Category Archives: Prayer

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 17

Prayer, ,

PARTICIPANT OR PARASITE?

‭1 John 2:3-6 NLT‬
[3] “And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. [4] If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. [5] But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. [6] Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”

How often I catch myself praying earnestly for others who are not living up to standard but forget that I am exactly where they are.

The Apostle John’s first letter is full of encouragement to live what we believe. It’s no using claiming to love God but, in practice, being more concerned about self than others.

I watched a video clip of a pastor sharing a story of God’s miraculous intervention to defuse a life-threatening clash between two rival groups in my country. He told of God’s dealings with him, revealing an attitude in him which he, the pastor, initially denied until God exposed his heart.

God told him he was a racist. He vehemently denied this accusation until the truth was revealed. Racism, (which is a fallacy since there is only one race – the human race), is a ‘hot potato’, often called in to raise blood pressure in times of conflict. People immediately take sides and the fight is on.

God revealed the truth about ‘racism’. It’s not about the colour of our skin or the culture of our group. It’s about our indifference to the struggles of another class as long as our class is okay. For example, we don’t care about the poor as long as we have enough. We dodge the issue by thinking or saying, “It’s not my problem!” What about the jobless, or the children in abusive situations, or women who are being raped or murdered. The list is endless. No matter the colour or culture, do I really care?

Then I have to face the truth. Am I a participant or a parasite? A participant is one who is fully involved at whatever level the Lord places him or her. I cannot save the world. I cannot feed all the hungry or house all the homeless. I cannot take up every cause but… I can be whom God wants me to be and do what God calls and equips me to do where I am in the situation.

This was the issue, in Jesus’ story, of the man who received one talent and buried it. He refused to get involved by failing to increase what he had been lent.

This issue is especially relevant in the church. Since God’s priority is the church, He provides what is needed to grow Christ’s body here on earth.

The Holy Spirit gives every believer at least one spiritual gift to benefit believers in every way… material, physical, and spiritual.

‭1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT‬
[7] “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”

How can I identify my gift? What am I good at and love doing? What can I do to lift others up? What can I do in Christ’s body that confirms my gift by bringing me joy, satisfaction, and fulfilment? God equips us with qualities and abilities that we love doing but we must use them to hone, use, and grow in our ministry to others. If we neglect our gifts, we will become parasites, content to gain from others but not contributing to the growth and maturing of believers in the church.

“Pay it forward” is the model in the church. Gifts are essentially gifts to the body through us, not for a name or recognition for ourselves, but to serve others. I don’t think that God calls us to use our gifts to serve the world except when He clearly directs people that way.

However, He does instruct us to serve one another in the body, and for specific reasons. Loving service to one another and unity in the fellowship are powerful witnesses to the world that we are His disciples.

‭John 13:34, 35 NLT‬
[34] “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
[35] Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

‭John 17:21 NLT‬
[21]”I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”

It’s this teamwork, this mosaic of gifts that lends credence to our witness to Jesus. The world doesn’t know a love like this that gives selflessly what we could keep for ourselves unless we show it to them by our love for one another.

So, what does this have to do with praying God’s way?

Since, as Jesus said, we can do nothing without Him, prayer keeps our hearts in close fellowship with Him, sensitive to the Holy Spirit in us as He leads us in the use of our gifts. Prayer keeps us in touch with God’s power to work His grace in other lives as we minister to them.
Without this tight connection with the Lord, our ‘good works’ will be empty of the effectiveness we desire in our lives as believers together.

Be a giver, not a taker; be a participant, not a parasite, in this life.

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 16

Prayer, ,

ATTITUDE

Someone recently told me about a radio program she tunes into on her way to work. A marriage counsellor mentioned that he listens for one thing when a client is telling his/her story… contempt. This exposes the attitude of the counsellee towards the other person.

Think about it. When we have a conflict with another person, regardless who they are, we stand apart from him/her and point fingers… contempt!

Jesus said we must pray for our enemies. That’s a loaded requirement! Sometimes our prayers can be full of contempt. What are we doing? We are setting the standard for our own judgment AND for our own punishment.

‭Matthew 7:1-2 NLT‬
[1] “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. [2] For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

What should be our attitude when we pray for others? Believers who have fallen into sin? Family members who are at loggerheads with us? Marriage partners who treat us badly? Enemies who get in our hair? Unbelievers who offend us by their wicked behaviour? Government officials who fail? I quote, “The world is a magical place full of people waiting to be offended by something” (or someone – added)!

Two examples from Scripture, prayers from two people who had every right to be offended, who were unjustly and cruelly executed.

‭Luke 23:34 NLT‬
[34] Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

‭Acts of the Apostles 7:59-60 NLT‬
[59] “As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” [60] He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.”

What was the difference between them and us? They changed the accusation from, “Look what they did to me!” to “Look what they are doing to themselves!”

We easily and quickly take offence and demand retribution when we think about ourselves first. Our prayers will reflect this attitude. Do some of David’s prayers come close to contempt?

‭Psalms 3:7 NLT‬
[7] “Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked!”

There is a place for God’s justice in His scheme of things. We anticipate the day when He will avenge all the wrongs done to His people. He promised a day of judgment when Jesus comes.

‭2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 NLT‬
[6]”In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you. [7] And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, [8] in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.”

However, Paul is not praying for or gloating over the judgment to come on the wicked. He is stating the sober fact that it will happen to those who reject Jesus.

The Bible’s stance is compassion for those on whom God’s terrible judgment will fall. God grieved over His wayward people. He could not treat them as their sins deserved.

‭Hosea 11:8-9 NLT‬
[8] “Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. [9] No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.”

Jesus wept over His enemies. He was more concerned for them than for Himself.

‭Matthew 23:37 NLT‬
[37] “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me… “

‭Luke 19:41-44 NLT‬
[41] But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. [42] “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. [43] Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. [44] They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

‭Luke 23:28 NLT‬
[28]”But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

It’s amazing how quickly one’s attitude changes from
contempt to compassion when one thinks of the destiny of those whose words and behaviour reflects their hearts. Perhaps we will move closer to the heart of the Father when we pray with compassion for the lost rather than call for their destruction.

‭‭Ezekiel 18:23 NLT‬
[23] “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die?” says the Sovereign Lord. “Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.”

‭2 Peter 3:9 NLT‬
[9] “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 15

Prayer, ,

THE APEX OF ALL PRAYERS

‭Ephesians 3:16-19 NLT‬
[16] “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. [17] Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. [18] And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. [19] May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

Whoever uttered this prayer had a grasp of and a passion for God’s love like no other! All of Paul’s insights, teachings, instructions, explanations, rebukes, corrections, and recorded prayers peak at this point… knowing and experiencing the love of God in Christ.

Whatever Paul has written and preserved for believers down the centuries will mean little if it does not bring us to the fulfillment of this prayer. God’s love, the source and completion of everything He has ever done, from creation in Genesis to consummation in Revelation, is all that matters.

The Apostle John must surely have grasped this truth. He was transformed from “son of thunder” to “the disciple whom Jesus loved”
by a love so great that it consumed his heart. His letters ooze the love of God. God’s love for us drips from every word he wrote, an unfathomable love so great that it drives every thought and action God has towards lost humans.

Until we, like Paul and John, see with wide-open spiritual eyes, this love of God on Scripture’s every page, and embrace it for ourselves, we will always limp along in the twilight of our salvation experience.

Knowing and experiencing this divine love creates the confidence in a belonging that nothing and no one can ever destroy.

‭Romans 8:35, 37-39 NLT‬
[35] Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?…

[37] No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
[38] And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
[39] “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

A hymn composed by George Wade Robinson (1838 to 1877), beautifully expresses this sublime relationship.
(http:// www.hymnal.net)

“Loved with everlasting love,
Led by grace that love to know;
Spirit, breathing from above,
Thou hast taught me it is so.
Oh, this full and perfect peace!
Oh, this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His, and He is mine.

  1. Heaven above is softer blue,
    Earth around is sweeter green;
    Something lives in every hue
    Christless eyes have never seen:
    Birds with gladder songs o’erflow,
    Flow’rs with deeper beauties shine,
    Since I know, as now I know,
    I am His, and He is mine.
  2. Things that once were wild alarms
    Cannot now disturb my rest;
    Closed in everlasting arms,
    Pillowed on the loving breast.
    Oh, to lie forever here,
    Doubt and care and self resign,
    While He whispers in my ear,
    I am His, and He is mine.
  3. His forever, only His:
    Who the Lord and me shall part?
    Ah, with what a rest of bliss
    Christ can fill the loving heart.
    Heaven and earth may fade and flee,
    Firstborn light in gloom decline;
    But, while God and I shall be,
    I am His, and He is mine.”

For knowledge and experience of this love in all the dimensions of its reach, and driven by the Holy Spirit in us, Paul earnestly prays. In the atmosphere and environment of God’s love entrenched in our hearts, Jesus Christ will be perfectly at home.

All the “so that’s” of the Holy Spirit’s energy in us will culminate in a grip so strong that God’s love in all its dimensions will color every nuance in life.

Every struggle, trouble, hardship, and adversity will NEVER be able to dislodge us from our confidence in this love. God’s love, the depth of who He is, will relentlessly surround and overshadow us until, at last, we are moved from time to eternity into that and life-sustaining breath of heaven forever.

If we are still uncertain of Jesus’ love for the Father, revealed in His sublime act of sacrifice in obedience to Him, then pray! Pray, like Paul prayed, that the love that glues the Godhead together and includes us in its grip, will become as real as the earth we walk on. Let that prayer become the air we breathe until we are wrapped, encased, and engulfed in the love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 14

Prayer, ,

PRAYING FOR ALL PEOPLE EVERYWHERE

‭1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT‬
[1] “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. [2] Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”

Ephesians 6:18 NLT‬
[18]”Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

How do we pray for people everywhere,… those in authority over us, those in the world around us, and those who are the church all over the world? Sounds like a tall order doesn’t it?

We must first remember that, even if we don’t know them, God does! We pray, not for any reason we may have but because God commands us to pray.

Paul gives us instructions that will help us understand what God desires of each group of people.

  1. What do political leaders need most? Since God has His eyes and heart on the church, He wants leaders who will contribute to a peaceful society.

‭1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT‬
[1] “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. [2] Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”

Peaceful and quiet lives! God’s desire is for everyone to be saved. He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

‭Ezekiel 33:11 NLT‬
[11]”As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live….” !

Society in ferment is not a conducive environment for preaching and living God’s Word.

‭1 Timothy 2:3-4 NLT‬
[3]”This is good and pleases God our Savior, [4] who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”

Does this mean that everyone will be saved? No, but it does mean that God’s wants peace in society so that the gospel will flourish….for the preaching of the gospel without hindrance, and for His people to live out the gospel without fear.

What must we pray? Paul mentions ‘petitions, prayers, intercession, thanksgiving’, which about covers all kinds of praying. No matter what we may think of those in government, prayer for them will effect change. God is in charge; God moves people in whatever direction He wants them to go.

‭Proverbs 21:1 NLT‬
[1] “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.”

What if we take this promise seriously and partner with God in the way He directs our leaders?

  1. God instructs us to pray for people in the world in the same way, for His help and intervention to bring about peace and stability for the propagation of the gospel.

The Holy Spirit is in the world, convicting people of their sin.

‭John 16:8 NLT‬
[8] “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin…“

The Spirit’s role in the world is to awaken people to their sinfulness and to point them to the Saviour. Let’s partner with Him in His convicting work.

  1. What of the church? What does God want of His church on earth? Again, it does not matter if we do not know the people in the world-wide church. God does! The Word reveals two goals for God’s people…

Transformation into the likeness if Jesus

‭Romans 8:29 NLT‬
[29] “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

and…
Maturity in love and unity…

‭Ephesians 4:13, 15-16 NLT‬
[13] This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ…
[15] Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. [16] He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

With these goals in view, and armed with the reassurance that our “amen” to God’s promises will bring about God’s will on earth as it is done in heaven,

‭James 5:16 NIV‬
[16]… “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

So let’s obey God’s instructions to pray for all people everywhere for the gospel to do its work on every level of society in the world. .

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 13

Prayer, ,

THE FRUIT OF SALVATION

‭Philippians 1:11 NLT‬
[11] “May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”

Our prayers for one another should always have a goal. Yes, we want the Lord to work in our lives; yes we want Him to sort out our trials and struggles so that we move along in our desire to be holy and to do His will; yes, we want to be more like Jesus, even if we are surrounded by the evil influences of our messed-up world, but… for what purpose? Where is all this going?

Paul puts the full stop at the end of the sentence… “the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”

Did you get that? Life is full of circles, but the most important of all… God’s glory is the centre, the hub, the focal point of all circles. It’s all about Him. The final meaning of every circle is about Him. Why? He wants us to know how great He is for two reasons, not to blow His own trumpet but…

1…. So that we will love and trust Him enough to enjoy Him and everything we know about Him, and…

2…So that others will catch glimpses of Him in us that will help them get to know and love Him too.

And this becomes the greatest circle in the circles of life. Paul urged his readers in more than one letter to “do everything you do for God’s glory,” even ordinary things like eating and drinking.

What did Paul mean? God’s glory refers to everything He is in His nature and attributes. We cannot reflect God’s attributes because we are not all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere, but we can show people what He is like in His nature by imitating the way He treats people. The best way for us to know what God is like is by looking at Jesus. He is the reflection of all God’s nature in a human person.

‭Hebrews 1:3 NLT‬
[3] “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God…”

‭John 14:9 NLT‬
[9] “Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?”

When we treat people the way God treats us, with patience, kindness, and mercy, people around us begin to get an idea of what the real God is like, not the distorted ideas we have about Him.

Trouble is that we are easily influenced by others who have wrong ideas about God. Unless we learn the truth about Him from His Word, we won’t be able imagine a God anything like He really is.

When people who reject God is and create a god in their own image, they project that image onto the God of the Bible. It’s no wonder people hate God, are afraid of Him and run from Him!

If the essence of God’s nature is love and everything He does, even if we don’t understand His ways, flows from His love, then our lives, guided by the love of God, will help us to point others to Him. The Holy Spirit in us, as we follow His leading, will produce the spiritual fruit that shows something of God’s character to our fellow humans.

So, Paul prays, “Amen“ to God’s desire for us to be like Jesus, “Let it be so,” so that others will believe in Him too. That should be the real purpose of our lives.