January 19, 2012
PRAYER MEANS POWER, MORE PRAYER MEANS MORE POWER
Matthew 14
Matthew Wideman
Central Truth
If you normally see The Comforter in your morning, it won't be difficult to see comfort in your mourning.
Key Verse | Matthew 14:23
After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. (Matthew 14:23)
Matthew 14
The Death of John the Baptist
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, 2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, 1 14:3 Some manuscripts his brother's wife 4 because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, 7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9 And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way 2 14:24 Greek many stadia, a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters from the land, 3 14:24 Some manuscripts was out on the sea beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night 4 14:25 That is, between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, 5 14:30 Some manuscripts strong wind he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret
34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 36 and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
Dive Deeper | Matthew 14
In the last four years, my wife and I have lost seven family members on her side. The pain of losing a loved one is very real. I can only imagine how Jesus felt when He heard the news of John's beheading. John was Jesus' friend, cousin, and one of the only ones who actually understood who Jesus was -- "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)
So Jesus withdraws, seeking refuge with the Comforter, fulfilling His words in Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Jesus proceeded to pray, and power proceeded from Jesus. In fact, in this chapter it appears that Jesus prayed on three separate occasions, all on the same day, and power followed His prayers. He prayed and then healed the sick with no drugs. He prayed and then fed the multitudes with no kitchen. And then He prayed and walked on water with no floaties! Jesus prayed at His baptism, He prayed at the Transfiguration, He prayed just before the cross and even on the cross. Prayer, prayer, prayer all the way! If Jesus needed all that time in prayer, don't you and I need time in prayer? If Jesus needed it in every crisis, don't you and I need it in every crisis?
I've heard it said: "Your prayer life denotes how much dependence you place on your own ability. The more self-confidence you have, the less you pray. The less self-confidence you have the more you have to pray." For Jesus, prayer was a first priority, not a last resort. For me, it is easy to run to prayer once I have run out of solutions. True prayer is not a religious ritual. It is a deep, abiding relationship with The Almighty.
Lord, today, as your disciples asked in Matthew 6, teach me not just to "say my prayers," but to PRAY. Grow in me a deep, abiding relationship with You, that no matter my circumstances, I can know Your POWER as I'm in Your Presence. Amen.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you recently lost a loved one? Where have you sought comfort? Ministries like GriefShare can be of great help in pointing you to the Comforter.
2. According to Matthew 14:23-25, Jesus prayed alone from evening until the fourth watch of the night. When was the last time that you spent more than 5 minutes in a secret place of prayer? What is stopping you today?
3. Have you recently attempted something in your own power? What was the result? Have you recently seen power through prayer in your life? Will you share that with someone today?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
MATTHEW 11-15 (JANUARY 16-20)
Read Matthew 13:1-23.
How many different places did the seeds fall? Review what happened to the seeds in each place (verses 4-8).
What do the places represent (verses 19-23)?
What kind of place do you want your heart to be?
How do you make sure your heart stays like the good soil, a place where God's truth will grow?
Activity: Get four paper cups and some rye grass seed. Let each of the four cups represent one of the "places."
Pathway: an empty cup with some seed in the bottom.
Rocky Place: rocks and seed in the bottom.
Thorny Place: put soil with rye grass in it and then put a layer of coins covering the top of the soil to represent the riches of this world.
Fertile Place: soil with rye grass seed planted in it.
Put all four in the sunlight and remember to water them all. Watch and see what happens to all four "places." Think about how to remain like the good soil, allowing God's Word to grow in your heart and life.