"When Prayer Does Work"

 

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being."

 

            Last week we looked at "when prayer doesn’t work," so I wanted to conclude this series by talking about "when prayer does work." I also want to say that I realize those are the wrong titles. Prayer is not something that "works" or "doesn't work," as if it is a product to be advertised and sold. That may be how the world views prayer. But we know that prayer is a developing relationship with the Living God, and that it is by praying and learning how to pray that we come to experience the faithfulness of God, the provision of God, the strength of God, the love of God and the goodness of God.             That is what I want to talk about this morning. It is the reality of answered prayer.

            We used to sing a little chorus at camp or youth group.

            “Whisper a prayer in the morning,

            whisper a prayer at noon,

            whisper a prayer in the evening,

            to keep your heart in tune.”

            And then:

            “God answers prayer in the morning,

            God answers prayer at noon,

            God answers prayer in the evening,

            so keep your heart in tune.”

It was not much of a song musically; I don't know if it would work with electric guitar and drums. But it described a life formed by regular prayer. God answers prayer, and we need both to form our lives by prayer and also discover how we might receive those answers to prayer.

            Today I would like to ramble on a bit about how I have observed people praying and also receiving answers to their prayers. I feel that I have had a great privilege in being a pastor all these years, and wish that somehow everyone could have that experience in order to see what I have been able to see. When I finished school, Kathy and I started out in Jamestown, New York. A big part of my assignment there was to visit the older people in the church, and there were lots of them. In those days we called them "shut-ins," a term seldom used today. What I discovered in making those visits was that many of them were reasonably healthy, but they just decided to be less active after about age 80, so we would go visit them.

            The point is that in Jamestown when I was just starting out, and then in Mt. Vernon, where we had a large group of older members, and now here, I have had the privilege of getting to know people who lived long and who developed lives of prayer over the years. Their stories indicated that they had known suffering, loss, grief, ups and downs of life, but they consistently talked about the goodness of God and the faithfulness of God through the years, and that came through their consistent life of prayer. Their lives were formed by prayer. They have left a deep influence upon me, and I could talk about many of them by name.

            One came quickly to mind: Erma Anderson. I knew her in the years that she lived in a nursing home, and it was not the nicest one in town. She had suffered a number of strokes and her legs and speech were weak. She knew how to pray. A visit was always an encouraging time. She lived a genuine and honest life and faith. I could tell that her inner being was strengthened, and that served her well as she lived out what was a rather difficult life.

            What I came to realize in those years was that a lifelong habit of prayer develops a thankful attitude later in life and a strength of inner character that protects a person from some of the bitterness or isolation that can come in the later years. I have talked to a number of young people who tell me they have quit praying because "God does not give me what I want." I feel badly about that. If you keep praying and if you are willing to learn how to pray, over time it produces a life that is filled with blessing.

            There is another type of praying that I find very powerful and renewing. I must admit I do not do it often enough, and it is a bit difficult in the winter here. But the Prayer Walk is a very effective form of prayer. You can do it different ways. One way is to walk your neighborhood and simply pray for each neighbor as you go by their house. You can also walk by a school, or walk downtown past businesses, or past the fire department or police department, or other churches, and pray for the people in each of those places.

            The other way to do a Prayer Walk is to go without agenda. In this type, you pray as you begin for God to quiet your mind. When thoughts come, you politely dismiss them and tell them you will get back to them later. With a quiet mind you walk, and simply observe for a while. Then God will begin to show you some things and will lead you into prayer.

            This model is helpful in learning how to pray the scriptures. We "walk" through the Bible. As we read, we come to passages that we can use as guides in prayer. Ephesians 3:14-21 would be one such passage. Then you pray the scripture. Let the scriptures give you words in praying.

            A good example of this is the Sunday School Prayer Partner program that Teresa Anderson has begun. She has selected a few people to pray for each Sunday school class. Then, each week she sends an email, and that gives a scriptural way of praying for each child. One of the recent ones was about praying for the emotional well-being of each child and young person. So it says,

            "Heavenly Father, do not let _____ be enslaved by her emotions. Christ has set her free, so let her stand firm, refusing to let herself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)

            "Show ____ that she is fearfully and wonderfully made, and that your works are wonderful. Teach her that she is precious in your sight, and that you love her." (Psalm 139:14, Isaiah 43:4)

            Then there is dependent praying. Once I was a camp speaker, and after one or two messages, I realized that what I had prepared for the week was simply not appropriate. So I set all my talks aside. I got up at sunrise each morning and walked up to the ridge above the camp. On the trail I prayer and listened to God. Then I would return to camp and hurriedly write down what I had sensed. I went through each camp day without worrying about it and in the evening just spoke what had been provided that morning. It was a good experience, learning to pray and trust God and living with what God provided. This is not to be an excuse for a lack of preparation or for our own laziness. But this is an effective way to pray. We do the preparation we need to do, and then pray and listen and ask God for His leading.

            Jesus says we are to watch and be ready, for the Lord comes when we do not expect him. I think this is also true of the answers to our prayer. Sometimes it is good to write down our prayers. This helps us be careful in our language and to know just what we are asking of God. Our prayers can sometimes be so vague, or so filled with anxiety, that it is hard to tell just what we are asking God to do. Sometimes it is good to use a set prayer, either from scripture or from a prayer book of the church. These often shape our language in helpful ways. Notice that Paul says he kneels before the Father, and then he prays. Kneeling requires a space and it takes time and a quiet heart. Then we can form our words and make our requests known.

            Paul prays for power for Christ to dwell in your hearts by faith. The Holy Spirit is the power of God at work in people. So he prays that we might receive power by the Holy Spirit in our inner being. This is not power to control our lives or circumstances, or power to make others do what we want. This is the power to hold on to Christ in the world where we face strong cultural pressures and hard experiences. It is this power that comes through prayer that will keep Christ in our hearts.

            Power is also needed in the inner being in order to grasp the love of Christ. We live in a very immoral world that does not understand or value love. Power is equated with money or with violence or with getting your way. But Paul prays for the power that fills believers with love, because that is the life that holds us and blesses us all through our days.

            God answers prayer. When we are willing to learn how to pray, and faithful to form our lives by prayer, we experience that life of remaining in Christ, a life that is eternal.

            Amen.