Keys to Revival: Kingdom Prayer (Matthew 6:19-34)

 

[Slide] Keys to Revival: Kingdom Prayer (Matthew 6:19-34)

We are in week three of our revival journey. We are together daily seeking to be renewed in God’s love. Daily practice of prayer is like daily practice for athletes and musicians. [Slide] When an athlete practices diligently every day, they are prepared for high performance during the game. Revival is not something you watch from the stands. God calls us onto the field. The Lord calls us to seek first His kingdom and persevere in prayer.

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Any meaningful victory involves struggle. [Slide] Athletes train daily because effort is non-negotiable. Small habits, repeated with intention, prepare them for decisive moments. The same holds true for spirituality. We do not suddenly become people of powerful prayer when crisis arrives. We build a life of prayer one day at a time. Our daily devotional time matters because those dedicated, God-seeking minutes, create spiritual strength.

How do we prepare when forces greater than us threaten our families and community? Exodus 17 gives us an answer.

[Slide] The Amalekites attacked Israel at Rephidim. Israel had escaped slavery and was traveling through the wilderness when a violent enemy moved against them. Moses told Joshua to choose men and fight, while Moses went to the top of the hill with the staff of God in his hands.

Joshua fought in the valley. Moses prayed on the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed. When his hands fell, Amalek prevailed. The fate of the people was connected to persistent prayer. [Slide] Moses became tired, so Aaron and Hur placed a stone beneath him and held up his arms, one on each side, until sunset. Then Joshua overcame the enemy.

This story shows us that faithful action and faithful prayer belong together. Joshua swung the sword, while Moses sought The Lord. Our obedience matters. When you work for revival, pray knowing that victory depends on God. Prayer is not passive. Prayer is how God’s people enter the spiritual battle to establish God’s kingdom on earth.

[Slide] Prayer can protect a family, strengthen a church, and change the spiritual direction of a community. God’s power was available to Israel, and that power was accessed through prayer. When victory came, Moses built an altar and called it, “The Lord is my banner.” He gave the glory to God.

What banner is over your life? What gets your glory? Is it comfort, success, politics, wealth, or reputation? What needs to change to wave the Lord as your banner? [Slide] Revival begins when we place everything under God’s power and purpose, and pray, “Thy kingdom come!”

[Slide] Three things to know about Kingdom praying or revival prayers. Revival begins when ordinary believers pray passionately, persistently, and together for God’s kingdom to come.

[Slide] Revival prayer is passionate. Passion does not mean emotional performance. It means that our hearts become aligned with God’s heart. Nehemiah wept and prayed over Jerusalem. Jesus agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane. Throughout Scripture, people understood the urgent need of their times and prayed with passion and hope.

If we truly believe that Christ is the only hope for this world, our prayers will move beyond our wishlists. We will pray, with all our strength, for children who are wandering, neighbors who don’t know Jesus, schools shaped by godless agendas, leaders who need wisdom, churches that need courage, and communities that need spiritual awakening. We will keep on praying, even when our prayers seem to go nowhere.

[Slide] James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” That promise is not reserved for spiritual celebrities. James immediately reminds us that Elijah was a human being just like us. [Slide] Elijah prayed earnestly, and the climate of a nation changed. He prayed again, and rain came. His prayers affected both the physical land and the spiritual condition of the people.

Who is the righteous person? It is you who trust in Christ and who walk in His right ways and seek His face. [Slide] The sequence of key revival practices matters. We become urgent in our action for revival and fully rely on God (FROG). We repent daily, and pray for God’s kingdom.

Imagine that God answered everything you prayed for during the next seven days. How different would the world be? [Slide] Would anyone come to Christ because you prayed for that person by name? Would your school, workplace, neighborhood, or family experience greater spiritual freedom? God is able. The question is will we learn to pray prayers that are powerful, focused, and eternal. Align your heart with God’s mission and pray passionately about kingdom matters.

[Slide] Revival prayer is persistent. Moses prayed through fatigue. Elijah prayed earnestly. Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. Powerful prayer is not some moment of inspiration; it is a pattern of dependence. We keep returning to God because He is our Father, because His kingdom matters, and because no human effort can replace His power.

Many of us try to fight a supernatural battle alone. That leads to discouragement. Prayer connects us to the strength God provides.

[Slide] Philippians 4:13 reminds us that we can do all God calls us to do through Christ who strengthens us. This is not a promise that every personal ambition will succeed. It is a promise of strength as we seek God’s kingdom and obey His calling. Revival prayers are persistent. Keep drawing upon God for strength to do His will.

[Slide] Revival prayer is together. It happens best with others. We all need alone time with God. Jesus often prayed alone. But Scripture shows the power of united prayer. Moses needed Aaron and Hur. Queen Esther called upon Jews to fast and pray to save them from genocide. The church in Acts prayed together and God shook the place. [Slide] “There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer.” – Arthur Tappan Pierson

Our families need regular prayer. [Slide] Husbands and wives, pray together. Teach children and grandchildren to pray. We learn by hearing others pray, and we strengthen one another when we become tired. Small groups, pray for each other and pray together for revival.

Pray together for a loved one’s salvation. Pray with your hearts centered on God’s promises, focused on Christ, and open to the Holy Spirit.

[Slide] When the disciples saw the power of Jesus’ life, they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus taught them to begin, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.” That is the center of    revival prayer. We begin with the greatness of our Father and the priority of His kingdom.

The Lord’s Prayer includes daily bread, but it quickly rises to eternal matters: God’s name, God’s kingdom, forgiveness, deliverance from evil, God’s power, and glory.

Our earthly needs matter to God. We should pray for healing, other concerns, but our prayers shouldn’t end there. Revival prayer rises above earthly needs into eternal matters—to the salvation of souls and the advance of Christ’s kingdom.

Make that your goal this week. Keep praying about personal and family needs but add kingdom prayers. Pray for someone’s salvation by name. Pray for our congregation to be renewed and reaching Lebanon. Pray for teachers, leaders, and families. Pray against the lies and addictions that enslave people. Ask God to show you where His kingdom needs to come in your sphere of influence. Pray for opportunities to share Jesus.

Choose a place and a regular time. Give God at least fifteen minutes a day in passionate, preserving prayer. Ask Him to teach you to pray. Don’t let inexperience discourage you. The Holy Spirit is in you to help you pray. Prayer is a lifelong skill. Keep showing up and God will grow you up.

[Slide] My brother-in-law, Jim Abell, was pilot for MAF. He was sent to fly a gunshot victim from the jungle to a hospital. The fog was severe. The man didn’t have much time. Jim prayed for the fog to lift. The villagers prayed. The Mission Aviation Fellowship team prayed for the fog to lift so that Jim could land on the small airstrip in the jungle. When Jim approached the village coordinates the fog was thick. He feared he would have to abort. He circled around again and a hole in the fog opened right over the airstrip. [Slide] Jim landed and saw the man was in grave condition. He prayed for him with the villagers, got the man on the plane and to the hospital. Jim went onto his next assignment but kept praying for the man. Two weeks passed. Wondering what happened to the gunshot victim, Jim inquired. The missioners told Jim he was released and got a ride home in a truck. The power of prayer!

[Slide] This week don’t measure success by whether prayer feels dramatic. Measure faithfulness by daily returning to God. Lean on God’s word, repent honestly, name people and places before Him, and persevere when you’re tired. [Slide] Aaron and Hur remind us that persistence requires support from others. Tell your prayer partners what you are carrying. Ask them to pray with you. United prayer turns private burdens into shared faith.

Revival is not for its own sake, not for headlines or a full sanctuary. Revival restores our love for God, renews our obedience, brings wandering people home. Revival moves us into the world with courage and compassion. We ask God to revive us so that Jesus is lifted high, the lost are found, families are strengthened, and the Church becomes a voice of hope for Christ.

Our God still answers prayer. He invites ordinary believers to participate in extraordinary kingdom work. We will face opposition, fatigue, and delay, but we do not pray without hope. Jesus promised to build His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Will you be faithful in prayer for revival? Will you move from the bleachers to the field and practice daily kingdom prayer? Will you pray with passion, persist in faith, and pray together with others until God brings revival? [Slide] Join those saints who labored for the kingdom before us: Peter and Paul, John and Charles Wesley, Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke (first bishops to America), Rev. Benjamin Griffith who started this congregation (1835) with 9 charter members.

We stand at a crucial moment in the history of this congregation. Will you join the great cloud of witnesses. Will you pray for God to bring revival to us, to Lebanon, and to our nation?

Let us together make our declaration:

[Slide] Father, I boldly pray for a revival of Christianity in the United States. I surrender myself to be used by You. Use me and our church to raise up spiritual leaders in the next generation as we preach Your Word and lift Jesus high. [Slide] Bring revival in our church, our cities, our region, our next generation, and our nation. Teach us to pray with passion, persistence, repentance, and faith. Let Your kingdom come, Your will be done, and Your name be glorified.

In Jesus’ name, amen.