God's Way Of Getting Things Done!

Romans 8: 25-32

God uses prayer in the implementation of His will.
It doesn't matter whether you read Genesis or Matthew or Revelation, you will find that this is true.

In Romans 8: 25-32, Paul says some things about prayer that we need to remember.

Prayer has to do with something we cannot see.

We get excited about things we see.
It is time we get excited about things that are real, even though, we cannot see them.
The only thing that is real is that which survives time.

When we pray, we are engaging in something that will last.

Prayer is a miracle.
It is unlike other miracles.
It is a continuing miracle.
It is a miracle of power.
It is a miracle of communication.

When we pray, we are going beyond reason.
We are stepping into transcendent realms of power.

In prayer we can do more than we can do.
We can be more than we are.
We can know more than we know.

The miracle of prayer begins at the point of human need.

Jesus accomplished the first miracle on the occasion of a deficiency in the wine supply at a wedding.
He raised a man who had been crippled for 38 years.
This was a well established need.

The disciples awakened Jesus from his sleep in the boat during a real problem.

We are infirmed!

Notice the passage from Romans 8: 26: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness."

Every miracle is God attending to a human need.
Many times we hate to admit that we are weak.
It didn't bother Jesus to admit that He was helpless without God, and it shouldn't bother us.

This is what Jesus said:
"The son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing." (John 5: 19)

Prayer is what God has given us to lose our weakness and receive His limitless power.
We are ignorant!
"We do not know what we ought to pray for." (Romans 8: 26)

The Holy Spirit is with us, ready day and night, to introduce us to the available miracle of prayer.
Anytime we feel deficient in either strength or knowledge; that is a call to prayer.
The miracle of prayer is a partnership with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit takes our prayers to our heavenly Father.
This is reassuring!

We often pray for that which we think is obvious.
What we might see and think is not always what God thinks.
So, the Holy Spirit gently guides us in our prayers.
It is amazing when we are praying to discover the Holy Spirit guiding our prayer.
Not only does the Holy Spirit intercede for us, but He intervenes and sometimes, even interrupts.

This miracle of prayer consummates with the purpose of our heavenly Father.

Praying is how to get things done.
It's not what we do, or how we prepare; it is prayer that is God's way of getting things done.

Remember, the Lord's Prayer:
"Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6: 10)

When we pray this, we are implementing the will of God on earth.
We are praying that God's plans will dominate us.
We enter invisible realms and bring back reality.

Only in Spirit-directed praying can "We know that in all things God works
for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8: 28)

It is not only important that God knows that He will work all things together;
it is important that we know that He will do that.
It is the difference between victory and defeat.

This available miracle of prayer commences with a human problem – infirmity and ignorance.
It continues with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but it consummates in the purpose of the Father.

When we understand these things, we have a new appreciation of the laws of prayer.

There are two ways of discovering laws.
We can read what someone says about a law or we can study the cause and effect which will reveal the law to us.
We can read what Newton said about the law of gravity or we can do what he did, and understand by observing.

Here are some important laws of prayer!

No believer's spiritual life will rise above the level of his or her praying.

Your spiritual living level will be the same as your praying level.
How many times have you left a worship service saying that you will never be the same again,
and that you are going to develop a real prayer life.
You did this for two or three weeks, then you went right back to the level of your praying.
If you want a changed life, then ask God to change your prayer practices.

No church's ultimate effectiveness will rise above the level of its corporate praying.

It is not enough just to pray before committee meetings.
It is not enough to punctuate the service with a few prayers.
Everything we do must be pervaded with prayer.
Everything we do must be bathed in prayer.

It is not enough to devise our own schemes.
We must pray, and then wait until we hear from God.
Everything we do must originate from a life of praying faith.

No church's corporate prayer life will rise above the level of the prayer lives of its individual members.

I have seen people get excited about prayer in times of revival.
That excitement usually does not carry over into regular prayer times.
A person who does not have a quality prayer life will not remain excited about prayer.

It does little good to promote prayer at a corporate level,
if we do not learn how to meet with God personally and regularly.
No believer's prayer life will rise in quality above his daily time alone with God.
When our personal prayer time suffers, our entire spiritual life will feel the effects.

If you have been looking for a reason for the frustration and failure in your life,
you may not have to look any further than your prayer life.

No believer's practice of prayer will be greater than his view of prayer.

For instance, right now you're doing what you really believe to be most important.
What you are not doing is not important to you -- that is the bottom line.

If you are not giving priority to personal prayer -- just face it -- you don't think that prayer is important.

I challenge you to study prayer in the life of Jesus.
Study the prayer life of the prophets.
Study the prayer life of great leaders throughout Christianity.

You will discover that they have one thing in common.
They were people of prayer.
They were regular in their praying.
They were intense in their prayers.
They were committed to prayer.

We must do the same!

Both private and public praise are indispensable factors in the prayer life.

Psalm 100: 4:
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

Praise is the preface to the prayer experience.
There will be no greater day in your life than when you discover that the best way
to get into an atmosphere of prayer to God is through thanksgiving and praise.

Memorize Scriptures of praise, and recite them often.

The only way to learn to pray is to pray.
We will not learn to pray by going to conferences or reading books or filling in the blanks in a workbook.

As soon as you can, find a private place with God and say:

"Dear God, I am so happy that these things are true about prayer.
I am so thankful that you have given me access to come into your presence.
I am so thankful for prayer.
Please forgive me for my negligence.
Please enable me to be so right with You that I get excited about prayer."

The only way to learn to pray is pray!

Go to it!

Sermon by Dr. Harold L. White