Monthly Archives: June 2024

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 20

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NEEDS AND WANTS

It’s amazing how much our needs and wants occupy our prayers. We even come to God with our ‘prayer lists’ in case we forget to remind the Lord of this and that need!

Imagine if that were the way we treated our earthly fathers. Once a day, in the morning, our ‘quiet time’ with our dad would be taken up with our needs for the day. “Amen” would signal that we were finished with him, and we would run off to play, confident that dad would take care of everything! No need to talk to him again until tomorrow morning!

How foolish we are! Jesus taught us by His life and actions, that we are intimately connected to a heavenly Father who cares for us as His beloved children. No need to nag or beg. He knows us, and He knows our needs before we ask Him.

So, why pray if prayer is not about needs and wants? In His model prayer, Jesus elevated our thoughts from our selfish preoccupation with our needs and wants to the Father’s rule on earth. Jesus came to restore God’s kingdom to the earthly realm. Sin had intruded to disrupt His plan for a human family to live with Him. He died to forgive and remove our sin, to reconcile us to our Father, and restore fellowship with Him.

God’s rule implies that we learn to do life together here on earth God’s way. He sets the standard for our interaction with Him and with one another. Love, joy, and peace are the flavour of His kingdom, and pervade all our relationships when we live under His authority. In His kingdom, our daily needs are included in His provision.

We must overcome selfishness, self-interest, and self-sufficiency, which dominate our ungodly old nature, by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us. Jesus taught us to focus our attention on God’s rule in our hearts, and in the people in the world around us to extend His kingdom in earth.

So, what must we do about our own needs? Jesus gave us a simple solution.

‭Matthew 6:33 NLT‬
[33] “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Change your focus from your needs to God’s kingdom. Learn to do the right thing, to take care of the needs of others, for this is the way of the kingdom. Then God will take care of you.

” But,” you ask, “didn’t Jesus teach us to ask for our daily bread?”

If that’s what He meant, He would be contradicting Himself.

Jesus was a Jew, raised from birth to know and recite the Torah, the five books of Moses. He would know the meaning of daily bread… God’s provision of manna for His people in the wilderness.

However, He also knew the deeper implication of that provision. After He had fed the five thousand with bread and fish, they went after Him again, probably hoping for another free meal.

‭John 6:26-27, 30-33 NLT‬
[26] “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. [27] But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”…
[30] They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? [31] After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” [32] Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. [33] The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Our preoccupation with ‘daily bread’ indicates, like those in the story, that we are selfish and earth-bound in our thinking.

What was Jesus’ solution?

‭Matthew 6:25, 31-33 NLT‬
[25] “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?….
[31] “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ [32] These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. [33] Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

‘Daily bread’, then, is not about daily needs but about what matters most, Jesus, the ‘bread from heaven’ who nourishes our souls when we feed on Him.

This is the way God’s kingdom works on earth. We create a current when we care for others. God’s provision flows back to us. We feed and nourish our life in Jesus as we gaze at Him and learn from Him how to be true sons of our heavenly Father, reflecting Him in what we say and do.

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 19

Prayer, ,

PRAYER AN EXCHANGE

‭Philippians 4:6-7 NLT‬
[6] “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

We love and often quote this Scripture but have we recognised the significance of what Paul is advocating?

‘Stress’ is a big factor in life today. Stress intrudes into every situation we face. Even taking a trip in our car involves stress. So many lawless and reckless drivers on our roads! Almost every big decision involves stress. “What if this… if I do that…” raises so many uncertainties that stress is our constant companion…if we let it.

How can we handle stress in such a way that stress no longer stresses us?

Paul said, “Exchange your stress for God’s peace.”

How do we make this exchange? Once again, prayer is the solution. Paul didn’t say, “Pray about your problems!” He did say, “Give your anxiety to God.” What’s the difference? Praying about our problems focuses on our problems. Giving God our anxiety focuses on the root of our problems, our mistrust in God.

A message from Andy Stanley (son of the great Baptist preacher, Charles Stanley), puts this prayer in perspective. “Come clean with God,” he said. Sometimes our prayers are dishonest. We tell God what we think He wants to hear. How much better to tell Him what we really feel!

‭Psalms 55:22 NLT‬
[22] “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”

God will not be offended if we tell Him how stressed we are about this or that situation. Offloading on Him does something amazing! He trades our anxiety for His peace!

God’s peace not only overshadows our stress, it obliterates it…removes anxiety altogether and replace it with peace.

God’s peace is a powerful force, putting a garrison of protection around our thoughts and decisions that actively engages the enemy.

Satan is always looking for an opportunity to inject mistrust and suspicion in our minds. He targets our attitude towards God. When difficult situations arise, doubt threatens to creep in. Keep thanking God. He’s in charge. Guard the peace that guards you. We guard our peace by remembering with gratitude what God has done in the past. What He did before, He will do again.

The amazing outcome of honesty with God is not only the guarantee of His own peace but also His own presence if we change the way we think. We must never forget the second part of Paul’s counsel.

‭Philippians 4:8-9 NLT‬
[8] “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. [9] Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

‘God with us’ is much more than His passive presence. He actively participates in prospering and blessing us.

‭Genesis 39:2 NLT‬
[2]”The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.”

Do you want God’s favour and blessing in your life? Of course you do! Then change the way you think.
Get rid of your worries. Replace anxiety with gratitude. Dump your cares on God. He will do the impossible, exchange cares for His peace and stress for rest. This is the only way-to-go that works.

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 18

Prayer, ,

JESUS IN THE MIDST

‭John 21:20-22, 25 NLT‬

‭John 21:3-6 NLT‬
[3] Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. [4] At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. [5] He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied. [6] Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it….

[20] Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?” [21] Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” [22] Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”…
[25] Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.”

What a strange way for John to end his gospel record! His story trails away to almost an apologetic anticlimax…or does it? It depends on the way we interpret what he intended.

I’ve heard it taught that Peter disobeyed Jesus’ instruction by going fishing instead of meeting Him on the mountain after His resurrection. On reflection, perhaps… it wasn’t so much his disobedience as his terrible failure that made him run from Jesus. Did Peter feel like he’d blown it with Jesus forever? Perhaps… he would simply go back to his old life and forget about being a disciple of this rabbi he had grown to know and love despite his cowardly denial. Perhaps that’s the way he thought and acted.

Perhaps…for Jesus, this meeting on the beach was a divine appointment. After all, Jesus knew where Peter was, on the lake in Galilee, fishing. He knew how Peter felt. He had seen the hot tears rolling down Peter’s cheeks as the cock crowed. He understood human nature. Peter had been humiliated by his own mouth. He couldn’t turn the clock back. Jesus was finished with him, so he would just go away, back to his old life, with the interim years a beautiful but fading memory.

The scene on the beach was strangely familiar. Tired men, empty nets, no fish… reminiscent of a similar occasion years back when Jesus appeared in the shore of the lake. Same situation now – tired men, empty nets, no fish. An unusual instruction from a stranger and then… enough fish to sink their boat! It happened twice, then and now!

Did the divine Master arrange it this way for a reason?

Perhaps… Jesus was purposely triggering Peter’s memory to serve His own gracious purpose. After reassuring and recommissioning Peter, Jesus issued the same instruction, “Follow me!”, twice, now and then! It was impossible for Peter to miss the impact of the beach scene and its outcome.

First time, rookie disciple, “Follow me!” and Peter sets off running, all enthusiasm and big mouth.

Second time, fallen disciple, “Follow me,” and Peter walks slowly, thoughtfully, sobered and brought down with a crash by his own big mouth. Forgiven and restored, a second chance, same commission, a new Peter!

And so, perhaps… John’s conclusion begins to make sense. Not so much ‘books written’ but ‘stories told’, just like Peter’s story, of failure and forgiveness, of relapse and restoration, over and over again, down the centuries, enough to fill the whole world with the records of God’s mercy and goodness, flowing in an unending river of grace from the cross which made it all possible.

When we read Peter’s story from a different perspective, we see Jesus’s determined purpose to set him back on his feet and back on the path of His purposes. Using Peter’s fall, not as a club to beat him but as a stepping stone to greater fruitfulness through the pruning, He met Peter where he
was, picked him up and carried him on to completion.

How do our prayers make such an amazing difference in the administration of God’s kingdom?

The book of Hebrews introduces us to a factor in our prayer lives that we must never forget. Yes, Jesus gives us power of attorney to use His name and nature as the guarantee that God will answer but…

Jesus has an even more intimate role in our praying. He is IN the Most Holy Place, AT our side as we approach the Father. When we come to the Father in His name, He is there. He vouches for us, presenting His blood as our right to approach.

‭Hebrews 7:24-25 NLT‬
[24] “But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. [25] Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.”

He is our Advocate, presenting the merits of His sacrifice to the Father that forgives all sin for all time.

‭1 John 2:1-2 NLT‬
[1]”My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. [2] He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”

He is the eternal High Priest who qualifies to represent us because He became one of us. He suffered as we do. He experienced all the temptations humans face… without sin. He is perfectly suited to represent us to the Father.

‭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.”

Our safety and security, too, in the Father’s presence, in the Most Holy Place, all depend on Jesus being there with us. He was there with Peter, doing everything to set the record straight. So He is there with us. The Father, who set it all up in the first place, now receives the Son’s intercession on our behalf and graciously hears us for Jesus’ sake.

Can you see, then, that Peter’s story is our story, and the story of the millions who have come after him? These stories are too many for all the libraries of the world to contain… stories of mercy, forgiveness, and restoration that echo the story of Simon who became Peter.

We can participate with the Father in prayer because we, too, have been forgiven and restored and are represented by the one who did it all for us.

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

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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.”