Prayer
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Prayer is where we ought to be real. There is no point masking our anger, fear, or sin from God. He sees it anyway!
C.S. Lewis said, “We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.”
This is what David modeled in Psalm 51.
Skye Jethani - “Prayer means admitting and offering to God what is really in us - no matter how ugly it might be.”
QUESTION: "Have you ever prayed and seemed as if God was silent or uncooperative and you were left frustrated, dissapointed?"
READ: 2 Corinthians 12:6-10
SENSATION OF FRUSTRATION, STRENGTH OF FAITH
Life is about how we interpret things.
Often, the most faithful are also the most frustrated. Your frustration is actually an indication of your faithfulness.
Pain often points us to our purpose!
In his writings, Paul mentions his frustrations by name: Temptation, Heartache, Opposition, Riots, Neglect, etc.
When Paul gets into the deep issues, he mentions his "THORN"
A thorn is a little thing that causes a lot of pain.
Paul pleads with the Lord three times.
You have to take the thorn to the throne!
Because God’s strength in your weakness is Gods presence in your life!
TAKE THE THORN TO THE THRONE
Three times Paul pleaded that God would take it away! God answers him, “My grace is sufficient”.
“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me”
If God doesn’t remove it, he will use it!
Jesus new a bit about THORNs. He wore a crown of "thorns".
Mathew 27:29 (NIV)
You don’t get to choose your thorn, but you do get to choose the testimony you tell…
THE BIGGER THE THORN, THE GREATER THE GRACE
QUESTION: What is the one thing in your life that has hurt you the most?
Pain leaves a mark on us doesn't it? And Suffering changes us.
You don’t have to be a Christian to experience pain!
For the Apostle Paul, this THORN was a constant reminder of God’s grace and God’s power working through him.
Romans 5:20 - "But where sin increased, grace increased all the more"
The thorn came from the enemy, but grace came from God!
God’s grace is not just the unmerited favor that saves us in our lives but also the force that sustains us throughout our lives.
Even the strongest people have moments of weakness.
Not only was Jesus real with His Father, He’s real with His friends. (Garden of Gethsemane)
QUESTION: DO you have friends that will go to the garden with you? Friends that you can be real with?
Mathew 26:36-38 (MSG)
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (MSG)
Hebrews 12:2-3 (NLT)
Gods grace is sufficient! The bigger the thorn, the greater the grace!
CLOSING PRAYER
