Go deeper with others.

On Monday, April 24 th , 1809, a young man named Barnabas Bates came to Falmouth. He came to preach the unvarnished gospel of Jesus Christ – and his messages would spark a remarkable awakening, with hundreds on the Upper Cape surrendering their lives to Jesus. It happened then, and we should ask today, “God, do it again!” – because history may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes…

Prayer is rooted in desire. Simply put, we want things. ‘Wanting’ gets a bad wrap, but in prayer, it’s invited: it’s the cry of couples, parents, the hurting, the addicted, and the anxious. It’s the cry that declares: “We need something more.” And it turns out that ‘wanting’ prayers are the way of Jesus. This week we look at a famous prayer–taught by Jesus–that invites real awakening in our lives.

“What do you want?” It’s the question we started this series with, and it’s the question we go back to today. It’s the best way to start the process of praying for someone else – what we call “intercessory prayer.” But prayer is also personal – what I ask God to do in my life – so we must answer the question honestly for ourselves as we encounter Jesus, in a way that is both humble and faith-building.