Loving Our Neighbor on Our Knees
The sermon emphasizes the power and importance of intercessory prayer as a means of loving and supporting our neighbors.
Mary Wilder Tileston, through the words of Alfred Tennyson and Elizabeth Rundle Charles, emphasizes the profound impact of intercessory prayer in serving and helping others. She highlights the power of prayer to reach hearts, protect, teach, and comfort those we care about, acting as a ministry akin to that of an angel. Intercessory prayer is described as a way of loving our neighbors while on our knees, binding the earth to God through golden chains of prayer.
Text
Moreover, as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord, in ceasing to pray for you.
I SAMUEL 12:23
MORE things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day.
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.
ALFRED TENNYSON
PERHAPS we do not think enough what an effective service prayer is, especially intercessory prayer. We do not believe as we should how it might help those we so fain would serve, penetrating the hearts we cannot open, shielding those we cannot guard, teaching where we cannot speak, comforting where our words have no power to soothe; following the steps of our beloved through the toils and perplexities of the day, lifting off their burdens with an unseen hand at night. No ministry is so like that of an angel as this--silent, invisible, known but to God.
ELIZABETH RUNDLE CHARLES
Intercessory prayer might be defined as loving our neighbor on our knees.
CHARLES H. BRENT
Sermon Outline
- I points: - The importance of prayer in our lives - Understanding intercessory prayer - The impact of prayer on others
- II points: - How prayer connects us to God - Prayer as a form of service - The role of faith in prayer
- III points: - Praying for those we love - The unseen power of prayer - Encouragement to pray consistently
- IV points: - Examples of intercessory prayer in the Bible - The transformative nature of prayer - Call to action for the congregation
Key Quotes
“Moreover, as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord, in ceasing to pray for you.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“No ministry is so like that of an angel as this--silent, invisible, known but to God.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“Intercessory prayer might be defined as loving our neighbor on our knees.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- Commit to praying for at least one person daily.
- Recognize the unseen impact of your prayers on others' lives.
- Encourage others in your community to join you in intercessory prayer.