As most of you probably know, I’m a tech guy. I love new gadgets. And everytime I buy a new gadget I go through this same experience. I read all the reviews, watched the unboxing videos—I am obsessed. The day it arrives, I feel like a kid at Christmas. It is amazing! For about a month or two. Then, it just becomes… normal. The gadget didn’t change, it’s still a great gadget, but the wow factor was gone. It was just another thing in my gadget collection.
Isn't it funny how quickly the special can become standard? The remarkable/regular. The new/normal. The problem with "normal" is that we can get so used to it that we forget how incredible it really is. And I’ve been thinking, we cannot let that happen with what God is doing in our church right now.
Seriously, take a second and think about it. What we are experiencing is not normal. We’re sending our youth on mission trips where they shared the love of Jesus. We just had Serve Day, where a hundred of you poured out into our community, putting the Gospel into action. And look around on a Sunday morning—it’s the middle of summer, and people are packing this place, hungry for God to transform their lives! This isn't normal; this is supernatural.
This is why our prayer time is so critical. We have to be a people who refuse to let the incredible work of God become common. The Psalmist David gives us the key in Psalm 103:2. He says, "Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits."
He’s giving himself a pep talk! He’s saying, "Don't you dare forget what God has done!" That’s our challenge today, team. We have to Prevent Normal Prayer. How do we do it? Three quick things.
First, we Keep Honor. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." To me, this is about remembering who gets the credit. It’s so easy to see big things happen and start thinking, "Wow, we’re a pretty great church." No! God is a great God! He’s the one changing lives. He’s the one opening doors. We get to be a part of it, but it is all about Him. Let’s keep the honor where it belongs.
Second, we Keep Gratitude. Psalm 77:11, "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago." God's provision in the past is the fuel for our praise in the present. When we pray, let's start by looking back. Remember that person who got saved, that bill that got paid, that sickness that was healed. When you remember what He’s already done, it makes it impossible to be casual about what you’re asking Him to do now.
Finally, we Keep Expectation. This is the fun one. Ephesians 3:20 says God is able "to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." Not just more, but immeasurably more! Are we praying prayers that reflect that? Or have our prayers become standard? Regular? Normal? God wants to blow our minds! God sent His Son to this earth for us, immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. God provides His love, grace, mercy, so let’s pray with a holy expectation, believing that the God who did it before is ready to outdo Himself again.
As we go into our prayer time, let's focus on these three things.
As you pray for yourself: Guard your heart. Ask God, "Is there any area where I’m taking your goodness for granted?" As you pray for others and our church: Let's pray with fresh honor, thanking God for what He’s doing. Let's pray with gratitude, remembering His specific miracles. And let's pray with expectation, asking Him to do immeasurably more in our services, in our community, and in every heart.
Let's not settle for normal. Let's be people who "forget not all His benefits."