Prayer as Empowerment
Genesis 37: 1-11
June 2, 2024
What is prayer?
This message series was prompted by Steve Patton. Steve said he was looking for specific spiritual practices that would ground his own faith and life. It was like Steve was saying, “I need to get back to the basics of living a godly life.”
So that’s what we are doing in this series. I believe the most important basic to living a godly life is prayer.
Too often we think of prayer as simply request. When we pray for something, it’s like we say we want or request something. It’s what we are doing as we share prayer concerns here on Sunday morning.
These three weeks I’d like for us to look at prayer as something different than request.
If prayer is not simply request, what is it?
Last week we looked at Prayer as Awareness. It’s about noticing the grace of God in the grit of life. We pay attention to what God is doing all around us and inside us.
Today we will explore prayer as Empowerment.
Prayer empowers us to embrace our dreams.
Prayer empowers us to claim our gifts.
Prayer empowers us to express our voice.
First, we listen for those deep passions and dreams that God is revealing to us. We discover our unique vocation for this special time in our lives as we seek to do our part to mend the universe and repair the world. We join with God in dreaming for the world around us to become more like heaven on earth. We notice where our deep gladness and the world’s great need intersect. We pay attention to the signs revealed in God’s dreams for us.
Then, our prayer gets us in touch with our unique gifts. God has gifted us with abilities and knowledge and wisdom and love to be used for the good of others. It’s like a hidden treasure inside each of us waiting to be discovered and shared. Prayer allows us to recognize those unique gifts and then empowers us to utilize those gifts.
Finally, our prayer empowers us to express our voice. We have been given something to say. Prayer helps us claim our voice and live out loud. We express the passion and compassion that comes out of a prayerful life.
Prayer empowers us to embrace our dreams.
Prayer empowers us to claim our gifts.
Prayer empowers us to express our voice.
Let’s look at the Scripture story of someone who experienced this: Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, great-grandson of Sarah and Abraham.
Let’s imagine a conversation between a 17 year old Joseph and one of his older brothers: Dan. They are out in the fields taking care of their family’s herd of sheep. Crosby will play the role of young Joseph and I’ll play the role of his older brother Dan.
Joseph starts by saying: “Dan, let me tell you about a dream I had last night. I’ve never had one that seemed so real. Can I tell you about it?”
“Okay, kid, I’m all ears…”
“All of us were out in the field, tying up bundles of wheat. Suddenly my bundle stood up. Your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it.”
“That’s it.”
“That’s all that I can remember.”
“Hmmm. Do you know that dreams are one way that God communicates with us? Our dad Jacob has had many dreams in which God communicated with him. In one of his dreams, he saw a ladder between here and heaven. He heard God tell him how our family will be a blessing to people around the world. Then, remember that time dad tells about coming back from Laban’s to meet Esau for the first time after their falling out. He had this dream he wrestled with an angel. And of course, great grandfather Abraham had all those dreams and visions that led him to this place. It’s clear that God can speak to us through our dreams.”
“Wow! I wonder what my dream means. What’s God saying to me?”
“Don’t you see. It’s clear that you will be a king of sorts and rule over us someday.”
“Who me? I’m the youngest, except for Benjamin. How could I rule over you?
“I don’t know how. But if I were you, I’d keep this dream quiet. We all know you are dad’s favorite. He gave you that fancy coat. We’re all jealous of you already.”
“Hmm. I’ll think about that. You know I’m not the quiet type. God’s given me a mouth to use and I like to use it.”
“Be careful brother.
“I will. But I’m not worried. Dad won’t let any harm come to me.”
“Joseph, let me tell you: evidently God’s got something special in mind for you. So, listen closely to God’s Spirit. That’s what our dad and granddad and great granddad did. They embraced God’s dreams for them. They claimed the gifts God gave them. And they used the voice God gave them to speak up.”
Joseph’s story has many twists and turns from there. Things get much worse before they get better. Which is how our lives are so often. We have these dreams, these gifts and a powerful voice. But we have a hard time seeing those seeds come to fruition.
Joseph was sold into slavery to people who went to Egypt. There in Egypt Joseph spent time in jail and even got in trouble with the wife of the King of Egypt. But somehow, Joseph came out of it all on top. The king appointed him the governor over Egypt. And after a famine struck, Jacob’s family had to come to Egypt and to Joseph for assistance. They literally all bowed down before Joseph.
It was a long, hard path, but eventually Joseph embraced and brought to fruition God’s dreams for him. Eventually, Joseph used the gifts God gave him. Eventually, Joseph’s voice was able to speak loud and clear and caringly.
Let’s explore four prayer practices that we can use to experience prayer as empowerment in our day. For I believe God is still speaking. I believe God still has work for us to do. No matter what our age or our situation.
The question we are asking ourselves these days is this: What is God empowering us to do at this unique point in our lives?
The first practice is to listen to our dreams, just like Joseph did. It could be that God is still speaking through dreams. Those dreams might come as nudges or hints that we hear during the daytime.
They also might come from literal dreams we have at night. Sometimes it helps to write down our dreams immediately on waking, so we don’t forget them. Or do like Joseph did and tell them to someone quickly.
Prayer empowers us to embrace our dreams.
The second practice is the use of a Clearness Committee. The Clearness Committee was originally developed by Quakers to discern readiness for marriage. But it’s used these days as one way to discern God’s direction. You gather a half dozen trusted people from different parts of your life. Someone convenes and leads the gathering in a prayerful way. It’s not about people giving advice or fixing the situation or telling us what to do. But it’s about seeking God’s leading together. Mostly it’s having these trusted friends ask you questions and praying with you for God’s answer.
Lori and I convened one of these back in 2005 when we were at a real crossroads about the future of my ministry. My spiritual director at the time led the gathering. They brought up a lot of good questions which we pondered. The next morning, I woke up with a sense of a specific direction which led us to go and be home missionaries and serve a small church for five years on the campus of Henderson Settlement in Frakes, Kentucky.
A third practice is the creation of a life mission statement.
It could start with simply writing the words in your journal or on a piece of paper: I am here on earth to… And finish the sentence. What are you here on earth to do? What are you hear on earth to do at this point in your life?
As we think about the answer to that question, here are some other questions that can be helpful: What puts a sparkle in your eyes? What brings you joy? What pulls at your heartstrings? What are your greatest hopes for yourself, for your community, for the world? Put your answers together into one sentence. Let that sentence energize you into doing the work you are called to do.
Another way to get at life mission is to use art. Let an image or metaphor arise that captures the essence of your life mission. Experiment with artistic ways to express it using markers, pencils, chalk, clay, poetry, music or movement.
Prayer empowers us to embrace our dreams, claim our gifts and express our voice.
A fourth prayer practice is called lectio divina. It means sacred reading. It has to do with listening to the voice of God speak to you through Scripture. Lectio divina usually involves the repeated reading of Scripture and listening to God in the silence.
Let’s do that together this morning using a Scripture that talks about prayer. Scholars believe these words were actually spoken by Jesus. I’ll read from Matthew 6:9-13 using the Contemporary English Version.
I’ll read it the first time. As I do, listen for a word that stands out – that is luminous for you right now. It’s a word that seems to shine. I’ll pause in the silence as we reflect on which word God might be inviting us to notice. Then, we’ll share aloud the word.
I’ll read the Scripture a second time. As I do, listen to what God might be inviting you or us to do. What is the Spirit of God empowering us to do as a result of hearing this Scripture this morning? I’ll pause in the silence as we try to hear God’s invitation today. Then I’ll invite you to share some of those aloud.
Lectio Divina using Matthew 6:9-13. Listen for a word that stands out – that is luminous for you right now. It’s a word that seems to shine.
9 You should pray like this: Our Creator in heaven, help us to honor your name.
10 Come and set up your kingdom,
so that everyone on earth will obey you,
as you are obeyed in heaven.
11 Give us our food for today.[a]
12 Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others.
13 Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil.[c]
I’ll pause in the silence as we reflect on which word God might be inviting us to notice. Then, we’ll share aloud the word.
I’ll read the Scripture a second time. As I do, listen to what God might be inviting you or us to do. What is the Spirit of God empowering us to do as a result of hearing this Scripture this morning?
9 You should pray like this: Our Creator in heaven, help us to honor your name.
10 Come and set up your kingdom,
so that everyone on earth will obey you,
as you are obeyed in heaven.
11 Give us our food for today.[a]
12 Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others.
13 Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil.[c]
I’ll pause in the silence as we try to hear God’s invitation today. Then I’ll invite you to share some of those aloud.
Thank you for sharing today.
Prayer empowers us to embrace our dreams.
Prayer empowers us to claim our gifts.
Prayer empowers us to express our voice.
