Praying for a Breakthrough

3-13-22Sermon Notes“Praying for a Breakthrough”
Do you remember our P.R.A.Y. acrostic from last Sunday? P = Praise and Thanksgiving; R = Repentance; A = Ask; Y = Yield. I hope this helps you when as you grow into a deeper, richer prayer experience. This week, we will be looking at a particular kind of praying – praying for a breakthrough. Maybe you need a breakthrough right now – in your health struggles, in your finances, in your employment or in your family relationships. You feel like your back is against the wall and you need God to step in and help if you are to have any hope at all. If you don’t feel like that right now, then I’m guessing you know someone who does. How do we pray for a breakthrough?
As always, we turn to the Scriptures to help us along. As Wesleyans, we use Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason to help us discern. Let’s look at two parables and a happening in Luke’s gospel that show give us some teaching about breakthrough praying.
18 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
15 People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. 16 But Jesus called for them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 17 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18: 1-17 NRSV)
Persistence, humility, and trust… These are the keys to breakthrough praying. I look forward to sharing more with you this Sunday.
See you Sunday,
Pastor Sam