THE POWER OF PERSUASIVE PRAYER (4 OF 5)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Exodus 32:1-20
This content is part of a series.
The Power of Persuasive Prayer (4 of 5)
Series: Prayer That Works
Jeff Strite
Exodus 32:1-20
OPEN: The story is told of the sharecropper who was charged with stealing his landlord's mule. The landlord was a rich and domineering man who had few friends among the common people, but the evidence against the defendant was overwhelming. When the jury retired to consider the verdict, they were out only 5 minutes.
"Have you reached a verdict, Mr. Foreman?" asked the judge.
"We have, Your Honor," the foreman replied, and handed a paper to the clerk.
The clerk read: "We the jury find the defendant not guilty, provided that he returns the mule."
The judge brought the gavel down sharply, saying, "Folks that's not a proper verdict. The defendant is either guilty or not guilty." He told the jury to retire and come back with a lawful verdict. So they left the room and returned again in another five minutes.
The verdict was handed to the clerk who unfolded the paper, and read the following: "We the jury find the defendant not guilty. He can keep the mule."
APPLY: You might say that jury was engaged in some creative decision making. They were not comfortable with the options they had, so they came up a verdict that was new and unique.
In today's text (dealing with Moses' prayer for Israel)... we're faced with something uncomfortable for many of us. It's a teaching from scripture that seems to go against everything we've ever been taught about God. But a teaching which might just help us look at prayer in a way that is entirely new and unique
I. First, let's look at the setting for Moses' prayer
About 4 months previously, Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt, and it seems - from the moment they were freed from slavery - the Israelites did nothing but complain.
• They complained at the waters of the Red Sea because they were afraid of the Egyptians
• They complained in the desert because
o ... 1st they didn't think they had enough to eat
o ... and ...
Series: Prayer That Works
Jeff Strite
Exodus 32:1-20
OPEN: The story is told of the sharecropper who was charged with stealing his landlord's mule. The landlord was a rich and domineering man who had few friends among the common people, but the evidence against the defendant was overwhelming. When the jury retired to consider the verdict, they were out only 5 minutes.
"Have you reached a verdict, Mr. Foreman?" asked the judge.
"We have, Your Honor," the foreman replied, and handed a paper to the clerk.
The clerk read: "We the jury find the defendant not guilty, provided that he returns the mule."
The judge brought the gavel down sharply, saying, "Folks that's not a proper verdict. The defendant is either guilty or not guilty." He told the jury to retire and come back with a lawful verdict. So they left the room and returned again in another five minutes.
The verdict was handed to the clerk who unfolded the paper, and read the following: "We the jury find the defendant not guilty. He can keep the mule."
APPLY: You might say that jury was engaged in some creative decision making. They were not comfortable with the options they had, so they came up a verdict that was new and unique.
In today's text (dealing with Moses' prayer for Israel)... we're faced with something uncomfortable for many of us. It's a teaching from scripture that seems to go against everything we've ever been taught about God. But a teaching which might just help us look at prayer in a way that is entirely new and unique
I. First, let's look at the setting for Moses' prayer
About 4 months previously, Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt, and it seems - from the moment they were freed from slavery - the Israelites did nothing but complain.
• They complained at the waters of the Red Sea because they were afraid of the Egyptians
• They complained in the desert because
o ... 1st they didn't think they had enough to eat
o ... and ...
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