Counting the Cost of Prayer By Rev. J.

Patrick Bowman When I go to the doctor, the question I know that will be asked and the question I hate to hear is Are you exercising? I dont cringe over questions concerning my bodily functions, but I cringe when Im asked if Im exercising. We know we should be exercising. We know of the many benefits of exercising on a regular basis. We know that moderate exercise will affect, in a positive way, our weight, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, stress, and a host of other physical and psychological areas in our lives. Whether its a nightly walk around the block or a trip to the gym or the pool, exercise is good for us. Now I can lie to my doctor and tell her Im doing this and Im doing that. But the truth will come out because the indicators will show it. Prayer is a lot like exercise; it is good for us and we avoid it for the same reason. Pastor Jack Hayford in his 1977 book, Prayer is Invading the Impossible, says this: Most of us dont pray on a regular basis because we are deeply aware that it will cost us something. And the bottom line for Hayford is that first and foremost, prayer will cost us honesty. And not the honest-with-myself kind of honesty that we can hide behind as Adam and Eve tried to hide their nakedness from God and each other behind fig leaves, but an honest- to-God honesty that reveals our need and our utter inability to meet that need. C.S. Lewis wrote, "I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God- it changes me." This is the kind of honesty we need at the front porch of the subject of prayer, even before we enter the house. We are needy and we cant help ourselves. We can lie to God, but the indicator, our lives, will show it. As we begin to examine the subject of counting the cost of prayer, lets look at Luke 14:25-35 as an introductory scripture. Luk 14:25-35 KJV (25) And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, (26) If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (27) And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. (28) For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? (29) Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, (30) Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. (31) Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? (32) Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. (33) So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (34) Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? (35) It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. This is not an injunction against the family or building the tower or going to war. It is a plea to give our all as disciples of Christ in our relationship with him, in building our lives on the foundation which is him, and in entering into warfare through him with a clear understanding of what it will cost us to do so. This issue of counting the cost certainly applies to prayer, as prayer in an integral part of the relationship, building, and warfare that should be the normal Christian life. I believe that in Matthew 6 and in Luke 11 when he taught his disciples to pray, Jesus was leading them back to the Shema, the foremost prayer of Judaism. The first line reads, Hear, O Israel: The LORD our

God is one LORD: If we set what we call The Lords Prayer alongside the longer liturgical Shema, as recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41, it is clear in my mind that Jesus was calling those who follow him to a personal Shematic experience in their prayers and their lives. No more just the prayer of the nation Israel, but the call of individual followers of Yeshua who are willing to hallow Gods name through the giving of their whole lives. This is what God requires. C.S. Lewis echoes this in Mere Christianity, as he writes what God requires. "Give me all of you!!! I dont want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I dont want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self---in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart." I believe that when we count the cost and know that prayer will cost us everything, and agree with that cost, we are ready to start praying some dangerous prayers. Jesus instruction to his disciples to pray Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as in heaven, is a dangerous prayer. It takes guts to pray a prayer like that and mean it because true prayer causes change. The nature of prayer is change. Not a change in God but a change in us. C.S. Lewis illustrates it this way in Mere Christianity: "Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." In other words, if God indwells us, He has every right to say, My house, my rules. I quoted Jack Hayford earlier saying, Most of us dont pray on a regular basis because we are deeply aware that it will cost us something. I would add to that by saying that when we do pray, a lot of us pray prayers we know will cost us nothing. Safe prayers like Change them, Lord; Convict them, Lord. Have your way in their life, Lord. Even Bless them, Lord, is a safe prayer when we remove ourselves from being a part of that blessing in a material way. Remember what James 2 says: What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? (Jas 2:14-16 KJV) Prayer will cost us the comfortable place of our complacency. We cannot genuinely pray and remain aloof of the pain and suffering around us. Charles Finney shares a story in his book, Experiencing Revival. A minister once related a story to me about a town that had not had a revival in many years. The church was nearly extinct, the youth were all unconverted, and desolation reigned unbroken. There lived, in a secluded part of the town, an aged blacksmith who stammered so badly that it was painful to hear him speak. One Friday, as he worked in his shop, alone, he became very upset about the state of the church and of the impenitent. His agony became so great that he had to put away his work, lock the shop door, and spend the afternoon in prayer.

He continued to pray all day. Then he asked his minister to arrange a conference meeting. After some hesitation, the minister consented, even though he feared few people would attend. He called the meeting for the same evening at a large private house. When evening came, more people assembled than could be accommodated in the house. All were silent for a time, until one sinner broke out in tears and said, If anyone can pray, will he pray for me? Another followed and another, and still another, until people from every part of town were under deep conviction. It was also remarkable that they all dated their conviction to the hour the old man prayed in his shop. A powerful revival followed. Thus, this stammering old mans private prayers prevailed, and as a prince, he had power with God. *********************************** When we allow the Holy Spirit to move us out of our comfort zones, things begin to happen. The heavens are opened, conviction comes, lives are changed, we are changed, and revival happens. Sometimes I believe that rather than pray for revival for the lost out there, we would do better to first pray revival for the lost in here. An area of concern I have is that, as Pentecostal believers, I believe we can hide behind our prayer language. Now hear me out before you run me out of town on a rail. I know what Paul says in Romans 8: Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Rom 8:26-27 KJV) But I also know that rather we can get lazy in our prayers if we dont engage our minds and pray with understanding. We can hide behind the tongues, the language of His Spirit and be unfruitful in our mind, will, and emotions. In Mark 12:29-30, a scribe overhears a conversation that Jesus is involved with. And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. (Mar 12:28-34 KJV) My wife scares me. She prays prayers for us and about us that make me squirm sometimes. I squirm more when she prays than even at the doctors office when questioned about my exercise regime. She is not a fig leaf prayer. There is just no place to hide behind her prayers. They are honest, naked prayers of faith that I know will do us good, but they scare me. Her prayers often force me to question my motives and Im learning to appreciate that. As C.S. Lewis wrote, "We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be." One last illustration from C.S. Lewis tonight. I used this in the Fast Forward class a few weeks ago and I believe it fits us so well. "It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for a bird to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad."

I believe God is in the hatching business. I believe He wants us to hatch out of our comfort zones concerning prayer and fly with Him in the heavenlies. I believe He wants us to begin to pray dangerous prayers that make us squirm. Thy kingdom, thy will be doneand mean it. But this happens from the inside out. The chick must break through the egg itself. The caterpillar must break through the cocoon itself on its way to flying as a butterfly. If we try to help it by opening the cocoon, the butterfly dies. There is strength that can be gained in no other way but the struggle. Are you ready to fly?