What are the benefits of prayer? In last week’s sermon, I mentioned some of those benefits, saying that prayer is not only about getting what we ask but what happens to us and through us when we pray. I said prayer brings us closer to God, helps us experience God’s presence, and affirms our faith by nurturing our minds, hearts, and spirits.
But besides prayer nurturing us individually, prayer also builds community. You may already have heard of what many describe as a “revival” or “awakening” at Asbury University in Kentucky. It has been on the news. (I know that place well and have friends from my doctorate studies there.) What has been reported is that on February 8th, after a regular chapel worship service, a couple of dozen students stayed after the service to continue praying. By nighttime, more and more students had joined them, and now people are traveling hundreds of miles to participate in what is happening there. In essence, the prayer service of February 8th has not stopped yet, and many young people are getting on with it.
Many people have said different things about it—positive, negative, and neutral. But, regardless of the opinions, there is something special about what is happening there. I appreciate that Asbury’s awakening is building community across the country and the world through the prayers and worship of young people. What I see there and have experienced myself is that prayer increases faith and makes people come alive with hope. That is why this is so special.
But it is not new. It may be a rare sight for many because we are not accustomed to seeing it, but prayer has been the bedrock of building a diverse and inclusive Christian community since the beginning. Consider how the presence and power of God marked the early church because they prayed together. As it says in Acts 2: 42-43, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed.”
Today, I want us to explore how prayer builds community and what that does to us. For this, a story in chapter 12 of The Book of Acts illustrates this beautifully. This is Acts 12: 8-17,
“As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many had gathered and were praying. When he knocked at the outer gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer. On recognizing Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she insisted that it was so. They said, “It is his angel.” Meanwhile Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the gate they saw him and were amazed. He motioned to them with his hand to be silent and described for them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he added, “Tell this to James and to the brothers and sisters.” Then he left and went to another place.”
In this text, we hear that Peter had just escaped jail and returned to his friends and fellow disciples of Jesus. King Herod had arrested him for political reasons and intended to kill him, but God delivered him miraculously.
Here is some context to this story. Because of the success of Peter’s preaching, many people believed in Jesus, including many Jews. This infuriated the same religious leaders and many others who plotted against Jesus to kill him. And now they were going after the apostles and the disciples to get them arrested and even killed. Just as they sought the favor of king Herod to accomplish this, they used the same tactic against Peter and others.
Acts 12: 1-5 explains this,
“About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.) When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him.”
King Herod was going after the apostles, killing them to gain favor with the Jews. However, after he apprehended and imprisoned Peter, the church banded together to pray for him. They prayed intensely, earnestly, and without ceasing, “While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him.” Because of that, Peter was released that night by an angel. God sent this angel to wake him up, remove his chains, and open the prison cell door. Peter thought he was dreaming but followed the angel’s instructions as he walked right past the guards, through the iron gate, and out onto the streets before it dawned on him what was happening.
This brings us back to our first reading, “As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary… where many had gathered and were praying.”
What is happening here is a beautiful expression of what prayer does in us and through us. It says that when Peter was free, he went to where everyone was gathered. He went to his family of faith. And, when he arrived, Rhoda, the maid girl, became so excited to see him that she forgot to open the door! What was she thinking? Why didn’t she simply open the door and let Peter in? Because the joy of seeing Peter overtook her. She was overwhelmed when she heard Peter’s voice outside the door. I love the phrase, “she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced” to the others that Peter was there, forgetting to let him in.
This was a wonderful experience of joy and craziness, so much so that when Rhoda told the others about Peter, they replied, “You are out of your mind!” “Can’t be him; it must be an angel!” But Peter continued knocking. I am sure he was in a hurry to get out of the streets after he broke out of jail. He was technically a fugitive of the law (as unjust as it was). So, when they finally saw him with their own eyes, everyone believed and was amazed.
Can you imagine the celebration that night at Mary’s house when they experienced God’s answer to their prayers? It was a party—a time of amazement and gratitude.
My friends, praying is such a blessing, but that blessing is multiplied when we share it with other believers—as is happening in Asbury, for example. But this is not new to New World. Over the years, this church has prayed and seen God answering those prayers in amazing ways.
Suzanne Smith Testimony
When things get rough, when we have problems or trials, or things aren’t going our way, who should we turn to? The example we see in our scripture today, the stories we hear from Asbury University, and the testimony of Suzanne show us that when we join with others in one Spirit through our many prayers, amazing things happen.
Jesus told his followers, “My house will be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13). What better support system could we have than a group of committed believers coming together in unity to lift the needs of individuals, the church, the community, and the nation?
Let’s continue to grow as a church that prays fervently for one another, giving encouragement and support!
Suzanne’s Message
Last Sunday Pastor Edgar’s sermon was about “Unanswered Prayers”; today, I’m here to testify about my experience with “answered prayers”.
Monday, January 9 began normally at our house. Don prepared to go to work, reminding me that he had an appointment with his cardiologist around 11:00 and wouldn’t come home for lunch, but he’d be home around 4:00 for an early dinner so he could be at the Finance Committee meeting at 6:30.
I started thinking about dinner around 4:00, knowing that Don often was later than he planned. But, when I hadn’t heard from him by 5:00, I began to worry. I called his phone, but got no answer. (Don works in a two-person office, so when one of them is gone the other is alone.) Lloyd had a dentist’s appointment soon after noon, so when Don got back to the office, he was alone until a client, Mark, dropped by to bring some sales tax documents. When Lloyd got back from his dentist appointment, the office was empty but there was a note from Mark saying that while he and Don talked, Don became dizzy and collapsed to the floor. On his way down, Don said “Call 911” which Mark did. (These were the last words Don spoke for several days.) A lady from the office next door confirmed that the ambulance had picked him up around 2:30. They all assumed that I had been notified. I had not, and I immediately panicked. They could not tell me where he was taken. My first thought was that I’d have to call every hospital in the area but quickly rejected that.
I called the Garland Fire Department, but they closed at 5:00, so I called 911 and gave them the office address. The dispatcher said they’d picked up a male at that address and taken him to Emergency at Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas. I spoke to the Emergency room charge nurse who informed me they had had no one named Donald Smith, birthdate 7/6/1944 that day. She told me I’d have to call back to find if he was at Presby. I was stunned and terrified and I begged her to help me. She put me on hold and a few minutes later a male voice said “May I help you?” I said “I don’t know; I don’t know who you are or why I was transferred to you.” He identified himself as the charge nurse in the Neurology ICU. When I gave him Don’s name and birthdate, he said “I’m so glad you called, we’ve been trying to locate his next of kin”. You can imagine the images in my mind at these words, but he quickly continued. “Mr. Smith was admitted with a stroke, unable to speak or move, in short “in critical condition,”’ and that he was currently having a “procedure” to remove the blood clot in his brain. He gave me the building name and room where Don would be moved to when the procedure was completed.
I quickly called our daughter, Tracie, who lives in Flower Mound. She left immediately to go to the hospital. I was shaking so hard I knew I couldn’t drive, so I called Sondra Townsend who picked me up and drove me to Presby. Either Sondra or I called Pastor Edgar and we all met at the hospital.
When Don was brought to his room, he was completely wrapped in blankets including his head – the only thing visible was his face from his forehead to his nose. His hands were wrapped in gauze and tape to prevent him from dislodging any of the multitude of tubes. He was intubated and connected to a roomful of machines and monitors. Once he was settled and all his machines were connected, we were allowed to see him for a few minutes. The Neurologist met with us and told us it would be 24 hours or so before they would have any indications of possible brain damage and longer to assess the extent of it. He told us to go home and try to rest. We were provided with a phone number direct to the ICU and a code that would indicate that we were eligible to receive information about his condition.
The very next day, we began to get text messages, emails and phone calls from our New World family offering help to Tracie and me and assuring us of bold and specific prayers for Don. We are grateful for each and every one. We called Kim and Suzette Hartberg, who came and picked up our pet bird, Zia. They had cared for her often and loved her as much as we did. Sondra called with a message from our awesome church secretary Michelle saying she was providing a meal for us that night. All we had to do was let her know our food choices and the time to have it delivered. Throughout his 19 days of hospitalization New World members provided help and encouragement. James Welker moved our plants from outside to the garage when the weather turned to freezing. Bill and Debi Allen and Carol Evans brought delicious food and many of you offered as well. Dan and Beth Steerman brought the most sinfully delicious cookies! Kay Horne and Sondra took over Bible Babes. Tracie and I took every card and message we received to the hospital to share with Don. Your support and prayers sustained us through even the worst days.
This is a very straightforward description of the events of that day. It does not describe the faith that was always in our minds that God was in control of the situation. We prayed with every breath that God’s will was for Don to recover. Nor does this speech number the miracles He provided and we experienced that night and in the following days. The fact that Mark happened to stop by the office that particular day and that particular time was a miracle. The fact that the EMTs recognized Don’s symptoms and bypassed the general emergency department and took him to the Neurology department at the nearest Level 1 trauma center for strokes was a miracle. Over and over, we were told by neurology professionals that the rapid treatment Don received were critical to his remarkedly rapid and amazingly complete recovery from the stroke. The ICU nurses referred to him as “the Neurology Rock Star”!
Don was kept in the Neurology Department (not ICU) for 2 more weeks to address his recurring Afib. After days of trying to control it with medications we were told the only realistic treatment was a pacemaker. Since the pacemaker was implanted, his heart rate and oxygen levels have been perfectly normal. He has minor difficulty with balance for which he is receiving physical therapy twice a week.
The constant support we received from our New World family as well as others was a vital part of Don’s recovery. Your prayers strengthened us in the bleakest moments and we will always be grateful. To paraphrase John 14:27 – you provided us with a gift – peace of mind and heart. You reminded us that the peace God gives allows us to not be troubled or afraid because we have a foundation of love that will be there forever.
There are many ways we serve one another. After hearing our story, the Bible Babes want to provide each of you with a tool to help prevent your having a similar experience to mine.
How many of you remember that in the past if you bought a new wallet, it came with an “In Case of Emergency” card? Raise your hand if you are not a Bible Babe and you have one in your wallet?
The Bible Babes to a person answered no to this question as did the Methodist Men. The Bible Babes immediately decided to provide our New World family with the cards. See a Bible Babe in the foyer after this service to get yours. These particular cards are not appropriate for school age children, but are for adults and teenagers particularly those with driver’s licenses or jobs away from school and family. It is not necessary to fill every blank just those that would allow first responders or hospital personnel to locate next of kin in case of emergency and to provide critical medical information. We suggest two cards, one for your wallet and one for your glove compartment.
In today’s world we take pride in our “devices” and think we are so connected. But we are often not. Don, Tracie and I and the Bible Babes pray that this little card will provide another level of connection when we are separate from each other.
I will close with this: God answers our prayers – but sometimes His answer isn’t what we want to hear. Sometimes it is “No” or “Wait”.
James 5:16
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
God bless us everyone.
