The Otherness Of Prayer

There are lots of things we can learn from the early Church.  Dealing with persecution ... placing our "stuff" in the right perspective ... and the ultimate focus of prayer.  These are a few of the many lessons.  In our series of sermons on Still Day One After Pentecost, I want to grab on to one of those lessons about prayer.

I have heard lots of prayers in my life of ministry.  Some have been beautiful.  Many have been needs-oriented.  But the Acts Church teaches us something worth learning about the "otherness" of prayer.  Here goes!

In Acts 4:24 the prayer begins ... "Sovereign Lord, You made the heavens and the earth and everything in them" PRAISE OF GOD ... "You spoke through Your Holy Spirit through our father David" GOD'S INVOLVEMENT IN/THROUGH TIME ... "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against His anointed one" GOD'S HISTORIC UNDERSTANDING AND PERSPECTIVE ,,, "Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed" GOD'S CURRENT UNDERSTANDING/PERSPECTIVE ... "They did what Your power and will had decided beforehand should happen" GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY.  Let's stop here.  Did you notice whom this prayer is about up to this point?  God!

Now the meat of the prayer for God's Church and God's people.  "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable Your servants to speak Your Word with boldness" EQUIP US TO WITNESS BOLDLY ... "Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders," LET US EXTRAVAGANTLY OFFER YOUR LOVE/HEALING ... "Through the name of Your Holy servant, Jesus" LET US OFFER CHRIST.

Do you see it?  It is not about us at all!  It is about Jesus, the work and plan of God in the world and the prayerful worship of a God worthy of our worship!  Here is part of a very Wesleyan prayer that tracks alongside the Acts 4 Church ... "I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thy wilt.  Rank me with whom thou wilt.  Put me to doing.  Put me to suffering.  Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for the or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty.  Let me have all things, let me have nothing.  I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.  And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thou art mine and I am thine ... so be it!  And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in Heaven! Amen!

Jesus prayed, "not my will but thine."  For us, not about us.  Wesley was right!  Acts was right!  Jesus was right! AMEN