Prayer moves us from self-centered living to Father-centered trusting.
Prayer isn't a gumball machine, a slot machine, or a piggy bank we cash in on ourselves. Jesus teaches, through the Lord's Prayer, that real prayer starts with remembering who our Father is, shifts our focus to His kingdom instead of our own, and only then makes room for our requests — and He always answers, with yes, no, or not yet.
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
“the bar owner believes in the power of prayer”
— Pastor Rocky High
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 1 of 6
Prayer begins with we, not me.
Pastor Rocky walks through Matthew 6:9, noting Jesus opens with 'our Father,' not a list of personal demands. He explains that calling God Father means we're His children, and that God isn't a reflection of our earthly dads but the perfection of fatherhood — even for those whose fathers caused pain rather than good.
“He's not a reflection of your dad, he's the perfection of dad and we get to call him father”
— Pastor Rocky High
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
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 2 of 6
God is holy, meaning He sees what we cannot see.
Because God is set apart and different from us, He can see and know things we can't. Pastor Rocky asks the room to raise hands if they've ever been glad God said no to a past prayer (like marrying a high school boyfriend or girlfriend), showing that what feels good to us isn't always good, and what feels bad isn't always bad.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 3 of 6
Prayer shifts me from my kingdom to God's kingdom.
Pastor Rocky says the hardest part of prayer is praying 'may Your kingdom come' instead of building our own. He points to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane sweating blood and praying 'not my will but Yours' to show that even Jesus wrestled with this, and argues a self-centered Christian is an oxymoron since following Christ means giving up the right to be king.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 4 of 6
Prayer is how we ask our Father to provide — in three biblical buckets.
From Matthew 6:11-13, Pastor Rocky identifies daily bread (our needs, not our greeds, tracing back to God's manna for Israel in the wilderness), forgiveness (receiving grace and extending it to others), and direction (asking God for wisdom and courage to avoid evil and stay on His path).
“A self centered Christian is like an oxymoron”
— Pastor Rocky High
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 5 of 6
God answers every prayer — yes, no, or not yet.
Pastor Rocky insists God is always listening and always responds, and gives four ways to discern the answer: God's Word (some prayers are already answered there), God's people (wise counsel in community), God's Spirit (with a caution that we can deceive ourselves), and God's guidance through how life actually unfolds.
“no one will lie to you more than you'll lie to yourself”
— Pastor Rocky High
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
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 6 of 6
When God says no, He can be trusted because He sees what we can't.
Using the story of stopping his three-year-old son from running toward a stranger's Jeep, Pastor Rocky shows that a no from a loving father, even when not understood, can still be trusted. He adds that if we had God's goodness and knowledge, we'd make the same call He does.
“If my goodness and my knowledge matched his, I would have made the same decision”
— Pastor Rocky High
“this is about your kingdom, not my castle”
— Pastor Rocky High
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Take it into your week
Prayer moves us from self-centered living to Father-centered trusting.
Application
Check which model of prayer you default to
Notice if you treat prayer like a gumball machine, a slot machine, or a piggy bank, and instead come to God for relationship, not just results.
Start prayer by remembering who you're talking to
Before asking for anything, acknowledge God as Father and as holy, trusting He sees what you cannot see.
Pray for God's kingdom before your own
Ask God for the courage to lay down the desire to be king and to align your life with His will instead of your own.
Bring your needs, forgiveness, and direction to God
Ask for daily needs rather than greeds, receive and extend forgiveness, and pray for wisdom and courage to avoid evil and follow His direction.
Test what you think God is saying against His Word and His people
When discerning yes, no, or not yet, check it against Scripture and seek wise counsel from godly people rather than relying only on a feeling.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI