Prayer: The First Response!
Matthew 9:35-38
35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
What is your first response to a personal problem?
_________________ the problem hoping it will resolve itself or simply go away.
Throw _________________ at the problem.
___________________ the problem with your best intellectual problem-solving skills.
_______________ the problem with all your ________________.
None of these approaches make very good first responses.
The best first response we can make in the face of any problem
is _________ ______________.
“Not only is prayer the best first response available for our problems,
prayer is also the best first response when opportunities come our way.”
When we see others as Jesus sees them we will relate to them in one of two ways.
Like Jesus we will be filled with a ____________________ of ___________________________.
OR…
Overwhelmed by their need, we will become _________________ and in time, __________________.
What will determine which of these two reactions we experience?
If prayer is the answer, then what are we to pray?
The purpose of our being sent is to serve as ________________-____________________ of the ______________ ________________.
The primary purpose of prayer is not about _______________ _________________.
The primary purpose of prayer is about our _______________ with __________________.
“MAKE PRAYER YOUR FIRST RESPONSE!”
TODAY’S PREACHER
Dr. Ray Owens is the Pastor of Visitation at Calvary UMC