Meet the Parents. Great movie! Filled with funny parts. This scene at the dinner table was funny, but unfortunately it represents how many people approach prayer. Outside of bless the food, bless my family, and forgive me my sins, the depth of our prayers leave much to be desired.

I think we all struggle with prayer. I know I do. Sometimes I pray out of a legalistic ritual because I know I'm supposed to pray. Sometimes I pray and my faith is weak—too weak to believe that God will actually answer. Many times my mind wanders off into la-la land while I'm praying. Sometimes when I say "amen," I'm not sure if I've connected with God or not. And, yes, I can't count how many times I've fallen asleep in bed while praying. But I actually believe those count. I don't think God frowns when we fall asleep praying.

Cell phones are a marvelous part of our culture today. But if there is one thing that drives me crazy, it is to punch in the number, hit send, and then nothing happens. The panel simply says, "Dialing." Another thing that frustrates me is to be inside a building and I can't get a strong enough signal to connect. You'd think Verizon would stop pumping so much money into all the extravagant extra features, like song downloads, video recording, and games, and focus more on their main objective, which is to help us make phone calls.

I think we go through similar experiences when it comes to prayer. I believe we all would really like to know we're connecting when we talk to God. We want God's blessings on our lives. We want to see Him answer our prayers. We want a renewed spirit within us. And we want the assurance that we are actually connecting. But sometimes it just seems that our signal is too weak, and we're not connecting.

Last week we began a journey of seeking a renewed spirit among our congregation. There are many positive things happening at Chapin Baptist, and I'm thrilled to be a part of the movement of God. But when I ponder what could happen if the Holy Spirit swept through this place, it excites me to no end. I hesitate to use the word "formula" because I know life is more complicated than, "Do these four things and God will bless you." But 2 Chronicles 7:14 comes as close to a formula for experiencing the healing and blessings of God as there is in the whole Bible. The verse says, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Last week the pastors of our church shared some of the struggles we've gone through in the last few years. It was one of those services that created quite a buzz. I believe God used our transparency to generate a catalyst for healing and a renewed spirit. Last week was our way of humbling ourselves before you, confessing that we have allowed the tensions and pressures of ministry to keep us from working solidly as a team. It was and is our prayer that the entire congregation will join us in humbling ourselves before God. Not for show—because then it's no longer humility.

Today, we're going to look at the next part of this "formula." Not only must we humble ourselves; we must also pray and seek God's face. I want to combine these two because they are so closely entwined. "If my people…pray and seek my face…." What does that mean? We understand prayer. Very simply, prayer is talking to God. But what does it mean to seek His face?

The same word for "seek" is used in Psalm 104:21 to refer to the lion passionately seeking its food and in Luke 15:28 to describe the woman desperately seeking her lost coin. Listen to these words from God to King Solomon: "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever" (1 Chronicles 28:9). In 1 Chronicles 16:11 we are told to seek God's face always. This idea of praying and seeking God's face challenged me to do an internal inspection of my soul, especially as it relates to how well I connect with God in prayer. When I pray, am I really seeking God's face? Can it really be considered prayer if I'm not earnestly seeking the face of God?

I think if you study the Bible carefully, you will discover that prayer is not just a matter of talking to God, even though we should have a close enough relationship with Him that we can talk to Him like He's our best friend. On the other hand, be careful that you do not minimize what true prayer is. Because when we pray, our prayers should be seeking the heart of God. They should be voiced in such a way that we earnestly long for Him to reveal Himself to us.

Think about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed so fervently that His sweat became like drops of blood dripping to the ground. I'm not saying that any of us could reach that level of intensity. But going back to our focal verse for this series, I believe it is this kind of intensity that God says is needed if He is to hear our prayers and bring healing to our land. "If my people…will pray and seek my face."

It is this kind of praying that characterized the church in the book of Acts. On one occasion Peter and John were brought before the city leaders because their preaching and miracle working were creating quite a stir. The city officials didn't like it. They couldn't deny that a man had actually been healed; so they threatened them and ordered them not to speak or teach anymore about Jesus. When the officials released them, Peter and John reported back to their fellow believers what had happened. Read the story with me (Acts 4:23-31). What did these Christ followers do when they heard the report? Immediately, they began lifting their voices in prayer. And I don't think this prayer was the way Baptists usually pray—one person leading the prayer. Nor was it an occasion where they went around a circle and took time about praying. No, it was all of them crying out to God at the same time. This may be my favorite prayer recorded in Scripture. Most of the prayer falls under the category of praise. And when they finally got around to asking God for something, what did they request? In similar circumstances today we would probably pray for God's protection from harm. Not these believers. The closest thing they came to that was simply, "O, Lord, hear their threats."

They sensed the momentum of God moving through their land. So they didn't ask God for protection but for boldness in the midst of the persecution. They hungered for the lost to find their way to God. They prayed for God to stretch out His hand and to perform some jaw-dropping miracles among them. And once they said amen, the whole place shook with the power of God. The Holy Spirit filled their lives and they went out and proclaimed with boldness the good news of Jesus Christ.

Do you know why they were able to connect with God is such a visibly powerful way? Because they were seeking the face of God. This wasn't just some token prayer. This wasn't the kind of prayer that opened a meeting and closed a meeting. They didn't have all their plans mapped out and then ask God to bless them. No, they desperately wanted their lives to be aligned with what God was doing. They wanted nothing more than to know that God would take complete control of the situation and accomplish His will.

When is the last time you sought the face of God when you prayed? I mean the last time you really earnestly came to God and connected with Him in such a way that you knew God had heard and was going to answer? God honors that kind of praying.

Some of you are going through some very tough issues right now that require more than a "God bless me" kind of prayer. Your marriage may be going through some rocky roads right now. The best thing for you to do is to fall on your face before God and seek His face. You may be stressed out about a career move you need to make but are afraid to make it. You may be confused about what direction you need to take in life.

You may be facing some health issues that have turned your life upside down. Your finances may be in complete mess. You may have fallen into the mess of sin. You may still be flirting around with some ungodly lifestyle. Or maybe your soul is filled with guilt and you don't know what to do about it. Some of you are feeling the pressure of caring for aging parents on one end and grandchildren on the other end. You may be starting a relationship with someone but you're not certain if you should take the next step.

It is in these kinds of situations that we need to cry out to God in a form of prayer that exceeds the usual mealtime or bedtime prayer. Keep in mind, however, as you pray this way, you must bring your life completely in line with the desires of God. "God, I can't handle this. I desperately need you. I seek your face. I'm asking you to stretch your hand over my life."

This kind of praying is what we also need at Chapin Baptist Church. Has prayer become a formality for us? I mean, when we pray before a class or before a meeting, how earnest is the prayer? And when we say amen, are we really anticipating that God is going to show up and do something big?

Imagine what could happen if we prayed like the believers did in Acts 4. What if every small group time turned into a time of earnest prayer that every class member would be completely sold out to Jesus Christ? What if every class poured out their hearts and asked God to restore those members who have slipped through the cracks? What if every deacon gathering involved the men of our church crying out for revival in our church and community? What if every worship rehearsal turned into a time not only for learning music, but a time where our worship leaders opened their very lives before God and cried out, "Lord, fill us with your Spirit and use us this Sunday to bring people into the presence of Jesus"? Can you imagine what God would do if we prayed like that?

In 1935, Blasio Kugosi, a schoolteacher in Rwanda, Central Africa, was deeply discouraged by the lack of life in the church and the powerlessness of his own experience. He followed the example of the first Christians and closed himself in for a week of prayer and fasting in his little cottage. He emerged a changed man. He confessed his sins to those he had wronged, including his wife and children. He proclaimed the gospel in the school where he taught, and revival broke out there, resulting in students and teachers being saved. They were called abaka, meaning "people on fire."

Shortly after that, Blasio was invited to Uganda to share with the Anglican Church there. As he called the leaders to repentance, the fire of the Spirit descended again on the place, with similar results as in Rwanda. Several days later, Blasio died of fever. His ministry lasted only a few weeks, but the revival fires sparked through his ministry swept throughout East Africa and continue to the present. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been transformed over the decades through this mighty East African revival. It all began with a discouraged Christian setting himself apart to seek the face of God.

I didn't share this last week, but I have had some very honest conversations with God over the last six months. In the midst of all the transitions and trying times, I told God that unless I could see changed lives, then ministry is not worth it. If lives aren't changing, then why do we even need to show up on Sunday mornings? In His own way I believe God responded, "Ken, just pray and seek my face. And, Ken, lead your people to pray and seek my face. I'm ready to change lives."

Lord, renew our spirit. Pull us out of the bondage from the past. Refresh our hearts. May every Chapin Baptist member seek your face. And as a result, pour out your power upon us.