Praying In Crisis

Well Summit shirt said all of our campuses in the Raleigh-Durham area let me welcome you in today as we worship together only say what a privilege it is for me to have this opportunity to share with you some of what I think God is starring in my heart in hopes that it will be an encouragement and a challenge to you I should begin today with a bit of a confession.

It won't be news to some of you, but I must say it am a recovering control freak. I quite prefer things to be done. Well my way. I hate to be caught off guard are taken by surprise. I like to know what's coming really like to be in charge. I began my career here convinced that if everyone would just do things my way, the world would be a much better place. But you all have so graciously reminded me on a regular basis through the years that I am not in control. Then God gave me a life. Enough said.

And now I have two young boys six and seven years old, spirited boys, shall we say who regularly shatter any remaining illusion that I have that I ever was or ever will be in control.

So like I said I'm in recovery.

But I have a much deeper sense that things around me are not under control. Whether it's the devastation of the earthquakes in Nepal are the brutality with which Isis has advanced in the Middle East the world around me seems to be reeling from tragedy after tragedy and atrocity after atrocity, but the chaos isn't just in other places.

It's here at home to from Ferguson to New York to Baltimore unrest and violence have erupted in communities are torn apart all across our land.

Racism has raised its ugly head and the result is devastating. Maybe, like me, you feel that unsettling sense that all is not well in our world. The foundation seems to be crumbling, but maybe the feeling of life in crisis for you is more personal. Your job is it secure.

Maybe you're unemployed, you may be struggling with some disease and watching your health deteriorate. Maybe your family is falling apart at the seams. Your marriage is a struggle.

Your kids are rebelling or maybe just maybe you don't have the family you thought you have, by this point in your life the dreams of being married and having kids and that cute little cottage with the picket fence are not coming true. Life isn't all you dreamed it would be. So the question for us this morning is when disappointments rise, and they surely will. When hardship comes and you know it's just around the corner when crisis looms large.

What can you and I do. How should we respond when we feel overwhelmed in the next few minutes I want to show you from the life of Jesus. How he responded in crisis and how that I think should inform our response in the crises that we face, you got your Bible. Turn with me to Mark chapter 14 reeling together in verses 32 through 36 bluff for you to follow along with me, but if you don't have a Bible you can look at the screen behind me in the verses will be there.

We set the stage for you this moment in Jesus life is sandwiched in between the last supper. His last gathering of all his disciples on one side and only other side is Jesus in pending trial and crucifixion on Calvary.

So let's read together verse 32 they went to a place called Gethsemane and Jesus said to his disciples sit here while I pray he took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, he said to them stay here and keep watch.

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible, the hour might pass from him father. He said everything is possible for you.

Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will but what you will listen to crisis for Jesus was real. It wasn't imagined or contrived. It wasn't even exaggerated. Unlike many of the impending crises that we face are that we fear. Jesus knew full extent of what was about to come upon him.

There was no ambiguity, no uncertainty. That's why verse 34. He says my soul is overwhelmed to the point of death. Jesus knows what's about to happen. He knows he will be betrayed by one of his disciples.

He knows his closest friends will abandon him even deny they knew him, he will be beaten and scourged and nailed to a cross and on that cross. He will endure all of God's wrath for our sin. Jesus knows the prophecy of Isaiah 53 is about to be fulfilled. He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities the punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He knows the pain is coming. He knew the separation from the father.

He was about to endure. He knew the brokenness that he would experience in his body in the hell that he was going to endure on our behalf.

His crisis was of a greater magnitude than anything QR could ever even begin to imagine more painful and more distressing than anything any of us will ever have to endure. For that reason I think what Jesus does. As the crisis unfolds is an appropriate God for how you and I should respond when heartache, hardship, disappointment, difficulty in crisis, right what Jesus did he pray he pray, but it's not just that he prayed, it's how and what he prayed that should offer hope and help to us today. I want us to look both at Jesus approach to this moment and also his prayer as we begin. There are two important observations and applications, I want to make from Jesus approach.

The first is this Jesus shared the crisis with his closest companions. Verse 33 says he took Peter, James and John along with him. Jesus did not walk boldly into this by himself. He invited his best friends, his community, to walk with him and I want you to see here. And note that this wasn't just something Jesus did in the heat of the moment.

This was his pattern.

He regularly drew these guys him close to himself to share in and experience the work of God in Mark 520 goes to heal gyrus's daughter. He takes only Peter James and John and Mark non-he takes these three, only these three up the mountain with him to witness his transfiguration so that they might experience and seek his glory and his divinity.

These were his closest friends. His confidantes, so in the time of difficulty. These guys were his support. He humbly asked them to pray with him to help him shoulder his load, but it wasn't just about him deriving comfort from their presence.

You see, it was also for their benefit.

Jesus knew he knew that they would soon face crises of their own, and his invitation to them was watch watch and learn.

Not only was he demonstrating how to handle agony and pain he was letting them in to his moment, so that they could see the faithfulness and goodness of God in the midst of great difficulty was that the applications obvious. You need to be in a small group, you need to cultivate godly friendships. You need the body of Christ in your life. You need people who will walk with you in good times and share your joy. You need people who will walk with you in crisis and help you shoulder the load, but you don't just need that for your own benefit. You need to be in community for the sake of others. You need to let other people see the faithfulness and goodness of God in the midst of your pain and suffering. When you are in a small group when you are in community when you are cultivating and nurturing godly relationships.

You are just depriving yourself. You are robbing other people.

My wife Michelle and I have had what I would characterize as a you had a rough year. It's been hard and I thought about detailing for you all the things that have gone wrong for us. I even listed them out as I prepared my sermon you know what the details are important. It's just enough for me to say it's been really hard. We face disappointment and loss.

We've experienced grief like nothing we've ever faced before been hard. We've often wondered what is God up to and even today we're waiting on God in our behalf. Our situation still isn't resolved, but I want to tell you this. I don't think we would have made it through the year without the presence of some very dear friends in our small group.

You see, God has blessed us and strengthened us through the people who love us. He has cared for us through our friends and our small group prayed for us.

They'd cried with us. We after week they listen to us talk about what isn't happening in the week after week they faithfully prayed with us. We even started to laugh recently that were not sure what were going to pray about, is a small group when God finally answers this prayer, but they loved us. They walked with us and we have benefited greatly from their care, but you know what I think they benefited to because they been able to see God working in us. They seem God provide for us they've seen and heard what God is teaching us and how he is working and moving in us and listens.

We are all built up as we walk through this together in community so hear me today for your own sake, for the sake of the body of Christ. Get in a small group, don't put it off. Don't deprive yourself.

Don't rob others. Second, I want you to see this, Jesus cultivated his prayer life before the crisis hit. If you look carefully at Jesus prayer here you'll see that this is remarkably similar to the model prayer.

He gave the disciples what you and often referred to as the Lord's prayer. I'll draw some of that out as we walked through the prayer in just a moment, but I want you to see this Jesus prayed the way he did in the middle of crisis because he was in the habit of praying this way over and over again. The Gospels tell us that Jesus withdrew to a solitary place to pray. Mark 135 in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and left the house and went away to a secluded place and was praying there.

Listen prayer wasn't crisis management for Jesus.

It was a way of life.

He pray before he broke the bread and the fish and fed the 5000. He prayed before he raised Lazarus from the dead. He prayed for his disciples before he sent them out.

He prayed in the garden. Any prayed from the cross and listen to me if Jesus thought that prayer was necessary for his life.

How dare you, and I charge through life and act like it's optional. How dare we keep making excuses for our prayer… When the son of God determined that it was necessary for his life. Surely it is the more all the more necessary for you and I you want to pray well in difficulty. You must cultivate the habit of praying rightly in the ordinary. I have heard it all my life. Practice makes perfect.

If you want to excel in praying then just start praying, if you don't think you pray, well then get after it. Go to it workout it pray and you know what we want to see you. We want to see all of us grow and develop in this area of our spiritual life.

That's why we've provided resources on our website that will help you develop your prayer life. Listen to me you are without excuse.

There is teaching and help.

They are for you every weekend at every campus during every service. There are a group of people praying we call it the boiler room you want to cultivate your prayer life join those men and women begin to pray. We call the church. The 30 days of prayer during the month of June and are posting daily prayer points in Scriptures on the website that you can use to learn to pray the word of God. Over the next four weeks were calling you to fast and pray on Tuesdays. Why because we believe that prayer is essential for your life in Christ and for the life of this church. So whether you and I are in the middle of an urgent situation or not. We all need to learn from Jesus prayer here.

So let's look at it again in verse 36 the father he said everything is possible for you to take this cup from me. Yet not what I will but what you will listen to me, it's not complicated. Every body can pray this way there.

No big words.

It's not overly eloquent. It doesn't sound super spiritual or even highly educated. It's simple, but extremely powerful and there is not a single solitary soul. In this audience today who cannot learn to pray this way. Notice where he starts by father, everything is possible for you. Much like his instructions to his disciples. Jesus, to begin their prayers with our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Jesus starts by focusing on God's fatherly compassion in his sovereign power by father. It's easy for you and I to read. That is not given the weight it deserves. This is not a casual greeting.

It's not a polite way to start a prayer it's not just a way to address God.

This is an expression of tenderness and intimacy the right pop exaltation of the character of God to say, Abba, father is to adore God as he has revealed himself to us. Psalm 103 verse 13 as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. This is how God has revealed himself to us and when we come to pray.

We must believe that God is who he says he is, and we must worship him with hearts full of praise just like the psalmist did in Psalm 68 sing to God, sing praise to him extol him who rides on the clouds rejoice before him he his name is the Lord of father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God is holy ground dwelling when you and I pray we have to learn to begin by looking full into the face of our father and adoring are loving and merciful God. When difficulty comes and you are tempted to question his character and disbelieve his love for you. You must repeat the truth of his word. Lamentations 322 and 23 because of the Lord's great love for us. We are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning.

Listen, whether you feel like it are not, whether you like your circumstance or situation are not the word of God calls us to marvel marvel and worship because of the great love of God for us. But there's another aspect of this that we must not overlook to call God father is to identify yourself as a son or daughter to say father to God is identify yourself as a child of his. A child who has every expectation of being heard and welcomed into open arms just like my kids in trouble when they cry my name out. They expect me to hear. Just like my boys when they run out the door in the evening and I come home from work and I yelled that they expect to be embraced and welcome. Listen to what Ephesians 2 says about those of us who been saved by God's grace.

It says that, apart from Christ. We were dead in our trespasses and sins.

We were son but not sons of God. We were sons of disobedience, who followed the passions and desires of our flesh, we were by nature children of wrath, and in verse four, but God but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been say because of his great love for you, through Christ Jesus by faith in him you can become. You are a son or daughter of God no longer a child of wrath, but adopted into the family of God by faith you as simple and obvious question.

Do you know do you know that you are a son or daughter of the most high God had you by faith in Jesus been adopted into the family of God. Listen to me you don't become a son on the basis of what you do or on the basis of what you don't do. You don't become a son because of who your parents were or where you went to church, or if you went to church. You become a son by trusting in what Jesus has done for you in today for some of you the most important thing you could do is embrace the rich mercy and grace of God that can make you a son or daughter right right now you could say to God, gonna I'm a child of wrath because I followed my own desires.

I've followed my own my own plans for myself. I believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for my sin.

So I'm turning from that father, save me, make me alive. I trust you surrender my life to you can be son, daughter of God and want to be really clear here. You are either a son and daughter, or you are not there is no in between.

And if you are a son or daughter of God, then adore and worship your heavenly father first job 31 says see what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God that is what we are. Listen, by faith in Jesus. You are a beloved son H treasured daughter regardless of your circumstance so bass can't revel in it up. Embrace it and worship your God everything is possible for you. Everything is possible for you. This is a resounding declaration of faith in the middle of unbelievable turmoil. This is not an empty platitude is not Jesus buttering God up.

It is anchored in all that he has seen God do. Jesus was there in the beginning when the world was created. He saw God make everything out of nothing knows God can do anything Jesus was there when God began to fulfill his promise to make a great nation out of impotent Abraham.

He saw the father rescue his children from the bondage of Egypt and bring them into the promised land. Jesus was there when the laying walked in the blind receive their sight and the dead walked out of the tomb, he knows nothing is impossible for God because he seen God do the impossible. So in his crisis in his impossible moment. Jesus remembers the deeds of God. He recalled the work of God and he gives him thanks.

First Thessalonians 5 gives us this instruction rejoice always, pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Rejoice, rejoice continually. Why, because the most God is your father and give thanks.

Give thanks in every circumstance.

Why, because nothing is too difficult for him. Nothing is too hard for him.

Everything, everything is possible for you in crisis. You and I need to do what Jesus did. He said his gaze on God the father. He started with who God was and what God could do.

He came in with adoration and thanksgiving and the strength to forge ahead came not from a change in a circumstance, but from the steadfast character of God. The strength for Jesus. The forge ahead came not from a change in a circumstance, but from the steadfast character of God. Last week we were at the beach for a few days and was watching my boys play in the sand and run in and out of the surf doing what six and seven-year-old boys do not have to say to you that I have learned more about the father love of God by being a father than I ever learned from being a son, but this particular day. I'll be honest and say I have been struggling struggling with my disappointment about our circumstances and how long this thing has drawn out and the seeming inactivity of God in our situation. As I watch my boys play around heard this question.

Rise up at me. Chris, if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what was best for your boys and you had the power to do it, which if you knew what was best for your boys, beyond a shadow of a doubt, and you had the power to do it would shoot y'all with everything in me from the depths of my heart.

I answered yes yes of course I would. I love my son yes I would gladly do it. My problem is. Also, I don't know what's best. Almost often I don't understand how to discipline them or what to give to them or how to lead them. But if I knew and I had the power to do it. I would in a New York minute do it.

Yes. Then I heard God say this to me that I'm that kind of dad Matthew 711 came rushing to my mind. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much, how much more how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. Listen to me are best praying in any situation will not come from a thorough examination of our circumstances, but from a thorough exaltation of the character of God cannot say that again your best praying in any circumstance will not come from a thorough examination of your circumstance.

It will come from a thorough exaltation of the character of God because more than I need to know the details of my situation and describe them to God as if he didn't already know more than I need to formulate a plan of action and tell God how to fix it more than I need anything else I need to know who God is and who I am in him.

I need to be familiar with his ways. I need to recall his deeds.

I need to recount his promises.

Because praying is more about is more about getting to God that it is getting something from God when you and I come to pray we don't just need God's hand.

We need his face more than what he can do need who he is and our approach to prayer says everything about how we bill how much we believe that now let's look at the second half of Jesus prayer. Take this cup from me.

Yet not what I will but what you will. Again we see Jesus following the pattern for prayer that he gave in the model prayer when he taught us to pray your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I find this to be so intriguing. Why would Jesus say take this cup from me only say that he knew there was no plan B.

Jesus knew what the plan was for our redemption in eternity past, he and the father had conceived this plan and agreed on Revelation 13.

Nate says Jesus was the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. This is where the humanity of Jesus and the divinity of Jesus collide. Jesus fully human, wanting to avoid the unimaginable pain that was in front of him, and Jesus fully divine, willingly participating in the eternal plan for the redemption of mankind. Listen, this verse gives us both permission and direction permission to cry out to God permission to honestly say God is there another way. I don't want to walk down this path. I don't want to endure this pain. I don't want to experience this heartache. Can we please do it another way, you have permission to say that to God he can handle your objection he can deal with your complaint.

According to this prayer. It is perfectly acceptable to ask God to change your circumstance in the Scriptures are full of instances where God did just that he heard his child cry for help and he responded so ask, ask, be honest, I ask you not only have permission you been instructed to ask Matthew 77 and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you.

Philippians 46 do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Or how about this one second Chronicles 714 if my people if my sons and daughters. If my bride is my church. If my people who are called by Matt, my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Clearly, God expects us to ask but not only does this prayer of Jesus. Give me permission gives me direction.

Yet not what I will but what you will. This is not resignation its obedience, it's not reluctant surrender. It wasn't the result of being defeated are overpowered by God. It was joyful expected embrace of the plans and purposes of God. Hebrews 12 to says this Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him. The joy anticipated the joy expected, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame more than Jesus wants to escape pain and suffering in this moment. He wants to see your salvation purchased more than Jesus wanted out. Of that critical situation.

Jesus wanted to make away for you and I to come in to his presence. The heart that longs for a change of circumstance must also have a greater longing, a longing to see God accomplish his purposes in the way he deems best. Our hearts have to believe. Psalm 1830.

As for God's way is perfect and we need to learn to love God's dreams for us more than we learn love our dreams for ourselves. We need to learn to love the dreams and desires and purposes, and plan of God for us more than we love our dreams and our desires for ourselves and at the end of the day you and I need to be able to say with confidence. Psalm 3310 the Lord toils the plans of the nations. He thwarts the purposes of the people, but the look plans of the Lord.

Good plans of the Lord, stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations are Philippians 16. I am confident of this, that he who began a good work in the will be faithful to carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ. Let me be clear here.

You will never honestly pray yet not what I will but what you will until your heart is saturated with praise and thanksgiving for who God is, as your father and what he can do, which is absolutely anything I don't know if you notice this, but this prayer has four phrases, only one is a petition only one is in ask 75% of Jesus prayer is saturated with the glory and goodness and promises of God, and I'm convinced that if you and I would learn to pray.

That way if we would learn to turn our prayer life right side up and start with who God is and start with what he's done and give him praise and thanksgiving, and after we unload our request if we would willingly and joyfully say you know what God I'd rather have what you plant have planned for me than what I have planned for me if we would saturate our prayers. That way, with the glory and goodness and promises of God than I think we would find great great fulfillment in our time with him so I like to challenge you this week. Today to start praying this way I'll be honest, it won't come naturally for you. At first it hasn't for me. You will have to discipline yourself, just like I do to pray through the character of God and the work of God. Listen your instinct just like God will be at me to rush to your request, but don't don't send worship toward your father in your Bible reading. Look for verses that describe the character of God that reveal who he is right up down speak of him back to him.

Let them fuel your adoration. Give God thanks. Think about what he's done for you. Think about how you worked in your life and again let the Scripture remind you of the things God has done on your behalf. Speak those back to him and give him thanks and gratitude for all is done and then make your request cast all your anxiety on him because he is free, and then release your desires and embrace his dream and asking to do all that is his heart to do for you father, everything is possible, take this cup yet not what I will do what you will join me (that our hearts desire today is that you would open our eyes to see and know.

Trust and believe in your great love for us in your awesome power and your needs on our behalf God. We cry out to you in this moment is that God would you change the circumstance would you move in this area of our lives. God we willingly and gladly embrace your dreams and your desires for us and we say God do all this in your heart. Jesus