Ephesians 3:14-21
Rev. Barry Hidey/Rev. Peggy Groseclose

Reverend Groseclose:
As we sang in the last song, we remember that we are God’s children. Scripture tells us, even in the Book of Genesis, that we were created in God’s image. Because of that, we have this built-in longing inside of us to know our Creator, to know this God is listening to us down here. As we grow older we begin to seek, to listen to our Heavenly Father.

When we are young, or young in faith, we feel a need to relate to God, even though we might not yet understand who this God is or what God is all about. But we have this sense that this God has power far beyond that which we could ever have. We believe God hears us so we communicate through simple prayer. It may be a prayer we’ve learned, or a plea for help. We come innocently and humbly before God, hoping that God will use his power to fulfill our requests.

As we grow in our familiarity with God, our prayers take on a different tone. They begin to reveal our personal struggles and needs. And then as we grow in faith our prayers again change as we begin to enter more deeply into relationship with God and we become transformed. Our prayers become richer and deeper as we approach intimacy with the one who holds the universe and our hearts.

Today Reverend Hidey is going to share some prayers that he has prayed throughout his journey of prayer and faith. You may be thinking as you hear them about prayers that you’ve prayed in different situations. As they progress, notice how they change and develop. As we do this, I request that you please be in an attitude of prayer and treat these moments with respect and reverence as we hear these prayers about accessing the power of God.

Reverend Hidey:
We begin with the childlike prayer:
Now I lay me down to sleep, and God bless Mommy and Daddy and Grandmother and Pop-Pop. God, why is the sky blue? God, why can’t I go up and eat that bread and drink from that little cup like all the adults? God is great, God is good, now we thank him for our food. Amen.

And we’re known to abuse the power:
Dear God, my sisters are bothering me - could you make my sisters disappear for a day? Dear God, I have an exam today, and I didn’t study - could you help me out? Dear God, let the Colts beat the Jets in the Super Bowl.

Power failure:
Dear God, my Dad is really sick. They say it’s a brain tumor, it’s cancer and he’s going to die. But I don’t want him to die, please, please, please don’t let him die…

Power lost:
God what happened? Dad is dead, everybody is so sad, I should have been better, I should have prayed harder! I could have done something.

Unplug the Power:
I don’t believe in you anymore – you let my Daddy die.

Power Test:
Dear God, that speaker last night at the retreat really got me thinking. He said that I messed up and I need forgiveness. I think he’s right. He also explained about Jesus dying on the cross. I don’t think I know you, God. I think I want to come home. I realize now that I want you in my life. I’m sorry for all those things I’ve done; will you come into my life?

Power Discovery:
Thank you for a great day, God. As I look back over this day, it’s just been a wonderful day. There is something different in my life now, and it’s you. I’m so glad you are my friend, and that you’ve been with me everyday. And would you heal my grandmother, she’s got cancer and is pretty sick. Would you heal her? And help me to grow in my faith. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

Daily Power:
Jesus, it’s me again. I need your help again today. Things aren’t so great at home or in school. I am trying hard and want to do the right things, but I keep messing up. Help me to live right for you. AMEN.

Power in Numbers:
Jesus, is it okay if like I speak in my brain without speaking out loud because I need your help. We are in the middle of a circle prayer and I know that it’s about to be my turn to pray out loud. I’ve never done that before. Lord, you know that I really want to impress everybody. Help me to say a really great prayer. How about if I pray that we all be a witness for Jesus at church, at school and in our homes. Doesn’t that sound good? Would you like that prayer? Oh no Lord, that guy next to me just said that exact same prayer. What am I going to do now? Oh, yes Lord – I can just pray and not worry what everybody thinks – okay. Dear Jesus, um, well, thanks for loving me. Amen.

Power Unlimited:
Wow! What an awesome sight we had up on the ridge tonight, Lord. When the moon rose over that mountain across the valley. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more beautiful experience. You’ve made this just an awesome world! As I stand here with these new friends and we look up at this incredible Colorado sky and the Milky Way and all the heavens you’ve created. You made all of this, and who am I that you love me and sent Jesus to die for me. I just can’t imagine how big you are! I want to have the kind of faith that I would tell this mountain to jump up into the sea. Oh Lord, you are amazing! AMEN.

Scriptural Power:
Dear Lord, you know that I have been reading Psalm 1, and I think that I am beginning to get it. It says that you bless me when I don’t hang out with the wrong crowd like here at UMBC. And the only reason that I will be different from the rest of the world is if I delight in the Bible, your word. I am enjoying reading this book, Lord. Continue to help me to think about. I think I am beginning to see the connection between my growth and maturity and the amount of time that I spend with you in your word. Thank you for the Bible, help me to grow deep in your word. Just like a tree planted by the stream will bear fruit, help me to be planted in you because I want to bear fruit.. Help me to be what you want me to be. Thank you for the Bible. AMEN.

Power Needed:
Lord, I am so not ready for tomorrow. For all these years, I’ve thought about this first time that I’m going to preach a sermon in the church that I’m the pastor of. I feel so inadequate and don’t feel spiritual enough. I need you more than ever. Help me to be the pastor you have called me to be. Help renewal and change to happen in this church and in my life for starters. In Jesus’ name, AMEN

Thanksgiving Power:
I am so blessed I can’t stand it! To see the birth of Sarah, it is amazing to realize what just happened. Thank you, Lord, for Sarah. Thank you for Holly and help us to be good parents. I don’t have a clue what I need to do, but I’m glad I know you. Amen

Power Shortage:
Dear Jesus, why is this so hard?? Why is it so hard to deal with these things? I thought I was better than this. Why do I do the things I shouldn’t and why do I fail to do the right things? Why do you seem so far away? I know you’ve heard me so many times. Help me Lord, renew me, and change me. You didn’t call me into this ministry for me to fail. Help me Lord. AMEN.

Healing Power:
Dear Jesus, I know the doctors don’t expect Helen to survive but I know you want me to pray for her healing. What do I do? What if you don’t heal her? Well, she is comatose and there is no one else in the room. What do I have to lose? Jesus, Great Physician, heal Helen! Let your healing power flow into her body. You are the God who desires all people to become whole – thank you for what you are going to do in Helen’s life. AMEN.

Power of Answered Prayer:
Dear Jesus, why was I so shocked when Helen’s daughter called me and told me she found her mom sitting up in bed this morning and alert. You are an awesome God. Help me in my unbelief! Amen

Power Denied:
Lord, I am so glad that I didn’t get that ministry job I had applied for. You know how many times I prayed for this and how much I wanted it, and how upset I was when I didn’t get it. I thought you just didn’t listen to me and that you didn’t care, but now, I see how it was the right decision. When will I realize that you are always right? In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reverend Groseclose:
Power Infusion:
Dear Jesus, we lift up before you today our pastor, Barry. You know the needs of his life. You know the hurts, desires and challenges he faces. We ask that you would fill him with your power and grace. As we minister together as this Alpha Team, let us work not in our own power but in the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Reverend Hidey:
Power of Presence:
Lord, I just can’t put into words how I feel right now. I don’t know how to pray. What can I say to the family at the hospital? How devastated they must feel. How hard it’s going to be for them…

Power Shared:
As I was going through the experience this week of looking back to times in which I experienced God’s power in prayer, in a way I was drawn to a memory of a prayer that I shared centered around this pastor with a group of men at a previous church. I was trying to pull those things together and I called one of the men that was there. We talked this week and he talked of how he remembered that. We remembered the presence of God in that moment. When we heard this lesson this morning from Paul, it was Paul’s prayer for the church. I remember this because I had prayed this prayer over this group of men as we were getting ready to move into a new area ministry. The Lord led me to pray this prayer. This is a prayer that I pray for you.

Please bow your heads and close your eyes as we gather together in prayer. I’m going to share these words, then I’ll share them as a prayer for you and us. For this reason, I kneel before the Father.

Lord, we come to you in prayer and there are times when we get down on our knees or throw ourselves down on the floor or we bow our heads. We acknowledge that in prayer that you are God and that we are not. We know that as we kneel before you, Our Father, from whom your whole family in heaven and on earth derives your name. We know we are Christ’s followers. That we don’t bear the name lightly but because of your love for us that we, as Bel Air United Methodist Church, as a Christian church, bear your name.

Lord, as Paul prays so I pray. I pray that out of God’s glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being. I pray that all your glorious riches would be spread out amongst these folks gathered here. That we understand how we’ve been blessed and how you’ve touched us in so many ways and that we may be strengthened by your power.

Lord, your power is awesome. We’ve sung about your power to show your power, help your power, to be lived in us. So we pray that your power, through your Spirit, would dwell in our inner beings and that it would force into those areas of our lives inside us that we’ve held out from you. We pray that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. Lord, some of us haven’t yet let you dwell there and we have kept you away. We haven’t surrendered to you.

Lord, I would pray that you would make it clear to anyone here, or others that gather here week in and week out in the years to come, that they would know that they need to have Christ in their hearts. That you would dwell in our hearts through faith as we commit to you. As Paul prays, I pray, that you would be rooted and established in love.

Lord, we live in a world where there are so many things that we hold on to – our identity, success, wealth, career, or what we want our kids to do. But none of those are a foundation that will stand up to what we face in this world. So I pray that you would root each one of us here in your love, that we would be rooted deep in you, that we would be established, that nothing would be able to pull us from you.

Lord, now may each one of us have power, together with all the sense to grasp how long, how wide and how deep the love of Christ is. Lord, I pray for power for these folks. We need power in our marriages, Lord. For we have not been the husbands and wives, the moms and dads, or sons and daughters because we don’t believe that you can save our marriage, or we’ve given up on our son or daughter or relationship. Lord, we need to know your power is bigger than that. It is so wide, so long, so deep that we can’t ever get so far down that you can’t find us or so far away that your love doesn’t reach us. We pray that each one of us would know this love. That this love that surpasses knowledge, bypasses our brain and goes straight to our hearts, Lord. So that each one of you might be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Lord, there are places in our lives that we haven’t let you fill, that we’ve covered over, that we’ve kept private that are keeping us. Lord, as your water goes into all those crevasses, so may your love go into those crevasses of our hearts and our lives that need you.

And now, now to Him, to God who is able to do more than any of us could imagine. Lord, you know how much we can ask for. Lord, we’re so limited in what we think you can do in terms of saving a relationship or a marriage or a son or daughter or situation that we seem powerless over. Lord, we can’t imagine that you would meet us here, that you would make this a church that would dream big. That we could reach out to a neighbor or coworker who doesn’t know you. We can’t imagine them sitting next to us in this church, but you can. You know that you can use us to make that happen. How do we do this according to your power that’s at work within us? What an awesome power, Lord. We’d pray that your power would do your work within us. Lord, as we sing a song about showing God’s power, we know that that power would be lived in us and that we would see it and live it. And now, to Him, to be glory in the church that Jesus Christ through all generations. We don’t need to reach just this generation, but what you’re doing now will touch generations to come. Lord, you are forever and you want our faith to live forever. Lord, may there be men and women in this congregation that you’re going to use in ministry to bring people to Jesus Christ. Calling them out for the ministry to be a pastor, or to touch homeless people whether it’s in Zimbabwe or Bel Air or Edgewood. Lord, that we might through all generations be your church forever and ever. And all God’s people said, Amen.