kid was in the trunk.

unknown 21:35

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

It's like yeah, that's not crazy. That's I mean, like, it is crazy. But I know you're I know not you like, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:43

And it's you know, I don't it's not that it's not that I'm like, God, please let me have this miraculous moment. It's like I want to, I do believe, and I want to believe that that stuff still happens. And I think for me, the reason it doesn't happen that that on the regular in my life is because I haven't been receptive to that power.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

Right. That's totally that's like yeah. And it's we see that if we if we stop now, we kind of talked about this last week, like looking back on things, why things happened, what was the purpose of of things, what was and twice now on compared to that very insignificant things. You know, though I know like I I've looked back like, uh yeah, you actually told me to do something about that. Like one one of them was we're traveling, we've been in Arkadelphia, we're going back here and not too far outside of town, I was ahead of of Kelly. And I'm I'm cruising I'm coming through at the proper speed, but I know it's state troopers sitting on the side of the road. And as one of those like I should let Kelly know that I thought well no I'm not like and I and it's just weird it's little things like that. That seems very little insignificant. Sure. But there was a lot of stuff going on on getting in so when she comes through she was not going an appropriate speed luckily um Grace was shown on on her and uh you know but it was it that little moment. The other time just a a a week or two later we were on a on a big trip and we had looked at the map we looked at all the things we knew like this is where we're gonna stop this and and I'm looking you know now technology lets you know I got I've got this much gas I can go I can go this far with with this and that's gonna be sufficient more than sufficient. It was not you know it wasn't even gonna be like it's gonna be close that's gonna be more than sufficient. But I just kept feeling like I don't know this says this all the all of this says this should work but I don't it just I don't think it's gonna work but but I put I kept trusting that thing and sure enough we were in in Alabama pulling through and I needed to get to Bucky's and that's I was that was my where I was everything was going to be fine if we got to Bucky's but even I said how far is it like it's where where and she said it's nine miles. I'm like well that's that's gonna be totally fine because like it does it is telling me the gas light has come on but I've I know how far this thing goes dude as soon as that she said that we're running out of gas and I may I made a remark last week like a lot of things happened but they happened as well as they could because I he was trying to tell me you need to get gas you need to get some gas and I kept shaking it off because that was that was I asked several times now how far are we going? How many more miles till we get there and and and I'm just watching doing all the math yeah like yeah it's like that oh okay but I'm gonna trust it but we we run out of gas right as we're coming up to an off ramp. Okay and we're still we're still kind of coasting at this point. So I'm able to get off of the interstate and come to a stop it's a in a quiet spot it's not like a major and everything was okay. And like we were like I was like this is I don't know we were a 10 minute walk if that to the gas station but we didn't let that because we were talking about reframing and changing the way we think and I like it's this is all okay this is all okay we we walked to the gas station and the lady in there said you know how are y'all doing tonight and I said well we're doing pretty good but we ran out of gas and you know I'm like I've already looked I could see when we're walking in they had gas cans I'm like okay this is great and get a gas can and she said where are you and I kind of told her she said well if you promise to bring it back I'll let you borrow a gas can absolutely you know because number one I don't know where I'm gonna carry it like once I purchased it because I'm not gonna throw it away I don't know what we're doing with it but we've got to have a gas like we own a gas can now but but you know it's one of those situations that like he was speaking then right and and I and that all that sounds like it's not hokey. Yeah it's not but he was speaking to me right and I wasn't being I was I was here and being almost aware of it even but was not being receptive to it. So it's happening even when you're not asking for it.

SPEAKER_01 26:42

Trying to get the buckies bro yeah so understood understandable yeah for sure we got there so I thought I thought the point that you made Daniel with with that the the disciples hurt the faith of the dad like that hurt my feelings that hurt my feelings on Sunday and you know like in a good way like I thought yeah I've done that I've been there I've been there but I also think we got to be a little bit careful. So I know I know you know that we're usually everything in here is like oh yeah yeah you guys and and that one is it I think it's a great point. I also think there has to be some room for grace here from us too because we're looking at the whole picture and I'm sure some of them are exactly what you're saying and and some of them may have even been like dude I don't know what's going on like usually we've cast these guys out but but I know this if you'll wait just long enough for Jesus to give you it does that's good point Jesus can do what we can't do. Right. And I think there are times people come to us with their problems and and and as much as I would like to and I'll be honest sometimes that I pray weak prayers sometimes I pray soft prayers Jesus help the medication take this disease away well Jesus can do it that way for sure sometimes he can just take it away though you know Jesus help this person you know whatever it is but sometimes I have to just sit in a moment with someone who's hurting and and broken and say look I can't fix this I can't fix this I can't pray this away but Jesus is coming and there's gonna be a day when all things are set right and until then no matter what I do for you it's gonna fall short and it's not because I don't love you and it's not because I don't love Jesus but it's because only he can get this one. Sure. And so I think there's a it's a fine line. Right and I think we see I I'm sure I feel very confident saying that in the nine there was some of both of those things happening.

SPEAKER_03 28:48

Yes and I think I think that's a great point and I and I completely agree with you and I think that is the difference right it's one thing to be in the nine and and be naming and claiming Jesus with no power and then and then just like well I guess you don't have enough faith dad or whatever. Yeah it's another thing to be in the nine and and be sincere about your faith you know to be in the nine but say I have belief but I need help with my unbelief it's it's you know what I mean yeah and so it's less what group you're in and more how you are in that group.

SPEAKER_02 29:22

Right.

SPEAKER_03 29:22

And so I think that's a good a good addition to that point um is that you can be in the nine but when things blow up or don't go it's be like I don't know I it's probably me. I don't know what's wrong. It ain't Jesus I know that you know what I mean we we it I think it and it always comes which is why the Lord pushed that word on my heart dude so hard like so clearly I knew that that was the first word we needed as a core characteristic was sincere sincere sincerity we it it comes up over and over and over and over to that authentic faith sincere faith be to be able to admit your shortcomings to be able to uh point back to Jesus to be able to to say I believe it helped my unbelief to be able to just own it to be able to to be able to say you're right like somebody comes to you and is like you know you did this this and this and that was wrong and and to be able to go yeah you're right that was wrong like I don't know what I was thinking or maybe I was mad or whatever the case may be and I I think I think there is another way to say all this is that there is great power in sincerity. Sure. There's great power we we use other words for it but yeah for me that's the word like there's great power and sincerity relationally with each other and relationally with the Lord.

SPEAKER_01 30:47

Well hard truth in all this is that sometimes God says yes and sometimes he says no and sometimes he says wait. And I think this is one of those times that yes the son suffered a little while longer and yes the father suffered a little while longer. But when Jesus comes on the scene it is for the glory of God and to make Jesus known that he was the one who did and I think and you brought this up Sunday I think that's why he asked the questions well how how long has this been happening? Right. This is a really big deal like this is a really bad one because he wants the people to know like this isn't like he doesn't have a cold like this guy's been right suffering. And no mistake here everybody if the disciples in that moment had cast out the demons the rest of this story doesn't unfold for the glory of God. Sometimes our suffering is for the glory of God so I'm gonna quote the great theologian Tanya Stanley you know who she's set an anchor four years ago and it still like slaps me in the face you know that we we pray we we oh goodness now I'm messing it up sometimes we don't get wow I'm trying to remember this is gonna be this gonna end up being a blooper that that basically that we would we would pray God doesn't answer our every prayer that we pray but he and would answer every prayer that we would pray if we prayed what Jesus would pray knowing what Jesus knows would bring the most glory to his name and I butchered that I'm sorry I remember that but it was just it was so powerful just because it just reframed it like it may not be that our prayer was bad it's just that we don't know what Jesus knows. And if we knew then we would pray what he prayed. Right and that's what agreement with Jesus is is that Jesus we trust you in this situation. If it means I gotta suffer just a will little while longer till you come down from the mountain so that the whole group can see and not just me receive a miracle but they receive a miracle. They are brought to a place and I say it every week the rest of the crowd is brought to a place of decision I will believe or I will reject and if the disciples do it it doesn't come to that decision.

SPEAKER_00 33:14

And so um yeah well it's just kind of like a couple weeks ago when when Jesus is raising Lazarus from the dead he if he'd been there and healed him before he died then he's not glorified. And so as always he's doing all of these things for his glory and for the good of all of us and everybody else that's involved. So see it again.

SPEAKER_03 33:40

Yeah um so in my with with all that we've said re about prayer and those things one thing that is shifting in my prayer life because of that story because of the book I'm reading because of just what God's impressing upon my heart is I I'm I'm trying to spend more time asking questions not asking for things not asking for what I think I want but like asking like genuine open questions like Lord what what do you want in this situation you know what I mean like what is what is the best case scenario here what what should I want in this situation instead of like Lord will you give me XYZ Lord will you show up in XYZ way. Yeah you know I even you know one of my regular prayers on Sunday morning as I'm praying for our church is that the Lord would keep us from evil and keep evil from our church you know the Lord would would protect us. And and even in that I stopped Sunday and I was like isn't that a good prayer? Is that the way you want me to pray about that? Like is there a better way for me to pray for protection and and what I'm trying to trying to say is it's like my my prayers are turning more conversational instead of just dictation.

SPEAKER_01 35:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:09

You know what I mean? It's not here's all the things I want to say you know and then I'll listen. It's like I'm truly asking what he wants and and and and to help him show me what's beyond what I think is right. Because because I I mean I know that praying to keep evil away and to keep me and mine and ours away from evil I know that's a good thing. Sure. But what's better than that?

SPEAKER_01 35:38

But but the arrogance of us to tell God what the best way to do that is like Jesus do this like this is really dumb.

SPEAKER_03 35:46

And he said he said he kind of whispered to me that moment like yeah just trust that I'll protect. That's what he said to me this Sunday morning on the way here. Just trust that I'll protect. I'll protect yeah I'll protect your church it's my church right it's okay for you to ask but just trust me that I'll protect. It's just kind of a reminder of like yeah yeah it's a good prayer but also remember that I'm gonna do that. Do you believe that I am going to do that? Exactly that's that was the answer that I got to that question. Like just just remember that I am going to do that. So don't don't pray it from like please keep us from evil like pray like Lord you're gonna keep us from evil and I know that and I'm thankful for that. And that's a different heart set. Yeah now how does that change the heart of God like scripture says I don't know I don't know yeah that's good you know what I mean like I'm not saying that I have the ability to pray in a way right that changes the world yeah you know but we're praying this was gonna happen because I prayed about it now it's not exactly yeah that I don't I'm not I don't want it to come off that that's what I'm trying to say like this changed because I prayed about it so well. No like the point is to go deeper with the Lord. Yeah for sure like that just that one question and that one answer was like so reassuring in the moment because it was such a sweet little whisper he's like well yeah that's fine but I'm but I am gonna protect your church yeah like rest in that and it was like thanks Lord like you know what I mean like it was just a simple little thing and so I'm trying to I'm I'm looking for opportunity to stop my wish list to the Lord and to be open to what he wants. Yeah simplest way I can put that you know like that I don't know we'll see where it goes. I don't know where it's going dude like it's fun this it's been fun it's been unsettling but it's been it's been it's been interesting but I don't know where it's headed but I'm excited about it. That's good.

SPEAKER_01 37:55

I don't want to go back too far but I I I think I got the quote finally. All right go ahead it's been rolling in my head I'm like okay so we don't always get what we pray for but we get what we would pray for if we knew everything that Jesus knows.

SPEAKER_03 38:08

That was it that was it good job nailed it thank goodness because you really button tonight because that was a fantastic message that I still remember I remember it like it was yesterday actually but I actually remembered the quote too I just didn't want to make your message I've used the quote so many times we just like I don't know how to get spaced out. You see I just yeah we don't always get what we pray for but we get what we would pray for if we knew everything that Jesus knew it's so deep dude like if you really think about that the answer is yes yeah yeah but it's yes if you were doing this correctly yeah which is what is the word for that grace man grace thank you God for your grace thank you that you're that the Holy Spirit translates my ridiculously bad prayers into what they should be you know what I mean that he interprets for me.

SPEAKER_01 39:00

Thank you Lord scripture says that he ascended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of the Father and he intercedes on our behalf the dumb things that come out of my mouth even towards God sometimes not intentionally disrespectful but disrespectful nonetheless you know uh you know being a principal I deal with kids sometimes they're like well this is what you should have done oh wait a minute I'm almost sure you just about told me what I should have done but I do that with God and he's way higher than me than I am above a student or you know like and I think sometimes God just looks at me and says Dusty stop telling me what I should do and just trust me to do what's right and what's best and what's going to do the most amount of good for the most amount of people trust me.

SPEAKER_03 39:51

Don't you think I I would have done that if that's what needed to be done yeah he's not yet ever whispered into my ear saying oh thank you for that great suggestion I haven't thought of that exactly yeah I'm so glad you brought that up I it must have just slipped my mind I must have stuck that sticky note underneath something and forgot about that you know thank you Dusty Wright for bestowing me with your wisdom so wise I'm sure I'm sure that your kids you know they tell you that all the time though thank you father for bestowing your great wisdom upon me pretty much every day conversation that's what I figured that's what I figured no I'm not naming names I started to but I I oh my goodness um what is what is this I I mean I've spoken on a little bit already but what is practically like increasing our prayerful dependence right and I don't mean increasingly like do more of it right not the in in that sense quote on the equipment right but when we say prayerful dependence right prayerful dependence because that's the underlying key in this event you know is is dependence on God. Like you you nine you forgot to depend on me. You had the authority but you weren't depending on me you're depending on yourself. Yeah the dad is depending on me. It took him a minute to get there and I'm perfect leader perfect pastor asked him a question to walk him right to it because there's the power in the confession right of confessing um which is faith faith and confession are synonymous and you know and then he confesses and then it's like now I do it you know but what prayerful dependence what are we talking about when we say that well I think it's just approaching God without all the answers.

SPEAKER_01 41:54

I know we've kind of alluded to that already but just honestly seeking his will instead of seeking for him to bless what I try to do. And I think too often in our prayer lives it's like Lord you know we're gonna do this ministry we're gonna do this event we're gonna do this thing and bless it bless it bless it and I I don't I won't speak for you guys but I don't do enough of Jesus show me what is right and what is best and what will be the most effective at reaching the most people for you it's always I've got a great idea God bless this idea this is really going to work. I really believe it right and I think when we talk about a prayerful dependence it's it's seeking him on the front side while it's going on and then to bring the fruit when the fruit's supposed to come and not depending on my own wisdom or my own ideas or my own past successes or past failures.

SPEAKER_03 42:57

Right. I was sent a reel uh I think it was last week yeah it was the end of last week because it was after prayer service because we kind of talked we've been talking about this you know on Wednesdays the way we were praying and and that and um and someone sent me a reel and it was Francis Chan and he's on a stage with his middle daughter and uh he's like I'm so excited you know to have my daughter here um and you know they're kind of standing they're kind of swaying and smiling you know and she's standing right beside him and he said you know when I found out that she was going to be here like I just I got excited like I'm I was excited on the way here to know that she was meeting me here and that we were going to be together. Like I've just I'm excited to be with my daughter you know and she's smiling and and about you know they're kind of chest to chest almost cheek to cheek she's shorter than him but cheek to cheek and he kind of puts his hand around he's like I'm just I'm just so thankful to be here with my daughter right now he said but the question that I have is is this what your prayer life looks like Yeah. And it went along perfectly with what we had kind of talked about when we said, and all I said back to the person was like, exactly. That's exactly what I'm saying. That's exactly what's in my heart. Like I just want to pray like that.

SPEAKER_02 44:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:14

And and not any other way. I can't think of all the other ways that you could be praying. But it's not, and it's not that I'm, you know, we're called to be a servant. You know, we are his servant. He is the master.

SPEAKER_01 44:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:30

Right? Yeah. And that's true. But I don't think we're supposed to communicate to him like, you know, like, oh, you know, please don't hurt me. Yeah. You're the master, you're the Lord, like I'm just the peasant. Like, I don't, I don't think that's the union that we have in Christ.

SPEAKER_01 44:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:49

I think that that is the way that we should serve the world. We should have that type of humility. You know, we we we should wash feet for Jesus. Sure. Right?

SPEAKER_01 45:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:01

And so there is like this very humble, servant-like, I'd said it on purpose, servant-like, peasant-like mindset when it comes to that. I get that. I think that's right. But I'm just like stirred up about this idea of like, yes, like that's it. I want to pray to the Lord. Yeah. Like He's my perfect dad. Yeah. With his arms around me. That's just so punked that our I was able to fly in, and he was able to fly in, and we were able to spend these this time together.

SPEAKER_01 45:36

Yeah. Well, I think, I think what you what you described there is beautiful and it's really it's really good. And I think we are missing some context with this relationship in the modern Western world. And so this is why I think that that Paul and some of the biblical writers refer to themselves as bondservants of the Lord. Because it's still that word servant, but we have a connotation of servant that is different. We have a connotation of slave that is different. And in the ancient world, the bondservant often was the one who had a good and worthy master and said, I can have my freedom, but I want it, but I choose to stay in his house because he's good. I love my master and I love my family. And I and so they took them and they drove an all through their ear to the door, and the servant said, like, or or the the master said, Well, you're you're my servant, but really you're more like my son. Yeah, you're in my home, right? And I love you, and I'm gonna take care of you. And that connotation is nowhere in the modern world like that. And so I think we it's it's that perfect blend of recognizing I don't deserve this. Yes. Because you're my master, but it's but you're a good and you're a faithful and you're a loving master who is worthy of a lifetime of devotion and service.

SPEAKER_03 47:11

Yeah, and yeah, and it's like again, it's father to child, right? The child doesn't deserve the father's love. Yeah, the father loves the kid, the good father. I know they're terrible examples of earthly fathers. I get that, and I mess it up all the time. But at the core, the father loves the child because the child is his, right? Yeah, right. It's not because you deserve to be loved, it's because you're mind, yeah, and I'm going to love you. I'm going to care for you, I'm going to provide for you, I'm going to protect you. I I'm going to do right by you. You know, and we do that imperfectly as earthly fathers. Yeah. But it's like the picture perfect. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 47:58

Living that out is is is God to us. Like, yeah. It's it's a it's not that you deserve it. Yeah. But but I I love you because you're mine. Yeah. You are mine. Yeah. And that's all that there is to it.

SPEAKER_00 48:13

Yeah. And sometimes I'm going to celebrate you, and sometimes I'm going to grieve you. But that's exactly what we do. Sometimes we like we do something that is in in step, and sometimes we do something that's in rebellion. And he feels that the same way. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:37

Like that. Yeah. My head and my heart is just stirring, dude. I'm telling you, like it is non-stop on this subject here lately. I can't stop thinking about it.

SPEAKER_01 48:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:48

About just ever that the statement that you made a couple of weeks ago on the podcast of what of your daughter coming home, you know, she's full grown now, or close enough, pretty close.

SPEAKER_02 48:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:58

You know, but she just curled up beside you on the couch. And I'm like, that's it. Like, that's how I want to pray to my heavenly father, like that. Because as a father, catch me here, right? Really, that's all you want from your kid. Right.

SPEAKER_02 49:18

Right.

SPEAKER_03 49:18

You know what I mean? Like there ain't nothing better than for your kid to just curl up beside you and talk to you. Yeah. Like it doesn't get better than that.

SPEAKER_00 49:27

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 49:27

So good.

SPEAKER_00 49:29

Something you were saying earlier, Dusty, about uh a few minutes ago, about having the idea and then asking for it to be blessed made me think it's like when we sit down to eat. Blessing. We've chosen the biggest piles of crap to put into our body, but we asked the Lord to bless it. Maybe. Maybe we should say, What should I eat? And it wouldn't be any of that stuff. I guarantee you. That would not be what was on his menu for everybody. Or at least not as much of it.

SPEAKER_03 50:01

Please bless this pile of junk to the nourishment of my body.

SPEAKER_01 50:09

Heavily processed.

SPEAKER_03 50:12

Yeah.

unknown 50:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 50:13

That's a good point.

SPEAKER_01 50:15

It is a good point.

SPEAKER_00 50:16

Yeah. I went home Sunday, and of course I always kind of give Kelly the recap because she's in children's church and she gets caught up using on Tuesday mornings. So I'm I'm telling her, I said, but but the thing, and I I was like, I kind of feel bad saying this because like she loves church. She loves to to worship. And she's when she's out of there, I said, I I don't want you to, I don't want to say this because I don't want to make you jealous about it. But I said, the spirit was so heavy. You know, and she said, don't look, she said, I pray for that every Sunday when I'm before we start that that will happen, even if I'm not in there. So it was good, but it was so heavy. I mean it was still I told her, I said, I don't know. I'm gonna slow down because I'm getting excited. There wasn't anything overly special that happened Sunday, but you could feel it. And it was a freedom of the spirit too. I mean, like I I had tears from the moment that when we were reading and you got to the part of help help help my unbelief. Like I immediately tears were in my eyes and never stopped. And I said, and I nothing crazy was happening. So I know that Daniel could feel it because he made a perp, a purposeful point to tell people, I don't know how long we're gonna be here. Right, but we're gonna stay here and um you know, do what you need to do accordingly, but we're gonna stay here as long as the Holy Spirit wants us to. And I was so thankful. I I guess the first time ever almost, maybe one other time since I that I in this church that I didn't have to lead at the invitation, and I just wept. Yeah, yeah, and I didn't even know I got it. It wasn't, I just was so overcome. And um, you know, I don't know. There was a bunch of folks, there was a bunch of us down at the altar, and I just like how I always tell people, just come sometimes and just sit, sit in his presence, and you know, I was I was singing what we were what we were singing, but just it was so heavy, and and I'll you want more of that. You just anytime you experience that, you you just want more. And I think that's by design. Yeah. Um it was good.

SPEAKER_01 52:53

I'm glad you brought that up because honestly, like Sunday was the picture of what I think church is and should be. You know, we started with you know, we started with a song, and then we had a baptism of a precious young lady who has decided to follow Christ and is has decided to follow Christ. And yeah, worship was good, and and you know, we sang, we sang a song, and and I I typed the lyrics to my in my notes for building because it was like, oh, it encaptured. And I thought, man, that's so good. Lord, you're beautiful. I want to take your word and shine it all around. That's me, dude. That's me. Like, I want to shine your word all around. And then you get to the next line, and it's like, but that's where I need to be. Uh, Lord, you're beautiful. I want to take your word and shine it all around, but first help me to just live it, Lord. To just live it. And when I'm doing well, help me to never seek a crown for my reward, is giving glory to you. And just, I was like, man, God is doing like we've got the we've got baptism. You're you're speaking to my heart before we ever start. And then Daniel brings the word. So powerful. Then Daniel brings the word, and then he gets towards the end, he starts talking about the disciples and how their faith negatively impacted the dad. And then invitation time, like just broken because of the weight and responsibility of leading my family, leaving, leading in my job, leading our youth, and and not seeing things that I pray that we start to see soon. And just thinking, like, God, is that what it is? Am I am I am I associated with you in such a way that that that I'm I'm grateful that I'm associated with you, but then when I'm not doing, when I'm not hitting the mark, when I'm not fulfilling the job, it lowers what people think about you. Like, I just want you to use me. And I don't want to screw this thing up for the people who are depending on me. And uh like broken in a good, like just in the presence of God, like, God, I don't know if what I'm doing. That spirit of dependence is I just want to lean into whatever you have. That's it. Yeah, and I just thought, man, it was just so good to know when I left the church and we had a busy afternoon, Brian, graduation and cooking and all the things. But I left the church filled up, depending on God and trusting Him to do something that I can't do in the coming days, weeks, months, and years.

SPEAKER_03 55:55

I I think it, you know, we we often pray for the manifest presence of the Spirit in the in our service, and and you know, we we we desire that every Sunday. Some days, some Sundays it, you know, for whatever reason it sits in there, you know, it's just his presence is there, and it's just whatever. But I I I I I'm with you. Just two things on that to recap, because I agree with like the baptism had a part of it, some of the things we sang had a part of it, like the the the scriptures that we were in, like all of it had a part in it. And so the this is a uh I'm gonna read a text that I got from someone yesterday. But what's even crazier about this is speaking of like being receptive to the spirit and this and spirit, you know, letting the Lord speak to you and that. This person, specifically by name, at the end of last week, the spirit said, So-and-so's ready. Put him to work. And I was like, that was weird. Like, I'm serious, like it was seriously like one of those moments. I was like, Okay, like, okay. So I started thinking, like, well, okay, well, what where can this person go to work? Right, uh, but it was like it was so out of nowhere, yeah. And and I I could I I could I could sit here and stammer and stutter about it all all night, and I'm not going to, but it was just amazing, right? And then I get this text yesterday. Hey, Pastor, worship was powerful yesterday. Praise God. Holy Spirit was moving strong during the music portion for me for sure. The baptism set the perfect tone for the remainder of our time together and your message, boom. And then the person asks about the spirit's landing on me that it's time for me to get plugged in serving here at the church. So please pray for me so that the Lord would reveal to me where that's supposed to be. And I was like, Yeah, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Yeah, you know, and I think that's um that's awesome, like the spirit moving like that. I think that's part of the reason why we have the regular rhythm of meeting together, is for those things to happen to us together and to you know, to spur us on to love and good works, as Hebrews says, together. Um, and it was just, holy, like it was just like rocket fuel. Yeah. It's like rocket fuel for your faith when things like that happen. And that's what that's exactly what I'm talking about. I want to have that stuff happen all the time.

SPEAKER_01 58:36

And not just on Sundays.

SPEAKER_02 58:37

No, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:38

I want a random Tuesday to be like, damn, God did this today. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 58:44

You know, like nobody gets credit for anything that I just said other than the Lord. Yeah, you just get the privilege of experiencing it. Being part of it, being part of it. And it's like whispering, Lord. That's all I'm saying.

SPEAKER_00 58:58

Yeah. Maybe go into detail, but there were so many little things that happen to create that moment. Not and not not and I'm not saying that that no work being done, but all these little prompts and and things that, and then that was the that was the culmination of it.

SPEAKER_02 59:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 59:19

Some of that stuff wasn't actually planned to have happened originally. Right. Yeah.

unknown 59:24

Right.

SPEAKER_00 59:24

And there you, and there's and that's that's what you get.

SPEAKER_03 59:27

Being recepted to the spirit, bro. Yeah. All the way down to the song request. Yep. That's good stuff, man. That's good stuff. Man, the Lord is good, bro. That's all I can tell you.

SPEAKER_01 59:38

That's good.

SPEAKER_03 59:38

The Lord's good.

SPEAKER_01 59:39

And can you imagine the the day that's coming when that's what we do all day, every day. I mean, we're gonna have jobs. Heaven is not sitting around on clouds playing harps. You know, like, isn't it? We we water down, make it honestly. I can remember being a teenage boy being like, if that's what heaven's like, I don't even I'm musically terrible. Me playing a harp, that's a terrible idea, Jesus. But like we're gonna have jobs, but we're going to see Jesus in everything we do, whether it be great or small, he is physically right there. What's that gonna be like, dude? Like, I can't like forget Streets of Gold and Pearly Gates and the Crystal Sea, like just the presence of God with whatever we're doing is what heaven is. Yes, yeah. Bring it on. Yeah, it's even better than Daniel's preaching. Can't wait. It's like heaven is coming, can't wait. Can't wait. Can't wait.

unknown 1:00:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:48

Uh okay. So last week I talked about the prayer app that I started using last week. And I've so use it pretty consistently, either in the morning or the midday, because there's you've got that. I said to do a morning, a midday, and the evening prayer. And I I feel like I'm pretty it's a pretty useful tool. Um, so I was gonna tell you what it is, but I'm not exactly sure how you say it.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:14

I would say Lexio.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:15

Lexio, yeah. That was gonna be one of that was like you could, but it's Lexio, Lexio 365. And it's free app. You just download on your phone and L E C T I L-E-C-T-I-O.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:27

So I'm sure I'd say it different just to be cantankerous. To be wrong. My wife puts a V in there.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:32

You can say it differently to say it wrong, like you do most things.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:39

But it's been it's been really good, and I've it's been a great way to start start the day. Because I'll just let it play hearing first. And yeah, and there's always prayer, always scripture, and reflection on that scripture. You know, and so I did a lot of some diving into what people don't some people don't like the that it they talk about meditating on the scripture, but I say that all the time. Well, scripture system. Exactly. So I don't know if you people make that a buzzword. That we're gonna meditate on something. That opens the gateway to new age thinking. No, just calm down. Just think that means you're just have deeply thinking about those things. Just thinking, keep thinking about something. So that was the only thing I could find anybody having something bad to say about it. But um I think as long as you don't say home, you're okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:30

Yeah, yeah. I think that's when that's that's crossing the line. Up into there, you're good.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:37

Exactly. So I wanted to throw that out there if anybody wanted to to do look into that. Um I feel like we've had a really good, a really good day here.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:48

Good sesh. Yeah, so appreciate you guys.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:51

Yeah, absolutely. If you um want to find previous episodes of Build, you can go to fbcdan.com. You can find links there to all of all of these episodes, all of our sermons, and uh stay up to date there. It's also a good way to find where you can be be plugged in. You can also find us on uh Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and we'd appreciate it if you share it not for us, but just so that maybe somebody could be encouraged by something, something that they hear us say. And we look forward to coming back together with you next week. And I urge you find some place to serve in your church, whether that's here or afar, but always be serving. Amen. We'll see you next week.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:38

Peace.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:40

Well, that's it for this week's episode of Build. Remember, what we build with our hands fades, but what we build on Christ lasts forever. If today's episode encouraged you, share it and keep the conversation going. You can find past messages, upcoming events, and ways to connect at fbcdan.com. Let's keep building our faith one brick at a time. We'll see you next time.