Key points
- 1
1Prayer begins with 'we,' not 'me' — it starts by recognizing God as our holy Father who sees what we cannot see.
- 2
2Prayer shifts us from building our own kingdom to aligning with God's kingdom, which requires daily surrender of our desire to be king.
“He's not a reflection of your dad, he's the perfection of dad and we get to call him father”
“A self centered Christian is like an oxymoron. It should not be connected”
A story from life
During COVID, Pastor Rocky called a church member to pray with her and she answered the phone rudely, then shifted to a pious tone when she realized it was her pastor
- 3
3When we pray for our needs, we ask for daily provision — our needs, not our greeds — trusting God one day at a time.
- 4
4Prayer includes asking for forgiveness and extending that same grace to others — receiving grace from God and giving it out is Christianity in a nutshell.
- 5
5Prayer asks God for direction — wisdom to know what He wants and courage to do it, keeping us on a path aligned with His kingdom.
- 6
6God answers every prayer — yes, no, or not yet — and we can know His answer through His Word, His people, His Spirit, and His guidance.
A story from life
A woman at Rock Point told Pastor Rocky that God wanted him to start a daycare at the church
A story from life
Pastor Rocky's three-year-old son tried to walk toward a stranger's black Jeep; Rocky said no and the boy trusted him despite not understanding why
- 7
7When God says no, we can trust Him because if our goodness and knowledge matched His, we would have made the same decision.
“He doesn't love the answer, but he loves me. So he's content with the answer”
“If my goodness and my knowledge matched his, I would have made the same decision”
“the bar owner believes in the power of prayer. And the church does not”
Illustration
Story of a church's prayer campaign against a neighboring bar construction; lightning strikes the site; the bar owner sues the church; the judge notes the bar owner believes in prayer more than the church does
Application
Pastor Rocky's challenge is straightforward: stop praying like God is a gumball machine, a slot machine, or a piggy bank, and start praying like someone in a real relationship with a holy Father who is actually listening. Practically, that means beginning prayer by remembering who God is and surrendering your desire to be king. Bring Him your daily needs, ask for the grace to forgive others the way you've been forgiven, and pray for the wisdom and courage to walk in His direction. When God says no, resist the urge to walk away from prayer — instead, lean into Father-centered trust, knowing He can see what you cannot. If you want to go deeper, find a community of people who know the Word and can speak into your life, because God often answers prayers through the people around you.
