valuable - dependent in prayer
Water cooler conversation:
What was your biggest win this week? What was your biggest challenge?
What was your first job?
Unpack the Message:
EXPECTATION CHURCH EXISTS SO THAT PEOPLE FAR FROM GOD WILL EXPERIENCE FAITH IN CHRIST.
This week we unpack our core value, DEPENDENT IN PRAYER, because we are ACTIVELY RELYING ON GOD.
We are not dependant on prayer; we are dependent in prayer. We can't accomplish the mission God has given us (Matthew 28:19-20) without the supernatural power of prayer. "Go make disciples." This is His mission that is our mission because it is the mission. Some say, "Well, all we can do is pray," as if that's the last resort. Instead, prayer should be the first response of the believer. Others say, "I'm tired of 'thoughts and prayers as a response to hardship or disaster. We need action!" Prayer is action, and by actively relying on God, you are demonstrating God's sovereignty over every aspect of our lives (Ecclesiastes 7:13–14).
In Matthew 9:35-38, Jesus is traveling throughout cities and towns, preaching and teaching. He's yet to choose the 12 disciples but has already amassed a large following. Jesus was OUTWARD FOCUSED, never staying in one place, content to care for just those who came to Him but instead constantly seeking those who had yet to hear His message. He was also busy MEETING NEEDS, both physically and spiritually. He has a WELCOME HOME response, seeing them as sheep without a shepherd, and has compassion for them.
But as He's directing His followers, rather than sending them out immediately to start leading others to Christ, He instructs them to stop and "pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." His wasn't a "well, all we can do is pray" attitude. Instead, Jesus saw it as a crucial first step.
DEPENDENT IN PRAYER IS OUR FIRST ACTION STEP
Our response must be to follow Jesus' command to "pray to the Lord of the harvest." We can try to fulfill the mission on our own, but our mission is doomed to fail unless our efforts are undergirded with prayer. Jeremiah 17:5-6 warns us of the futility of trusting in our strength. The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us repeatedly of the pointlessness of endless human toil and labor (Ecclesiastes 1:2-4; Ecclesiastes 2:1-3; Ecclesiastes 2:1-3; Ecclesiastes 2:17-20).
DEPENDENT IN PRAYER REMINDS US OF HIS MISSION
This isn't the mission He's given us; it's His mission. God uses us to accomplish His work, and the only way we can stay on task is through prayer. In John 15:5, Jesus teaches us that we cannot live a fruitful life, one with lasting impact unless we are connected to Him. Once we are saved, we are given the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. How can we discern His leading? Through prayer.
DEPENDENT IN PRAYER PREPARES US FOR HIS MISSION
In Matthew 9, we see Jesus' ministry in action - meeting needs, healing the sick, drawing the lost to Himself, and equipping them for the mission by preparing their heart and mind through prayer (Matthew 9:38). It's only then that we see those same followers sent out in Matthew 10. Why the delay? Because without prayer, they would never have been in alignment with God's heart.
DEPENDENT IN PRAYER PRECEDES THE IMPOSSIBLE
The story of Jesus is an impossible tale. Yet, with only three years of public ministry, He transformed the culture of His day. His influence cascades through the centuries, around the world—His power and presence are still seen today. He continues to do the impossible, healing, redeeming, restoring and saving those who cry out to Him (Genesis 18:14; Matthew 17:20; Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37; Luke 18:27; Hebrews 11:6).
God invites us into His work. Will you accept His invitation?
We are not dependant on prayer; we are dependent in prayer. What's the difference?
Why is it significant that the Great Commission is laid out by Jesus after His resurrection - not before He was crucified?
What practical suggestions have helped you most in your prayer life? Why?
Why is the statement "All we can do is pray?" contrary to how God expects us to respond?
Sometimes the hardest thing for us is to do nothing at all—nothing except wait upon the Lord. Are you good at waiting? Share a time when you had to wait on the Lord to see you through a difficult situation.
Do you pray every day? What types of things do you regularly pray for?
Why do we tend to put our priorities over God's when we pray? What are some ways we can make our priorities the same as God's?
Read Matthew 7:7-12. What did Jesus say will happen if we bring our requests to Him? (7:7)
What is your "That's impossible" prayer? How can you believe with all your heart that God will answer your prayer and yet not lose confidence in Him if he doesn't answer the way you hoped?
If you think of prayer in God's name as prayer according to God's will, does it explain why some recent prayers of yours were not answered? Does it help to know that? Why or why not?
In a letter written in 1940, C.S. Lewis said: "When you pray for Hitler and Stalin, how do you actually teach yourself to make the prayer real? The two things that help me are (a) A continual grasp of the idea that one is joining one's feeble voice to the perpetual intercession of Christ who died for these very men. (b) A recollection, as firm as I can make it, of all one's own cruelty; which might have blossomed under different conditions into something terrible. You and I are not at the bottom so different from these ghastly creatures." Could you have prayed for Hitler or Stalin? Who do you today find it most difficult to pray for (an unjust leader, a personal enemy, etc.)?
Make a Move:
What specific request in your life is currently weighing on you most in your life? Share that request with your group and commit to pray for that request each day this week. If you’re comfortable sharing and would like support, you can submit it online at www.expectation.church/prayer. Our staff meets for prayer twice a week and our volunteer prayer team lifts up your requests throughout the week. Let us know how we can pray for you.
Prayer Prompt:
Lord, thank you for inviting me into Your mission and for empowering me through the Holy Spirit. Teach me to be dependent in prayer as I learn to trust You with my life. Equip me for the challenges I will face as I place passion over comfort in pursuing the work You've set before me. Instead of living in fear or trying to do it all on my own strength, I choose to embrace any difficulties and say, "not my will but Yours." Teach me to trust you right now. Thank You for the confidence of knowing You will manage my life perfectly; I need only to trust You. Help me to remember I am blessed. Right now, I lay my life and all its troubles before You and ask for the courage and the faith not to rush back and pick them up again. Amen
Worship Set:
What a Beautiful Name/Break Every Chain