TRANSFIGURATION PRAYER: Where Heaven Meets Here | Conclusion - "This Kind" | Convo #8

Heaven's glory on the mountaintop and heartbreak at the base. Few moments capture the gap between revelation and reality like the Mount of Transfiguration followed by a desperate father’s plea. We walk that path with open eyes and honest hearts, asking what changes when we take prayer off the summit and into the noise. Jesus said, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer," and this becomes more than a verse; it becomes a map for how we live, love, and lead when our strength fails and our best ideas stall.

So far, in this "TRANSFIGURATION PRAYER" collection of conversations, we have woven together seven portraits of prayer:

• interceding like Moses 
• believing like Elijah
• strengthening like Peter
• following like James
• abiding like John, and,
• surrendering like Jesus

These form a simple, sturdy framework for everyday devotion-driven discipleship. Now we come to the conclusion of this collection and consider the consequences of praying like this. We name the pushback that shows up when people start praying for prodigals, for light in dark places, and for courage in the face of spiritual resistance. Instead of shrinking back, we learn to press in and pray big. Each of us are encouraged to build small, consistent practices that open space for God to move: family prayers that are short and sincere, a church “encounter room,” text threads that intercede by name, and rhythms that keep our focus on God’s presence rather than our performance.

The heart of our conversation is practical and hopeful. Prayer isn’t a backup plan; it’s the bridge where heaven meets here, where glory meets grit, where transfiguration becomes transformation. If you’re carrying heavy needs, waiting on change, or longing to see faith take root in your home and community, this journey will give you language, models, and courage to keep going. Listen, share with someone who needs hope, and join us in seeking Jesus together. 

The devotion-driven discipleship guide that goes along with this conversation can be found HERE. Spend some time with Jesus following this episode to hear what HE wants to say to you through it and through the Scriptures!

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The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media.

Family Disciple Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:05):
When the light faded from the mountain of
transfiguration, the disciplesfollowed Jesus back down the
mountain into a world that wasloud, that was chaotic, that was
desperate.
A father was pleading for hisson.
The crowd was arguing, and thedisciples, well, they were just

(00:27):
helpless.
And right there, after all thatheavenly glory, Jesus said, This
kind cannot be driven out byanything but prayer.
That one sentence, I believe, isthe hinge between the mountain
and the mission.

(00:47):
You see, prayer wasn't meant tostay up on the mountain.
Prayer was meant to move intoreal life below.
Hi, my name is Tasha Williams.
Welcome to the Family DiscipleMe Ministry and this final
conversation in our collectioncalled Transfiguration Prayer,

(01:08):
where heaven meets here.
And I have to say, honestly,judging by the comments that
we've gotten on our FamilyDisciple Me social Media during
this conversation collection,well, we've gotten a lot of
nasty comments.
I really think that the enemyhas been bothered by the prayers

(01:29):
that have been uplifted duringthis particular series.
And that, my friends, well, itjust fires me up all the more.
Because here's the thing if ourprayers are bothering the
principalities, the powers, therulers of the darkness of this
world, then I believe that weare doing something right.

(01:50):
So in this final conversation inthis collection, we're going to
sum it all up and we're going totalk about this kind of prayers.
Now, over the past sevenconversations, we've walked
through some of Scripture's mostpowerful prayer lives.
Each one of the men on themountain of transfiguration

(02:11):
gives us a different glimpseinto what it looks like when
heaven meets here.
Moses, if you'll remember, Mosestaught us to intercede, standing
in the gap between God and man.
Elijah, he taught us to believe,trusting God to do the more, the
impossible.
Peter taught us to strengthen,to seek Jesus' strength in our

(02:35):
weakness, and then to turnaround and strengthen others.
And then there was the discipleJames, who taught us to follow,
staying close to Jesus andfollowing him with a life that
goes and lives beyond words.
And then we looked at thebeloved disciple John, who gives
us such an amazing example ofhow to abide with Jesus.

(02:59):
And then, of course, we lookedat Jesus himself, who teaches us
so many things about prayer.
But in particular, we looked atJesus and how his prayer life
teaches us to surrender.
I believe that together, each ofthese lives forms a more
complete picture oftransfiguration prayer, a prayer

(03:22):
life that changes us from theinside out so that God begins
then to work through us in evermore powerful ways.
So we've looked at the lives ofeach of these persons who were
on the mountain oftransfiguration.
We've taken a glimpse at each oftheir stories.
We've talked about what theylearned, what they've

(03:42):
experienced, and what we canlearn from their stories.
But today I want us to re-enterthat story from the mountain of
transfiguration as Jesus and thethree disciples, Peter, James,
and John, reached the bottom ofthe mountain.
The truth is, when they steppedout of those clouds of God's
presence on the mountain oftransfiguration, well, they

(04:04):
stepped into the chaos of God'speople and of so many other
people who maybe didn't evenknow God yet.
And when they got down to thebase of the mountain, well, they
faced a battle, actuallymultiple battles, that they
couldn't win on their own.
They tried everything they knew,but nothing worked.
That feels a little bit like mylife right now.

(04:28):
And maybe that seems likesomething that tells a bit of
your story too.
You've had these amazing momentsin prayer with God, perhaps even
through this conversationcollection, and yet you still
have these scenarios in thereality of your life where
you're facing battles where youcan't win, you're facing issues

(04:49):
that you can't solve, and you'vetried everything you know, but
nothing is working.
And that's when Jesus revealedthe key, which is actually our
key verse for this conversationcollection.
When he said, This kind cannotbe driven out by anything but
prayer.
When Jesus said this, it is asif he said, disciples, you saw

(05:15):
my glory, you encountered mypresence, but now you must
depend not on your own power,but my power.
You see, the transfiguration, itwasn't just an escape from this
world, it was preparation forit.
Jesus didn't show his disciplesthe light so that they could

(05:36):
just stay up on that mountain.
He showed them that light sothat they could carry it down
into the darkness of the worldbelow.
And I'm convinced the same istrue for us as Christ followers.
The mountaintop moments when Godreveals himself to us in prayer.
Well, I believe those momentsare meant to prepare us for the

(05:58):
valleys where our faith must belived out.
Some things, shall we say, thiskind of things can only be
changed by prayer.
So maybe in this conversationcollection, you've learned to
pray in some new ways.
Maybe you've learned tointercede just a little bit

(06:22):
more, like Moses.
Maybe you've learned to believein greater ways, like Elijah.
Maybe you have felt strengthenedin new ways, like Peter, even
after he messed up, how Godstrengthened him and renewed him
and gave him a new platform forministry and faith lived out.

(06:44):
Maybe in this conversationcollection, you've learned to
follow Jesus in prayer thatspeaks even louder than the
words that you say.
Maybe you've been challenged ina new way to pray through
abiding with Jesus like John, ormaybe this conversation
collection has simply challengedyou to learn to pray and

(07:08):
surrender more like Jesus.
I don't know how this collectionhas affected you, but I know for
me, in each of my days, as I'vewalked through each of these
conversations, both in preparingthem and writing them and then
in living them out.
For me, it's been almost a dailything where I go through each of

(07:30):
these lives.
I want to pray more like Moses.
I want to pray more like Elijah.
I want to pray more like Peterand James and John.
And of course, I want to praymore like Jesus.
And as this grid, this pathwayhas been lit by the lives of the
examples of these men.
I have been challenged.
I have been changed.

(07:50):
And I hope that you have too.
And from here, the call issimple to continue to pray this
way in our daily lives.
When the needs we face feel oh,so heavy, God wants us to pray.
When the challenges that we faceare beyond our control.

(08:11):
Got a few of those, right?
We pray.
When we're in the midst of avalley and the light feels so
far away, we pray.
We pray like never beforebecause here's what we've
learned in this collection ofconversations.
Here's what I've learned.
Prayer is not a backup plan.
It is the bridge between heavenand here.

(08:34):
It's where heaven meets here.
It's how the glory of God meetsthe grit of everyday life.
It's how transfiguration meetsour transformation.
Oh, friend, as we close thisconversation series, I want to
send you out with thisinspiration, with this blessing,

(08:56):
with this thought.
The mountain was never thedestination.
It was the encounter.
It was the place where Godchanges us on a regular basis as
we meet with him on thosemountaintop moments, wherever
that is, in prayer.
And now he sends us out into themission waiting below.

(09:19):
So, friends, the enemy has beenbothered by the way that we've
begun to pray in thisconversation collection.
I've seen it echoed on socialmedia.
I've seen the enemy push back.
I've seen the vulgarity.
I've seen the language.
I've seen the attack.
And that tells me that the gatesof hell are being disturbed.

(09:41):
And I don't know about you, butI kind of like that.
So let's keep charging the enemyto bring back the prodigals.
Let's keep charging the powersof darkness to bring the light
to those places where God'ssending us.
Let's keep praying like neverbefore, so that those who are

(10:04):
blinded by the enemy right nowwill begin to see God's face.
Friends, let's pray with thehumility of Moses, who said,
God, now show me your glory.
Let's pray with the courage ofElijah.
He wasn't perfect.
He had his moment.
Scripture tells us that.
And yet he had such boldness andcourage when he called out to

(10:29):
God.
Let's pray with the resilienceof Peter because we mess up
along the way.
We don't get it right all thetime.
We have to come back to Jesuswith repentance and make sure
that our own hearts are right.
And yet he says, When Istrengthen you, I want you to go
out and strengthen others.
Oh, let's pray with theobedience of James, who had

(10:50):
God's transformative power inhis life, so much so that he
became a prayer warrior inScripture, even to the point of
death following Jesus.
Let's pray with the tendernessand the abiding, the gentle love
that was transformed by God,that prayer life of John, who

(11:12):
teaches us to abide.
And let's every day, every stepof the way, whether we're on the
mountain or we're on mission,let's pray with the surrender
like Jesus.
Let's pray until heaven meetsthe needs in front of us.
And as we go, for all of us,let's continue to invite others

(11:35):
to come along with us, ourfamilies, whether our families
are little people who are withus in our homes, living in our
houses, riding in our vehiclesand carpool, or sitting in our
vehicles while we're waiting forthe older siblings, whether it's
our older kids who come home fora meal, those older kids that we

(11:56):
can still speak Jesus into, whohave walked away from him, who
are prodigals.
Let's continue to invite othersinto the journey with us.
Maybe it's our families at home,our extended families, our adult
kids, our grandkids.
Maybe it's our friends, thepeople that God has placed in
our lives, these people whomatter so much to us, people

(12:19):
that we can say, come do thisprayer journey with me.
God has given us a mission andhe wants us to meet with him on
the mountain.
I have friends like that.
I hope that you do, that you'reinspired to do that.
Let's invite others to join usin our community.
I know that in this season, I'vebeen inviting and challenging my

(12:42):
church to pray like neverbefore.
I've scoured our church buildingfor a new room that we're
calling the encounter room.
And I'm so excited about whatGod's going to do in us and
through us with that.
I don't know what it looks likefor you to invite others, but
don't leave this moment oftransfiguration prayer until you

(13:08):
lean into your community to helpheaven meet here in a new way,
there as well.
Teach them how to pray.
Model to them what it looks liketo pray.
Show them what devotion-drivendiscipleship looks like.
And then together, let's carryon this mission that we call

(13:28):
seek him, speak him, bring thatlight where we encounter God on
the mountain into the valleysand the darkness of our world
below as we live out ourmission.
Because Jesus said, This kindcannot be driven out by anything

(13:49):
but prayer.
So, friends, let's take him athis word.
Let's pray like never beforebecause he promises he still
lets heaven meet here in ourlives today.
Oh, friend, go with God, beencouraged, be challenged, be

(14:11):
blessed.
You've been listening to theFamily Disciple Me Ministry in
this conversation collection.
And I am so honored that youjourneyed through this series
with me.
Now, if this conversationcollection has encouraged you,
has challenged you, has inspiredyou at all, I would ask you to
share it with someone else andthen go through the journey of

(14:32):
transfiguration prayer withthem.

Because here's what I know (14:35):
God has so much to say to us through
his word.
Don't take my word for it.
Get into the word yourself andgo the next level deeper with
someone else as you meet withGod and make him known.
That's what devotion-drivendiscipleship looks like.

(14:55):
We have so many moreconversation collections
available and coming.
So I look forward to seeing youagain in this journey of
devotion-driven discipleship.
But for right now, rememberdiscipleship starts with a
conversation.
So go seek him, speak him, andwatch what God is going to do

(15:18):
through you and your prayers andyour life of faith today.
Go with God, friend.