Talk

Prayer Paves the Way for Revival

Brett Younker

November, 17, 2024

Through studying Matthew 9 and 10, Brett Younker continues in our collection Orbit to share the importance of prayer and intercession. When we pray for others, we have the opportunity to intercede on their behalf and ask God to use His resources to transform lives for our good and His glory.

Key Takeaway

Revival prayer starts by seeing the needs of others, calling on heaven on behalf of others, aligning our hearts with Jesus, and sending us out to do His work.

We need true revival.

As we look at the spiritual problems surrounding us, we must be just as attuned to the solution as we are to the problem, and that solution is Jesus. We cannot do it alone, and we must call on Him to help us.

Matthew 9:35-38

Here are three ways prayer has the potential to change the world around you:

1. Revival prayer starts by seeing the needs of others.

People are hurting—there is oppression, exhaustion, lack of direction, addiction, substance abuse, greed, meanness, selfishness, pride, and sin.

There is an insatiable desire to be satisfied by something to quiet the rage and emptiness in our lives.

Jesus' response is to let the need produce compassion in your heart. His response is emotional. God wants more for their lives.

Leonard Ravenhill, “For this sin-hungry age, we need a prayer-hungry Church.”

The problems around us are so great we need to call on a higher power.

2. Revival prayer calls on heaven on behalf of others.

The Harvest is all the opportunity and potential for God to move in the lives of others.

Ask the Lord, and pray to Him on behalf of others….not just yourself. Intercessory Prayer is asking God to move on behalf of someone else. It's to go-between, intervene, mediate. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Tyler Stanton says when we pray for someone else, “We are loving others on the basis of heaven’s resources.”

We have access to the resources of heaven, and our prayers should reflect that. John‬ ‭14‬:‭14‬ ‭Jesus says,” You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” We ask, and we pray in the Name of Jesus.

If you believe in Jesus, you are a child of the King. You have access to the throne of God. Prayer is leveraging your relationship with God on behalf of someone else who really needs God.

Jesus says, "Do you see the needs? Ask me to meet them. I’m the Lord of the Harvest." The fields are full. People are ready. People are hungry for hope. Ask Jesus for help.

3. Revival prayer aligns our hearts with Jesus and sends us out to do His work. (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬-‭8‬)

You might be the answer to your prayer. Through prayer and being with Jesus, we receive authority to do His work.

Understand the assignment. When we pray, we get on the same page as Jesus and receive authority to do His work on the earth.

God uses regular people to do extraordinary things in this world.

We have a message that brings the dead to life. We can share the Good News of the Gospel: apart from God, when we're lost and like sheep without a shepherd, we are dead in sin, but because of God's grace, we can be saved.

We have a Spiritual problem, but now we have a Savior in Jesus. The gift of salvation was given freely to us, so we want to extend this free gift to others in our orbit.

Every move of God is preceded by prayer. It all starts with prayer. The heart changes in prayer. Faith is built in prayer. Heaven moves in prayer. Courage comes in prayer. Authority is given in prayer.

How do we pray?

1. Pray that God would open the eyes of their heart (Ephesians 1:18).

2. Pray that God would give us boldness to share (Ephesians 6:19).

“

"Prayer paves the road for revival in our relationships and the world around us."

”

Brett Younker

Discussion Questions

When you see the brokenness of sin in the world, are you bothered by it, or are you burdened by it?
Are you sympathetic to people who are lost and seeking God? What’s your response? Post or Pray? Complain or Compassion?
Do you pray for others often? What does intercession look like in your life?
Have you been taking advantage of the access you have to the resources of heaven? How are your prayers reflective of that?
How have you seen God use you to answer your own prayer?
How has God used you to do something extraordinary?
Who in your life are you looking to extend the free gift of salvation to?
How have you seen prayer change and transform a situation?

Scripture References

35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

37Then he said to his disciples,

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

1Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

2These are the names of the twelve apostles:

first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew;

James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;

3Philip and Bartholomew;

Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;

James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

4Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions:

“Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.

Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.

As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,

drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

18I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

19Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,

Brett Younker

Brett Younker is a pastor, worship leader, and songwriter at Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia. His heart is to help people see and know Jesus in a real way through preaching, teaching, music, or just hanging out. Over the last decade, Brett has helped carry the heart of Passion Music and the Passion Movement to the world, calling a generation to live for the glory of God. Brett has helped write many songs the Church is singing, including “Build My Life,” Fall Like Rain,” Christ Our King,” God, You’re So Good,” “Holy Ground,” “Worthy of Your Name,” and many others. He also hosts a podcast called Jesus Songs that explores the stories of some of the songs we sing each week in church. Brett and his wife, Aynsley, have three kids and a dog named Sgt Pepper.