Daily Archives: November 1, 2013

Prayer – Lesson 3: The Environment Of Prayer – God’s Presence

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LESSON THREE

THE ENVIRONMENT OF PRAYER – GOD’S PRESENCE

INTRODUCTION

Part of our concept of prayer is to get God to come into our realm and our situation and do something to change it or help us.

This is not Biblical prayer. Prayer is not about bringing God to where we are. Prayer is about changing our awareness from ourself-absorbed self-consciousness to a consciousness of God’s presence. He is Emanuel – God with us.

The first time prayer is mentioned in the Bible governs the meaning of prayer throughout the Bible – called the Law of First Mention.

“At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD,” Genesis 4:26 (NIV), the original Hebrew word for “call” suggests the idea of “turning the head to face the one who could bear the burden.” Turning the head implies changing one’s awareness.

1. GOD IS PRESENT EVERYWHERE

We cannot take or bring God anywhere. He is already here.

God’s presence fills heaven and earth. We are in His presence like a fish in water.

Solomon prayed: “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built.” 1 Kings 8:27 (NIV).

“‘Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:24 (NIV).

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7 (NIV).

We must begin by acknowledging God’s presence and worshipping Him for who He is, otherwise our problems will loom bigger than God and we will want to call Him in instead of realising that He is already here.

Question: If God is everywhere, where is heaven?

Heaven is not a place. It is the environment in which God dwells and rules.

Changing one’s awareness is not only about acknowledging God’s presence but also about recognising who He is.

Everyone has an idea of God that is shaped by our imagination. Our imagination is influenced by our culture, upbringing and environment.

These are all “images” and not reflections of the true God. We are to gain our understanding from revelation, not imagination.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV).

Question: Who is “He” in this verse?

He is the God who exists and who rewards those who earnestly seek Him. That means that He is the God of revelation, the God whom we meet in the Bible and who made Himself known primarily in His Son.

2. GOD IS PRESENT IN THE FULNESS OF WHO HE IS

In any human situation God is present with everything He is and everything He wants to and is able to do.

No matter what the crisis, there are three facts that never change:

God is here

God is functional (good

God is in charge

True prayer is engaging God on the basis of our motivation and the recognition of His presence. It’s not about getting our needs met. It’s about recognising who God is in our situation and giving Him the opportunity to act according to who He is so that He can put Himself on display.

Getting our needs met is His way of showing us who He is so that we can acknowledge His glory.

“Now on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As He was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him….When He saw them, He said, ‘Go show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus feet and thanked Him – and he was a Samaritan.”  Luke 17:11-15 (NIV).

Question? Why does God not always answer our prayers?

There is no pat answer to this question. God is God. He is not obliged to give us any explanations or reasons. However, there are conditions to prayer. We shall discuss them in our final lesson.

1. We may have the wrong motivation.

2. We may be praying to the wrong god, the god of our imagination and not the God of revelation.

3. WE CANNOT WELCOME GOD INTO OUR PRESENCE

That is an arrogant misunderstanding of our relationship to God. We are not on the throne – He is. If we approach Him, it is on the basis of the blood of Christ and the mercy and grace of God.

It is His right to accept us and welcome us into His presence, otherwise we are doomed.

“Therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, opened to us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-22 (NIV).

Let us not become sloppy in our understanding of who God is.

He is our Father but we owe Him honour, reverence and holy fear because He is God. Since He fills heaven and earth, there is no place where He is not. It is our place to draw near to Him as He waits to receive our worship and adoration.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably, with reverence and awe , for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” Hebrews 12:26 (NIV).

CONCLUSION

1. Prayer is about changing our self-awareness to God-awareness.

2. We cannot “bring” God into our situation through prayer since God is everywhere.

3. God is present everywhere in His fulness.

4. It is a misunderstanding to welcome God into our presence. He is God and has made provision for us approach Him.

 

Prayer – Lesson 2: The Motivation For Prayer, God’s Glory

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LESSON 2

THE MOTIVATION FOR PRAYER – GOD’S GLORY

INTRODUCTION

Without going into the subject of God’s glory in detail, let’s try to understand it in the context of prayer.

“God saw all that He had made, and it was very good….” Genesis 1:28a (NIV).

“Good” is an abstract word. What does it mean? All the words the dictionary uses are also abstract – morally excellent, virtuous, righteous, of high quality, well-behaved etc.

In the Hebraic understanding of “good”, it meant “functional”. Everything God made was functional – in perfect working order – even man!

Now substitute “functional” for “good” in this sentence – “God is good – God is functional.”

If God is functional, what is His function? What is He supposed to do? He is supposed to put His glory on display.

God is about Himself and He always does everything for His glory. Does that sound egotistical? If God were not stuck on Himself He would not be the greatest being in the universe. There would be someone greater than He.

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!” Romans 11:36 (NIV).

God said that everything He had made was good, including man. That means that man was functional. What was his function? Just like the rest of creation, his purpose was to put God’s glory on display.

“…everyone who is called by my name,

whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed and made.” Isaiah 43:7 (NIV)

God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledgeof good (functionality) and evil (dysfunctionality). He did not want them to experience dysfuntionality because it would bring dysfunctionality into the whole cosmos. To disobey was to become dysfunctional.

Question: In the context of our discussion, what does it mean to be functional and dysfunctional?

1. WHAT IS THE GLORY OF GOD?

Moses asked God to show him His glory (Exodus 33:18). He thought  it would be something he could see.

“And the LORD said, ‘I will cause all my goodness (functionality) to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,’ He said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’” Exodus 33:19-20 (NIV).

The glory of God, in essence, is His character of mercy and compassion.

“Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed His name, the LORD. And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The LORD, the LORD, the gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.’” Exodus 34:5-6 (NIV).

God’s glory is the motivation for our ordinary living.

Since Jesus has reconciled us to the Father and restored us to His family as His sons and daughters, our ordinary, everyday behaviour must be functional. The Apostle Paul instructs us to do everything for God’s glory – ie to put His character on display through our behaviour and attitudes.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV).

God’s glory must be the motivation for our praying as well.

If we are to be functional in everything we do, that must include prayer.

Does the Bible teach us to pray so that God ‘s functionality is put on display?

Yes, it does.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask anything in my name and I will do it.” John 14:13-14. (NIV).

Prayer that is self-seeking and self-serving is not prayer “in the name of Jesus”.  The name of Jesus is not a magic formula. It regulates what we pray for according to His nature and His purpose. Prayer that does not have God’s glory in view does not qualify as prayer.

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:3 (NIV).

God orchestrates our needs in order to test our hearts and to display His character through the answers.

If we will allow Him , our needs are His opportunity to show us what He is like. Instead of whining, complaining or making demands, we have the opportunity to release our situations to Him and watch what He can do.

“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Deuteronomy 8:2-4 (NIV).

God was angry with His people because of their unbelief; they murmured and complained instead of trusting Him.

“Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His promise. They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD.” Psalm 106:24-25. (NIV).

Question: In what ways can we put God’s glory on display?

2. HOW DID JESUS PUT GOD’S GLORY ON DISPLAY?

Jesus saw every need as an opportunity to put God’s glory on display.

He directed His disciples, not to the cause of the man’s blindness but to the opportunity to put God’s glory on display.

“‘Neither this man nor His parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.’” John 9:3 (NIV).

He saw the sickness of Lazarus, not as ending in death but as an opportunity for God to display His glory and the glory of His Son.

“When He heard this, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so the God’s Son may be glorified through it.”’” John 11:4 (NIV)

We put God’s glory on display by imitating the way Jesus lived, acted, spoke and treated people that mirrored the Father.

Jesus and Paul related the formation of God’s character in us to prayer.

When God answers our prayers according to His word, we bear the fruit of God’s character (Galatians 5:22,23), which reflects God’s glory in us.

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:7-8 (NIV).

Paul said that, with the help of God’s Spirit in prayer, He works for the good of those who love Him in every circumstance, remaking us into the image of His Son.

“In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches hour hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints  in accordance with God’s will.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Romans 8:26- 29 (NIV).

Question: How does God develop our character through prayer?

He teaches us such things as patience, trust, perseverance, confidence and dependence as we wait on Him to do what brings Him honour. It is the fruit of character that glorifies Him (John 15:7,8)

CONCLUSION

1. God is functional – He does everything for His own glory.

2. He created man to be a reflection of Him by putting His glory on display.

3. Everything man does, including prayer, is to meant to show  off God’s character.

4. God only answers prayer according to His will and for His glory.

5. God orchestrates needs so that the answers put His glory on display.

6. Jesus used every opportunity to glorify His Father through meeting people’s needs.

7. God answers our prayers in order to shape us into the likeness of Jesus.

 

He Understood

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HE UNDERSTOOD

“After John’s messengers left to make their report, Jesus said more about John to the crowd of people. ’What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pyjamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A messenger from God? That’s right, a messenger! Probably the greatest messenger you’ll ever hear. He is the messenger Malachi announced when he wrote, “I’m sending my messenger on ahead to make the road smooth for you.”‘ Luke 7:24-27 (The Message).

Why this vehement defence of John the Baptist?

John had just publicly revealed his vulnerability in his extreme circumstances. It was Jesus’ turn to set the record straight, not only to defend John but also to save his ministry.

He was God’s appointed forerunner of the Messiah, the one foretold by Malachi four hundred years before. He had come, as predicted, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to announce and prepare for the coming of the Messiah. People had flocked to hear him in the wilderness. They had received his message that the Messiah was on the brink of being revealed to them. Perhaps some had even been present when Jesus was baptised and had heard the Father’s affirmation of His Son.

Now John was wavering and who can blame him? The all-powerful Messiah had not lifted a finger to rescue him in his predicament. Perhaps John did not realise that his work was done, short though it had been, and it was time for him to step aside and allow Jesus to stand in the limelight for a season until He, too, stepped aside when His work was complete.

Jesus did not want the crowd to think that John was undoing all he had said and done by wavering in his conviction that He was the Messiah. Turning to the Scriptures, He demonstrated to John’s followers that He fulfilled everything the Scriptures had said about Him to that point. His own circumstances aside, John had to believe that Jesus was all that John had reported Him to be.

But Jesus was not only protecting John’s ministry, He was also protecting John himself. This temporary lapse in John’s conviction, this wobble in his faith, was not who John was. In his weakest moment, Jesus was there for him and quick to point out that he was no fly-by-night, self-appointed prophet. God had foretold his coming through His messenger centuries before just as surely as He had prophesied the coming of His Messiah.

In glowing terms Jesus began to correct any misgivings people the crowd might have had about John. John was no holiday maker or member of the idle rich, on public display for their entertainment. He was a messenger sent from God, whose arrival was foretold in the Scriptures as surely as that of the Messiah. The implication was that the people had better heed what John had preached. It was serious business and, even though John was shaky in his faith right then, his doubts did not cancel out who he was and what he had done before his incarceration.

Don’t you love Jesus for this little interlude? It reveals His heart once again. A lesser person might have criticised John for vacillating in his circumstances, but not Jesus. No matter how weak he was right then, his work remained and Jesus acknowledged that.

This should give us the courage to know that God is tender towards us in our struggles. He does not judge the process through which we have to go to reach our conclusions. How many times we have been where John was, only to emerge stronger and more secure in our confidence in God because God sees the whole picture and accompanies us to a place of greater strength.

So don’t give up. Jesus will never stab you in the back. He will walk with you through the valley until you reach the other side.