Reverend Ray Osborne, Senior Minister
Please Note That Most Messages Follow
The Revised Common Lectionary

“Prayer Changes Things”

(Num 21:2 NRSV) Then Israel made a vow to the LORD and said, "If you will indeed give this people into our hands, then we will utterly destroy their towns."

(Num 21:3 NRSV) The LORD listened to the voice of Israel, and handed over the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their towns; so the place was called Hormah.

(Num 21:4 NRSV) From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way.

(Num 21:5 NRSV) The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food."

(Num 21:6 NRSV) Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.

(Num 21:7 NRSV) The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

(Num 21:8 NRSV) And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live."

(Num 21:9 NRSV) So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
Numbers 21:1-9

New Testament Reading:
“Therefore confess your sins to one another,
and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.
The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”
(James 5:16 NRSV)

I love to read the prayers of children. Let me share a few with you.

Dear God: Please send a new baby for Mommy. The new baby you sent last week cries too much. Debie, 7

Dear God: Who did you make smarter? Boys or girls? My sister and I want to know. Jimmy, 6

Dear God: How many angels are there in heaven? I would like to be the first kid in my class to know the answer. Norma, 8

Dear God: This is my prayer. Could you please give my brother some brains. So far he doesn't have any. Angela, 8

Dear Lord: Thank you for the nice day today. You even fooled the TV weather man. Hank, 7

Dear God: Please bring me a new brother. The one I got socks me all the time. Agnes, 6

Dear God: Please help me is school. I need help in spelling, adding, history, geography and writing. I don't need help in anything else. Lois, 9

Dear God: Do you have any helpers in Heaven? I would like to be one of Your helpers in Heaven when I have summer vacation. Natalie, 7

Dear Lord; Tomorrow is my birthday. Could you please put a rainbow in the sky? Susan, 9

Dear God: I need a raise in my allowance. Could you have one of your angels tell my father. Thank you. David, 7

Dear God; I am saying my prayers for me and my brother, Bily, because Billy is six months old and he can't do anything but sleep and wet his diapers. Diane, 8

Dear God, before I go to sleep
And end another day,
I'm happy that you're always here
To listen while I pray.

Please bless my special family, Lord,
Whom I love as much as you.
Please help me to be good for them
The way you'd want me to.

So God, please watch me as I sleep,
But Lord, before I do,
It's good to know you're loving me
As much as I love you.
Good night God.

James urges us to “pray for one another.” Thursday I had the delightful opportunity to speak at the Baptist Retirement Home in Albemarle. I spoke to those beautiful seniors about “prayer.” I believe we are falling short in many facets of being the type of present-day disciples Jesus wants us to be. I am convinced we neglect two very specific areas of vital importance to the nourishment and consequential growth of our individual spirituality. I can say with calm assurance and deep concern that we do NOT read our Bibles often enough and we don’t pray as we ought too.

In all of the gifts that I have received in my life, I count the gift of prayer as the single most important. Yes I am thankful for my salvation. Yes I am thankful for my wife. Yes I am thankful for my children. But above all of these, I am thankful for the gift of prayer. If it was not for the gift of prayer I could never have asked Jesus into my life. If it were not for the gift of prayer I would never have been blessed with the wonderful family that God has given me. By far, prayer is my most precious gift!

What is prayer? Prayer is communication with God and Jesus. It is how WE communicate with them and it’s how THEY communicate to us. Is there however, any value in prayer? I mean if God is God and Jesus is Jesus and they are in control of it all does it really make a difference if we pray or not? Won’t they just do what they’re going to do and what they intend to do anyway regardless of our prayers?

If I believed that then I’d be a very sad and depressed human being. In fact, if that were true I’d leave the ministry never to return. That’s a bit too Calvinist for me. If we read our Bibles, whatever translation we may have we will sooner or later find ourselves enveloped in a story that boldly relays the message to us that our prayers do make a difference!

Consider for example the story of Moses found in the 21st chapter of the book of Numbers. When the king of Arad heard that Israel was coming to Antharim, he sent his troops out to meet them and engage them in battle. Israel made a deal with God. “If you help us out here and let us win the battle, then we’ll destroy everything that is standing. We’ll make this place a ghost town!” God was angry with the king for attacking the Israelites so He was more than happy to grant their request.

Israel leveled the city and named the place Hormah meaning, “split rock,” or “cursed for destruction.” Not long after God proved Himself faithful to Israel, in fact just days after their victory over the Aradians, they became impatient and began to talk among themselves about God and his servant Moses. They cornered Moses as well as you can corner someone out in the wilderness, and said: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable diet food!” Okay I added the word “diet.” Their dissatisfaction with God and with God’s servant made a tremendous impression on God. The Bible tells us in Numbers 21:6 “Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.” Do you think God has their attention? I know He does because the next verse tells us that the people realized they had sinned and they begged Moses to pray to God and ask Him to stop. And in verse 7 we read, “And Moses prayed for the people.” Verses 8 and 9 tell us of the effect of Moses’ prayer to God. “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.”

There is a wonderful little Southern Gospel song Stephanie sings called “Prayer Changes Me.” The words are:

“Lying awake at night thinking of things beyond my control,
ready to give up the fight, weary and tired of carrying the load,
I know there’s nothing more I can do or say.
And God says ‘Just give it to me.’”

“I can pray out loud or silently.
I can pray standing tall or down on my knees.
It really makes no difference, just that prayer is the key,
prayer changes things and it changes me.”

“Troublesome days seem so long,
I can’t help but wonder just when they will end.
I know I’m suppose to be strong
but sometimes I don’t think I’ll ever win. That’s when He tells me
‘You won’t without Me but in My strength alone.’
And when I begin to trust more in Him I can sing this song:

I can pray out loud or silently.
I can pray standing tall or down on my knees.
It really makes no difference, just that prayer is the key,
prayer changes things and it changes me.”

I am so glad this morning that I can stand here with all confidence and say “Prayer Changes Things.” But change doesn’t stop there does it? Prayer not only changes things, it also changes you and I. Do we understand this morning the more time we spend in prayer, time communicating with God and Jesus, that in those times His Holy Spirit comes and touches our lives and causes our lives to be filled with His Spirit and transformed more into His image?

Look what happened to Moses when he had spent some time communicating with God:

Exodus 34:29 "Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God."

If we want to be more like Jesus then we need to spend more time praying. Praying for our needs, the needs of our world, our nation, our church, our families, our enemies . . .oops. Did I say, “praying for our enemies?” I did. I will also tell you I wasn’t referring to a prayer like “Get them Lord!!”

The quickest way to improve our attitude toward someone we either do not like or someone who treats us like they don’t like us is to pray for that person. The reason is because first of all if there is someone we don’t want to treat in a biblical manner, we stand in need of prayer and remember – prayer changes us. Secondly if someone is treating us in a non-biblical way then they obviously have some kind of need in their own life and they need our prayers.

I learned a long time ago that if someone is treating me badly then it is very likely there is more to it than the fact that I have done something to offend him or her. Especially if apologies have been extended. It may be that they are experiencing financial problems, or perhaps family problems, or maybe something has gone amiss in their marriage, or there may even be something physical that you and I know nothing about. We may never know what the problem or needs are but one thing we can be certain of is they stand in need of our prayers.

Beloved I am firmly convinced that the greatest gift you and I posses is prayer.

While very ill, John Knox, the founder of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, called to his wife and said, “Read me that Scripture where I first cast my anchor.” After he listened to the beautiful prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17, he seemed to forget his weakness. He began to pray, interceding earnestly for his fellowmen. He prayed for the ungodly who had thus far rejected the gospel. He prayed for those in his congregation whom he felt had a dislike for him. He pleaded in behalf of people who had been recently converted. And he requested protection for the Lord's servants, many of whom were facing persecution. As Knox prayed, his spirit went Home to be with the Lord. The man of whom Mary, Queen of Scotland had said, “I fear his prayers more than I do the armies of my enemies,” ministered through prayer until the moment of his death.

Prayer changes things but there’s one very important ingredient that we must include with our prayers.

Mat 17:20 NRSV He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

Mat 19:26 NRSV But Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible."

Phil 4:13 NRSV I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

What about it beloved? Been praying much lately? Need to pray more? Right now you and I have that golden opportunity. Perhaps there’s a need in your life or the life of a family member.

I’m going to do something this morning we don’t do much of anymore. I’m going to open this alter for a church family prayer. If there is a specific thing that you want me to pray with you about such as salvation or church membership, come and get my hand and together we’ll pray.

But if you have something you just want to leave with Jesus this morning join me here at this alter. Beloved if there’s nothing in your life to pray about how about just coming and let’s pray for one another.

Let’s Pray. . .

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