Matthew 11:25–30 prayer
25At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26“Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
28“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Focused Thinking: Focusing on prayer this morning.
Personal Application: Review from yesterday’s priority time.
2 Chronicles 7:14
“and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Humble themselves
Pray
Seek My Face
Turn from their wicked ways
THEN…
I will hear from heaven,
I will forgive their sin,
I will heal their land.
Interactive Prayer:
Yesterday’s PT dealt with the issue of judgment for the cities that experienced Jesus miracles and teaching but didn’t repent.
Father, I’m having a hard time moving forward with today’s passage because I’m still burdened by yesterday’s passage. I’m burdened by our country’s rejection of Christ. I’m burdened by our city’s rejection of Christ. Memphis is the most churched city in America and only 18% of the people in Memphis attend church. We don’t realized how much we’ve turned our backs on God. We don’t realized how much God has blessed our country. The more we forget our history, the more we forget our God. The more we forget You, the more prideful we become.
Father, please forgive us of our sins. Forgive us for all the ways we deny You. Forgive us for all the idols in our lives. Forgive us for loving money, success and pleasure more than You. Forgive us for neglecting Your Word. Forgive for neglecting prayer. Father, make me a greater man of the Word and prayer. Father, make me a man after Your own heart. Father, speak to me directly through Your Word and prayer. Father, give me the courage to obey Your Word. Father, give me ability to preach Your Word in the power and demonstration of the Spirit. Father, give me the ability to communicate effectively enough to help people turn from their wicked ways. Father, I pray that our people will not add God to their list of false gods, but rather, I pray that people will replace their false gods with the One true God.
Father, I pray that our church will humble themselves this fall. I pray that we will humble ourselves by admitting that we have idols in our life. I pray that we will humble ourselves by confessing our idols and repenting of our idols. I pray that we will be grieved and broken over our spiritual idolatry. I pray that our betrayal will drive us to prayer. Father, I pray that I will change my priorities and practices in prayer. I pray that You grow our people in their walks and in their prayer. I pray that You will grow our prayer team.
Father, I pray that our people will seek Your face before they seek anything else or anyone else. I pray that our people will quit seeking their idols and start seeking You. Give me the ability to touch people’s hearts and emotions and see them be moved to seek You. I pray that our people will quit making excuses and start seeking You. I pray that our people will seek You and Your Word with relentless passion. I pray that people will seek You with total heart commitment. I pray that our people will seek You and seek to love as You love.
Father, I pray that people will turn from their wicked ways. I pray that people will turn from their lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and boastful pride of life. I pray that people will turn from their love of self, love of money, and love of pleasure. I pray that people will turn from their drive for success and recognition. I pray that people will turn from divorce. I pray that people will turn from pornography. I pray that people will turn from drugs. I pray that people will turn from money. Father, give us a better story to pursue. Father, give us a bigger story to pursue. Father, give us the ability to focus on You and You alone.
Father, I pray that You will hear our prayers, forgive our sins, and heal our people, heal our city, and heal our country. Father, give us Your Spirit and do in us what we cannot do in ourselves. Father, we can’t solve these problems with good people do good works. Father, we need Your Spirit to move in us in such a way that God’s people do the impossible and people give glory to You for Your work in and through us.
Leave a Reply