Don't Just Pray, Pray Earnestly!

There's prayer and then there's earnest prayer.

Very often it takes a tragedy or dramatic moment to underscore the difference.

By the time our boy Tim was just two years old, he'd already had a trip to the hospital in an ambulance due to febral seizures.

So that night when his fever began to climb, we knew what to expect, and we figured we'd headed off at the pass and drove to the hospital room, sat down in the emergency room, and you know what happened next?

Nothing.

Because it's an emergency room.

We waited, never once removing our eyes from Tim.

And then we saw it.

Seizures.

I rocketed out of my seat, grabbed the boy in my arms, blasted through the double doors of the emergency room without permission, and I yelled out, seizures! He's gone into seizures! And instantly I had nurses, I had doctors, a bed, an IV, medication, monitors beeping, and there was something else.

Earnest prayer.

You know what it sounded like?

Lord, help! Lord, save him! Spare him.

Earnest prayer.

I suspect if we had the time to go around the room this morning, most every one of you could share a story just like that, couldn't you?

Earnest prayer.

But we're not the first.

The early church was faced with an extraordinary need for earnest prayer.

And a story we're gonna revisit in the book of Acts.

Acts chapter 12.

Acts 12 · chapter mention

And Pastor Jim has been doing a marvelous job in this series.

But I invite you to revisit the story with me today.

Acts chapter 12.

Acts 12 · chapter mention

We're gonna read verses 1 through 11 out loud together.

And if you would do so, if you're comfortable, would you join me in standing to honor the reading of God's word?

We'll read it together, beginning at verse 1 from Acts chapter 12.

Acts 12 · chapter mention

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.

He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.

When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.

This happened during the festival of unleavened bread.

After arresting him, handing him over to be guarded for four soldiers each.

Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial.

Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.

Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell.

He struck Peter on the side and woke him up.

Quick, get up, he said.

And the chains fell off Peter's wrists.

Then the angel said to him, Put on your clothes and sandals.

And Peter did so.

Wrap your cloak around you and follow me, the angel told him.

Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea what the angel was doing was really happening.

He thought he was seeing a vision.

They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city.

It opened for them by itself.

When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Then Peter came to himself and said, Now I know without a doubt.

He sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would thank you and be seated.

You know, these praying people were not fools.

They weren't stupid.

They knew the odds.

King Herod Agrippa, whom we're talking about here, had already persecuted believers, executed James, now he's imprisoned Peter, and Herod's clear intent was to kill Peter right after the Passover, get it done.

Peter likely knew it.

The church likely knew it.

But your Bible says the church was earnestly praying to God for Peter.

Notice not just praying, earnestly praying.

There's a huge difference, isn't it?

Regular praying is, Lord, would you please give me wisdom with my strong-willed son?

We prayed that one a lot.

Earnest praying is, Lord, help! We're gonna lose the house this month if you don't come through.

Regular praying, typically done in a quiet corner of your house.

Earnest praying, wherever the drama unfolds, it's there.

Regular praying, typically a set-aside time.

Earnest praying is constant, unceasing, intense, at times agonizing.

You ever talk to someone whose loved one was unjustly imprisoned?

I have.

Diana has.

Nama Levy was a 19-year-old high school graduate and a triathlete in Israel.

She was serving in the Israel Defense Forces down at a place called Nahal Az, a base there, Saturday morning, October the 7th, 2023.

Early in the morning, Hamas terrorists came along, tossed her grenade into the room where she was at.

Her friends were all killed.

And Nama was injured with shrapnel on her legs.

And a video shows Nama being dragged by her hair into a jeep.

She was driven into the city of Gaza, territory of Gaza, only to be imprisoned somewhere deep within.

This became one of the most recognized images of the October 7 attacks.

Five months after her abduction, Diana and I sat down with her mother.

Let me tell you, I've done a lot of interviews over the years, but this one felt hideous.

It's like, how do you ask questions of a mom who's going through this?

I felt like I was shoving a knife into her gut and twisting it.

But there we were, and you could see a quiet agony on her face.

Agony.

That mother marched, protested, spoke, demanded Nama's release.

She did interviews, appeared on television, wrote blogs, all earnestly advocating for her daughter's freedom.

She would not take no for an answer.

Question.

What if we prayed as earnestly as that mother protested?

When was the last time you and I prayed earnestly for someone in prison spiritually?

I'm talking about somebody who doesn't know Christ as Savior, a friend, a family member, a neighbor, a coworker.

These folks are imprisoned by unbelief, by ignorance.

The sentence of death is upon them.

Only the miraculous intervention of Christ will change it, will save them.

Good news.

God is still in the business of delivering people from eternal death sentences.

Still doing it.

More specifically, are we earnestly praying for the deliverance of lost people?

Here's today's message in ten words.

You ready for this?

People are in prison.

It's in your notes there.

People are in prison.

Death is coming.

Death is coming.

Rescue is vital.

Pray earnestly.

And it's why we pray earnestly, because people are in prison and death is coming and rescue is vital.

You know, I think sometimes many of us have lost the edge on what salvation really means.

We're talking about giving our hearts to the Lord, making Jesus Savior.

We talk about living the exchanged life, coming to Christ.

It's way more dramatic than that.

Way more dramatic than that.

It's you, unconscious in a burning building, miraculously rescued by someone who died doing that heroic act.

Pray earnestly.

The Greek word here for earnestly means fully stretched, extended to our full potential, without slack.

Imagine a tug of war rope.

Strenuously, completely taught.

That's what we mean by earnest praying.

Earnest prayer is, again in your notes, frequent.

Frequent.

1 Thessalonians 5.17, pray without ceasing.

Pray without ceasing.

Earnest prayer is focused.

Focused.

Colossians 4.2 says, continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it.

And I like this next one.

Earnest prayer is famished.

It's hungry for God to act.

Psalm 63, 1, my soul yearns for you.

Frequent, focused, famished.

Let me ask you, if you had a loved one in jail facing imminent execution, would you pray for them?

Would you pray for them earnestly?

Here's the truth.

You don't have one or two like that.

You have many.

So do I.

So do all of us.

For what imprisoned soul are you praying for earnestly?

For what imprisoned soul are you praying for earnestly?

We all have relatives imprisoned by religious traditions that look good but won't save.

Friends imprisoned by skepticism and unbelief.

Neighbors imprisoned by pride and independence.

I was on the phone last night with one of them.

This guy values his independence so much he won't come to Christ.

Co-workers imprisoned by ignorance, others imprisoned by complete apathy.

Don't know, don't care.

Jesus said, unless a man or woman is born again, they cannot, will not see the kingdom of God.

They're all headed for a Christeless eternity in hell unless, unless they repent and believe, unless they're rescued.

I just ask again, does this bother you?

Does it bother us enough to pray earnestly for their release?

You say, yeah, but nothing seems to be happening.

I've tried, I'm I'm weary, I'm discouraged.

I get it.

I get it.

But pray earnestly anyway.

See, this isn't about our weariness, it's about their deliverance.

It's not about our weariness.

Revelation 20, 15 assures us whoever's name was not found written in the Lamb's book of life was cast into the lake of hell.

People are in prison.

Death is coming.

Rescue is vital.

Everybody's heard of George Mueller, the British guy who ran the orphanages, right?

We've all heard these wonderful stories of how he would pray in faith and the bread would miraculously show up.

And did you know that George Mueller prayed earnestly for the salvation of five of his lost friends?

He decided he was just going to take this up, friends without Christ.

So in November of 1844, he started praying daily for the conversion of five specific friends.

Having begun to pray earnestly, he was not about to stop, but nothing happened.

Nothing happened.

18 months passed.

One of those friends came to Jesus.

And then nothing.

After praying five years, one more friend was converted.

At year 11, nothing happened, but George Mueller prayed earnestly.

At year 12, nothing happened, but George Mueller prayed earnestly.

Years 13, 14, 15, nothing.

But George Mueller prayed earnestly.

Finally, after 16 years, the next guy came to Christ.

Well, Mueller kept praying for these remaining two friends all the way until he died in 1897.

You say, ha! Didn't work out for those last two.

Wrong.

Soon after attending the funeral, both of them came to Christ.

Who are you praying for earnestly that they would come to faith in Christ?

In Bensonville, there are 18,813 eternal souls.

How many of them have somebody who's praying earnestly for their deliverance?

How many of them?

In Addison, there are 35,742 eternal souls.

How many of them are being prayed for earnestly that they would be released from spiritual darkness?

In Elmhurst, there are 46,111 eternal souls.

How many of them have somebody praying for their spiritual deliverance earnestly?

See, it's not enough to just hear this sermon.

We've got to take action.

We have to pray earnestly for our lost neighbors, whether we know their names or not, it's okay.

Remember the story of Nama Levy, that 19-year-old Israeli girl who got shrapnel on her legs and was hauled off to Gaza?

She was in captivity 477 days.

Finally released.

Later, speaking at an event in New York City, Nama said, As I stand here before you, there are hostages for whom this nightmare has not ended.

I am here to cry out for them.

Beautiful people for whom there is still hope.

There's hope for your lost neighbor or co-worker or friend or relative.

There's hope for them.

Beautiful people who need Jesus.

People are in prison.

Death is coming.

Rescue is vital.

And that's why we hope to leave this building, weather permitting, and weatherman Ryan says it looks good for 20 minutes and go for a short work, short walk for one purpose, to cry out for our unsaved neighbors right around this church, to pray for them earnestly.

Pastor Jim will have all the instructions, including if anybody's nervous about the weather, your opportunity to pray inside.

But let's pray right now.

Lord, we thank you that you are still rescuing people.

It's in your heart.

It's in your name, Jesus.

Rescue.

Lord, would you remind us through your Holy Spirit?

Whisper if you will, shout if you must, that we must pray earnestly.

Would you help us, Lord Jesus?

We pray in your name.

Amen.