Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
December 2, 2007 - W0748

What is prayer? Prayer is the currency of heaven. What? For example, this Christmas season we’ll be using currency by means of credit cards, check or cash to purchase our Christmas gifts.

The same goes for prayer. It’s as if God is giving us the power of prayer as a currency of heaven in getting things done.

However, we’ll need to understand prayer correctly, or it can go bad with us real fast. As for me, I’ve misunderstood prayer for many years. At the time, I thought prayer was like a blank check and I could ask for whatever I wanted just as this scripture says…

             “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matt. 21:22)

Basically this says to ask and I’ll get it. Yet, I knew something was not right and there was a little bit more to this. Thus, here is another scripture…

“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (Jn. 14:13). Aha! The Lord is saying according to my will. Here is another scripture that states God’s will, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. But He who does the will of my Father (Mat. 7:21) And, “Whatsoever you ask according to my will it shall be done”. This tells us with prayer asking in His name connects with and has a relation with His will or according to His will.

So how do we use this currency called prayer? And in addition, could we go into debt if we used it incorrectly? Well, someone once said there are two regrets in life. The first is not getting what you wanted. And the other is getting what you wanted. The first will have us suffering for a little while. And the second can cause us to suffer for a lifetime.

So what then is God’s will? Well, first God knows what’s best for your life and for your future. And although He knows our desires and loves us, our Father knows when to say no to our cravings. For example, a twelve year old may ask for the keys to the car. Yet, as the parent you won’t give the keys because you know what’s best for your child.

Therefore, if you’re praying for something that will take you in the other direction than God’s best, God will not answer. And, this is good! Listen to this scripture, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures” (Jam. 4:3). Thank goodness we have a faithful Father who watches over us and knows what’s best for us.

This will sound crazy but we should allow God to veto certain prayers. Yes, especially those that will mess our lives. Imagine if God said yes to things that would destroy my life? I will end up in deep weeds! Therefore, take the time in prayer to submit and give God authority to veto certain prayers. This is step towards spiritual maturity as well as trusting and honoring God for who He is.

For example, while I was in high school I prayed for God to allow me to have this one cheerleader for my wife. Not too long ago I attended my thirtieth reunion and was thankful that God did not answer that prayer! I’m sure she saw me as well and thought the same about me!  I’m just glad God doesn’t answer my prayers that would have taken me the wrong way.

Catch this, if I could see what was God’s best for me and followed His will for me in tandem, do you think He would answer prayers? Absolutely! In fact, He would send angels from heaven to answer prayers! Therefore, praying according to God’s will is important.

If you then ask what is the key to this currency of heaven? Well, there are three key points we’ll need to learn and understand. The first is to…

1. LEARN TO PRAY ARIGHT.

We’ll need to pray according to God’s will. Ask God what His will is for your life as well as for your future and your relationships. I encourage you to scan your life be it your family, marriage, future, faith, devotion and relationships. Write down what you want your life to represent. While doing so, paint your future by using bright neon colors instead of dull grey and mediocre pastels. Use bright fluorescent colors as best you can. Start with what’s best and see if it is God’s will.

When writing it down, don’t allow your past to hinder you. Listen, it doesn’t matter where you’re at in life. Even if you’ve messed up somewhere, simply start painting your life from this point on. A good place to start is by imagining your eulogy and what you’d like others to say about you or what your life represented. What is it about you or what you stood for? From this point establish and incorporate it unto your life. I bet the Lord would say that’s what He wants for you as well!

If after you’ve written these things down and see that you need some help and want to know God’s will, just ask.

·        ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO HELP!

Here is a wonderful scripture. “The Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts, knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will” (Rom. 8:26-27 NLT).

Here is what you could pray, Holy Spirit would you help me to pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you write down what is God’s best for your life. Be aware that we’ll need to be ruthlessly honest in regards to a relationship or this or that. From there, clean up your life as best as you know how. In fact, as Christians we should scrub our hearts often.

God says the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. Which means truth requires a guide. And the Holy Spirit is the guide. Otherwise, we could be writing things down that we shouldn’t. In other words, it may just be a craving. So ask the Holy Spirit to help you.

If you then ask, when I pray aright will everything turn out aright? Well, it will in God’s eyes, but not presently in yours. The reason is at times we won’t be on paved roads. Meaning, we’ll need to undo some things we did wrong. For example, if I pray for God to make my marriage good, He may tell me to start saying I’m sorry when I go home. Yes, we’ll need to go back and undo some things. And it may well begin within ourselves.

There is a beautiful roadway in the East coast called the Blue Ridge Parkway. It follows a serrated mountain passes. And then goes into some hair pin turns. It then takes you to the top, treating you to some spectacular view of the valley below. And then it dives you back down into these valleys. Now some times, you’ll have to work your way backwards in a valley in order to go forward because there’s a mountain pass that will not allow you to go straight. In other words, in order to go forward, you’ll need to go backwards. But here’s the cool thing, just when you turn the hair pin turn, there’s often a sign that says “the best is yet to come”.

I think if we want God’s best in our lives including the best is yet to come, the road will seemingly take you backwards a little bit. For example, if we want a promotion, God will say you don’t need a promotion, you just need humility. And this is okay, because the best is yet to come. You see, the Lord will need to build the character and tinsel strength of humility in us first.

Remember, when you’re praying for God’s best it’s not always a straight line. It’s in the right direction but your marriage may take a backward turn before you advance. How you ask? With humility, saying sorry, getting counseling or seeking a financial counselor. And this brings us to the second point we need to learn and understand.

2. GROWING UP MAY INCLUDE FEELING DOWN SOMETIMES.

Yes, there will be time when we’ll need to go through some suffering. “God raised up…[Jesus] and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways” (Act. 3:26). This tells us Jesus was sent to bless us by turning us from our wicked ways. This also tells us He blesses us by correcting us. Remember that God knows what’s best. Remember that when we pray, God will have us correct some things along the way. This won’t be fun and here is the next scripture.

“After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” (1Pet. 5:10). It’s like God is waiting there to confirm, strengthen and establish you. And yes, you’ll suffer for a little while, but He by His grace will be there to say its okay because you’re on the right road. So stay strong!

Even the apostle Paul who was religious thought He was doing God a favor by persecuting other Christians. But the Lord said no, turn them around to Damascus. Thereafter, Paul was headed the right way yet everything was not peaches and cream. Here is the next scripture. “…I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake (Act. 9:16).

As for me, for a lot of years I was throwing a lot of bad seed out there. And these bad seeds were bringing out bad fruit. This continued through my attitude, my moods, my burning of bridges and my pride. Then all of a sudden I’ve turned my ways and went in the other direction. By doing so, God was delighted and eventually started answering prayers. Although I started putting out good seed, the germinating process had not begun to process yet.

In the meantime I was harvesting bad fruit because for so long I was throwing bad seeds. This is the principle of seed time and harvest. Basically, when you plant bad, it’s going to come out bad. The important thing is to stay stall ward. And though we think nothing is turning outright… 

·        BE WILLING TO SUFFER FOR THE SAKE OF GROWTH!

Does suffering mean our prayers are not being answered? On the contrary, prayers are being answered. “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God” (1Pet. 2:20). (See also 1Pet. 4:13). Therefore, although you may suffer or bad fruits are coming out, don’t bail out. Continue to sow good seeds. And if you ask how long will you need to suffer? Well, here is the third and final key to the currency of heaven.

3. OBEY UNTIL YOU ARE TRANSFORMED

“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised” (Heb. 10:36).

Even if you don’t get results, ask yourself if you are doing the will of God. Remember that there will be a season when you’re doing what’s right but you’re getting what’s bad. It is especially important that you endure those seasons. It is through endurance that you’ll out live all the bad fruit. And this will make the difference between victory and defeat.

Eventually, the bad fruit will start to diminish and you’ll begin to see the fruitfulness of God being harvested in your life. In addition, be careful and have patience, because some of us will compromise when we don’t see the good right a way. And if you compromise, you’ll create a confusion that will go on forever. Remember, you’ll have need of endurance because you won’t find the good fruit just yet.

In summary, is it going back to God’s best? Yes, and He will answer prayers. Is everything going to be smooth? No, you’ll have times of suffering. Does this mean it’s wrong? No, it may just mean its right. So stay with it. When you do what’s right than you’ll begin to see transformation taking place.

All in all, prayer is the currency of heaven and here is the goal of prayer. The goal of prayer is not to accumulate or get what I want. But to find out what God wants. When I catch this, things start to happen. The goal is become the person God has designed me to be! You watch and you see, you’ll start to become more and more like Him!

There was an old confederate soldier that left a prayer behind that’s marked in the annals of history. It’s a beautiful poetic prayer that goes like this…

I asked God for strength that I might achieve, but I was made weak that I might humbly obey. I asked for help that I might do greater things, but I was given affirmity that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy, I was given poverty so that I would become wise. I asked for power that I might gain the praise of men. But I was given weakness that I might feel my need for God. I asked for all things so that I might enjoy life. I was given life in order that I may enjoy all things. And I got nothing I asked for. But I got everything I hoped for. And almost despite myself my prayers were answered. And now I am among all men the most richly blessed!

DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS

Q1) What is God’s will for you in this season?

Q2) In this season, will you need to go backwards a bit in order to go forward? Is there something the Lord is bringing to your attention?

Q3) In your spiritual growth, have you given God veto rights over your prayers? In what ways has this changed your prayers and your heart?

Q4) What impacted you most? How then will you become a better person because of this?