WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.700 Good morning everyone. Are we all so happy with 00:00:06.700 --> 00:00:12.259 the weather today? It's so nice. Oh my gosh. 00:00:13.460 --> 00:00:18.800 I was at a place last week, which my work takes 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:23.539 me in a lot of places, but it was on the equator, 00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:25.800 so I just assumed it was gonna be like blazing 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:29.699 hot, and it was like 65 degrees all week. It 00:00:29.699 --> 00:00:32.439 was amazing. It was also 10 ,000 feet up, so 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:35.960 I couldn't breathe. It was really hard. My lungs 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:38.740 were very aware. But it was so comfortable. And 00:00:38.740 --> 00:00:40.539 then I got back on Thursday. And I was like, 00:00:40.820 --> 00:00:45.299 it was terrible. Tornadoes and downpours. And 00:00:45.299 --> 00:00:50.659 welcome back to Midwest. So upon my return, I 00:00:50.659 --> 00:00:53.100 realized I probably had missed a few days of 00:00:53.100 --> 00:00:59.100 this already. But I missed the few days. of this 00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:02.820 fight that a cat bird was having with itself 00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:07.500 in my front and sometimes side windows. Have 00:01:07.500 --> 00:01:11.920 you ever had birds who decide that their reflection 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:16.239 is their worst enemy? Yeah, so this was what 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:19.480 was going on and I was waking up to it at 6 a 00:01:19.480 --> 00:01:22.030 .m. and I was like, what is that sound? I have 00:01:22.030 --> 00:01:23.709 a branch very close to one of my windows, and 00:01:23.709 --> 00:01:26.230 this bird is getting up and choosing violence 00:01:26.230 --> 00:01:28.390 all day every day, and it leaps at itself in 00:01:28.390 --> 00:01:30.430 the window and then proceeds to peck over and 00:01:30.430 --> 00:01:32.989 over and over and over again at the glass. And 00:01:32.989 --> 00:01:34.730 then it will go away, and I'll be reading, and 00:01:34.730 --> 00:01:40.890 then it's like... Oh my gosh. And it's been happening 00:01:40.890 --> 00:01:44.469 every day since I got back. And I even put up 00:01:44.469 --> 00:01:46.689 a board in the window thinking it would deter 00:01:46.689 --> 00:01:48.829 it, and it did not. It just found another window, 00:01:48.890 --> 00:01:51.519 which I'm like, how do you... You know where 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:53.260 the windows are. How do you know that you're 00:01:53.260 --> 00:01:56.140 not fighting yourself? Whatever. So here's the 00:01:56.140 --> 00:01:59.760 thing. This is not the first of this that I've 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:02.459 encountered this year. And I think maybe it was 00:02:02.459 --> 00:02:07.159 sometime in May, this was going on like mad as 00:02:07.159 --> 00:02:11.419 well, but with a robin. So that was a whole thing. 00:02:11.479 --> 00:02:14.159 So I discovered that robins, because of this, 00:02:14.259 --> 00:02:16.580 are pretty territorial during the spring nesting 00:02:16.580 --> 00:02:20.169 season. Yesterday, I found myself Googling, are 00:02:20.169 --> 00:02:23.650 cat birds territorial? And it turns out they 00:02:23.650 --> 00:02:27.789 are highly territorial. And so these birds have 00:02:27.789 --> 00:02:33.349 persisted to protect their nests against themselves. 00:02:34.930 --> 00:02:37.189 But honestly, I also commend them too, because 00:02:37.189 --> 00:02:39.770 as long as there is a perceived threat, even 00:02:39.770 --> 00:02:42.849 if it is their own self, they will persist. in 00:02:42.849 --> 00:02:44.990 their efforts to protect the nest, and they will 00:02:44.990 --> 00:02:48.009 persist in their efforts to ward off ill intent. 00:02:48.870 --> 00:02:51.629 And there are a lot of cats around the neighborhood, 00:02:52.289 --> 00:02:56.310 so the vigilance is important. So persist little 00:02:56.310 --> 00:03:00.710 one, persist. So I would like to tell you that 00:03:00.710 --> 00:03:03.250 conveniently, we are talking this week about 00:03:03.250 --> 00:03:06.349 prayer and persistence. And my little cat bird 00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:10.810 was a great illustration this week. My little 00:03:10.810 --> 00:03:12.969 friends have helped me with this setup, even 00:03:12.969 --> 00:03:15.590 if they chipped away at my sanity all day every 00:03:15.590 --> 00:03:17.909 day while picking unwinnable battles with themselves, 00:03:18.830 --> 00:03:21.509 which, honestly, I can't say I haven't also done 00:03:21.509 --> 00:03:25.909 the same before. But friends, since the Bible 00:03:25.909 --> 00:03:28.870 has so much to say about prayer, we're going 00:03:28.870 --> 00:03:32.810 to approach this more like a clinic, like a learning 00:03:32.810 --> 00:03:36.530 clinic than a proper sermon. It will be both. 00:03:38.090 --> 00:03:40.229 You know, there's a lot to learn about prayer. 00:03:40.270 --> 00:03:42.270 And I think that there's some really amazing 00:03:42.270 --> 00:03:45.430 tools out there, both now and historic, that 00:03:45.430 --> 00:03:49.550 the church has put together to help aid us in 00:03:49.550 --> 00:03:52.050 how we pray. And so we're going to take a look 00:03:52.050 --> 00:03:54.949 at a bunch of things today. We've been in the 00:03:54.949 --> 00:03:57.289 book of Matthew for a few months. Love it. I 00:03:57.289 --> 00:04:00.189 love parking at a book for a while and digging 00:04:00.189 --> 00:04:02.330 in deep. And Matthew has some really good words 00:04:02.330 --> 00:04:05.180 about prayer. But we will use it as a jumping 00:04:05.180 --> 00:04:07.400 off point because I think we could also use some 00:04:07.400 --> 00:04:11.159 tools and since summer is here and We do things 00:04:11.159 --> 00:04:13.300 a little differently in the summer our time is 00:04:13.300 --> 00:04:16.680 a little bit different grabbing for a new set 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:18.860 of helps and taking the time to consider things 00:04:18.860 --> 00:04:22.220 more deeply is a Summer's a good opportunity 00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:24.259 to do that. So I think that's what we could benefit 00:04:24.259 --> 00:04:28.279 from today And we have everyone in here. We have 00:04:28.279 --> 00:04:30.779 Treehouse in here. We have Shed in here. All 00:04:30.779 --> 00:04:32.879 of us adults are together. So this is a great 00:04:32.879 --> 00:04:35.459 day to do some collective learning. So we're 00:04:35.459 --> 00:04:38.339 going to read from the passage in Matthew. We're 00:04:38.339 --> 00:04:41.800 going to read Matthew 7, chapter 7, verses 7 00:04:41.800 --> 00:04:47.160 through 11. Matthew 7, 7 through 11. And I will 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:49.720 invite you to take a posture of prayer. We like 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:52.079 to say that standing is a good posture to activate 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:55.389 yourself. If you are able to do that, but whatever 00:04:55.389 --> 00:04:57.649 you whatever posture you take make sure it is 00:04:57.649 --> 00:05:01.370 intentional towards the word of God this morning 00:05:01.370 --> 00:05:06.949 So I'll read ask and it will be given to you 00:05:06.949 --> 00:05:10.949 seek and you will find Knock and the door will 00:05:10.949 --> 00:05:14.610 be open to you for everyone who asks receives 00:05:14.610 --> 00:05:18.410 And the one who seeks finds and to the one who 00:05:18.410 --> 00:05:22.170 knocks the door will be opened Which of you if 00:05:22.170 --> 00:05:25.110 your son asks for bread will give him a stone 00:05:25.110 --> 00:05:29.029 or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake 00:05:29.029 --> 00:05:33.170 if You then who though you are evil know how 00:05:33.170 --> 00:05:36.269 to give good gifts to your children How much 00:05:36.269 --> 00:05:38.689 more will your father in heaven give good gifts 00:05:38.689 --> 00:05:42.910 to those who ask him? Let's pray God, thank you 00:05:42.910 --> 00:05:47.069 for your word. I thank you that Jesus shared 00:05:47.069 --> 00:05:50.980 this with us as well as an invitation to come 00:05:50.980 --> 00:05:54.720 to you. And I pray that we would let these words 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:57.360 sink deep in our hearts and deep in ourselves, 00:05:57.399 --> 00:05:59.160 that they would become a part of the foundation 00:05:59.160 --> 00:06:02.019 of our faith. And that you would teach us today 00:06:02.019 --> 00:06:05.519 and grow us in many ways. I pray this in your 00:06:05.519 --> 00:06:10.639 name. Amen. Can I have a seat? So the opening 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:14.680 ideas are ask, seek and knock. That's an easy 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:17.860 thing to grab hold of. Ask, seek and knock. Ask, 00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:22.709 seek and knock. What is prayer? It certainly 00:06:22.709 --> 00:06:24.730 is a lot of things. I think even someone who 00:06:24.730 --> 00:06:29.230 does not follow God conceptually knows what prayer 00:06:29.230 --> 00:06:32.310 is. Do you think that's safe to say? Even if 00:06:32.310 --> 00:06:34.769 they are not of the Christian religion, I think 00:06:34.769 --> 00:06:38.350 it's safe to say that the idea of prayer reaching 00:06:38.350 --> 00:06:40.930 out to a greater force for some help in this 00:06:40.930 --> 00:06:45.569 life is probably a familiar idea worldwide in 00:06:45.569 --> 00:06:50.100 a lot of ways. But as followers of Jesus, It 00:06:50.100 --> 00:06:54.500 becomes an essential piece of our faith. We believe 00:06:54.500 --> 00:06:58.040 in a God who wants to communicate with us. We 00:06:58.040 --> 00:07:00.959 believe in a God that loves us and desires good 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:03.379 things for us. We believe in a God that has good 00:07:03.379 --> 00:07:06.939 work to do in this world and invites us to be 00:07:06.939 --> 00:07:11.740 co -laborers. We believe in a God that has messages 00:07:11.740 --> 00:07:14.339 just for our own hearts and wants to share them 00:07:14.339 --> 00:07:17.769 with us. And for those things to happen, for 00:07:17.769 --> 00:07:21.350 those messages to come through, we need to learn 00:07:21.350 --> 00:07:25.009 how to tune our ears to the voice of God. And 00:07:25.009 --> 00:07:27.350 we need to open up the side of communication 00:07:27.350 --> 00:07:31.490 we are responsible for, and God, we will find, 00:07:32.029 --> 00:07:35.569 is there already communicating to us and with 00:07:35.569 --> 00:07:39.910 us. Prayer as a thing in our life is a gift. 00:07:40.750 --> 00:07:43.939 It is awesome that we have been invited to communicate 00:07:43.939 --> 00:07:46.660 with the living God, but it is also a discipline 00:07:46.660 --> 00:07:49.699 to be practiced. It is a muscle to be strengthened. 00:07:51.079 --> 00:07:54.459 Prayer is something, when done regularly with 00:07:54.459 --> 00:07:58.439 persistence, becomes a part of us. It becomes 00:07:58.439 --> 00:08:01.040 part of the foundation of our faith, and it eventually 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:03.699 becomes something that helps us stand straighter 00:08:03.699 --> 00:08:06.899 as believers and walk longer and further down 00:08:06.899 --> 00:08:10.279 roads that are less certain. Prayer when practiced 00:08:10.279 --> 00:08:14.759 over time is life altering. It will change you. 00:08:15.019 --> 00:08:17.220 And you will experience the voice of God in your 00:08:17.220 --> 00:08:19.660 life with greater clarity. You will experience 00:08:19.660 --> 00:08:22.220 the power of God in your life with greater measure. 00:08:24.360 --> 00:08:28.439 I do understand that some of us may have a complicated 00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:32.059 relationship with prayer. There is something 00:08:32.059 --> 00:08:34.799 you were told to pray about and the outcome wasn't 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:38.049 what you had hoped for. And I'm not just talking 00:08:38.049 --> 00:08:39.970 about how you prayed for a better test score 00:08:39.970 --> 00:08:42.610 and you didn't get it. I'm talking about those 00:08:42.610 --> 00:08:45.289 prayers that are considered, though everything 00:08:45.289 --> 00:08:48.309 is, but those prayers that we kind of put extra 00:08:48.309 --> 00:08:50.129 weight on and we're like, these are the big ones. 00:08:51.190 --> 00:08:53.210 The ones that feels like you should be praying 00:08:53.210 --> 00:08:56.169 when you're desperate. The ones that find you 00:08:56.169 --> 00:08:59.850 praying for loved ones to get well that didn't. 00:09:01.259 --> 00:09:03.679 Or the ones where you prayed that there would 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:06.159 be emotional healing and the other person or 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:09.059 even yourself found that your heart wasn't changed. 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:13.659 And so sometimes we just give up because it can 00:09:13.659 --> 00:09:16.179 hurt when the outcome doesn't match what we had 00:09:16.179 --> 00:09:21.139 hoped for. And in those cases, the verse in Matthew 00:09:21.139 --> 00:09:24.740 seems like a pipe dream. Maybe you felt like 00:09:24.740 --> 00:09:28.480 God might answer prayers, but he didn't answer 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:32.230 mine. Do you guys remember the movie Goonies? 00:09:32.330 --> 00:09:33.929 It probably doesn't take me much in a sermon 00:09:33.929 --> 00:09:36.610 to mention something from the 80s. There's the 00:09:36.610 --> 00:09:38.350 moment that they go down in the wishing well, 00:09:38.429 --> 00:09:41.529 and they find all the pennies and the coins that 00:09:41.529 --> 00:09:43.710 have been dropped in the wishing well. And one 00:09:43.710 --> 00:09:46.429 of them starts gathering about pennies. Somebody's 00:09:46.429 --> 00:09:49.350 like, these are people's wishes. He was like, 00:09:49.470 --> 00:09:51.710 yeah, well, this one was my wish, and it didn't 00:09:51.710 --> 00:09:55.389 come true. So I'm taking it back, taking them 00:09:55.389 --> 00:09:58.960 all back. That wasn't in my notes. You just got 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:02.759 that for free. Because my mind doesn't stray. 00:10:02.899 --> 00:10:04.480 It doesn't take too much to stray to something 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:08.240 like that. But we really do have these moments 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:09.840 where we're like, God might answer prayers, but 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:13.299 he didn't answer mine. And if that's how you 00:10:13.299 --> 00:10:16.139 feel, the conclusions you might draw are just 00:10:16.139 --> 00:10:19.500 as difficult. What does it mean if God didn't 00:10:19.500 --> 00:10:24.830 answer my prayer as I put it out there? So often, 00:10:24.970 --> 00:10:27.429 I'd like to suggest, and this can be difficult, 00:10:27.870 --> 00:10:30.450 our disappointment in prayer is loaded up by 00:10:30.450 --> 00:10:34.590 what we believe to be true about God. If God 00:10:34.590 --> 00:10:37.009 is cruel and stern, then you not getting what 00:10:37.009 --> 00:10:40.629 you had prayed for is God being cruel and withholding 00:10:40.629 --> 00:10:43.470 and not caring. And by default, it's what you 00:10:43.470 --> 00:10:47.289 might come to expect. If God is joyful about 00:10:47.289 --> 00:10:49.570 his children and wants to lavish his love on 00:10:49.570 --> 00:10:51.490 them, then you not getting what you hoped for 00:10:51.490 --> 00:10:54.309 in prayer is God making a way and doing something 00:10:54.309 --> 00:10:58.190 beyond what we can see. And these are simple, 00:10:58.490 --> 00:11:01.070 simplistic ideas. I want to be careful with your 00:11:01.070 --> 00:11:03.309 hearts and recognize that it's not just this 00:11:03.309 --> 00:11:07.429 simple. But I believe that the truths that we 00:11:07.429 --> 00:11:10.070 hold about God show up most when we talk about 00:11:10.070 --> 00:11:14.409 prayer. Angry father, loving friend, gracious 00:11:14.409 --> 00:11:20.700 or judging, We approach God in a way that we 00:11:20.700 --> 00:11:24.419 project God to be. And what we believe to be 00:11:24.419 --> 00:11:26.460 true will be revealed when we approach God in 00:11:26.460 --> 00:11:29.179 prayer. And so this might be the first point 00:11:29.179 --> 00:11:32.320 of transformation for us. The first point at 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:37.179 which we evaluate what we believe and then ask 00:11:37.179 --> 00:11:41.580 ourselves if it's true. Because you might have 00:11:41.580 --> 00:11:43.639 already heard the verse this morning and immediately 00:11:43.639 --> 00:11:47.509 thought, that's a fiction. Ask and it will be 00:11:47.509 --> 00:11:52.529 given to you? No. But may your first prayer on 00:11:52.529 --> 00:11:56.409 the other side of that realization be, God, I'm 00:11:56.409 --> 00:11:59.129 asking you to help me see you with truthful eyes. 00:12:01.730 --> 00:12:05.129 And I guarantee that prayer will be answered. 00:12:06.970 --> 00:12:10.570 And from here, our persistence in prayer is often 00:12:10.570 --> 00:12:14.549 what helps shape the reality around prayer and 00:12:14.549 --> 00:12:18.169 forms. over time a more truthful view of God. 00:12:19.769 --> 00:12:22.470 The more you pray, the more you engage in prayer, 00:12:22.570 --> 00:12:24.629 the more you have eyes to see what God is up 00:12:24.629 --> 00:12:27.769 to, where God is at work, and even the way God's 00:12:27.769 --> 00:12:30.509 working all things out for your good. And then 00:12:30.509 --> 00:12:32.750 you start to rejoice about what you see. And 00:12:32.750 --> 00:12:34.470 the more you give thanks, the more you become 00:12:34.470 --> 00:12:37.090 less very specifically focused on the thing in 00:12:37.090 --> 00:12:39.769 front of you, the more you understand that prayer 00:12:39.769 --> 00:12:42.529 is not just the asking of God to do something, 00:12:42.649 --> 00:12:45.429 but about watching God work. not just for you, 00:12:45.549 --> 00:12:48.809 but for all of his kids. And then the experience 00:12:48.809 --> 00:12:51.950 of his invitation for you to join in that work. 00:12:53.509 --> 00:12:58.110 It all begins expanding. And so while you were 00:12:58.110 --> 00:13:00.210 once focused on the one thing and prayed for 00:13:00.210 --> 00:13:03.710 that, the persistence of the practice of prayer 00:13:03.710 --> 00:13:08.090 begins expanding our world. And I haven't yet 00:13:08.090 --> 00:13:10.110 said that it means that everything's gonna turn 00:13:10.110 --> 00:13:14.570 out fine, because we just don't know. But it 00:13:14.570 --> 00:13:17.830 does change us, and it forms us, and it brings 00:13:17.830 --> 00:13:22.629 us deeper into truth. I believe prayer is meant 00:13:22.629 --> 00:13:26.570 to change us. The part about persistence is not 00:13:26.570 --> 00:13:29.309 so much that we keep banging on God's door until 00:13:29.309 --> 00:13:31.769 something happens, until he finally takes notice 00:13:31.769 --> 00:13:35.250 of us, right? But that it directs and focuses 00:13:35.250 --> 00:13:39.029 our trust and keeps us reminded of who is really 00:13:39.029 --> 00:13:44.179 the Lord of this wild ride of life. Prayer keeps 00:13:44.179 --> 00:13:49.379 us connected to that And so let's get into what 00:13:49.379 --> 00:13:51.419 kinds of prayers to find in the Bible because 00:13:51.419 --> 00:13:53.899 often I think when we first are introduced the 00:13:53.899 --> 00:13:56.679 idea of prayer and maybe First growing our faith. 00:13:56.720 --> 00:13:59.399 We are told to come to God with our needs hundred 00:13:59.399 --> 00:14:03.940 percent But if we just stop there, we're not 00:14:03.940 --> 00:14:07.539 gonna grow right? We're not gonna develop a healthy 00:14:07.539 --> 00:14:11.779 communication with God So yes, let's talk about 00:14:11.779 --> 00:14:15.120 the different kinds of prayer Supplication is 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:18.480 a kind of prayer that we should be participating 00:14:18.480 --> 00:14:22.299 in. We absolutely should be earnestly asking 00:14:22.299 --> 00:14:25.159 God for specific things in this world because 00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:30.399 God is our very present help. He's our very present 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:33.539 help and wants to give guidance and wants to 00:14:33.539 --> 00:14:38.220 care for us. There's an example in Philippians, 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:40.360 do not be anxious about anything but in every 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:43.820 situation present your request to God. joyful 00:14:43.820 --> 00:14:46.879 thing to know that when we are in need we have 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:49.799 a place to go and a creator that will listen 00:14:49.799 --> 00:14:56.720 to us. But prayer is also built up with adoration 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:00.659 and praise. Acknowledging and honoring and praising 00:15:00.659 --> 00:15:04.340 God simply for who he is and his majestic attributes. 00:15:05.139 --> 00:15:07.659 Scripture is full of this and we can also use 00:15:07.659 --> 00:15:09.840 these as our own if when we don't have words 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:13.179 ourselves we can use scripture. So 1 Chronicles 00:15:13.179 --> 00:15:16.419 29, 11, yours Lord is the greatness and the power 00:15:16.419 --> 00:15:19.779 and the glory and the majesty and the splendor. 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:23.039 Revelation 4, 11, you are worthy our Lord and 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:25.659 God to receive glory and honor and power for 00:15:25.659 --> 00:15:28.539 you created all things and by your will they 00:15:28.539 --> 00:15:30.879 were created and have their being. We are just 00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:35.279 simply adoring God, recognizing the greatness 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:40.139 and the goodness of who he is. Prayers of Thanksgiving, 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:42.659 expressing gratitude to God for his blessings, 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:45.580 faithfulness in the things he's done. Thanksgiving 00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:48.360 is transformative. There are whole studies out 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:51.019 there right now about what gratitude does to 00:15:51.019 --> 00:15:54.779 change your brain chemistry, right? I lived in 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:57.700 negativity constantly and I realized at one point 00:15:57.700 --> 00:16:01.039 I was really unpleasant to be around because 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:04.059 I just, you know, in my mind thought I was seeing 00:16:04.059 --> 00:16:07.440 the world realistically. There's just being really, 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:11.179 really negative. And there's a difference between 00:16:11.179 --> 00:16:14.820 being realistic and just being like the whole 00:16:14.820 --> 00:16:17.500 outlook on life is just everything is falling 00:16:17.500 --> 00:16:21.250 apart. And so I changed my practice and my focus. 00:16:21.269 --> 00:16:24.049 I started practicing thanksgiving, recognizing 00:16:24.049 --> 00:16:26.389 all that God had done in me and around me and 00:16:26.389 --> 00:16:28.970 others' lives, and that I have the life I do, 00:16:29.309 --> 00:16:31.289 and that God's love is a core piece of it, that 00:16:31.289 --> 00:16:33.850 I have the community I do. And then it made me 00:16:33.850 --> 00:16:35.990 really grateful to see that for other people. 00:16:36.070 --> 00:16:37.909 When I'd see good things happening for other 00:16:37.909 --> 00:16:40.840 people, I was grateful on their behalf. Oh, isn't 00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:43.399 that special that they have that? That's an amazing 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:46.059 experience. I'm so happy that that happened to 00:16:46.059 --> 00:16:48.500 them. I'm so happy they got this opportunity. 00:16:48.620 --> 00:16:51.159 The more gratitude and the thanksgiving you offer 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:53.779 to God, you start seeing reasons to thank God 00:16:53.779 --> 00:16:58.340 everywhere around you. God's goodness is so full 00:16:58.340 --> 00:17:01.399 in this world. And even for the things that we 00:17:01.399 --> 00:17:03.779 don't recognize, but just probably know, I think 00:17:03.779 --> 00:17:06.400 God really protected us through that experience. 00:17:06.440 --> 00:17:11.279 I'm so grateful. And so it was because I saw 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:13.480 this in other people, a deep gratitude for God's 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:15.220 work in this world, even when it wasn't their 00:17:15.220 --> 00:17:18.000 desired outcome. They were able to see past it 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:19.660 to God's wholeness and fullness around them. 00:17:19.660 --> 00:17:23.400 I started practicing that too. And so First Chronicle 00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:26.599 1634, give thanks to the Lord for he is good, 00:17:26.940 --> 00:17:31.460 his love endures forever. First Thessalonians 00:17:31.460 --> 00:17:34.539 6, 16 through 18, rejoice always, pray continually, 00:17:34.700 --> 00:17:36.839 give thanks in all circumstances for this is 00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:41.319 God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Next we have 00:17:41.319 --> 00:17:45.000 intercession, which is literally just going to 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:48.059 God on somebody else's behalf. It's standing 00:17:48.059 --> 00:17:51.380 in the gap to pray for others, for other people, 00:17:51.579 --> 00:17:53.660 for communities. This is what we do when we pray 00:17:53.660 --> 00:17:57.420 for Greenbush. We are interceding on Greenbush's 00:17:57.420 --> 00:18:00.039 behalf. For the people in that neighborhood who 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:03.200 may not even know that there's a God who loves 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:06.119 them, we are interceding for that neighborhood 00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:10.289 when we pray for them. Even for nations in the 00:18:10.289 --> 00:18:13.250 world for people groups everywhere we intercede 00:18:13.250 --> 00:18:16.849 and so first Timothy 2 1 says I urge then first 00:18:16.849 --> 00:18:19.549 of all that petitions prayers and intercession 00:18:19.549 --> 00:18:24.569 and Thanksgiving be made for all people Also 00:18:24.569 --> 00:18:28.130 an incredible example is in John The end of John 00:18:28.130 --> 00:18:30.029 when Jesus prays for his followers when they 00:18:30.029 --> 00:18:32.029 go into the garden in the book of John Jesus 00:18:32.029 --> 00:18:34.650 prays for his disciples in ways They do not yet 00:18:34.650 --> 00:18:38.029 know how to pray for themselves because they 00:18:38.029 --> 00:18:43.809 had not yet seen what was ahead. Prayers of confession, 00:18:44.930 --> 00:18:46.849 setting our hearts in a right position towards 00:18:46.849 --> 00:18:49.269 God, humbly acknowledging and asking for forgiveness 00:18:49.269 --> 00:18:52.450 for sins and shortcomings before God. 1 John 00:18:52.450 --> 00:18:54.890 1 .9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful 00:18:54.890 --> 00:18:57.829 and just and will forgive us our sins. Psalm 00:18:57.829 --> 00:19:03.690 51 .3 is a distinct prayer. I know my transgression 00:19:03.690 --> 00:19:06.670 and my sin is ever before me. Confessing that 00:19:06.670 --> 00:19:13.529 before God is healing. Lament. This is pouring 00:19:13.529 --> 00:19:17.589 out raw and passionate grief and sorrow or even 00:19:17.589 --> 00:19:21.430 frustration to God. This is where your disappointment 00:19:21.430 --> 00:19:23.690 goes. What do we do with our disappointment? 00:19:23.890 --> 00:19:27.049 What do we do when our hope is broken? We lament. 00:19:27.549 --> 00:19:32.900 There is a place for this too. And so Psalm 13, 00:19:32.980 --> 00:19:36.480 one through four, how long, oh Lord, will you 00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:39.640 forget me forever? How long will you hide your 00:19:39.640 --> 00:19:42.319 face from me? How long must I wrestle with my 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:45.140 thoughts? And day after day have sorrow in my 00:19:45.140 --> 00:19:48.380 heart. How long will my enemy triumph over me? 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:51.920 Look on me and answer, Lord my God, give light 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:55.859 to my eyes or I will sleep in death and my enemy 00:19:55.859 --> 00:19:58.579 will say I have overcome him and my foes will 00:19:58.579 --> 00:20:02.220 rejoice when I fall. That is a heart that has 00:20:02.220 --> 00:20:05.319 been broken. It was a heart that is not seeing 00:20:05.319 --> 00:20:08.660 the outcome that they had hoped for. And so there 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:13.900 is a place in talking to God called lament. God 00:20:13.900 --> 00:20:17.660 is not afraid of our disappointment, our pain, 00:20:18.259 --> 00:20:23.119 our anger. He invites it. There's the prayer 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:25.039 of faith, which is praying with absolute trust 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:27.039 and belief in God's power and willingness to 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:31.650 act, particularly for healing. James 515 says, 00:20:31.829 --> 00:20:33.910 and the prayer offered in faith will make the 00:20:33.910 --> 00:20:36.829 sick person well. Again, I understand that there 00:20:36.829 --> 00:20:38.710 are complications. This goes back to ask and 00:20:38.710 --> 00:20:41.269 you will receive. Is it that simple? It's a hard 00:20:41.269 --> 00:20:45.190 one. But we are invited to have great faith when 00:20:45.190 --> 00:20:49.690 we pray. We are invited to put our full faith 00:20:49.690 --> 00:20:53.750 in God. Corporate prayer. This is often what 00:20:53.750 --> 00:20:56.309 we do together when we say our prayers for life 00:20:56.309 --> 00:21:00.180 or the Lord's Prayer. These are great to do. 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:03.299 Believers praying together in unity, putting 00:21:03.299 --> 00:21:05.599 our voices together, facing the same direction. 00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:08.960 Matthew 18, 20, for where two or three are gathered 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:12.940 in my name, I am there with them. And then I 00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:15.339 offer prayers in the spirit, which could be any 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:18.019 of these, honestly, but prayers in the spirit 00:21:18.019 --> 00:21:20.779 are what you, what often people call praying 00:21:20.779 --> 00:21:25.759 in tongues. Acts 10, 44 through 46. While Peter 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:27.920 was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:30.599 came on all who heard the message. The circumcised 00:21:30.599 --> 00:21:33.559 believers who had come with Peter were astonished 00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:35.539 that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured 00:21:35.539 --> 00:21:38.660 out even on Gentiles, for they heard them speaking 00:21:38.660 --> 00:21:41.220 in tongues and praising God. And there have been 00:21:41.220 --> 00:21:44.859 examples of people praying in the Spirit, and 00:21:44.859 --> 00:21:46.640 not necessarily knowing what they're praying, 00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:49.259 but it is example of the Spirit also interceding 00:21:49.259 --> 00:21:53.970 with them. And Jesus knows our heart. So these 00:21:53.970 --> 00:21:55.630 are all examples of prayer that we find in the 00:21:55.630 --> 00:21:59.029 Bible. And none of them are magic bullets. Prayer 00:21:59.029 --> 00:22:01.829 is not a magic box we open. It is not meant to 00:22:01.829 --> 00:22:05.690 be a spell. Prayer, when done persistently over 00:22:05.690 --> 00:22:10.250 time, develops depth and fullness and width in 00:22:10.250 --> 00:22:14.490 our relationship with God. And it grows and transforms 00:22:14.490 --> 00:22:18.500 us. So much so that over the long arc of our 00:22:18.500 --> 00:22:21.819 lives, when things don't go as we had hoped, 00:22:22.420 --> 00:22:24.960 we are not crushed in spirit, but we also see 00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:28.319 the long arc of God's presence with us. This 00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:31.799 is what persistence in prayer guides us to. And 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:35.400 as I said, prayer helps us walk longer in uncertainty. 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:39.859 It helps strengthen our muscles of hope and trust. 00:22:40.279 --> 00:22:44.400 It develops a truthful view of God. and many 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:46.539 more things that if you talk to people who have 00:22:46.539 --> 00:22:50.400 been believers a long time, they will tell you 00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:53.579 all the other ways that a persistent life of 00:22:53.579 --> 00:22:57.700 prayer has altered them for good and has changed 00:22:57.700 --> 00:23:03.519 their relationship with God. So consider if your 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:07.380 prayer life is well -rounded. Is it simply supplication? 00:23:07.480 --> 00:23:09.779 Is it simply asking for things when they come 00:23:09.779 --> 00:23:12.509 to mind? And when God doesn't respond in the 00:23:12.509 --> 00:23:16.390 way you had hoped, do you give up? Or is it a 00:23:16.390 --> 00:23:19.470 part of an ongoing, open line of communication 00:23:19.470 --> 00:23:23.250 in your life in which you and the Lord are walking 00:23:23.250 --> 00:23:26.829 together, talking along life's way, not just 00:23:26.829 --> 00:23:28.750 with asking for things, but telling the Lord 00:23:28.750 --> 00:23:32.569 who he is to you, praising him, lamenting when 00:23:32.569 --> 00:23:36.250 your heart breaks, going to God on behalf of 00:23:36.250 --> 00:23:40.160 others? You will find that as your ear tunes 00:23:40.160 --> 00:23:43.980 to God, you will also hear God telling you things 00:23:43.980 --> 00:23:48.799 he just adores about you too. And you see where 00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:52.099 doors are open for you to walk through because 00:23:52.099 --> 00:23:54.859 he has led you there as you continue to communicate. 00:23:55.940 --> 00:23:58.359 God will also show you who needs extra encouragement 00:23:58.359 --> 00:24:00.940 today. He will guide your steps to the places 00:24:00.940 --> 00:24:04.779 you need to go. And so if you don't know where 00:24:04.779 --> 00:24:07.000 to start, because it can feel a little overwhelming, 00:24:07.700 --> 00:24:09.240 where were all those words we just said a few 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:12.920 minutes ago? If praying beyond what you've done 00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:17.960 so far feels like a vast open space, I want to 00:24:17.960 --> 00:24:21.880 talk about some ways that you can pray. There 00:24:21.880 --> 00:24:25.720 are tools that you can use. And this is not an 00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:29.160 exhaustive list. It is actually really fun to 00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:32.339 just search for all these various tools and ways 00:24:32.339 --> 00:24:36.420 that people have developed to help give you what 00:24:36.420 --> 00:24:41.319 you need to pray. Because prayer's been a part 00:24:41.319 --> 00:24:44.539 of this thing that we do in following Jesus since 00:24:44.539 --> 00:24:48.160 day one, right? It's been a part of this relationship 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:52.259 with God since day one. People throughout history 00:24:52.259 --> 00:24:55.220 have led the way for us, and it's okay to use 00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:58.099 these tools. Some people have written prayers 00:24:58.099 --> 00:25:01.180 down and they have stuck with us. We still pray 00:25:01.180 --> 00:25:04.759 the Lord's Prayer today Jesus gave us actual 00:25:04.759 --> 00:25:07.980 words that we still recite it because it is great 00:25:07.980 --> 00:25:12.039 for us to use those words But there are so many 00:25:12.039 --> 00:25:15.480 other tools that help us when we feel stuck or 00:25:15.480 --> 00:25:18.420 aren't sure when to start where to start So I'm 00:25:18.420 --> 00:25:20.039 gonna give you a bunch of things. It'll be up 00:25:20.039 --> 00:25:22.500 on the screen. Take a picture of it if you want 00:25:22.500 --> 00:25:26.779 to um Truthfully, if you grew up Catholic, there's 00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:28.279 going to be some really familiar things here 00:25:28.279 --> 00:25:31.359 because the Catholic Church has a very long history 00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:33.920 of providing some really, really useful tools 00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:37.500 in an age where people were not widely literate. 00:25:37.839 --> 00:25:41.059 And so they came up with great methods to help 00:25:41.059 --> 00:25:44.299 people stay in the story and stay in the faith. 00:25:45.100 --> 00:25:47.859 If you grew up Protestant, you became more familiar 00:25:47.859 --> 00:25:50.259 with what's known as expository prayer. It's 00:25:50.259 --> 00:25:52.440 prayer that is open and conversational. There's 00:25:52.440 --> 00:25:55.079 a specific freedom to it that invites you to 00:25:55.079 --> 00:25:58.079 say exactly what's on your heart. And what a 00:25:58.079 --> 00:26:01.359 blessing that God invites us to speak with him 00:26:01.359 --> 00:26:05.319 so freely. But sometimes we need help and sometimes 00:26:05.319 --> 00:26:09.440 we do get tired and sometimes we do feel lost 00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:13.200 and sometimes we need support. And sometimes 00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:15.859 we need tools to help us get going, and sometimes 00:26:15.859 --> 00:26:19.160 we need to help. We need help knowing what to 00:26:19.160 --> 00:26:23.500 say, because the words are gone. We feel lost. 00:26:27.119 --> 00:26:30.400 So let's talk through a few of these. Prescribed 00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:33.059 prayers. These are prayers already written down, 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:37.160 already locked in. Prayer can be done today right 00:26:37.160 --> 00:26:39.900 now, and we do it regularly here at the house 00:26:39.900 --> 00:26:43.619 in ways that are prescribed as well as expository. 00:26:44.039 --> 00:26:47.000 We say our prayers for rest. We say our prayers 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:49.500 to live. We say our prayers for work. We have 00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:52.359 a prayer for belonging. We have the Lord's Prayer. 00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:56.200 These are all already written down, and we can 00:26:56.200 --> 00:27:01.920 use them for our own spiritual benefit. There 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:05.619 are also seasonal guides that I really like. 00:27:06.600 --> 00:27:08.900 Books right like I always show up with a lot 00:27:08.900 --> 00:27:12.140 of books So this is a seasonal guide for prayers 00:27:12.140 --> 00:27:14.920 for autumn and wintertime I really like these 00:27:14.920 --> 00:27:18.039 as a guide through certain times of year And 00:27:18.039 --> 00:27:21.079 they are a mix of scriptures that have been modified 00:27:21.079 --> 00:27:24.660 to become prayers They are pre -written prayers 00:27:24.660 --> 00:27:27.259 from the history of the church, but you can take 00:27:27.259 --> 00:27:32.299 a look at this after services if you'd like Praying 00:27:32.299 --> 00:27:35.880 scripture can be such a help you have a whole 00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:40.000 Bible full of good words, and there is always 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:42.500 something in there that reflects the human experience 00:27:42.500 --> 00:27:45.500 you are going through. The Psalms are a great 00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:49.259 place to start. They're almost all prayers, and 00:27:49.259 --> 00:27:53.019 so if we took Psalm 23 and modified it as a prayer, 00:27:53.180 --> 00:27:56.700 it might go, Lord, you are my shepherd. I lack 00:27:56.700 --> 00:28:00.099 nothing. Help me rest in the green pastures and 00:28:00.099 --> 00:28:03.740 besides quiet waters that you lead me to. knowing 00:28:03.740 --> 00:28:06.900 that you want to refresh my soul. Even though 00:28:06.900 --> 00:28:09.200 I walk through the darkest valley, help me fear 00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:12.859 no evil, remembering that you are with me. Your 00:28:12.859 --> 00:28:15.480 shepherd's rod and your staff will comfort me. 00:28:16.599 --> 00:28:20.200 Remember that the scriptures are for you. They 00:28:20.200 --> 00:28:23.359 are there available to be used, not just to read, 00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:27.339 but to utilize. Use them as prayer if you want 00:28:27.339 --> 00:28:32.980 to. Simple or formatted prayers. little devices 00:28:32.980 --> 00:28:36.380 and helps along the way that are great. Anne 00:28:36.380 --> 00:28:38.779 Lamott is one of my favorite writers and she 00:28:38.779 --> 00:28:41.059 says that the three simplest prayers you can 00:28:41.059 --> 00:28:45.960 pray are help, thanks, wow. I really like. God 00:28:45.960 --> 00:28:50.839 help, thanks for, amazing. You are so good. Help, 00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:53.759 thanks, wow. She has a little book on this, which 00:28:53.759 --> 00:29:02.059 I think I have up here as well. Yes. outlined 00:29:02.059 --> 00:29:04.380 with simple acrostic -type reminders. I'll put 00:29:04.380 --> 00:29:07.319 one up here. This was one that I learned when 00:29:07.319 --> 00:29:10.160 I was a fairly new Christian. Who's seen this 00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:13.119 one before, the axe one? Yes. This is great. 00:29:13.400 --> 00:29:15.680 We've got kids in the room, and this is a really, 00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:18.559 really useful one. How do we spell the word axe? 00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:25.339 A -C -T -S. We remember to adore God, which then 00:29:25.339 --> 00:29:28.650 leads us to confession. then takes us to Thanksgiving, 00:29:28.970 --> 00:29:32.170 and we end with supplication after we have poured 00:29:32.170 --> 00:29:34.529 our praise onto the Lord. What a great little 00:29:34.529 --> 00:29:37.549 help. Acts. Take a picture of this if it's helpful. 00:29:39.769 --> 00:29:42.569 Another one. I really like this one. It's called 00:29:42.569 --> 00:29:44.690 the five -finger prayer. This was actually new 00:29:44.690 --> 00:29:47.829 to me in the last, I don't know, not too long. 00:29:48.690 --> 00:29:51.650 But you go through your hand, and it's a meditative 00:29:51.650 --> 00:29:54.390 guide for... prayer for intercessory prayer, 00:29:54.529 --> 00:29:57.089 where each finger represents someone to pray 00:29:57.089 --> 00:29:59.849 for. So the thumb, you pray for those who are 00:29:59.849 --> 00:30:04.410 closest to you. Next, you pray for the teachers 00:30:04.410 --> 00:30:06.529 and the mentors and the leaders that are helping 00:30:06.529 --> 00:30:10.390 point the way for you. Middle finger is tall, 00:30:10.490 --> 00:30:12.630 and it's where you remember to pray for those 00:30:12.630 --> 00:30:15.759 that are in leadership and authority. Your ring 00:30:15.759 --> 00:30:17.619 finger, if you have ever tried to move your ring 00:30:17.619 --> 00:30:19.720 finger, the other fingers come with it usually. 00:30:19.960 --> 00:30:21.920 It's our weakest finger and it reminds us to 00:30:21.920 --> 00:30:25.079 pray for the vulnerable in society. Then your 00:30:25.079 --> 00:30:28.420 pinky finger is you. You pray for yourself. So 00:30:28.420 --> 00:30:30.980 what a great little tool, right? This is great 00:30:30.980 --> 00:30:33.960 for kids. Both this one and an axe are both really 00:30:33.960 --> 00:30:37.779 good tools for kids. I want to talk about the 00:30:37.779 --> 00:30:41.099 examine. I have another book on that. Saint Ignatius 00:30:41.099 --> 00:30:45.059 of Loyola was a Spanish priest and founder of 00:30:45.059 --> 00:30:48.140 the Jesuit Order. He was born in the late 1400s 00:30:48.140 --> 00:30:50.900 in Castile in Spain. He grew up in leadership 00:30:50.900 --> 00:30:53.319 and became quite influential in the Catholic 00:30:53.319 --> 00:30:56.880 Church as the leader of the Jesuit Order. But 00:30:56.880 --> 00:31:00.640 he was a former soldier and Ignatius paid particular 00:31:00.640 --> 00:31:04.019 attention to the spiritual formation of his recruits. 00:31:04.359 --> 00:31:07.420 And in 1548, when he was in his 50s, he had lived 00:31:07.420 --> 00:31:09.480 a little bit of life. He recorded his method 00:31:09.480 --> 00:31:12.460 in the spiritual exercises, which are a set of 00:31:12.460 --> 00:31:15.740 meditations and contemplations and prayers. And 00:31:15.740 --> 00:31:18.359 then over time, this just became a really good 00:31:18.359 --> 00:31:20.799 tool and got used over and over and over again. 00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:23.799 So now we have it. And this method of prayer 00:31:23.799 --> 00:31:26.940 is now recognized as the examine. And I really 00:31:26.940 --> 00:31:30.920 do love it. It takes you through some reflections 00:31:30.920 --> 00:31:33.849 as well. Again, you start with gratitude. Thank 00:31:33.849 --> 00:31:36.009 you for all the gifts in my life, God, for everything 00:31:36.009 --> 00:31:39.250 I've received today. It moves you into grace, 00:31:39.589 --> 00:31:43.109 where you ask God to shine light on the day and 00:31:43.109 --> 00:31:47.450 help me to see the day and others through God's 00:31:47.450 --> 00:31:52.529 eyes. And then we reflect. Where was God today? 00:31:52.670 --> 00:31:56.890 And how and where did I turn away from God? So 00:31:56.890 --> 00:32:00.230 opportunity for reflection and even confession. 00:32:00.670 --> 00:32:03.069 And then we ask pardon. Please forgive me for 00:32:03.069 --> 00:32:06.390 turning away at these moments. And then we resolve 00:32:06.390 --> 00:32:08.730 to amend. Who do you want me to be tomorrow? 00:32:08.789 --> 00:32:10.609 Who do you want me to care for tomorrow? What 00:32:10.609 --> 00:32:13.950 do you want me to be mindful of tomorrow? So 00:32:13.950 --> 00:32:15.829 it's a reflection on the day you have lived, 00:32:15.990 --> 00:32:18.930 who you were in it, did it honor God, and how 00:32:18.930 --> 00:32:22.430 can you grow tomorrow? I really, really love 00:32:22.430 --> 00:32:28.200 it. The ancient Celts have... They're known for 00:32:28.200 --> 00:32:30.440 like the Celtic way of prayer. But what I really 00:32:30.440 --> 00:32:34.019 love about the Celtic way of prayer, it's not 00:32:34.019 --> 00:32:37.900 a specifically prescribed thing as much as it's 00:32:37.900 --> 00:32:41.240 a prayer in the ordinary. This is such a good 00:32:41.240 --> 00:32:43.240 reminder because we have the prayers that we 00:32:43.240 --> 00:32:45.079 think like I can't ask for prayer for that because 00:32:45.079 --> 00:32:48.980 this is not a big deal. But it is a big deal 00:32:48.980 --> 00:32:51.539 because everything is a big deal. Our whole lives 00:32:51.539 --> 00:32:54.599 in him, we live and we move and we have our being. 00:32:55.450 --> 00:32:58.849 We need to pray about the ordinary. And in fact, 00:32:58.890 --> 00:33:01.829 when we think that God is not in the ordinary, 00:33:01.990 --> 00:33:04.329 then we come to believe that God is not in parts 00:33:04.329 --> 00:33:07.329 of our lives and isn't interested. And that is 00:33:07.329 --> 00:33:09.890 just a lie. That's a part of the fallacies that 00:33:09.890 --> 00:33:12.130 we need to address when it comes to prayer, right? 00:33:12.509 --> 00:33:14.349 We need to come to terms with the fact that God 00:33:14.349 --> 00:33:16.690 is in every detail and cares about all of it. 00:33:17.099 --> 00:33:20.279 And so they had prayers for everything, rather 00:33:20.279 --> 00:33:23.319 than separating spirituality from their lives 00:33:23.319 --> 00:33:26.660 and their chores and the mundane tasks, they 00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:29.720 instead turned them into opportunities for prayer. 00:33:31.519 --> 00:33:33.900 Thanks to you, O God, that I have risen today 00:33:33.900 --> 00:33:37.500 to the rising of life itself, even as I clothe 00:33:37.500 --> 00:33:41.420 my body with wool, cover my soul with the shadow 00:33:41.420 --> 00:33:46.160 of your wing. May you have walls for the wind, 00:33:46.380 --> 00:33:49.500 and a roof for the rain and drinks beside the 00:33:49.500 --> 00:33:52.940 fire, laughter to cheer you and those who love 00:33:52.940 --> 00:33:55.200 near you and all that your heart may desire. 00:33:55.339 --> 00:33:57.240 The counts are great with little rhymes too. 00:33:58.920 --> 00:34:02.680 I was with someone this last week and she showed 00:34:02.680 --> 00:34:06.259 me this prayer cross that she keeps in her pocket 00:34:06.259 --> 00:34:08.699 and handily Brie figured this out really easily. 00:34:08.780 --> 00:34:09.980 She was like, this feels like it should go in 00:34:09.980 --> 00:34:12.679 your hand. And it does. And so she carries it 00:34:12.679 --> 00:34:15.639 around in her pocket. So that while she's going 00:34:15.639 --> 00:34:19.059 about her daily tasks, this is sitting in her 00:34:19.059 --> 00:34:23.599 pocket and she's tending to, she runs an Airbnb, 00:34:23.739 --> 00:34:26.059 so she's tending to like the hospitable things 00:34:26.059 --> 00:34:27.659 and the cooking and whatever and every time she 00:34:27.659 --> 00:34:29.539 puts her hand in her pocket she grabs the cross 00:34:29.539 --> 00:34:32.099 and it reminds her that God is in the ordinary. 00:34:32.440 --> 00:34:34.199 God is walking with her through the ordinary. 00:34:35.500 --> 00:34:38.219 And we could stand to remember that there are 00:34:38.219 --> 00:34:40.679 no corners of our life that God is outside of. 00:34:41.159 --> 00:34:44.360 God is in the making of our bed. God is in the 00:34:44.360 --> 00:34:46.739 cleaning of our toilets. God is in the vacuuming 00:34:46.739 --> 00:34:49.079 of our floors and in the washing of the windows 00:34:49.079 --> 00:34:51.119 and of the pruning of the shrubs and the maintenance 00:34:51.119 --> 00:34:56.099 of the car. God is in all of it. And then there 00:34:56.099 --> 00:34:58.079 are physical prayers, and I really enjoy these 00:34:58.079 --> 00:35:02.820 because it engages our bodies. Who has ever seen 00:35:02.820 --> 00:35:06.639 a labyrinth before? Is this a familiar image? 00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:11.510 Yeah. So labyrinths, I love how these came about. 00:35:11.610 --> 00:35:14.329 So a physical walking meditation that acts as 00:35:14.329 --> 00:35:17.750 a metaphor for the spiritual journey. It consists 00:35:17.750 --> 00:35:21.110 of a single winding path leading to a central 00:35:21.110 --> 00:35:26.369 rosette and then back out again. These developed 00:35:26.369 --> 00:35:30.550 as a spiritual alternative to dangerous pilgrimages 00:35:30.550 --> 00:35:34.269 to the Holy Land. Traveling to Jerusalem was 00:35:34.269 --> 00:35:36.800 very popular for a while. You just get people 00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:38.500 who are just constantly traveling to the Holy 00:35:38.500 --> 00:35:42.280 Land, making pilgrimage. And at some point, it 00:35:42.280 --> 00:35:47.239 became a very dangerous thing to do. And so instead 00:35:47.239 --> 00:35:51.239 of traveling from northern England all the way 00:35:51.239 --> 00:35:56.199 to Jerusalem, this allowed people, so these started 00:35:56.199 --> 00:35:59.739 showing up in cathedrals or in gardens. They 00:35:59.739 --> 00:36:01.880 started constructing labyrinths as a spiritual 00:36:01.880 --> 00:36:04.219 pilgrimage, allowing worshippers to pray with 00:36:04.219 --> 00:36:07.219 their feet while journeying to the center. So 00:36:07.219 --> 00:36:09.320 the most famous one is in Chartres Cathedral 00:36:09.320 --> 00:36:14.360 in France from the year 1201, so quite early. 00:36:14.920 --> 00:36:17.960 But you don't have to travel to France to experience 00:36:17.960 --> 00:36:20.360 the labyrinth. This is what it looks like in 00:36:20.360 --> 00:36:22.840 Chartres. You could see the people and how big 00:36:22.840 --> 00:36:26.139 this labyrinth really is on the floor of that 00:36:26.139 --> 00:36:30.119 cathedral. It's also a giant cathedral. There 00:36:30.119 --> 00:36:32.320 is actually a really cool website. I just found 00:36:32.320 --> 00:36:36.619 this yesterday called labyrinthlocator .org. 00:36:38.099 --> 00:36:39.860 labyrinthlocator .org. And if you are looking 00:36:39.860 --> 00:36:42.639 for a labyrinth experience, there are a few in 00:36:42.639 --> 00:36:45.320 the Quad Cities. Locally, I discovered there's 00:36:45.320 --> 00:36:48.880 one in East Moline. It's a grass, it's a garden 00:36:48.880 --> 00:36:51.619 one. And then there's more of a nature reflection 00:36:51.619 --> 00:36:56.150 kind at Olinoek Forest Preserve. That one's made 00:36:56.150 --> 00:36:59.610 with stones. And then Our Lady of the Prairie 00:36:59.610 --> 00:37:04.090 out west of here on I -80 also has one, and all 00:37:04.090 --> 00:37:08.570 of them are visitable. There are even small versions 00:37:08.570 --> 00:37:11.409 that can be done, like these labyrinths, like 00:37:11.409 --> 00:37:13.989 you can print them on a piece of paper and trace 00:37:13.989 --> 00:37:16.329 them with your hand. Or there's even those that 00:37:16.329 --> 00:37:18.590 are like engraved in wood, and you can follow 00:37:18.590 --> 00:37:21.780 it as a meditation. as you pray through something, 00:37:22.059 --> 00:37:25.059 you move in towards the center, and then you 00:37:25.059 --> 00:37:29.380 go out from there. But this is, like, there are 00:37:29.380 --> 00:37:31.739 other prayers of movement, and I think of, like, 00:37:32.280 --> 00:37:34.679 this is something up Robyn's alley, but, like, 00:37:34.860 --> 00:37:36.980 there are prayers that include movement, like 00:37:36.980 --> 00:37:40.690 dance. And so there are so many cultures and 00:37:40.690 --> 00:37:43.389 communities in the world that enjoy dance so 00:37:43.389 --> 00:37:45.849 well. They do it well. It's well incorporated 00:37:45.849 --> 00:37:48.769 into their communities. And dance is, for them, 00:37:48.929 --> 00:37:51.630 as much a form of communication as the spoken 00:37:51.630 --> 00:37:56.869 word, that each movement has meaning to it. And 00:37:56.869 --> 00:37:59.010 I think of indigenous communities in the Americas 00:37:59.010 --> 00:38:00.949 that still use dance for their own religious 00:38:00.949 --> 00:38:04.349 ceremonies. And then for those people, when they 00:38:04.349 --> 00:38:07.889 move and they meet Jesus, They simply move their 00:38:07.889 --> 00:38:13.650 forms of communication to the creator into their 00:38:13.650 --> 00:38:17.449 new lives in Christ. And so many of us could 00:38:17.449 --> 00:38:19.809 learn about prayer through the freedom of that 00:38:19.809 --> 00:38:24.409 kind of movement. Last few, breath prayers. They 00:38:24.409 --> 00:38:26.969 have a very physical and self -regulating component 00:38:26.969 --> 00:38:30.070 to them. Who is familiar with the idea of using 00:38:30.070 --> 00:38:33.469 breathing as a method of self -regulating? Are 00:38:33.469 --> 00:38:37.000 we aware? Yeah. And so you can use that as an 00:38:37.000 --> 00:38:40.440 opportunity to pray. The breath out is to release 00:38:40.440 --> 00:38:43.659 something, and the breath in is to accept something 00:38:43.659 --> 00:38:46.559 from God. So you breathe out, and you think, 00:38:46.739 --> 00:38:49.980 I receive your love. Or you could do it in reverse, 00:38:50.099 --> 00:38:52.719 I guess. Breathe in, I receive your love. Breathe 00:38:52.719 --> 00:38:56.559 out, I release my insecurity. Breathe in, I receive 00:38:56.559 --> 00:39:00.360 your joy. I breathe out, I release my unhappiness. 00:39:01.019 --> 00:39:04.300 These are great. Exercises even when you're finding 00:39:04.300 --> 00:39:09.719 yourself anxious, frustrated, agitated, breath 00:39:09.719 --> 00:39:14.599 prayer, focus on God as breath, the Numa, the 00:39:14.599 --> 00:39:18.000 spirit of God, and use that as an opportunity 00:39:18.000 --> 00:39:22.239 to pray. And lastly, prayers of the community 00:39:22.239 --> 00:39:26.380 and the benefits of the community when it comes 00:39:26.380 --> 00:39:29.940 to learning how to pray. We learn how to pray 00:39:29.940 --> 00:39:32.219 by being around others that know how to pray. 00:39:32.940 --> 00:39:36.559 When I was just coming up in my early years of 00:39:36.559 --> 00:39:40.679 my faith, I was going to a youth group and I 00:39:40.679 --> 00:39:43.400 listened to my pastor and how my pastor prayed. 00:39:44.039 --> 00:39:47.219 And then I listened to those other students and 00:39:47.219 --> 00:39:49.139 how they prayed and the things that they were 00:39:49.139 --> 00:39:51.039 concerned about. And that's how I learned how 00:39:51.039 --> 00:39:53.840 to pray, by being around other people that were 00:39:53.840 --> 00:39:57.440 praying. And so praying communally, and with 00:39:57.440 --> 00:40:02.119 others out loud has great value. When we hear 00:40:02.119 --> 00:40:04.260 our friends pray for the Green Bush neighborhood, 00:40:04.420 --> 00:40:06.960 don't we learn from them in addition to finding 00:40:06.960 --> 00:40:09.880 ourselves agreeing with them? When we are around 00:40:09.880 --> 00:40:12.599 those that have spent the last 70 years of their 00:40:12.599 --> 00:40:15.079 lives talking and listening to God, don't we 00:40:15.079 --> 00:40:18.159 pick up something new and energizing from them? 00:40:18.519 --> 00:40:21.760 Aren't we encouraged by them? Aren't we also 00:40:21.760 --> 00:40:25.380 emboldened by them? We realize that saying certain 00:40:25.380 --> 00:40:28.380 things out loud is okay saying certain things 00:40:28.380 --> 00:40:33.639 to God is okay. We learn from each other And 00:40:33.639 --> 00:40:37.480 so saying prayers in the community out loud or 00:40:37.480 --> 00:40:41.599 alongside others is really really good And so 00:40:41.599 --> 00:40:44.139 these are all tools. These are all available 00:40:44.139 --> 00:40:47.440 to you And that was a lot so I don't expect you 00:40:47.440 --> 00:40:48.880 to walk out of here and being like I remember 00:40:48.880 --> 00:40:52.719 all of those no way um, but maybe Maybe one of 00:40:52.719 --> 00:40:55.079 those grabbed your attention, and you want to 00:40:55.079 --> 00:40:57.860 utilize it this week. And it's refreshing, or 00:40:57.860 --> 00:41:00.340 it's an idea that you're being reintroduced to, 00:41:00.360 --> 00:41:01.960 and you're like, I had forgotten about that, 00:41:01.960 --> 00:41:07.099 and I really like that method. But try one of 00:41:07.099 --> 00:41:09.739 those out this week if you're feeling like, I 00:41:09.739 --> 00:41:12.940 don't really know where to start. Use a tool, 00:41:13.280 --> 00:41:17.019 because it's available to you. And so in closing, 00:41:17.099 --> 00:41:19.380 I want to read this passage again, Matthew 7, 00:41:19.460 --> 00:41:24.030 7 through 11. ask and it will be given to you, 00:41:24.349 --> 00:41:27.289 seek and you will find, knock and the door will 00:41:27.289 --> 00:41:30.230 be opened to you, for everyone who asks receives, 00:41:30.969 --> 00:41:34.030 and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who 00:41:34.030 --> 00:41:38.030 knocks, the door will be opened. This passage 00:41:38.030 --> 00:41:43.670 reminds us that the way to God is open. The door 00:41:43.670 --> 00:41:47.650 will open, God will be found, God desires to 00:41:47.650 --> 00:41:51.059 give you good things. It's not so much in the 00:41:51.059 --> 00:41:55.219 asking so that you get, but the fact that we 00:41:55.219 --> 00:41:58.340 can present ourselves to the holy God of the 00:41:58.340 --> 00:42:04.900 universe and know that we are welcome. We are 00:42:04.900 --> 00:42:12.860 welcome. What a gift. Seek and you will find. 00:42:12.940 --> 00:42:16.500 Knock and the door will be open to you. You will 00:42:16.500 --> 00:42:24.300 not be denied access. to God. Keeping prayer 00:42:24.300 --> 00:42:27.599 present and being persistent with it keeps us 00:42:27.599 --> 00:42:33.219 connected. And as we go from today, remember, 00:42:33.980 --> 00:42:39.739 the way is open to you. Let's pray. God, I am 00:42:39.739 --> 00:42:43.000 grateful that when we knock at the door, you 00:42:43.000 --> 00:42:47.900 do not keep it shut. waiting for us to do all 00:42:47.900 --> 00:42:51.340 sorts of things in order to gain access. You 00:42:51.340 --> 00:42:55.420 have already told us that if we just come to 00:42:55.420 --> 00:42:59.760 the door, if we ask, if we seek, you will be 00:42:59.760 --> 00:43:04.639 found. If we ask, you will respond. If we knock, 00:43:04.639 --> 00:43:07.820 the door will be opened. You are not denying 00:43:07.820 --> 00:43:13.500 us access. And so as we step forward in the hopes 00:43:13.500 --> 00:43:17.090 of growing as people of prayer, as a community 00:43:17.090 --> 00:43:19.769 that looks to you in prayer. I pray that we're 00:43:19.769 --> 00:43:22.750 encouraged today and that if there were things 00:43:22.750 --> 00:43:25.969 that were heavy on our hearts and may have hit 00:43:25.969 --> 00:43:28.750 some sore spots, I pray that you speak to those 00:43:28.750 --> 00:43:31.929 things, that you heal those things in us, that 00:43:31.929 --> 00:43:35.630 you give us bravery to keep trying and to keep 00:43:35.630 --> 00:43:40.230 coming to you with our whole selves, whether 00:43:40.230 --> 00:43:42.789 it's with supplication and asking for things 00:43:42.789 --> 00:43:45.469 for us or laments because we're disappointed. 00:43:46.809 --> 00:43:49.409 We're interceding for somebody else or we're 00:43:49.409 --> 00:43:51.530 just coming with you because we're grateful. 00:43:53.150 --> 00:43:55.110 I'm grateful to know that in all these things, 00:43:55.130 --> 00:44:00.130 you will not turn us away. So help us grow and 00:44:00.130 --> 00:44:04.150 help us be bold and help us come to you. I pray 00:44:04.150 --> 00:44:05.590 this in your name. Amen.