We’ve been in a series uh pray it forward. God goes before you when you
pray. Are you grateful for that? Are you thankful that it’s not just empty words? That he really does go before us. Pastor
Kevin taught us in week one, God’s out in front of us. Uh he goes before us. He
knows what’s ahead. And I want to just kick off the message today reminding you of something that you if you’ve been
serving Jesus for a while, you know this. And maybe if you have just started serving Jesus, you probably thought
about this, but I’m going to say it anyways. Prayer is essential in the life of a Christian.
It’s essential. And I’ve heard people argue and say, “Well, why do we have to talk to him? He already knows everything.”
Good point. And we’re not praying to inform God. Because yes, he already
knows our circumstances. But we are praying to invite God into our life and
so that we can grow in relationship with him. That’s why we pray. John 15, Jesus tells us, he says, “Abide
in me. Apart from me, you can do nothing.” Now, I know there’s probably a
lot of very independent people in this room, myself included. And sometimes I feel like, I got this. You know what,
God? You don’t need me to pray for you on this one. I got this. And I just got to tell you, that’s a scary place to be
because prayer helps us stay connected to God. And his answer, his connection
with us helps lead and guide our life. We pray to ask of God. We pray to hear
from God. And we also pray for others. You might have heard someone say before,
I I I feel I I intercede. That word intercede means to stand in the gap. to
pray for someone uh who’s in need. And I I love in this book, Imagine the God of Heaven, uh Pastor John Burke records a
true story of the power of prayer. He says, “A young man named Ian McCormack was thousands of w of miles away from
home, dying from multiple jellyfish stings. God woke his mother in the middle of the
night to pray for him. She [snorts] learned later that as she was praying for him in a completely
different time zone, Ian had a vision of his mother telling him to pray the
Lord’s prayer. He began praying that prayer and God spared his life.
James 5:16 reminds us, prayer releases God’s power. The prayer of a righteous
person is powerful and effective. Turn to somebody, say, “Your prayer is powerful.
It’s powerful whether you’re praying for yourself or you’re praying for somebody else. You know, when I was growing up,
uh it was pretty common to see, excuse me, it’s pretty common to see in
Christian homes artwork that said prayer changes things. Y’all remember that at
your auntie’s house, right next to the bread of life with all of her little scripture things she would pull out?
Some of you OG’s know exactly what I’m talking about. Prayer changes things. And it’s true. Prayer can change our
circumstances. And sometimes instead of changing circumstances, it changes us.
In Matthew 26, we read the account of Jesus praying right before being arrested and facing the horrific death
on the cross. And he took three of his disciples with him to pray. And let’s read uh let’s read the account here in
Matthew 26:37. It says, excuse me, “And taking with him Peter
and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.” Then he said
to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch
with me.” And going a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed. Now you
know that’s an intense moment that what Jesus is feeling if all he has is to fall on his face before he prays. He
says he falls on his face praying my father if it be possible let this cup
pass from me. Nevertheless, somebody say nevertheless.
Nevertheless, not as I will but as you will. And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to
Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?” “Come on, guys. I called my
three closest buddies to help me out in my time of need. I need some prayer, and you all fall asleep on me.” He goes on
to say to them, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The
spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We have felt that over the
last 21 days of prayer and fasting. again says, “For the second time he went
away and prayed, my father, if this cannot pass until I drink it, your will
be done.” What’s the scripture telling us? Matthew 26, it shows us that Jesus was living
with the tension between his human emotion and fulfilling his God- assigned
mission. He prayed because his heart was
suffering about the future. He prayed because he knew what was to
come before him was going to be so intense. He wondered if he had it to do
what it is that God had called him to do. He prayed multiple times. If you would
go on in the passage, it goes down to say that he prayed it for a third time. He included others in his prayer. Facing
the greatest suffering of his life, he needed the support of his friends.
He shared with them the crushing sorrow that he felt. You know what I noticed though about his friends? He didn’t turn
to his friends and just talk about the pain he was going through. He actually invited them to join him in praying about it.
Sometimes we get together with our friends and we do the opposite. We just talk about how hard life is. We never go
that next step and say, “But we need I need your help to pray with me so that I can get to the place of overcoming.” Get
yourself some friends that don’t fall asleep on prayer.
What else do we see in this in this prayer? Jesus prayed in faith knowing that God would hear his prayer. And
here’s how he prayed. Think of this. He names his desire in faith. He says,
“Take this cup from me.” Where’s his faith in that moment that
there could be another way that God is listening to me right now? He hears me. And then what does he do? He
acknowledges the suffering. He says to God, “My soul is very sorrowful.” And
then he goes from that to choosing surrender and faith in God’s outcome. He says, “Nevertheless,
not my will.” He chooses alignment with God’s will by saying, “My father, may
your will be done. Because a nevertheless prayer is a
prayer of alignment. Nevertheless, really, you know, I’m
going to be nerdy for a minute. Y’all know I used to be a teacher. So, here it comes. Do you remember when you write a paper essays and all the things and your
teacher would say, “Use a transition word. Use a transition word.” I used to I used
to give my students a copy of all the transitions words. I’m like, “Look, don’t even try to guess. Just pick one.
Just use a word that moves me from this thought to that thought.” And that’s what nevertheless is. It’s a transition word. It suggests that we are pivoting
from what we just said into a new thought. And nevertheless becomes the
turning point in our prayer. We’re pivoting from our reality to alignment
with God’s possibility. How many of you want God’s possibility in your life this morning?
Nevertheless acknowledges that that God may see outcomes in timing that we cannot.
Isaiah 55 reminds us God’s thoughts aren’t our thoughts. His ways aren’t our
ways. And when you have the confidence to know that God is going before you,
your prayer comes from a heart posture of faith and surrender that says, “Nevertheless, not my will but yours be
done.” In that moment, our faith stretches us to hope boldly.
faith in what could be and our surrender anchors us to trust God deeply which is
in the faith the faith we have in what will be and this was true for a mom who never
stopped having faith her son would accept salvation yet at 26 years old her son Ivan died
when several days of partying and drugs finally killed him after dying he felt himself being pulled
down into hellish darkness. And suddenly he heard a voice like a mighty roar of
thunder say, “It’s not his time yet.” His mother has been praying for him
since he was a little boy. She has prayed for him over 28,000 times. Ivan
was released from death and back into his body. And today, he credits his mom’s prayers for giving him a second
chance. And do you know what he did with his second chance? He’s now serving God as a pastor. Turn to somebody and say,
“God hears your prayers.”
I love that story. So often we’re moved by the things that we see and we’re not
living in a life of faith that says, “Even though I see this happening over here.” Some of you might have a child in
your life right now and you raised them in church and they’re not living for Jesus. And I hope this story encourages
you. I hope that you have a nevertheless prayer. God, I see this. But nevertheless, I declare by faith this
guy, this child who knows you, who had seed of God put on the inside of him, is going to serve you all the days of their
life. You keep praying those bold prayers, moms and dads, because nevertheless is faith declaring
that God is already ahead of us, making a way forward. Oh, I love that
he’s making a way forward. You know, Jesus isn’t the only one who prayed nevertheless prayers. We see in Psalm
31, David praying when he feels alone in his trouble.
Many times David cried out. He’s kind of drama. If you really like want a good drama, just go read some of the Psalms
of David. You’re like, “Woo, that boy was having a bad day.”
He often felt alone and that God wasn’t with him. And he says, talk about drama. He says, “As for me, I said in my alarm,
I’m cut off from your eyes.” Now, we know that’s not true because the Bible
says that that God never leaves us and forsakes us. But this was his real life experience. He’s feeling like, “I’m cut
off from your eyes, God. Nevertheless, nevertheless, there’s that word. You heard the voice of my supplications or
my specific requests when I cried to you for help.” How many of us have the I am
cut off prayer coming out of our mouth? I am cut off, God. Where are you? How
come you didn’t solve this problem for me? Why did you even let me go through it in the first place? That’s usually our prayer. Thanks a lot, God. And then
we start telling them all of our laundry list of resumes of reasons why we shouldn’t be going through the things we’re going through. And I love that
David quickly got to a nevertheless. Nevertheless, God, even though I don’t feel like you’re close to me right now,
you heard me. Nevertheless, you heard me.
It can feel like we’ve prayed and he’s abandoned us when we need him the most. And it’s in those moments we got to
remember God promises to hear our prayers and make a way forward. Even if
it’s not the way we want, but he will make a way. Most of you know the story of Jonah in
the Bible. God asked Jonah to go to the people of Nineveh. And instead Jonah
doesn’t honor what God asked of him. And he finds himself swallowed up by a whale. Now I know some of you are
thinking impossible. Some of you analytical brains, all the things you’re thinking about. Here’s the deal.
If you don’t listen to God, he will find ways to get you to a place where you’ve
got no other option but to listen to him.
Sometimes we don’t turn to God in prayer till we hit rock bottom like Jonah. And
I love that he prayed these words while he was in the well whale. He said, “Then I said, I’ve been cast out of your
sight.” There it is again. I’ve been cast out of your sight, God. Nevertheless, I will look again toward
your holy temple. Jonah recognized
his choices separated him from the presence of God. And when your choices
separate you from God, it can feel like God has left you. But the truth is you have moved away from God.
Jonah described this feeling of separation in the whale as being cast out.
But he had a nevertheless prayer in him. He did not let his feelings of being separated in the story. Instead, he
chose to surrender by faith and declare, “I will look again to the Lord.” Turn to somebody and say, “Nevertheless, I will
pray.” Go ahead, tell them. Nevertheless,
the pattern that we see in the prayers of Jesus, David, and Jonah is this. They speak to their present need in
faith. All of them. God, here is what I’m going through. And here is what I have faith
to believe. And then they move to the surrender. Nevertheless, I trust you.
And then they move into alignment. I will follow where you lead me, Lord,
because nevertheless, prayers change us.
Nevertheless, prayer puts our faith in God’s plan, not faith that our prayer will be answered like we think it should
be. It shifts our faith on his will for our life. Now, we’ve been praying the Lord’s Prayer daily for the last 21
days. And uh we’re excited to come together for that night of worship across all of our locations. And and you
know, when Jesus taught us to pray, he gave us areas of focus when we pray. That’s the Lord’s Prayer. Well, you may
be wondering, well, how does a nevertheless prayer fit into the Lord’s Prayer? I’m going to break it down for
you right here. Okay, let’s go with the first part of the Lord’s Prayer. Our Father in heaven,
holy be your name. I’m going to I’m going to have you say that with me together. Ready? On the count of three.
One, two, three. Our Father in heaven, holy be your name.
Here’s what a nevertheless prayer sounds like. It says, “God, life can be really
hard.” Acknowledging where you are. I can’t pay
my bills, God. I’ve been trying to have a baby and it hasn’t happened yet for me. I’m single
and I want to be married. I’ve been believing that you would help me in this area and help hasn’t come.
God, life can be hard. Nevertheless, you are holy. You are righteous. You are good. And you love me.
[applause] Your kingdom come. Your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven. God, I have my own plans for my life. I got career goals, God.
I mean, you know, I’m in all these sports because I’m, you know, in high school and junior high because I’m the
next Michael Jordan. I got I got priorities and goals. I’m too busy, God. I got plans. I don’t know
if I can be with your people on a weekly basis. That’s a lot to ask. I don’t even hang out with my family weekly. And you
want me to hang out with your family weekly at church?
Nevertheless, Nevertheless, I surrender to your kingdom ways and I surrender to your
will. Give us this day our daily bread. God, I ask boldly for what I need and what I
desire in faith. God, I need a pay raise. God, I need some Christian friends. God, I need a new car.
Nevertheless, I trust your timing. And forgive us our debts as we forgive
our debtors. God, I have hurt others.
I have I others have hurt me and nevertheless,
I’m going to surrender my right to hold on to that unforgiveness.
[applause]
and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. God, at
times I’m weak and I fall short.
Maybe some of you are carrying shame in this room this morning. You messed up this week. Those words you said you’d
never say came out your mouth.
Or maybe it’s a little something a little light-hearted, but still true.
You want to know a personal confession? God’s at times I’m weak and I fall short. I’m like, “God, I I promise I
won’t buy one more thing for my granddaughter that’s coming.” But Instagram knows.
It knows. I’m looking and it is sending me all the cutest clothes. God, help me
when I fall short. Lead me not into temptation again, Lord, today on Instagram.
Nevertheless, Lord, I am strengthened by you. And my husband should be shouting a huge amen over there and praying and
interceding for me. Stop spending some money on a baby that’s not even here yet. What’s it going to be like when
she’s here? I don’t know. You guys should just start interceding for me right now. The power of prayer. Just stretch your hand towards me. It’s fine.
My husband’s stretching his hand towards me right now. probably two. Okay. For yours is the kingdom and the
power and the glory forever. Amen. This is what it sounds like. God, I’m
limited in what I can control. I can’t change them. God, I can’t fix
this. God, nevertheless, your power is enough to help me conquer and overcome.
Can I get an amen? A shout in this room this morning?
Jesus taught us to pray the Lord’s prayer and he showed us how to surrender our will to God’s will through a simple
word nevertheless. Nevertheless, prayers change us.
Those prayers help us have a connection with God.
We know his heart. This is how this is the fruit of our prayer. We get we get a
greater connection with God. We know his heart. Sometimes when things don’t go the way
that we we want them to go, God has put us in a situation. And sometimes it’s
seeing the failures of other people. I remember when I was a young college student attending a church
and I saw some negative things about the pastor who was leading us and my husband
said to me, “God’s called us to this church. This is where we need to be.” And I had a lot of words that weren’t
nice in as a response to that. And I remember going on the outside with a
smile on my face and kicking and screaming on the inside. I was judgmental.
I was a perfect armchair quarterback. You know, we’re all going to sit and watch a game today and we all going to
have thoughts and opinions of how people should live their lives and what they should have done and how the ref should have done this and that. It’s no different in life. We sit and we judge
other people’s stories. We judge their behavior. We judge their character. And I got to tell you, I did that until
one day I felt the Holy Spirit convict me in church and say, “Why do you judge him when I’ve asked you to pray for
him?”
I had the eyes to see. I had discernment to see something was off with this leader. And you know what? In the end, I
wasn’t wrong. Sadly, in the end, it proved itself to be true. But that wasn’t the point. The point isn’t that
God doesn’t give you a front row seat to someone’s life and their failures just so you can judge them. It’s because somebody has to stand in the gap and
pray for that person so God can move on their behalf. I mean, the truth of the matter is if
they knew their blind spot, they would have fixed it by then.
And you know what God did in the moment of me praying for someone else? He changed me.
Instead of going kicking and screaming, I would sit in those services and I would pray for him. And my heart broke
and I felt sadness. I began to take on the heart of the father. That’s the
power of prayer. Prayer gives you peace and uncertainty. God, I don’t know how this is all going
to work out, but I can trust the outcome because you’re in the midst of all of this. Prayer gives us spiritual clarity
to discern God’s will. I don’t know if I should take this job. I don’t know if I should be in relationship with this
person. God, I don’t know. But I trust that as I continue to pray, you’re going to make it clear to me as I’m praying,
God, which direction I should go. Prayer gives us st the strength and the grace
to live God’s will. Just because it’s his will doesn’t mean it’s easy.
And ultimately, prayer leads us to transformation. And isn’t that the whole point of the Christian experience?
We are not who we used to be. We are a new creature in Christ. He is forming a new identity in us. Our prayer allows
our desires to begin to change. Not my will but yours be done. Turn to somebody
and say, “Prayer changes you.”
Prayer changes you. In 1855,
a man from Ireland named Joseph Scriven received news that his mother had grown
terribly ill. He sent her a poem to encourage her.
He too was no stranger to suffering. The night before he was to be married, his fiance drowned.
years later giving marriage a second chance. His second fiance died of pneumonia be and and he ended up never
marrying. All the while he never lost his faith in
God. He devoted his life to preaching, teaching and helping others. And his
poem became a became a hymn that has blessed generations. I think some of you in the room have heard it before. What a
friend we have in Jesus. This poem reminds us that while we face
trouble, nevertheless, God is able. I want to read to you.
The lyrics of the song says, “What a friend we have in Jesus.
All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in
prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear all because
we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful? Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer.
It’s pretty simple. Jesus cares about what you’re walking through and he wants
to walk beside you through it all. All you have to do is take it to him in prayer.
I think there are some of you in the room today that are wrestling with a nevertheless prayer.
Maybe even as I’ve been speaking today, something stirring on the inside of you.
Maybe you’re like Jesus and you’ve prayed many times and you feel great sorrow over what is
to come in your life if God doesn’t intervene. Or maybe you’re like David, feeling like
God has abandoned you. Or like Jonah, you know you haven’t done things God’s
way and you need to return to him. Maybe you believe God can do it, but
you’re struggling with trusting [music] the outcome. Will he do it my way?
You can decide today that you are going to pivot from reliance on self to a nevertheless total surrender to God.
Our team is going to sing what a friend we have in Jesus in just a moment. And as they do,
I’m asking that the Lord will show you the things that you are carrying that need a nevertheless prayer.
I’ve done a lot [music] of talking. This is the moment where the Holy Spirit’s going to be doing some talking.
He wants to minister to you today. He wants to help you. He wants to guide
you. Which part of the Lord’s prayer needs to be a focus for you right now? Is it
acknowledging his goodness? Do you need to say, “God, life is hard. Nevertheless, you’re holy. You’re
righteous. You’re good. And you love me.” Is it accepting his daily bread? God, I ask boldly for what I need and
what I desire. Nevertheless, I trust you to provide for me daily.
Is it forgiveness? God, I’ve hurt others and others have hurt me. Nevertheless, I surrender my
right to hold on. Help me make amends where I need to, God.
Or maybe temptation has overcome you and you need to release the shame of your failure.
And that’s a simple prayer. God, at times I’m weak and I fall short.
Nevertheless, I’m strengthened by you. Would you stand to your feet all across
every room? Would you stand to [music] your feet?
We got time for the Lord’s will to be done in our life this morning.
I’m going to do something that we don’t normally do. I just feel on [music] the inside of me
some of you needed to take a bold step of faith this morning. And your [music] nevertheless prayer is a prayer that you
need to let others know I got a nevertheless prayer in my life.
And I’m going to ask you as the team gets ready to sing, I’m going to ask you if you have a nevertheless prayer that
you would [music] make a bold step in faith and come down to the front this morning.
Old school, we call this an altar call. [music] What does this mean? Means that
sometimes we got to get out of our normal comfort zone. Some of you have been praying and believing God for
things and things need to break off your life and a step out of your seat and down to this front. God can do miracles
in that moment.
The people are cheering you on. You know who you are.
This is not a prayer for salvation. This is a prayer for you to say, I want to count me in that prayer, Nicole. I got a
nevertheless prayer that I got to pray before God. I believe in that people are moving. They’re moving here in Tacoma.
And there are people moving here towards the front. I believe there’s going to be people moving at all of our locations.
At every single location, Belleview, Dupont, Yakama. It’s not too late. They’re going to
sing. And if you feel that prompting while they’re singing, get out of your seat. Let’s move forward so we can pray together this morning. Go ahead team.
[music] Our sins and [singing] griefs to bear.
And what [singing] a privilege [music] to give
and everything [music] to God in [singing] prayer.
And oh [singing] what peace we [music] often fall or
[singing] fed. All what needless pain we [singing] bear
and all [music and singing] because we do not care
[music] and everything [singing] to God in prayer.
[music] Oh, have we trials and temptations
[music and singing] and is there [music] trouble [singing]
anywhere? And we [music]
should never be discouraged. [singing]
So take [music] it to the Lord in prayer. [singing]
Can we [music] find a friend so fair, [singing] faithful?
Who will all our sorrow [music] share? [singing]
Jesus [music] knows our every weakness.
[music] So he gets to the Lord in prayer.
[music] Jesus.
[music] Why don’t we just lift up our hands across this room to him? Let’s go to him
in [music] prayer. Oh, Father, you see every need.
You’re familiar with our suffering. [music] You’re familiar with our heartaches and our pain. You delight in the joy that we
have in the [music] simple things of life. You care about everything about our life.
So God, today we lift up a nevertheless prayer to you.
God, we ask that you would help us. God, we speak right now our hope for you, for
what you can do in this circumstance, in this situation [music] by faith. God, we stir up. We don’t let go of our prayers.
God, may we pray 28,000 times. You hear every single one of those prayers. And
I’m [music] asking, Father, that you would hear our prayer, that you would answer our prayer. And [music] God, we
surrender our prayers to you, our needs to you this morning. Nevertheless,
not our will, but your will be done in this circumstance. [music] God, as we close out 21 days of honoring you in
prayer and fasting, Father, we thank you that you have drawn close to us in this season, [music]
God, that you have made yourself real to us. And God, we’re believing
that miracles are happening. We’re believing by faith that you’re turning
circumstances and situations around. And God, [music] we thank you. We thank
you that we can come boldly to you today. And we can cast [music] our care on you
for you care for us. We thank you that your eyes are searching over the earth
right now [music] to perform your will. and that our prayers are shooting straight up to your throne,
that you’re receiving them, Lord, and that you love [music] us, Father, in Jesus name.
Jesus name. If you everyone would just stay right where you are, I’d love to [music] offer an opportunity
for someone in the room to pray a a prayer of new beginnings.
Maybe the [music] the the nevertheless prayer to you this morning is God, I’ve been living my own way, but
nevertheless, [music] I need to do it your way. And surrender to you looks like laying your life down,
saying, God, I need you. God, I want you. I’ve done it my way and it’s not working. I want you to be the leader and
the Lord of my life across all of our locations. If that’s you, would you shoot a hand up in the air right now
boldly and say, “That’s me.” Pray that prayer with me, Nicole. [music] I see hands going up all across the room here.
And as an act of solidarity, the rest of us in this room who have prayed that prayer and are so glad we did, we’re
going to join you in a prayer. So, I’m going to ask you just to pray a simple prayer and repeat after me. Those of you
with your hands held high in the air, let’s just go to God and say, “Lord Jesus,
welcome to my world. Today I invite you to be the leader and
the Lord of my life. I ask you to forgive me of all of my
sin. And though I may have been walking away from you,
nevertheless, you have been faithful to me. And I will boldly declare today that I
will never be the same again in the mighty name of Jesus. Can we celebrate
all those who prayed that prayer? Thank you, Jesus. Welcome to the family
of God. For those of you who are here, would you just stay standing right where you are?
Our team is going to come and they’re going to close out our service. I promise you it’ll take one or one minute, maybe two, if you just stay
right where you are as we close out the service today. And we thank God for what he did in the house this morning.