{"id":19302,"date":"2015-02-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-21T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/the-privilege-of-prayer-2015\/"},"modified":"2015-02-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-02-21T06:00:00","slug":"the-privilege-of-prayer-2015","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/the-privilege-of-prayer-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"The Privilege of Prayer – 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[146],"series_event":[429],"sermon_service_type":[472],"speaker":[448],"class_list":["post-19302","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-none","series_event-ladies-spring-friendship-luncheon","sermon_service_type-main-service","speaker-lynn-munsterman","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"The Privilege of Prayer - 2015","sermon_date":"20150221","sermon_month":"2","sermon_year":"2015","sermon_notes":"","sermon_slides":2463,"sermon_mp3":2461,"sermon_id":"221151331445","series_or_event":429,"service_type":[472],"speaker":448,"books_of_the_bible":146,"chapter_and_verse":"","sermon_transcript":"Lynn Munsterman\nLadies Spring Fellowship Luncheon\nFebruary 21, 2015\n\nI just realized why they invited me; they didn\u2019t have to adjust the mic so you\u2019re ready for me. This\nis amazing and it\u2019s something that I\u2019m not used to, so if you don\u2019t mind I\u2019m just going to pretend you\u2019re a bunch of friends out there, this is a friendship luncheon, right? So I\u2019m just talking to a bunch of friends. And there are a lot of them, some of you I know and some of you are already friends and I hope the rest of you I get to know pretty soon. But I do have a table of some family\nand among that family is my mother who is watching me, and if you see me kind of wriggling like this it\u2019s because I\u2019m trying to make sure I\u2019m standing up straight. [Laughter] because I heard about that all my life, \u201cLynn, stand up straight,\u201d and she\u2019s watching today so I want to do that.\n\nBut as we talk about friendship we probably experience that friendship comes in all levels. It\u2019s something that we can grow, or, we can forsake (I\u2019m trying to figure out where I am here). It needs to be cultivated with belonging, knowing, participation, sharing verses. Jesus wants believers to be His friend and in John 15 Jesus defines friendship, and I\u2019m going to paraphrase, it\u2019s knowing what He\u2019s about and being about it with Him, obedience, prayer is critical for obedience.\n\nEarlier in John 15 Jesus used the word \u201cabide\u201d to explain this relationship, men\u014d, to dwell, to remain fixed. In fact, He used the illustration of a branch that receives nourishment from the vine ONLY as it remains fixed. Today as I talk I\u2019m going to use the word abiding friends to distinguish what being a friend of God involves as opposed to being a worldly friend. I think this distinction is important as we approach the subject of the privilege of prayer. It\u2019s a subject very dear to me because apart from prayer I really don\u2019t think I would be here today. Over the years I\u2019ve learned that God in His love does not take away every trial, but He does show Himself in His glory; He\u2019ll light the road of any journey.\n\nMy most recent journey is here with us today, my little Nathan, my two and a half year old grandson who at six weeks old died for a time unknown, his breathing and his heart stopped but he\u2019s with us again. So he has suffered a lot of damage to his brain and did I mention that I was babysitting when it happened. Apart from prayer, dependence upon the Lord, I couldn\u2019t function. My very first reaction when I lifted his limp little body is a prayer, it was \u201cNO GOD, not this.\u201d that was my very first reaction.\n\nBut you know what? As I yelled the Lord was already working because my daughter, Sheryl, drove up, she brought the kids in, she administered CPR to Nathan and in the midst of this she ministered to me. Nathan\u2019s mom with her baby lying there, ministered to me; she said Mom, God knows. I knew He knew, but to hear it from her, that was a gift from God. Then the paramedics did CPR, still nothing. They rushed him to the hospital in an ambulance, they did revive him there but he was life-flighted to downtown. I didn\u2019t know what to pray; I prayed \u201cHelp!\u201d I prayed \u201cPlease!\u201d I prayed \u201ctake me,\u201d I just didn\u2019t want to live any more, I wanted it over. I said \u201ctake me instead,\u201d I tried to bargain. But God brought verses to remind me to trust Him with eternity and with every aspect of today, even that day, many of you here have upheld us in prayer.\n\nWe\u2019ve had our ups and downs and lately Nathan has had a few more downs than I would like but you know what? God hasn\u2019t removed the trials but He\u2019s given us strength, peace, and even joy, something that I might not have believed if it hadn\u2019t happened to me. I know God in a so much deeper way now, in the midst of it. I don\u2019t know what the days to come hold, but I\u2019m confident that He\u2019s holding them. My prayer is not to a God that serves my every desire; He has a higher purpose and with His help I want to serve His every desire.\n\nI want to be \u201ca living, holy sacrifice acceptable to God,\u201d to \u201cbe transformed by the renewing of my mind,\u201d doing His will despite the circumstances. I need His help to do this. I need prayer! He\u2019s fully able to accomplish physical healing, I know that, and I pray for that. But He\u2019s also fully able to sustain us as we humbly call on Him and He works, even this tragedy, for good. I\u2019m learning that. Prayer is my lifeline. So when Miss [not sure of name] asked me to speak for the luncheon, and by the way, we thought the subject should be prayer, what could I say? I covet the prayers of those of you who have been praying for me for this.\n\nBut as we get started, let\u2019s go to the Father in prayer. Heavenly Father, glorify Your Word, that Your Word may glorify You. May Your truth penetrate our hearts, and drive us closer to you. Use this time to Your glory, I pray in Jesus name. Amen.\n\nThere are many views of prayer as there are of God for God. But there is only one true triune God, eternal creator, sustainer of all and He\u2019s working out His plan, His purpose and His creation. It\u2019s an understanding who God is; it\u2019s a privilege that He has granted His children becomes breathtaking. The privilege of prayer is not defined by us; it\u2019s defined by God\u2019s very being. It\u2019s a privilege that we should pursue. I come to you today, not as one who is there but one that is in progress and I desire to encourage you along the way. For some of you I may seem ahead in this ahead on this promised path and for others of you I\u2019m waving you on from behind, but we\u2019re on this path together and we\u2019re to encourage one another. Prayer is not reserved for perfect people and it\u2019s not just for those of us that are at the end of our rope. It\u2019s not to replace study, fellowship or service, but it is to empower all of those. It\u2019s vital to our Christian walk and it\u2019s vital to the health of the church body. Prayer is communication, a heartfelt conversation as God\u2019s children seek Him.\n\nSo I thought maybe we should review this relationship for just a minute. God\u2019s attributes, who He is, are not merely in Him, they are Him. His attributes aren\u2019t something that we determine about Him, they\u2019re distinct essential characteristics that He has revealed of Himself in His Word. They don\u2019t contradict each other; they are true within each other. For instance, in His justice He still has grace and mercy; that\u2019s why He sent His Son to pay the price for our sins. God created the heavens, the earth. He created man special, in His image. He made us spiritual because He\u2019s spirit, and He breathed in man the breath of life. He made us relational, able to commune with God, able to share in some of God\u2019s attributes, but this is important, not all of God\u2019s attributes. Many people will try to tell you that we can be a god, or God, as some form of God. That\u2019s not true, we never have been and we never will be God. But we do get to share in some of His attributes. To the extent that we exhibit His attributes in us we bear His image.\n\nGod\u2019s glory is seen in His creation, yet God gave man choice. Adam and Eve, remember the story, they walked in the Garden with God, they communed with Him, they talked, but they were told not to eat of two trees, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life; if they ate they would \u201csurely die.\u201d It wasn\u2019t a suggestion. To reject God\u2019s Word would be to choose a lie. Speaking of lies, do you notice who\u2019s in the Garden, talking to Eve? Satan, the deceiver, the father of life, a fallen angel, created good by God but fallen because he wanted to be a god. He\u2019s in the Garden. Did that escape God\u2019s attention? Did God omniscient and all-knowing God not see that? Satan engaged Eve in conversation; he cast doubt on God, His Word, His purpose and Eve listened, she looked, she lusted after the forbidden. She chose not to consult Adam, the one she was made to help and she ate the forbidden.\n\nThen she offered it to Adam, and he ate. He watched, he heard what she said and he chose to follow Eve\u2019s lead; instead of following God they chose to follow a lie. Have we ever done that, knowingly? Satan did not force them to disobey; God did not force them to obey. They chose.\n\nWho was missing in that conversation? Do you think that all knowing ever present God really was absent, or did they fail to include Him? Are there times we don\u2019t want to pray because we\u2019re focused on our will, unwilling to turn our focus from our will to His? Is it all about us? Adam and Eve, when they ate they experienced evil; they knew it, they felt shame, they ran, they hid, they tried to cover themselves. Sin breaks fellowship. Adam and Eve didn\u2019t want to talk to God. Can you see how this relates to prayer? But God knew\u2026 God knew! He knows. He called them out; He shed the blood of an animal to cover their shame, the very first death. Life is in the blood and without the shedding of blood, Hebrews tells us, there is no forgiveness of sin.\n\nOf course, this was a foreshadowing of a price Jesus would pay. It was a price no animal or sinful man could ever pay. It had to be perfect blood, but man couldn\u2019t pay it, only God could. So it had to be God-man, Jesus. Adam and Eve had been told to rule in the garden under God, but instead they chose a lie. They forfeited their rule; they handed it to Satan. It was the role he wanted but it wasn\u2019t the way he wanted it. He would never be sovereign, he would rule under God, and his rule would be temporary, the prince of the power of the air.\n\nMankind did surely die as a consequence; physical death began, aging, decay in the body, and in creation, spiritual death began. The relationship with God was broken and amongst themselves the blame game started, tension in human relationship. All children now would be born in pain and in sin under Satan\u2019s rule but the walk in the Garden was over.\n\nBut wait, that\u2019s not the end; there\u2019s hope! Omnipotent sovereign God was not taken by surprise. He sent them from the Garden, no longer to walk in it, He sent cherubs to guard the garden, to keep man from the tree of life, a choice He removed for their own protection. But amidst the curse we find promise. Listen to this: the seed of Satan would bruise the heel of woman\u2019s seed, bruise, painful but not fatal. But, the seed of woman, Jesus would be born of a woman, would trample the head of the serpent. Now that\u2019s fatal. It sounds vague to us, I know, but Eve and others seemed to understand. As with the birth of children they looked for a coming Savior. Yes, all sin, and we live in a fallen world, but we\u2019re not without hope. God has a plan, a way back to Him, His image in us, His glory. But we still have choice. Believe His promise to send a Savior or reject it.\n\nHebrews 1 makes it clear that God continues to reveal His promise throughout the Old Testament. But let\u2019s fast forward to the New Testament because we find out that at the appointed time and the appointed place for the appointed purpose, God sent His Son, God in the flesh, God with us. The world saw the radiance of His glory. He lived a perfect life, He taught, suffered, then willingly went to the cross to pay the penalty of sin: sin past, sin present, sin future. The sacrificial lamb was slain but this time it wasn\u2019t a picture, Jesus died paying the sin price. THEN He rose again conquering that death, offering us eternal life, relationship with Him. AND, there\u2019s more, to those who will receive His gift He gives His Holy Spirit. It\u2019s a permanent indwelling with whom every believer is sealed with promise the moment they believe. God offers relationship, life in Him, opportunity to pursue Him, growing our relationship, becoming abiding friends, His image in us for His glory, which of course is our best because that\u2019s what we were created for.\n\nBut can you see the situation here? There is choice. Do we pursue that? Do we make choices that help us grow, obey, or do we just sit where we are in that relationship. There may be someone here who hasn\u2019t believed this promise, we\u2019re all eternal adult beings born in sin; that is, we are born spiritually dead, we are separated from God.\n\nBut we do have a choice; we don\u2019t have to stay spiritually dead. Jesus offers freely eternal life, eternal relationship with Him. And He\u2019s the only way to God. He says \u201cBelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.\u201d It\u2019s eternal. It can\u2019t be lost. You know, we\u2019re talking about prayer today; prayer is so awesome but it can\u2019t save you. You have no access to the Father unless you accept His gift, \u201cbelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d But once you do that you\u2019re His child. And He wants you to pray. As a believer take advantage of prayer; pursue abiding friendship. Sanctification is a life-long process, learning to be set apart from sin to God. We want to be set apart from sin to Him. One way to do that, to learn to grow, is to pray. Prayer is a privilege our Triune God grants His children to pursue abiding friendship, purpose from the Father, proficient in the Son, and power in His Spirit.\n\nGod created man in His image, an image marred by the fall, but throughout God\u2019s Word we see Him calling us back to His image, His glory seen in us. One of my favorite places to observe this is in John 17 as Jesus, God the Son, prays to God the Father the ideal prayer. He first presents Himself and His desire to be glorified so that the Father might be glorified. So He presents Himself, what He wants to see in Him living righteously is to see the Father\u2019s name manifest in the world. That\u2019s His purpose on earth. There in verses 6-19 He addresses the disciples, the disciples who had received His Word and He says that they might manifest the Father\u2019s name. He is in the Father\u2019s name, [27] \u201cSanctify them in truth; Your word is truth.\u201d And then take it to the world.\n\nBut what I want us to take away from this chapter today as He addresses the purpose of the church, all who would believe through the Word that was given. And this is what He wants. He says that they may be sanctified, set apart in His Word, which is truth, knowing Him, being in Him, abiding so that the world would see Jesus in them, and believe He, Jesus, was the sent one, the promised Messiah, the one we just talked about in Genesis.\n\nHis image seen in them is not going to be an exact representation, but to some degree as we follow Him and abide we represent, we show His glory to the world. We were created for His glory, His children have been given all we need for life and godliness, to partake of His divine nature but we must partake to receive, use what He gave us the moment we believe. We think of His precious and magnificent promises. God knows my situation; He knows your situation; partaking of His divine nature instead of rejecting it is the way to escape the corruption that comes from us.\nRemember Eve\u2019s focus? What\u2019s our focus? Is it something we shouldn\u2019t be lusting after or is it Him? He awaits our choice, \u201cabide in Him, He abides in you.\u201d \u201cDraw near to Him, He draws near\nto you. Partake of Him and He grants precious and magnificent promises. His divine nature has granted all we need for life and godliness. True\u2026true knowledge of Him, that\u2019s the word epign\u014dsis, it\u2019s an experiential knowledge of Him; it\u2019s getting to know Him. Do we partake? Are we trying to get to know Him? Learning His Word, going to Him in prayer? When Adam and Eve rejected God\u2019s Word they had experiential knowledge of sin but God wants us to taste and see that He is good.\n\nExperience Him, He is faithful and He is true. But speaking of truth His Word is truth, it\u2019s the plumb line. Remember it says \u201cSanctify them in truth, Your Word is truth.\u201d Prayer is an approach to His Word as well as a response to His Word. It\u2019s a conversation over His Word. You don\u2019t say a conversation, you have one. It\u2019s not rote prayer. It takes time to listen; conversation is a two way thing. No, it\u2019s not audible but it sure seems that way, and believe me, it\u2019s not wishful thinking. I can\u2019t tell you how many times I\u2019ve gone to prayer and got hit upside the head with something I didn\u2019t expect to hear, and to be honest, I didn\u2019t want to hear, something that shows something wrong in me. It was always something I needed to hear.\n\nHe has given His Word, we have no need for further word; there is no new revelation from God and we\u2019re admonished not to add to it or take away (that happened in the garden). God speaks to us in and through His Word; it\u2019s the standard. So if adjustment needs to be made they need to be made in us, not His Word. He wants us to seek Him and His Word, to seek His wisdom and He says if you don\u2019t understand, ask, James 1:5.\n\nGo to the Father, ask for His wisdom, He wants us to lean on His understanding, not our own. But as in the Garden the world or flesh will try to discount God\u2019s Word. Don\u2019t listen to the lies, the worldly philosophies that try to change it or explain it away. Don\u2019t rationalize. His Word is true, we need it, make it your standard. The Father has a plan with purpose; He\u2019s provided us with all we need to pursue that purpose. Apart from Jesus we have no access, no position. We enter His family through no work of our own; we haven\u2019t earned it. In Him we have relationship, a position of privilege with access to the Father. This relationship can\u2019t be lost, BUT it can be squandered. It can be wasted with choices that reject His truth, not obeying.\n\nJesus is our example of how to live; He shows us a better way, choosing to sacrifice worldly ways for His ways, changing our focus, looking to Him, His way, taking every thought captive, renewing our mind so as to be transformed to His image instead of being conformed to the world. We can\u2019t do it on our own but He won\u2019t do it without our participation, working it out goes hand in hand with prayer. On the go, wherever we are, in the midst of the trials, in contact with Him, in contact with His Word as well as when we\u2019re home alone in our quiet space, praying to Him in silence.\n\nWe pray in Jesus\u2019 name. This is a privilege unique to the church. John 16:24 says, \u201cUntil now you have asked nothing in My name. To pray in Jesus\u2019 name is to pray according to all that He is, His person as well as His purpose, His authority, the Lord of salvation and our position in Jesus gives us authority to approach holy God the Father, covered (remember Adam and Eve covered with the skins), covered by His, Jesus\u2019 righteousness, not our own. Apart from Him we\u2019re unworthy. When the Father sees us come to Him in prayer He sees what Jesus did. And as we come to Him we come to Him with Jesus\u2019 purpose, to do the Father\u2019s will, to be about the Father\u2019s business.\nDo you see the unity that\u2019s happening here? The Father and Son with one purpose and we\u2019re supposed to be in that purpose, pursuing that unity, His will, His way, for His glory. And do you see what that equals in that verse? \u201c\u2026your joy may be made full,\u201d John 16:24.\n\nAs you look at the verses overhead [John 14:13-14; 15:7-8, 16; 16:24] consider for a minute to try reading these verses by replacing \u201cin My name\u201d or \u201cabide in Me\u201d with \u201caccording to the Father\u2019s will.\u201d Is there any question left as to our purpose in prayer? Is it becoming very obvious that with privilege comes responsibility? That responsibility may not be burdensome. The Father loves us so much He sent His Son; He wants to give His children good gifts. Every good and perfect gift is from above. He desires our joy. He wants to give us His peace, take our burdens as we lay them at His feet. He knows true joy, peace, and real good are found in Him. He knows we need Him working in us. We\u2019re told to pray in the Spirit; purpose in the Father, position in the Son, and now power in the Spirit. Both the Father and the Son refer to the Spirit as their Spirit. He\u2019s called the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of light, the Spirit of grace, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of glorious power, and it goes on.\n\nRemember we said a name represents who we are. That\u2019s who He is. It\u2019s another privilege that\u2019s specific to the church, being able to pray in the Spirit. His Spirit working in us to grow us; our spirit (little \u201cs\u201c) under the leading of His Spirit, the Spirit of truth and power working. The Holy Spirit administers the Father\u2019s plan.\n\nIn John 4:23-24 we\u2019re told that God is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth. Truth there, the spirit of truth working in our hearts, applying God\u2019s Word, which is true, to our spirit, little \u201cs\u201d, the Word that\u2019s living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, it\u2019s a light that exposes lies and reveals truth, it reveals His will His way, His Holy Spirit brings it to mind, helps us understand and apply it. You know, there\u2019s no need to call down the Spirit, He\u2019s in us. The question is, choice again, will we listen? Will we give the Spirit control? Remember that Word that\u2019s sharper than any two-edged sword? It\u2019s not only a weapon to defend us; it\u2019s an instrument to do surgery on our hearts. It\u2019s when we pray in the Spirit, choosing to place ourselves under the Spirit\u2019s control that our prayers have power.\n\nRemember Romans 12:1-2, this is the power working in us to renew our minds, transform us. It\u2019s under the control of the Spirit that we\u2019re convicted of sin and empowered to turn away from it. Transformation demands confessing our sins, receiving forgiveness on an ongoing basis because unfortunately we often sin\u2026 on an ongoing basis! We should never hang up the phone with the Spirit, we should always be in contact, when it says \u201cpray without ceasing,\u201d that\u2019s because we need to pray without ceasing, not because He needs us, it\u2019s because we need Him.\n\nWhen we reject the Spirit\u2019s control ignoring Him we grieve Him and our hearts are hardened. That makes it easier not to listen the next time. In time we can become deaf to His leading and on the risk of quenching the Spirit. He will not force Himself on us; we have a choice. Prayer, even when we don\u2019t feel like it, keeps us in contact. We need prayer! \u201cPray without ceasing!\u201d It\u2019s an ongoing battle but God has equipped us for the battle. Yes, spiritual forces of evil want our allegiance. Satan can\u2019t inhabit believers or take their salvation but he wants to distract them from their purpose, God\u2019s glory.\n\nPrayer, communication with sovereign God, keeps us focused not on the battle but on Him, our position in Him, our purpose. Believers have the armor of God but we must choose to put it on. And we must choose to take time to pray. We must choose to have communication open at all times, without ceasing, not as a last resort but at all times in the Spirit. Praying for each other to pursue His purpose, His glory, not only in us but in the church body, the body of Christ, so that the proclamation of His gospel would go to the world. We are to pray that Jesus might be seen in us, His church.\n\nNow this is a tough one because we are to thank God for every opportunity to show this and sometimes that opportunity comes in really hard things. Can we trust the Lord in really hard things? Can we praise Him when times are really hard? Rejoice in Him, even in the midst of battle, with all its tribulations, His children can have peace and joy. You realize I said \u201ccan.\u201d It\u2019s possible but we need to choose to follow that mode. It\u2019s a joy the world doesn\u2019t understand, to be honest, I\u2019m experiencing it but I don\u2019t understand it either. But we do have hope, and that\u2019s a wonderful thing. God is working His will as we look with hope to a future day, a day with our Savior, when we will bear His heavenly image with Him in glory, glorification.\n\nUntil then we walk one step, one choice at a time, with the Holy Spirit as our helper. We often quote Romans 8:28, we know that those who love Him and are called to His purpose can be sure that He works all things together for good. But do we pay attention to what it says before that? That the Holy Spirit is interceding when we don\u2019t know how to pray. I am so thankful for that. I had no idea how to pray, but I\u2019m thankful for the Holy Spirit because He can intercede. There are many times I still don\u2019t know how.\n\nWe don\u2019t understand His will; we don\u2019t understand or even know what we want; we just want things fixed and we want it fixed NOW. Right? He knows God\u2019s will, the Holy Spirit knows and He knows our weaknesses and He intercedes accordingly.\n\nSo pray in the Spirit with confidence, knowing He\u2019s working, that even though we don\u2019t understand and we\u2019re not able, He is. Trust Him, obey Him, take the next step and make the right choice. It\u2019s a comforting thought. And as you pray focus on His will, not that you don\u2019 let your requests be made known to God, just keep them in the context of His will, of His purpose.\n\nRemember Eve, she was going against His purpose, that\u2019s an example of what not to do. Remember how she lusted for the forbidden fruit. There\u2019s a fruit that God wants us to desire, the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5, we get some exciting news there, abiding friendship results in the Spirit bearing His fruit in us. It\u2019s not something we do but something that\u2019s produced as a result of abiding friendship.\n\nThe branch that\u2019s fixed in the vine allows the nutrients to flow from the vine to the branch and produce fruit and the fruit is the vine\u2019s glory. The believer sees fruit to the degree that they abide. There is obvious benefit to the church body with this, as we seek unity and we see the Lord and we see the Lord glorified, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, that which is acceptable, which is perfect. This fruit invites the world to desire it, taste and see, the Lord is good.\n\nPrayer in the Spirit pursues abiding friendship, cultivating our hearts to bear His fruit, the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, \u201cLet us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.\u201d If I hadn\u2019t been in the habit of prayer when I found little Nathan I could not have survived, even then, as I told you, my prayer was kind of short, but I have a faithful friend who is with me all the time, even when I\u2019m not so faithful. I enjoy my time alone in prayer but I also need an ongoing conversation. I don\u2019t want to leave Him out of any of my choices, although I can\u2019t lie to you because there are people here that know me, I\u2019m often caught doing just that. He is empowers me to walk, He picks me up when I fall, and keeps me going despite the circumstances. My trust is not in prayer; my trust is in a God that calls His children to prayer.\n\nI don\u2019t know all of you, I don\u2019t know what you are going through, but I\u2019m sure there are trials going on out there. Do they seem overwhelming? Are you trying to carry a heavy load on your own? Let me repeat what Sheryl said to me: God knows! [can\u2019t understand word] throne of grace, make your requests known, draw near \u201cand He will draw near to you,\u201d He loves you, He wants you to choose Him. He wants you to experience Him, become an abiding friend.\n\nHe wants to save you from an eternity of struggling without hope. You know, I know my mom is here and I want to stand straight in front of her but God is with us all the time. Are we standing straight before Him? Truth is, we are not always; we need Him, but He knows. Pray to Him, go to Him, He empowers us to see beyond the circumstance to the Savior. Be an abiding friend. He\u2019s working His plan.\n\nGod is faithful, through whom you were called to fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ, the Lord. Realize your purpose, your position, your power in Him, the privilege of prayer. Thank you.","series_sermon_number":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t