The Ultimate Answer to Prayer

 Sunday Morning at Community Heights Alliance Church, Newton, IA

Guest Speaker: Jonathan Graff - The Ultimate Answer to Prayer

Obscure passage from the OT and a very familiar NT passage in the New Testament - I Chronicles 13:9-14

1 Chronicles 13:9-14

David in his impatience, decides to bring the Ark to his city to enhance the worship he had setup.  He didn't consult with anyone as to how the Ark was to be transported.  Rather, he just moves it. The oxen stumble, one of the workers touches the ark in an attempt to steady it and dies as a result. David fears the Ark and presence of God.

Obed-Edom the Gittite housed the Ark after the ark stumbled in front of his home. It remained at his home for 3 months, bringing blessing to his home. He later moves to the city of David to be a gate keeper where the Ark was housed.  He later moves to being a musician and then later a doorkeeper for the ark (1 Chronicles 15). In Chapter 16 he enlisted his whole family to take care of the Ark, bringing blessing to his entire family.  Obed-Edom demonstrated a hunger for the presence of God.

Question, do I have that same hunger.  The box for the presence of God today is our very lives. Prayer is the catalyst for releasing that presence.

Luke 11:5-13

The Father desires to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Luke in recording the story of Jesus' baptism is the only Gospel writer who records that the Spirit came "while Jesus was praying". When we pray, we get the filling of the Holy Spirit. in Acts 4:31 the filled disciples experience another filling of the Holy Spirit.

Three Baby Steps for Prayer (Movie: What About Bob)

1) Daily Surrender

2) Daily Meet with God

3) Ask God to increase within you the hunger to know Him and seek Him.

Watch and experience God filling you with Himself.