When God Says No: Finding Peace in Broken Prayer

[00:05:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:05:08] Southwest Hills, thank you for your response. You guys are chatty and having a good time today.
[00:05:15] Must be in the house of the Lord because his love endures forever, yeah? We're so glad to be here worshiping together. For those of you joining us online, thank you for joining us and welcome. We
[00:05:26] are glad that you are here also. So for those of you that are in-house, I'd like to remind you to sign in on the attendance pad. Those are the little red notebooks in the back of the pew
[00:05:36] or maybe on the pew. Sign yourself in and pass those down the row so that everyone can get signed in. A couple of announcements this morning. One, we do have a membership class coming up
[00:05:47] sometime this spring. We haven't set an actual date, but we do want to know who is interested in knowing more about becoming a member at Northwest Hills. If you are thinking about that process, please sign up at the Connection Center so that we can make plans and Pastor Bob
[00:06:02] can contact you to find out what dates work well for you. Also, I wanted to let you know that we have this thing coming up called Spirit and Truth Weekend. I think you've heard about it. Yes. Okay.
[00:06:15] And we have a lot of people signing up for it. I want to encourage you to continue to share with your friends and family and neighbor. And if you haven't signed up, sign up. If you want to share
[00:06:25] with someone, we have invitation cards that you can pick up and share with people to come for the weekend. If you cannot make it, that's okay. You can still pray for this weekend. In case you didn't
[00:06:36] know, we had these 40 days of prayer leading up to our conference. If you have not been joining us with this, it's not too late. Prayer is good always. And this is an amazing prayer guide so
[00:06:47] that we will know that God is going before us and hemming us in behind and he's going to cover the whole event. And that's what we want because if he's not involved, we don't want to be a part of
[00:06:56] it. So we're going to pray and he's going to meet us here. And so I want to encourage you to get signed up. Next Sunday is the last Sunday to sign up. So make your decision and get signed up and
[00:07:05] join us. It will be great fun. Lastly, something that is not in our bulletins is that we have a Kairos weekend coming up and we have several people going to serve and that's exciting times.
[00:07:16] We as a congregation typically support our Kairos ministry by offering prayers for the inmates.
[00:07:21] There's a sign up sheet where you pick the day and time that you're available to pray.
[00:07:25] And they've provided these little cards that help you know what to pray for the inmates.
[00:07:30] There's also sheets that are on the clipboard underneath the sign-up to give you more information and explanation.
[00:07:36] So put your name down and remember to pray on that day and time.
[00:07:40] And also, we provide cookies.
[00:07:44] And I love that because we have a lot of good bakers.
[00:07:47] And so there are actually some new instructions for baking cookies.
[00:07:50] If you want to participate in baking cookies for Kairos, stop by the Connection Center, get you a handout about the cookie baking, and then bring them back so that we can bless those inmates and they can know how much God loves them. Good? Excellent.
[00:08:03] All right. Well, I'm ready to get this worship started and focus our hearts on what God wants for us. So let's go ahead and stand up and we're going to do our call to worship.
[00:08:14] Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup. You make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Surely I have a delight of inheritance. I will praise the Lord who
[00:08:30] counsels me, even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. My body
[00:08:46] also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life. You will fill me
[00:09:02] with your joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Now go ahead and have a seat, and we're going to let the choir lead us also in an offering for focusing our attention

[00:09:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:09:13] on God. And making your way to your pew and join me in prayer. Lord God, we thank you for today and

[00:15:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:15:29] we thank you for the miracle that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We thank you that we have hope and a future because of that miracle, because of your grace and your faithfulness to your creation, that throughout the Bible is shown how we failed you time and time again,
[00:15:55] but your unfailing love has always been constant. Lord God, in this time and space, I pray that every act of worship will glorify you and you alone, for you alone are worthy of our praise.
[00:16:12] pour out your Holy Spirit on this time and place, God, and make it holy. Make it yours.
[00:16:19] This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen. Please remain standing as you're able.

[00:16:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:16:36] Alone in my sorrow and dead in my sin. Lost without hope and no place to begin.
[00:16:49] Your love made a way to let mercy come in When death was arrested and my life began Ash was redeemed, only beauty remained And my orphaned heart given My mourning required, my feet rose to death
[00:17:32] When death was arrested and my life began

[00:17:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:17:46] so released from my chains i'm a prisoner no more amen my shame was a ransom he canceled my dead and he called me his friend our savior darkness rejoiced as though he may be seated good morning

[00:30:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:30:58] we go to the lord in prayer this morning we have one more announcement for you this one's a fun one because it's that time again and by that time i mean it's vacation bible camp time if it's going
[00:31:16] to be a woohoo then i need your help that's what i like to hear well it we are opening up registration today for vacation bible camp and to introduce what we're going to be doing this year we have

[00:31:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:31:33] a short video for you all right class time to hear what we're doing this summer Annalise, you're up.
[00:31:44] My summer plan is going to the fair.
[00:31:49] Wonderful. Levi, you want to go next?
[00:31:54] My dad said we get to learn how to paint the house.
[00:31:58] Thank you, Levi. Claire?
[00:32:00] I'm going to Ray Forest Falls. Who's coming with me?

[00:33:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:33:04] June 27, 22nd through 26th.
[00:33:07] So if you can volunteer for that week, we need you.
[00:33:11] And there is a sign-up sheet out at the Connection Center.
[00:33:14] And if you're going to register your kids or your grandkids, there is a QR code in your bulletin.
[00:33:19] Or you can register online on our website.
[00:33:22] So please do all of the above as it pertains to you.
[00:33:27] And now let's go to the Lord.
[00:33:33] Lord, it is the Sunday after Easter.
[00:33:37] And yet every Sunday we celebrate that you are risen.
[00:33:44] Because that fact never changes.
[00:33:47] You are eternally there at the right hand of the Father, sitting in authority and power, knowing everything that will ever happen or has ever happened in this world, in this universe that you have created.
[00:34:01] You know from the very first moment of our lives to the very end what will happen to us.
[00:34:09] And so we have great confidence in you.
[00:34:13] We delight in our God who sits in power.
[00:34:16] and we delight in our god who came down to the earth to save us what great love and great authority you have but the truth is lord that our lives are not always easy it's not always easy to
[00:34:36] see how you are at work in our lives and so we ask for eyes to see and ears to hear how you are at work how you are present with us at every moment of every day from the first time we open
[00:34:53] our eyes in the morning to where we rest our head at night we pray that you would be teaching us to recognize you in the day to day and not only to recognize you but that we would be looking out
[00:35:06] for ways that you might use us in the world that you have created to draw others to you to draw others into relationship with you, to draw others further and deeper into relationship with you,
[00:35:19] that you would give us courage and grace to speak the truth of the gospel to those who have never heard it before, even if those are people right down the street. But Lord, we in all things need
[00:35:34] you to teach us, for we so easily wander from you, we so easily stray. So we ask that by your Holy Spirit, you would make us faithful people, that you would make us obedient people, that you would
[00:35:49] make us people who reflect you so well in your great mercy and love. And we know that you are here with us. And so we lift up to you the prayers that are embedded deep within our own hearts,
[00:36:05] the things that are in our own lives, which we have not spoken to anyone else. We give them to you. And we also lift up the prayers that have been raised this morning, prayers of the people
[00:36:19] whom you love. We give you thanks, Lord, for successful surgeries. We give you thanks for Catherine Watson, who is home post her knee surgery and is doing well. And for Faye Penning, who also has successful surgery that has alleviated almost all of her pain. And we give
[00:36:42] you thanks, Lord, for the daughter of the Wilsons who also had a successful surgery. Lord, we know that you were there with each one of them and we know that you will continue to be with them as
[00:36:54] they heal. And we thank you for being such a good God. Lord, we pray for Christy who is going to have dental surgery this summer and we pray that you would prepare her for what is coming and let
[00:37:12] her know that you are with her. We pray for Hannah Knoll, who is ministering in Israel, who is the granddaughter of Susan and Chuck Roach. We know, Lord, that right now that is a tumultuous place,
[00:37:28] and yet we ask that your gospel shine like it does with the light of Christ, and that you protect Hannah and her friends that surround her. And Lord, we do lift up Patty Coleman to you who is on hospice and near death. And we pray also for Rick Coleman and the rest of the
[00:37:52] family that they would be able to gather with her and spend those last few precious moments with her and be at peace. And most of all, Lord, we pray that you would meet Patty where she is, that you
[00:38:06] administer her to her and give her your presence in such a profound way that she walks straight from this life to the next into your everlasting arms. We give you thanks that you do not abandon
[00:38:19] us to the realm of the dead, but that through you we have eternal life. So Lord, we hide ourselves in you. Each one of us, we pray that we would be found in you, that you would grant us your
[00:38:35] comfort and your peace. We pray that we would be found like you in those days of our lives to our families, to our friends, to our co-workers, to whoever we meet on the street. We want to be like
[00:38:50] you, Lord. Show us the way. We pray all this, even though there is so much more we could bring up to you this morning, Lord. There is always so much more. And yet we pray with confidence and expectation
[00:39:04] for good things, praying in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying, our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses
[00:39:28] as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. At this time, I'd like to
[00:39:47] invite Rochelle up to give us a short announcement, and then we'll do something fun. All right. Good

[00:39:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:39:55] morning, church family. I'd just like to give you an update on our Playground Capital campaign. But first, I'd like to say thank you, thank you, thank you. Because without your generous donations, we would not be where we are today. And we are at $104,000. So thank you. Yes. And, and I hate to
[00:40:14] do it, but we've got to have more guys. We need just a little bit more. We still need $45,000.
[00:40:19] So I know some of you have made a pledge and we greatly appreciate that. And our kids appreciate that. So this morning we have noisy offerings. So the kids come on up, come get your pots and pans
[00:40:31] and walk around and collect offering this morning.
[00:40:35] And thank you guys for everything.

[00:42:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:42:07] Irresistible, aren't they?
[00:42:08] And our kiddos, as you guys finish up, you can hand off your pots in the back there and go to Children's Church with Miss Marcel.
[00:42:21] Anybody else who didn't get up to do noisy offering, kiddos in the pews, you guys can go back as well.

[00:42:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:42:38] Gotta tell you this truth.
[00:42:40] I got back from a three-day spiritual retreat.
[00:42:45] had a bunch of change in my wallet because I had been eating out and so last night I took the change out of my wallet and put it on my dresser yeah, so I had to do a quiet offering
[00:42:56] anyway, even as we have worshipped the Lord with our singing as we draw near to Him with our praying as we've worshipped Him with our offerings noisy and quiet would you stand now and worship the Lord
[00:43:11] by affirming your faith and reciting together the Apostles' Creed.
[00:43:16] I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
[00:43:23] I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
[00:43:39] He descended to the dead.
[00:43:41] On the third day, He rose again.
[00:43:43] He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead.
[00:43:53] I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
[00:44:06] Amen.
[00:44:08] You may be seated.
[00:44:09] You know, today we had more commercial-length announcements than usual, but I just want to underscore one.
[00:44:20] This Spirit and Truth Conference coming up from May 1st to May 3rd, it can help you become a better Christian.
[00:44:30] It can help you to be better at sharing your faith.
[00:44:34] I highly just recommend it, having listened to the speaker who's there.
[00:44:39] And so with a little bit of humor, I'll promote it this way.
[00:44:43] I love the sound of my own voice.
[00:44:45] Imagine that.
[00:44:46] And I love it when people come out to hear me talk.
[00:44:49] I'm speaking in the flesh, but it's probably bad if I didn't feel that way.
[00:44:54] But this guy, I would listen to him ahead of me.
[00:44:59] He's a preacher who can, he knows a lot, but he can speak like just a normal guy.
[00:45:05] And he can help you to grow in your faith.
[00:45:07] So I encourage you, if you can, to plan on being there.
[00:45:12] Well, today is a Sunday after Easter.
[00:45:16] And for preachers, the Sunday after Easter raises a question, and the question is, what next?
[00:45:26] I mean, if you think about it, Lent is a holy season when, for many Christians, not muscle memory but faith memory calls us and causes us to think about our faith and maybe take it more seriously and maybe grow.
[00:45:44] And then here at Northwest Hills and many other Jesus-focused churches, Hollywood, excuse me, Hollywood, Holy Week, forget Hollywood, Holy Week is an, don't get old, it'll happen.
[00:46:01] Holy Week is an intense time when we remember Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
[00:46:09] We remember him giving us Holy Communion as a way of relating with God on Maundy Thursday.
[00:46:18] We remember him dying for us on Good Friday and rising on the third day.
[00:46:25] And the worship services were pretty full.
[00:46:28] The music was our best.
[00:46:30] And there's a sense during Holy Week that, yeah, this Jesus really matters.
[00:46:36] So today is the Sunday after Easter.
[00:46:39] And from a human perspective, we're not dead at all. Hey, there's a lot of us here, but there's less emotional energy than last week. Noisy offering maybe may change that some, but from a spiritual perspective, there is this
[00:46:53] big question now that Holy Week is over. So Jesus is risen from the dead. We say and we sing that he is God in the flesh, the Lord of creation, the one who saves us from our sins, and through
[00:47:08] his resurrection offers us eternal life. And that is a big, big, big deal. So the question is, what do we do with that knowledge? What do we do with that belief? What do we do with our faith?
[00:47:29] Yeah, what next? Well, for the next seven Sundays, the messages are going to be about getting real with God and real with our faith through, get this, this is old school, through prayer. You know,
[00:47:44] talking to God, talking with God, even stilling ourselves and listening to God. So there will be messages about praying for our families, specifically praying for our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren, our parents maybe, however old anyone is. There'll be a message
[00:48:05] on praying about healing, and there will be messages on praying for the spiritual power, the strength, even sometimes just the nerve to try to share our faith. But today I want to open the series by talking about a most basic type of prayer, a prayer that is almost instinctual,
[00:48:27] a prayer that even atheists might pray in some form in spite of themselves and what they say they believe and don't believe. And I speak of praying for help when our hearts are hurting and empty and breaking. So would you pray with me? And then I'm going to share with you
[00:48:46] two of the times when people prayed and it was included in the Bible. And I'm going to share with you what we can learn from those prayers. So let's pray. Oh Lord, we sometimes go to church
[00:49:04] and we want to pretend.
[00:49:08] We want to pretend not that we're better than we are, but if we just do this and that, you'll make us happy all the time.
[00:49:20] But that's not our experience.
[00:49:23] That's not what your word says.
[00:49:26] That's not life in this world.
[00:49:29] And so this morning, as we look at some hurting people who prayed, we ask that you would give us each truth that we need when we are hurting so we can know how to call on you.
[00:49:44] This we ask in Jesus's name. Amen. So this morning I want us to listen together to the record of two different prayers that were prayed and which found their way into the Bible, into the Old Testament. And let me just say quickly, I know in a church even this size,
[00:50:07] there have to be at least a few people who have been taught, only read the New Testament.
[00:50:13] That's the part about Jesus.
[00:50:16] We'll leave the Old Testament to the Jews.
[00:50:20] And if that is what you were taught, let me just say two things.
[00:50:24] Number one, if you're going to say the New Testament is about Jesus and the Old Testament is about the Jews, fine and dandy, but you've got to deal with the fact that Jesus was a Jew.
[00:50:35] And the Old Testament was the Scripture that he read, the Scripture that he quoted, and the Scripture that he fulfilled.
[00:50:43] And then number two, honestly, this didn't hit me for decades, but the stories of faith in the Old Testament are often shocking to our ears because they are so raw and so real.
[00:50:57] So even though an Iron Age culture was different than our culture, if you ditch your modern conveniences and your technology and try to place yourself in the situations that these folks lived in, you'll end up saying, my goodness, they weren't that different from us.
[00:51:16] They just didn't have cars or TVs, but God met them.
[00:51:22] So those are the ground rules for today's sermon, and the first prayer I want you to hear today was prayed a little more than 3,000 years ago when the people of Israel were not so much a unified nation-state
[00:51:35] as they were a loose confederation of tribes that all lived on the land that became Israel.
[00:51:43] This was in the days after Moses, but before Israel had a king or even a temple to worship at in Jerusalem.
[00:51:53] And so what the Jewish people did at this time to worship God was to go up to a town called Shiloh that was about 20 miles from Jerusalem.
[00:52:01] And this is the prayer that one woman prayed at Shiloh.

[00:52:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:52:07] We read from 1 Samuel today, chapter 1, verses 1 through 20.
[00:52:16] There was a certain man from Ramatham, a Zophite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah, son of Jeroboam, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuth, an Ephraimite.
[00:52:32] He had two wives. One was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children but Hannah had none. Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of
[00:52:54] the Lord. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife, Peninnah, and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion
[00:53:06] because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. Because the Lord had closed Hannah's womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah
[00:53:21] went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her until she wept and would not eat.
[00:53:27] her husband Elkanah would say to her Hannah why are you weeping why don't you eat why are you downhearted don't I mean more to you than 10 sons once they had finished eating and drinking in
[00:53:43] Shiloh Hannah stood up now Eli the priest was sitting on his his chair by the doorpost of the Lord's house in her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord weeping bitterly and she made a vow
[00:53:58] saying, Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant's misery and remember me and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his
[00:54:12] life and no razor will ever be used on his head. As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard.
[00:54:27] Eli thought she was drunk and said to her how long are you going to stay drunk put away your wine not so my lord Hannah replied I am a woman who is deeply troubled I have not been drinking wine
[00:54:42] or beer I was pouring out my soul to the Lord do not take your servant for a wicked woman I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief Eli answered go in peace and may the
[00:54:56] God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him. She said, may your servant find favor in your eyes. Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast. Early the next
[00:55:09] morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord, and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah
[00:55:21] became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, because I asked the Lord for

[00:55:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:55:29] him. Now I'm going to say more about that prayer later, but first I want you to hear a second prayer. Time passed, better part of a thousand years later, but still a few centuries before
[00:55:45] Jesus was born. And this was after Israel had become a real nation with a real king. And after Jerusalem had been established as the home of the king and the place where God's temple was, but also after Israel, after building up, had suffered through a terrible civil
[00:56:05] war that left it a divided nation, and after the northern half of that nation was conquered and carried off into exile by the Assyrians, and then the southern half was conquered and carried off into exile by the Babylonians, who, by the way, destroyed the walls of Jerusalem
[00:56:24] and the temple. Well, in a city that was known of as the citadel of Susa, in what is modern-day Iran, not too far from the Persian Gulf, if you've heard about that, there was a Persian king
[00:56:39] named Artaxerxes I, and he had a Jewish servant named Nehemiah, and this is the account of Nehemiah's prayer. The words of Nehemiah, son of Hakaliah. In the month of Kislev in the 20th year while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men
[00:57:02] and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned
[00:57:23] with fire, meaning that Jerusalem as a city could not defend itself against raiders or invaders.
[00:57:31] Nehemiah says, when I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. And then I said, and this is Nehemiah's prayer, the part that
[00:57:43] is recorded. Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to
[00:57:56] hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's families, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the
[00:58:17] commands, decrees, and laws you gave your servant Moses. And after that confession came the big ask. Nehemiah prayed, remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, if you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my
[00:58:39] commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my name. They are your servants and
[00:58:54] your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of
[00:59:16] this man. And how many of you know who this man was that Hezekiah was referring to? He kind of tells us. He says, I was cupbearer to the king. Now what do these prayers teach us about how we
[00:59:34] should pray, and how we can pray, how we need to pray. Well, here are a few things that are worth remembering, and I know you won't remember them all, and all of them won't go home to your heart
[00:59:52] today, but maybe a few of them will, and maybe in the future you'll remember another one of them.
[00:59:59] So first, to say something obvious that still needs to be said, life is not fair, and as we live, we will at times encounter problems that will break our hearts.
[01:00:16] And the reason this needs to be said in the context of our faith in Jesus Christ is the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news.
[01:00:26] Jesus said he has overcome the world.
[01:00:30] I believe that.
[01:00:32] But in the same verse, he also said, but in this world, you will have troubles. So there is a myth of the perfectly happy Christian life, by which I mean, if you do it right, you'll live a life that is not only blessed,
[01:00:52] you'll live a life that not only knows joy, but you'll live a life that never knows sorrow or pain or struggles on this world, in this world.
[01:01:03] That is not the life we are promised.
[01:01:08] And it is important to consciously realize that and admit that because otherwise, when you're trying to walk with Christ, you won't be living in reality.
[01:01:20] I mean, think of Elkanah as not just one wife.
[01:01:22] Think of both wives.
[01:01:24] Hannah was brokenhearted because she had no children.
[01:01:27] that reflected not only on her home life, but also her inheritance one day.
[01:01:35] But Peninnah, what about her?
[01:01:37] Did she ever think, I've given Elkanah children, but he still loves Hannah more?
[01:01:44] Maybe because Hannah was younger, I don't know, kept her girlish figure because she hadn't had children.
[01:01:50] Maybe Elkanah just liked Hannah more.
[01:01:53] But when you think about that dynamic, is it any wonder that Peninnah tried to irritate her rival? By the way, this is why polygamy is not a good ideal. You're not meant to have that rivalry. Or think of Nehemiah. He was an important
[01:02:10] man. He's in the Bible. He got a whole book of the Bible named after him. He's a great man.
[01:02:18] only there is a significant chance even a probability that to work that closely with a despotic king as his cup bearer would Nehemiah would have been castrated and turned into a eunuch who am I?
[01:02:38] and even if that was not the case at the very least chapter 1 finds Nehemiah weeping over the fate of his people a fate that breaks his heart.
[01:02:51] I mean, let the good times roll.
[01:02:54] You just can't say the Bible is not realistic about what life is like.
[01:02:59] And if we can accept what the Bible really says and be honest about life, I think we will see our need to pray, only praying doesn't mean you necessarily float through the air saying spiritual and poetic words
[01:03:12] in King James English.
[01:03:14] Lord, my trials are greateth, but thou art greatereth still. I praiseth thee, my God, that I am always happy.
[01:03:26] Now, I mean, apart from the exaggerated King James English, some people do sometimes wax eloquent when they go through trials and life has punched them in the gut because God gives them some marvelous spiritual insight or vision. But more often than that, when life punches us in the gut,
[01:03:47] We sound like someone who's been punched in the gut.
[01:03:52] When Hannah prayed about being barren, she was so overwrought with emotion that no words came out of her mouth and the priest Eli thought she was drunk.
[01:04:03] Talk about adding insult to injury.
[01:04:07] And after Nehemiah fasted and prayed, meaning he went without food for several days so he could get closer to God and talk to him, King Artaxerxes didn't think that Nehemiah was glowing with a holy light.
[01:04:21] No, he wondered if Nehemiah was all right.
[01:04:25] By the way, little side Bible background.
[01:04:28] Remember being the cup bearer to the king did not mean that you were a modern wine taster.
[01:04:36] Excellent bouquet.
[01:04:38] I detect hints of oak.
[01:04:40] no being a cup bearer was more like being a member of the secret service whose job it was to make sure that the king's wine was not poisoned by doing what tasting it first so can you hear the
[01:04:53] king saying to nehemiah are you all right nehemiah you don't look well anyway sometimes prayer is kind of like that remember in the garden of gethsemane jesus prayed and he sweat drops of blood. There's a real physical phenomenon known as hematidrosis. It happens when we are experiencing
[01:05:15] overwhelming stress and anxiety. So the bad news is sometimes prayer is agony because sometimes life is agony. But the good news is when we are in pain, we can talk to God and he will listen to us.
[01:05:34] and by the way it's okay if when you pray the prayer of the broken heart you let down your mask don't try to sound like you're in church and just talk to God for real other people if they were
[01:05:48] here you may not understand but that doesn't matter God will he knows what you're made of and when you pray out of desperation and a broken heart God will answer you somehow and in some way
[01:06:04] though not always right away or in the way you expect.
[01:06:08] And let me just be really honest with you.
[01:06:10] During that time of waiting, the Lord may try to teach you that more important than the thing you are praying for is your relationship with God.
[01:06:23] I mean, think of Hannah.
[01:06:25] She prayed, and she wasn't just being a drama queen.
[01:06:28] Lord, give me children or I die.
[01:06:30] She felt that, but then the Lord gave her a son, and she gave that son back to God by taking him up to the tabernacle to be brought up by Eli the priest to serve the Lord
[01:06:43] and every year Hannah would go up to Shiloh to worship with her husband and his other wife and she would have made a little robe for Samuel to wear that year because he was a growing boy
[01:06:53] yes wear this in the temple I'll bring you another one next year now I can relate to the ideal that God is supposed to be and is more important than even what we long for the most,
[01:07:09] even if it doesn't feel that way.
[01:07:11] The first time I met Linda, I knew if I didn't want to marry her, I wanted to marry someone just like her, and I later found out she didn't have a sister.
[01:07:26] But my courtship of Linda was an up-and-down affair.
[01:07:31] I want to plead to all the single young ladies, you don't have to say yes to guys, but be kind to them.
[01:07:38] We really don't know what we're doing.
[01:07:40] and one Sunday morning after a setback that seemed like the end of the world, I mean, I was 23 at the time, and my life was over. Well, I was feeling sick to my stomach,
[01:07:53] and I remembered the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice what he valued most, which was his son Isaac, and how God was doing that for a couple of reasons, but one of them was he wanted Abraham
[01:08:05] to know that God was more important than even Isaac, and I felt like God was really saying something to me that day, but was it really God, or was it just Bible verses coming to my preacher
[01:08:17] head? Well, that Sunday, I felt sick to my heart, but I went to church anyway. By the way, when you feel sick to your heart and you don't want to go to church, that's probably a good time to go to
[01:08:29] church. My friends and I were all Methodists, but we were in seminary. We visited a fairly large, not by today's standards, but back when the dinosaurs roamed, a fairly large assembly of God where the people worshipped freely, not out of control, but freely.
[01:08:47] One thing they would do is they would sing.
[01:08:50] They'd say they sang in the spirit, which means after singing some hymns or some choruses like normal Methodists do, they would just start improvising, singing simple words of praise to improvised melodies and harmonies.
[01:09:06] And no one seemed to care how it sounded, but it sounded beautiful because they were just forgetting about themselves and praising the Lord.
[01:09:13] And afterwards, and I'll give you a word here, people prophesied, by which I don't mean they predicted the future, but several people would just speak for one to three minutes and almost like preach as if they had no notes.
[01:09:29] They hadn't heard this before either, but God was just speaking through them.
[01:09:33] Well, there was this one older lady, and I was like over here, and this older lady was way over there, and she was going on, and she had like a strong but cracking older person's voice.
[01:09:45] And I don't remember what she said until she said, and God did not ask for Isaac that he might take Isaac, but that he might have Abraham.
[01:09:53] I heard that, and I didn't think, well, that's telling me what's going to happen, but it felt like God was saying, I see you.
[01:10:03] Three days later at a very different type of worship service at my seminary, you know, more respectable and Methodist and all of that, this respectable guy in a suit was going to speak, and he said, I just feel led not to give my
[01:10:16] prepared notes, and he sort of winged it. And he wasn't really an interesting speaker, I don't think, until I remember he said one thing. Out of the blue, he just said, there comes a cold, dark
[01:10:27] night when God asks you to place your Isaac on the altar. It worked for me. I think God wanted me to know that he really did see me and that he really needed to be
[01:10:41] and wanted to be first in my life.
[01:10:44] And that is what mattered most.
[01:10:47] Now, I won't lie to you.
[01:10:49] I did not perfectly live up to that inspired moments with absolute faith until Linda said, I do.
[01:10:57] But my point is, if you are struggling with something in life, something you need, I'm not talking about something wrong, something you rightly desire, something good, life makes sense faith makes sense when you tell God honestly what is in your heart
[01:11:14] but it doesn't work as well to let your entire life and everything and your faith in God rest on God giving you the desire of your heart as you see it and you want it
[01:11:28] no it isn't always easy but it works much better to entrust to God your heart's desires even when you're not sure of what the outcome will be.
[01:11:41] You know, like when that one guy said, he's in the Bible, I think the New Testament, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things.
[01:11:54] And related to that, while we are waiting or even after God has answered our prayer, you need to keep living, you need to keep doing stuff.
[01:12:03] Nehemiah was distressed for his people and he prayed for them.
[01:12:07] And God, in a wonderful spiritual thing, prevailed upon the heart of King Artaxerxes so that the king sent Nehemiah back to Jerusalem with letters saying, let this man rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so it can be a functional city again.
[01:12:23] But Nehemiah still had to do it and he faced opposition at home.
[01:12:28] Nehemiah 4.17 says at one point they're working on the wall with one arm and they're holding a sword with the other and even if that was only a figure of speech or a metaphor it meant something real. We're rebuilding the wall, and we're not having a good time,
[01:12:45] but we're rebuilding the wall. Now, work is not a substitute for prayer, but it's often a compliment, and often the two must go together. So when you're really hurting, work as if God hears you. There's something good about getting busy. And by the way, as you're doing this,
[01:13:07] as you're going through life, sometimes hurting, sometimes praying, sometimes working, This is a test. It makes good sense, but try to do this. Remember the blessings God has already given you. You may not have this one thing really big, and you might forget, well, God has blessed
[01:13:22] me here, here, here, and there. I mean, Elkanah, I think of Hannah. She didn't have children, but Elkanah, her husband loved her. I mean, I love the words he says, aren't I worth more to you than
[01:13:36] ten sons. And whether he said that because she was his favorite or he pitied her, he cared.
[01:13:44] I mean, Elkanah could be the patron saint of stumbling, bumbling husbands. Well, I know you meant well, but right now that doesn't help. And after she had Samuel, this is also in Elkanah's favor. Okay, men wanted sons too. But she said, I'm going to take this son I finally have that's
[01:14:04] made me happy, and I'm going to have him raised in the temple because I promised God that. And Elkanah said, you go, girl, you do it. So it was a different culture. Polygamy was never God's real
[01:14:17] plan. But setting polygamy aside, husbands, Elkanah is not a bad example for us sometimes.
[01:14:27] And wives, you could do worse. And King Artaxerxes may have initially been afraid that Nehemiah didn't look well because the king was afraid, maybe someone's trying to poison me, but Artaxerxes actually seems to have had a heart. And I say that because he sent Nehemiah back to Jerusalem
[01:14:45] to do what Nehemiah believed in and to help the people of Jerusalem. So ancient kings were often tyrants. We often have tyrants today. You know why? You're afraid you have to be a tyrant in order to survive.
[01:15:01] But if you were in Bible times and you were going to be ruled by a foreign tyrant, it could be a lot worse than Artaxerxes I.
[01:15:10] Which is to say, one of the bad, unhealthy things we do when our hearts are breaking is that we forget to appreciate and remember and live for the things God has already given us.
[01:15:22] Try not to do that.
[01:15:24] I mean, it's hard to not forget, but try to remember.
[01:15:29] And oh yes, when God answers you, if you've given your word, keep your word.
[01:15:38] Don't forget to do that.
[01:15:40] Again, think of Hannah being given a son and giving the son back to God, like she said she would do.
[01:15:50] When I was growing up, people gave me, I think this is sound spiritual advice in general, they said, don't try to bargain with God.
[01:15:59] That's not how it works.
[01:16:01] But sometimes being human, and maybe being a bit stupid, we do try to bargain with God.
[01:16:08] And I'm not sure, sometimes God doesn't take us up on the deal because he has pity on us and he knows that's the best we can do.
[01:16:14] If you do try to bargain with God and God gives you what you asked for, keep your word.
[01:16:22] Keep your part of the bargain.
[01:16:26] Now one final thing.
[01:16:28] Sometimes we are hurting, our hearts are breaking, and we pray and God answers us. And the answer is no. That does not mean that God is not real.
[01:16:43] That does not mean that God does not care. That does not mean that God never answers yes.
[01:16:49] But sometimes God has something clearly better for you, or it might just be different from what you were hoping for. And again, I'm only telling you what the Bible says again and again.
[01:17:01] The most famous example of God saying no may be Romans chapter 7 when Paul prays and says, I had a thorn in the flesh, probably some physical malady.
[01:17:14] Everybody thinks it's a malady they have.
[01:17:17] And three times I asked God to take the thorn away, and three times he answered me and he said, My grace is sufficient for you.
[01:17:27] my strength is made perfect in weakness if you want a more modern example of this there's a i've mentioned before a former senator from nebraska ben sass he is battling cancer and rationally doesn't look like he's long for this world and he still speaks of his faith
[01:17:53] and he speaks honestly and you look at that and you go yeah sometimes that's where we are And that can be hard to hear, but if Jesus had to hear it, why shouldn't you and I?
[01:18:06] Do you remember what he prayed in Gethsemane?
[01:18:09] Father, if there's any other way, let this cup be taken from me.
[01:18:13] I don't want to die on the cross.
[01:18:15] But nevertheless, God answers prayer.
[01:18:23] But he's not a vending machine.
[01:18:25] As a general rule, he does not give you blessings for dollars.
[01:18:32] he does not give you blessings automatically because you you pray but if you pray and walk with him you will really get to know god you will walk in his will i need to say this better i think
[01:18:47] he will bless you just not always in the way you were asking for let me close by saying this sometimes life is hard and we can feel powerless and when that happens we know that we need god
[01:19:00] not only in theory but in reality.
[01:19:04] That is a good time to pray, even when it's hard to do.
[01:19:08] The Bible says we should pray without ceasing.
[01:19:11] I don't think that means 24-7, I can't talk to you now, dear.
[01:19:14] I'm praying.
[01:19:17] But I think without ceasing means pray and don't quit.
[01:19:23] Pray and don't give up on God.
[01:19:26] Keep praying and remember the promises he hears you.
[01:19:32] So we're going to sing our closing song now, but our altar is open.
[01:19:36] If any of you need to go to God in prayer, well, you can pray anywhere, but any time, but the altar might be a good time to pray today.
[01:19:48] You know, I have it on good authority.
[01:19:51] Someone said, I think he was in the New Testament, God sees even a sparrow fall.
[01:19:59] He even knows the number of hairs on your head.
[01:20:02] You can trust that he hears you.
[01:20:07] I would just add to the extent that you can, If you have something you need to bring to God today, give God all of your life.
[01:20:17] I wanted to say no strings attached, but with as few strings attached as you can manage and try to cut the rest later.

[01:20:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[01:20:26] Please stand as you're able.

[01:20:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:20:58] his hands his feet my savior on that cursed tree and drenched in tears they laid him down in joseph's tomb the entrance sealed by heavy stone messiah still the son of See, Kara, it's not only the choir that holds notes too long.

[01:25:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[01:25:41] Just a thought about praying.
[01:25:43] When I was a young Christian, I believed, still do believe, but I listen to people talk about praying, and some of them would say you have to pray this way, you have to always pray if it is your will
[01:25:53] others would say don't mess with that just sort of name it and claim it though they didn't say it in that way other people said something else and this and that and I just encourage you
[01:26:05] however you pray God can probably sort out your errors he's not great in papers but try to pray as if you believe what we say about Jesus is true because it is would you join me in the sending forth
[01:26:20] Christ has died Christ has risen Christ will come again