Scripture 1 Corinthians 1:1-13
DRAMA: half of an old phone – first 2
people talk in to it frustrated that it doesn’t work. 3rd person
listens and is pleased with what God has said to them.
“Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God. The
Lord is one.”
How often has God’s communication with
you been clear; beyond the shadow of a doubt?
For me? A few times. My call to faith
in Him.
My ordination to the preaching
ministry.
Who I would marry. (summer of 1981)
[today is our 40th wedding anniversary]
If those kinds of times are rare, and I
do believe they are, why would we pray so often?
I don’t believe those large
revelations, when God is speaking loud and clear, can be heard unless we have
been listening for His still quiet voice.
When you watch the Olympics and someone
turns in a world record gold medal performance – it is not because they woke up
that day and said, I am going to the Olympics today. It is because they spent
hours and hours in training and practicing. Those big moments in prayer and
revelation don’t happen because you wake up one day and say today is that day
God will answer my prayer. It is because you have already spent hours and hours
in prayer training and practice – if you will.
I don’t mean you have “said” a lot of
prayers. I mean you have been in constant communion with the one you love and
the one who loves you more than anyone else ever has or will, and God does know
all your faults and loves you still.
Instead of not praying, in hopes of
hitting the lottery of prayer, pray in the presence of God’s love daily. After
all:
Moses only got one burning bush.
Jacob only got one ladder with angels
ascending and descending.
Mary only got one angelic announcement
that she would be the mother of Jesus.
The apostle Paul only got one Damascus
road experience.
Peter, James and John only got one
Mount of Transfiguration experience.
I have no doubt that all of them, and
many more, spent a lot of time in prayer, so that when God spoke so loud and clear,
they recognized His voice.
John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know
them, and they follow me.”
Psalm 5:3 In the morning, O LORD,
you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in
expectation.
Since God only speaks loud and clear on
rare occasions, maybe we need to change our view of what prayer is all about.
Currently, most of
us would say our prayer life consists of talking WAY more than listening.
That makes prayer like social media
comments. Email and Twitter and most social media are designed to make comments
– not to have communication. By nature they are one way communication and not
conversations. Kind of like our old fashioned phone – people want to use it the
wrong way.
Not
only do our prayers need more active listening, even when we speak, God wants
the ability to respond – not just have us say something and walk away.
The
bible makes it clear that we are to pray for the sick. However, praying for the
sick is a biproduct of our relationship with God and not the primary purpose of
prayer.
There
are only 3 things we need to know about prayer and if we get these right on a
regular basis, it will revolutionize our prayer life. Those 3 things are found
together in scripture but are not connected to “praying” even though they have
everything to do with prayer.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 If I speak in the tongues of
men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a
clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of
prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if
I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am
nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and
give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I
gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love
is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not
dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it
keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in
evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never
fails. But
where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are
tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass
away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in
part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in
part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I
thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the
ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection
as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part;
then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now
these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is
love.
In a nutshell: No matter how loudly we
try to communicate, without love it means nothing. In fact without Faith, Hope,
and Love (Love being the greater of the 3) there is no reason to pray and we
have not been in communion with God the ways He desires.
Let’s
reframe prayer and say that everything we do in prayer always has to do with
faith, hope and love.
FAITH – as a grain of mustard seed.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith must exist before we ever
think about praying.
HOPE: “Faith is the assuance of things hoped
for – the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) “Hope that is seen is
no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?” Rom 8:24. When we pray,
how often do we wish something will happen? We must HOPE a thing will happen
which means we are certain it will.
LOVE: If there is no love – prayer does
not exist.
If there is no love, communication with
God does not exist because the Bible states that God is love. At age 15 and
later, my communication with Kim was not about relaying information (that is
not prayer) it wasn’t even about having conversations (that is closer to
prayer, but not prayer), our communion – our hearts becoming intertwined
because we were growing in love with each other is what mattered – when our
hearts begin to be intertwined with God – then we are truly praying – and often
times that is done without words.
Remember this above all things: PRAYER
IS GOD’S LOVE LANGUAGE!
Let’s do a training exercise in love as
a prayer language.
God’s Love is patient, God’s love
is kind. God’s love is not easily angered.
God’s love keeps no record of
wrongs.
God’s love does not delight in
evil but rejoices with the truth.
God’s love always protects, always
trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
God’s love never fails.
COMMUNION
Sing: Surely the presence of the Lord
is in this place.
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