Welcome Graham fam! We are so glad you could watch Sunday morning online with us.
Prayer – 1 – Aligning our Will with God’s Intro
Introduction:
So, its now 2025 and we get to start a brand new year! Our first series of messages is going to be about prayer. But this series isn’t communicating how you should be praying, or how much you should be praying, or even what you should be praying for. This series is specifically laid out to show you that prayer was meant for you to be able to align your will with God’s will.
You can’t truly function as a Christian if you are moving towards your wants, your goals, your hopes, and your dreams if they have nothing to do with God’s will for humanity in general or to be even more specific, God’s will for your life.
Let’s look at the greatest passage of scripture when Jesus teaches his disciples and the people in the Sermon on the Mount how to pray.
Scripture:
– Matthew 6:5-15
Points:
1. The first thing Jesus addresses is the don’ts!
2. The dos show us how to align our will with God’s will!
3. Prayer is the greatest catalyst for personal change!
– Romans 12:2
Ending:
There is a great story about a professor at Wheaton University by the name of J. Edwin Orr who took his class all the way to England. One of the stops on this trip was at the former home of John Wesley who was a famous preacher, evangelist, and reformer who led a spiritual awakening or revival if you will in the 1700’s which turned into the Methodist movement.
While in his house the professor pointed to the two worn spots on the carpet next to John Wesley’s bed and he proceeded to tell the students how Wesley had prayed for hours everyday for God to work and move in him and through him and God did in a very powerful way! The life and ministry of John Wesley is a wonderful example of how we can all be better servants of the Lord.
When the tour of the home was done and they were loading up on the bus, the professor noticed he was missing one student. So, as he searched for the young man that was missing, he reentered the bedroom and found the young man on his knees, in the same spot praying, “Do it again, Lord! Do it again… And would you do it again with me.”
That young man was Billy Graham and I think its pretty fair to say that God used Billy Graham in miraculous ways. He didn’t use Dr. Graham the same way he did John Wesley but he used him in ways that were just as big and important!
Billy Graham didn’t ask to be the spiritual leader of a nation, but he was. He didn’t ask to be the spiritual advisor to multiple presidents, but he was. He didn’t ask to be able to speak to millions of people, but he did. He didn’t ask to be financially blessed, but he was.
We need to remember that prayer IS NOT an opportunity to give our Christmas list to God, but it is an opportunity to align ourselves with the will of God. And in doing that, the blessings of heaven have an amazing way of raining down on us in God’s will and in God’s timing.
If you would like to watch our past services, you can do so here: https://www.gcwesleyan.org/teaching/
Like and subscribe to our new YouTube channel, Graham Chapel Youth! We are producing some funny videos as well as live streaming our Wednesday night youth group: https://is.gd/grahamyouth.
If you would like to give to Graham Chapel, you can do so here: https://www.gcwesleyan.org/give/
Graham Chapel Wesleyan Church is in Mayo, SC which is near Cowpens and Chesnee in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. We are affiliated with the Wesleyan denomination and have a diverse congregation. We would love to have you join us on Sunday mornings in person, or on Wednesdays with our youth! Visit our website to learn more.
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