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It all started in a small upper room,

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with humble, fervent prayer

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threatened by the authorities

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and banned from preaching,

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the church prayed that the two men witnessed

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with power and grace.

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And people prayed everywhere in one accord

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in repentance with confession and humility.

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And the lives of people were changed.

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Two men started out on a missionary journey

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that would turn the world as they knew it upside down.

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And the message went out to the world beyond.

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Corporate prayer helped a prisoner escape.

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A king requested that his people fast and pray

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and the enemy was defeated.

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A battle won without the need to fight.

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Through a faithful servant 
and a young queen's faith and courage,

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a people were saved.

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Stories in the Bible showing 
the power of united prayer.

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As I read the book of Acts,

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it's really a book about believers 
coming together to pray,

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and a prayer-answering God.

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Personal prayer is important.

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Secret prayer is the life of the soul.

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But we know that there has never been
a revival anywhere on this planet

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that wasn't preceded by united and
continuous prayer.

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Our Lord on one occasion says where
two or more of you agree

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on touching anything that is according
to My will, it will be done.

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So there is a synergy that happens

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when we hook up together and unite
our voices in crying out to God.

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As the spirit of prophecy tells us,

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prayer is the key that unlocks the storehouse 
of heaven's treasury and blessings.

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Some of Ellen White's counsel and statements
on united prayer are powerful as well.

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She says in one place that when she was
writing to the Farnsworths, I believe it was,

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she says there's more power in united prayer

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than even in private prayer.

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Then she says, why is that?

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It's because the unity of heart of the believers.

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It's like God gets really excited

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when we're really of one accord

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when we unite together just like they did in Acts.

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Another statement she says,

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at the sound of fervent prayer, 
Satan's whole host trembles.

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Jesus knows that the habit of praying
with others

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helps to rid our lives of the 
self-centeredness of our prayers

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when we pray by ourselves.

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So when the Bible talks about
continue earnestly in prayer,

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that's not just an individual activity.

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It's a call to the church as a community
to call out to God.

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Not to change God's mind,

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but that we come into alignment with God's will

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and actually I think he uses us as part 
of the answers to those prayers.

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As you look at the book of Acts,

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united prayer brought God's people together.

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In Acts chapter 1 and verse 14 and 15,

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the entire church met together and prayed.

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They knew that the task before them
was too great.

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They knew the challenge was too immense.

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They knew there was no way they could 
carry the gospel to the world.

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But yet as they prayed,
God did something miraculous.

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He poured out His Holy Spirit on the
day of Pentacost

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and three thousand were baptized.

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You know when you read the text there,

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one of the things that jumps out at me is
the simple English phrase -

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they were in one accord.

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Pentacost was just an extraordinary event.

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It came after the culmination of Christ's 
ministry on this earth.

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And it looked as though everything was
completely dashed and destroyed.

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When Christ was hanging on that cross

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and then of course the resurrection took place.

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And He appeared to His disciples

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which gave them a completely
different perspective

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on what their ministry was all about.

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Our blessed Lord told his disciples
to tarry in Jerusalem united in prayer.

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And that was one of the prerequisites

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for bringing that rushing mighty wind

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and the presence of the Holy Spirit
on the day of Pentacost.

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It was the time of Passover

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and we were in an upper room
in Jerusalem.

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We were all praying in one accord.

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We were praying for repentance
and humility,

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and we were confessing our sins.

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We were also seeking the Lord's vision,
power and the Holy Spirit.

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There was an incredible feeling of oneness

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as we prayed earnestly together.

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Suddenly there was the sound of a 
violent wind

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that filled the whole room where
we were sitting.

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Then tongues of fire came down

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and this fire rested on people.

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All the people in the room
were filled with the Holy Spirit.

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Now remember that at the time
of the Passover,

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people came from many countries to worship.

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Now suddenly they could hear the gospel

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each in their own language.

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As a result of this, three thousand people

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were added to the believers in one day.

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The people devoted themselves
to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship.

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To the breaking of bread and of prayer.

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Every day they would meet together
in the temple courts.

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In their homes, they broke bread 
and ate together.

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And the number of those being saved
grew daily.

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And we believe something like this

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is going to happen in the last days as well.

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But I think only as a church and
as a people

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we get together in one accord

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and in fervent prayer, will we -

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till we do that, we won't see that happen.

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And really what happened at Pentacost

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is going to be again duplicated
by the Lord

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in an even greater fashion

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as the three angels' messages go forward

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as the fourth angel of Revelation 18 
has proclaimed

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and as the final loud cry is heralded 
all over the world.

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And it's going to be people who have 
submitted to the Lord,

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confessed their sins,

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and then the Holy Spirit can fall

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and can use us in a mighty way.

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Well I think in the book of Acts, Acts chapter 6

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it seemed like a good problem.

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The church was growing exponentially.

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But in the midst of that, there's this food distribution challenge.

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The church was undergoing
practical challenges.

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The Hellenistic Jews were complaining
against the Hebraic Jews

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because the former's widows were
being overlooked

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in the daily distribution of food.

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The apostles decided that they needed

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to focus on the ministry of prayer 
and the word.

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And so they requested for seven deacons 


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to be chosen for these other 
practical tasks.

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The apostles asked us as a group

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to chose seven men who were known

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to be full of the Spirit and have wisdom.

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This proposal from the apostles

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pleased our whole group.

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So we went about selecting the seven men.

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Once the men were selected,

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they were presented to the apostles.

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The apostles laid their hands on them
and prayed for them.

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With prayer as a priority,
the church would never fail.

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After this, the number of disciples
increased rapidly.

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And a large number of priests
became obedient to the work.

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So I think we find a case study there

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that says when we face challenges,

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let's use wisdom, let's use our training

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but let's also recognize that we have

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a prayer-answering God who will 
give us wisdom.

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I've seen this over and over and over.

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Churches with big problems

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have solved them when they come 
together to pray.

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Peter and John were called in

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by the chief priests and elders about
their preaching.

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They tried to defend their actions,

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but the leaders were very hard on them.

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They were commanded not to speak

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or teach in the name of Jesus.

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After further threats, they let them go.

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Peter and John went back to their own people

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and reported all that the chief priests and 
elders had said.

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When we heard all this we immediately
raised our voices in prayer to God.

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The entire group prayed for Peter and John.

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We prayed for God to give boldness
to these two humble servants.

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Such intense prayer I had not experienced
for a long time.

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After we had prayed, suddenly the whole 
place was shaken.

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People were filled with the Holy Spirit

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and Peter and John went out

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and gave witness with great power and grace.

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They witnessed throughout the land

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about the resurrection of their Saviour.

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So I think Peter and John
drew great strength

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both from knowing they were praying

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but also from the power that's unleashed

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when people pray for us.

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There's a peace.

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There's a power from God

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that comes into us when that prayer
is being answered by many believers.

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Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai.

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Go and gather all the Jews
who are in Susa together

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and pray and fast for me.

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Do not eat or drink anything for three days
and nights.

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I and my maidens will fast as you do.

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After that, I will go to the king

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even though it is against the law.

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And if I perish, I perish.

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(music)

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We look back at Esther now

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and we think what a gutsy girl.

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You know, what a woman of faith.

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But she was probably just as terrified

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as any of us might have been.

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It was a very desperate situation.

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You the old saying, there's no such thing

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as atheists in foxholes.

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And I think this was a case where they knew

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without divine intervention,

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without divine intervention, 
all was going to be lost.

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But she was wise enough 
to say to her uncle, Mordecai

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I will fast and pray.

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And I will have my people 
here in the palace fast and pray.

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But I want all of God's people
to fast and pray.

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I think we miss out a lot

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on the unleashing of God's power

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in this world by not fasting.

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And it doesn't have to mean you
have to go totally without food

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but some form - giving up something

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we really love every day

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and uniting that together with prayer

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and praying with others, it does something,

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moves in this great controversy.

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It's very easy at times to forget

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just how dependant we are upon God.

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And as Dwight Nelson likes to remind us

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pray desperate prayers.

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And Esther was desperate.

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Pray urgent prayers.

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And pray prayers of expectancy.

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And think her prayers encompassed all three.

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If you look at the book of Acts,

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prayer was very united.

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Take, for example, Peter and Cornelius.

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Cornelius, a Jew - a Gentile. Peter, a Jew.

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And Jews and Gentiles would not possibly
come together

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in any intimate talking

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or visiting in one another's homes

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or eating together.

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This was the Holy Spirit breaking
down some walls.

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A Gentile of the Italian band, Cornelius,
was praying.

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It was no accident. He was praying.

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Peter on the rooftop, praying.

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And he prayed so long that he fell asleep.

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Peter has this dream of the sheet 
coming down

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with all these various animals in it.

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And God says, Peter, rise and eat.

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And Peter says, I've never eaten snakes

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and crocodiles and rodents.

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The vision of course was not about

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clean or unclean foods.

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The vision was about respect
for other cultures.

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Respect for other people.

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And God sent visions, epiphanies, to 
both of them

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that broke down the walls

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that divided them.

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And Peter declared, God has shown me

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that He is no respecter of persons.

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As both of them prayed, Jew and Gentile,

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their prayers ascended to heaven

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and met at the throne of God.

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(music)

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It was around noon when Peter went 
up to the roof to pray.

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It was here that Peter had a vision

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about a large sheet containing a mix 
of unclean animals

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representing God's affirmation

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of the diversity of peoples

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in the growing church.

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We had heard that Peter was staying

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at the house of Simon the tanner,

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and were instructed by Cornelius, 
the centurion, to go out and find him.

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While Peter was still thinking
about the vision,

258
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the Holy Spirit told him to go downstairs

259
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because three men were looking for him.

260
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Peter went down and told the men

261
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that he was the one they were looking for.

262
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(music)

263
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We then told Peter

264
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that Cornelius, the centurion,

265
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
had been told by an angel

266
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that Peter would come

267
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and see him at his house.

268
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So, unbeknown to Peter,

269
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Cornelius was already expecting his visit
to Caesarea.

270
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What happened here was quite unusual.

271
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Just the fact that Peter entered the house.

272
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Remember that it was against the law

273
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
for a Jew to associate with or
visit a Gentile.

274
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Cornelius told Peter how three days earlier

275
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
he had been praying in his house

276
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
when an angel had appeared before him.

277
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Peter shared with Cornelius

278
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
his new understanding that God

279
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
does not show favouritism

280
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and is the Lord of all.

281
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This was a real turning point.

282
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
From this point on,

283
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the gospel was given among
other people groups.

284
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And it all started out with prayer
and fasting

285
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and a vision.

286
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Cultures were bridged.

287
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Barriers were broken down.

288
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Hearts were united.

289
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And they became one in Jesus Christ.

290
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And the gospel was open to the Gentiles.

291
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What does united prayer

292
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
do for breaking down cultures?

293
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When we are kneeling together

294
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
different cultures, different backgrounds,

295
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
different sociological backgrounds,

296
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
different educational backgrounds,

297
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
different racial complexion.

298
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When we are kneeling together

299
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
our hearts are united as one in Jesus Christ.

300
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I look in Acts chapter 13,

301
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
where the church in Antioch

302
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is sending out Paul and Barnabas.

303
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And they hands on them.

304
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And they pray for the blessing of the
Holy Spirit.

305
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The laying on of hands was the 
setting aside in Acts 13

306
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of Paul and Barnabas for 
ministry in mission.

307
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They were going to launch their 
missionary journeys.

308
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I don't think there's anything magical
about the hands.

309
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I think it's a symbol.

310
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Like water is with baptism

311
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
or the unleavened bread and the
unfermented grape juice

312
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
are in the communion service.

313
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When the church comes unitedly,

314
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and lays hands on an individual,

315
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they are praying for that individual,

316
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
setting them aside for a specific task
of witness and ministry.

317
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
As the prophets and teachers
of the early church

318
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
were fasting and praying,

319
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the Holy Spirit called Paul and Barnabas

320
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to go on their first mission journey.

321
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The church prayed together before sending
them out.

322
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Hands were laid on them and we
prayed earnestly.

323
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
As a united church, we prayed for their safety

324
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and that God would grant them

325
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the right words to speak to the multitudes

326
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We prayed that our missionaries would
be successful

327
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in spreading the gospel.

328
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Paul and Barnabas travelled to 
several places.

329
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In Cyprus, they proclaimed the word of God

330
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in the Jewish synagogues.

331
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In ? Antioch the whole city gathered to
hear the word of the Lord.


332
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When the Gentiles heard their messages,
they believed.

333
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The word of the Lord spread throughout
the entire region

334
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and the disciples were filled with joy
and the Holy Spirit.

335
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders
in every church

336
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and prayed with fasting commending
them to the Lord.

337
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They gathered the church together

338
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and reported all that God had done
through them

339
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and how He had opened a door of faith
to the Gentiles.

340
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
As a praying community,

341
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
when we lay hands upon those that we're 
praying for

342
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it represents the hand of God.

343
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Kneeling around that person,

344
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
setting them aside for that task,

345
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
we're asking the Holy Spirit to come

346
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to empower them, to strengthen them

347
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
for the task that God has given them
through the church.

348
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I remember a story where Paul was -

349
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
he encountered a beautiful woman.

350
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Her name was Lydia. And she was praying.

351
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And, I don't know, that might have been
beside a river, for all I know.

352
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It may have been beside a well.

353
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Maybe it was in the middle of a market.

354
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You know, at their time. Wherever it was.

355
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
God was able to reach her heart

356
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and the Bible tells us that she accepted

357
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the message of the gospel and she
was baptized.

358
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We were a group of women outside
the city gate

359
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
by the river at a place of prayer.

360
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,


361
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
from Thyatira was also there.

362
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Two men came along and started to speak
to us,

363
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and asked to join us in prayer.

364
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We knew that they were Paul and Silas.

365
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The Lord opened Lydia's heart to heed
Paul's message.

366
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
She and all the members of her household
were baptized.

367
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Another day Paul and Silas were on their 
way to a place of prayer.

368
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They were met by a female slave

369
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
who had a spirit in her that could predict
the future.

370
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
She earned a lot of money for her owners
by fortune telling.

371
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
She followed us and shouted at us.

372
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This was disrupting and so Paul ordered
the spirit out of her.

373
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When her owners realized that their chance
of making money was gone,

374
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they dragged Paul and Silas to
the authorities

375
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and they were put in prison.

376
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
At around midnight, these two very
positive prisoners

377
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
named Paul and Silas were praying

378
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and singing hymns to God.

379
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The rest of us were listening to them.

380
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Suddenly there was a violent earthquake

381
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and the prison shook.

382
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
All the prison doors flew open

383
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and everyone's chains came loose.

384
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The jailer woke up, saw all the doors open

385
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and drew his sword to kill himself.

386
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
He thought all the prisoners had escaped.

387
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But Paul assured him and shouted

388
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that he should not harm himself.

389
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The jailer ? rushed in and lay 
in front of them, trembling.

390
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The jailer accepted Jesus Christ

391
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and his whole family was baptized.

392
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So prayer can happen anywhere.

393
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
For Hope Channel, you know I anchor
a program -

394
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I co-anchor a program called Let's Pray.

395
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And so here we are in a television studio

396
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with lights and cameras and action

397
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and yet we are a very much in the manner
of prayer.

398
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And we have seen God, we have seen

399
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
amazing answers to prayer from the studio.

400
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So it can happen anywhere.

401
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
One friend of mine has said

402
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that we must pray with such specificity

403
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
we will know when God answers our prayers.

404
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In Acts chapter 12, Peter is in prison.

405
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
He is scheduled for execution.

406
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
He's chained between soldiers.

407
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Herod has decreed that he will die.

408
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
As Peter's in prison, the entire church,

409
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I like that, the entire church is praying

410
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
for Peter in prison.

411
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Right before that, James was, you know,

412
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
taken to prison but was killed.

413
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And I think the people got
really concerned

414
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that they may now lose Peter

415
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
when he was hauled off to jail.

416
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And that caused them to get worried

417
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
so they got together and really prayed
all night long.

418
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
King Herod had arrested some who belonged
to the church

419
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and was planning to persecute them.

420
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When Herod had James put to death
with a sword,

421
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and saw how the Jews had approved of this,

422
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
he seized Peter also.

423
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Peter was guarded by four squads

424
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of four soldiers each.

425
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We were very concerned for his safety.

426
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And the church prayed earnestly for him.

427
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The night before Herod was going to
bring him to trial,

428
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Peter was sleeping between two soldiers

429
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
bound by chains and centuries stood guard
at the entrance.

430
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared

431
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and light shone into his cell.

432
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The angel struck Peter on the side to
wake him up

433
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and the chains fell off his wrist.

434
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
As he was instructed, Peter followed the
angel out of the prison

435
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
past all of the guards to the
gate of the city.

436
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Many people had been praying together

437
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in the house of Mary, the mother of John.

438
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
As the servant in the house, I heard 
knocking on the door.

439
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
With caution, I went to open the door

440
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and to my surprise, there stood Peter.

441
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We had just been praying earnestly for him
in prison.

442
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Once again, united prayer had worked

443
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and the word of God continued to spread
and flourish.

444
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
No one who was at that prayer meeting
that night

445
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
would ever forget that they have a God

446
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
answering prayer after that night.

447
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Everywhere those people went

448
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
for the rest of their lives, they told
that story,

449
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
which is part of the reason we know
it today,

450
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they told that story with great power

451
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because it was utterly convincing to them

452
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of not only God's willingness to help,

453
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but God's ability to do it on a grand and
surprising scale.

454
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Here were three big, huge nations

455
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
converging on his little dinky kingdom 
of Judah

456
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and from a human standpoint,
it was wipeout.

457
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Jehosophat says some very honest things

458
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
about the ones praying.

459
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We don't know what to do.

460
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We're weak.

461
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We're helpless against this great number
that's come against us.


462
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But he says some very honest things
about who God is too.

463
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
God, You are capable. You are willing.

464
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You are able and we are ready.

465
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
All of which prepared God's people
for His deliverance.