Is Something Missing from Your Prayer Life?

Is something missing from your prayer life? The Wednesday before Easter, our church celebrated the Lord’s Supper.  When we came into the sanctuary, we were given a self-contain juice and wafer cup.  At the appropriate time, I peeled the tab back and took out the little wafer.  As I held that little wafer, I found myself asking.  How do I feel about what this little wafer means, what it stands for?  And honestly, I didn’t feel anything.

 My mind jumped back to a mission trip scene forever etched into my memory.  It occurred on a mission trip to Ukraine 25 years ago. Justin Rotan, Bill Jackson, Charles Bullard, Nelson Roland, and I went to help build a church building. 

On our last Sunday, Nelson and I assisted in baptizing 30 people in a river.  After the baptism service, we walked about 1^1/2 miles back to the small building to worship and celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

 It was packed full of people, with people sitting tightly together on their homemade benches and standing alongside the walls. 

I was sitting on a small platform with 3 Ukrainian pastors.  They passed out the bread. Seated to the right of the platform where I was seated were several short rows full of people.  I looked down, and there was this bearded, rough-looking man who could have passed as a lumberjack.  He held the small piece of bread, representing the body of Christ, in his cupped hands as if it was a very precious gift. I looked at his face, bowed in prayer, and saw tears coursing down his cheeks.  

As I remembered that scene, I looked at the wafer in my hand and found myself desiring to have the same emotional feeling he had.   Now, I realized with my mind the meaning of the gift Jesus gives through His broken body, but I wanted my mind to touch my emotions.  For some reason, I had this strong desire not just to know but to feel the significance of this precious gift, but my mind and feelings didn’t connect. 

I have thought about this quite a few times since Easter.  I asked myself,  Am I becoming a lukewarm follower of Jesus?  Is my love for Jesus waning?  Have I so intellectualized the Lord’s Supper that I no longer feel the depth of love God has for me by allowing Jesus’ body to be broken for my sin?  What a sacrifice?  What a gift?  

That little wafer was a symbol of the most precious and significant gift I have ever received in my life,  Jesus' body was broken, and his blood was shed for me, for you, because we are sinners.  That wafer symbolizes the cost of our forgiveness of Sin given through Christ.  That gift paid the penalty for my sin and opened the door to a personal relationship with God.  That is significant, isn’t it?     This gift impacts our lives for all eternity. And I know that when mind and emotion connect in a positive way, I am  More resolute in my beliefs.  More steadfast in faith. More open to sharing my faith with others.

Then in May, I read a study done by Lifeway Research that interviewed people to discover what they believe.  The research paper published from this study is entitled 12 Lies American Evangelicals Believe about Faith.  This study revealed almost two-thirds (65 percent) of American Evangelical Christians said that most people are good by nature, even though everyone sins a little. Three-quarters (74 percent) of Americans do not believe that the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation — and 62 percent strongly believed this!

I pondered these statements and wondered if this could contribute to why I seldom hear Christians confess sin.  If we believe that a lot of our sinning is not all that bad, could this lead us to think there is little or no need to confess sin?  And that’s dangerous because Jesus paid the price for all sins, whether little ones or big ones.   And when we trivialize sin, we tend to become lukewarm and half-hearted in our relationship with God. Could this have contributed to why I did not feel deeply about the significance of the little wafer I held in my hand?  Have I forgotten no matter how small or big a sin is, is the reason for Jesus dying on the cross? Was there something missing from my prayer life?

Yes, there was.  A couple of years ago, I stopped using my prayer notebook. At the top right-hand corner in my weekly prayer page is a block for me to write down and confess any sin I recognized creeping into my life.  I stopped doing this a couple of years ago.  I was becoming lukewarm.  I had to repent and return to using my prayer notebook. 

My next step on this journey led me to focus on the growing desire many have for our nation to be healed.  Sin abounds everywhere.  What we need to see and understand is that as Christians, our Biblical worldview is at odds and clashing against powerful opposing world views – postmodern, secular world views with their roots in Humanism, Marxism, Critical Theories, Cancel Culture, Workism - most often void of God  resulting in divisiveness, hatred, slamming and labeling others using slogans cliches often expressed with intense emotions, often void of facts or truth.  This conflict is eating away at the soul of our country.  And you may get the feeling we are losing.   And as followers of Christ, we struggle to know how to respond.  Sometimes we seem to react more in the flesh rather than the fruit of the Spirit.  

I am reminded of what Martin Niemoller, a German pastor and theologian who was put in a Nazi concentration camp for seven years, said, “First, they came for the socialist, and I did not speak out – because I was not a socialist.  Then they came for the trade unionist, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist.  Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – there was no one left to speak for me.”  Could Niemoller’s quote soon become a reality for today for us as followers of Jesus?  What are we to do?  One thing we must remember is that God is not dependent on America.  No, we are dependent upon Him.

My journey began in April, seeking to find a reason for my lack of feeling around the symbol of Jesus’ body being broken for me. This thought led me to realize I had stopped the daily practice of searching my heart for sin in my life, and to then to the observation, I seldom hear people confessing sin. My next step on this path led me to focus on the deep peril we are confronting an increasingly divided nation and wondering how God would want me to respond.

I picked up my Bible and re-read 2 Chronicles 7:14: If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and heal their land.

 We long for our nation to turn from our sin and turn to Christ and be healed, don’t we?  I thought, maybe we have forgotten what sin is?  Simply stated: Sin is missing the mark in seeking to live like Jesus in our attitudes, thoughts, actions, and relationships.  If we are honest with ourselves, we usually think other people need to confess and turn from their sin, not us. This kind of thinking can lead us to believe the confession of sin is not all that important, which can result in our becoming lukewarm Christians. What are we to do?

 Notice how 2 Chronicles 7:14 begins: If my people. This verse begins with the conjunction “if.”  The little word “if” is often used as a powerful word in the Bible.  In the NIV translation, it is used 1,785 times. “If” is a big word –The word usually indicates there is a choice – and if the action is done – there is a defined consequence.  When You read this in the Bible – more often than not, “if” indicates we have a choice.  The choice we make reveals a lot about whether or not we will experience the positive of God's promises – or the negatives.

 Who is 2 Chronicles 7:14 addressed?  Those other sinful, lost people?  NO!  It's not addressed to lost, unsaved people but to God's people, to us, to me.  If my people who are called by my name.  That's me, not you.  It is us, not those other people.  If we want our nation to be healed, this verse says it begins with each of us. This verse indicates that God will hear from heaven and heal our land when we Humble ourselves, Pray, Seek His face, And turn from our sin; God hears and heals.

How do you truthfully respond to this question?  When was the last time you confessed a sin?  In your prayers or prayer groups and prayer meetings, do you confess sin?  Do you hear other people confessing sin? 

Is there something be missing from your prayer life?

As I re-read 2 Chronicles 7:14, the word humble leaped out at me.  I meditated on this word for several days. In the middle of one night, I was awakened, as though the Holy Spirit said, John, only truly humble people own and confess their sin.  And maybe one of the reasons our country seems so far from being healed is that a large number of people who claim to be God's people tend to be spiritually proud, spiritually content people, spiritually satisfied, lukewarm followers of Jesus, who, according to the Lifeway research, think little sins are not all that important, And seldom, if ever, confess sin.  And if we don’t confess and turn from sin, how can we become more like Jesus?

In June, I read a newly released survey by the Barna Group that revealed only 4% of Christians have a Christian worldview. Very simply stated, a Christian worldview is viewing the world through a Christian/biblical lens where our core values and principles for living are based on God’s Word, the Bible.  Paul admonished us in Colossians 2:8,  See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.   And in today’s culture, nonbiblical and anti-Christian morals and worldview philosophies are bombarding us constantly from television, film, newspapers, opinion pieces, magazines, books, and academia.

Could it be that we have become so brainwashed and immersed in the ways of the world we are no longer able to recognize and identify sins in our own lives?  As a result, we seldom see and give little thought or need to confess sin. Let us not forget that the purpose of recognizing, confessing, and repenting of our sin is so we will become more Christ-like. The theological word we use for this is sanctification. 

Well, just how important is it for us to regularly examine our hearts and confess our sins?  Look at Psalm 66:18 (NLT) -  If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.  What is the negative implication of this verse? If I have not confessed my Sin - God would not have listened.  “If” is a big word, isn’t it?

Replacing “IF” with “BECAUSE” helps us to understand what God is getting at.  The word “because” defines the results. So there are two choices with two different results implied. Because I confessed the sin in my heart, God listened to me.  Because I did not confess the sin in my heart, the Lord did not listen to me.  What does this say to you about the need to confess our sin and God hearing our prayers?

In this Psalm, the implication is that the psalmist confessed his sin.  Listen to this verse in context.  Let’s read this as a responsive reading.

Psalm 66:16-20 (NLT) -  Come and listen, all You who fear God, and I will tell You what he did for me.

¹⁷ For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke.

¹⁸ If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

¹⁹ But God did listen!

He paid attention to my prayer. 

²⁰ Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

In the corner of my front yard, we have this area where nothing will grow… cleaned, sprayed round-up, covered with pine bark…  I try to keep the weeds down, but they keep coming back.  Have you notices this about weeds?  They keep coming back.  (picture)  This past Saturday, I finally decided I needed to weed once again. As I was weeding, I compared weeding with confessing of sin. For this plot of ground to look decent, it is necessary to weed that area. And for our lives to allow the radiance of Jesus to shine through our lives requires us to weed sin from our lives.

(Picture) Don’t you think it looks better with the weeds gone? The same is true with our lives.  We need to keep confessing & turning from sin that spring when we see them.  Most sins in our lives begin as little sins, and if not regularly confessed and dealt with - will sprout up, putting blemishes on our attempt to grow in Christ-likeness.  And if we are not careful, these sins may eventually take over our lives.

Could there be something missing from your prayer life?

Look at this command of Jesus found in Matthew 6:14-15 (NLT) ¹ “If you forgive those who sin against you, Your heavenly Father will forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.  This statement of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount has two really big “ifs” in it,

What is God’s promise when you forgive those who have sinned against you, hurt you, did you harm, caused you grief, led to ill and negative feelings forming in your heart. Listen to Jesus' word here, replacing “if” with “because.”  ¹⁴ “Because you forgive those who sin against you, Your heavenly Father will forgive you. ¹⁵Because you refuse to forgive others, Your Father will not forgive your sins.  

What happens if you do not forgive another person?  If you refuse to forgive.  What’s the outcome? When we read this passage this way, it puts a new light on the importance of our forgiving others. 

Let’s look at I John 8 --10.  There are three big “ifs” in these verses.  Look what happens when we replace "if" with the word "because." Because we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.  Does this mean when we neglect to confess our sin, we are fooling ourselves and reveal we are not living in Biblical truth?  Look at the next verse –  ⁹Because we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. This is great news, isn’t it?  That’s the heart of the Gospel.   But what happens if we do not confess our sins to him?  Look at the next if” it’s a big one… Because we claimed we have not sinned – we are calling God a liar and show His word has no place in my heart. What does this verse indicate what happens when we fail to examine our lives and confess sins that spring up from time to time?   By living as though we are sinless, are we calling God a liar? Does this indicate that His word is really not in our hearts?  Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.  Maybe we don’t have God’s word in our hearts.

Could there be something missing from your prayer life?

In his book, The Making of a Servant, Sam James writes about a major spiritual breakthrough that occurred not long after assuming his first pastorate at Mt Pleasant Baptist Church in Liberty back in 1957. He said there was dissension between two families in the church that had been going on for several years.  This tension was holding back the movement of the Holy Spirit, causing him to question his call to be a pastor. Thoroughly discouraged, he went to the church one Saturday night, lay prostrate on the floor behind the pulpit, and sought God’s face.  He said: “I poured out my heart to the Lord.  I asked forgiveness for anything in my life that might be hindering God’s flow to the people.  I confessed every possible sin in my life.  I asked for a fresh cleansing so that nothing would hinder the fullness of the Holy Spirit in me.” Sam lay prostrated on the floor, praying for hours.

 Before entering the pulpit the following day, he bowed his head and prayed: “Lord, I am completely dependent upon You. I don’t have a sermon.  Whatever You would have the people experience this morning is in Your hands.  Lord, please don’t let me get in the way.  I am totally dependent on You.”

When it came time, he stood behind the pulpit.  He shared with the folks the prior evening’s experience and how he felt since becoming their pastor.  He said, ”I have tried to do everything in my own power.  Up to now, I have felt like a complete failure as Your pastor.  Last night, lying prostrate on this altar where I am standing now, I totally surrendered myself to the Lord.

I confessed every sin and every weakness. I confessed my lack of ability for this task.  I asked for forgiveness.  I asked the Lord to make me a channel through which He could work, unhindered by my ego, my weakness, my lack of faith and trust, and my sinfulness. Then he told the congregation that he didn’t have a sermon. This morning we are going to have to let the Lord speak to us in whatever way He will.  Please respond to whatever He is saying to You. 

With that, he bowed his head and waited. Sam writes: I felt a powerful presence of the Lord among the people.  There was a quiet, reverent atmosphere.  The silence was broken when the leader of one of the dissenting families stood and asked forgiveness for his behavior over the past several years.  Then the leader of the second family stood and asked forgiveness for his behavior.  Soon people began to hug one another and weep. It was service like none other I had experienced.  That was a historic turning point in the church.  Everything changed.  Most of all, Sam said, I was changed.   

He said that from that point on, the church began to experience phenomenal growth.

Turning away from sin Leads to Healing

Do You see what happened to Sam and the church?  He followed the principles spelled out in 2 Chronicle 7:14. Sam humbled himself, laying prostrate behind the pulpit and prayed, earnestly seeking the face of God, and confess his weakness and sin, asking God to cleanse and fill him with His power.  After Sam told the congregation about his experience of the previous evening, the two dissenting families who were angry and estranged from each other humbled themselves before God and the congregation, stood up, confess their sin, asking to be forgiven.  As a result, that congregation was healed. Their public confession was received in grace by that congregation, and they experienced God’s healing. They were filled with H.S. power that spread into the community, enabling them to reach many more people for Christ.

 I don't fully understand it, but I have seen and experienced this many times when we confess and turn from our sin, we experience God’s grace, and healing comes into our lives – and we have a peace that transcends human understanding. And when confession and repentance are received in grace from others - lives are transformed, marriages are healed, families are restored, relationships are reconciled, And a church’s influence reaches out beyond its walls, reaching people for Jesus. 

Now, let me ask you again: Is there something missing from your prayer life?

That little wafer I held in my hand back in April reminded me that Jesus’ body was broken and His blood was shed because I was a sinner. God loved me enough to want to make it possible for me, for you, for everyone in the world to be forgiven and to have an enteral relationship with Him. But how will others discover this truth?  It will happen when God’s people are humble enough to seek His face, to pray, and turn from our sin – then God will be free to work through us to bring healing to our land.  And my friends, this will only happen, I think when we feel deeply about what God has done for us.  You see, our minds bring reason to what we do, but often our emotions propel us into action.

Would you like to see our nation changed?  It will not begin with a wish or with the people you think need or would like to see changed. 

First and foremost, it will begin not with you, but within me; not with the person sitting beside you or in front of you, but within your heart; not outside these walls, but when we, who are on the inside, God’s people, are humble enough to own, confess, and turn from our sin. Then, amazingly, we will realize we have drifted away from Christ and find ourselves returning to our first Love, Jesus.  And to our surprise, we will discover we have been lukewarm followers of Jesus because the Holy Spirit is now set free to be preeminent in our lives.

Let me end with the first statement made, Is there anything missing from your prayer life?  If so, what are you going to do about it?

 Sermon by Dr. John Rogers.  Posted by Jeni Martin Johnson.