Tag Archives: Always pray

NEEDS DRIVE US TO OUR KNEES – 1

Prayer, ,

The Old Testament language, originally paleo Hebrew, fascinates me. Paleo Hebrew is a picture language possibly developed from the ancient Phoenician script. The alphabet of paleo Hebrew has 22 picture letters, each letter a picture  conveying an idea the meaning of which is derived from the context. Paleo Hebrew words were usually made up of two pictures, called the parent root, to which more pictures were added to expand its meaning.

The ancient Hebrews were essentially tactile people. They thought, spoke and wrote in  concrete terms, not in abstract ideas. To understand their language and usage, we must distance ourselves from Western abstract expression and view life from their experience of the physical world. In other words, they thought function, not form, that is, what did an object do rather than what did an object look like.

The word, God, for example, was two letters, e and l, “El”. Read from right to left, these two letters, aleph…an ox head, and lamed… a shepherd’s staff, imply strength and authority, hence God was the one who had strength and authority.

I will use this concept to help us understand the meaning of prayer in the Old Covenant.

To cut a very long story short, one of the words for prayer, p, meaning ” mouth”, and l, meaning “a shepherd’s staff”, is “palal”, which implies speaking to the one who has authority.

“This word “palal” also means judgment. In Old Testament times the major judicial decisions were made at the gates and entrance to the city, one reason being it was a broad area and easy for people to gather there. If anyone had a grievance, they would go and “speak to authority” to obtain the justice they were looking for. The ancient Hebrew concept of a “judge” is one who restores life. The goal of one that judges or rules is to bring a pleasant and righteous life to the people….”
https://www.ancient-hebrew.org
article: Ancient Hebrew Words for Prayer

Implied in this word, “palal”, is the idea of “falling down in desperation to address the one who has authority.”

“Another word from the PL root is “pala”. Added to this root is the letter “aleph” which in its original picture form is an ox head meaning “strength”. This word  means “perform” i.e. a great work (performed) as an act of intercession (out of a judgement). It is translated “wonder”, “marvellous”, and “extraordinary” . “Pala” is used primarily with God as its subject, expressing actions that “.. and in our eyes it is amazing! ” Psalm 118:23…

“This certainly lifts our faith to new heights of trust in God for awesome things when we pray.”
https://www.ancient-hebrew.org
article: Ancient Hebrew Words for Prayer

When we put “palal” and “pala” into the context of a sentence, prayer means “to fall down in desperation before the one who has the authority, to entreat the judge for a judgment. He will take action through a “wonderwork” to restore the pray-er to a life that is pleasant and righteous. This will result in wonder and admiration, “and in our eyes it is amazing! ” Psalm 118:23…

The judge’s verdict had to go on to an action which carried out the judgment determined by the pleading. This would result in justice for the one who brought the plea. The judge had the power to do a miracle or wonderwork, something extraordinary that would restore the person to a pleasant and righteous life. This will cause the one who prayed to marvel at the judge.

Now let’s look at the way Jesus used this concept of prayer in a story.

Luke 18:1-5 NLT
[1] “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. [2] “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. [3] A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ [4] The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, [5] but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

The disciples would have understood the parable because the principles of Old Covenant prayer are clear in this story. Jesus drew a contrast between the reluctance of the judge to give the widow a judgment and to act on it and God’s attitude towards His children. He will always respond with a judgment and an action.

Luke 18:6-7 NLT
[6] “Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. [7] Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?”

The third word for prayer, “tefillah”, the most commonly-used word for prayer, adds another dimension to the original parent root. Tefillah is derived from the letters in the parent root, p and l as in  “palal” and “pala”.

To put these words together, prayer (palal) is the act of falling down to plead with the one who had the authority to make a judgment, and who will take action (pala) to ensure that the judgment is carried out to restore the pleasant and righteous life of the pray-er so that he/she moves him towards “tefillah” which is the ultimate purpose for “palal” and “pala”, admiration (worship) of the Judge.

Concealed in the parent root, “pal”, and its child roots “palal” and “pala”, and encapsulated in the noun, “tefillah”, we have a rich and amazing picture of prayer which is a far cry from our impoverished Western philosophical understanding of what prayer is about. Prayer, in its essence, is much more than talking to God. It’s about moving towards God in deep heart communion.

In our next study, we shall put  these concepts of prayer in the Old Covenant into our understanding of New Covenant prayer, enriched with the additions of grace, mercy, and salvation. We must push on until we reach an understanding of how profound prayer in the New Covenant really is.

To be continued…

FURIOUS GRACE, AGGRESSIVE FAITH

Bible Study, ,

This furious grace that obliterates sin, sweeps aside guilt and shame, flings open the door to fellowship with God the three in One, and envelops us in a blanket of love and favour, demands only one kind of response…aggressive faith!

What do I mean by “aggressive” faith? I mean the kind of faith that tolerates nothing in its path to receive God’s goodness. Aggressive faith does not take “no” for an answer.

Now, we must not confuse aggressive faith with demanding and expecting everything we want, nor does it mean manipulating God’s Word for its own ends. There is a kind of “faith”, illegitimate and ungodly, that proposes that we can “name it and claim it”! Run from this teaching. You will not find it in the Word.

The Bible is full of examples of aggressive faith. Jesus told the story of a widow who appealed to the judge for vindication. Her pleas fell in deaf ears until the judge responded, not to help her but to get her off his back.

Jesus told the story to illustrate the contrast between the judge’s reluctance and the Father’s willingness to answer our cries for help.

Luke 18:1, 7-8 NIV
[1] “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up….
[7] And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? [8] I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Jesus ended His story with a puzzling comment…until we understand its meaning in context. When we connects verse 1 with verse 8, we recognise that aggressive faith is the key to answered prayer.

Aggressive faith is based on the character of God.

The widow appealed to the judge for help because, in his office as judge, he was obliged to respond to her plea. How much more, as a loving Father, will God answer the cries of His children because we are His childten? However, He sometimes delays His answers to fit in with His bigger picture.

It takes aggressive faith in the promises and character of God to persist until we receive an answer. Aggressive faith does not tolerate doubt, unbelief, or insecurity.

James 1:6-8 NIV
[6] “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. [7] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

Aggressive faith has a solid foundation, God’s Word. If He said it, He will do it. His character is the guarantee since He is faithful. His promises are His guarantee that He will answer us.

Numbers 23:19 NIV
[19]”God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

Aggressive faith understands authority.

Matthew 8:8-9 NIV
[8] “The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But JUST SAY THE WORD, and my servant will be healed. [9] For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

To Jesus, God gave all authority based on His perfect obedience.

Philippians 2:8-11 NIV
[8] “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! [9] Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Matthew 28:18 NIV
[18] “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Jesus underwrites all God’s promises since He is the Word of God in person.

John 1:1-2, 14 NIV
[1]” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning.”…
[14] “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV
[20] “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

Aggressive faith understands the place of God’s will in answered prayer.

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.”

Is it God’s will to support us with His furious grace? A resounding “Yes! ” Will He graciously intervene in response to our aggressive faith? Again, a resounding”Yes! “

Our cries to the Father will never go unheard because, unlike any human champion who is subject to his own whims, God is God. He is utterly committed to His own nature. He loves His sons and daughters with an everlasting love. He gave His own Son to rescue us from our plight. He hears the “cheep” of a fallen sparrow. He is dedicated to reclaim and restore what was broken by the Fall.

Romans 8:32 NIV
[32] “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

FAITH AND FAITHFULNESS

Christian Life, ,

Luke 18:1-3 NIV
[1] “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. [2] He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. [3] And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “

How often Jesus told stories to illustrate the vast difference between God’s way and people’s way of doing things. In this parable, according to the Hebrew understanding of prayer, a widow approached the judge, the one who had authority to respond to her need, for a solution to her problem.

The judge eventually gave in to her request because of her persistence, not because it was his duty to intervene.

Luke 18:4-5 NIV
[4] “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, [5] yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ”

By contrast, Jesus explained, God is our Father. He will act on our behalf because of who He is, not because He wants to get us off His back. Persistence and perseverance in prayer are not intended to get God to do something for us. Rather, they are evidence of our faith in our heavenly Father to answer our prayers.

Luke 18:6-8 NIV
[6] And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. [7] And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? [8] I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.”

Jesus concluded His story with a telling question…

“However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Jesus’! question has a note of frustration and sadness in it. Was He remembering the history of His own people, His long years of wrestling with stubborn disobedience, rebellion, and idolatry? How few of His own people, in the Old Covenant dispensation, were true to Him? Despite His grace, forgiveness, and patience with them over the centuries, they still went into exile for their disobedience and, up to the time of His own life on earth as the Son of God, they still acted outside the heart of His covenant.

Habakkuk 1:2-4 NIV
[2] “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? [3] Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. [4] Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.”

God’s covenant requirements, detailed as they were, had one goal.

Micah 6:8 NIV
[8] “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Instead, cruelty, injustice, wickedness prevailed among His own people.

Jesus’ unanswered question must lead us to take stock of our own hearts. If and when our prayers are not answered when we utter them, what is our heart’s response?

Did Jesus ask this question with with two related issues, faith and faithfulness, in mind? In the end, faith and faithfulness are inseparable. One cannot be faithful without faith, and one cannot have faith without being faithful.

The issue is…does God’s apparent tardiness in answering our prayers, immediately, reveal His reluctance to help us or does it mean something different about God that we find difficult to understand?

Somehow, we think that seemingly unanswered prayer is about God’s attitude towards us. However, Jesus points us in a different direction. Isn’t God’s delays exposing something in us? Do God’s delays strengthen our faith in Him and enhance our faithfulness to Him or do they cause us to become disillusioned and give up?

You see, faith and faithfulness are pivotal to our final destiny.

Matthew 24:13 NIV
[13]”…but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Starting well is imperative but finishing well is the acid test. It seems that our response to God’s delays weeds out true believers from freeloaders. If we keep trusting God when nothing changes, when He seems deaf or indifferent regardless of who He says He is, our confidence is in His Word, not in our feelings.

This is vital for our present and our future. Unwavering trust in Him now will be rewarded! If we can trust Him for today, we can trust Him for all our tomorrows. Why?

2 Timothy 2:11-13 NIV
[11] “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; [12] if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; [13] if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”

The lesson is clear. Our faith or lack of faith is not about us testing God. It’s about God testing us. Without faith, we have no connection with Him and no guarantee that we belong to Him or that He has any obligation to answer our prayers.

Faith in His faithfulness, guaranteed in His Word, is our only link with the Father. Without faith, in Him, regardless of what He does or does not do for us, we have no connection with Him.