Review

So far we have looked at four questions about prayer, "What is Prayer?," "Whydoes prayer matter?," and "Where should wepray?" and "When should we pray?"

Wehave talked about what prayer is to us and to God, and how importantour attitude is when when pray.  We looked at why prayer matters, whyit is vital to our relationship with God.  How prayer turns us towardGod and how God draws near to us.  We looked and where we should prayand the example Jesus himself set while on this Earth.  We looked howHe would take time away from all the rest of "life" to spend with HisFather.

Last week we looked when we shouldpray.  We looked at the verses that seemed to indicate that we shouldalways be praying, and guess what we found!  That's exactly what theymeant!  We could have ended there, but we dug further to see if wecould find out if there where specific times the Bible instructs us topray.  We found several.  The first we looked at was when there is sin,not just our personal sin, but also the sins of ourchurch/family/nation or even then sins of other we know that may notrun in our circles.

We ended the lesson looking at where we had to go yet.  There were two questions left, who and how.

Who

So,this week we are going to look at who.  Now my name is not Horton and Iwon't be rhyming as I talk, so we will not be talking about Whoville. This is a hard question actually, because what are you going to askabout who.  Who should pray?  Everyone.  Small, large, rich, poor,sick, or healthy.  All cultures, all countries, all age groups. Everyone.  We could ask the question who should we pray for, and thisis the question I started with for my studies.  I wanted to again findspecific people that the Bible indicates we should pray for, and we maystill do that, next week.  This week I want to ask a differentquestion, but before I do I want to explain the reason why.

Background

Saturdaynight my neighbors invited me to their church for a youth event.  Theyyouth was having a night of music and skits as fund raiser for anotherfuture event they are doing next month.  Their son was going to beplaying the oboe and Maegan wanted to go, we we went.  I have to say itwas a great night.  These teens (and a few adults) really put on a goodevening.  Most of the night was just plain fun with an occasional skitwith a message through in, but the last few were all ministry.  I wantto talk to you about them for a bit, and then go into the meat of thisclass today because God frankly smacked me good Saturday night. 

Thefirst one was a lady who had just been in a car crash and died.  She"wakes" to a dark room, with loud noises around her, and some evillooking created roaming around the back of the room.  She quicklyrealizes she is in Hell and promptly begins to cry out to God forhelp.  God answers and tells her the judgement has been made, its toolate.  She describes her life then.  At 13, God called her into fulltime ministry, and she accepted, but her friends rejected her for thatchoice.  So she put the Bible away because it was the right choice, butnot the right time.  Then at 17 she got involved with drugs, gotpregnant and aborted the baby.  As she put it she should have loved thechild instead of killing it.  Then at 21 she was in the lime light. She was famous and everyone "loved" her.  She had people all aroundher.  At 25 she was given an award named after her because of what shehad accomplished.  Everyone that was anyone was there that night whenshe was given the award.  Afterwards, as she was talking out a manconfronted her.  He was not well dressed nor was he anyone important,but he told her Jesus loved her.  He told her that if she heard hisvoice, not to harden her heart!  But everyone was watching her, so sheturned away.  It was her night after all.  It was all about her!  Well,on the way home, her chauffeur lost control of the limousine, and therewas a accident, and she dies, and now it was too late for her.  But shereminded us it was not too late for us.  This is a special "church"event put put on my the youth and she gave a salvation call at it.

Thesecond skit was a girl looking at colleges and unable to make up hermind.  She bowed her head and asked God what college she should attend,waiting a few minutes, and then complained that God never answers herprayers.  The next moment, God spoke.  He told her that he wanted herto know His will, so she asked again about college, but God wanted totalk about other things.  He first asked her about her plans for thenight.  She was planning on watching her favorite TV show, the one withthe beach and the boys in their swim suits.  God told her His will wasfor her to do her homework that night.  He then asked about her plansfor 5thperiod at school the next day.  She was planning on skipping class togo watch some new romantic movie, and it was rated R.  He told her Hiswill was for her to stay at school and go to class.  She was frustratednow.  She told God she was going to go out with her boyfriend the nextnight, at which time God interrupted her and said that he was not rightfor her as he did not know God and it wouldn't last.  She began toreally complain and God asked her if she really wanted to know Hiswill, and she said, "no, umm I mean yes."  In the end, what she really wanted was God's will when it matched her own will.

Lastly,they did a human video to a song I have never heard.  I can't even tellyou what the song was or the words I was so captured by the story theyportrayed.  It starts with a girl and Jesus on the stage alone.  Thegirl is asleep it seems, until Jesus wakes her.  He stands behind heras he begins to guide her very movements is a way that was so verytender.  He then takes her around creations, showing her all the thingsHe has made for her.  He makes clouds and a beautiful sky for them toshare together.  He makes an apple tree and plucks a ripe apple off thetree just for her.  He makes the sun shine on her, and the rain fall onher, all just for her.  Then a man comes into the picture.  He comesbetween her and God and sweeps her off her feet, and then stand betweenher and God preventing her from seeing Jesus.  Next a man with moneyenters and teases her with wealth.  He waves the money around her andoccasionally drops a bill or two for her to pick up.  He also goes tostand between her and Jesus.  Next a girl with a beer, then a lady alldressed up like a model, all pulling her away from Jesus, all going tostand between her and Him.  All the while Jesus is behind this wallreaching for her.  Lastly, a person dressed like a demon comes in.  Hehands her a knife and tries to get her to cut her wrists.  Then hehands here a gun to get her to shot herself.  She is almost in tears asthe gun shakes in her hand while pointing to her temple.  The she dropsthe gun and goes running for Jesus.  Everyone that was blocking herview before now is wrestling her to the ground to keep her fromChrist.  I have been in Heaven's Gates Hells Flames and one that wentto Hell, and I fought hard against the "demons" that were dragging meoff, but not like this looked.  She was actually being thrown to theground and a shirt she had on over the top of another was ripped rightoff her.

Finally, she touches the hand ofJesus and steps between her and all these other that are trying todestroy her.  He guard her and she kneels and worships Him, yet all theother fight to get to her.  In the end, Jesus basically says, enough isenough and throws them all to the ground.  Reaching out to take herhand, the once again begin to move together as one.

Thesereally hit me hard because I have felt like each of these people in mylife and as I drove home, a new question came to mind that I wanted toexplore.  A different look at prayer than we have yet really, and thatquestion is, Just Who are we praying too?

Who are we praying too?

Everhave a time where you really get something for the first time.  I meansomething you think you know and then you see or hear it presented in adifferent way and suddenly it clicks and you realize that what youthought your knew you really had no clue.  That's what happened to melast night.  O I have always "known" that Jesus was our personalsavior, but seeing the way it was portrayed in the human video Saturdaynight caused something to "click" in me.

Iwas recently talking with someone who has been through similarexperiences as I have.  We talked about the struggles of being a singleparent and about things we had done with our kids as we had beenraising them, but then they said one thing that really struck home. The hardest thing is the loneliness.  Anyone who has not been divorcedmay not understand that, but they did.  I can't tell you the number oftimes I have been at home weeping in prayer over the hurt I wasfeeling, and God seem absent.  How many times I just wanted a hand tohold, yet God's hand was not there.  How many times I wished Jesuswould appear next to me, if only for a moment because I so longed forcompanionship, yet He never did.  Seeing the human video portrayed mademe ask myself, "Does Jesus really want to move together with me likethat?  Are there things He has done just for me to show me He lovesme?  If so, have I really dropped the ball."

So let's look together at who we are praying to.

Creator

Genesis 1:1 NIV  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Doesanyone disagree with that statement?  Why?  Why did God create theheavens and the earth?  I mean He had already been around since foreverand He had the angels for company, not to mention His triunenature, so why create the heavens and the earth.  In doing so He knewthat His creation would be tainted with sin, that that suffering,disease and death would mar His creation.  That most those to whom Hewould set to rule over His creation would not acknowledge He is God,and some would even hate Him.  If He wanted people to love Him, justcreate those that would and not the others, forget the earth and justpopulate heaven.  Yet God took 6 days to create everything.  6 Days. Anyone disagree?  Why?  So a creature call man could disobey the onlyrule God gave and have to be separated from God because of it?  Imagineparents thinking like that.  We'll have the perfect child, but if theymess up once, it out the door for them.

Destroyer

Genesis7:20-23 NIV  The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth ofmore than twenty feet.  (21)  Every living thing that moved on theearth perished--birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures thatswarm over the earth, and all mankind.  (22)  Everything on dry landthat had the breath of life in its nostrils died.  (23)  Every livingthing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and thecreatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air werewiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

OK,let's look here.  First, God created an earth that He had been withoutfor an eternity with a people that He knew would not acknowledge Him asGod, much less love Him, and now He says, OK, enough is enough,everyone put you few die.  Stick with me here.  I am walking throughthis myself and though I am not sure where it is leading, I know itwill make sense in the end.

So God nowdestroys almost everything He created, except the family of Noah, anark full of animals, and everything in the ocean.  Ever wonder why thesea creatures were not destroyed also?  Just a question.

Disciplinary

Numbers16:28-32 NIV  Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the LORDhas sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea:  (29) If these men die a natural death and experience only what usuallyhappens to men, then the LORD has not sent me.  (30)  But if the LORDbrings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth andswallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go downalive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treatedthe LORD with contempt."  (31)  As soon as he finished saying all this,the ground under them split apart  (32)  and the earth opened its mouthand swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions.

OK,now we have one group of people that God has singled out as His own andwe have a man to whom God speaks directly, yet still we see that theydon't want to acknowledge God as God.  It gets so bad the God has theearth swallow up some of His hand chosen people!  Imagine if today thepastor had to physically cover his face because God's glory was sobright on him we could not look at him.  Would you listen to that man? Are you sure?  The Israelites didn't, how are you any different thanthem?

Lover

Genesis 3:8 NIV  Then theman and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking inthe garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God amongthe trees of the garden.

Back to the startof the story we wee God walking in the garden looking for Adam andEve.  I looked but could not find another time where this is mentionedin the Bible.  I had always assumed the Adam and Eve shared a regularwalk with God every day, literally.   I looked at the verb in questionfor "walking" to see if it gave any more in-site.  The verb usedimplies a continual action, like it never stops.  That would make senseas God is everywhere at all times, but it is my belief that God didtake time to talk with Adam and Eve, whether He took some physical formor if it was in the wind I don't know, but they did know His voice, soto me that means there had to have been other conversations.  So we seeand imply that God would take time to specifically talk with Adam andEve.  Why?  The God who had been without them for eternity now needs some company?  Maybe, but I think there is more.

Romans5:6-8 NIV  You see, at just the right time, when we were stillpowerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  (7)  Very rarely will anyonedie for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possiblydare to die.  (8)  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Weall know this verse.  Anyone that has memorized the "Romans Road ofSalvation" knows it, but let's look at it again.  Christ dies for uswhen were still sinners.  Sinners don't love God, if they did theywould repent and not be "sinners" anymore.  We were God's enemies in away.  Imagine being given the choice to save someones life by takingtheir place.  For some that would be easy, my daughters for example. Some it would be hard, but I might, like my close friends.  But what ifthe person whose life you were going to save was Hitler, or CharlesManson, or John Wayne Gace.  Would you sacrifice your life for them?  Yet Jesus did just that.  He dies for Hitler, Charles Manson, and John Wayne Gace.    Why, He loves us.

Depth of Love

Letme ask a question.  Did you love your spouse before you met them?  Howcould you, you hadn't met them yet right?  What about your childrenbefore they were born?

Ephesians 1:4-5 NIV For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy andblameless in his sight. In love  (5)  he predestined us to be adoptedas his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure andwill-

Let's agree we are not going to talkabout that word "predestined" today OK?  Frankly, I don't understandwhy it is there really.

Let's look insteadat verse 4 mainly.  It says He chose us before creation!  How could Hechose us before creation, we didn't exist and without creation we neverwould!  Did you catch that.  He chose us before creation and creationwas needed so we could exist so God could fulfill His choice.  To putit another way, He created the world just for us so that He could havea relationship with us.  He created the world FOR us so He could have arelationship WITH us.  There is no way I could begin to understand alove so deep that to fulfill it you would have to create an entireuniverse, yet that is what I see here.  God loved you and I so much hemade an entire universe for us!  What a gift!

Wrap up

Thisgives me a lot to think about.  Do I really serve a God that wants tobe involved in everything I do?  Did He really create everything justso I could be born in 1967 because He wanted a relationship with me?

Acts 17:28 NIV  'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

Iseverything you do done "in Him?"  Are all your moved His moves?  Areyou in sync with God, mirroring His ever move for you?  Are you tryingto be?  Do you really want to be?

There is asong we do call Amazing Love.  There are times I have a hard timesinging it because the line in the song that says "In all I do I honoryou" would be a lie if I said it.  I have been up on the platformbefore, playing and singing and we get to this line and I am soconvicted by something I have done that to sing this line would be alie.  I would be willing to say with 100% confidence that I am notalone in that if we are all honest with ourselves.  This is the God wepray to.  He wants to be involved in every move you make.  Unlike thesong from the 80's, God will not be just watching you move and breathif you let Him.  He direct your moves, not as amartinet pulls thestrings of the puppet, but as a partner, moving with you, directing youby taking your hand, by being in sync with you every step of the way.