Monthly Archives: May 2024

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 5b

Prayer, ,

A SECOND QUALIFICATION

‭1 Corinthians 4:2 NLT‬
[2] “Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.”

‭Luke 18:8 NIV‬
[8]… “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith (pistis – faithfulness) on the earth?”

The word ‘pistis’, here translated ‘faith’, can also mean ‘faithfulness’.

‭Matthew 25:23 NLT‬
[23] “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “

Faithfulness to one’s calling and duty is a common theme in Scripture. God penalised King Saul heavily because he was unfaithful to His instructions on more than one occasion. Saul lost his position as king and that of his descendants because of his disobedience.

‭Acts of the Apostles 13:22 NLT‬
[22] “But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’”

Where Saul failed, David qualified and became the role model for all of his descendants in his dynasty.

Since faithfulness is included in Paul’s description of the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit…

‭Galatians 5:22 NLT‬
[22]”But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness… “

… obedience to the leading and work of God’s Spirit in our hearts is imperative. He will produce faithfulness to God, to His Word and to our participation with Him in preparation for our place with Him in His eternal kingdom that qualifies us for our reign with Him.

Jesus told a story about a manager who was about to be fired for his wasteful use of his master’s money. The manager thought up a scheme to curry favour with his master’s debtors when he was out of work. He reduced their debt to his master, (which was also a dishonest move!).

However, Jesus commended the manager, not for his dishonesty but for his clever use of money to gain favour with the debtors.

What does the manager’s behaviour teach us about faithfulness with worldly goods?

Jesus was not telling His disciples to manipulate people by the use of money. He was showing them how to use money to serve our purposes.

‭Luke 16:9 NLT‬
[9] “Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.”

Luke 16:10-11 NLT
[10] “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. [11] And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? [12] And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?”

We see, then, that God included the way we use our resources in His evaluation of us. The crux of the matter is…we will use our money to serve the one we love.

‭Luke 16:13 NLT‬
[13] “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

The way we think of and use our money is a good test of what is in our hearts.

‭Matthew 6:21 NLT‬
[21] “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

It seems, then, that the quality of our faithfulness will be judged by the way money serves us or we serve money.

How, then, does faithfulness for into God’s way of praying? Look at it this way, if God cannot trust us with the resources He has provided for us, why should He trust us with answers to the prayers that affect the administration of His kingdom?

Paul’s counsel to Timothy is a good guide for us to follow.

‭1 Timothy 6:17-19 NLT‬
[17]”Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. [18] Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. [19] By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.”

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 5a

Prayer, ,

THE ADVOCATE WITHIN

‭John 14:26 NLT‬
[26] “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

‭Romans 8:26-27 NLT‬
[26] “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. [27] And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.”

Before we examine some of the examples of praying God’s way in the New Testament, we must complete our pursuit of the role each member of the Trinity plays in our partnership in the administration of God’s kingdom.

Not only do we have an Advocate who represents us to the Father, Jesus, but we also have an Advocate within us, the Holy Spirit, who represents Jesus, our Advocate to us and who represents our faulty prayers to the Father. Can anything be more watertight than this!

Think of it, we come to the Father at His invitation because He has held out the golden sceptre to us. We approach Him through His appointed mediator, Jesus the Son, who offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sin according to the Father’s will, AND we have the Holy Spirit in us who understands our weakness and our groans and, who filters, refines, and presents our prayers to the Father in harmony with His will.

What could be more secure than that!

If the three persons of the Trinity are so intimately involved in our praying, then God must regard prayer as a most significant part of our lives here on earth.

He did not intend prayer to be the low purpose for which we often use prayer, a safety valve for our stresses or a means to get what we want or need. God intends prayer to be His way of including us in His reign on earth.

He created humans to manage the earth with Him, to rule over nature and its creatures.

‭Genesis 1:26 NLT‬
[26]”Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

Despite human rebellion, He has never indicated in His Word that He has revoked this purpose. Not only were we created to manage the earth, but He has also included in His plan our participation with Jesus in the administration of His kingdom.

‭Daniel 7:13-14, 27 NLT‬
[13] “As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. [14] He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed….
[27] Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him.”

‭Revelation 20:6 NLT‬
[6] “Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.”

What this reign means for us in eternity, we have yet to discover. However, the Bible makes clear that reigning with Jesus in this life means subduing and putting to death our unruly old nature by His grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.

‭Romans 5:17 NIV‬
[17] “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!”

‭Romans 8:12-14 NLT‬
[12]” Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. [13] For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. [14] For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

Since God requires us to share in His holiness, it seems clear, then, that our rule over unruly hearts is the first preparation for sharing with Jesus in His reign over His kingdom.

To be continued…

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 4

Prayer, ,

THE GOLDEN SCEPTRE

‭Esther 4:11 NLT‬
[11] “All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.”

‭Esther 5:1-3 NLT‬
[1] “On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance. [2] When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter. [3] Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”

Most of us are familiar with the story of Esther and her role in saving her people from extermination by the Persians. Esther risked her life by approaching the king without an invitation.

The protocol in the Persian kingdom required the king to summons a subject before the subject was permitted to enter his presence. Should anyone approach him without a summons, it was his prerogative to receive that person or to order his/her execution. He would mark his approval by holding out his golden sceptre.

Esther risked execution at Mordecai’s request because of Haman, the Agagite’s wicked scheme to destroy the Jewish exiles in Persia. To her great relief, Esther pleased the king and, in response, she received his approval when he stretched out the golden sceptre to her.

How beautifully this story illustrates God the Father’s gracious approval of our approach to Him in prayer! Unlike Esther who did not know what the king’s response to her would be, we have God’s protocol clearly presented to us in His Word.

We have already learned that the Father has appointed His Son to represent us when we enter the Most Holy Place. Unlike Esther, who had no one to represent her, we have the Advocate who stands beside us to present us to the King of the universe.

Since God’s Word guarantees His approval if we follow heaven’s protocol, we need not risk our lives by approaching the Father in prayer. Not only may we approach Him, but we can also be sure that He approves us and that He will answer us if our prayers are in harmony with His will.

‭1 John 5:14-15 NLT‬
[14] “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. [15] And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”

In the light of the authority of our representative, and what He has done for us, we have the absolute assurance that the Father will stretch out the golden sceptre to us. Jesus not only represents us to the Father but we are also ‘in Christ’, so that everything He is is guaranteed to us as well. His righteousness is ours, His perfection is ours, God’s approval of Him is ours.

Jesus, then, is intimately involved with us in prayer. Prayer is much more than our coming to God with our prayer agendas. (I think that ‘prayer lists’ are abhorrent to God. We cannot treat our Father like a shop owner who prepares the goods we have requested for collection the next day!). Prayer is the most amazing privilege of participating with the Father through the Son, in the administration of His kingdom on earth, including all the facets of people’s lives in this glorious kingdom.

So, let us approach His throne with boldness and confidence because, through Jesus, He always extends the golden sceptre to receive us. He guarantees that He will answer us if we pray according to His will.

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 3

Prayer, ,

POWER OF ATTORNEY

‭John 14:13-14 NLT‬
[13] “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. [14] Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!”

God’s love for us is unconditional but prayer isn’t. God has set a boundary around our prayers, the name of Jesus. Unfortunately, much of the time we use the expression, “… In the name of Jesus…,” or “… In Jesus’ name…” either as a kind of “abracadabra” to get our prayers answered, or “signing off” as an “over and out” to complete our list of requirements for God to fulfill, and we add “amen” to ensure that God knows we have finished.

This may sound crude but I think it often sums up the way we anticipate God’s answers. We are confident that He has heard us because we have prayed ‘in Jesus’ name’.

Let’s examine the meaning of ‘name’ in the Bible. According to one definition, a name is a ‘prophetic utterance of character’. For example, God often named or changed the names of certain people to fit into their intended character after He had changed them, or to fulfill His plan for their lives. Jacob, meaning ‘supplanter – crooked or twisted’ became ‘Israel’, a ‘prince with God’. Simon, ‘one who hears’ became Peter, the ‘stone’.

God and His name are often used interchangeably in Scripture because His name represents His character. He gave His name to Moses, JHWH, to indicate to him who He would be to Israel as their God, the one who is who He is.

When we tack ‘in the name of Jesus’ onto the end of our prayers, we are not signing off or authenticating our prayers. We are using the power of attorney Jesus gave us to express our partnership with Him in His rule on earth. The use of Jesus’ name is an appeal to His character and authority as Lord. God has given Jesus, on the grounds of His perfect obedience to the Father, supremacy in everything in the universe.

‭Philippians 2:9-11 NLT‬
[9] “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

He is the only one who can authorise the answers to our prayers if they are in harmony with His character and will because every promise God has made has been fulfilled in Him.

‭‭2 Corinthians 1:19-20 NLT‬
[19] For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. [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.

Prayer, for us then, is to harmonise with His promises by our “amen”, “let it be so” that we declare ‘in His name’. Praying ‘in Jesus’ name’ means that we approach the Father through His appointed mediator, Jesus, and that we come to Him armed with Jesus’ authority to ask the Father for anything in harmony with Jesus’ character and will.

When we come to the Father in Jesus’ name, we filter out selfish demands, ungodly attitudes and motives, and prayers that are in conflict with the name and nature of Jesus. Any other use of His name in prayer is invalid.

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 2

Prayer, ,

THE RIGHT TO APPROACH

‭Hebrews 10:19-22 NLT‬
[19]”And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. [20] By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. [21] And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, [22] let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

God has not given just anyone permission to barge into His presence with requests and demands. This is disrespectful at worst and dangerous at best.

Since we are only creatures and He is the Creator, He has the right to prescribe His requirements for approaching Him. He is a holy God. He does not tolerate sin in His presence.

‭Habakkuk 1:13 NLT‬
[13] But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil….

How can He permit filthy sinners to come to Him?

‭Romans 5:1-2 NLT‬
[1] “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. [2] Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”

It’s all about blood. “We can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.” Jesus’ blood, shed for us, in our place, forgives, cleanses, and removes our sin. We can stand in God’s presence without fear, GUILT, or shame because of the blood of Christ. By faith, we receive His gift of perfect righteousness. We are acceptable to Him, “holy and beloved” because of Jesus.

We stand in His grace because of Jesus.

‭Romans 5:2 NLT‬
[2] “Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege (grace) where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”

We are His children because of Jesus.

‭Romans 8:15-16 NLT‬
[15] “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” [16] For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”

God has done everything through Jesus to restore us to the privileged position which allows us the freedom to approach Him in prayer. We must never forget, then, that we may only boldly approach God’s throne because of Jesus.

‭Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT‬
[14] “So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. [15] This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. [16] So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

What about the prayers of unbelievers? Does God allow those who do not believe in Jesus to approach Him? Does He listen to their prayers?

The Bible doesn’t say much about this. We know that the Holy Spirit convicts sinners of their sin. Jesus told a story about two men who prayed. One boasted about his goodness, the other prayed for forgiveness. Which one did God hear? The sinner who asked for forgiveness!

So, it seems that God listens to the sinner who approaches Him with the right attitude. God hears anyone who approaches Him with humility and repentance, and accepts them, too, because of Jesus. Does He hear a cry for help? Yes, He does because of His mercy and, very often, that cry for help leads to faith and a new life.

Attitude, then, is a big factor in the way we come to God in prayer. We can approach the Father boldly and confidently only if we know our place as frail creatures and rely on Jesus, our mediator, to represent us to the Father.

We dare not make demands or try to manipulate God by using His Word to get what we want. We come under His authority always, seeking His will and praying what He desires. We spend time with Him, soaking in His love and goodness, and we go out armed with the assurance that He hears us as we pray His will, and with the passion that His will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.