Matt Hagee - The Most Powerful Force on Earth, Prayer
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What you need to know is that nothing really happens in your life until you pray. In Psalm 18, David is giving God not only praise for giving him victory over his enemies, but he’s also giving us the memoir of how he was successful in 18 major wars that he fought. The thing that I love about David is that he’s very honest and transparent. He doesn’t say, «Well, I beat this enemy because I had a superior strategy,» or «I won this battle because I was greater in physical ability.»
In the first few verses, he’s telling us about how he found God to be a refuge, a fortress, a deliverer, the horn of his salvation, and a stronghold through all the difficult things that he went through. But until you get to verse six, nothing really happens. In verse four, he says, «Death surrounded me. Ungodliness made me afraid. Sorrow snared me. Death confronted me.» This is not a Hallmark greeting card that he’s writing here. But then in verse six, he says something changed. What changed? He says, «In my distress, I called upon the Lord.»
Nothing really happens until you pray. David said, «I called upon the Lord,» and what’s even better is he heard my voice. Aren’t you thankful today that not only can you call on Him, but when you call on Him, He hears your voice? Heaven doesn’t have an automated answering machine that says, «For healing, press one; and for deliverance, press two.» If you’re going through the same old, same old, just wait. No, David said, «When I called upon the Lord in my distress,» listen to it, «He heard my voice, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.» David was saying that God is sitting in heaven, cupping His hands behind His ears, saying, «Talk to me! Tell me what it is that you need! Call upon me so I can show you great and mighty things that you know not.»
In the next several verses, right after David says, «I called upon the Lord,» from verse seven all the way to 19, look at the list of things that David said God did to his enemies. David called upon God in his distress. He says, «I’m down here facing a giant.» God says, «I’ve got an answer for the giant.» «I’m down here facing an army.» God says, «I’ve got an answer for the army.» «I’m down here facing an insurrection.» God says, «I’ve got an answer for the insurrection.» And for the next several verses, he says, «The earth shook; the hills quaked.» God got so angry that smoke came out of His nostrils and fire came out of His mouth. You may have known some people that you thought could get mad, but you don’t know anybody who can get that mad.
What is prayer? People use the word all the time, but very few really understand its definition. In order to get a definition, you have to use the source of truth, which is the Word of God. Prayer is not something you do on the sideline at a football game. «Oh, Lord, please let us win.» If you’re a Cowboys fan, you need to fast and pray. I mean, these kind come out but by fasting and prayer. But when you look at the Bible, you come to understand that prayer has a very real definition. The first thing that you see is that prayer is not a monologue; prayer is a dialogue. What does that mean? That means that prayer is not you talking to God and God listening. Prayer is a heavenly conversation that you get into with the creator of heaven and earth. Not only do you speak to Him, but He speaks to you.
But like all dialogue, you have to learn how to communicate effectively with the person you’re in conversation with. The more you know someone, the more efficient you are at understanding what they’re saying. You learn the sound of their voice; you learn what they say and how they say it. You have to get to know somebody before you can communicate effectively, and sometimes people get frustrated because they don’t feel like they’re effective in prayer. The reason they’re not effective in prayer is that they haven’t learned what God sounds like. People say, «Oh no, I would know exactly what God would say if he said it to me.» No, you wouldn’t! Read the Bible; Samuel heard God’s voice three times in one night before he figured out who it was. You’ve got to get to know somebody.
Prayer is something that you must learn to do. Prayer is something that you have to understand to purposely develop. It doesn’t happen by accident. Prayer is how you maintain your spiritual strength. A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian. A prayerless church is a powerless church. A prayerless nation is a powerless nation. People innately know this, even if they don’t want to admit it, even if they don’t want to practice it. And the way that you can tell that they innately know this is there’s something down inside of them that understands this. Why then, every time there’s a tragedy, the first thing they say is, «What? Pray!» There’s a school shooting? Pray for it. There’s a hurricane? Pray for it. There’s a tragedy? Pray for it. Why? Because people understand there’s something powerful that happens when people pray.
Prayer is how you not only gain power with God, but prayer is how you move a nation. Prayer is how you see God’s hand on your family. Prayer is how you understand that God has a plan for your children. You may not know what your children will do, but God does, so just pray for them. Do you know why this church has a 50-year history? Do you know why we’re having the opportunity to celebrate the pastor’s 66-7 years of ministry? Not because of a great Sunday school program, and not because of a youth camp, and not because of a revival service that was held, but because of a mother who refused to quit praying until her son came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Today, the question that I have for you is: who are you calling out to God for? When is the last time that you got on your knees and you said, «God, I’m not going to stop until heaven moves. I’m not going to stop until hearts break. I’m not going to stop until bodies are healed.» Do you have a son? Do you have a daughter? Do you have a family member in the far country? Shake heaven and earth, asking God to touch their life. Do you have a marriage that needs Jesus? He knows about the need today. Don’t stop praying until He breaks through. Understand that when you go into heavenly places and you pray in Jesus' name, you have the power to pull down every stronghold and every principality that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. So when you go to heavenly places, let God arise and let His enemies be scattered.
Prayer is something you have to learn to do. That’s why the disciples said, «Lord, teach us to pray.» Not that they didn’t try praying, but they recognized that when Jesus prayed, something different happened. When Jesus prayed, five loaves and two fish fed 5,000. When Jesus prayed, Lazarus, who was dead, got out of his grave. When Jesus prayed, the lame could leap, the demon-possessed were set free, the storm stopped. And they said, «We want to pray like you pray, so teach us how to do that.»
Here’s a question: if Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, needed to pray, do you? If He prioritized prayer, shouldn’t you? The disciples wanted to know, «How do you do what you do? Teach us to do it.» And Jesus taught them, and then He gave them this promise: «Greater things than these shall you do.» How could Jesus make such a promise when He’s immortal and man is mortal? How could the God who is the truth, the way, and the life say something to individuals that are just flesh and blood? Because He taught them to pray.
When you pray like Jesus prayed, you can do what Jesus did. Too often, people get discouraged by prayer, and that’s just exactly what the devil wants you to do-be discouraged about praying. Why? Because when you pray, you defeat him. People say, «Well, I don’t know how to pray. I don’t know what words to say. I don’t know the right phrases.» And it’s probably because you’ve been around people who speak what I call «Christianese,» and they’ve memorized the right «Father Gods» and «Our Fathers» and «Yea verily» thus and so. I mean, it’s amazing to me that people who speak poor English can get Elizabethan when they pray. And yet when you read the Bible, Jesus said in Matthew, «When you pray, do not use vain repetitions like the heathens do, for the Father already knows what you need.» Jesus gave you permission- even if you use the simplest language-just say it plain and in faith because God already knows what you need.
There’s so much in the Bible that you could teach on prayer for months on end, but very quickly in the rest of this sermon, I want to share with you five things that you need to do when it comes to prayer. The first thing that you need to know about prayer is that as powerful as God is, He cannot answer prayer until you pray it. What do I mean? I mean you actually have to open up your mouth and make the request. People say, «Well, what about silent prayer?» There is no silent prayer; those aren’t prayers; those are thoughts. «Well, I have an unspoken request.» Find that in the Bible! Even Jesus, when He saw people who were lame, what did He say? «Do you want to be made well?» And they didn’t go unspoken; they had to look at Him and say, «Yes.»
You have to open your mouth when you pray. Why? Because there is something powerful about the declaration of your mouth. The Bible teaches us that the power of life and death is in the tongue, and when you open your mouth and you begin praying, you begin unleashing the power of God’s presence and His purpose in your life. The Bible says you have not because you ask not-not because you didn’t think right. It says you can think all you want to, but nothing happens until you ask. Jesus said, «Ask, and you shall receive,» which means you have to open your mouth and ask.
Do you know why God gave you the ability to talk? Not so you could argue with your wife in traffic! God gave you the ability to talk so that you could communicate with Him, and when you communicate with Him, you gain the opportunity to see the impossible done in your life. Mark chapter 11 says, «Have faith in God, for whoever shall not doubt in his heart but believes shall see all things come to pass,» and whatever he says. Verse 23: «Whatever he says,» say that with me, «Whatever he says, God will do it.» But you have to say it. God loves to hear from you. God wants to hear from you. God wants to be the first person that you speak to. In Psalm 63, we read, «Oh God, you are my God, and early will I seek You.» Now, I need to clean this verse up for you so you get it in its original context and not in the modern twist because some people take this verse and they say David was so passionate about the Lord he got up early and sought Him. That’s not what it says.
First, let’s deal with «God, you are my God.» Was David repeating himself? No. The English language is pretty pathetic when it comes to interpretation. For example, in Hebrew, there are many names for God based on God’s character. So when David says, «God, you are my God,» what he’s actually saying in Hebrew is «Elohim, you are my El Shaddai.» He called him two different names. You say, «Well, that’s kind of silly.» No, it’s not. You ever looked at your wife and said, «Honey, baby, darling, love?» You’ve got several names for people that you’re affectionate with. What David was saying to God is, «Elohim means the God who can do anything and El Shaddai means the all-sufficient one.» He was letting everybody know that the God who can do anything was his all- sufficient one. Then when he said, «Early will I seek You,» he’s not talking about the time of day. He’s talking about priority. Before I talk to anybody else, I’m going to talk to You.
So what does this mean? This means when somebody comes up to you and pompously says, «I rise before the sun to speak with the Lord,» good for you; sleep in; you might enjoy it better! This is not about the hour of the day. God is not a space-and-time God; this is about priority. What David is saying is when you prioritize God as the first place that you’ll call upon, when you go to Him before you go to anybody else, when you speak to the God who can do anything and He’s the all-sufficient one, you’re going to find answers for problems and you’re going to find solutions in days of trouble, and you’re going to find victories in hours where you’re under distress because that’s the kind of God that you serve.
The second thing you need to know about prayer is that when you start praying, don’t talk about you; talk about Him. How did Jesus teach the disciples to pray? «Our Father.» Often, I hear people say things like, «Well, I just can’t pray for a few minutes. It’s two or three minutes of prayer and then I’m out of things to talk about.» It’s because you’re talking about the wrong thing. You’re a limited topic; sorry, but God is an endless conversation. And when you start talking in heavenly places, you need to know that not only are you speaking to the throne room of grace, but you are also in an atmosphere where there are powers and principalities and other spiritual forces.
So when you go into heavenly places and you start talking about our Father and you’re talking about the Alpha and the Omega, you’re letting every power and principality know that you’re not just knocking on any door; you’re going directly to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. You say, «God, I’m coming into heavenly places today because You are the creator of heaven and the creator of earth. You are the shepherd of the stars. You have them numbered, and You call them by name. You’re the one who sits on the circle of the earth, and You hold the mountains in a scale and the hills in a balance. I’m calling on the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations. I’m calling on the Mighty God who is able to save and mighty to deliver. I’m calling on Him who has never failed and will not fail me now.» Go into heavenly places and make sure that you let everybody know who you’re talking to.
The third thing that you do when you pray is that when you pray, you thank God for what He has done. The Bible says, «Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,» and this world is a heavy place. It’ll put you in some dire straits, some difficult circumstances. It’ll weigh you down. But when you start giving God thanks for what He has done, suddenly you put on a garment that causes all of that heaviness to flee. You don’t know what to pray about? Just start talking to God, being thankful unto Him and blessing His name.
«God, I thank You for the house that I get to sleep in, for the roof over my head. I thank You for the job that You’ve given me where I have the ability to earn. I thank You for the family that loves me and the friends that support me. I thank You for a church that teaches the Word. I thank You, Heavenly Father, for giving me Jesus Christ. I thank You that His blood has washed me white as snow and redeemed me. I thank You that He’s broken the chains and the shackles of sin off of my life. I thank You that He’s taken the shame and the guilt away because of His grace and His mercy. I thank You that You' ve given me access to You in heavenly places because You said, 'If I ask in Jesus' name, whatever I ask, it shall be done for me.' I thank You that, God, when I was sick, You healed me; when I was lonely, You comforted me; when I was down, You picked me up; when I was filled with sorrow, You gave me joy; when I was tormented, You brought me peace of mind. I thank You, God, that You’ve never failed me, and You will not now. I thank You that by Your word and by Your promise, You are bound to perform anything that You have ever said. I thank You, God, that You’ve caused Your angels to watch over me, and they’re not going to leave me, but they’re going to protect me, and no weapon formed will ever prosper. I thank You, God, that what I cannot see, You can see. I thank You, God, that what I cannot do, You can do. I thank You, God, that what I do not know, You do know. So today, I come to You, and I give You thanks, and I give You praise because You are a good God, and You are great and greatly to be praised.»
Now you start giving God that kind of thanks, and heaviness just runs. Why? Because you can’t worry and talk to God like that. I hear people all the time saying, «Oh, I’m so worried about this; I’m so worried about that.» Start thanking God. Worry will just take the exit. When you go to heavenly places, one, you have to open your mouth; two, you are calling on God in Jesus' name; three, thank God for what He has done. And once you’ve thanked Him for what He has done, then you start praising God for what He will do.
What’s the difference? Thanking God for what He has done is giving Him adoration for the goodness that He’s demonstrated in your past. Praising Him for what He will do is speaking prophetic blessings into your future. You’re saying, «God, because You did it here, I believe You’ll do it again. Because You healed me before, I give You glory for when You’re going to heal me in my future. You’ve turned things around on my behalf in the past, and I know You’re going to make a way where there seems to be no way in all of my tomorrows. I give You thanks, and I give You praise because You’re my shepherd, and because You’re my shepherd, I praise You that I shall not want. I’ll not want for joy because in Your presence is the fullness of joy. I shall not want for victory because the battle belongs to the Lord. I shall not want for peace because You are the Prince of Peace. I shall not want for anything because my God shall supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory.»
When you start talking to God about what He has done and what He will do, you start pulling down every high thing that in any way causes you to fear that God would ever fail you. You begin to crush every doubt; you begin to destroy every sense of want or worry because your God is able to do all things. Give Him thanks and praise in this house today.
I say this in closing: the last thing that you do in prayer-first, you say it; you have to open your mouth and do it. Two, you say it to God the Father in Jesus' name. Three, you thank Him for what He has done. Four, you praise Him for what He will do. And the fifth thing, when you pray, you pray with someone in agreement. Jesus said, «If any two of you gather on earth in My name and come into agreement,» say that with me, «agreement.» It’s very important that you don’t miss that point. Because sometimes people say, «Well, all I’ve got to do is just come together.» No, no, no, no! In agreement! Not everybody you get together with are you in agreement with.
Just have Thanksgiving at the family’s house-oh, sorry, different sermon! But when it comes to prayer, if you want exponential power, you’ve got to come together and pray with someone in what? Agreement! Why? Because God said whatever you ask in agreement, in faith believing, doubting nothing, whatever you ask, it will be done. And that’s why the agreement factor is so important. Because if you’re believing for a healing and you go to somebody and say, «I want you to pray with me about healing,» and they go, «Well, you know what the doctor said,» cut them from your prayer team. You’re disqualified! You can’t be in my prayer life! I want you to pray with me about my son, my daughter, my family member who’s lost. «Well, you know where they were last Friday?» Uh -uh, you’re fired; out! Because if you’re believing in their doubt, their doubt is canceling out your belief.
But if you come together in agreement, the Bible says one of us can put a thousand to flight; two of us can put ten thousand to flight. Exponentially, God pours out His power upon your life when you come together with the right person in agreement.