The Power of Prayer

Hello my name is Steven Crawford, a couple of Sundays a month you would see me in the back of the sanctuary behind the audio video desk running the video for the service. I am a behind the scenes person, so when the Spiritual Life Team started talking about these prayer testimonies I keep quite. But the Holy Spirit was working in me and reminded of an answered pray. So I prayed to God that if it was His will for me to do this, then I would. And here I am.

In the fall of 1996 my supervisor Mark asked me to take a networking test put out by Microsoft. A network is when you connect several computers together to share files and printers. We have one in this church. I know a lot about computers and a little about networks so I said ok.

I brought the book to study it was over 600 pages. For me that was a lot. In my post college years (20) I don’t believe I read 600 pages. Then I checked out the test. It consisted of 65 questions in 90 minutes. That didn’t seem bad to me. Then I asked what was need for a passing score was it 70%. No was it 80%? No was it 90%. No was it 93% no. I needed 94% or better to pass this test. With 65 questions on the test each question was worth 1.5%, that means 4 wrong or less I pass, 5 wrong or more I flunk.

I was a C student in High School, a B student in college, getting a A on this test seems impossible, I believed I could get 85%, but not 94%.

What is impossible for man is possible with God. Even at a time when I was not involved with a church or even paying much attention to God, His Holy Spirit was working in me.

The Holy Spirit asked me how would I like to be 10% smarter? I thought to myself that 10% would give me the edge or margin I needed to pass this test.

Because God is truly a Loving and graces God, He didn’t stop there. His Holy Spirit said not only 10% smarter, but also how about 10% of the time you will make better decisions in life.

I don’t know about you, but this sounded petty good to me. Now the Big question. God want do I have to do to receive this gift. He said stop drinking alcoholic beverages… WOW !!! How could I???

I had drank so much for so long, I really hadn’t gone longer than a couple of days without a drink. I would on occasion cut back or slow down, but never any long-term sobriety. My dad was a alcoholic and when he tried to stop drinking he ran into lots of trouble, 2 hospital stays, a car accident and relapse back to drinking, but he was sober for 15 years when he passed onto God in 1980. So I knew a little about what it takes to be sober and stay sober.

I didn’t believe I could get this monkey off my back. But
God said to TRUST ME. Trust me.

I prayed to God for His help and that I would accept His offer. So I dumped the beer I had, refused to purchase more, stayed out of bars, read the networking book and studied for the test. The first two weeks were terrible and the next 4 months were not much better. This body fought me every step of the way.

I received a good deal of help and support from my loving wife Peg, my mother, my family and even words that my dad planted in me (seeds), before he passed away. That is a sermon in itself.

In the spring of 1997 I took the test and passed, I got only 3 wrong. 95%.

In preparing for this, I went looking for the book to show you and the certificate that I passed the test. I didn’t find them, the Holy Spirit said to me, you don’t need them, because it isn’t about the test it is about the gift from God that you have been sober for the past 7 years.

This gift from God, I continually give Him thanks for in prayer, and it is a gift I do not take for granted or what to misuse it.

God works in ways that we do not understand, had it not been for this gift, I wouldn’t have been around here with you for the past 2 and ½ years, to which I thank God for you.

I would like to leave you with an old motto from Chuck Swindoll. Chuck is Chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary and host of the radio program Insight for Living.

I try, I fail,
I Trust, He succeeds.

Thank You.
Steven Crawford