Monthly Archives: May 2024

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 10

Prayer, ,

SPECIFICS IN PRAYER

‭Romans 1:10-12 NLT‬
[10] “One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. [11] For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. [12] When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.”

We learn a great deal from Paul’s recorded prayers, about specific praying. Paul didn’t beat about the bush. He asked the Lord for what he wanted but… he also specified why he asked for what he wanted. “So that..” features in most of his prayers.

This aspect of prayer exposes some of the reasons for unanswered prayer. We have not examined the reason for our request and, unfortunately, according to James, our reasons are often selfish and lustful.

‭James 4:2-3 NLT‬
[2]… “You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. [3] And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.”

James is rather blunt! Without a sincere and legitimate motive, our prayers reach no higher than the ceiling.

It seems that our prayers must include two important specific considerations, what we pray for and why we pray for what we ask. “Why am I asking God for this or that, or to do this or that?” is an essential part of our prayers.

This implies that the request part of our prayers cannot be willy-nilly random prayers but requests tied to a legitimate purpose, and that the purpose for which we pray is in harmony with God’s will.

Can you see, then, that God has invited us into a relationship with Himself that is meaningful and going somewhere?

Jesus epitomised this relationship in His interaction with the Father. Praying and doing the Father’s will were top priority in His life and He bent all His words and actions towards that purpose. His goal was to glorify His Father. He saw an opportunity to put His Father on display in every situation in His life.

‭‭John 9:1-3 NLT‬
[1] “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. [2] “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” [3] “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”

Jesus’ prayers were peppered with the desire for His Father’s will and His gratitude that the Father had heard Him. His “So that’s” would most definitely have been a vital part of His praying.

Imagine the transformation in our own lives, as well as in the lives of those for whom we pray and the situations for which we pray if we included well-thought-out “so that’s…” in our prayers!

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 9

Prayer, ,

UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS

‭Colossians 1:9-10 NLT‬
[9] “So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. [10] Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.”

Here is the first of the many prayers in Paul’s letters that give us glimpses into the way he prayed and the way God wants us to pray. In his prayers, he gives examples that help us understand how to pray.

We mostly learn to pray by listening to others pray. So, we continue in the mistakes others make instead of learning from the Bible itself.

As we have already noted, New Testament prayers are concerned with our ‘inner man’ more than with our outward circumstances because our lives now are a preparation for the life to come and a witness to the unbelieving world of God’s grace in us.

Let’s look for a moment at God’s goal for every believer. He is calling people into an intimate relationship with Himself to be a family and to administer His kingdom with Him. Therefore, to achieve His goal, He has a twofold training programme. He must teach us how to overcome our old sinful nature and He must mature us in obedience and submission so that we become like Jesus, His perfect Son.

If these are on His agenda for us in this life, then our prayers for ourselves and others must concentrate on accomplishing what He has designed us to be and to do.

Paul’s written prayer for the Colossians Church has these elements in it.

  1. He prays for knowledge and understanding. How important these are in our journey through this life! If we don’t know what God is doing and if we don’t understand why He is doing what He is doing in us, our lives will continue to be a chaotic muddle.

Our first step in this journey, then, is get where God is going with us so that we learn to cooperate, not fight against, our circumstances and His work in us through them.

  1. He prays for good fruit. Fruit means the visible evidence of the root and nature of the tree. When we are rooted in Jesus, we bear the fruit of our new lives in Christ in two ways; by the work of God’s Spirit in us, who changes the way we relate to God, to others, and to ourselves…

‭Galatians 5:22-23 NLT‬
[22] “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

…And by the way we pass on this new life to others. We sow the seeds of God’s Word into other lives and they, in turn, take root, grow, and produce fruit.

  1. He anticipates growth and maturity in believers. When believers understand who they are and why they are here, and cooperate with God in His work of growing mature sons in His family, God accomplishes His purpose in us and He is glorified.

Our role in prayer, then, is to partner with God in His programme. Instead of praying ‘circumstancial’ prayers, always caught up in the moment and battling our issues, we begin to understand what God is doing and work with Him through faith and patience, praying ‘amens’ to His promises and trusting Him for the grace to persevere.

‭2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT‬
[20] “For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”

‭2 Peter 1:4 NLT‬
[4] “And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

When we understand this process, our prayers for our everyday circumstances will fit into God’s programme and enable our trust in Him to grow us as He graciously meets our needs on our journey.

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 8

Prayer, ,

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

‭1 Corinthians 1:4-9 NLT‬
[4] “I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. [5] Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. [6] This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. [7] Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. [8] He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. [9] God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.“

Spiritual gifts are an essential part of our loving service to our fellow believers. Through the ministry of gifted people, the people in the church are moved along the path towards spiritual maturity.

Paul had every confidence that his words of correction about their spiritual gifts would help them to restore order and move them along towards maturity. Using their gifts was not about them. It was about the function of togetherness for the benefit of everyone.

The giftedness of the people had become a flash point for controversy, competition and conflict rather than an expression of God’s love through their corporate ministry. Paul needed to remind them that their spiritual gifts were given by the Holy Spirit, not according to their choice. The gifts were to benefit the church, not to elevate the human channel.

No doubt, as Paul presented the pattern for the origin and use of spiritual gifts, he was also giving us the pattern for our prayers.

Are spiritual gifts for everyone or just for some?

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

No one is excluded from the role if helping each other. We all have a part to play in the growth and maturing of Christ’s body. No matter how insignificant we may think our gift is, we must function in our place in the body, otherwise there will be gaps in the process of maturing.

On the other hand, no one gift is more important than another. We must not judge ourselves or others by our own standards. The Holy Spirit decides who gets what gift, but they all fit together in a glorious mosaic of God’s wisdom and power.

Is it right for us to ask for spiritual gifts? According to Paul, ” Yes,” as long as we remember that the Holy Spirit chooses our gifts for us. Our desire for a specific gift is for the benefit of the body, not for our benefit and can only be of value to the body if it is used soaked in God’s love. Any other attitude or motive will defeat the purpose of its use.

So, then, prayer and the gifts we have received from the Spirit are closely intertwined. We appreciate and value our gifts and the gifts of the body. We ask the Lord to keep us humble and obedient as we function together as a unit. We use our gifts to benefit others, not to elevate ourselves. We pray for those to whom we minister, that they will be blessed and matured in their faith and behaviour as we do life together as Christ’s body in the world.

This is the way the church works, just like a human body, each cell working in harmony with every other cell, doing its unique job so that the whole body is healthy and functioning as it was designed to do.

‭Ephesians 4:11-13, 15-16 NLT‬
[11] “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. [12] Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. [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.”

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 7

Prayer, ,

THANKSGIVING

‭‭1 Corinthians 1:4-7 NLT‬
[4] “I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. [5] Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. [6] This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. [7] Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Don’t you love the way Paul begins most of his letters? Despite the errors of doctrine and practice that inevitably creep into a group of new believers, especially those who have come out of paganism, Paul thanks God for them and for the uniqueness of their qualities.

No church life will run smoothly. Inevitably, something will happen to disturb its progress towards maturity. The people in the Corinthian congregation had an array of spiritual gifts, the use of which needed some guidance to maintain order in the church.

Despite some of the problems in the church, Paul was quick to acknowledge the giftedness of the people. He begins his letter with positive affirmation. How better to create the correct atmosphere for his task of rebuking and correcting the misunderstandings that produced unacceptable behaviour? He was much more likely to get their attention by recognising their good points first rather than by diving into a stream of accusations and corrections.

Yes, they did this or that which was contrary to God’s way but…first, the fact that the people displayed many spiritual gifts was confirmation that God had indeed worked by His grace in their hearts. They were equipped to function in a pagan environment with powerful evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in and through them.

Therefore, Paul was confident of their position in Christ. Despite their false thinking leading to sinful behaviour, they belonged to God through Jesus. Paul could help them to return to God’s way by reminding them that they were His possession.

We need to take a leaf out of Paul’s book. Thanksgiving for what is good is always the best way to begin our prayers for others. Unless the person or situation for which we pray has no merits, there will always be something about them for which to thank God. When we find qualities in others we can value and appreciate, we create a loving atmosphere for our prayers that is the springboard for gracious praying.

How often we approach the Father with guns blazing. We have crossed purposes with fellow believers. We use our prayers to get at them instead of praying for mercy, for them and us, in an attitude of humility. We want God to fix them instead of recognising that we also need fixing!

Gratitude for the good in others moves our attention away from ourselves towards the needs of others, not in judgment but in grace.

So, let’s follow Paul’s example by thanking God for the good in others before we focus on what went wrong. Let our thanksgiving temper our attitude and motive for the way we intercede for others. As in our words in human conversation, so in our words in prayer, let our speech be seasoned with salt, that which heals and preserves from putrefaction and decay.

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 6

Prayer, ,

FAITH – THE KEY

‭Hebrews 11:1, 6 NLT‬
[1] “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see….
[6] “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

We have already discovered that each person in the Trinity has a part to play in this work of prayer. However, to the place and work of the Godhead in prayer, we must add one more person to the circle and one more ingredient to prayer for prayer to be the most powerful way in which God works to fulfill His purposes in the His kingdom. We are that person and faith is that ingredient!

No human can figure out why God has chosen to work this way. We can only conclude that God is so magnificent in His love and grace that He has chosen both to initiate and to work through our prayers.

How does He initiate prayer? He either sets up situations that need His intervention in individual’s lives….personal needs, family issues, local or national situations, etc., or He reveals His intentions through His promises.

Take, for example, His promise to David.

‭2 Samuel 7:11-12, 16, 18, 25 NLT‬
[11]… “‘Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings! [12] For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong….
[16] Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’”…
[18] Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?…
[25] “And now, O Lord God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever.”

On the basis of God’s promise to David, David said the “Amen!” and God kept His promise despite the unfaithfulness of some of his descendants. God’s promise to David was eventually fulfilled when Jesus was born, son of David, to be the King of Israel forever.

Faith plays a pivotal role in our prayers.

‭Hebrews 11:6 NLT‬
[6] “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

Faithless prayer is one of the Bible’s impossibles. Without faith in God and His promises, prayer has no solid foundation. James says that, without faith, we are tossed about like a wave on a stormy sea.

‭James 1:6-8 NLT‬
[6]”But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. [7] Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

So, what is faith?

‭Hebrews 11:1 NLT‬
[1]”Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

The Bible’s definition of faith is not easy to understand. I think that faith is like this… Say I want to knit a garment. I choose my pattern and follow the instructions, keeping the picture of the completed garment in front of me as I work. If I stick faithfully to the instructions, my finished work should look exactly like the picture.

God’s promises are our hope, like the picture of our finished garment. Faith is like keeping the picture in view so that we make a replica of the garment in the picture. Faith is anchored to our hope, what God has promised, the unshakeable assurance that God will do what He says. Without this trust in the reliability of God’s Word, we are doubting God Himself, thinking that He might be lying to us. How can He respond to us if we don’t trust Him?

Therefore, without faith, prayer becomes nothing more than empty words.

This brings me to an important part of our hope. Hope, the picture of the finished ‘garment’, is provided by God’s promises. If we don’t have a promise, we have nothing on which to anchor our faith. Our prayers, if we have no promise on which to base our hope, are like shooting in the dark.

How important, then, that we soak in God’s Word so that we learn His ways. Then we will understand His will and learn to pray with Him to achieve His purposes.

‭Romans 12:2 NLT‬
[2] “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

‭1 John 5:14-15 NIV‬
[14] “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. [15] And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”