I have a question for you.....
If God is Holy, if God is all knowing then why should I send Him the petition that He already knows I am going to send? Can I change God's mind? Will God actually heal when I ask Him to Heal and will He actually solve my marital problems and find my brother a job? If things are set in motion can I actually expect to change God's mind?
To hammer home the point of my question I'll ask that you read and consider this quote from C.S. Lewis concerning God and time.
Our life comes to us moment by moment. One moment disappears before the next comes along: and there is room for very little in each. That is what Time is like. And of course you and I tend to take it for granted that this Time series--this arrangement of past, present and future--is not simply the way life comes to us but the way all things really exist. We tend to assume that the whole universe and God Himself are always moving on from past to future just as we do. But many learned men do not agree with that.......Almost certainly God is not in Time. His life does not consist of moments following one another. If a million people are praying to Him at ten-thirty tonight, He need not listen to them all in that one little snippet which we call ten-thirty. Ten-thirty--and every other moment from the beginning of the world--is always the Present for Him. If you like to put it that way, He has all eternity in which to listen to the split second of prayer put up by a pilot as his plane crashes in flames. That is difficult, I know. Let me try to give something, not the same, but a bit like it. Suppose I am writing a novel. I write "Mary laid down her work; next moment came a knock at the door! " For Mary who has to live in the imaginary time of my story there is no interval between putting down the work and hearing the knock. But I, who am Mary's maker, do not live in that imaginary time at all. Between writing the first half of that sentence and the second, I might sit down for three hours and think steadily about Mary. I could think about Mary as if she were the only character in the book and for as long as I pleased, and the hours I spent in doing so would not appear in Mary's time (the time inside the story) at all.
Does this change the way you think about prayer at all? Does this change the way you think about those times that you say your prayers and you feel as if you are talking to the sheet rock on your wall? Let me pitch another statement out to you, a cage rattler perhaps?
THE POWER OF PRAYER IS USELESS! Yes I said it, let me say it again so it sinks in. THE POWER OF PRAYER IS USELESS!
However, the people that actually have a connection with the One True God cannot be stopped. Think about it, they have a connection with the I AM, the One who made the sun and the stars and the moon and earth and everything else that we know and interact with.
The whole design of prayer is twofold: 1) We get the help and 2) God gets the glory.
We'll look deeper into this in the next post....probably tomorrow (with scripture).
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Why Do We Pray? Part 4 - Desperation Part 2 - Exploring the Mystery of Intimacy with God
Last time we covered the first part of why we pray. Using Jesus as the ultimate example we saw that the first reason that we pray to God is because we need Him and we need to express that to Him. Let's focus on that word need for just a bit. Alot of us think that it is time to pray when we need something. In fact there are alot of us, each one of us from time to time I suppose, that think that the only time that we actually need to pray is in fact when we have a need that needs to be met. No doubt we do need to pray when we are in need but that cannot be the whole reason for prayer to such an awesome God can it? Do we not limit the Creator, the Maker, THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD when all we do is bring Him a laundry list of "help me", "bless me" and "keep me safe"? If this is the only reason that we pray then what do we do when we don't get what we want? If laying our lists of wants and needs before God becomes our sole reason for prayer then we start trying to figure out why we aren't getting what we ask for all of the time. What's the right code or the right way to ask or what is the right combination to unlock "our best life now"?
What if bringing our wants and needs before God is just a part of prayer? David Platt calls this "the laundry room in a whole house of prayer". What if there is so much more to this thing called prayer? What if the "I AM" has wrapped up a whole lot and packaged it into one little word called prayer? What if there is a depth of prayer that goes WAY beyond me just asking God for things? What if He has more planned for me if I would only stop and listen, if I would truely explore Him? I think Jesus talks about this when He told us about prayer. Let's have a look:
Matthew 6:5-8
5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "
Look at verse 6 "Then your Father will reward you". What if Jesus is telling us to go into a room and shut the door and get ready to feast on the goodness that IS GOD? What if God designed prayer as an opportunity for us to enjoy Him, to bathe in His Mercy and His Grace in a way that nothing else in our Christian life can begin to compare with? What if there is a mystery that God intends to take place in prayer that we completely miss when all we do is drop our laundry list at His feet? If all we do is ask for things then we get consumed with the things we are asking for when in fact it isn't something that we so desperately long for but someone.
The most important thing in the world is your personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. It is THE most important thing and everything else that we are, everything else that we do flows from it. What if there is more to be had behind that closed door than we could have imagined? I am talking about actually spending time with the maker of the universe. How could that NOT change your life RIGHT NOW? How could that NOT make a difference in my life no matter what is going on? How could that NOT be greater than anything else RIGHT NOW?
Jesus showed us this. Often we see phrases like "so Jesus turned the crowd away and went to pray", "Jesus went to wilderness to pray" and "when Jesus had finished praying". Look at Mark 1:35:
35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Did you catch it? "Everyone is looking for you!" Can't you just here the disciples saying "Jesus, Jesus what are you doing? We've got things to do come on!" Everyone is busy but Jesus is spending intimate time with His Father in Heaven. He's taking in the nourishment that feeds Him.
Get your reward. Go into a room and ask for God. Seek Him and you'll find Him behind that closed door. Take the time to do it every day and it will change your life, how could it not?
Make your prayer life one that will explore the mysteries of an Intimate, Personal Time with the God of the universe.
The second reason that we pray:
We Pray To Explore The Mystery Of Intimacy With God.....
Next we'll talk about the power of being used by God. For now I will leave you with this quote from C.S. Lewis:
"The primary object of prayer is to know God better; we and our needs should come second....."
What if bringing our wants and needs before God is just a part of prayer? David Platt calls this "the laundry room in a whole house of prayer". What if there is so much more to this thing called prayer? What if the "I AM" has wrapped up a whole lot and packaged it into one little word called prayer? What if there is a depth of prayer that goes WAY beyond me just asking God for things? What if He has more planned for me if I would only stop and listen, if I would truely explore Him? I think Jesus talks about this when He told us about prayer. Let's have a look:
Matthew 6:5-8
5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "
Look at verse 6 "Then your Father will reward you". What if Jesus is telling us to go into a room and shut the door and get ready to feast on the goodness that IS GOD? What if God designed prayer as an opportunity for us to enjoy Him, to bathe in His Mercy and His Grace in a way that nothing else in our Christian life can begin to compare with? What if there is a mystery that God intends to take place in prayer that we completely miss when all we do is drop our laundry list at His feet? If all we do is ask for things then we get consumed with the things we are asking for when in fact it isn't something that we so desperately long for but someone.
The most important thing in the world is your personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. It is THE most important thing and everything else that we are, everything else that we do flows from it. What if there is more to be had behind that closed door than we could have imagined? I am talking about actually spending time with the maker of the universe. How could that NOT change your life RIGHT NOW? How could that NOT make a difference in my life no matter what is going on? How could that NOT be greater than anything else RIGHT NOW?
Jesus showed us this. Often we see phrases like "so Jesus turned the crowd away and went to pray", "Jesus went to wilderness to pray" and "when Jesus had finished praying". Look at Mark 1:35:
35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Did you catch it? "Everyone is looking for you!" Can't you just here the disciples saying "Jesus, Jesus what are you doing? We've got things to do come on!" Everyone is busy but Jesus is spending intimate time with His Father in Heaven. He's taking in the nourishment that feeds Him.
Get your reward. Go into a room and ask for God. Seek Him and you'll find Him behind that closed door. Take the time to do it every day and it will change your life, how could it not?
Make your prayer life one that will explore the mysteries of an Intimate, Personal Time with the God of the universe.
The second reason that we pray:
We Pray To Explore The Mystery Of Intimacy With God.....
Next we'll talk about the power of being used by God. For now I will leave you with this quote from C.S. Lewis:
"The primary object of prayer is to know God better; we and our needs should come second....."
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Why Do We Pray? Part 3 - Desperation Part 1 - Expressing Our Depth Of Need For A Holy God
Desperation - the state of being desperate or of having the recklessness of despair. (Dictionary.com)
Most people pray when they feel they are desperate, see the last post about atheists and foxholes. We have even named a football play after prayer to signify that we have given it our best shot and now we are going just throw the ball up and pray that our guy catches it - the Hail Mary. We are all sure to pray when someone close to us is sick, in a car wreck or we are going through rough times in our lives. Desperate times call for desperate measures right? But what if desperation didn't just signify tragedy in our lives? What if we, as Christians must depend on God for everything on a level of desperation? We are new creations and therefore our direction, our very life blood must come from God for everything. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" This new creation is one that is now totally dependant on God the Father for everything. Desperation is the peg unto which our whole prayer life hangs.
There are 3 primary reasons for prayer that are seen in the life of Jesus and the early church. 1) We pray to express the depth of our need for God, 2) We pray to explore the mysteries of intimacy with God and 3) We pray to experience the power of being used by God.
We Pray To Express The Depth Of Our Need For God
Jesus was always praying. Before he did anything in His ministry he prayed about it. What does this say about how Jesus felt about prayer? What does this show us about Jesus' attitude toward God the Father?
Let's take a look.
Luke 3:21 & 22 - 21 "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." The importance of this passage: Luke uses Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist as the first act of Jesus' ministry. What is Jesus doing while he is being baptised? He's praying. This sets the stage for what Jesus will do for the next three years as he ministers to his apostles and readies them to spread His message to the world.
Luke 4:1-2 - "1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry." The importance of this passage: This is just before Jesus started His ministry. He prayed in the desert for 40 days before He did it. Jesus spent time with the Father before starting His ministry.
Luke 6:12 - "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." The importance of this passage: This passage happens right before Jesus chooses the 12 apostles. He spent time with the Father before choosing His apostles.
Luke 9:18 - Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"The importance of this passage: Jesus knew this an important time for the apostles and He knew He was about to confront them about who He is. Jesus spent time with the Father Before entering this pivotal situation with the apostles.
Luke 9:28 - "About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray." The importance of this passage: As Jesus was praying God spoke to the apostles saying "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." Can you imagine the profound impact that this had on the apostles? Also Luke 9:37-42 tells us that the day after He was praying on the mountain that Jesus rebuked and evil spirit from a boy in front of a crowd and that "they were all amazed at the greatness of God."
Luke 11:1 - 1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." The importance of this passage: The disciples saw that prayer actually nourished Jesus and that He literally needed this time with God. They knew how they were to pray according to their Jewish religious duties. They are not asking Him to teach them about religious duties in this passage.
Luke 18:1 - "1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." The importance of this passage: Jesus is stressing the importance of persistent contact with God. We'll talk more about this when we get start talking about the importance of praying boldly.
Luke 22:39-40 - "39Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." The importance of this passage: This is at the Mount of Olives just before Jesus was betrayed by Judas. Jesus is stressing to the apostles the importance of prayer. He is about to be crucified on the Cross and He is spending time with the Father before He went to die. Luke 22:44 says "44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." Jesus knew what was coming and He was praying.
Luke 22: 46 - 46"Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." Importance of this passage: Again Jesus is stressing the importance of prayer.
Luke 23:46 - "46Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. " Importance of this passage: What is Jesus doing with His last breath? He is Praying. Jesus started His ministry by being baptised by John the Baptist and He is praying to Father God while He is doing that and He ends His ministry on earth praying to Father God while being crucified on an undeserved cross.
Wait a minute - Jesus is God right? Isn't this odd? Is He talking to Himself? Why is He praying all of the time? Jesus answers this question in John 5:19 when He says "19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." He also says in John 14:10 "10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work." The reason that Jesus prayed all of the time was because He could do nothing apart from the Father. If Jesus could do nothing apart from the Father then how then are we as Christians, who's only way to the Father is through faith in Jesus, to conduct our daily life? How can we actually expect to live any other way than completely dependant on God? The fundamental conviction of prayer is that we can do nothing without God!
We Pray To Express The Depth Of Our Need For God.
Most people pray when they feel they are desperate, see the last post about atheists and foxholes. We have even named a football play after prayer to signify that we have given it our best shot and now we are going just throw the ball up and pray that our guy catches it - the Hail Mary. We are all sure to pray when someone close to us is sick, in a car wreck or we are going through rough times in our lives. Desperate times call for desperate measures right? But what if desperation didn't just signify tragedy in our lives? What if we, as Christians must depend on God for everything on a level of desperation? We are new creations and therefore our direction, our very life blood must come from God for everything. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" This new creation is one that is now totally dependant on God the Father for everything. Desperation is the peg unto which our whole prayer life hangs.
There are 3 primary reasons for prayer that are seen in the life of Jesus and the early church. 1) We pray to express the depth of our need for God, 2) We pray to explore the mysteries of intimacy with God and 3) We pray to experience the power of being used by God.
We Pray To Express The Depth Of Our Need For God
Jesus was always praying. Before he did anything in His ministry he prayed about it. What does this say about how Jesus felt about prayer? What does this show us about Jesus' attitude toward God the Father?
Let's take a look.
Luke 3:21 & 22 - 21 "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." The importance of this passage: Luke uses Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist as the first act of Jesus' ministry. What is Jesus doing while he is being baptised? He's praying. This sets the stage for what Jesus will do for the next three years as he ministers to his apostles and readies them to spread His message to the world.
Luke 4:1-2 - "1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry." The importance of this passage: This is just before Jesus started His ministry. He prayed in the desert for 40 days before He did it. Jesus spent time with the Father before starting His ministry.
Luke 6:12 - "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." The importance of this passage: This passage happens right before Jesus chooses the 12 apostles. He spent time with the Father before choosing His apostles.
Luke 9:18 - Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"The importance of this passage: Jesus knew this an important time for the apostles and He knew He was about to confront them about who He is. Jesus spent time with the Father Before entering this pivotal situation with the apostles.
Luke 9:28 - "About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray." The importance of this passage: As Jesus was praying God spoke to the apostles saying "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." Can you imagine the profound impact that this had on the apostles? Also Luke 9:37-42 tells us that the day after He was praying on the mountain that Jesus rebuked and evil spirit from a boy in front of a crowd and that "they were all amazed at the greatness of God."
Luke 11:1 - 1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." The importance of this passage: The disciples saw that prayer actually nourished Jesus and that He literally needed this time with God. They knew how they were to pray according to their Jewish religious duties. They are not asking Him to teach them about religious duties in this passage.
Luke 18:1 - "1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." The importance of this passage: Jesus is stressing the importance of persistent contact with God. We'll talk more about this when we get start talking about the importance of praying boldly.
Luke 22:39-40 - "39Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." The importance of this passage: This is at the Mount of Olives just before Jesus was betrayed by Judas. Jesus is stressing to the apostles the importance of prayer. He is about to be crucified on the Cross and He is spending time with the Father before He went to die. Luke 22:44 says "44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." Jesus knew what was coming and He was praying.
Luke 22: 46 - 46"Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." Importance of this passage: Again Jesus is stressing the importance of prayer.
Luke 23:46 - "46Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. " Importance of this passage: What is Jesus doing with His last breath? He is Praying. Jesus started His ministry by being baptised by John the Baptist and He is praying to Father God while He is doing that and He ends His ministry on earth praying to Father God while being crucified on an undeserved cross.
Wait a minute - Jesus is God right? Isn't this odd? Is He talking to Himself? Why is He praying all of the time? Jesus answers this question in John 5:19 when He says "19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." He also says in John 14:10 "10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work." The reason that Jesus prayed all of the time was because He could do nothing apart from the Father. If Jesus could do nothing apart from the Father then how then are we as Christians, who's only way to the Father is through faith in Jesus, to conduct our daily life? How can we actually expect to live any other way than completely dependant on God? The fundamental conviction of prayer is that we can do nothing without God!
We Pray To Express The Depth Of Our Need For God.
People in the early church understood this need and it seems to be a theme with them. Let's take a look at the book of Acts. It's safe to say that things start happening as God's people pray in Acts. Let's look:
Acts 1:14 - "14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." This was right before Pentacost and the beginning of the new church.
Acts 4:24 - "24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them."
Acts 4:31 - "31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."
Acts 9:40 - "40Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up." Peter raises the dead, before this he prays.
Acts 12:5 - "5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."
Acts 13:2 - "2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Acts 14:23 - "23Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust."
Acts 16:25 - "25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." They were in prison when they were doing this.
Acts 28: 7-8 - "7There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. 8His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him." Paul heals the sick after he prays.
Things happen in the book of Acts when people pray. The people of the early church knew that the fundamental conviction of prayer was that we can do nothing without God and they prayed to express their need before a Holy God. Jesus showed us that the source of His power was God the Father.
The first reason that we pray is To Express The Depth Of Our Need For God
Next we will talk about exploring the mysteries of intimacy with God.....
Monday, March 9, 2009
Why Do We Pray? Part 2 - We Begin Our Search
Why do we pray and how are we supposed to go about doing it? So small yet so big. Everybody's doing it, you know. You do it, I do it, he does it and she does it. Have you ever heard the saying "there's no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole?" Prayer seems to be something that we just do. But have you ever took the time to actually think about what you are asking when you tell your friend, your pastor or Sunday School teacher about a problem you are having and you ask them to pray for you? What are you really asking them to do?
God provides the answers we are looking for in His Word particularly in the ministry of Jesus. In fact a good place to start our search is in the Book of Luke. I have a feeling that we will eventually cover alot of the entire Bible answering these questions but Luke is a good place to start............and finish.
Luke 11: 1-11
1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2He said to them, "When you pray, say:" 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.' "
5Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'
7"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
Here we see Jesus' answers to our questions. Let's focus on 4 words that Jesus highlights in Luke 11. The words Desperation, Desire, Boldness and Confidence are usually not words associated with prayer but they are important words as we begin to unwrap this awsome mystery of prayer. They are at the center of what it means to pray.
Let's start off with our Need for God......Desperation.
God provides the answers we are looking for in His Word particularly in the ministry of Jesus. In fact a good place to start our search is in the Book of Luke. I have a feeling that we will eventually cover alot of the entire Bible answering these questions but Luke is a good place to start............and finish.
Luke 11: 1-11
1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2He said to them, "When you pray, say:" 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.' "
5Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'
7"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
Here we see Jesus' answers to our questions. Let's focus on 4 words that Jesus highlights in Luke 11. The words Desperation, Desire, Boldness and Confidence are usually not words associated with prayer but they are important words as we begin to unwrap this awsome mystery of prayer. They are at the center of what it means to pray.
Let's start off with our Need for God......Desperation.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Why do we pray? Part 1 - The Question
My friends,
There are two seemingly elementary, yet fundamental questions that I would like to focus on with this blog for the next month or so. I do not want to post anything besides information on and about these two questions during that time period. I hope that by posting these questions I stir up alot of conversation between you and your spouse, you and your friends and even you and people you don't even know because I really feel that these are two questions worth asking and moreover, they are two questions that warrant us actually rolling up our sleeves, getting a little dirty and trying to find the answers to.
I have to tell you before I even ask these questions that I have been doing some research on these subjects that I will be posting. I would like feedback on the information that I post. If you can add to what I am saying then by all means, please do. If you feel the need to rebuke my information biblically, please do that also. My concern here is not that I am right with my thinking up front but that I am right with my thinking when it is done. If this takes being corrected then I will take pleasure in the fact that I was initially wrong and that someone who knew better cared enough to show me the correct prospective.
Not having a clear ledge to stand on concerning these two subjects has left me on shaky ground for some time now because they are so fundamental to all that we are as followers of Christ. The research that I have done spans over the course of many years and mainly consists of 1) the Bible itself, 2) multiple C.S. Lewis Books and 3) studied sermons from many preachers including Adrian Rogers, James Dobson, Charles Stanley, Charles Spurgeon and last but not least David Platt. I think, if you take the time to look, that all of the preachers mentioned above come to the same fundamental conclusions. However, I like the way that Platt "unwraps the mysteries" of these two perplexing questions. Therefore you will find that my attempts at answering these questions almost mimic Platt and how he tackles them. Now I really have nothing new to say on these subjects but they are subjects worth talking, praying and thinking about and therefore I will post information on them on this blog and HOPE that you will choose to participate.
I am doing this for two reasons - for you and for me. My purpose is mainly a selfish one because I really do want to know the answers. If I take the time to search for them and post what I find then I am bound to learn something, at least I hope I will. If in my studies and prayer on these subjects I find something useful then we will all reap the benefits.
Enough babbling........
The two questions are:
1) Why do we pray?
God knows what we want and what we need right? So why do we pray to Him? What are we doing? In light of the fact of God's sovereignty do we really even need to pray?
2) How should we pray?
Is there actually a right way? Is there a wrong way? What about timing? Is there a specific time that we should pray? Do the same answers apply to the corporate church body as well as each individual?
One more thing......please don't answer right away. Weigh your answer before you speak on it. Even if you don't post an answer please ask yourselves these two simple questions and think about the answers.
Pray about it!
There are two seemingly elementary, yet fundamental questions that I would like to focus on with this blog for the next month or so. I do not want to post anything besides information on and about these two questions during that time period. I hope that by posting these questions I stir up alot of conversation between you and your spouse, you and your friends and even you and people you don't even know because I really feel that these are two questions worth asking and moreover, they are two questions that warrant us actually rolling up our sleeves, getting a little dirty and trying to find the answers to.
I have to tell you before I even ask these questions that I have been doing some research on these subjects that I will be posting. I would like feedback on the information that I post. If you can add to what I am saying then by all means, please do. If you feel the need to rebuke my information biblically, please do that also. My concern here is not that I am right with my thinking up front but that I am right with my thinking when it is done. If this takes being corrected then I will take pleasure in the fact that I was initially wrong and that someone who knew better cared enough to show me the correct prospective.
Not having a clear ledge to stand on concerning these two subjects has left me on shaky ground for some time now because they are so fundamental to all that we are as followers of Christ. The research that I have done spans over the course of many years and mainly consists of 1) the Bible itself, 2) multiple C.S. Lewis Books and 3) studied sermons from many preachers including Adrian Rogers, James Dobson, Charles Stanley, Charles Spurgeon and last but not least David Platt. I think, if you take the time to look, that all of the preachers mentioned above come to the same fundamental conclusions. However, I like the way that Platt "unwraps the mysteries" of these two perplexing questions. Therefore you will find that my attempts at answering these questions almost mimic Platt and how he tackles them. Now I really have nothing new to say on these subjects but they are subjects worth talking, praying and thinking about and therefore I will post information on them on this blog and HOPE that you will choose to participate.
I am doing this for two reasons - for you and for me. My purpose is mainly a selfish one because I really do want to know the answers. If I take the time to search for them and post what I find then I am bound to learn something, at least I hope I will. If in my studies and prayer on these subjects I find something useful then we will all reap the benefits.
Enough babbling........
The two questions are:
1) Why do we pray?
God knows what we want and what we need right? So why do we pray to Him? What are we doing? In light of the fact of God's sovereignty do we really even need to pray?
2) How should we pray?
Is there actually a right way? Is there a wrong way? What about timing? Is there a specific time that we should pray? Do the same answers apply to the corporate church body as well as each individual?
One more thing......please don't answer right away. Weigh your answer before you speak on it. Even if you don't post an answer please ask yourselves these two simple questions and think about the answers.
Pray about it!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
What's Growing in Your Garden?
This is good stuff:
Exodus 34:6 -7
Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth...yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."
Dag Hammerskjold, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, once said, "You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal; play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth; play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind. He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds."
Did you know that what you grow and cultivate in your garden today could spread to your offspring? Did you know that a sin you now tolerate could still be tormenting your great-grandchildren in the year 2140? That's four generations from now.
Consider the warning of Scripture at the top of this page. What does it mean? Why would God set up a system that visits one generation's sins on three or four other generations?I have a hunch that God is trying to tell us that the way we live impacts others and is of supreme importance to Him. Possibly He's using a warning of future judgment on our descendants to keep us on the straight and narrow today.
Whether you like it or not, your children are becoming just like you. Their little eyes are watching to see how you relate to your mate, how you pray, how you walk with Christ on a daily basis. They hear your words and subconsciously mimic your attitudes, actions and even your mannerisms.
And as time goes by you'll find that they've "inherited" some of the same tendencies towards sin that you learned from your own parents. That's why so many children from broken homes, for example, grow up and fail in their own marriages.
Your kids will grow up to be like you. Is that a sobering thought, or an encouraging one?
Prayer: Is there a sin that you've tolerated in your life that you need to go to God in prayer right now and confess? As you repent, you may want to ask God for grace to protect your children from that sin in the future.
Good Question: In what ways do you want your children to be like you? In what ways do you not want them to be like you?
Exodus 34:6 -7
Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth...yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."
Dag Hammerskjold, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, once said, "You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal; play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth; play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind. He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds."
Did you know that what you grow and cultivate in your garden today could spread to your offspring? Did you know that a sin you now tolerate could still be tormenting your great-grandchildren in the year 2140? That's four generations from now.
Consider the warning of Scripture at the top of this page. What does it mean? Why would God set up a system that visits one generation's sins on three or four other generations?I have a hunch that God is trying to tell us that the way we live impacts others and is of supreme importance to Him. Possibly He's using a warning of future judgment on our descendants to keep us on the straight and narrow today.
Whether you like it or not, your children are becoming just like you. Their little eyes are watching to see how you relate to your mate, how you pray, how you walk with Christ on a daily basis. They hear your words and subconsciously mimic your attitudes, actions and even your mannerisms.
And as time goes by you'll find that they've "inherited" some of the same tendencies towards sin that you learned from your own parents. That's why so many children from broken homes, for example, grow up and fail in their own marriages.
Your kids will grow up to be like you. Is that a sobering thought, or an encouraging one?
Prayer: Is there a sin that you've tolerated in your life that you need to go to God in prayer right now and confess? As you repent, you may want to ask God for grace to protect your children from that sin in the future.
Good Question: In what ways do you want your children to be like you? In what ways do you not want them to be like you?
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