Secret Confessions of a Pastor - I’ve Wondered If Prayer Really Works
There have been moments in my life when I’ve seriously wondered whether prayer really works… Like when God allowed my grandfather to die of lung cancer despite my prayers… When gathered in a room of a thousand people praying - can God really listen to and answer all those prayers at the same time? And times when I attempted big things for God, prayed diligently, and those efforts flopped. Why? Where was God? Odds are you’ve probably wondered about the same things.
Listen online: I’ve Wondered If Prayer Really Works
Sermon Notes
1) Sometimes when our prayers aren’t answered as we would like it’s a “me deal.”
- Sometimes what I pray for is well intentioned by inappropriate. Luke 9.
- Sometimes my motives are selfish. James 4:2-3
- Sometimes my timing is inappropriate.
- Sometimes I have unresolved conflict.
- 1 Peter 3:7 Husbands… be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat her with respect … so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
- Proverbs 21:13 If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.
- Matt 5:23-24 Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
- Sometimes I have an inappropriate uncaring attitude.
- Sometimes I’m being control free.
2) Sometimes when our prayers aren’t answered as we would like it’s a “God deal.”
- God is God and He is no more intimidated by childish demands for answers than any wise/loving parent. Isaiah 55:8-9
- God is testing and growing my faith.
- God is wanting to develop my character.
- Some spiritual gains come through pain.
- Sometimes God knows I need to modify my request or maybe it’s a timing issue
- Sometimes I may not know God’s reasoning this side of heaven.
- Sometimes all I know is God can be trusted, so there must be a good reason.
God has used prayer in my life and ministry to:
- Bring direction in confusing times.
- Give peace in chaotic stressful times.
- Make provision in times of scarcity.
- Sustain in trying times.
Next Steps
- Begin praying to God on a daily basis, openly and honestly. There’s no right way to pray or right words to say other than to be authentic with Him.
- Write down your prayers in a prayer journal. This will help you to look back on and remember when God comes through in your life.
- Begin a prayer partnership with someone. If you’re not sure how to start or looking for someone to partner with please contact us and we can help.
Contact Us
If you have any comments or questions about this message, or if we can be of further assistance to you in this area please contact us. We will keep your message confidential and make sure it gets to the right person.
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April 29th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Thanks to everyone who texted your questions about prayer during the services this morning. If you have questions that didn’t get answered, please post them here in the blog.
April 29th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
I enjoyed the teaching and I can’t believe Douglas is showing signs of becoming a techie! That was a great way to take questions/feedback and I’d like to see more of that. I also like the changes to the website and the additions of the blog and podcast. Great job!
Keep bringing the teachings on prayer and meditation. Our family got a lot out of today’s message. God bless!
April 29th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
I thought this was a great idea - I liked being able to text in questions. Good way to create interaction and engage us. I would be interested in discussing some of the questions that Douglas didn’t have time to read. Anybody ask any that didn’t get read?
April 29th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Oh yeah - just read Paul’s post - oops…should have finished reading.
May 1st, 2007 at 11:21 am
In my life, the Lord’s work has been abundantly clear. In the past year alone, so much has happened that cannot be attributed to “luck” or good timing.
To sum up: I started my career, got married, bought a house and had my first child - a beautiful baby girl. Going even further back, the circumstances that lead to my reconnection with a friend from my childhood at a mutual friend’s wedding (when we spent our high school and college years at different schools) were undeniably divine as friendship quickly blossomed into Love. Wedding planning was a whirlwind of positive experiences as nearly every last little detail came together perfectly, with some awesome help from Cypress members and the minor miracle of weather cooperation in Florida’s summer.
The next experiences served to remind me (now us) of how active and amazing of a God we serve.
After searching our area high and low for a place to live, and becoming increasingly distressed at how nonexistent a quality home in a safe neighborhood (in our price range) seemed to be, I was talked into attending small group for the first time (and found it wasn’t so bad). The time came for prayer requests and this specific session had us divided for prayer into seperate groups for men and women. That very night, our first night with the group, my wife was requesting prayer to find a house as another woman was requesting prayer to sell a house.
Nothing can be that simple I thought, but guess what house we ended up buying? That was definitely the God-version of “two birds with one stone.”
I could continue to list blessings received for several more paragraphs, and I’m only stopping to keep this from rambling on for pages, not because the rest are any less awesome.
The movie “Signs” summed it up pretty nicely:
“See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?”
Me? I don’t believe in coincidence.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
I have seen that when I sought God with all my heart about something, I received an answer. By that I don’t necessarily mean I spent alot of time praying, but sometimes did, but that my talks with God and the subject of my petition were very deeply sincere. If we pray according to our will we may not get an answer, but if we ask anything according to His will, when we know He hears us we know we receive the petition we desired.
Recently I had a great spiritual deliverance in my life. I was deluded about something for a whole year, that was leading me in the wrong direction. My desperate husband had to turn to God, and prayed hard for a long time. It took months before I could finally “See’ the truth, and many events…that didn’t always look like any progress was happening, but often like things were just getting worse. He kept praying…and he kept seeing the truth, though I didn’t. The events all lead up to a time when God did show up in our house…Phil saw him and I saw Phil see Him…during a miraculous healing Phil had, which WAS related to me…he was half here and half gone during this…as if he was dying…and that’s when he saw the Lord, and I saw the amazing expression on his face.
He was instantly healed obviously. (It’s a long story) But I know today that all his praying brought this great victory. He prayed hard for months; he was praying for God’s will; it wasn’t God’s will for me or anyone to follow a deception delusion that would alter their life for the worst.
He prayed without ceasing; he trusted God above what seemed impossible conditions; and when he saw no progress happening. He had to…God was his only hope. And God did answer in a mighty way…not instantly…it took time for the events to happen that would finally allow me to “See.”
May 30th, 2007 at 7:38 am
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