Pray for America

August 2, 2009

Introduction

A man in Dallas, Texas decided to write a book about churches around the country. He started by flying to San Francisco and started working east from there. Going to a very large church, he began taking photographs and making notes. He spotted a golden telephone on the vestibule wall and was intrigued with a sign, which read “Calls: $10,000 a minute.”

Seeking out the pastor he asked about the phone and the sign. The pastor answered that this golden phone is, in fact, a direct line to heaven and if he pays the price he can talk directly to God.

The man thanked the pastor and continued on his way. As he continued to visit churches in Seattle, St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, and around the United States, he found more phones, with the same sign, and the same answer from each pastor.

Finally, he arrived in Oklahoma, upon entering a church in Tulsa, low and behold - he saw the usual golden telephone. But THIS time, the sign read “Calls: 35 cents.”

Fascinated, he asked to talk to the pastor, “Reverend, I have been in cities all across the country and in each church I have found this golden telephone and have been told it is a direct line to Heaven and that I could talk to God, but in the other churches the cost was $10,000 a minute. Your sign reads only 35 cents a call. Why?”

The pastor, smiling benignly, replied, “Son, you’re in Oklahoma now. You’re in God’s country, It’s a local call.”

            As I read that story, I found it to be an interesting story.  If God wanted to charge us to talk to Him, how much would it be worth?  God in His greatness, goodness, and power has chosen to make those “Phone calls” free, but how much do we take advantage of prayer.

 

Body

 

I.       Where is God?

 

1. David said He was everywhere.

 

(Psa 139:7-12 NKJV)  Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? {8} If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. {9} If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, {10} Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. {11} If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," Even the night shall be light about me; {12} Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

2. Paul has said that nothing can separate us from God.

 

(Rom 8:38-39 NKJV)  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, {39} nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

3. We can be separated from God.

 

1.      Sin separates us from God.

 

(Isa 59:1-4 NKJV)  Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. {2} But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. {3} For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity. {4} No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.

 

2.      James tells us to get back to God.

 

(James 4:8-10 NKJV)  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. {9} Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. {10} Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

 

II.    What does it cost to talk to God?

 

1. He wants us to do what is right.

 

(Isa 43:22-24 NKJV)  "But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have been weary of Me, O Israel. {23} You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, Nor wearied you with incense. {24} You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities.

 

2. How many times must He say, You have wearied Me with your iniquities?

 

III. We need to pray for our country.

 

(1 Tim 2:1-4 NKJV)  Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, {2} for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. {3} For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, {4} who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1. We are the salt of the earth.

 

(Mat 5:13 NKJV)  "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

 

1.      Are we acting as salt?

 

a.       Are we telling the lost of the Savior?

b.      Are our lives examples to others?

 

2.      We can lose our flavor when we fail to share our faith with others.

 

2. We need to pray fervently for our country.

 

1.      For our leaders.

 

a.       That they will make laws that are in accordance with God’s laws

b.      Laws should not be made that are contrary to God’s laws.

c.       We need to think twice about laws that take from some and give to others.

 

2.      We need to pray for our people.

 

a.       Abortion would not be as critical if no one was seeking an abortion.

b.      Gay rights marriage would not have become an issue if there had been no homosexual couples seeking to get married.

 

IV. What does it cost to talk to God?

 

1. It isn’t $10,000 per minutes.

2. It is the price of taking time to pray.

 

(Isa 43:24 NKJV)  "But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have been weary of Me, O Israel

 

(Isa 43:22 NCV)  "People of Jacob, you have not called to me; people of Israel, you have become tired of me.

 

3. To be effective, we must be fervent in our prayers.

 

(James 5:16 NKJV)  Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Conclusion

 

I.                   If the cost were $10,000 a minute, would some pay the price?

II.                How much better to offer sincere, heart felt prayers that God will hear.

III.             Is your life right with God?

 

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