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When Ben asked me to open the 
innings this year, as it were, 

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he gave me the subject of 
prayer. 

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No reason to base it around, no 
guidelines, no nothing. 

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So OK, here goes. 
Prayer. 

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What is it and why on earth do 
we do it? 

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I mean, it's clear that Jesus 
expects us to do it from what he

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said in the Sermon on the Mount,
Matthew chapter 6, verse 5, when

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you pray, verse 6. 
But when you pray, verse 7. 

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But when you pray, when you 
pray, do this when? 

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But if you pray, do that. 
When like if you pray, don't do 

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that. 
But why? 

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And the normal basic answer, 
which is often spouted is we 

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pray, we talk to God to develop 
our relationship with him. 

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OK, that will do. 
For starters, I talk to a 

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neighbour most days been doing 
so for the past 30 years. 

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We exchanged the time of day we 
talk about the weather have got 

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to the wind well during that 
time not really. 

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I know he doesn't like every 
soaking rain or Gale force 

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winds, but I put a new that 30 
years ago. 

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So hmm prayer. 
It has to be more than just 

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talking to God for the sake of 
it out of politeness. 

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Let's have some scripture Julie 
is going to read to us from the 

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book of Romans, Romans chapter 
8, verses 18 through to 30. 

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I consider that our present 
sufferings are not worth 

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comparing with the glory that 
will be revealed in US. 

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The creation waits in eager 
expectation for the sons of God 

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to be revealed. 
For the creation was subject to 

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frustration, not by its own 
choice, but by the will of the 

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one who subjected it, in hope 
that the creation itself will be

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liberated from its bondage to 
decay and bought into the 

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glorious freedom of the children
of God. 

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We know that the whole creation 
has been groaning as in the 

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pains of childbirth, right up to
the present time. 

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Not only so, but we ourselves, 
who have the first fruits of the

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Spirit, grown inwardly as we 
wait eagerly for our adoption as

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sons, the redemption of our 
bodies. 

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For in this hope we were saved. 
But hope that is seen is no hope

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at all. 
Who hopes for what he already 

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has. 
But if we hope for what we do 

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not yet have, we will wait for 
it patiently. 

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In the same way the Spirit helps
us in our weakness. 

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We do not know what we ought to 
pray for, but the Spirit himself

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intercedes for us with groans 
that words cannot express. 

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And he who searches our hearts 
knows the mind of the Spirit, 

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because the Spirit intercedes 
for the Saints in accordance 

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with God's will. 
And we know that in all things 

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God works for the good of those 
who love him who have been 

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called according to his purpose.
For those God knew, For those 

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God foreknew, He also 
predestined to be conformed to 

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the likeness of his Son, that he
might be the first born among 

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many brothers. 
And those he predestined he also

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called. 
Those he called, he also 

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justified. 
Those he justified, he also 

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glorified. 
Thank you, Julie. 

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Now is that reading. 
We had a word we don't always 

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get in our Bible readings. 
It's this word. 

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Grown creation groans. 
Verse 22. 

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Verse 23 We groan, but when do 
we groan? 

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When do you groan? 
How often do we groan? 

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Maybe quite a bit if we follow 
Blackpool at the moment. 

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OK, let's try something risky. 
Everybody close your eyes so 

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nobody can see you. 
Raise your hand apart from me. 

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It's the 4th of January, we're 
probably all eaten quite a bit 

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over Christmas. 
So hands up all those of you 

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who've stood on a pair of rain 
scales over the past couple of 

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weeks and groaned as a result, 
Right? 

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Noted. 
Right. 

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OK, next question. 
More, more dangerous. 

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Hands up all those of you who've
heard your partner or parent 

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stand on vain scales and grown 
as a result. 

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OK, last question, Hands up all 
those of you who've heard your 

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00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:12,520
parent or partner stand on 
scales and the scales grown as a

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result. 
OK, thank you. 

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I knew who I'm blackmailing now.
Now, I'm not really 20 to get 

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anybody there because of your 
size or shape or appetite, but 

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we groan because we're heavy, 
because there's a heaviness 

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about us, and we pray because 
we're heavy. 

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That's how it is with prayer. 
We pray because there's a 

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heaviness about us, something 
heavy on our hearts, something 

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that matters to us. 
And you might say, well, Ian, 

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stop there. 
What about that bit we heard I 

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devoted last year? 
You know, all that stuff about 

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God giving us a garment of 
praise for a spirit of 

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heaviness. 
And yeah, that's true. 

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That's how it is. 
No more shame, no more guilt in 

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Christ. 
But yet at the same time, we 

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00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,680
know that there's still times 
where there is such heaviness 

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about us, and that in itself is 
no bad thing. 

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If we look at Scripture we find 
that that in itself is no bad 

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thing. 
In Psalm 35, recognise him. 

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Psalm 35 verse 14. 
David speaks of his heart being 

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bowed down heavy in prayer in 
his letter to the Philippians. 4

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speakers of Apophoditus being 
full of heaviness for the church

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there. 
Paul himself in his letter to 

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the Romans, describes himself as
being full of heaviness for his 

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fellow Jews and even Jesus. 
Jesus himself in the Garden of 

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Gethsemane speaks of being heavy
in prayer and for all of them 

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and for many more besides that 
heaviness would divert his way 

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out in prayer, in help felt 
prayer as they poured out their 

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hearts before God poured out 
their hearts to God. 

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But the things that mattered to 
them. 

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And so we have an advancement. 
Prayer is talking to God, but 

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the things that matter to us, 
but the things that are heavy on

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our hearts. 
David Epaphroditus, Paul, Jesus,

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that's quite a company, isn't 
it? 

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And you, they can have that 
heaviness about us sometimes. 

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Maybe there's nothing wrong with
us having that heaviness about 

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us that drives us to prayer, at 
least sometimes. 

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In fact, maybe is the other way 
round. 

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Maybe there is something wrong 
if we don't have that heaviness 

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about us that drives us to 
prayer, at least at times. 

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And maybe the question is not so
much could you be heavy, but 

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what should you be heavy about? 
What should we have this 

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heaviness about? 
Well, what's creation heavy 

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about? 
What does it grow in about? 

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What do we grow in about? 
Let's hear the first few words 

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we heard again from that reading
from Romans. 

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All of creation rates with eager
longing for God to reveal his 

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sons. 
For creation was condemned to 

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lose its purpose, not of his own
will, but because God build it 

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to be so. 
Yet there was the hope that 

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creation would one day be set 
free from its slavery to decay. 

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I would share in the glorious 
freedom of the children of God, 

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for we know that up to the 
present time, all of creation 

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groans with pain like the pain 
of childbirth. 

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Creation groans as it eagerly 
awaits for the revelation of 

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God's sons. 
Creation groans to be released 

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to its futility and corruption, 
to be able to share in the 

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glorious liberty of those sons. 
The word used there with Mata 

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Iatus frustration. 
It's that sense of not being 

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able to fulfil your intended 
purpose, not being able to meet 

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your true potential. 
It's that same cry we heard 

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again and again last year as we 
looked through the Book of 

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Ecclesiastes. 
Vanity of vanities. 

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00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:49,840
Futility of futility, or the 
futility, Cries the preacher, 

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and the whole of creation agrees
with him. 

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00:11:54,120 --> 00:12:00,280
Echoes that with him, creation 
is frustrated at not being able 

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to fulfil its intended purpose 
as God meant it to be. 

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00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:11,640
See, right back at the 
beginning, God gave us mankind, 

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stewardship, dominion over the 
earth. 

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00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:20,840
He gave us creation to hold, as 
it were, and then we went 

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against God when we what we 
commonly refer to as the fall. 

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00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:31,520
When we fell, we brought 
creation crashing down with us. 

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We fell. 
Creation fell and it's not going

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to get back to how it was meant 
to be, how God meant it to be 

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00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:51,840
until we are back how God means 
us to be and that we'll put that

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into one single word, 
restoration. 

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Creation is heavy and it groans 
for restoration and that is what

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we groan for as well. 
We groan for our restoration. 

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Next verse, verse 23 is not only
creation alone which groans, we 

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00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:20,000
also have the first fruits of 
the spirit also grown within 

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ourselves as we wait for the 
adoption, the redemption of our 

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00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:30,160
bodies. 
And it's this, our full 

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restoration, the full 
restoration, the full 

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restoration of all of creation 
for God to put things right, 

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00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:46,320
everything right, forever, as it
meant to be, as it meant it to 

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be. 
That's to be the focus of our 

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prayer, all of our prayer, all 
of it. 

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Restoration. 
When I first came to faith and I

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00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:05,320
was taught how to be a good 
little Christian. 

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Yeah, that's hard to imagine, 
isn't it? 

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Me as a good little Christian, 
but maybe I was born once. 

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Maybe. 
But anyway, when people were 

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trying to get me to be 1, I got 
told about cats. 

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Cats for the purposeful prayer 
life. 

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00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:35,280
It's an acronym for the four 
main types of prayer, 

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confession, adoration, 
Thanksgiving, and supplication. 

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And our cries, our groans, our 
prayers for restoration come out

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in all four of those types of 
prayer, some of them more 

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obviously than others. 
Confession. 

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00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:04,280
Yes, we might not make cry the 
biggest deal of confession as 

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some of the churches do. 
We might not shut ourselves off 

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in the box with Ben every week. 
But we still know it has a 

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point, a place in our lives that
the things which aren't quite 

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right with us still which we 
need to work through with God 

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and seek his help in putting 
them right. 

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00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:33,600
As one traditional form of 
confession grows, goes, we have 

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more joy image within us. 
Oh, God. 

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And we need God to restore his 
image within us. 

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00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:47,000
Supplication. 
Yeah. 

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00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:53,000
Asking for the things we need to
get by Our Daily Bread, the 

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things that we need to serve God
to play our part in his 

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restoration process, but also 
bringing before God the 

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situations we know that need 
restoring as I'm not as they 

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00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:15,200
should be, at least in our 
opinion, Thanksgiving. 

186
00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:20,640
Yeah, thanking God for what he's
done already, obviously for the 

187
00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:24,960
press he's already answered for 
the restoration he's already 

188
00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:28,240
worked. 
But in thanking God for those 

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00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:33,400
specific, can I say rather 
limited things with 

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acknowledging that there's still
more restoration of work that 

191
00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:43,120
needs to be done? 
Adoration. 

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00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,720
Hmm, interesting one. 
Worship. 

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00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:53,280
Well, I can't really speak about
what you do elsewhere, but we 

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00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:58,200
get together here on a Sunday 
and we praise and worship God. 

195
00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:01,840
And what is it that we praise 
and worship Him for? 

196
00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:07,760
His Holiness, His love, His 
faithfulness. 

197
00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:14,359
These in many of our worship 
songs we sing nice words. 

198
00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:18,560
But why? 
Why do we call out God for these

199
00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:23,119
things? 
Because these things about God 

200
00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:28,200
is fully now and what we are not
fully yet. 

201
00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:35,440
These are the things that we see
as being in God's folly, but we 

202
00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:42,360
see as lacking in ourselves, in 
our communities, in our society.

203
00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:49,520
And so as we worship God for who
He is, for how He is, there's 

204
00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:57,360
also this cry rising up from his
inners for more of it, for more 

205
00:17:57,360 --> 00:18:02,400
of His Holiness, more of His 
truth, more of his healing, 

206
00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:07,880
restoring love in our lives and 
the lives themselves around us. 

207
00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:14,520
Power, very similar. 
We praise God for his power. 

208
00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:19,720
He breaks every chain. 
But even as we praise God for 

209
00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:25,000
his power, we know there are 
people who are fighting illness,

210
00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:29,080
who are fighting addiction, who 
are fighting all kinds of bad 

211
00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:34,240
things in their lives, enough to
lose in that fight because of 

212
00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:36,520
their human weakness and 
frailty. 

213
00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:42,520
And we long for the day when 
those things are no more, when 

214
00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:45,400
God would do away with them as 
He's promised He will. 

215
00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:50,720
And so again, as he prays and 
bless you God for his power, 

216
00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:56,240
this is cry from his inners for 
more of his power to be released

217
00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:01,320
on these than us that we become 
free, freer. 

218
00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:06,080
That's through US. 
God sets other people free 

219
00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:15,200
today, Skip Kothru Julie 
Emmanuel, we're leading us in 

220
00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:20,960
groaning in prayer in worship. 
Yes, we're groaning in prayer. 

221
00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:25,600
Then not all groaning sounds 
like a camel with toothache. 

222
00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:30,720
Some of it can be quite melodic,
and that's what we were doing. 

223
00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:37,680
But praying for restoration, 
praying for restoration of 

224
00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:42,080
something, praying for 
restoration of anything of all 

225
00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:46,760
things, of everything that is 
big. 

226
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But we do not pray or groan 
alone, because in that passage 

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from Romans we heard about 1/3 
groaning. 

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Verse 26. 
Likewise, the Spirit helps us in

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our weaknesses, for we do not 
know what we should pray for, as

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we ought, but the Spirit himself
bakes intercession for us with 

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groanings that cannot be 
uttered. 

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Yeah, let's clarify that. 
First of all, that could be 

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misunderstood. 
Can they be uttered? 

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The word there you could say is 
alleletos. 

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It means wordless. 
This is not praying in tongues. 

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Tongues uses words. 
The clue is in the name. 

237
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But praying in tongues is 
equally as valid a part of our 

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prayer lives. 
That's one was 826. 

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00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:02,880
You know, some of you at least, 
what comes swifted after that, 

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don't we? 
It's that assurance of Romans 8,

241
00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:11,600
verse 28. 
For know that in all things, God

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works for the God of those who 
love him. 

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That's an assurance we often get
quoted at us in all sorts of 

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00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:24,120
interesting, messy, confusing 
circumstances. 

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And it's true, God does work 
through those. 

246
00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:35,600
But yet in this context, it's 
clear that the main way that God

247
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works for that God is through 
the intercession of the Holy 

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Spirit in US and through US. 
OK, God groans with us, within 

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us, through His Spirit. 
And the good news in all of that

250
00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:59,680
is that he prays, He groans for 
the same things that we do. 

251
00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:06,360
Restoration our restoration, 
gracious restoration, 

252
00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:10,920
restoration for us, restoration 
through us. 

253
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Except that the Holy Spirit 
makes a good good bit better job

254
00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:22,040
of it than we do. 
Because to corrupt an 

255
00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:28,360
advertisement slogan for the 
1970s, the Holy Spirit groans 

256
00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:34,080
prayers, intercessions reach 
parts that their own prayers 

257
00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:37,360
groans, intercessions cannot 
reach. 

258
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Because He knows the very heart 
of the Father. 

259
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How the very heart of the Father
is set on this restoration. 

260
00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:52,640
So much so that He sent Jesus to
die on the cross to open up the 

261
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way for that restoration for 
each and every one of us. 

262
00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:02,800
God's heart is set on 
restoration. 

263
00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:09,800
That's something those of us who
went to devoted last year were 

264
00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:14,800
left no doubt about. 
With all of the main evening 

265
00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:21,400
talks coming from Isaiah 61. 
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord

266
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:24,640
is upon me. 
He's anointed me to preach good 

267
00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:27,680
news to the poor. 
Well, we know how it goes. 

268
00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:32,880
We've heard it before. 
May we keep on hearing, it may 

269
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keep on happening. 
He's at first we don't always 

270
00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:42,640
hear. 
But let him who glories glory in

271
00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:48,640
this, that He understands and 
knows me, that I am the Lord, 

272
00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:54,240
exercising loving kindness, 
judgement and righteousness in 

273
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the earth. 
For in these I delight, saith 

274
00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:05,320
the Lord. 
OK, good exercises loving 

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00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:10,040
kindness, judgement and 
righteousness in the earth, IE 

276
00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:14,720
restoration. 
He delights in it, and He wants 

277
00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:22,040
us, His people, to know and to 
glory in that truth, not just 

278
00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:26,280
for the sacred knowing it, but 
because He chooses to do these 

279
00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:30,640
things through us. 
Because for some unearthly 

280
00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:36,800
reason, God in His unfathomable 
wisdom, chooses to work this 

281
00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:43,240
restoration out in US and 
through us as a as a result of 

282
00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:50,000
our prayers, as we pray. 
And this, if I want is, is the 

283
00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:53,640
main point I want to try to get 
across this morning. 

284
00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,680
It's taking me long enough, I 
know, but we've got there. 

285
00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:05,400
Prayer is about working out our 
joint desire for restoration 

286
00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:11,320
with God. 
Remember back back at the 

287
00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:17,760
beginning, ages ago now, about 
prayer being about building up 

288
00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:21,920
our relationship with God? 
Was that so? 

289
00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:27,680
But as in any healthy 
relationship, that has to work 

290
00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:32,240
out both ways. 
We talk to God about what's 

291
00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:37,000
heavy on our hearts, what 
matters to us, and we allow God 

292
00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:40,640
to speak to us about what's on 
His heart. 

293
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:46,720
And as we do that, we find 
ourselves caring more and more 

294
00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:50,760
about what's on God's heart and 
working those things through 

295
00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:53,560
with him. 
But that needs work. 

296
00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:59,840
But as we do that, as we set out
to see God's heart, we may find 

297
00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:06,160
that He gives us that special 
prayer language, but helps us to

298
00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:10,920
tune into Him more. 
I mean, they find that He gives 

299
00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:16,640
us words, pictures, scriptures, 
whatever to help us to focus our

300
00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:22,920
prayers in particular ways. 
And on His heart particularly is

301
00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:27,800
us, our restoration. 
He delights in our restoration. 

302
00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:30,720
He delights in restoring through
us. 

303
00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:36,600
God delights in his people 
coming to Him and seeking to be 

304
00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:42,160
part of his restoration process,
coming to him in prayer and 

305
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:45,360
seeking to be part of his 
restoration process. 

306
00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:51,640
So how do we go about that? 
Yeah, let's finally get 

307
00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:57,840
practical. 
Ian, however you find works for 

308
00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:00,960
us. 
But let's look at 2 simple 

309
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:07,000
commands of Paul's writings. 
Very basic, but I will give you 

310
00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:11,520
some of the things that work for
me and you may be able to 

311
00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:15,640
customise them to work for you 
as well. 

312
00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:24,720
First command Thessalonians pray
without ceasing. 

313
00:27:26,120 --> 00:27:31,080
That may mean developing regular
prayer times, regular times of 

314
00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:34,360
prayer and sticking to them 
whatever. 

315
00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:40,360
Nehemiah prayed day and night. 
Nehemiah one verse 6. 

316
00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,280
David in the Psalms went one 
better. 

317
00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:51,280
He prayed evening, morning and 
noon. 2 regular times of prayer.

318
00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:58,840
Daniel get those same prayer 
times three times a day. 

319
00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:05,360
Daniel 6 verse 10. 
He kept prayer times three times

320
00:28:05,360 --> 00:28:09,800
a day, as had been his custom 
since early days. 

321
00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:14,160
Rick let us clockwork. 
You could just set your watch by

322
00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:17,080
him, but his enemies probably 
did. 

323
00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:21,440
That's how they caught him out. 
But Daniel would not let 

324
00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:26,800
anything get in the way of his 
regular prayer times, like even 

325
00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:30,840
his enemies. 
That's one example to follow. 

326
00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:35,720
Keep at it. 
Colossians 4, verse 2. 

327
00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:41,600
Continue earnestly in prayer, or
as second puts it, push. 

328
00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:49,960
Pray until something happens. 
Here's something else Paul said,

329
00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:55,080
and everything by prayer and 
supplication. 

330
00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:58,120
Make your requests done before 
God. 

331
00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:09,200
In everything, by prayer and 
supplication, in all situations,

332
00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:13,320
pray. 
And yes, sometimes prayer is the

333
00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:17,160
only thing we can do at all 
times. 

334
00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:20,480
Prayer is the best thing we can 
do. 

335
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:25,640
But we probably don't do that in
absolutely every situation. 

336
00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:33,920
One way to take that forward. 
Once Upon a time there were a 

337
00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:38,000
couple of monks in the 
monastery, and one of them 

338
00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:44,560
approached the Abbot and said, 
Father, is it OK if I smoke 

339
00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:50,000
while I pray? 
Certainly not, came the reply. 

340
00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:56,840
Exit 1. 
Jason Monk stays left, and so 

341
00:29:56,880 --> 00:29:58,920
the other monk approached the 
Abbot. 

342
00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:05,000
Father, is it OK if I pray while
I smoke? 

343
00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:14,080
Certainly, my dear child, we 
build prayer into our regular 

344
00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:18,480
routines. 
I know that when I go and buy 

345
00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:23,800
morning paper, I will go a 
particular way and I will pray a

346
00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:29,240
certain way along the way. 
I know that when I'm stopped at 

347
00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:34,160
red traffic lights, I'll pray a 
particular prayer and it's not, 

348
00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:41,360
oh Lord, not another red light. 
I'll build my more prayers into 

349
00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:44,120
my routines. 
It's something we can all do, 

350
00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:49,440
knowing that in a certain place,
in a certain situation, you can 

351
00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:58,720
certain thing we pray, or we 
could go a step further and 

352
00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:04,360
build prayers into our routine 
that actually fit the routine. 

353
00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:10,320
That's what the early Celtic 
church did as they were lighting

354
00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:12,880
the fire each morning in their 
Crofts. 

355
00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:17,120
They might pray the fire of 
Christ upon themselves. 

356
00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:21,120
They might pray the warmth of 
Christ upon all who visited 

357
00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:25,600
them, upon all who lived there 
as they built their Coos. 

358
00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:29,640
They might pray that they too 
would be productive and fruitful

359
00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:33,920
in their series of God, and so 
on and so forth. 

360
00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:39,960
And so there was this constant 
cycle of prayer almost 

361
00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:45,000
throughout their waking hours. 
Now, I'm sorry, Skip, we might 

362
00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:49,000
not have any Coos to milk 
anymore, but we'll all have 

363
00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:53,560
prayers that we can fit 
meaningful prayers around. 

364
00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:58,160
But I love routines, everyday 
routines that we can fit 

365
00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:03,440
meaningful prayers around. 
Really, I think anything we do, 

366
00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:06,520
we should be able to fit a 
prayer around. 

367
00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:12,240
And if we can't, maybe we should
be doing that thing in the first

368
00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:20,880
place. 
Yeah, back to that letter to the

369
00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:26,400
Thessalonians. 
Paul writes this night and day, 

370
00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:32,040
praying exceedingly that we may 
see your faith and perfect what 

371
00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:38,920
is lacking in your faith. 
Paul there praying for the 

372
00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:43,640
church, praying for individuals 
within the church for their 

373
00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:49,360
restoration and for his part in 
their restoration and for their 

374
00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:52,360
part in God's plan for 
restoration. 

375
00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:58,280
And elsewhere in his letter to 
the Colossians, Paul mentions A 

376
00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:04,320
chap called Epaphrus who was 
always praying fervently for 

377
00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:10,920
you, always praying fervently. 
If I could have that as a three 

378
00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:16,200
word epitaph was an epitaph. 
Colossae. 

379
00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:21,840
We're at Pastor's home church. 
He would have had that burden 

380
00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:26,800
for them. 
But do we, do we have that 

381
00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:31,080
burden for our church? 
Do we have the burden for the 

382
00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:35,240
people in our church or the 
people in your church? 

383
00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:39,840
If you're visiting us? 
Do we want to develop that 

384
00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:43,640
burden? 
Cause often that burden only 

385
00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:47,320
grows as you start praying for 
people. 

386
00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:50,880
It's as if God gives us a stake 
in them. 

387
00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:57,040
At one of our first prayer 
meetings here, I asked everybody

388
00:33:57,040 --> 00:34:04,880
there for number between 1 and 
31, then committed to praying 

389
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:08,159
for them on that particular date
each month. 

390
00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:15,040
And from there, I've now got a 
four month prayer plan which 

391
00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:17,600
takes in pretty much everybody 
here. 

392
00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:22,520
Here's another idea. 
Then let's all do something 

393
00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:28,400
similar. 
Let's start prayer Diaries, each

394
00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:31,080
of us praying for everybody 
else. 

395
00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:35,800
Nobody's getting missed out. 
It shouldn't take some kind of 

396
00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:40,400
message in WhatsApp for us to be
praying for each other. 

397
00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:47,320
It should be happening anyway. 
If we don't know what to pray 

398
00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:52,080
for somebody, don't worry. 
You have to start somewhere. 

399
00:34:54,400 --> 00:35:00,320
Pray what you know of that 
person, how you think they need 

400
00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:04,360
God's restoration in their 
lives, and pray for their 

401
00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:07,960
service of God. 
They're what you know they're 

402
00:35:07,960 --> 00:35:10,800
doing. 
They're parting His plans for 

403
00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:18,280
restoration use some of the 
prayers Paul prayed for the 

404
00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:24,720
churches. 
I've got a lots of them here, 

405
00:35:24,720 --> 00:35:28,520
actually. 
Yeah. 

406
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:30,960
Take take a couple of seats, 
toss them around. 

407
00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:34,880
Yeah, I thought them decide as 
well. 

408
00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:43,560
Praise these over each other, or
at least the gist of them. 

409
00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:47,400
We're not fussy here, you know, 
Not fussy at all. 

410
00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:50,640
Any prayer of pause is good 
enough for us. 

411
00:35:50,680 --> 00:36:06,720
I always say 
yeah. 

412
00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:12,400
And if you're praying for 
people, use the prayer language 

413
00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:16,400
God has given you. 
Tune into what that what God 

414
00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:19,680
wants for that person. 
And if you don't have that 

415
00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:24,000
prayer language yet, then ask 
God for it. 

416
00:36:24,720 --> 00:36:29,520
Ask somebody here to pray with 
you for it and ask for words, 

417
00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:34,120
pictures, whatever for the 
person that you're praying for. 

418
00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:41,320
There's lots of stuff there, but
I tell you now, it works. 

419
00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:48,160
I remind a few churches, you 
know that and one particular 

420
00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:50,800
church, I'd only been there a 
month. 

421
00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:55,920
I got told them very 
specifically to pray for one 

422
00:36:55,920 --> 00:37:00,600
person there who had never 
spoken to and knew only by 

423
00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:04,920
sight. 
It's everything how that 

424
00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:08,720
developed. 
We serve an amazing God. 

425
00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:11,800
We'll have talked for long 
enough. 

426
00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:16,520
Now let's have a cartoon 
instead. 

427
00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:20,960
I like cartoons. 
Take me back to my childhood. 

428
00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:23,560
Not that I've ever really 
finished. 

429
00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:39,640
So a cartoon. 
Do something, anything. 

430
00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:56,520
Thank you. 
Enjoyed that. 

431
00:37:57,440 --> 00:38:00,840
Do something. 
Mostly do something. 

432
00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:05,400
Anything. 
It's New Year, let's do 

433
00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:09,280
something, anything to grow our 
prayer lives. 

434
00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:16,360
All of us, not just the people 
around you, but you as well. 

435
00:38:17,240 --> 00:38:20,240
Hopefully the people around you 
will do something as well, but 

436
00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:23,720
preferably not a tap dance by a 
swimming pool. 

437
00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:29,840
Let's all do something more to 
pray for the restoration of 

438
00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:37,560
God's Kingdom in US, in those 
around us, in our church, in our

439
00:38:37,560 --> 00:38:43,360
society, in our world. 
I've put four options out there.

440
00:38:45,200 --> 00:38:52,200
One, develop your prayer 
language. 2 develop regular 

441
00:38:52,200 --> 00:39:00,360
prayer times. 3 good prayer into
your daily routine. 4 get a 

442
00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:05,600
prayer diary going. 5 not 
mentioned yet, get prayer 

443
00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:10,480
walking with second. 
That's every Saturday apart from

444
00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:14,240
the first Saturday of the month 
if you can make it. 

445
00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:17,920
Join him play restoration into 
our town. 

446
00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:24,280
And number six, get to Ben's 
Bruce Benstein. 

447
00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:31,080
Every month we get together at 
Ben's to pray for restoration in

448
00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:37,120
our church in our town. 
We have whole weeks of prayer in

449
00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:43,680
September and in January. 
That's convenient, isn't it? 

450
00:39:43,680 --> 00:39:48,120
Because it's January now and 
it's the first Wednesday this 

451
00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:51,120
coming Wednesday. 
So you can't, don't have time to

452
00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:56,720
forget yet. 
Prayer at Ben's 7:45 this 

453
00:39:56,720 --> 00:40:02,440
Wednesday and a time of prayer a
week of prayer coming up later. 

454
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:07,920
Yeah. 
Praying. 

455
00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:12,760
Praying together, seeking God 
together, seeking God's 

456
00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:16,200
restoration together. 
That's six options. 

457
00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:26,400
Don't you stop at 1:00. 
I feel a bit of angryness coming

458
00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:29,240
on, probably. 
And the kindness, that's always 

459
00:40:29,240 --> 00:40:33,640
dangerous, isn't it? 
Just do something in the name of

460
00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:36,960
God, with Father, Son, and Holy 
Spirit. 

461
00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:41,800
Just do something in His name 
for the restoration of His 

462
00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:46,000
Kingdom and for His glory. 
Do something. 

463
00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:51,960
And then I'll hand over to Joel.
He's going to sing and play over

464
00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:57,240
us a song some of you may know 
Consuming fire. 

465
00:40:57,720 --> 00:41:02,840
There must be more than this 
while we come before God and 

466
00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:09,200
work out at least one way that 
we can move on from here in our 

467
00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:09,960
prayer lives.