Transcript
Praying For Our "Needs"
Adapted from a Jeff Strite sermon
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/praying-for-our-needs-jeff-strite-
sermon-on-prayer-how-to-62808
A preacher shares a memory. At prayer time during a worship service I asked:
"Are there any prayer needs today?"One person mentioned a neighbor who was
sick.Another spoke of a couple with financial
problems.A young man asked us to pray for the family of a friend’s grandmother who
recently died.
After hearing what seemed to be all the requests I said, "If there are no other needs
then let us bow our heads and pray."Shortly after beginning the prayer, I felt
something tugging on my pants leg and at the same time heard a loud whisper:
"Preacher! Preacher! "I ’needs’ something too!"
Still speaking, I slightly opened one eye and took a peek.
A little boy was on his hands and knees below me, tugging on my pants leg as hard
as he could and earnestly whispering:"Preacher, I ’needs’ something too!"
I could hear giggling in the background as the boy continued tugging on my pants and
was by now speaking loudly: "Preacher, I ’needs’ something!"
"Oh no!" I thought to myself. "In my arrogance and pride, had I ignored the
needs of a small child? Maybe he knew of someone who was ill that we needed to
include?“Feeling guilty and ashamed, I stopped the prayer and gently asked the young boy:
"Yes son, what do you need?""Preacher, I ’needs’ to go to the bathroom!"
The Bible tells us we "needs" to pray for one another, and because we realize that…
we "needs" to be a praying church.
We have a special time of prayer during worship … AND I know that there are many
who pray for others all the time.That’s the way it ought to be.
Matthew 21:13 ESV He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house
of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers."
We’re working at being a "house of prayer."
And that’s what we always "needs" to do.
For several weeks we’ve been focusing on prayer.
We’re looking at types of prayers.In the last sermon the focus was prayers
for our enemies.
This sermon is focused on the idea of praying for one another. I believe this lies at
the very heart of who we are.
Galatians 6:2 ESV Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Jesus Himself sets the example for us.
Romans 8:34 ESV Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the
right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
In searching for Scriptures that talk about praying for each other,
that people would get well,Texts about praying that people would find
jobs,Verses about praying for families who’d
experienced loss or needed healing,
There is only one text I found that could be used for prayers like that. Surely there are
others, but in my repeated attempts searching concordances, cross-references,
commentaries Ifail to find them.
James 5:16 ESV Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The
prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
In other words, WE ARE commanded (by God) to pray for one another. BUT most of
the Scriptures that I found focused on prayers for each other in an entirely
different way.Look at how Paul prays for the Philippians.
Philippians 1:3 ESV I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer
with joy,
Philippians 1:9 ESV And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with
knowledge and all discernment,Philippians 4:6 ESV do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God.
This isn’t the only time that Paul speaks of this.
He tells the Colossian church: Colossians 1:3 ESV We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when
we pray for you,He tells the Ephesian Church: Ephesians
1:16 ESV I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
And, it’s not just churches Paul prays this way for.
When he writes to Timothy:
2 Timothy 1:3 ESV I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear
conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.
And he informs a friend named Philemon: Philemon 1:4 ESV I thank my God always
when I remember you in my prayers,Now… I believe it is VITAL that we pray for
each other when we’re sick and hurting and struggling in our faith. BUT, I think we
"needs" to pray something else even more. I think we "needs" to pray: "thanking God"
for each other.
Because Jesus said there will ALWAYS be people in this church who have trouble.
John 16:33 ESV I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the
world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
Now… why would we "needs" to do that?
In this world, people are always going to have trouble.
BUT, they’re not always going to have people who care for them.
I got to thinking that it was the people I CARE about, who are people I’m thankful
for.
Those are the people I’m going to pray hardest for. They MATTER to me. When
they hurt, I hurt. When they rejoice, I rejoice.
In fact… when I’m thankful for others, that’s when I really love them.
When I’m thankful for people I reflect an attitude toward them - we find in
1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 13:4 MSG Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't
have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, 5 Doesn't force itself on
others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the
sins of others, 6 Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, 7 Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.
When Lee Iacocca (the genius that created the Ford Mustang, and who revitalized
Chrysler Corp.) was fired as president of Ford Motor Co., he said: "I was hurting
pretty bad. I could have used a phone call from someone who said ’Let’s have coffee.’ But most of my friends deserted me. It was
the greatest shock of my life."
Well, why didn’t Iacocca’s friend’s call him?Didn’t they like him?
Oh… they liked him well enough.He just wasn’t all that important to them.
And it wasn’t that they didn’t think highly of him…
They just didn’t think about him.
The reason we need to focus our prayers for each other on thanksgiving is because
it forces us to THINK about each otherIt forces us to think beyond our prayer NEEDS and to concentrate on why we
should like each other.
A man says to himself, "Oh no, here comes Bob. I promised him last week I’d pray for
him. Dear God, please help Bob!“Then in he says to Bob "Hey, Bob… been
praying for you."Did the man pray for Bob?
Yeah. But he hadn’t "thought" about Bob until he saw him…
He’d taken Bob for granted, and so he forgot all about his promise to pray for him
until just that moment.You know why that story seems funny to us… because we know it happens. It has
happened to you and to me. It’s not that we mean to be mean. It’s just that we don’t
think about each other, and so the needs each of us have kind of drifts out of our
minds.
So, we don’t end up praying for people unless they are close at hand, or unless
they are part of our close circle of friendsHow do we fix that?
We fix that by praying ABOUT each other in a way that goes BEYOND simply praying
for the needs in each others lives. We fix it by giving thanks for each other whenever
we think about one another.
I find it real easy here. I’ll be thinking about one of you, and first thing that comes to
mind is almost always thanksgiving. I suppose that is because I’ve preached in a couple of really difficult churches before this, and I KNOW what kind of people we
have here.It’s easy for me to be thankful for people like you. And I find myself being thankful
for you - a lot.
The fact that I’d experienced difficult people in the past ministries got me to
thinking… there’s some people that aren’t real easy
to be thankful for.Have you ever met someone like that?
People that have disappointed you, or hurt you…, or whatever. And so you find it real
hard to thank God for that person.
Two sisters spent the day fighting.That evening they prepared for bed, still
mad at each other.As usual, they knelt beside their beds for
their prayers."Dear God," the 8yr. old began, "Bless
Daddy and Mommy, bless our cat and dog."Then she stopped.
Her mother gently prodded, "Didn’t you forget somebody?"
She glared across the bed at her 6yr. old sister and added, "And, oh yes, God bless
my ex-sister."
Paul gives us a word of advice on how to deal with that problem.
Philippians 1:3 ESV I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer
with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion
at the day of Jesus Christ.
When we’re praying for others in this church we need to be praying for them - not
so much for what they have ALREADY done but for what God may yet do through
them.That person sitting near you may not be
living up to your expectations. You may not - at this moment - be real
thankful for them BUT… our confidence needs to be in what God will YET do in their
lives.
Our confidence needs to be in God not the Christians who aren’t living up to our
expectations.
We must be thankful for them, believing that "He who BEGAN a good work in them
will carry it on to completion."
Jesus saved them for a reason… and Jesus isn’t done with them yet.
So…even if you can’t think of anything to be thankful for when you pray for someone,
focus on being thankful that God isn’t finished with them yet.
PRAYER TIME:What I want you to do this morning is pray for each other. I want you pick 3 people to
be thankful for this morning:A person beside or near youA person on your prayer list
A person you’re having trouble liking this morning.
Have you ever thought of the differences between what Church should be like and
what the world tries to substitute for Christ’s family. Someone once wrote:
The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit there is to the fellowship Christ
wants to give his church.
Conclusion
The bar is an imitation dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality, but it is permissive, it is accepting and it is
an inclusive fellowship.It is unshockable.It is democratic.
You can tell people secrets and they usually don’t tell others or even want to.
The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because God has
put into the human heart, the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved.
And so many people seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers.
BUT, there is one more thing that makes the church different than the local tavern.
In fact, it is the one thing that makes us different than any other human
organization
The church is a place where we train each other to care for one another.
And that training starts when we learn to pray - giving thanks for one another… both for what we are, and for what we are yet to
become.
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