May 5, 2002
Sixth Sunday Of Easter
The Power Of Prayer
(Psalm 66:8-20)
Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn
[8] Bless our God, O peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard,
[9] who has kept us among the living,
and has not let our feet slip.
[10] For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
[11] You brought us into the net;
you laid burdens on our backs;
[12] you let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.
[13] I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay you my vows,
[14] those that my lips uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
[15] I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings,
with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats.
[16] Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.
[17] I cried aloud to him,
and he was extolled with my tongue.
[18] If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
[19] But truly God has listened;
he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
[20] Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me.
[NRSV]
Let me read those last two verses again. (Psalm 66:19-20) "But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me."
The Good News is that God hears our prayer and God answers our prayers. But that Good News presupposes that we actually spend in prayer.
Prayer is one the basics of a relationship with God. Prayer is more than just us running off at the mouth in holy language. Prayer is speaking but also listening; opening our hearts and minds to hearing God speak to us. Prayer is one of the basics.
A lot of communities have Little League Football programs in the fall of the year. In one community, two weeks into the season, an armchair coach with a big gut like Norm on Cheers, came into the YMCA and wanted to see the person in charge. He said he had just moved to the area and wanted to coach football. Were there any teams? The YMCA director said, "Yes," but the only kids he had left were the runts and the misfits that nobody else wanted.
The coach said that was fine. So, he took the runts and the misfits and he began working with them. It was only a week until the first game and he knew he couldn't teach them much. They already knew how to go up the middle, so all week long he worked on blocking. At the game that week, it didn't long for the other team to figure out their one play. But even though they stopped the runts from going up the middle. The other team couldn't get past their defense. The final score was 0 to 0.
All the next week, they worked on blocking, and going left. Now they had two plays. That week they won because they scored a touchback. During their third week of practice, they worked on blocking and going right. They had three plays and although they didn't win, that week they scored a touchdown. During the fourth week, though, the Coach had to be gone and asked some of the fathers to take over.
The Coach got back in town, drove to the field and the game was already underway. He looked out and it was disaster, it was chaos. It was only the first quarter and the score was already 21 to 0 in favor of the other team.
Everybody was going in every direction possible. Seven kids went out for a pass. Nobody blocked. The kids were confused and crying. So he called them all together and asked what's wrong. They said, "We can't remember 31 or 42 or the sweep."
The coach said, "O.K. Then let's just keep it simple. We'll go back to the basics. Go left, go right, up the middle and block." They kept it simple and they stopped the other team from scoring any more points. They were even able to score twice themselves.
The fathers who had been left in charge started to protest but then one of the other fathers noticed something. He looked down and the coach with the big gut like Norm on Cheers; the coach who had only taught three plays and blocking; had on a Superbowl Ring.
It was then that the fathers realized that he knew 31 and 42 and the sweep and a whole lot of other plays, but he also knew the kids and their limitations. He knew you had to start with and build upon the basics. (1)
Without the foundation of the basics, everything else falls apart. Prayer is one of the basic elements of our Christian life. Without it, our souls faint within us. Without it, we hunger and thirst after that which only God can provide. To keep from getting faint, to keep from starving spiritually, we need to spend time in prayer.
(USE DIRECTION CHANGING CARD)
Prayer Helps Give Us Direction. We know that life can be confusing at times. (Keep changing from left to right) There are times when it seems like we're pulled in every direction but the right direction. We go this way and that way. And then back again. And no matter what we try, we just can't seem to get going in the right direction.
(Change to facing down) And we just hope we don't end up going that direction.
Prayer helps give us direction in our lives. (Change to facing up)
It not only helps point us in the right direction. It helps keep us going in the right direction.
(USE BREAK APART FAN)
Prayer Helps Us Hold It Together. We give our lives to Christ. (Show Whole Fan) We have one of those moments of renewal or experience a newness in our faith and everything feels good and whole and perfect. But we all know that life can get frazzled. Sometimes everything comes from together to apart.
(Show broken fan)
And it happens all of a sudden. We never know why or when. But sometimes life can come apart at the seams.
But Prayer can help us put all back together and keep it together. (Show Whole Fan)
And the next time life comes apart at the seams. (Show broken fan)
Prayer will help us put it back together again. (Show Whole Fan)
(USE BLOOMING FLOWERS)
Prayer Helps Revive Us. (Show Bouquet) Life can be a lot like these flowers. It starts off beautiful and full. But then something happens. We get in a fight with our spouse. (Pick A Flower)
We have some unexpected expenses that make us cancel something to which we were looking forward. (Pick A Flower)
We have repairs to the house or the car. (Pick A Flower)
The boss has been all over us about getting a report finished but the boss hasn't gotten the most critical information to you. (Pick A Flower)
Or maybe it's not about you. Maybe it's a friend who has just discovered she has cancer. (Pick A Flower)
It doesn't make any difference. Pretty soon our lives feel empty and bare. We feel devoid of life and hope. That's where prayer helps. Prayer and worship and the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper all act to Revive us and fill us with a fresh outpouring of God's Spirit until we're in full bloom once again. (Make Flowers Bloom Again)
(USE CRYSTAL BOX AND SPRING FLOWERS)
Prayer Can Fill Us With Hope. Sometimes, there's tragedy in our lives that just leaves us feeling totally alone and empty (Show Empty Crystal Box) just like this box.
We've all had those times when we were totally empty inside. Maybe it was because of the death of a loved one or loss of a job. But whatever the cause, we were empty. (Show That Box Is Empty)
That when we need to turn to God the most. That's when we need to spend time in worship and prayer. Through prayer and worship we can bring that emptiness to God. And when we put our emptiness in God's hands. God can and does change that emptiness into hope. Hope that fills us completely. (Show Crystal Box Filled With Spring Flowers)
(USE CHICK PAN, SILKS AND STREAMER)
Finally, Prayer Can Turn Problems Into Blessings.
Most of you have seen this little pan before. (Show Chick Pan)
Imagine that it is the Hands of God. In Prayer, we're able to bring all the problems of life represented by these silks (Show Silks) and put them right into God's Hands. (Put Silks In Chick Pan)
And God can take those problems and turn them into and endless supply of blessings (Transform Silks Into Streamer) that just keep coming and coming and coming. All because you spent time in prayer.
Let me show you a real short video. It's one of our United Methodist Commercials that aired shortly after the events of September 11th.
(Show the UMC Breaking News TV Spot: "Prayer".)
United Methodists have always been a praying people. And like this video intimated, we don't just pray FOR people, we pray WITH people. Why? Because there is Power In Prayer. Not worldly power but God's Power. God's Power to Heal, Revive, Give Direction and Hope and the Power To Change Problems Into Blessings.
As we close, let me teach you a very simple prayer technique, it's called The Hand Prayer. As you probably guessed it uses our hands as a guide.
It's very simple. Fold your hands. Now look at each one of your fingers. The fingers of your hands symbolizes someone in your life.
THUMB: Look at your Thumb. It's the nearest finger to you and it symbolizes those who are the closest to you. Your nearest and dearest. In this prayer, you simply take a minute to think about those you love the most.
INDEX FINGER: Next, look at your Index Finger. This is the one you point with. This finger symbolizes those who try to point the way for others. People like Pastors, Teachers, Missionaries, Professors, Youth Directors and Counselors. Whenever you look at your index finger, remember those who work at pointing the way for others.
MIDDLE FINGER: Next is your Middle Finger. This is the tallest, this is the longest finger. It is used to remember Leaders in every sphere of life. This includes all of our elected, government and church officials. When you use the Hand Prayer, remember those folks who are in leadership.
RING FINGER: Now we come to the Ring Finger. As I found out from a pianist, this is the weakest finger of all. This finger symbolizes those who are in trouble, those who are in pain, those who are in need of any kind. It symbolizes the weak and the forgotten in our world. Pray for them when you look at your Ring Finger.
LITTLE FINGER: That leaves the Little Finger. The smallest and least important of them all. This finger represents us. Whenever you look at it, pray for yourself.
That's all there is to it. Just use your fingers to remind you of who and what to pray for.
Spend time in prayer and remember, sometimes life is just like this little piece of rope. Right now the rope is limp and loose. It's easily tied in knots. (Make a circle) Sometimes our lives are like that. They get all tied up in knots or we just run around in circles, with no direction. But with Prayer our lives are straightened out and strengthened. (Make rope rigid)
Prayer helps keep our lives from getting all tangled up. So, don't forget the power of prayer. Don't forget to pray. Don't forget to use Prayer as your daily guide. If you do forget, you might just have one of those limp and lifeless lives. (Make rope go limp)
So, instead, make sure you practice the basics. Make sure you tap into the Power of God for daily living. Spend time in prayer so your life will be on the straight and narrow and you will be strengthened by God. (Make rope rigid)
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