The Prayer that Changed History | Christmas at Daystar | Pastor Jerry Lawson | Daystar Church

Devotional

Day 1: Slow down: God whispers at Sabbath speed

In a world running at scroll speed, God invites you to slow down. Mary’s history-shaping moment happened in a quiet, interruptible space where the presence of God could be welcomed. Before the list of needs, learn to breathe and simply be still and know He is God. Try a prayer time where you ask for nothing, worship much, and open your heart to the nearness of Jesus. Let silence become a friend, because God doesn’t shout at scroll speed; He whispers at Sabbath speed. Make room for Him today, trusting that His presence is the beginning of real change. [09:07]

Psalm 46:10 — “Be still; release your frantic grasp, and recognize that I am God, honored above the nations and over all the earth.”

Reflection: When and where will you set aside ten unhurried minutes of silence in the next 24 hours, and what specific noise will you turn off to make it possible?

Day 2: Listen first: prayer as a God-started conversation

Prayer is not a drive-thru order; it’s a response to God who has already spoken. Mary didn’t rush in with a wishlist—she listened, and then asked an honest question from a posture of trust. Begin prayer by welcoming God’s presence and opening Scripture, allowing His word to frame your words. Let the Spirit set the agenda before you speak about outcomes and plans. Listening first opens the heart to the God whose word never fails. [12:48]

Luke 1:30–35, 37 — “Don’t be afraid; you have God’s favor. You will carry a son, Jesus—great and called the Most High—whose kingdom will never end. The Holy Spirit will overshadow you, and the child will be holy, God’s Son. What God declares will not fail.”

Reflection: For a decision you’re facing now, which specific Scripture will you sit with before you speak in prayer, and how long will you listen in silence afterward?

Day 3: Discernment filters: Bible, Beauty, and Burden

Not every inner urge is God; test what you hear by Scripture, by the beauty of God’s character, and by the holy burden of obedience. God’s will never contradicts God’s word, and it carries the fragrance of purity, peace, gentleness, and reasonableness. It also asks for humility, integrity, generosity, and sacrifice—often the very things our flesh resists. If your “answer” always lets you cut corners or put self first, you may be counseling yourself. Let these filters realign your desires with His heart. [17:30]

James 3:17 — “Wisdom from above is clean and peace-loving, considerate and willing to yield, rich in mercy and good fruit, steady and sincere.”

Reflection: Name one plan you’re pursuing right now—how does it measure against Scripture you know, the gentle beauty of Jesus, and the cost of faithful obedience, and what adjustment will you make this week?

Day 4: Let community confirm what God is saying

Mary hurried to Elizabeth, and the Spirit confirmed God’s word through shared joy and blessing. God often affirms guidance through trusted, Spirit-filled community rather than solo impressions or comment sections. Submitting direction to wise leaders and mature friends protects you from rushing ahead and helps you discern timing and next steps. Social media can echo, but it cannot shepherd your soul. Seek confirmation in the body Christ loves and for whom He died. [29:18]

Luke 1:39–45 — “Mary visited Elizabeth, and at Mary’s greeting the child leaped in Elizabeth’s womb. Filled with the Spirit, Elizabeth exclaimed that Mary and her child were blessed, calling the child ‘my Lord.’ She affirmed Mary for believing that God would do what He promised.”

Reflection: Who are two mature believers you will ask this week to pray over and test a direction you sense from God, and when will you reach out to them?

Day 5: Seek His presence; surrender your plans again

God cares more about your character than your career, more about your closeness to Him than your next opportunity. When you put His kingdom first, He orders everything else in its place. The Holy Spirit knows everything about everything—so you don’t need to control outcomes, you need to welcome Him. Surrender fully, not halfway, and put Jesus back on the throne of your schedule. In His presence you receive guidance, courage, and a renewed burden to love those far from God. [31:35]

Matthew 6:33 — “Make God’s kingdom your first pursuit and His way of life your aim; then the other things you need will be supplied in the right order.”

Reflection: What one concrete practice will help you keep Jesus at the center this week—such as leaving your phone in another room during prayer, serving at a Christmas Eve service, or ending each day with a simple examen?

Sermon Summary

It really does feel like Christmas now. I asked us to see this season as a holy pause—quieter, slower, and full of space to meet God. I talked about a teenage girl in a small village who met God in the quiet, and how that moment split history. Mary’s conversation with God in Luke 1 shows a pattern we can follow: slow down, listen first, and find confirmation in community. We live at scroll speed, but God speaks at Sabbath speed. The first, and often most missing step, is presence—be still and know. Don’t rush in with lists; linger with God Himself. Presence before answers.

Then, listen. Prayer is not a drive-thru order; it’s a conversation God starts with His word. When you think you’ve heard something, test it: Bible, beauty, and burden. God’s will won’t contradict Scripture. It will reflect His beautiful character—pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable. And it will feel like a burden—not crushing, but weighty with humility, integrity, generosity, and sacrifice. If your “prayer life” only ever tells you what you already wanted to hear, you’re likely just talking to yourself.

I shared how we confuse God’s will with our ambitions, especially around career and relationships. God cares about those, but He cares more about your character than your career, more about your relationship with Him than any other. If character is right, the career will work. If you seek first the kingdom, the rest aligns.

Finally, Mary didn’t run solo. She went to Elizabeth and found Spirit-filled confirmation. That’s the biblical pattern. Social media is not spiritual authority; comment sections are not a community of discernment. The church isn’t a show to make our lives better; we are the church, and we exist for God’s lost sons and daughters. So slow down, listen first, and submit what you hear to trusted, Scripture-saturated community.

God has a plan for you that starts right where you are. You don’t need more hacks; you need Him. Don’t trade His presence for your pace. Put Him back on the throne.

Key Takeaways

1. Slow down to Sabbath speed God doesn’t shout over our noise; He whispers where our souls are still. Presence with God precedes guidance from God, and the hunger for answers can’t replace the need for Him. Practice being still—breathe, wait, and let your heart settle to His pace. Desire His presence more than His gifts. [09:07]
2. Listen first, then test it Prayer is God’s conversation starter through His word, and we respond. Our impressions need discernment because our desires can masquerade as divine. Test what you think you heard by leaning into Scripture and slowing your reactions. God’s voice carries authority, clarity, and peaceable weight. [13:32]
3. Bible, beauty, and burden filters God’s will never opposes God’s word. It aligns with His beautiful character—pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable—and it places a holy weight on your shoulders that forms humility and integrity. If your “yes” always makes life easier and your ego bigger, check it again. [14:11]
4. Character before career or romance God deeply cares about your work and whom you marry, but He cares even more about who you are becoming. He often puts the decision on pause to talk about honesty, fidelity, generosity, and self-control. When character is prioritized, wisdom for decisions becomes clear. [20:34]
5. Seek confirmation in true community Mary took her word from God to Elizabeth and received Spirit-filled confirmation. That’s our pattern—submit to trusted spiritual authority and a Scripture-shaped community, not the applause of a feed. Community protects us from self-deception and rush. [24:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:20] - It finally feels like Christmas
[00:56] - Three kinds of inviters
[02:30] - Christmas Eve: hope and peace focus
[03:39] - The beauty of the first Christmas
[05:01] - The silence experiment
[06:26] - God is the friend of silence
[07:37] - Mary’s encounter in Luke 1
[08:48] - God whispers at Sabbath speed
[12:17] - Listen first: the angel’s message
[14:11] - Filters: Bible, beauty, burden
[18:23] - You are the church for the lost
[24:05] - Mary seeks Elizabeth’s confirmation
[29:39] - Recap: slow down, listen, confirm
[31:24] - God’s plan starts where you are
[35:56] - Prayer of full surrender

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Luke 1:26–45

Observation questions
- In Luke 1:29–30, how is Mary feeling when the angel greets her, and what does the angel say in response?
- List the specific promises about Jesus in Luke 1:31–33. What titles and roles are named?
- What question does Mary ask in Luke 1:34, and how is it answered in 1:35–37? What statement about God’s word stands out to you?
- When Mary visits Elizabeth (Luke 1:39–45), what happens to Elizabeth and her baby, and what words of confirmation does Elizabeth speak?

Interpretation questions
- What does Mary’s calm, listening posture suggest about how a person should approach God—presence before answers? How might that contrast with a “drive-thru” view of prayer ([13:16])?
- Mary asks, “How can this be?” (Luke 1:34). What is the difference between unbelief and honest, faithful curiosity in that question?
- Elizabeth’s Spirit-filled response (Luke 1:41–45) confirms Mary’s calling. Why might God often use community to confirm direction rather than leaving someone to run solo ([25:20])?
- Consider the claim: “God doesn’t shout at scroll speed. He whispers at Sabbath speed” ([08:48]). How does that idea help explain why people miss God’s guidance even when they’re “praying”?

Application questions
- Try the “be still” challenge: “Be still and know that I am God” ([09:51]). Where can you carve out 10 quiet minutes a day this week—no requests, no music with words, just breathing, waiting, and being with God?
- “God doesn’t shout at scroll speed. He whispers at Sabbath speed” ([08:48]). What practical changes to your pace (phone, podcasts, late-night scrolling, calendar) would help you slow to “Sabbath speed”?
- Use the Bible, beauty, burden filters on a real decision you’re facing this month ([14:11]). What does Scripture say? Does it reflect God’s beautiful character (pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable) ([16:37])? What holy weight would this choice put on your shoulders (humility, integrity, generosity, sacrifice) ([17:03])?
- “God cares more about your character than your career” ([20:34]). Name one character area God is highlighting (honesty, self-control, fidelity, generosity). What is one small, specific step you will take this week?
- Social media is not spiritual authority ([28:31]). Where are you tempted to treat comments and likes like confirmation from God? What boundaries could help—time limits, unfollowing, or moving key questions off the feed and into Scripture and trusted relationships?
- Seek confirmation in true community, like Mary going to Elizabeth ([24:53]). Who are your “Elizabeths” (Scripture-shaped, Spirit-filled people) for this season? What will you share with them for prayer and discernment this week?
- “Don’t trade His presence for your pace… Put Him back on the throne” ([32:48]). What is one concrete reprioritization you need to make (sleep, screen time, budget, serving, gathered worship) to put Jesus first again?

Sermon Clips

And something happened in a still, calm moment, a quiet moment with God. And I'm calling it today the prayer that changed history. It was a teenage girl and the God of all creation having a conversation. And it changed our world. And, you know, it was in a remote town, a little village under Roman occupation where nobody famous or important lived. And nobody really that was popular or important of that day even noticed what happened. But it changed your world. It changed the whole world. It split history inside. It's how we date this day today. It goes back to that moment with an angel and a young teenage girl. And it all happened in silence. [00:03:59] (45 seconds) #PrayerThatChangedHistory

Listen to this. God doesn't shout at scroll speed. He whispers at Sabbath speed. Let me slow down to say it again. God doesn't shout at scroll speed. He whispers at Sabbath speed. And so many of us, we never get to Sabbath speed. What does the word Sabbath mean in the Hebrew? It means to pause. It means to stop, to make time for God. Now, the angel didn't give Mary this step-by-step plan, but he just announced God's presence. Listen, the beginning of life change and big moments with God is not your to-do list, not your wish list, not God fix this. [00:08:44] (42 seconds) #SabbathSpeed

That's not the beginning of great moments with God. The beginning of great moments with God is the manifest presence of God. What you want when you go into prayer is not a miracle, not an answer, not even the word of God, you want the presence of God. And the only way that happens is if we slow down and make room for him. [00:09:25] (22 seconds) #SeekGodsPresence

And that is why we listen first. See, prayer is not an order from God. Like you went through the drive-through and you're like, I want a number one combo extra pickles. That's not prayer. Prayer is a conversation. And who starts the conversation? God starts the conversation. He's already started the conversation with his word. My prayer to God is a response to his word in my life. And so when I have heard from God, I need to test what I think God said to me. We're getting back to, was this God or was this me? [00:13:11] (41 seconds) #PrayerIsConversation

The will of God won't contradict the word of God. Pastor, I've been praying about dating this guy. I think he's the one and he's not a believer. He doesn't really want to go to church, but God told me I would be the light in his life and we should date. God did not tell you that. A hundred percent God did not tell you that because I can take you to five different places in scripture where God says not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. [00:14:21] (24 seconds) #UnequallyYoked

Is what I'm thinking about doing, truly God's word, God's will. You know, that guy's been on my nerves so long I prayed about it. God said it'd be all right if I just punch him in the face. No. God did not say that because that's not pure, peaceable, gentle, and reasonable. It doesn't conform to the beauty of his character. So it can't be God's will. Okay. And thirdly, burden. One, the will of God is going to feel like a burden for you to carry. Because the will of God includes things like humility and honesty and integrity and generosity and sacrifice and not self-exaltation. [00:16:45] (45 seconds) #CharacterNotImpulse

We come to church so that God answers our prayers, so we figure out how to do the ABCs and the 123s of our life being better. And it's so much more than that. Listen to me. The church does not exist for you. You are the church, and you exist for the lost children of God. Do you understand that? Let me say that again slowly. The church does not exist for you. I'm going to come to church. They're going to sing songs. It's going to make me feel better. Preacher's going to talk. He's going to encourage me. Clearly, I'm not doing that today, okay? I'm kind of up in your face. [00:18:02] (34 seconds) #YouAreTheChurch

But God, Jesus, let me tell you one of the most unbiblical things we say is that Jesus died for you. Let me tell you what the Bible says. Jesus died for his church. That's what the Bible says. He died for the church. Now, you can be a part of the church, and then he died for you. But he died for the church. See, we are a very individualistic culture. Americans love individual rights. But let me tell you something. This is not an individualistic book. This is a group book. We're together. We are the body of Christ. [00:28:49] (32 seconds) #JesusDiedForTheChurch

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