Draw the Circle – Part 1

Drawing a Circle – April 8, 2018

 Rodney “Gypsy” Smith was born in a tent on the outskirts of London in 1860 and was a raised in a gypsy camp. His father, who was in and out of jail for various reasons, came to Christ under the ministry of a prison chaplain in 1873. Rodney came to Christ in 1876 at the age of 16. That’s when he taught himself to read and write so he could start preaching the gospel.

He would often sing hymns to people he met and earned the nickname “singing gypsy boy.” He served in missions’ organizations in England, including the Salvation Army.

Rodney crisscrossed the Atlantic Ocean forty-five times and preached the gospel to millions of people. It is said that he never preached without folks committing their lives to Christ. It seemed as if everywhere he went, revival was right on his heels.

A group of people once approached him wanting to know how they could make a difference with their lives like he’d made with his. His answer was profound. He said, “Go home. Lock yourself in your room. Kneel down in the middle of the floor, and with a piece of chalk draw a circle around yourself. There, on your knees, pray fervently and brokenly that God would start a revival within that circle.”

That is something each of us can do.

Today, I am inviting you to join me for a forty-day challenge of bold, expectant, Bible-based, miracle-producing prayer.

• I want you to be ready to participate right from the start.
  • Following this service, you will receive a copy of this book [Draw the Circle].
    • This book was given to me around Christmas time.
    • I started using it to supplement my devotional time on December 26.
    • I found it to be so helpful and inspiring that I wanted each of you to have a copy and I wanted Trinity to take up this challenge.
    • I want you to read it one chapter per day. You will be tempted to read more, but please stick to one chapter a day.
  • I want you to make your growth groups into prayer circles.
  • I want you to get a journal and document the promises of God you are believing, the requests you are making, and the answers you are seeking.
  • I want you to get into God’s presence and receive His agenda for your life and for this church.

As we embark on this journey, I want to look at five dynamics of praying for forty days as we “draw the circle” and “keep circling” in prayer. Before we get to those dynamics, let’s look at a passage from Joshua chapter 1 (page 151).

Joshua 1:1–11 (NIV84)

¹ After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. ⁵ No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

¹⁰ So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: ¹¹ “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”

Dynamics of praying 40 days

(1) The promises of God energize prayer.

1. God made a huge promise to Joshua.
   1. God said, “I will give you every place where you set your foot” (Joshua 1:3 NIV).
   2. God transferred this promise from Moses to Joshua: “As I promised Moses” (verse 3 NIV).
   3. Eventually, Joshua led God’s people to circle Jericho for seven days (see Joshua 6:15,20), and then Jericho fell.
2. There are promises in the Bible given to us (see 2 Corinthians 1:20).
   1. 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV84) – For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him, the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
   2. As we begin this challenge, it’s important to understand that we must pray God’s promises in God’s will and for God’s glory.
      1. This is not about us and what we want or what we expect or what we think we deserve.
      2. This is about God, what he wants, and the glory he deserves!

• We will not find a name-it-and-claim-it formula in this book. God is not a genie in a bottle. We are not his masters. He is ours!

1. This is not 40 days to getting your own way. We need to understand that right at the outset.

The promises of God that energize prayer, not our wants or expectations.

(2) Praying for forty days has a purpose.

1. The number forty isn’t magical, but there is something biblical about it. There are many instances of the number 40 connected to significant events in Scripture:
   1. In Noah’s time, it rained for forty days and for forty nights (see Genesis 7:12).
   2. Moses was in Midian for forty years before God called him to deliver Israel (see Acts 7:30).
   3. He spent 40 days and nights on Mount Sinai with God (see Exodus 24:18).
   4. He prayed for Israel for forty days and forty nights (see Deuteronomy 9:18).
   5. The Israelite spies took forty days to investigate the land of Canaan (see Numbers 13:25).
   6. The people then had to wander in the wilderness for forty years when they didn’t believe the report (see Deuteronomy 8:2).
   7. Goliath taunted Saul’s army for forty days before David arrived at the scene (see 1 Samuel 17:16).
   8. When Elijah ran away from Queen Jezebel, he traveled forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb (see 1 Kings 19:8).
   9. Jesus spent forty days being tested by the devil in the wilderness (see Matthew 4:2).
   10. Forty days passed between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension (see Acts 1:3).
2. The purpose of this forty-day challenge is simple: for each of us to create the habit of prayer.
   1. You might say, I already have a habit of prayer. That’s great! Please keep at it.
   2. Maybe prayer isn’t a habit for you.
      1. Maybe you think you should pray, then don’t.
      2. Maybe you only pray when things go badly.

• Whatever the reason, the goal here is for all of us to come out of these 40 days with a habit of prayer that will continue on day 41 and beyond.

(3) Persistent prayer demonstrates our passion to see God at work.

Matthew 7:7–8 (NIV84) – ⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

1. Though we don’t see it in English, Jesus was literally saying, “Keep on knocking, keep on seeking, keep on asking.” Don’t quit praying.
2. Luke records one of Jesus’ parables about a widow and a judge.
   1. We don’t know what happened, but the widow went to the judge asking for justice.
   2. He refused.
   3. She went to the judge again, and again, and again, and again, and again…until the judge gave her justice.
   4. Before sharing the story, Luke says Jesus told it to teach his followers that they should always pray and not give up.
   5. We need to be persistent in prayer. We need to learn not to give up. We need to learn to pray as long as it takes.
3. Application:
   1. Listen, God will not answer 100% of the prayers we don’t pray.
   2. What are you asking God for? What are you hoping for? What are desperate for?
   3. What promises of God excite your imagination?
   4. What would the habit of prayer look like in your life?

(4) Persistent prayer requires a place and a time.

1. Jesus directed us to a place in the sermon on the mount. He said, “Go into to your room” (Matthew 6:6 NIV).
   1. We need a place where we regularly go for prayer.
      1. It doesn’t matter where we pray as long as we’re not praying to impress others.
      2. We can pray anywhere: the bedroom, the living room, the kitchen, the basement, the attic, the garage, the shower, the backyard, the car, the park, etc.

• We can and should pray anywhere, but it’s most helpful to have a regular place of prayer.

1. Having a place is one thing, but we also need to consistently go to that place and pray.

2. It’s also helpful to have a time for prayer.
   1. We can pray at any time, but how many times have you ever gotten preoccupied and busy and the next thing you know its bedtime and prayer hasn’t really crossed your mind?
3. The Jewish people and the early Christians had regular times for prayer each day.
   1. The Jewish people prayed morning, afternoon, and evening prayers (see Psalm 55:17).
   2. In the book of Acts, we read that the early Christians followed suit…because they were Jewish.
      1. Pentecost occurred at nine in the morning while the disciples were gathered to pray (see Acts 2:15).
      2. Peter went up to a rooftop in Joppa to pray at noontime, where he received a vision (see Acts 10:9).

• Peter and John went to the temple at three in the afternoon, “the time of prayer” (Acts 3:1 NIV).

1. It’s helpful to set a consistent time for prayer each day.
2. Treat your prayer time like a non-negotiable appointment on your calendar.

4. Application:
   1. When do you pray? When do you want to pray?
   2. Where do you pray? Where do you want to pray?
   3. If you have a set time and place for prayer, it will help you to establish a daily habit of prayer.

(5) Prayer thrives in community with others.

1. The early believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching . . . and to prayer” (Acts 2:42 NIV).
2. Jesus encourages at least two joining together in prayer.
   1. Matthew 18:18–20 (NIV84) – ¹⁸ “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
      ¹⁹ “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
   2. Prayer does not have to be a solitary exercise. We can, and should, encourage one another.
   3. Find a prayer partner or partners—your spouse, a friend, colleagues, your growth group. You don’t need to go it alone!

Conclusion

1. This morning, I am challenging you to accept the 40-day prayer challenge. I am challenging you this morning to…
   • Find a time.
   • Find a place.
   • Find a friend(s).
2. If you want to see God do amazing things in your life and in the life of this church, then you need to be a praying person.
   1. Not just for the next 40 days…that’s only a starting point.
   2. We need to praying people every day!
3. While it’s good to have a personal prayer life, imagine the encouragement you will receive by praying with another believer in Christ. So, find a person—maybe two or a small group—and seek God expectantly for these forty days. And expect this forty-day prayer challenge to change your life.

After I pray, you can pick up your copy of the book in the foyer. Please do not take extras because you know someone who would like one. We bought enough for folks who regularly attend.

          One last thing. We’re having a prayer and praise service this evening at 7:00 PM. We will worship, and we’ll pray. We’d love to have you with us.

          Also, the church will be open for prayer each day from 7 AM – 7 PM.