Prayer That God Hears | Francis Chan

Hey, I want to share a verse with you that uh I am hoping will change the way we pray this morning and even beyond that. It's a verse that puzzled me for a while and whenever there's one of those verses I I look deeper at and then I realize, oh, God is really trying to communicate something to us.

It's Hebrews 5:7. It says this. is talking about Jesus and it says in the days of his flesh Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death. And he was heard because of his reverence. I remember the first time I read that, I'm like, "Wait, that doesn't make sense.

Jesus was heard because he's the son of God. Jesus was heard. He He could just just wake up, couldn't he? And say, "Hey, good morning, Father. Just say anything." That's not what scripture says. It says God heard him because of his reverence. So there was a way and I I've studied I've looked at it in the Greek.

It's like no, it's really reverence. It's really a fear. It's really like a I'm going to come be I know who I'm coming before. And so the way that I speak to him is with this reverent submission. It's a not my will but yours be done. And and I I just look at that.

I go, if that's the way Jesus prayed and he is heard because he's so reverent, how are we supposed to pray? See, sometimes we treat prayer like, oh, God hears all our prayers. No, he doesn't. The scripture is so clear about this. Prayer is conditional. It is very conditional.

And if it was for Jesus, it certainly is for us. He was heard because of his reverence. I love praying. I love praying. I don't even know what else I want to do with my time. Like what could be more effective. But I will say it is very rare that on a national day of prayer that I have felt like the prayers are authentic.

You guys know what I'm talking about. You read Hebrews 5:7 and then you attend National Day of Prayer and there's a big gap and and it's not Look, I get it. I I'm on a lot of stages and it's very hard to be authentic on a stage. It's very hard because you become overaware of people in the room and their opinions and them jumping on social media and them loving you, hating you, cancelling you.

It it just gets in your head and then you start getting very selfaware, just very self-conscious of how do I sound right now? How do I look right now? What words came out of my mouth? He he just and then suddenly you're you're no longer aware that that God himself is here and that when you're praying, you're actually talking to him.

Something that I've been trying to do recently is before I pray just to take a breath. just to go, God, you gave me that breath and I don't know if you're going to give me another one. There's a God on his throne and he's deciding right now. Are you going to give Francis another breath?

Every breath is from you. I can't do this on my own, man. Do you think just take a breath before you realize who you're talking now? I'm talking to the one. If you give me another breath, I'm going to use it to pray to you. Oh God, you are so holy.

You're so good. You're so loving. Your forgiveness in my life, your mercy, your grace. I've had friends who have died while preaching. So this is not like a hypothetical thing where I go, God, this could be it. And so if I'm going to pray to you, I don't want to be thinking about what other people think of me.

That's not the way I want to enter into his presence. We could give a lot of polished prayers this morning that accomplish nothing. And I believe that happens often at events like this. My prayer is that this year would be different at least here. I don't know how the spirit is moving in other places, but my prayer is like, God, I it's great that we have a thousand people here.

Who cares? I've come into the presence of a holy God believing that I can come before his throne and he actually changes things. That excites me. Like, you 
((applause))
 know, literally anything could happen this morning through prayer. That's what I get excited. Anything. It can't be about, oh, look who's up there.

Look at No, we've got to keep our eyes on the one who's keeping us breathing right now. The Bible says in James 1, just to remind you how conditional prayer is. Verse six, let him ask in faith with no doubting. For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

That person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He's a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. So scriptur is clear. If I get up here and I pray and I have doubt in my mind that I'm really coming before the throne of God and he actually is listening to my prayer and he is able to accomplish what I'm praying for.

He goes, then don't expect to receive anything. You see, we have to get rid of this notion that God listens to all of my prayers. it. He doesn't. If this is our authority, then it's clear that he doesn't. 1 Peter 3:7 says, "Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are hes with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered."

So depending on how I treat my wife, that's going to have an effect on the way that he listens to me. So, some of you men in this room, and I'm sure there's some of you who are cheating on your wives right now, don't bother. Why? Why do you even pray?

Why'd you show up? He's not listening to these prayers when you don't treat your wife with honor as a fellow heir. The grace of life, that that weaker vessel is not an insult. It's the idea of like the difference between a Tupperware cup and a wine glass. It's it's it's someone to be cared for, cherished, and it's it's that protection.

And if you don't treat her that way, he says, "Your prayers will be hindered. It's conditional." What is a verse we read every year, the National Day of Prayer? 2 Chronicles 7:14. And what is the first word of that verse? If it's conditional, if my people, my people who are called by my name will humble themselves like Jesus did in reverence.

If my people call by my name will humble themselves and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I'll hear. Then if then if then this is all through the scriptures. So I just don't want us to waste our time this morning. I want to change everything by coming before the throne.

Here's the verse that I've been praying for uh the last couple months. Anyway, you know those passages where you've read it over and over and over again and somehow it just never computed. Uh in Jeremiah 32, there's a promise that's from God and I'm just obsessed with it lately.

He's like, "My daughter showed it to me." He's like, "Dad, you read through the Bible 12 times last year. You didn't notice this?" I'm like, "I've never noticed it." Uh, in uh Jeremiah 32 verse 38, it's an amazing promise. He says, "They shall be my people and I will be their God.

I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me forever for their own good and the good of their children after them. And I will make with them an everlasting covenant that I will not turn away from doing good to them. and I will put the fear of me in their hearts that they may not turn from me.

When I when she's pointing that I'm like that is amazing. That's an amazing promise. I get it now. I I finally get I mean when I looked at that I go now I understand what happened because it it boggled my mind where I'm like man why did so many of my friends walk away from the Lord?

Why did so many of my my peers start changing their theology and changing their morality and just preaching what everyone wants to hear? Why have so many been unfaithful to their spouses and everything else? And I go, "And why am I still standing? There's nothing great about me."

Then I saw that passage. I go, "Oh, God, you did this. You did this in my heart. You did something. You put this fear of you inside of me." Something happened during my college and seminary years. In the midst of hypocrisy, in the midst of my sin, something happened where I had this glimpse of God and I can't shake it.

I mean, for some reason, and I my most of my friends have they it's like I'm speaking another language and I talk about this and I go, "No, you understand. Any second, I'm going to be before him. And how long am I going to stand there? If I can see if my eyes see glory like I've never seen a God who dwells in unapproachable light.

And if my ears hear the sound of the angels, remember in Isaiah 6, one angel is calling out, "Holy, holy, holy." And it says, "The foundations of the thresholds trembled as he called out." One angel. The Bible says there are 10,000 times 10,000. That's a hundred million angels saying, "Worthy is the lamb."

So if this is my last breath and I see a God on his throne in all of his glory and I hear the sound of a 100 million angels and this is reality could happen to any of us, none of us are guaranteed to live through this breakfast and we are before that.

How long are you going to stand there? John, the beloved disciple, when he saw Jesus in his glorified form, he fell at his feet as though dead. He just collapsed. How am I going to respond when I see that? See, that's in my heart. Why do I still preach this book, everything in it, even though it's unpopular?

I have a fear of God in my heart. I can't twist it. I can't soften it. I just say it because I know I'm going to stand before him. God God gave that me gave that to me as a gift. I'm thankful because it's been, he says, for the good for your good and for the good of your children that you may not turn away from me.

Why have I been faithful to my wife for 32 years? I have a fear of God in my heart. Angie's pretty hot. But why why have I not gotten caught up in money? I could make a lot of money and spend it on myself. I could have a nice house.

I could have a nice car. I have fear of God in my heart. I I just It's there. That's what the Holy Spirit does when he enters you. He makes you a slave to what's right. It's nothing on you. It's not like, "Oh, look at my effort." And so as I pray, I go, "This is what I want to pray for."

I mean, I, you know, I love praying for healing. I love praying for relationships, but I'm just like, if the fear of God is in your heart, that takes care of a lot of things. It's a blessing. And we've forgotten this. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him. As high as the heavens is above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him. And when I read about the revivals, I I read about people suddenly getting hit with the fear of God.

And then the good news comes, but we kind of start everything off differently because we look at the fear of God as such a bad thing. I am so grateful because I go, God, I don't ever want to turn from you. Thank you for putting your fear in my heart.

And so I'm going to pray and I'm going to pray in faith that even this morning in this room, God would put the fear of him in your hearts. It's for you, for the good of your children, and it's so that you never turn away from him, especially in these last days when he says lawlessness will increase and the love of many will grow cold.

Not if the spirit is in you. Not if the spirit is in you. It doesn't matter what the rest of the world does. So can we just reverently pray for the fear of God to be upon us, this school, this city, this nation with reverence that's come before his throne.

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come. We acknowledge that you are keeping us alive right now. Almighty God, any second we will be in your presence before your holy throne and your holy angels. Forgive us, Lord, for casually speaking to you.

Thank you that you are rich in mercy and you forgive us of our complacency, our belittling of you. God, we come before your throne of grace and I ask for the Jeremiah 32 promise that you would put the fear of you in our hearts. That it's not just a momentary thing that happens this morning, but it's put in our hearts to where we don't care what others think of us.

Just you and you alone, God. So that we would never turn away from you. Nor would our children put the fear of you in their hearts, God. All of our efforts, all of our teaching, they do nothing. Doesn't matter how well we speak. It's a matter of you, God, sending your spirit to put the fear of God in our hearts.

And we're asking you to do that this morning because we don't want to turn from you. We don't want to lose sight of that day. I pray that for Jessup. May there just be this unusual fear that falls upon this campus for their good. I pray for Rockland, Granite Bay, Roseville, the Bay Area.

God, that that you would just decide right now from your throne. I'm going to open people's eyes to what I am like. And I'm going to put a fear of me in their hearts. God, we know you can do this. You've done this before. You did it in me.

We are hopeless without you. We don't want emotion. We don't want hype. We want your spirit to put a deep reverence in the core of our being that we would never turn away from our great and awesome God. Thank you for hearing us this morning. Thank you Lord.

We praise you in Jesus name. Amen.