Monthly Archives: June 2024

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.

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 12

Prayer, ,

SPIRITUAL WISDOM AND INSIGHT

‭Ephesians 1:16-17 NLT‬
[16] “I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, [17] asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.”

What does Paul mean by ‘spiritual wisdom and insight’? I think he means the way we apply the knowledge and understanding the Holy Spirit has given us (of God, Jesus, and what they mean to us as we learn and receive the truth) through the Word, to the way we live.

Knowledge and understanding alone will not change our lives. We need the spiritual wisdom and insight that help us to apply these truths to our daily thinking and behaviour.

How can the knowledge of the facts about God and Jesus, and the understanding about what they have done for us, change us from selfish sinners to beloved children of God? Something must happen inside us to effect the change.

‭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.”

We also need the spiritual wisdom and insight to apply these truths as we navigate every test and trial along the way, to understand what is happening to us, why it is happening, and how to respond God’s way by applying His Word to each situation.

There are always two ways to deal with the adversities we face day by day. We can either react out of our old fleshly nature or we can choose to apply God’s wisdom from His Word. If we remember that wisdom is “doing what works”, then we must choose to do whatever helps us to achieve God’s goal for us…

‭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.“

This isn’t easy because we have an old nature that rebels against God’s way but… we also have the Holy Spirit in us who helps us overcome our old nature, and reinforces and grows God’s nature in us.

Paul says that step one is to change the way we think. What we say and do always follow what we think (believe). If we think that doing the wrong thing will work, we will do it.

The Bible is full of instructions about the wrong and right way to behave. For example, how must we respond to insults, or offences? Must we retaliate or must we forgive? We know the answer. Retaliation keeps hostility going; forgiveness brings an end to the issue.

So, we can ask for and apply the spiritual wisdom we and others need to overcome the obstacles we face along the way. Instead of escalating conflicts with others, or adding more sinful responses by our own reactions, we can grow in grace by applying the instructions of God’s word in difficult situations.

We have the Helper, the indwelling presence of God, who will give us insight to understand what is happening, wisdom to know how to respond, and the power to choose right, do right, and defuse whatever threatens to derail us if we ask Him. All we need to do is ask in faith.

‭James 1:5-6 NLT‬
[5] “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. [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.”

The outcome, when we respond to difficulties in the right way, is amazing. We get to know God better! Imagine that! We get to know His character and His ways by working with Him instead of against Him in His desire to make us more like Jesus…

… And He works in us by showing how good He is in all our circumstances. He works good for us in EVERYTHING to get us where He wants us to go.

‭Romans 8:28-29 NLT‬
[28] “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [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.”

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 11

Prayer, ,

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

‭Philippians 1:9-11 NLT‬
[9] “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. [10] For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. [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.”

‘Knowledge and understanding’, are the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of our faith! Paul connects the ‘what’ and ‘why’ together as the foundation for our lives on earth as believers in Jesus. You see, despite the criticisms of unbelievers that our faith is based on myths, Jesus and His life and death are proven historical facts. His history is the knowledge we need about Him that is provided for us in the Gospel records.

Part of our knowledge of God, the three persons, is provided by experience. In Jesus high-priestly prayer, He describes eternal life as ‘knowing God’ and ‘knowing Him’.

‭John 17:3 NLT‬
[3] “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”

This knowledge implies that the experience we have of God in His interaction with us increases our love for and trust in Him as we find out more and more about Him and His ways. It’s the counterpart of the relationship between husband and wife. They get to know each other as they live together and interact with one another.

However, knowledge must lead to understanding. If we don’t understand why the Father sent the Son, and why the Son lived, died, and rose again, we will still remain in the dark about what we experience in our daily lives. Only when we are enlightened about the Holy Spirit’s work in us to help us overcome our sinful nature and become like Jesus will we learn to co-operate with Him. Our life experiences will begin to mean something, not just just random chance happenings but purposeful purifying and training for our eternal life with God.

God is always working in us to achieve His goal, a family of sons and daughters like His Son. He has planned for us to share with and under Jesus’ authority, in the administration of His rule over all the kingdoms on earth.

‭Daniel 7:27 NLT‬
[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.”

If our KNOWLEDGE of God, and especially of Jesus, is in the Gospels, then our UNDERSTANDING of the purpose of His coming is given to us in the letters written by the apostles under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Trouble is that much of the time, people interpret God’s Word from their own perspective instead of allowing the Word to interpret itself. I learned a valuable lesson at Bible College…

“The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.”

Now that’s a good way to approach our understanding of the Word!

So, knowledge and understanding are hand-in-glove. As we pray for ourselves and our fellow believers, let’s follow Paul’s pattern. Let’s pray as Paul prayed…

‭Ephesians 1:16-19 NLT‬
[16]…”I pray for you constantly, [17] asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. [18] I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. [19] I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him….”