Are We Too Proud to Really Pray?

Welcome to this 2021 national Day of prayer. Special with Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City. I'm sure you have savings and I wish this wouldn't be Mama's good, but I would be a betrayer of God in the betrayer of Scripture. If I told you somehow following the journey the ground they were going to reach a different destination a different conclusion is simply not going to be there is a day coming in America when there's going to be a loss of hope for the future if there's ever been a time in America's history when we need to turn back to God and have a true face-to-face encounter with and it is right now. If we don't it will cost us. God will remove his protection blessing and prosperity which together made our nation the envy of the entire world today, you'll hear a call to humbly seek God's forgiveness and grace, believing the Lord will continue to have his hand on our country. Let's join Carter. Now, as he asks the question, are we too proud to really pray to be read to an article about the first called her in 1775, and how the national Day of prayer has become something that is really systemic in American culture because of the faith of many of our founding fathers public prayer, and national days of prayer have a long-standing and significant history in American tradition, the Supreme Court affirmed the right of state legislatures to open their sessions with prayer in Marsh versus Chambers in 1983 the national Day of prayer is a vital part of our heritage since the first call to prayer. In 1775 when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation.

The call to prayer has continued throughout our history, including Pres. Lincoln's proclamation of a day of humiliation, fasting and prayer. In 1863 in 1952, a joint resolution by Congress signed by Pres. Truman declared an annual national Day of prayer. In 1988 the law was amended and signed by Pres. Reagan permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May each year. The president signs a proclamation encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. Last year, all 50 state governors plus the governors of several US territories signed similar proclamations so we come once again to the national Day of prayer which leads me now to a question which is the title of my sharing with you today. Are we too proud to really pray you and I realize that prayer can just be a perfunctory performance in the religiousness that remains in some part of our society. We pray specific things but honest prayer and real prayer is coming face-to-face with God, for an intimate conversation with him is not just us talking to God is God talking back to us and requires UNI individually and then corporately is a nation that we stand in the presence of God and to simply ask him to do some certain things and be willing to have him ask us certain questions about our behaviors or perhaps about our relevance to his word in these ways that he says that we should be living in in our time back in history today on back to a time in the nation of Israel in the book of Isaiah chapter 30 when the nation of Israel was in danger, especially the part of it called Judah of being triumphed over by a nation called the Syria.

Now the Assyrians were they would come against the nation of Israel.

In this case, the people of God. They conquered by assimilation.

In other words, they would allow the people to more or less exist in their Mets but they required of the people that they adopt the value system in ways the culture of the Assyrian way of thinking. So this was a very very direct threat against the people of God at this time and so God was trying to speak to his people through the voices that he had raised up to encourage them to come back to him and trust to come back to him and with it really an honest face-to-face interaction with God. It was their behavior.

It was their lack of respect to his ways and to his word that was allowing the enemies of God's people to rise up and actually threatened to swallow them up in this other culture and so here is God now speaking through the prophet Isaiah to his people beginning in chapter 30 and verse eight he says now go write it before them on a tablet and noted on the scroll that it may be for time to come for ever and ever. Another sconces as a I want you to write down the reasonings that I'm attempting to have with my people at this time. I'm trying to speak to them about their behaviors.

I'm trying to talk to them about why this enemy called the Syria is rising up and threatening to take away their testimony threatening to take away their safety, their security, their history, the traditions that everything that I've given them is now in jeopardy and I want you to write it down in a permanent place in the course you and I know that it's written down today in the word of God. So it is there in a permanent place that it might be for instruction for the people of God. The people of Israel of that time and for future generations and future countries where the word of God is honored and at least in its foundation. Given some reference. Now Paul said to Timothy in second Timothy chapter 3 verses 16 and 17.

He says all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness in a God says I've given you my word, and part of the reason is not just to encourage you is to correct you is to help you to turn in a way that is right so that the protection and presence of God might remain among you and the people that I set you apart to be for my glory might not be conquered by some foreign thought or some foreign power. In verse 17 he says that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Now here is God through the prophet Isaiah, talking about his own people of that time the keep in mind the nation of Israel is a very, very religious nation. There is no shortage of prayer, click on this nation, people are going to the temple on a regular basis.

There are sacrifices going on. There's incense being burned, that religion was interwoven very very deeply in the fabric of the society, I suppose, as it is in great measure, at least, was in American society, but yet the religion would come to the point where there's no longer really, any interaction with God. The people are praying with the not really talking to God. It's all just learned behavior into the old God bless America approach when we don't even know what it means in half the people to say don't even care it's realistically the dissent will God give us prosperity, and in the matter how we behave or what we do or how we reverence or don't reverence your word how we behave file bay door in spite of what we do, we just asked for your blessing God says through Isaiah about his own people. This is a rebellious people. This is Isaiah chapter 30 verse nine lighting children. Children who will not hear the law of the Lord. Another sconces trying to speak to them. I have written down what a proper relationship with me.

Looks like what I require of those that are called by my name, and say there my people but they're turning their ears and eyes and hearts away from it. They they will not hear it. Now the Lord says I've of course I raised the people to challenge them on this. But here's the response in verse 10 it says we say to the Sears do not see no Sears or people could in a sense predict the future in a sensei if you continue on this path.

This is what's going to happen. Now there's there's no shortage of people in our generation, or generations past that have tried to warn this nation to view processed and going in this direction it's going to cost you is going to cost you as it has caused nations before you, you going to lose the protection the blessing the prosperity of God that has made you a people to be envied throughout the world with it.

It's all going to fall through your fingers. If you don't turn back and really pray and really talk to God and really have a face-to-face encounter of every American needed such a thing is right now we need is a people to stand before God and have a face to face encounter with God, but they say to the Sears do not see don't tell us what our future is going to look like. If it's not nice.

We want to hear about.

Don't tell us that there's going to be trouble or difficulty or poverty or our prosperity is going to just slip through our fingers just does.

Don't talk was about these things and they say to the prophets, do not prophesy trust right things speak to us.

Smooth things prophesy deceits get out of the way turn aside from the path because the holy one of Israel to cease from before us don't challenge our behavior tell us nice things about ourselves, tell us how much God loves us tell us that everything is going to be fine, but don't warn us about the coming days. Don't warn us about the things that might be coming our way, that are going to cause us difficulty in the future. We really don't want to hear these things in on the New Testament in the book of acts chapter 27 there were people on the ship there were undertaking a journey in the apostle Paul was with them and he was a man that God was using to speak to them realistically about the peril of their journey and it says in chapter 27 the book of acts, verses nine and 10 now when much time had been spent and sailing was now dangerous because the fast was already over. Paul advised them saying man I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss not only of the cargo in the ship but also our lives. So here's here's the voice of God on the ship with people of undertaking a journey in the voice of God to the apostle Paul is saying don't take this journey don't go in this direction don't do these things if you persist in doing this.

It's going to end in disaster and this can be incredible loss not only of this this vessel, but enough of its cardboard provision, but also our very lives are going to be in danger.

Nevertheless, it says in verse 11. The centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul you it was really all about commerce. Everybody wanted to prosper. Everybody wanted to be in charge and control. They were in a sense, trying to procure their own futures without God or his word, guiding them in the harbor was not suitable to winter in and the majority advised to set sail from there. Also, another was the majority agreed with reasonings that were not the reasonings of God does not sound like our day where we're starting to call evil good, recalling good, evil, were changing the laws of God. We somehow think that we are different than those of come before us that there be no consequence to this that we can carry on in our present journey and that in the storms that have overtaken others. One somehow not overtake us. You are listening to the national Day of prayer 2021 special are we too proud to really pray with Carter come from Times Square church in the heart of New York City known as Québec Isaiah chip and take it up again in verse 12.

Therefore thus says the holy one of Israel because you despise this word in trust and oppression and perversity and you rely on them. Therefore, this iniquity shall be to you like a breach ready to fall a bulge in a high wall is breaking come suddenly in an instant, and he shall break it like the breaking of a potter's vessel, which is broken in pieces. He shall not spare so there shall not be found among its fragments a shard to take fire from the earth, or to take water from the cistern. God says through the prophet Isaiah to his people of that time I tried to speak to you but you won't listen tried to reason with you, but you can't be reasoned with, and you have turned a perversity and you've turned to oppression. Everyone is trying to climb on top of somebody else did to get the power intended to be that higher on the totem pole and the person next to you and you think this is going to give you some kind of security in the future, but it's building up an iniquity in the nation and it's like a wall that's built on a crooked plane, and suddenly it's just going to fall and it's going to be so devastating.

He told his own people Israel that is going to be broken to so many pieces that there be no use to anything of it that is left. This is God speaking this to his own people. His own people that he brought out of captivity and bondage and brought them into a beautiful land where they were to live for him and he was going to be their God, and he was going to to rise them up in a sense about places in the earth where his name is not known and is not honored for the purpose of drawing other people to a living relationship with him. As they had you think about the origins of America how the pilgrims came over to America on that and and God gave them a promise that I'm going to take you to a place where you can worship me freely and according to conscience. I'll be God to you. I'll prosper you. Bless you and America was founded on that foundation. That's not even debatable for anybody who even has a history text is willing to read it you'll understand this is the foundation of this nation. The men and women in that early room for pilgrims prayed in their prayer had to have been honest with God because they had no strength left in the power they had no plan. They were surrounded by enemies only God could have done this and in their weakness, he became their strength and took this little band of 50 or so people that survived the first winter and from that little group. We have a nation of over 300 million people. A nation that has done exploits a nation that has prospered possibly above any nation in the history of the world. A nation that people have clamored to get to is the pilgrims once did 400 years ago. They clambered to get to the nation so that they too can share in the blessing that was given to this nation by God and instead of honoring that we've turned away from it as people of Isaiah's time once did and also the people in acts 27 who are on this journey and Isaiah told the nation of Israel, the nation will be so broken apart that there be almost nothing that anybody can grab hold of any more of its fragments will be of any use to think in acts chapter 27 the sudden storm hits.

These people they convince themselves that were on a great journey in our journey is going to bring us to this prosperous place. And suddenly the caught in this incredible storm ends it so powerful that they can hit into it lately. They can oppose that it now begins to drive them. The set sound familiar to you today. Are we leaving in this parade today ours the wind of this present moment driving us as a people to an unfamiliar place. They began to throw out the tackling of the ship, they began to to panic and then of course when the ship finally broke apart just as it had when it broke apart. There was almost nothing big enough left.

It didn't look like a ship once it is dissolved in a broken apart. Their only peace is big enough left for people to grab onto and swim to the land and that's exactly what God had warned about through the prophet Isaiah, and the. The ironic thing is that they would've known that Scripture that this was their history. This this was these people's history and they knew it, and they knew how God deals with people in mercy when they turned him and in judgment when they turn away if they knew all of this, yet they didn't learn from it is then amazing. Even though Scripture is given to us for instruction in the profitable, for correction, doctrine, reproof they knew this, yet they turned away from it somehow thinking that following the same course as others have followed before us were going to arrive at a different conclusion. And that's the ultimate folly of humanity and in American workers were committing that folly today. We think that we can take the same course as others have taken before us.

I could give you.

Example after example after example. Throughout Scripture were people took the same course were on today begin to call evil good and good evil one, and we have hardly record of anything but justice and judgment in their society because of what they did. What a tragedy for us to do think that we can do the same thing in America today and somehow arrive at a different conclusion. Now let's go back to Isaiah chapter 30 again beginning at verse 15 for thus says the Lord God, the holy one of Israel in returning and rest you shall be saved in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.

Here is the passion of God hears the mercy of God.

It's the same as when Jesus Christ stood in the last day of the feast in the Gospel of John.

He says if anyone is thirsty here still come to me and if you turn to me, as the Scripture said out of your inward parts. This living water will begin to flow again if you will return to me. I'll give you rest. He promised to give us peace, not as the world gives. But as only he can give you bring us into quietness and confidence, and would become our strength and as a nation. Surely you know right now that we are anything but quiet and confident on her present journey. But it goes on, he says, but you would not use it now for we will flee on horses. Therefore you shall flee. We will ride on swift courses in other words, we we can do this. We have a strategy. We know how to escape our our present troubles and if our present plan doesn't work will get a better one and will continue to do this nieces. Therefore, those who pursue you will be swift 1000 shall flee at the threat of one and at the threat of five you shall flee to your left is a poll on top of the mountain and is a banner on Hill in the book of acts it says on this journey that we talked about with Paul now and neither son nor stars. Acts 2720 appeared for many days in no small temple speed on this all hope that we would be saved was finally given up to see this is where were going to come to his nation and sword have to say this. I wish this wouldn't be my message today, but I would be a betrayer of God in a betrayer of Scripture. If I told you that somehow following the journey that were on today were going to reach a different destination or different conclusion is simply not going to be there is a day coming in America when there's going to be a loss of hope for the future and this is what happened now God said to Isaiah to his people, 1000 will flee at the threat of one, the threat of five you shall flee till you are left is a poll on top of a mountain and is a banner on Hill another which you're going to flee, and everyone's going be looking for the high ground you going to be all looking for a place of safety play supervision. It's going to get very, very difficult, very hard in the future. Then he says these words, which I just love and Isaiah 3018 for unit. You see, we see the heart of God. Now therefore the Lord will wait, that he may be gracious to you and therefore he will be exalted that he may have mercy on you for the Lord is a God of justice, and blessed are all those who wait for him. So God is saying this I will wait there for you won't listen to me you won't talk to me. You and I can't have an honest dialogue one with another. You're not willing to let me talk to you about your ways, and how you've offended the grace of a holy God. So I'm going to let your storm pursue you and you going to try to flee but your enemies signal to be stronger's new and you're going to run to place of safety and in this case he talks about being left is a poll on top of a mountain and is a banner on the hill, you know, the New Testament talks about is a song on a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame. You see, this is a type as I read it of that place were God died to give us the victory where he died to have a living relationship.

He sent his son Jesus Christ to the cross so that he could have a living relationship with us and offer us the life in the hope that only he can.

But when we run away from doing things his way from living in a living relationship with him what he is prescribed to be the only thing left to us is for our storms to begin to pursue us until we run back to the place and or perhaps at this time and at that time willing to consider the truth one more time. Remember Jesus Christ said you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. He will wait there for you, that he may be gracious to you and he will be exalted because he will have mercy on you and so I do see hardship ahead for this nation but I do see a mercy moment coming to the nation when we come to our senses and realize there is no place to go but back to that place of God's mercy back to the place of a real living relationship with God through his son Jesus Christ.

That was the cornerstone of the founding of this wonderful nation called the United States of America. Now when neither son nor stars appeared for many days back in acts 27 and no small tempest beat on us all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. Another was all hope that we could save ourselves all hope that our journey the way we prescribed it the way we thought it should go. It was finally given up we lost the tackling. We threw our food overboard.

Our sales were tattered. A ship was falling apart. The winds were beating us our own anchors at the back couldn't slow up the journey were heading to a distant land. It was a foreign place. It was a strange place. We knew the ship was going to break up and we finally lost hope of procuring a good future. Or in this case the next 27 of even surviving nonmember never God said to his people Israel. I will wait there when you get to that place. I will be there to meet you in X 27 when hope was finally given up God through the apostle Paul begin to speak one more time to the people. After long abstinence from food. Paul stood in the midst of them, and said menu should have listened to me and not of sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.

But now I urge you to take heart there be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship and others. Your vessel is going to break apart but because you're willing to hear me now. I'm going to bring you individually to safety. Further, stood by me this night.

An angel of God, to whom I belong and whom I servicing to not be afraid, Paul.

You must be brought before Caesar and indeed God has granted you all those who sailed with you, therefore, take heart. Men, for I believe God will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island. God was true to his word and he brought these people through their storm and brought them to places safety. It was a foreign place. It was a strange place.

It was a cold place. It was a dark place, but at least in that place. They had an opportunity to consider their ways and see the power of God in operation once again. And so here we go America.

Are we too proud to really pray how we come so far that our our prayer is just going to be just another cultural event toward with no real heart willing to consider our ways.

Are we willing to consider what we've done with the definitions of things in the society and how we turn from truth and embrace lies or do we just carry on a journey and pretend that we have a relationship with God.

Hope God meant not be God bless you and may your voice be heard at the throne of God. This national Day of prayer as a father I pray for every person who's listening to this broadcast today Lord Jesus Christ, let it start with me let it start with the man.

The woman this listening to this broadcast today that we will stand in your presence. God now before the nation is in the place of disaster God we will stand and say Lord, search my heart try me know my ways and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way of life everlasting. Have mercy on our families, have mercy on our homes, have mercy on our children by God, have mercy even on those who oppose the truth and try and choose to believe the lie, we ask you for mercy in the season of storms that is come upon this nation and father. We just thank you God.

Many of us will not be too proud to really pray and really stand in your presence. Thank you for joining us for this 2021 national Day of prayer special. Are we too proud to really pray with Carter, from Times Square Church in New York City to find out more about Times Square Church, please go to TSC.NYC TSC.NYC