Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer (Classbook) Copyright 2011 Streamside Supplies All Rights Reserved

Transcription

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2 (Classbook) Copyright 2011 Streamside Supplies All Rights Reserved Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For ordering information, go to: Acknowledgements Special thanks to Jonathan Roberts and Alayne Hunt for editing this class book under intense pressure and a time crunch. Special thanks to Terry Francis for designing the cover without even being asked, just because he saw how bad my own cover design was.

3 PLUGGED IN: HIGH VOLTAGE Prayer Meet Steve and Sarah... 4 Lesson #1: Just Pray It... 9 Lesson #2: The Power Who Hears Lesson #3: Why Pray? Lesson #4: To God be the Glory Lesson #5: Is It Working?... # Lesson #6: Adoration... # Lesson #7: Confession... # Lesson #8: Supplication... # Lesson #9: Praying in Faith... # Lesson #10: Candid Praying... # Lesson #11: Surrendering to God s Answers... # Lesson #12: Devote Yourselves to Prayer... # Lesson #13: Wrap-Up and Review... #

4 Meet Steve and Sarah Sarah was shocked to say the least. Steve had just announced that he didn t feel like going to Bible class or the assembly, but what shocked her the most was her own relief. She wasn t much up to going, either. She still had her faith. She believed God was there, and she believed Jesus had died for her. She was really thankful for that. It was just that the weekly grind of church-as-normal wasn t cutting it for her. She felt like she was missing something and thought she was the only one. She was relieved to know Steve was right there with her. Steve had been raised by Christians; Sarah hadn t. While at college, one of Sarah s roommates attended the same congregation as Steve. Sarah and her roommate decided to have an end-of-semester party, and Sarah s roommate had invited Steve, along with all the other college students from the congregation. Apparently, when Steve saw Sarah, it was love at first sight. He spent the next two years winning her heart. While they dated, he began to talk to her about God, invited her to church, and introduced her to Jesus. Her family had been good people, but not interested in spiritual things. She had always felt a hole there and absolutely ate up everything Steve taught her and everything she learned at the congregation where he was. When she was baptized, she felt like she had a new life. It was wonderful. The hole had been filled. About a year later, after graduation, she and Steve married. They were both 23. It seemed like a textbook good marriage. They both got good jobs in a new town. They moved into an apartment, bought some cars and furniture, and became active members of the congregation they found there. They had several friends their age with whom they studied and did other things. Everything was going in the right direction. Then their friends all started having children, so they decided it was time to try, too. But no dice. They tried for three years with no results. They prayed and prayed and prayed and asked others to do the same. But nothing happened. They decided to get some testing done and look into alternative methods of getting pregnant or having children, and were completely stunned when the doctor called them after their testing to say, I can t do anything for you right now. Would you believe that Sarah s blood test showed she is already pregnant? What a shock. They had it announced to the congregation. They thanked God every night 4 and told everyone about His answer to their prayers. They were positively beaming. But then the unthinkable happened. Sarah had a miscarriage. A few months later she had a second one. A year later she had a third. It was a dark time for them, but they hung on to their faith. After a couple more years, they decided to adopt. It was costly, but they had scraped together some savings, and they devoted it all to the adoption. Every day they prayed that the adoption would go smoothly and successfully. They had heard too many horror stories. Everything was coming together when Steve lost his job due to company downsizing in the poor economy. They decided to go ahead with the adoption, but Steve couldn t find another job where they lived. They had to move to another state. This was a must, because they had decided they wanted Sarah to quit her job to stay home with their new little boy James. Once again, they found a faithful congregation and plugged in. But there weren t very many their age and those that were had older kids. They didn t seem to have anything in common. About three months after the adoption, and despite efforts to keep it from happening, Sarah became pregnant again. However, this pregnancy had no complications whatsoever, and their second child Marnie was born. A year and a half later, Caleb came along. Steve started working longer hours in order to afford the bigger house and cars they had purchased. Plus, there were larger grocery bills, diapers, more gas, and on and on and on. Things were mostly good in their relationship, but they did find themselves getting short with each other. Between Steve working so much and Sarah dealing with the children, they were not spending as much time together. It was all they could do to make it to church on time. Then the kids started school, which, of course, added a whole new dimension to their schedule. But they kept on trucking. Over the years, they had developed some friendships. Some were in the church; some with friends from Steve s work; some with other parents they had connected with through their kids school and sports. They had a full schedule, but they tried to maintain their involvement in the church s work, teaching classes, hosting home studies, having get-togethers. On this odd Sunday morning, they had just celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary earlier in the week. Things weren t stellar, but they were making

5 it. They had gotten comfortable. Neither feared for their marriage, but neither felt like it was entirely fulfilling, either. The kids were doing as kids do, some good days, some bad. Sometimes they broke things. Sometimes they were completely shocking with their maturity. The biggest issue for Steve and Sarah was that they just felt exhausted. The daily grind was getting them down. They had both wrapped up teaching Bible classes a few weeks earlier and decided to take a break to recharge their batteries. Then, while they still lay in bed, Steve announced he just didn t feel like attending class or the assembly this morning. What s the matter? Sarah asked. Are you getting sick? No, I m just tired. I think I d rather stay home and read my Bible or something. I just don t feel like going. Besides, going to church there doesn t seem to be helping me much, anyway. You go if you want to, but I m staying home. Sarah was shocked. Steve was the one who had introduced her to the Lord. But she was more shocked by her relief. She wouldn t have to get the kids ready, deal with the arguments and fusses, or rush around getting ready herself. They could sleep in, do some Bible reading, and catch the evening assembly. That would be okay. Don t be shocked; you didn t pick up the wrong book. No one accidentally put the wrong text inside these covers. This really is a Bible class book. However, this is going to be a different journey than you are probably used to in a Bible class. Instead of 13 lessons with questions offered to you in a vacuum, you are getting to meet Steve and Sarah. They are two Christians who are a lot like many of us. They may even be a lot like you. While the specifics of their story, no doubt, differ from ours, the general points might be very similar. They have hectic lives that have had ups and downs. They are spiritually-minded people, but sometimes they just don t feel like the motions they are going through are really connecting them to God. They have no desire to abandon God, His church, or their faith, but sometimes they feel like what they are doing isn t accomplishing anything. Steve and Sarah aren t about to fall away. But they are in a tough spot. thankfully, they attend a congregation with proactive shepherds. Steve and Sarah are about to connect with brother Davis. He s been through a lot of spiritual ups and downs himself, and he shepherds based on years of his own experience. He is going to lead them on a path of spiritual growth that will connect them to other brethren who are unashamed to share their own experiences and are willing to pass on the fruit of their own victories in Christ. Most importantly, they are going to learn to connect with God and find victory in that relationship. They are going to learn how to plug in to the power of God through a meaningful prayer life. My prayer is that while you witness and discuss what Steve and Sarah learn, you too will be helped in your connection to God. I pray that no matter where your spiritual connection is, this class will edify and lift you up, plugging you in to the God of all power. My hope is that it will build your prayer life, not by helping you answer formulaic questions in a sterile environment, but by putting these discussions smack in the middle of real life as seen through Steve and Sarah s story. Welcome to Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer. May God bless you through this class. Edwin

6 It had been a couple months since that Sunday morning. When one of the shepherds, brother Davis, had called to check on them, Steve fudged the truth. Thanks for checking on us, brother Davis. We re doing alright. We just didn t feel well enough to make it yesterday. We ll be there Wednesday night. And they were. But it seemed hollow. Over these months, their attendance had been sporadic, but what got the most attention was that the next time they were asked to teach a Bible class, they both declined. Brother Davis had called and wanted to visit them this evening. Steve and Sarah knew it was coming. They had discussed the meeting and decided they were going to tell brother Davis they were checking out the new congregation in town. They did things differently over there. It was a little more exciting. They always felt a little more pumped up when they attended there. Maybe that was what they needed to help them recharge and get back on track spiritually. Sarah was thinking about that as she perused what she had just written in her journal: That was it. The hole had come back. How could that happen? Shouldn t God keep that from happening? They had been faithful. They always attended (until recently). They were always involved. Why would this happen? Maybe this is what she really needed to talk to brother Davis about. Brother Davis was right on schedule. They ushered him into the dining room, shooed the kids into their bedrooms to work on homework, poured some coffee, and then sat there wringing their hands under the table. After a few minutes of nice-weather-we re-having conversation, brother Davis broached the subject of their increasingly sporadic attendance and their decision not to teach. He assured them he wasn t upset with them, just concerned that this might be a sign of some greater spiritual struggle and wanted them to know he was there for them to talk to. Steve set in with the planned defense. He was saying things like, No, everything is alright, and, We just don t seem to be getting as much out of the services and classes as we used to. He wrapped up with the climax: We re just checking out the new church across town some. They do things a little differently, and that seems to be giving us a bigger boost spiritually each week. The plan had been that Steve would speak, getting them through this uncomfortable evening, and then they wouldn t have to worry about it anymore. But Sarah couldn t help herself. She spoke up. The problem is, right now I feel empty. I ve been a Christian for just over twenty years. Steve has been in the church his whole life. Frankly, I m just dry right now. We ve been working and working and working. We ve been there faithfully. We ve attended, given, been involved. And right now, I feel spiritually about like I did before becoming a Christian. I ve just got to try something new. I think this new church may help me get back on track. I ve been in a rut, and I need to get out of it. I hope you can understand. She expected brother Davis to become cold and distant, perhaps even threatening. But if anything, as he took a deep breath, his eyes softened, and he became more comfortable. Wow. That sounds like a heavy burden, he began. I can understand why you re thinking about trying something new. I ve been exactly where you are, and when I felt like that, I was willing to try just about anything to get back to feeling truly connected with God. Is that what you re telling me right now? Sarah leaned in with head nodding, Yes. Yes, that s it exactly. I hope you ll understand. It isn t really about the church. We ve just got to try something. 6

7 Well, brother Davis continued, I ve heard about the new congregation, and as far as I know, they aren t doing anything wrong. It may be different, but I m sure you re smart enough to know if they do something unscriptural or unhealthy. If that really will help you, then I m glad for you to try that. Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw Steve visibly scoot down in his chair as he sighed and relaxed. She knew he was thinking that this was all going to work out, and brother Davis would soon be out of their hair. But she wasn t so sure. In fact, brother Davis kept talking. However, I m not just trying to blow smoke when I say that I ve been where you are right now. And I ve seen lots of people at your exact same spot. But rarely have I seen someone change churches and that fixed their problem. Oh, it seems good for a while, but it wears off, and then they feel the hole again and need something new. I ve seen people hop, skip, and jump around churches all their life, looking for something to fill the hole, and it doesn t work. But I do know something that has truly helped fill the hole for me. Now, you can go to the new church across town. We won t stop you, though we will miss you. But if you re really willing to do anything to get over this slump, I d like to share something with you. I d like to share something that has really helped me, and I know it s helped several others in our congregation, too. Steve was getting tense in his chair again, but Sarah was actually intrigued. She just nodded. I ve got one question for you, brother Davis said. What is your prayer life like? At this point, Steve cut in. Our prayer life is fine. We pray. Pray without ceasing you know, and he chuckled, looking to Sarah for support. She just stared at him, dumbfounded. Good, brother Davis responded. But how much do you pray? Once a day, twice a day? Once a week? Well Steve drew this word out as he tilted his head and shrugged, we pray at our meals every day. I try to pray before I go to sleep, but that gets tough, because I work so hard, sometimes I just fall asleep. I mean, I m no psalmist or anything, but I m doing alright. Sarah chimed in, I try to pray every day. But lately I just haven t felt like it. Even when I do it, I usually feel like it isn t doing any good. Sometimes I think that after being a Christian for twenty years, I don t even know how to pray. I know the feeling, brother Davis said. I think I have the perfect challenge for you, if you really are willing to try anything. It s all about prayer. My son calls it Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer, but then he s an electrician. Anyway, it s all about learning to really plug in to the power of God through prayer. But it is going to take a little time. In fact, it will take at least three months. I d like to ask you to give me thirteen weeks. During those thirteen weeks, you commit to attending all our assemblies and classes and to meet with me or someone I ve chosen once a week. At the end, if things aren t any better, you can try your plan and start attending the new church across town. In fact, even if things are better, you may still want to try the other congregation, but at least I ll feel better about why you re going and how you re doing spiritually. How does that sound? Steve spoke first. I don t know, we ve already been at this congregation for a long time and nothing has worked so far. That s true, brother Davis said. You ve been a great part of the congregation for right at about 10 years now. What s three more months if it can help you get back to the way you felt about the Lord when you were younger? Steve, Sarah said, I think brother Davis has a good point. I d really like to try this. I really am willing to do anything, even stick it out for three more months. If it doesn t work, then we can go. After all, all our Christian friends are in this congregation, not to mention the kids friends. Maybe we should hang on a little longer and try. Steve slumped back in his chair. Okay. Fine. We ll try. But I have to tell you, I just don t think it will do much good. I understand, Steve. But I m going to be a little more optimistic, responded brother Davis. Like I said, I need your commitment to be at all of our classes and assemblies for the next three months. Plus you ll meet with me or someone I ve chosen once per week. How about we meet again this same time next week? After checking their calendar, Steve and Sarah agreed to the next meeting. Then brother Davis asked to lead them in prayer: 7

8 Dear God, Thank You so much for this opportunity to meet with Steve and Sarah tonight. I know they re good children of Yours, and I can tell they re going through some spiritual struggles right now, just like all of Your children do. Thank You for letting them be in my life. It is such an encouragement to have friends that are willing to do anything to maintain their relationship with You. Please strengthen that resolve in them. Help us, Father, as we start a journey over these next thirteen weeks. Help us learn how to plug in to Your power. Help us learn how to be filled with Your Spirit so that we ll no longer feel the hole that comes with being disconnected from You. Please give Steve and Sarah the resolve to make every meeting we have scheduled and complete all the challenges we have planned. In the end, help them to be strengthened, encouraged, and connected to You. Thank You for this growth opportunity for all of us. Through Your Son I pray Amen I ll look forward to seeing you on Wednesday and Sunday. Then I ll meet you here the same time next week. This is basically my same prayer for you. May God strengthen you wherever you are spiritually through the work we will do in this class. Please, be resolved to be at every class possible and do all of the work so you can participate in the discussions fully. May we all grow together in Christ as we learn to plug in to the real power of God through prayer. 8

9 Lesson 1: Just Pray It Steve and Sarah kept their commitment. They were at the Wednesday night Bible class, and they also attended all the services on Sunday. Steve still didn t think this was going to work. In fact, the classes and services seemed just as dry as before. He felt like he knew more about the Bible class subject than the teacher, and hardly anyone would discuss anything. The assembly felt like nothing more than going through the motions. Steve had his eye on his watch the whole time. He had feared that brother Davis was going to fill the preacher in on their situation, and the sermon was going to have Steve s name on it. But that hadn t happened. He was thankful for that. But, as the night of their meeting was approaching, he decided he was going to bail. Sunday hadn t worked, why would this? He sat Sarah down at the dining room table to break the news. Her reaction stunned him. He expected her to argue with him, try to manipulate him, even berate and yell at him. He had his arguments all ready. He was going to stand his ground no matter what she threw at him. Instead, she just started crying. She told him that she wanted to talk about this, but right then just couldn t, and she left the room. In that instant, his heart melted. Everything she had been saying about where she was spiritually finally hit him. She really was struggling. He suddenly realized he was, too. The difference between them had been that the struggle had meant something to her. He had arrogantly been thinking everything was really alright. They had gone to a church that taught the truth. They had done the right things. They knew the right answers. They were just in a slump. No big deal. As he heard Sarah s muffled sniffs from the other room, he suddenly recognized it was a very big deal. Not just a very big deal for Sarah a very big deal for him. Though he had been a Christian longer, Sarah had been an inspiration to him. Her fervor and zeal when she was first baptized, and in the first years of their marriage, had really helped him out of his third-generation-christian rut. He had been comfortable just going to church and attending any functions for the college kids. He knew all the right answers about all the major doctrinal issues. But it wasn t until he had started doing his duty of trying to get Sarah to go to church with him, which for him had actually been more of an exercise in getting to prove her wrong on some things, that he really discovered how great being actively involved in a church really was. And it wasn t until this 9 very moment that he realized how much he had grown in those early years and how far he had regressed in the past few. He was sitting with his head in his hands, elbows propped on the table, when he heard quiet footsteps enter the room. He looked up as Sarah sniffed, wiped her nose with a Kleenex, and sat down very stiffly in the chair. Steve hurriedly wiped his eyes, trying to cover the tears forming there as Sarah began to speak. She took a deep breath and then spoke her words in measured tones. Steve, if you don t want to be involved in brother Davis s challenge, I ll live with that. But I really am ready to try anything. So, please don t interfere with us while I keep our commitment. Steve nearly broke down at his wife s submission and request. Oh hon, he began, I m so sorry. I I didn t realize what was really going on here. I m such an idiot. It wasn t until just now, when I saw your reaction, that I realized where we ve really gotten spiritually. I want to get back to where we were. What is it Jesus says to Ephesus in Revelation? I want to get back to our first love. I don t really know why I ve been such a jerk about all of this. I m ready to try anything with you. I m not going to bail. I ll work the challenge with you. Then Steve felt really confused, because Sarah just started crying all the more. But at least this time she hugged him instead of walking out of the room. Alright, I hope you are enjoying Steve and Sarah s story, but it is time for the lessons to start. As brother Davis and the others who meet with Steve and Sarah do their teaching, there will be several questions asked. Sometimes, I won t include the answers given in their discussions; instead, I will leave space for you to write your answers to the questions. This will provide your topics for discussion in the class. Get ready to really plug in. Sarah decided she didn t want any interruptions, so she arranged a babysitter for the kids. Brother Davis arrived as scheduled, and they jumped right into their work.

10 He started, Well, this challenge is a little bit different than most. With most subjects, I would spend time instructing you in how to do something and then challenge you to do it. With Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer, I m going to start with the challenge to do it, and then we ll follow up with instructions about how. So tonight, my challenge to you is going to be to start praying. You ll work on the how in your later meetings. Uh okay, Steve said. I guess we ll just have to trust you on this one. If you think this is what will work, we re all ears. Great, let s get started, brother Davis replied. Tonight we are going to deal with a plan for, and habit of, praying. Open your Bibles to I Thessalonians 5: Read that out loud for me, Steve. Steve read, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Pray without ceasing, brother Davis said. What do you think that means? I don t really know, Sarah replied. I once heard a preacher say it meant having a constant attitude of prayer. Attitude of prayer? Steve cut in. What on earth is that? I didn t really know. In fact, I felt kind of stupid about it. What does that mean? Sarah asked, turning back to brother Davis. Brother Davis chuckled. I don t have any idea what an attitude of prayer is. But let me see if I can help you with this passage. If you were to ask me if I liked jazz music, I d say, Absolutely, I listen to it all the time. Now do I mean that even right now I m secretly listening to jazz music while we re talking? No, both Steve and Sarah answered, laughing. What do I mean then? Exactly. We call this hyperbole, brother Davis continued. It is an exaggeration to make the point. We use this figure of speech all the time. In fact, I just used it again when I said we use it all the time. That is what Paul is doing in I Thessalonians 5: He uses it three times. Based on what we decided about me listening to jazz music, what did Paul really mean with his three hyperboles? Very good, brother Davis said, smiling. That is exactly right. What we are really talking about here is developing a prayer habit. That is the first step of High Voltage Prayer. But we already said we re not even sure we know how to pray yet, Sarah chimed in. I know. That s okay. We ll deal with that later. Right now you simply have to learn the principle I call Just Pray It. You have to learn to just start praying. And pray consistently, no matter what is going on in your life, no matter how you feel about it, no matter what you think of praying, no matter what Satan does to try to stop you. Let s look at the prayer life of Daniel in Daniel 6. Turn to that passage, and I ve got some questions for you to consider. 10

11 Of course, brother Davis continued, we can t talk completely about a prayer habit without asking some questions about Jesus prayer habit. Now, let s take a look at one example of the apostles. Look in Acts 3:1 and help me with these questions. Your challenge tonight is to plan your prayer habit. What will your schedule be, who will you get to help hold you accountable, what do you need to pray about? 11

12 Steve was shaking his head. Hold on a sec, brother Davis. What good is all this going to do us if we re telling you we aren t sure we even know how to pray? I mean, I know you said we ll learn that in the following weeks, but what good does it do us to start with praying right now. Can t you teach us some things about prayer first? I mean, I get the whole concept of a prayer habit and all, and I want to develop that, but I m just confused. That s a great question, Steve, and I m glad you brought it up. I almost forgot we needed to deal with that tonight. The reason this will do you some good is found in Romans 8: Turn there and read what that says for me, Sarah. Sarah got to the passage and read: Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. This is one of my favorite passages in the whole Bible, brother Davis said. I ve got some questions for you about this one, too. Wow! Sarah said. I don t know how many times I ve read Romans and never really paid attention to that passage. That means God is actually actively working to help me in my praying. I didn t know that. Yeah, Steve piped up. I mean, I knew that God loved us and was working for us, but I never thought about Him specifically working on our prayers. That s awesome! That s why, unlike just about any other area we might train in, High Voltage Prayer doesn t start with going through a bunch of sessions on how to pray, brother Davis said. It actually starts with Just Pray It, even if you don t know how. In fact, what better time to start talking to God? If you want to pray and you don t know how, then start praying about that. Just be honest with God. Confess to Him that you don t know how to pray but want to learn. Ask Him to help you. Thank Him for letting you do that much. And praise Him for letting the Spirit help you. You may not realize it, but in that simple prayer, you ve already started doing just about everything you re going to learn about praying. The only other thing we need to do tonight is start developing your prayer habit. 12

13 This is great guys, brother Davis said. If you keep your commitment to follow these prayer plans, whether it means you need to get up a little earlier, plan your time better, sacrifice some other activity (television is always a good place to start), or stay up a little later, you will be well on your way to some High Voltage Prayer. Trust me, even if this first week doesn t seem like a dynamite relationship is forming, it is the bedrock that will really open up your relationship with God. How about we wrap up with a prayer? Steve, I m going to go ahead and let you start practicing. Why don t you lead us? Just be as honest as you need to be, and tell God what is in your heart. Remember, the Holy Spirit is helping you. Steve prayed: Dear God, I feel kind of stupid right now. I ve been praying my whole life, but I feel like I don t even know what I m doing. I m sorry that I haven t paid more attention to this until now. I hope You ll forgive me for that. Please help me stay committed to the plans we ve made here tonight. Help me learn how to pray. Please help me be a good example for Sarah and help me be a better leader for her. Thank you for her example in this prayer challenge. Thank you for brother Davis, who has committed to help us. Thank you for letting someone like me pray to You, and I want to praise You for letting Your Holy Spirit help me in my praying. In Jesus name, Amen. That was a great prayer, Steve, brother Davis said. Well, next week, same time? Sounds good, Steve and Sarah chimed in unison. As brother Davis picked up his Bible and started walking to the door, he said, Next week, I m going to send my son over here to meet with you. I d be happy to do it myself, but I think Randy has some great insight on the next step in understanding High Voltage Prayer, and I really think it is important for you to let some other folks in the congregation in on your growth process. That s why God has given us each other. Alright, Steve said as he held the door open. We ll look forward to meeting Randy next week. They watched brother Davis pull out of the driveway. Steve left to go pick up the kids, and Sarah went back to the table to look over her notes and plans from the evening. She decided to say a prayer right then herself. God, Thank you for this meeting tonight. I m like Steve. I m not even sure I know what I m doing here. But I know I need something. I m already beginning to think that brother Davis is really going to be able to help us. Thank you for bringing Steve around and letting him see how much we need this. Help us both stick with it. Please, God, whatever it takes, help me get back to where I once was in our relationship. Thank you. Amen. 13

14 Lesson 2: The Power Who Hears It was the first week of their commitment, so Steve and Sarah stayed on top of their plans. They prayed each day. They both connected with separate friends as accountability partners, which was definitely weird. They were a little embarrassed to admit they had been having prayer struggles, but when their friends said they could use the help themselves, Steve and Sarah both felt better about it. The evening after he had made the call to his friend, Steve commented to Sarah, You know, I think that s the first time in my whole life I ve actually talked to any of my friends about having a specific spiritual struggle. I mean, I ve done the whole generic pray-for-me thing. And I remember how much praying and help we asked for back when you had your miscarriages and the trouble around the adoption. But this was the first time I ever admitted to someone that I was struggling with a specific aspect of my relationship with God. Sarah tilted her head a little and said, Yeah, me too. I was so embarrassed. I kind of hemmed and hawed around about it. But when I finally got it out, I was glad I did. It felt really good, like I was being honest for the first time. What was even better was when my friend said she knew exactly how I felt. I thought she was going to laugh or even criticize me. But she didn t. She actually said she was amazed that I called her, because she wasn t doing much better at praying. I just said, Great, then maybe we can help each other. Steve and Sarah were both smiling. Then Caleb, their youngest child, piped up and said, Well, since we re all being honest about our problems and struggles, maybe now is a good time for me to give you this note from my teacher. James and Marnie, the other two children, broke out laughing. So did Steve and Sarah. Days later, Steve had dropped the kids with the referee (The children had informed them that they were too old and didn t need a babysitter, to which Steve had responded, Perhaps, but we still need someone to referee when you start fighting. The name stuck.) and they were waiting patiently for Randy, brother Davis s son, to show up for their second lesson in High Voltage Prayer. They weren t completely sure, but they wondered if the reason brother Davis chose Randy to talk to them about High Voltage Prayer was because he was an electrician. Randy arrived with his Bible and a duffle bag. Steve poured some coffee, and the three circled up around the table and got deep into some more Bible study about prayer. Randy started off the study saying, I m sure you ve heard about the story of Elijah and the drought. Sure, Steve said. I think Peter wrote about that. Or maybe it was James. Exactly, Randy replied. In James 5:17-18, he wrote about Elijah and his praying. He said, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. That was when they did the altar and fire thing up on Mt. Carmel, wasn t it? asked Sarah. When Baal couldn t light the fire, but God did, and Elijah ended up killing a bunch of Baal s prophets? Yes, that is all part of the same story, Randy continued. But I have a question for you. What stopped the rain? 14

15 Randy smiled and nodded as Steve and Sarah explained how God was the one who had stopped the rain. Then he said, I think this is one of the big mistakes we make about prayer. We forget who or what is really getting the job done. What I m going to say next might shock you, but I want you to stay with me, because I m going to clarify one of the biggest mistakes we make about prayer. It s such a common mistake that even though dad has me teach this lesson, I still make it. Who knows, I may even make it tonight. In fact, it is such a common mistake that the English Standard Version translators brought it into their translation of James 5:16. How many times have you heard people talk about the power of prayer? How many times have you heard someone say, Well, all we have left now is to rely on the power of prayer? Loads, said Steve while Sarah chimed in with, All the time. Hold on to your seats, guys, Randy went on. I want to clear this up. This is a mistake. Prayer has no power. I know that is shocking, but I m going to say it again, so you can be sure of what you heard. Prayer has no power. Prayer is not a magic formula. The words don t have some kind of mystical or magical quality that forces anything to work the way we have prayed. Prayer has no power. Let that sink in for a moment. Randy sat there in silence, watching the confused expressions on Steve s and Sarah s faces for a moment, and then said, Instead, the God to whom we pray has the power. Let me give you a visual illustration. He reached into his duffel bag and pulled out a small lamp, twisted in a light bulb, and set it on the table. He said, For some reason, since I m an electrician, dad likes to let me teach this lesson. However, you don t have to be an electrician to get the point. He held up the plug on the lamp, plainly demonstrating that it was not plugged in, and said, Now, what s going to happen when I turn this lamp on? Exactly, Randy continued. He then fished a short extension cord out of his duffle bag and said, Don t worry, though, I ve got some prayer right here. Steve and Sarah laughed as Randy plugged the lamp cord into the extension cord and held up the plug of the extension cord to demonstrate it was not plugged in. Now what s going to happen when I turn the lamp on? Right again. Randy looked around the room for an outlet and plugged the extension cord into the wall. Now what s going to happen when I turn it on? You see, Randy explained as he held the extension cord up in his hand and saw the looks of confusion transform into comprehension, this thing here is often misnamed. We call it a power cord when, in fact, it s really a powerless cord. This cord only does something when it s plugged into real power. The same is true with prayer. We often treat prayer like it s the power when it isn t. Prayer is what connects us to the real power: God. Just like with Elijah. That s the point of James 5:16 not that prayer is powerful by itself, but that prayer, because it connects to God, works. Sarah was sitting there with a slack-jawed expression. Oh, that makes sense. That makes me think about all the times I ve prayed for something and it didn t happen. It made me wonder if prayer was broken or didn t really work. What you re saying is prayer is still working when I don t get what I pray for. God s just controlling how He uses His power. 15

16 Wow, Sarah! Randy exclaimed. That s right on the money. I normally have to spend a lot more time explaining what this means to folks. This is why so many people quit praying. They pray for something and don t get what they want, so they quit. They treat prayer like it s a broken slot machine that won t dish out whatever they re asking for, instead of thinking that God is the power and is simply making a decision about how to use His power. That means we have to ask, does God have the right to decide how to use His power? Once we grasp this, we can really understand Jesus advice about prayer in Luke 18:1-8. The text says that Jesus parable about the widow and the unjust judge was teaching His disciples that we ought always to pray and not lose heart. How does understanding the real power behind prayer help us grasp and follow this advice? That s right. What helps me the most with this, Steve, is learning about the God who really is the Power Who Hears Our Prayers. I like to teach that by going to that mountaintop battle on Mt. Carmel between Elijah and the prophets of Baal in I Kings 18. You remember the story. We talked about it just a few minutes ago. The prophets of Baal and Elijah both built altars, but neither set theirs on fire. The first god to light the fire would be seen as the real god. Elijah let Baal s prophets try first, and they prayed and prayed and shouted and shouted. They started dancing around and even cutting themselves to attract Baal s attention, but nothing happened. Then Elijah mocked them in I Kings 18:27. I like the way the New American Standard translates it: It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened. I think we can learn a lot about what Elijah believed regarding the real God from his taunt against Baal. If we take the opposite of what he said about Baal, we can learn about the Power who hears our praying. I ve got some questions I d like to ask you based on what Elijah said about Baal. Steve said, I m not sure this is helping me very much. I mean, I get that the issue isn t that prayer is broken. But that still leaves me with all the praying I ve done when God decided not to use His power for me. That just doesn t make me want to pray more. Fair enough, Randy responded. But look again at the parable in Luke 18. What was Jesus real point about why we should keep on praying to God? 16

17 Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer After they finished discussing Randy s questions, he went on, saying, You see, the point we need to understand is that God is the power behind the prayer. And He is a God we can trust with that power. He may not always do what we ask, but He is a good God who has already demonstrated His love and care for us by sacrificing Jesus just like Romans 5:6-8 says. We can trust Him to use His power wisely. You ll be meeting with others to talk about how God answers, and that will help with that aspect of connecting to Him in prayer. But I want to share one last thing to help you trust the real Power behind prayer. Look at Matthew 7:7-11. Everyone turned their Bibles to that passage. Jesus is telling us about our God and His care for us in this passage, Randy said. I ve got just a few more questions, and then I ll be done tonight. 17

18 Well that about wraps up what I ve got to share with you tonight. I ve only got one other question for you. After reviewing their prayer schedules and reaffirming their commitment to pray each day, Randy packed up his visual aids and headed out the door. Steve and Sarah had a lot to think about for that week. 18

19 Lesson 3: Why Pray? During week two, Sarah was still having an easy time maintaining her prayer commitment, but Steve was struggling just a bit. It wasn t that he was giving up; he was just having a really busy week. He had prayer on his mind and intended to do it, but there were several big projects at work weighing him down. On a couple days, he postponed his praying because he felt so much pressure to get his work done. One day, when his phone rang, the caller ID said it was his accountability friend, he offered up a quick prayer so he could say he had prayed that day. He felt a little guilty about that, but he wasn t sure what he could do about it. He just hadn t had time to pray. But he was still doing better at praying than he had for a long time, so he was feeling good about it over all. Brother Davis hadn t told them who would visit their house this week, but they assumed someone would. As Sarah was driving up to the house from dropping the kids off at the referee, she saw the Haroldson s van pulling into her driveway. She tensed up a bit, thinking, Oh boy, this is going to be awkward. Phil and Judy were about fifteen years older than Steve and Sarah. The couples had never done much together; not because of the age difference, but frankly, because Steve and Sarah felt uncomfortable around Phil. They often talked about how they just needed to get past their discomfort and how wrong it was, but they had never gotten past pleasantries in the few conversations they had had. Phil had been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy in his late twenties. It had been a slowly advancing kind. However, by the time Steve and Sarah met him, it was very noticeable. He never walked without a walker, and much of the time, he just used a wheelchair. His head leaned to one side. His left hand was constantly turned inward against his body. His jaw muscles had weakened, which meant his mouth hung open when he wasn t talking or consciously trying to keep it closed. On some occasions, he would drool without knowing it. Judy tried to keep an eye on that so it wouldn t embarrass Phil. While his speech was understandable, he had to speak slowly, and you could see in his eyes how frustrating that was for him. Unlike some with Muscular Dystrophy, his mind had not been affected. He was a very intelligent man, and was still able to teach English Literature at a nearby university, though his disability had severely limited his number of classes, and he needed a constant assistant. However, he was apparently very popular among the students who actually took his classes. Sarah pulled in the driveway beside the Haroldson s van as Judy was helping Phil up the sidewalk, took a deep breath, put on a smile, and got out of the car. Steve was opening the front door, trying to conceal the trepidation he felt with a smile, but Sarah could see it in his eyes. Judy! Phil! Good to see you, Steve said as he stepped out to help Phil up the steps and into the house. Brother Davis didn t say you all would be coming tonight. We kind of figured it would just be him again. Judy smiled, but Phil spoke slowly and with effort, That s alright. We ve been helping brother Davis out with this part of his High Voltage Prayer lessons for years. He normally just likes to let us surprise people. They usually are. Surprised, that is. Phil smiled. As Steve helped Phil through the door, he looked back to exchange a concerned glance with Sarah. She shrugged and tried to communicate with her look that they would just have to make the best of it. As they sat down around the dining room table, Sarah passing out drinks to her guests, Phil said, Alright, let s get this out of the way, so we can get rid of the awkwardness and talk freely. I know I make you feel uncomfortable. I understand. If I were you, I d be uncomfortable, too. It s hard to be around someone whose disability you don t understand. You don t know what to say to me about it or how to feel about it. I get that. I ve been there with other people myself. But I want you to know that inside this messed-up body, I m just like you. I m a growing Christian who has struggles. One of mine just happens to be really obvious. I know I ve got a disability, so you don t have to pretend to ignore it. But I m not a weirdo because of it, so you don t have to gape at me, either. We re here tonight because brother Davis thinks Judy and I can provide some insight on your next phase of High Voltage Prayer. Wow! Steve stammered. Um is it that obvious? I m sorry. We don t want to make you feel uncomfortable. But you re right, we don t understand. And, I guess I guess I always feel just a little bit guilty, because you have this struggle and we don t. 19

20 I understand that, Judy finally spoke up. We used to be mad at everyone who wasn t dealing with this same thorn in the flesh, if you will. It was almost like it was a personal affront to us as we looked at everyone else, and we wanted them to feel guilty. However, some time ago, brother Davis helped us learn how to plug in to God s power with High Voltage Prayer, and we have a lot more peace about it. There s no need for you to feel guilty because God has blessed you differently than He has blessed us. We just love you and want to help you. We know what it s like to have a spiritual struggle. Phil spoke again, You ve already been challenged to pray every day. How s that going? Good, Sarah said. I ve been having some great prayer time, and even though I still wonder if I m doing it right, I m already beginning to feel more connected to God. I m doing mostly good, Steve said. I ve had a few struggles getting my praying in this week, just because things are so hectic at work. But I m doing better than I have in a long, long time. Great, Phil said. Thanks for being honest about the struggles. So last week you learned that prayer isn t really powerful, but the God who hears our praying is. Yeah, Sarah cut in. That was an odd lesson, but it made a lot of sense. It actually changed how I viewed the effectiveness of prayer. I m not saying I get it completely. But just because I don t get something I ask for doesn t mean I need to stop praying. Prayer isn t broken. Exactly, Judy said, nodding. Phil continued, In this session, we want to talk about why you need to pray. Last week, when Randy talked to you about Elijah, I m sure he talked about how Baal needed men to wake him, but our God doesn t need us to wake Him. He s not a man like us, and He doesn t need our service. Yes, Steve said. We talked about how we don t pray because God needs us to pray. He s not some lonely God out in heaven just waiting around for us to talk to Him so He can have some company. We pray because we need what God offers us through prayer. That about sums it up, Phil said. This week we re going to hone in on that issue. We don t pray because God needs it; we pray because we need it. So, why pray? Judy, would you give Steve and Sarah the papers? 20 Judy handed the couple each a piece of paper with a single question on it. We re going to give you a few minutes to think about the question on that paper and write some of your own answers, and then we ll discuss it, Phil said. Steve and Sarah looked at the papers and saw the following question: Steve and Sarah filled in several answers, and the two couples discussed what they had written. Finally, Phil said, I think you ve done a good job at summarizing what many Christians would say. There seem to be lots of reasons we Christians let prayer go, even without meaning to. However, when we look at these lists, I believe we find one thing that accounts for all of these excuses. There is one issue that, if we grasped it every day of our lives, would obliterate all of these reasons. Can you guess what it is? Steve and Sarah stared at their lists and exchanged glances. They looked up expectantly at Phil and Judy, but the older couple just sat quietly and watched. Steve finally ventured a guess. Maybe if we loved God more? Phil smiled. That s what everyone says. We ve been so beat over the head with the idea that if we fall short, we just don t love God enough. No doubt, if you don t love God, you won t pray. But I don t think that s the reason why most Christians who struggle with praying consistently have their struggle. Most of them do love God, and are growing in that love, but still struggle with praying. Why? Because we don t see our absolute daily need for God. Let me illustrate. I don t know your financial situation, but let s just say you

21 had no savings or investments. You were making it paycheck to paycheck. And Caleb got extremely sick. You took him to the doctor, and he said Caleb had contracted a fatal disease. Until recently there had been no known cure, but there was a new drug on the market that had successfully cured this disease in 99% of the test cases. Because it was still experimental, insurance wouldn t cover it, and it cost $100,000 up front. The doctor further explained that based on the progression of the disease, Caleb had only three weeks to live. I know this is a horrendous illustration, but it gets the point across. Here you are, having received this awful news and over there are some friends who you know have money. Over there is the bank that you know can loan money. Over there are some government services that grant money. What would you do? Look again at the list of reasons for not praying that you wrote down. How many of those excuses could apply here? Lack of time, lack of knowledge, not sure if it will work, and so many others. Would any of those things stand in the way of talking to people about getting some money together for your son s cure? Of course not! Sarah exclaimed without reservation. We would do whatever it took. We wouldn t let anything get in the way. Why not? Well, because we need that money. Our son would die without it. As the look of dawning comprehension spread across Steve s and Sarah s faces, Phil and Judy began to smile even more. That s exactly the point, Judy said. We would do the same thing for our children. When we recognize the desperate need for something, excuses and reasons go out the window. That is what Phil is pointing out about prayer. What we ve come to learn is that when we recognize our absolute daily need for God, we ll pray. Think about this question: After Steve and Sarah thought and answered, Phil said, Do you notice that those times, without fail, are when you most recognized that you needed God, that you couldn t do whatever it was you wanted without God? You see, when we recognize our need for God, what do we do? We pray, Steve and Sarah answered in unison. Yes, Phil said. Therefore, if we want to pray consistently, what we most need to recognize is our daily need for God. We pray to Him with the big things. We need to learn that in reality, everything is a big thing. Do you honestly think you are breathing today because you re so talented at breathing? Take it from me, if your body decided to stop breathing, you wouldn t be able to make it happen, no matter how talented you are. I ve had several spells of congestive heart failure due to my Muscular Dystrophy. I know what it s like to realize how desperately we need God just to breathe. Look at Acts 17:28 and answer two questions for me. Judy said, I think we should look at Psalm 127, too. Good idea, Phil said. Read Psalm 127:1-2 out loud for me, would you, Steve? Steve turned to the passage and read: Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 21

22 Now, brother Davis told us a little of your personal history, Phil said. I m betting you ve read Psalm 127:3-5 a lot. Yeah, Steve said, frowning. I don t want to open a can of worms, but when you all were struggling to get pregnant, did you pray much? That s a dumb question, Sarah said. Of course, we prayed a lot. We prayed all the time. We asked everyone we knew to pray. God was the only one who could help. That s the very point, Phil said. Now look at those first two verses again and answer some questions for me. I don t want to get too personal, Steve, Phil said, but, with all your hectic work schedule this week, did you get up early or stay up late any? Steve shook his head and gave a knowing smile. Yeah. And I guess that was useless. I was cutting out the one thing that would really make anything I was doing worthwhile. Man, I can t believe that. Don t be too hard on yourself, Steve, Judy chimed in. You re growing, just like the rest of us. Always remember that prayer just like every aspect of being a Christian is about progress, not perfection. Thanks, Steve said. Now, Phil said, for two serious questions from Psalm 127. At this point, Phil said, we re thinking mostly about physical issues. We need to also consider some spiritual issues. After all, those are the more important ones. Let s look at Ephesians 6:10-20, the famous armor of God passage, and answer some questions there. 22

23 Phil continued, You see, the real issue is whether or not we see how much of a battle is actually going on in our lives. Prayer is not a homework assignment. It s not something to check off our Christian to-do list. It s our lifeline. Without God, we are going to die. Satan is going to beat us up every time. Only God can win that victory. We have to pray. I ve never really thought of it like that, Steve said. You re right. I ve usually only prayed when really bad, physical stuff was happening, like when my grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I ve never thought about my daily spiritual battle, and how often I lose those scuffles with Satan because I almost never ask God in any specific way to be part of them. Now s a good time to start, Steve, Phil said. I ve got one more passage I want to look at. It s a very meaningful passage to Judy and me. Let s look at II Corinthians 12:7-10. I ve got some questions I want to ask you about it. As the discussion was wrapping up, Judy reached into her purse and pulled out a Kleenex. Steve and Sarah could see tears falling down her cheek. Phil reached over and gently held her hand. This passage always gets us emotional, Phil said, and took a deep breath. You see, when I was first diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy almost thirty-five years ago, I was an aggressive, hard-headed, stubborn, selfish young man. I was making my way up the teaching ladder. I was certain I was going to end up on the administration side and be the president of the university. I was spending lots of hours away from home, leaving Judy to handle our kids and our house by herself. When I was home, I was so filled with self-importance that I treated her like a jerk. We were both Christians, but I only went to the assemblies on occasion, just to keep up appearances. Our marriage was spiraling down, and I didn t even see it. I was convinced I didn t need anyone. Any problems we did have were Judy s fault. I didn t need her. I didn t need the church. I didn t really need God. This was all just part and parcel of having a persona that would succeed. Phil took another deep breath and slowed down even more. Then one day while jogging, I just fell. There was no reason for it. I just fell. I also noticed that I was having trouble lifting things with my left hand. I went to the doctor. He ran his tests and down came the diagnosis Muscular Dystrophy. I couldn t believe it. How could that happen to me? Me of all people? Espe- 23

24 cially since in most cases it s discovered much younger than it was in me. At first, I was livid. I was mad at Judy, mad at my kids, mad at the church, mad at God. I m so thankful for brother Davis. He was much younger then and not one of the shepherds of the congregation. But he was already reaching out to help others spiritually as much as he could. We learned a lot about God, connecting to Him, and relying on Him. It was a wonderful period of growth. What I learned most was that I need God every day. I can say with a clear conscience that I m thankful for my disease today. You see, not everyone gets the great blessing of a hardship like this one to give them a daily reminder of how much they need God. After all, here you are in your forties and you haven t recognized it fully yet. Every day I m reminded, and I m grateful for that. Don t get me wrong some days I d rather be fully healthy, but when I think it through, I remember how things were when I was. Who knows where I would be today if God hadn t blessed me with this disability. Obviously, we can t see down a different timeline, but I doubt Judy and I would be together. I doubt my kids would have anything to do with me. As much as I thought I was going to be the university president, I was burning bridges every semester. I probably wouldn t have gone as far as I thought I would. Anyway, I could go on and on about this. But needless to say, I m very much like Paul in this passage. I m no longer ashamed of my Muscular Dystrophy. I boast in it, because when I m weak, then I m strong. When I m weak, then I remember how much I need God. That s when I pray like it. That s when I connect. That s when I grow. I m not saying everyone needs this disease. I m just saying I think I did. At this point, Sarah was crying, too. Steve was just in shock. They had no idea about Phil and Judy s past. But both of them were beginning to understand the point. They needed God. They couldn t let Him go. This High Voltage Prayer idea was taking on a whole new light for them. Well, Phil said, I guess we ve only got one more thing to deal with tonight. After establishing their prayer schedule for the week, the two couples talked for a few minutes. Then Judy looked at her watch and said, Well, Phil, it s a school night for their kids. They need to go get them home so they can put them to bed. That means we need to get out of their hair. Steve helped Judy get Phil out the door and down the sidewalk as Sarah walked on to the car. Steve followed Sarah over and quickly consulted with her before he knocked on the driver s window of the Haroldson s van. Um Sarah and I were wondering if you two would like to come over for supper after the assembly Sunday night. We ve apparently really missed out on a great blessing by not getting closer to you. We should get to know each other better. Maybe we can even talk some more about prayer. Phil and Judy smiled again. Sounds good, Phil said. We d really like that. As Sarah pulled out of the driveway, she was saying her own little silent prayer. God, Thank You for tonight. Thank You for brother Davis. Thank You for the Haroldsons. Please, help me learn how much I need You. Help me see it every day. Thank You, Amen As Sarah was driving off and praying, Steve walked back in the house and called his accountability partner. I have a confession I need to make, he said when his friend answered. He then explained about his prayer struggles that week and the day he loopholed his way into saying he had prayed. He shared some of what he learned that night. He was going to do better this week. He was certain of it, not because he thought he could do better, but because something had shifted. Last week, prayer had been a homework assignment. Tonight, it was a lifeline. 24