Sermon for Sunday March 23

WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH
PASTOR: TERRY VAUGHAN
SERMON TITLE: DO YOU REALLY GIVE GOD YOUR PRAYER?

“For God so Loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth in Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

TEXT VERSE: PSALMS 69:13 “BUT AS FOR ME, MY PRAYER IS UNTO THEE, O LORD, IN AN ACCEPTABLE TIME: O GOD, IN THE MULTITUDE OF THY MERCY HEAR ME, IN THE TRUTH OF THY SALVATION.”

This wasn’t what I thought we’d be preaching on tonight but the Lord changed my mind. I guess what laid this verse on my heart tonight was that we had a lot of prayer requests tonight. Got a lot of people out sick. There’s not really one person in the church tonight that if you walked up to them and asked them if they had a need in their life, they would say yes. Some of them are small needs. Some of them are greater needs. Some of them are burdens. Some of them are trials and tribulations. Some of them have problems. Some even mental problems. I don’t know. But the devil is always  causing problems in people’s lives, but I’m glad I know the problem solver. I’m glad Jesus is the problem solver.

I want to talk a few minutes on this: Do you really give God your prayer? The Psalmist said, “As for me, my prayer...” Notice he said (My Prayer). He wasn’t concerned about what every body else was praying. I like that scripture where Jesus said when you pray enter in to your closet, shut the door and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father which is in secret, and your Father which is in secret shall reward you openly. When I pray it’s not your prayer. It’s what’s in my heart. And when you share your prayer requests with me I pray what’s on my heart and give them to God. I just like turning things over to God.
Before service I went back to the other room and cried out to God. I said Lord, we have a lot out sick and I want to call them up to you and I want you to hear my prayer and answer the prayer according to your will where ever they are at. I want you to know tonight that we need to give God our prayers. You ask, can I pray it one time and never pray it again? That’s not what I mean. I believe the Bible says we have not because we ask not. I think we need to ask that it shall be given, seek that it shall be found and knock that it shall be open unto us. Take the first letter of those three words: Ask, Seek, Knock and you come back to ask . We need to ask God and keep on asking God to answer these prayers. But don’t carry your prayer around with you by worrying and wondering when and how God is going to answer it. If you're going to give God your prayer then give him all of it.
Then the Psalmist says, My prayer is unto thee. It was his prayer and  he’s giving it to God. We pray it, and once we pray it, it become his prayer. God knows what’s in our heart even before we pray. I remember Hannah in the Bible where she was praying. Her lips were moving but nothing was coming out of her mouth. Eli thought she was drunk. She said, I’m not drunk, it’s sorrow of heart. I’m praying to my God. There’s other times in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus prayed out loud. They say his sweat was as great drops of blood. He prayed in agony. There’s been simple prayers where the thief who hung beside Jesus prayed that Jesus would remember him when he came into his Fathers kingdom. It don’t take a lengthy prayer but whatever you pray, pray it from your heart and turn it over to God.

Number one: In an acceptable time. Lord, when it’s right for you then you answer my prayer. Not in my time. Lord, I’m giving this prayer to you and in your acceptable time, you answer the prayer. Answer it the way you want and not the way I want because I’m giving it to you. God’s time is not our time. His thoughts are not our thoughts. He does things according to His will and not our wants. I looked up that word acceptable, listen to what it means. Adequately enough to satisfy a need.
Do you remember when Lazarus laid in the tomb? Mary told Jesus had he just been there her brother would not have died. But Jesus said, Lazarus come forth. God answers prayers according to His time.
Isn’t that the way we are when God doesn’t answer our prayers when we want Him too, we complain? We say, God had you just been listening to me I wouldn’t be going through all these troubles. You ought to be telling that to the devil and not to God. If you’re going to blame somebody, you should blame the devil. The Bible says we’re serving a good God and a loving God, a merciful and kind God.

Number two: In the multitude of thy mercy. I looked up the word multitude. It means the condition or quality of being numerous. God answers our prayers in numerous ways according to His mercy towards us. He didn’t even have to save any of us but because of His mercy and grace, He did. He loved us. because of the numerous amount of mercy God has towards us, he’s going to look that way when He answers our prayers. He’s NOT going to look down at you and say, “Well, you made a couple of mistakes so maybe I shouldn’t answer that prayer.” What He is going to do is say, “Yeah, they’ve messed up but because I love them, I’m going to answer their prayer anyway.” Thank God for a merciful God. Sometimes we wonder what we really can pray. I remember learning as a little child from one of my Sunday school teachers that there be certain things we can’t pray for because they just aren’t going to happen. Let me give you an example. If you were in your natural carnal mind and you prayed God I want you to let the moon come down for a little while and just appear in front of the church, right now. You know why it won’t happen? It’s not according to God’s will. Why would you want to pray that anyway? Is that coming from your heart? We need to pray from our heart.
God can also be a God of wrath. He said He would one day take His wrath on all those that don’t believe in Him. Thank God when we’re talking to Him He doesn’t look to the bad side but the good side. That’s the way he’ll answer our prayers. He’s going to be more for us. If God be for us, then who can be against us?

Number three: Hear me in the truth of thy salvation. If you’ve never been saved by the grace of God, don’t you pray something and expect God to answer it. I believe the only prayer God can answer from a sinner is the prayer of salvation. If you’re asking God to bless those that are sick, to help you financially or asking God to take care of some loved one and you’ve never been saved by the Grace of God, you’re praying in vain. God isn’t going to hear you. That’s why the Bible says our sins and iniquities have separated us from the love of God.
I looked up the word truth and found that it means this: conformity to fact or actuality. if you’re really saved, God knows. He said my sheep know my voice and they follow me. We’re not saved because of our salvation but according to His salvation. And according to His salvation, He will answer our prayers in an acceptable time.

There’s nothing wrong with asking the same prayers the next day. But just don’t worry about it. Don’t pretend that you gave it to God and you’re still carrying it around with you. You need to turn it over to Him. There’s nothing wrong with repetition as long as you don’t let repetition come between what’s in your heart. When I was young I used to pray the prayers “Now I lay me down to sleep and God is great and God is good, let us thank him for our food.” but as I got older I realized that those are prayers I had heard and not prayers that were in my heart. I believe you need to feel your prayers. if you’re not really thankful for your food and you’re just praying to because you’ve been taught too, your prayer will not be heard. It’ll go as far as the roof. We need to give it all to God. It’ll take a load off you. You know what burdens people down? When they don’t give it all to God. The devil is always trying to tell us that it doesn’t matter if we pray or not because God’s not going to answer it anyway. A lot of times we listen to him. You ever gone to an old fashioned altar and given it all away and gone about your business rejoicing because you knew God would carry the load for you? That’s what we need to do.
I’ve heard a lot of prayer requests in my lifetime. The ones I like best are the ones where people are thanking God for everything. You want to learn how to pray more effectively? Get more involved in the word of God and you’ll learn.

When you go home tonight read Psalms 66. I want you try to notice one verse that stood out in my heart. I want to see if it stands out to you.

LET US PRAY: Father, I thank you for the message tonight on prayer. I needed to hear it. I am thankful that when I pray, you hear me and you answer me in your acceptable time. I pray you would help me to grow more in the word that my prayers my be even more effective. I thank you that you have even made a way for us to communicate with you. May you always get the honor and glory that you are deserving of. In Jesus name I pray. Amen