Make Us Effective (Noble)
How many of us were forced to take piano lessons when we were little? Perry Noble had to practice 30 minutes a day, and, even today, he remembers his 4th grade recital piece. At http://www.newspring.cc/225499.ihtml?id=225499, he proceeds to play for his audience this recital and some popular 80's songs as well. Well, while in 4th grade, there was going to be an award for "Best Piano Player of the Year" and Perry prayed to win, dressed to the tee to accept the award and went to the event fully knowing that he would win. But, to his total disappointment, he didn't. Perry went home mad at God and determined to have it out with God. "Many of you, today, are mad at God." Most people who are mad are mad because God didn't give them what they wanted. They're mad because they don't understand why God denies them of things or why their prayers aren't effective. There was an effective prophet named Elijah. He told Samarians that it would stop raining and would not rain until Elijah said it would, as was his word from the Lord. After three and a half years, Elijah goes to a distraught King Ahab, who was a follower of Baal. Elijah says that he is going to build an altar and he wishes for the followers of Baal to build their altar. They could pray to their god, Baal, to send down fire on their altar and he would pray to our God for the same. When God sent down fire to consumed a doused altar while Baal never showed up, the people fell down on their faces worshipping God and put to death the Baal leaders. Elijah was definitely effective and in this story, there are clues as to how we might be effective in our prayers as well. 1) What does God want to do in me? In 1 Kings 18:41, Elijah tells Ahab that he hears the sound of rain although there was no evidence of rain. If Elijah could hear it, how is it that Ahab couldn't? The Lord had put the sound of rain in his heart. We need to first pray about what God wants to do in our hearts. One of the greatest tragedies on the planet is that people are created for specific purposes for his greater will and many of us will go our entire lives without fulfilling them! Is it any wonder that God doesn't bless our own purposes when we are not following His? Two problems generally arise when we seek our purpose. A) Procrastination and B) Fear- generally of criticism. 2) What does God want to do around me? Perry has a pastor friend who just turned 40 his wife, that morning, said she had a surprise for him that night. She blindfolded him and put him into the car, but on his way he heard a voice in the back seat and reached back to see who it was. But he unintentionally touched her inappropriately because he was blindfolded! We can often make stupid mistakes when we are blindfolded to the call of God. Elijah had demonstrated that God was God by praying for God to send fire, but fire is not what the people needed. They needed RAIN. Elijah heard rain, but didn't know exactly what God was planning to do, so he goes to the top of the mountain and prays. We should understand the power of praying another prayer, "Teach me to see as you see." God has a central purpose on this earth and it centers around his son, Jesus. How do we see that around our lives? Perry was at the beach recently and while he was watching the waves, the Lord whispered to him that they were about to see waves of salvation. 3) What does God want to do through me? Elijah tells his servant to go look out to the sea. The servant goes, but doesn't see anything. Isn't that the way it is with us sometimes. One day, Perry was out with Karis, his little girl, and she is looking around for birds. It seems like everything to her is a bird, but there are no birds. Perry sat her down on his knee and prayed with her for birds. Instantly, four birds swooped down! Something told him to pray again, he did, and seven birds swooped down! It was very cool, but Perry points out that this is often what we expect in prayer. We expect instant change and it doesn't come. We get to a point where we are close to just giving up on God. What do we do when we get to this point. Elijah said, "Go back." Elijah wasn't going to give up on God. He knew God was mighty. When things don't happen for us, it is usually because of two things, either it isn't God's will or it isn't God's time. In Eccl 3:1, it says "God makes everything beautiful in his time." The seventh time that the servant looked to the sea, he sees a cloud shaped like a man's hand. Whoa, it was time for Elijah to tell Ahab to go prepare for a great rain. We need to be prepared for the next step for God's blessing. One man prayed an impossible prayer and God brought the rain. Some people might say, "That's a great Bible study story, Perry, but God doesn't work that way anymore." Except for James 5:17, where it says Elijah (Elias?) was a man just like us, Perry might agree. 4) Pay attention to what God wants to do for me. At the pool the other day, Perry was throwing Karis up in the air. Then she notices two boys who have these big yellow beach balls. Suddenly, she had to have a ball. Perry kept trying to distract her from the balls, but every now and then she'd look back to the balls. That night, Perry went to the store to buy her a ball. "The thing is, Karis never asked me for a ball." But Perry knew his daughter and he knew what would make her happy. The next day, they played in the water with a ball. God is our heavenly father and he knows what we want. Find His Purpose. Find His Purpose!
