Prayers that get God's Attention

How do I communicate with God?

How do I hear from God?  

Even the heavens declare His glory. 

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.

God is always speaking.  

The problem is in the listening.  

I'm talking about tuning in to God's frequency.  

With a radio, there's always a signal going out.  

The problem is with our reception.

God's voice is always transmitting. 

Why then do we treat prayer like an emergency radio?  Only using it in emergencies.  

We don't want to begin prayer with a request because that's kind of rude.  

Do you realize how you can prioritize prayer?

  

1 Chronicles 16:11 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

11 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.

Focus your prayers on God not on your situation.  Do not focus on the news.  It's hard to focus on the Lord because our situation is so bad.  Don't focus your prayers on your pain, but on your God.  

We focus on God's strength not ours.  What does it mean to seek His face always?  We understand God's mood by His face.  We see God's pleasure in His smile.  

We don't seek His hand that's what a parasite does.  Don't get so focused on your circumstances that you forget about His face.  The blessing is not in His hand, but it is in Him.  

Job 1:21B Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

21 The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

There's power in prayer.  Whenever we learn how to pray.  Don't rely on your own strength, but on God's strength.  Remember how David bragged on God before he knocked Goliath down.  

1 Samuel 17:45 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

45 David said to the Philistine: “You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but 

I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel—you have defied him.

Psalm 3 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Lord, how my foes increase!
There are many who attack me.

2 Many say about me,
“There is no help for him in God.”Selah

3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.

4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain. Selah

5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again because the Lord sustains me.

6 I will not be afraid of thousands of people

who have taken their stand against me on every side.

7 Rise up, Lord!
Save me, my God!

You strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;

may your blessing be on your people. Selah 

There is power in prayer when you pray powerful prayers.  Some of our prayers are just complaints.  

If your prayers are not impossible, it might insult God.

Let's be the church, and not just invite people to come to church.  God's going to trust His church with you.  It's got to come through you for God to do it. 

Matthew 24:45 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time? 

We need to know how to find God's promises in God's word to base our prayers upon.

Are we going to look at the reality of our situation or to trust in the faithfulness of our God?

Psalm 102:17 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

17 He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute

and will not despise their prayer.

The people who complain about the God of our prayers are the ones who seldom talk to Him.  

The opposite of faith is not fear. The opposite of faith is certainty.  

I'm praying bold prayers because bold prayers are God honoring.

  

Romans 12:12 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.

I'm not looking at this life, but in the God who is in the next.  This life is hard to watch because this life is tough.  My joy comes from my hope which is in heaven.    

Psalm 34:19 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

19 One who is righteous has many adversities,
but the Lord rescues him from them all.

You never know the purpose of your storm.   Remember Paul watched Stephen die.  Stephen is crying out forgive them, which rang in Paul's ears.  

Don't stop in your faithfulness in prayer. 

Prayers don't have an expiration date.  They may come true in this life or the next. Prayers are like prophecies.  

God loves to answer specific prayers because God gets glory from that.  

Romans 8:26-28 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. 

27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

The Holy Spirit prays for us in our weakness, according to the will of God.  Holy Spirit what are you praying for me today?

What happens when we all get in alignment to get somebody saved?  

The power of our lives are in our prayers.    

When you pray, God hears. When we pray, we can do more than we can do.  The entire weight of heaven moves on our behalf.  

Let's pray and watch what Jesus can do.  Pray prayers that put your reputation at risk.   

Lord Jesus, I give to you my life. Be my Lord and Savior.  

https://hopecity.com/sermons/frequency-part-1/

Notes from Jeremy Foster spoken after a hurricane hit their city , Hope City Church.