Wednesday Night Recap - 02/22/17

In the first night of our new series on prayer (Unlocked) we focused on the possibilities and the power of prayer. First and foremost, prayer is not as easy as it looks but the reward that can come from prayer outweighs any difficulty in the process of learning to pray. If we look at the Psalms to learn about prayer, we would see that it is normal for one to experience difficulty in trying to connect to God through praying. What the Psalms also show us is that God always come through. That when we call out to God, seek His Presence and for His power to move in our life, he will never leave us dry. What is important to remember is, whenever you feel cut off from God, prayer is the key to reestablishing that connection.
 
Using the parable of the persistent widow, Bob talked about the power of “always praying and never giving up”. Jesus did not tell this parable to his disciples because he wanted them to feel bad for not praying enough; he shared this story with them because he wanted to emphasize that prayer is key to the movement of God in our life. Another important lesson from this parable is that if even a corrupt judge could answer a poor woman’s cry for help, how much more willing is our good and loving father willing to help us? This unique perspective helps us understand how God views us when we pray.
 
Finally, Bob concluded the message talking about the infinite power of prayer. Sharing the John Calvin quote, “Prayer does not change things - God changes things in response to prayer”, Bob emphasized that prayer is not about us; rather, it is about an all powerful God who can and wants to do the impossible for the good of His people! Bob then shared one more quote from John Wesley, “God does nothing except through prayer”. What this is meant to convey to us is that we must consistently use prayer as the key to unlock God’s goodness on this earth! In the places where we need God to do the impossible, prayer is the key.  
 
The goal of the message was to remind us that we are the persistent widow. That regardless of how much control we think we have over our life, God is the only one who can truly change circumstances, people, and lives. So we are invited into dependence and desperation, and we are encouraged to come to God consistently with our requests. The prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective (James 5:16), and because of Jesus, we are among the righteous.

Prayer is the key.