Sermon 12a 2014: We can grow in our trust in God through Prayer Introduction: Trusting in God

Transcription

1 Sermon 12a 2014: We can grow in our trust in God through Prayer Introduction: Trusting in God When our three sons were toddlers, washing their hair was often a problem: They would sit in the bathtub while my wife, Amy, or I put shampoo in their hair And lathered it up. Then, when it came time to rinse the shampoo out of their hair; Each of them would tip their heads down so that the shampoo and water Ran right into their eyes every time, bringing tears and cries for relief. We each explained countless times, that if they would just look straight at us; Or tip their heads back and look up at us, the shampoo wouldn t go in their faces; They would nod in agreement But then, as soon as we started to rinse their hair; Some fear would overcome their trust and they d look down again; Naturally, the shampoo would run into their faces and with it came the tears We finally opted for a dry wash cloth pressed tightly to their eyes to solve the problem, Though it wasn t always perfect, less shampoo and water got in their eyes. By the time our third son had come along And I was trying to rinse out the shampoo one night and the tears were coming, I realized how this situation was so like my life with God And like many of our lives with God. We want to believe that God loves us and that we can trust in God; But sometimes, in a difficult situation or a struggle Or when some challenge or pain comes our way, we panic; And we turn our eyes away from Him and look down. It never solves the problem, we just become more afraid or sad or confused, As the shampoo, as the difficulties, blind us and sting us. 1

2 The Scriptures and Trust in God Often in the Bible, we re invited to lift up our hearts to God when problems come; We re invited to trust and pray and look forward to what s coming next; As we invite God s presence and protection and goodness for our lives; The Bible promises that God will protect us and guide us If we will listen to Him and follow in His ways. Of course, that requires learning to trust in God and that s not always an easy thing to do; It s not always easy to trust in God; Our problems are real and often difficult to work through; It s not always easy to trust in God; Because sometimes bad things happen to us or happen to other people And it seems as though God lets these bad things happen And we wonder if He just doesn t care. But God does care for each of us deeply; And is willing to walk with us even through the valley of the shadow of death. St. Paul writes in the Letter to the Romans that God works all things for good; That God works all things for good for those who love Him; And who are called according to His purposes. It s one of St. Paul s core beliefs, a foundational part of his experience and life with God; A theme that runs through all of his writings: Trust; faith, dependence on God; He focuses on trusting in God because even through difficulties (and he had more than his share) he had learned that when we trust in God, There is a power and a presence at work in our lives That is more than just ourselves; A power and a presence that will do more in our lives than we can ask or imagine. Now I could spend hours going through St. Paul s life to see this trust working in Him 2

3 Or telling you personal stories and stories from other people About the mysterious ways of God at work in my life and in theirs, How God somehow takes us through our worst moments and experiences And brings good out of it. But we don t have hours today; And the most persuasive way that I know for encouraging you to trust in God The best way for growing in your faith and your love of God Will come from your own, personal experience; A sermon preached though your own life s experience with God. And so this morning, I want to briefly offer three ways, Three habits for building up your trust in God and your love for God So that you can believe with St. Paul that God is working all things for good And so that we all can keep more of the shampoo out of our eyes When we re going through life s struggles. Count Your Blessings When I was a child, one of my grandmothers, Edith Bowles, my Mom s mother; Used to remind us every time we were with her to count our blessings; To focus on all the good things in our lives So that we would know how much God loves us. Prayers at bedtime were pretty long with Grandmother Bowles; As she prodded us to remember all the blessings in our lives in the day just past; All the good things and good people that we had experienced that day So that we would begin to know how much God cared for us. As I grew up trying to count my blessings And began to see my grandmother s life through more adult eyes, I began to realize that her practice of counting her blessings Was not because her life was so wonderful all the time, Though it looked like that from her deep happiness and joy for life. 3

4 My grandmother didn t have an easy life, building a family in the oil fields of W. Texas, My grandfather, D. T. Bowles, had a very bad habit of drilling dry holes; Of drilling for nothing and getting into tremendous financial difficulties; And so her attitude of gratitude For all that God had given her was especially powerful And made her one of the most peaceful and hopeful people I ve ever known. Because what my grandmother understood about her life and why she trusted in God; Was because she was in touch with all the blessings and gifts That were around her every day, And she could face life s struggles as the temporary circumstances that they were. It s that moment in the 23 rd Psalm where David writes, You prepare a banquet for me in the presence of my enemies; Blessings and difficulties all at the same time And my grandmother had learned to always focus on the banquet. Counting our blessings is the place to start to live our lives trusting in God; Because when we do, we ll begin to see all that God has already done for us; Begin to gain a knowledge of God s goodness and purpose for our lives; Because even in the midst of life s struggles, God is with us; God is blessing us. Ask for what you want The second habit for developing a deeper sense of trust in God and love for God Comes from asking God for the desire of your heart; From asking and praying for the one thing that you most desire for your life. This second habit for developing a deeper trust in God Is not the practice of asking for all the things we tend to ask for in our prayers, Like winning the lottery, a better job, a better marriage, help in schools a better sermon But the one thing that we most desire from God in our lives. 4

5 It s Jesus question to his first followers and to many of the people who come to him, What do you want? And it s the question God asks Solomon today, when Solomon Asks for wisdom so that he can rule God s people justly and well. Imagine you re at your birthday party and you re getting ready to blow out the candles And it s time for you to make one wish, a wish that will surely come true. What would you wish for? Now, imagine you re getting ready to blow out those candles And you re going to make the wish for the one thing that God Would want for your life. What would you wish for now? It s a big prayer and one that probably requires a little conversation with God And some thought on your own; Because God will grant the desire of your heart When it matches His purpose for your life; And when it serves the good of others as well. That s why it pleases God so much to grant Solomon his heart s desire; The prayer, not for riches and power, but for wisdom; Because wisdom will help Solomon be a good king And in the process help God s people because they have a wise ruler. So ask God for the deepest desire of your heart And allow Him to answer you in your life so that your trust will grow. The Groanings of your Heart Finally, allow God to search your heart every day. Spend some time with God lifting up your concerns And opening up the places in your life where you feel weak And the places where you can t even voice what you need. 5

6 It is the third way, the third habit for growing in you trust in God The habit that comes after we ve been counting our blessings for a while And living into the desire of our hearts. It s the third habit because it requires the most trust in God; Trust to open our hearts to God when we are at our weakest, our most vulnerable; To trust because we now know that God can be trusted And that He is working all things for good and for His purposes. And those prayers and needs and concerns that we can t even express Will be made known to God by the pleading, by the prayers of the Holy Spirit And we will know the power of God at work in our lives And be able to trust and to love God For His interest and His personal care for each of us And for the world. The God who would not withhold His own Son from suffering and death on the cross To bring us forgiveness of our sins and a way back into God s presence Will never leave us to face our perils alone, But will walk with us and care for us even in our darkest hours. Practice Sometimes, when I find myself in a situation where it would be easy to panic Or when life s struggles are beyond my understanding Or my ability to solve them on my own; I remember our sons in the bathtub as toddlers; Looking up at me, learning to trust me; And I begin to count my blessings; I remember that God is giving me the desire of my heart And I invite God into the dark places of my life to allow the Spirit to pray with me. I know He ll never pour shampoo in my face or yours; 6

7 And though we won t always like what happens and the road may be difficult; We can trust God and love Him in this life and the next Because God is working all things for good. Amen. 7