Good morning family! Are you ready to learn more about prayer time this Passover?
What an incredible time we’ve just had! Fresh off the back of a powerful ‘Encounter Weekend’ that saw so many of you drawing closer to God – and culminating in a beautiful Baptism in our new pool, what a testimony!
The atmosphere was electric, and the presence of the Lord was truly tangible. On Sunday, we gathered once again, this time for Palm Sunday. A day soaked in history, marking Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. But Ps Larry cleverly showed us at Rhema South Coast Family Church, this wasn’t just a story from the past.
It was another crucial piece in the biggest mystery ever – the unveiling of Jesus Christ Himself.
Click HERE to see more photos from Sunday!
The Bible | God’s Detective Novel
Think about it for a sec. Ever been hooked on a detective story, putting together all those different clues, each one hinting at a bigger picture? Well, the Bible is pretty much the same thing! Ps Larry walked us through the scriptures, pointing out how God, with incredible care, laid down clues… hundreds, and even thousands of years before Jesus was born.
These weren’t just random things that happened; they were “purposeful and perfectly orchestrated,” like following a bright red ribbon that leads us straight to the Messiah.
Remember what it says in Luke 24:26-27? “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And then, starting right from Moses and all the prophets, Jesus Himself explained “in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” It’s almost like Jesus was saying, “See, it was all written down! The clues were there all along, hey!”
Old Testament Signposts to Jesus
Ps Larry reminded us that the Old Testament isn’t just a bunch of old tales; it actively shows us who Jesus would be. Even before the angel Gabriel visited Mary, the whole story of the Bible, in fact, the whole of human history, acts like a big arrow pointing directly to God’s Son. And as we know, Jesus, in turn, points us straight to the Father.
During this special time of Lent, as we get our hearts ready for the deep meaning of Easter, Ps Larry encouraged us to approach it like we’re solving a really interesting mystery. We don’t just want to watch from the sidelines. We want to get involved with “every part of ourselves” in understanding God’s amazing plan through Jesus.
The Ongoing Revelation of Jesus
But here’s where it gets even more exciting: even though we know Jesus is the answer to all those ancient clues, He’s still a mystery that keeps showing us more and more about Himself. There’s always something new to discover, deeper ways to worship, and a love that just keeps growing. And with His promise to come back, the mystery continues!
Seeing Beyond the Natural
Then, Ps Larry took us to that familiar story in Luke 24:13-16, where the disciples on their way to Emmaus were walking and talking with Jesus, but “their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” He made a really important point: just talking and trying to figure things out with our own minds can actually stop us from SEEING the things of God’s Kingdom. Trying to solve everything ourselves can blind us to God’s much bigger plans!
This really hit home, didn’t it? How often do we try to rely on our own understanding, our own abilities, instead of looking straight to Jesus? Like Proverbs 3:5-7 wisely tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.”
🙏 This brought us to a powerful truth: Your prayer time is the most important time! Trust, Ps Larry emphasized, pushes us right into the presence of the Lord. That’s where the incredible power of prayer and intercession gets unlocked.
The Power of Prayer Time and Trust
Think back to those disciples on the road. They were chatting about everything that had happened, trying to make sense of it all in their own heads. But it was only when Jesus opened up the scriptures to them that they started to understand. In the same way, when we bring our questions, our confusion, our whole lives into prayer, we’re inviting Jesus to show Himself and His truth to us.
Ps Larry then touched on that deep truth in Luke 24:25: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” He pointed out that there’s a power in suffering that we as humans often struggle to understand, but it’s incredibly precious to Jesus. Suffering, he reminded us, often leads to humility, which keeps us relying on the Lord.
Gethsemane | The Blood of Faithfulness
We were then taken to that intense scene in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42-46). This is where Jesus, in deep agony, prayed even more earnestly. In fact, His sweat became like big drops of blood. Ps Larry powerfully described this as The Blood of Faithfulness, the blood that came from Jesus’ brow as He submitted to what the Father wanted.
🙏 And here’s a truth that can change everything for us: In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus won back your WILLPOWER. He chose to obey, even when it was incredibly tough, making a way for us to also choose God’s will in our own lives.
The Underutilised Power of Intercession
This then led Ps Larry to the vital topic of Intercessory Prayer. For far too long, he said, it’s been a really “underutilised source of spiritual power” in the Church. But those who have jumped in and done it have seen amazing victory. Not just for themselves but for other people too! Luke 18:1 reminds us that we “ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up).”
🙏 Ps Larry made a strong statement: You can’t really intercede through prayer if you don’t believe that redemption is real and that God can show up right in the middle of our battles. Intercession isn’t just feeling sorry for someone. It’s about bringing them and their situation right before God until we are changed by how He sees them.
He used that powerful picture from Exodus 17:10-12, where Moses holding up his hands brought victory to Israel, with Aaron and Hur supporting him. This shows us the power of standing in the gap for others through prayer.
Stirring Yourself Up During Prayer Time
Drawing from Isaiah 64:7, Ps Larry highlighted the sadness over the lack of real intercession and the call to “stir ourselves up to take hold of You.”
🙏 He explained that true intercession involves:
- Calling on God’s Name
- Stirring Yourself Up
- Taking Hold of God
- Acknowledging Our Mistakes
It’s a “fervent, faith-filled pursuit of God’s presence and intervention,” marked by being humble and saying sorry when we mess up.
Ezekiel 22:30 echoed this call: “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”
Do you realise how powerful that verse is? God actively looks for people who will pray, who will stand in the gap, who will intercede so that people’s lives can be changed for good and for His Kingdom!
Who Should We Pray For?
Ps Larry then guided us on who we should be praying for, pointing to Matthew 5:43-45 – even our enemies! This isn’t something we can do on our own strength; it needs God’s love working through us.
He gave us some good advice for intercessors: be careful not to try and find out too much information about the situation you’re praying for! Why? Because it can become too much and stop you from praying effectively. Our focus should be on getting in line with God’s heart and what He knows is true.
Romans 8:26-28 reminds us that the Holy Spirit Himself helps us when we’re weak, interceding for us in line with God’s will. Our job is to get so close to God that we understand how He sees things.
Prayer Time for Complete Transformation
Ps Larry warned us against just praying for people to be “patched up.” Instead, we should be praying for them to have a complete connection with the very life of God. He reminded us of all the people God brings into our lives, urging us not to just forget about them but to lift them up in prayer.
Ultimately, Jesus Himself is the best example of intercession. We see this so beautifully in John 17, where He prayed for His disciples and for everyone who would believe in Him. His prayer for our protection, unity, and to be made holy is a huge encouragement for us today.
Your Call to Prayer
As we think about Ps Larry’s powerful message this Palm Sunday, let’s be moved to action in our own prayer lives. Let’s see our “prayer time” as that vital connection point with our Father in Heaven–the key to understanding Him better. Experience His power in our lives and the lives of those around us.
Are you ready to unlock the power of your prayer time? We really encourage you to connect with our Rhema South Coast family. Go to our Contact Us page to get in touch.
And if Ps Larry’s message spoke to you, you might also find Ps Mandy’s recent sermon, “Unleash Extravagant Love,” really inspiring, as it fits so well with this call to connect deeper and love more.
Let’s make a commitment to be people who “stir ourselves up” to grab hold of God in prayer time. Stand in the gap for our families, our community, and our country.
A Prayer for Deeper Intercession | Prayer Time
Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us how important our prayer time is.
We ask that You would stir up a new passion within us to seek You more, to trust You completely, and not to rely on our own understanding. Equip us, Lord, to be true intercessors, those who stand in the gap with Your heart and Your way of seeing things. Help us to pray not just for quick fixes, but for a deep and lasting connection with Your life for ourselves and for everyone
You’ve put in our lives. May our prayer time become a powerful force for Your Kingdom.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Discover the amazing story of Jesus’s love! This video tells the important story of when Jesus died and came back to life in a way that’s easy for kids to understand. It helps us see how much Jesus loves us all!
