They did not nail him then, but simply bound him. And he, placing his hands behind him, and being bound like a distinguished ram [taken] out of a great flock for sacrifice, and prepared to be an acceptable burnt-offering unto God, looked up to heaven, and said, "O Lord God Almighty, the Father of thy beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of Thee, the God of angels and powers, and of every creature, and of the whole race of the righteous who live before thee, I give Thee thanks that Thou hast counted me, worthy of this day and this hour, that I should have a part in the number of Thy martyrs, in the cup [456] of thy Christ, to the resurrection of eternal life, both of soul and body, through the incorruption [imparted] by the Holy Ghost. Among whom may I be accepted this day before Thee as a fat [457] and acceptable sacrifice, according as Thou, the ever-truthful [458] God, hast foreordained, hast revealed beforehand to me, and now hast fulfilled. Wherefore also I praise Thee for all things, I bless Thee, I glorify Thee, along with the everlasting and heavenly Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, with whom, to Thee, and the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and to all coming ages. Amen." [459]
Footnotes:
[456] Comp. Matthew 20:22, Matthew 26:39; Mark 10:38.
[457] Literally, "in a fat," etc., [or, "in a rich"].
[458] Literally, "the not false and true God."
[459] Eusebius (Hist. Eccl., iv. 15) has preserved a great portion of this Martyrium, but in a text considerably differing from that we have followed. Here, instead of "and," he has "in the Holy Ghost."
10/29/2011
10/26/2011
A Morning Prayer - Syrian Clementine Liturgy
A Morning Prayer
O God, Who are the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love, the fountain of blessings, and the bestower of affection, Who sends peace to those that receive it; open to us this day the sea of Your love, and water us with the plenteous streams from the riches of Your grace. Make us children of quietness, and heirs of peace. Kindle in us the fire of Your love; sow in us Your fear; strengthen our weakness by Your power; bind us closely to You and to each other in one firm bond of unity; for the sakd of Jesus Christ. AMEN.
--Syrian Clementine Liturgy
O God, Who are the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love, the fountain of blessings, and the bestower of affection, Who sends peace to those that receive it; open to us this day the sea of Your love, and water us with the plenteous streams from the riches of Your grace. Make us children of quietness, and heirs of peace. Kindle in us the fire of Your love; sow in us Your fear; strengthen our weakness by Your power; bind us closely to You and to each other in one firm bond of unity; for the sakd of Jesus Christ. AMEN.
--Syrian Clementine Liturgy
Hope and Petition: Prayers of Saint Augustine of Hippo
Act of Hope
For your mercies' sake, O Lord my God, tell me what you are to me. Say to my soul: "I am your salvation." So speak that I may hear, O Lord; my heart is listening; open it that it may hear you, and say to my soul: "I am your salvation." After hearing this word, may I come in haste to take hold of you. Hide not your face from me. Let me see your face even if I die, lest I die with longing to see it. The house of my soul is too small to receive you; let it be enlarged by you. It is all in ruins; do you repair it. There are things in it - I confess and I know - that must offend your sight. But who shall cleanse it? Or to what others besides you shall I cry out? From my secret sins cleanse me, O Lord, and from those of others spare your servant. Amen.
Act of Petition
Give me yourself, O my God, give yourself to me. Behold I love you, and if my love is too weak a thing, grant me to love you more strongly. I cannot measure my love to know how much it falls short of being sufficient, but let my soul hasten to your embrace and never be turned away until it is hidden in the secret shelter of your presence. This only do I know, that it is not good for me when you are not with me, when you are only outside me. I want you in my very self. All the plenty in the world which is not my God is utter want. Amen.
For your mercies' sake, O Lord my God, tell me what you are to me. Say to my soul: "I am your salvation." So speak that I may hear, O Lord; my heart is listening; open it that it may hear you, and say to my soul: "I am your salvation." After hearing this word, may I come in haste to take hold of you. Hide not your face from me. Let me see your face even if I die, lest I die with longing to see it. The house of my soul is too small to receive you; let it be enlarged by you. It is all in ruins; do you repair it. There are things in it - I confess and I know - that must offend your sight. But who shall cleanse it? Or to what others besides you shall I cry out? From my secret sins cleanse me, O Lord, and from those of others spare your servant. Amen.
Act of Petition
Give me yourself, O my God, give yourself to me. Behold I love you, and if my love is too weak a thing, grant me to love you more strongly. I cannot measure my love to know how much it falls short of being sufficient, but let my soul hasten to your embrace and never be turned away until it is hidden in the secret shelter of your presence. This only do I know, that it is not good for me when you are not with me, when you are only outside me. I want you in my very self. All the plenty in the world which is not my God is utter want. Amen.
10/25/2011
Why Aren't My Prayers Answered? John Piper
Back in 1996 John Piper preached a message titled, Praying From The Fullness of The Word, in which he addresses the questions, "Why aren't my prayers being answered?" - Ed Stetzer: He says in part,
It says we may not be praying according to God's will; 1 John 5:14, "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."
Or it could be we have cherished sin that we will not let go from our lives; Psalm 66:18, "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear."
It could be that we have man-centered and not God-centered motives; James 4:3, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
Or it may be that we do not believe that God will do it; Mark 11:24, "All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you."
Or it could be that God wants you to persevere, and is testing your obedience to his command in Luke 18:1, "At all times [you] ought to pray and not to lose heart."
Or it might be that God is, in fact, doing far more every time you pray than you can imagine and is daily putting in place a part of the mosaic that will in good time be the full answer to your prayer (as in Daniel 10:2,12).
It says we may not be praying according to God's will; 1 John 5:14, "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."
Or it could be we have cherished sin that we will not let go from our lives; Psalm 66:18, "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear."
It could be that we have man-centered and not God-centered motives; James 4:3, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
Or it may be that we do not believe that God will do it; Mark 11:24, "All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you."
Or it could be that God wants you to persevere, and is testing your obedience to his command in Luke 18:1, "At all times [you] ought to pray and not to lose heart."
Or it might be that God is, in fact, doing far more every time you pray than you can imagine and is daily putting in place a part of the mosaic that will in good time be the full answer to your prayer (as in Daniel 10:2,12).
10/20/2011
4 Ways To Pray The Gospel Over Your Life - J D Greear
One of the revolutionary ideas of the gospel is that we begin to do what we ought for God as we are captivated by the story of what he has done for us.
Spiritual fruits do not develop in us as we focus on them; spiritual fruits come as we abide in Jesus (John 15:5). Spiritual “fruit” is much like physical “fruit.” When a husband and wife conceive physical “fruit” (i.e. a child), they are not thinking about the exact, scientific mechanics of making that child. They get caught up in a moment of loving intimacy with one another, and the fruit of that loving intimacy is a child. In the same way, spiritual fruits do not grow by focusing on fruit production, but by becoming intimate with the doctrines of the gospel.
Grow Your Fruit with the Gospel
Jesus said that saturating ourselves in the gospel, or “abiding” (lit., “making our home”) in it, is the way to abundant fruit. Sanctification is the daily process of pulling up the roots of our hearts from the flesh and grounding them in the soil of the gospel. Or, to change metaphors, we must send out missionaries to the unreached parts of our heart to preach the gospel and bring our heart under the subjugation of the gospel.
Things like radical generosity and audacious faith are not produced when we focus on them, but when we focus on the gospel.
A Prayer of God's Righteousness
About four years ago, I wrote a prayer for our church to help to this end. We often talk about “preaching the gospel to ourselves daily,” but how can you do that? This four-part prayer confronts us with the reality of God’s gift-righteousness and love:
1.“In Christ, there is nothing I could do that would make you love me more, and nothing I have done that makes you love me less.”
Pray about this “gift righteousness” of the gospel (2 Cor. 5:21) and go to war against the incipient works-righteousness hardwired into our hearts.
2.“Your presence and approval are all I need today for everlasting joy.”
Pray about this value of God’s presence in our lives. It’s one thing to know that Jesus is your possession; it’s another for that approval to have such weightiness in our hearts that our captivity to other idols is snapped.
3.“As you have been to me, so I will be to others.”
Pray about and consider the extravagant generosity of God toward us. His generosity toward us leads us to radical generosity toward others.
4.“As I pray, I’ll measure your compassion by the cross and your power by the resurrection.”
Pray that God would help you view the world through the lens of the gospel. Seeing the compassion and power of God revealed in the gospel produces bold, audacious faith in our hearts.
Focus on What Jesus has Done For You
Things like radical generosity and audacious faith are not produced when we focus on them, but when we focus on the gospel. Focusing on what we ought to do for God creates only frustration and exhaustion; focusing on what Jesus has done for us produces abundant fruit. Resting in what Jesus has done for us releases the revolutionary power of the gospel.
J.D. Greear is the pastor of the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC. This article is adapted from his newly released book, Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary.
Spiritual fruits do not develop in us as we focus on them; spiritual fruits come as we abide in Jesus (John 15:5). Spiritual “fruit” is much like physical “fruit.” When a husband and wife conceive physical “fruit” (i.e. a child), they are not thinking about the exact, scientific mechanics of making that child. They get caught up in a moment of loving intimacy with one another, and the fruit of that loving intimacy is a child. In the same way, spiritual fruits do not grow by focusing on fruit production, but by becoming intimate with the doctrines of the gospel.
Grow Your Fruit with the Gospel
Jesus said that saturating ourselves in the gospel, or “abiding” (lit., “making our home”) in it, is the way to abundant fruit. Sanctification is the daily process of pulling up the roots of our hearts from the flesh and grounding them in the soil of the gospel. Or, to change metaphors, we must send out missionaries to the unreached parts of our heart to preach the gospel and bring our heart under the subjugation of the gospel.
Things like radical generosity and audacious faith are not produced when we focus on them, but when we focus on the gospel.
A Prayer of God's Righteousness
About four years ago, I wrote a prayer for our church to help to this end. We often talk about “preaching the gospel to ourselves daily,” but how can you do that? This four-part prayer confronts us with the reality of God’s gift-righteousness and love:
1.“In Christ, there is nothing I could do that would make you love me more, and nothing I have done that makes you love me less.”
Pray about this “gift righteousness” of the gospel (2 Cor. 5:21) and go to war against the incipient works-righteousness hardwired into our hearts.
2.“Your presence and approval are all I need today for everlasting joy.”
Pray about this value of God’s presence in our lives. It’s one thing to know that Jesus is your possession; it’s another for that approval to have such weightiness in our hearts that our captivity to other idols is snapped.
3.“As you have been to me, so I will be to others.”
Pray about and consider the extravagant generosity of God toward us. His generosity toward us leads us to radical generosity toward others.
4.“As I pray, I’ll measure your compassion by the cross and your power by the resurrection.”
Pray that God would help you view the world through the lens of the gospel. Seeing the compassion and power of God revealed in the gospel produces bold, audacious faith in our hearts.
Focus on What Jesus has Done For You
Things like radical generosity and audacious faith are not produced when we focus on them, but when we focus on the gospel. Focusing on what we ought to do for God creates only frustration and exhaustion; focusing on what Jesus has done for us produces abundant fruit. Resting in what Jesus has done for us releases the revolutionary power of the gospel.
J.D. Greear is the pastor of the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC. This article is adapted from his newly released book, Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary.
9/20/2011
Three Things Jesus Prays For Us by Jonathan Parnell
Thomas Watson:
When a Christian is weak, and can hardly pray for himself, Jesus Christ is praying for him; and he pray for three things.
First, that the saints may be kept from sin (John 17:15). "I pray that thou shouldest keep them from evil." We live in the world as in a pest-house; Christ prays that his saints may not be infected with the contagious evil of the times.
Second, for his people's progress in holiness. "Sanctify them" (John 17:17). Let them have constant supplies of the Spirit, and be anointed with fresh oil.
Third, for their glorification: "Father, I will that those which thou hast given me, be with me where I am" (John 17:24). Christ is not content till the saints are in his arms. This prayer, which he made on earth, is the copy and pattern of his prayer in heaven. What a comfort is this; when Satan is tempting, Christ is praying! This works for good.
All Things for Good, 1663, (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2008), 23, paragraphing mine.
________
When a Christian is weak, and can hardly pray for himself, Jesus Christ is praying for him; and he pray for three things.
First, that the saints may be kept from sin (John 17:15). "I pray that thou shouldest keep them from evil." We live in the world as in a pest-house; Christ prays that his saints may not be infected with the contagious evil of the times.
Second, for his people's progress in holiness. "Sanctify them" (John 17:17). Let them have constant supplies of the Spirit, and be anointed with fresh oil.
Third, for their glorification: "Father, I will that those which thou hast given me, be with me where I am" (John 17:24). Christ is not content till the saints are in his arms. This prayer, which he made on earth, is the copy and pattern of his prayer in heaven. What a comfort is this; when Satan is tempting, Christ is praying! This works for good.
All Things for Good, 1663, (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2008), 23, paragraphing mine.
________
7/26/2011
The Reflective Life by Jack Deere
(This article was copied from Jack Deere's blog on the Wellspring Church website.)
Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living (Apology 38a). The unexamined life will also get us in trouble. About 120 years earlier, one of the Hebrew prophets said the same thing. Haggai said, “Give careful thought to yours ways” (1:5, 7). It’s rare to find anyone who pays attention to Socrates or Haggai. When is the last time you gave careful thought to your ways? When is the last time you gave careful thought to the ways of God? How do you do that? I’ll tell you how I do it. I keep three journals: a prayer list, daily events, and daily meditation.
1.Prayer List
1.There are three sources for regular conversations with God: whatever is on my heart, the prayers of Scripture, and my own personal list. God frequently speaks to us while we’re praying.
2.My current list:
1.i. Thanks/praise
2.ii. Confession
3.iii. Family
4.iv. Dreams
1.Give us the right interpretation.
2.Warning dreams: don’t let these happen
3.Good dreams: let these happen
5.v. Extended family
6.vi. Immediate needs
7.vii. Wellspring and our services
8.viii. Congregation
9.ix. Questions for the Lord
10.x. Upcoming conferences
11.xi. Friends who don’t go to Wellspring
12.xii. Enemies
13.xiii. My disciples
14.xiv. My men’s group
15.xv. VIP group (people I know that don’t yet know the Lord)
16.xvi. Record answers with date and “thank you” in red.
3.Problems with a list:
1.i. Can limit us.
2.ii. Can burden us. When my list gets too big, I file it and start over with a smaller one.
3.iii. Can get mechanical.
2.Journal of daily events.
1.The disciples took notes:
1.i. Luke 1:1-4
2.ii. Rev. 1:19
3.iii. Luke 2:19, 51, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
4.iv. We take notes because we treasure what the Lord does and what He gives us.
2.What not to write
1.i. Don’t record all the details of the day.
2.ii. Don’t give our journals the authority of the Bible.
3.What to write
1.i. I start by recording my wake up time, my weight, and whether I worked out and/or did cardio. If I’m recording it means I am paying attention to my life and trying to move forward. When I don’t record, I’m just going with the flow, trying to survive.
2.ii. Anything that stands out or is meaningful to me.
3.iii. Anything that I think God may be showing me that day.
4.iv. Some days I may only record two lines. I don’t let writing in my journal become a burden. It is simply a tool to help me reflect on my life.
5.v. I write honestly with no intention of showing my journal to anyone. It is password protected.
3.Journal of meditation on the ways and works of God that are illumined to us in Scripture. NB. This journal sometimes overlaps with my journal of daily events. You may only want to keep one journal for both.
1.Writing causes us to read expectantly not passively.
2.An example from my meditation: 8/16/10 (Phil. 3:7-11). Paul lost “all things” for the sake of Christ. In order to “gain Christ,” that is, to move to the next level of friendship, you always have to lose something, to give up something that has been holding you back. You have to risk something for nothing more than a closer relationship to Jesus. If you risk the loss for anything other than this your motive is ulterior and you lose. “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ”—real righteousness begins in the heart with faith, not with the external performance. By faith in Christ, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and did nothing other than listen to Him. Righteousness is first established in the heart through faith and then it is manifested in external behavior. Paul quotes Ps. 116:10 in 2 Cor. 4:13 to this effect, “I believed, therefore I spoke” (Study the contexts of these two texts, both are about suffering and death). Jesus was rewarded for heart attitudes in Heb. 1:8-9. Faith increases by feeding the heart Scripture, which God illuminates so that we can interpret our experience by Scripture. Our experience increases our faith when we understand our experience by the light of illuminated Scripture. Sometimes God interprets our experience by speaking to us directly from heaven, but mostly it is spoken to us when God illuminates His written word. God has locked the explanation of our individual lives, the interpretation of our experience, in the Bible. “These things happened as examples to us.” Or “how shall a young man cleanse his way.” Or “it is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out.” On another note, what happens to leaders is used by God to produce life in their followers (2 Cor. 4:12). This is why Paul is always telling his story, talking about his struggles. Whatever is going on in his life is meant to strengthen the faith of others.
Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living (Apology 38a). The unexamined life will also get us in trouble. About 120 years earlier, one of the Hebrew prophets said the same thing. Haggai said, “Give careful thought to yours ways” (1:5, 7). It’s rare to find anyone who pays attention to Socrates or Haggai. When is the last time you gave careful thought to your ways? When is the last time you gave careful thought to the ways of God? How do you do that? I’ll tell you how I do it. I keep three journals: a prayer list, daily events, and daily meditation.
1.Prayer List
1.There are three sources for regular conversations with God: whatever is on my heart, the prayers of Scripture, and my own personal list. God frequently speaks to us while we’re praying.
2.My current list:
1.i. Thanks/praise
2.ii. Confession
3.iii. Family
4.iv. Dreams
1.Give us the right interpretation.
2.Warning dreams: don’t let these happen
3.Good dreams: let these happen
5.v. Extended family
6.vi. Immediate needs
7.vii. Wellspring and our services
8.viii. Congregation
9.ix. Questions for the Lord
10.x. Upcoming conferences
11.xi. Friends who don’t go to Wellspring
12.xii. Enemies
13.xiii. My disciples
14.xiv. My men’s group
15.xv. VIP group (people I know that don’t yet know the Lord)
16.xvi. Record answers with date and “thank you” in red.
3.Problems with a list:
1.i. Can limit us.
2.ii. Can burden us. When my list gets too big, I file it and start over with a smaller one.
3.iii. Can get mechanical.
2.Journal of daily events.
1.The disciples took notes:
1.i. Luke 1:1-4
2.ii. Rev. 1:19
3.iii. Luke 2:19, 51, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
4.iv. We take notes because we treasure what the Lord does and what He gives us.
2.What not to write
1.i. Don’t record all the details of the day.
2.ii. Don’t give our journals the authority of the Bible.
3.What to write
1.i. I start by recording my wake up time, my weight, and whether I worked out and/or did cardio. If I’m recording it means I am paying attention to my life and trying to move forward. When I don’t record, I’m just going with the flow, trying to survive.
2.ii. Anything that stands out or is meaningful to me.
3.iii. Anything that I think God may be showing me that day.
4.iv. Some days I may only record two lines. I don’t let writing in my journal become a burden. It is simply a tool to help me reflect on my life.
5.v. I write honestly with no intention of showing my journal to anyone. It is password protected.
3.Journal of meditation on the ways and works of God that are illumined to us in Scripture. NB. This journal sometimes overlaps with my journal of daily events. You may only want to keep one journal for both.
1.Writing causes us to read expectantly not passively.
2.An example from my meditation: 8/16/10 (Phil. 3:7-11). Paul lost “all things” for the sake of Christ. In order to “gain Christ,” that is, to move to the next level of friendship, you always have to lose something, to give up something that has been holding you back. You have to risk something for nothing more than a closer relationship to Jesus. If you risk the loss for anything other than this your motive is ulterior and you lose. “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ”—real righteousness begins in the heart with faith, not with the external performance. By faith in Christ, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and did nothing other than listen to Him. Righteousness is first established in the heart through faith and then it is manifested in external behavior. Paul quotes Ps. 116:10 in 2 Cor. 4:13 to this effect, “I believed, therefore I spoke” (Study the contexts of these two texts, both are about suffering and death). Jesus was rewarded for heart attitudes in Heb. 1:8-9. Faith increases by feeding the heart Scripture, which God illuminates so that we can interpret our experience by Scripture. Our experience increases our faith when we understand our experience by the light of illuminated Scripture. Sometimes God interprets our experience by speaking to us directly from heaven, but mostly it is spoken to us when God illuminates His written word. God has locked the explanation of our individual lives, the interpretation of our experience, in the Bible. “These things happened as examples to us.” Or “how shall a young man cleanse his way.” Or “it is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out.” On another note, what happens to leaders is used by God to produce life in their followers (2 Cor. 4:12). This is why Paul is always telling his story, talking about his struggles. Whatever is going on in his life is meant to strengthen the faith of others.
Prayer In The Mist of The Storm- Stowe Missal
O God, make speed to save us.
We have sinned, O Lord, we have sinned, spare our sins,
And save us; Thou who guidedst Noah over the flood waves,
Hear us; Who with Thy word recalledst Jonah from the abyss;
Deliver us; Who stretchedst forth Thy hand to Peter as he sank, help us,
O Christ Son of God, Thou didst the marvelous things of the Lord with our fathers, be favourable in our days also;
Stretch forth Thy hand from on high.
Deliver us, O Christ.
Hear us, O Christ."
-Stowe Missal, 9th Century A.D.
We have sinned, O Lord, we have sinned, spare our sins,
And save us; Thou who guidedst Noah over the flood waves,
Hear us; Who with Thy word recalledst Jonah from the abyss;
Deliver us; Who stretchedst forth Thy hand to Peter as he sank, help us,
O Christ Son of God, Thou didst the marvelous things of the Lord with our fathers, be favourable in our days also;
Stretch forth Thy hand from on high.
Deliver us, O Christ.
Hear us, O Christ."
-Stowe Missal, 9th Century A.D.
7/15/2011
Seven Kinds of Prayer to Soak our Bible Reading by John Piper
But since our text is Psalm 119:18, "Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law," we should let this psalmist show us how he prays more generally about his reading of the Word of God. So let me close with a little tour of Psalm 119, and show you seven kinds of prayer with which you can soak your Bible reading this year.
We should pray . . .
1. That God would teach us his Word. Psalm 119:12b, "Teach me Your statutes." (See also verses 33, 64b, 66, 68b, 135). True learning of God's Word is only possible if God himself becomes the teacher in and through all other means of teaching.
2. That God would not hide his Word from us. Psalm 119:19b, "Do not hide Your commandments from me." The Bible warns of the dreadful chastisement or judgment of the Word of God being taken from us (Amos 8:11). (See also verse 43).
3. That God would make us understand his Word. Psalm 119:27, "Make me understand the way of Your precepts" (verses 34, 73b, 144b, 169). Here we ask God to cause us to understand - to do whatever he needs to do to get us to understand his Word.
4. That God would incline our hearts to his Word. Psalm 119:36, "Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to [dishonest] gain." The great problem with us is not primarily our reason, but our will - we are disinclined by nature to read and meditate and memorize the Word. So we must pray for God to incline our wills.
5. That God would give us life to keep his Word. Psalm 119:88, "Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth." He is aware that we need life and energy to give ourselves to the Word and its obedience. So he asks God for this basic need. (See also verse 154b)
6. That God would establish our steps in his Word. Psalm 119:133, "Establish my footsteps in Your word." We are dependent on the Lord not only for understanding and life, but for the performance of the Word. That it would be established in our lives. We cannot do this on our own.
7. That God would seek us when we go astray from his Word. Psalm 119:176, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant." It is remarkable that this godly man ends his psalm with a confession of sin and the need for God to come after him and bring him back. This too we must pray again and again.
We should pray . . .
1. That God would teach us his Word. Psalm 119:12b, "Teach me Your statutes." (See also verses 33, 64b, 66, 68b, 135). True learning of God's Word is only possible if God himself becomes the teacher in and through all other means of teaching.
2. That God would not hide his Word from us. Psalm 119:19b, "Do not hide Your commandments from me." The Bible warns of the dreadful chastisement or judgment of the Word of God being taken from us (Amos 8:11). (See also verse 43).
3. That God would make us understand his Word. Psalm 119:27, "Make me understand the way of Your precepts" (verses 34, 73b, 144b, 169). Here we ask God to cause us to understand - to do whatever he needs to do to get us to understand his Word.
4. That God would incline our hearts to his Word. Psalm 119:36, "Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to [dishonest] gain." The great problem with us is not primarily our reason, but our will - we are disinclined by nature to read and meditate and memorize the Word. So we must pray for God to incline our wills.
5. That God would give us life to keep his Word. Psalm 119:88, "Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth." He is aware that we need life and energy to give ourselves to the Word and its obedience. So he asks God for this basic need. (See also verse 154b)
6. That God would establish our steps in his Word. Psalm 119:133, "Establish my footsteps in Your word." We are dependent on the Lord not only for understanding and life, but for the performance of the Word. That it would be established in our lives. We cannot do this on our own.
7. That God would seek us when we go astray from his Word. Psalm 119:176, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant." It is remarkable that this godly man ends his psalm with a confession of sin and the need for God to come after him and bring him back. This too we must pray again and again.
7/04/2011
Be Encouraged To Pray by J.C. Ryle
"I dare not lay down too strict rules on such points as these. I leave them to your own conscience. You must be guided by circumstances.
Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed on a mountain;
Isaac prayed in the fields;
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall as he lay upon his bed;
Daniel prayed by the riverside;
Peter, the Apostle, on the housetop.
I have heard of young men praying in stables and haylofts. All that I contend for is this, you must know what it is to "go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen" (Matthew 6:6)."
There must be stated times when you must speak to God face to face, you must every day have your times for prayer — You must pray.
J. C. Ryle, Thoughts For Young Men (Kindle edition, locations 668-673).
Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed on a mountain;
Isaac prayed in the fields;
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall as he lay upon his bed;
Daniel prayed by the riverside;
Peter, the Apostle, on the housetop.
I have heard of young men praying in stables and haylofts. All that I contend for is this, you must know what it is to "go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen" (Matthew 6:6)."
There must be stated times when you must speak to God face to face, you must every day have your times for prayer — You must pray.
J. C. Ryle, Thoughts For Young Men (Kindle edition, locations 668-673).
6/28/2011
Practicing the Gospel in Prayer by Dudley Hall
Dudley's Weekly Message
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 1 Timothy 2:1-6 (ESV)
"This admonition is given by Paul to Timothy as a young leader in the process of disciple-making. It is found in the context of a discussion about how the gospel is to be lived out. Paul has already reminded Timothy that the goal of the gospel message is to produce lives of love (agape) that come from a pure heart, good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5). The implication is that any instruction that does not produce this is not the gospel he preaches. He is not impressed with those who have an abundance of head knowledge and theories. He is less impressed with those who think they understand the Old Testament but have failed to see Jesus as its fulfillment. The gospel is aimed first at the human heart, but does not neglect the renewed understanding that results. It changes the priorities of daily living as well as the perspective of life as a whole.
The first priority for those who have been impacted by the gospel is prayer. Paul mentions all kinds of prayers to be employed. They are to include all kinds of people. There is reason to pray for all people without national, ethnic, or social distinctives. He then singles out the leaders. Regardless of the form of government, those who lead affect the lives of all who are citizens of their realm. The hope is to have a life free enough under the established order that the distinctive lifestyle the gospel produces will be highlighted in society.
The prayer, however, is for these leaders to be saved by the one God and one mediator between God and mankind. Our prayers are not limited to petitions for their good decisions and wisdom in leadership. They are part of the "all people" we are to include in our intercessions. No leader can fully reach his or her potential apart form being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. The best unbelieving leader will be better when he knows God personally and enjoys the enlightened mind that is part of the blessing. It might be considered by some to be politically incorrect to pray for civil leaders to become Christians. Some would even protest the mixing of church and state by such actions. But under the ultimate government of the universe, we are commanded to pray for our leaders with the knowledge that God has made a way for them to have transformed lives, but only through one mediator who alone paid the ransom for us.
Gospel pray-ers are bold and unashamed to embrace the truth. They cannot give up their knowledge of truth in order to appear objective. Leaders deserve to be offered the gospel just like others. They are not bound to be neutral in the area of faith because of their calling to civil service.
Those whose lives are demonstrating the love (agape) the gospel has produced will be intentional in praying according to the truth of the gospel. They love enough to pray the truth." You can visit Dudley's website at www.sclm.org
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 1 Timothy 2:1-6 (ESV)
"This admonition is given by Paul to Timothy as a young leader in the process of disciple-making. It is found in the context of a discussion about how the gospel is to be lived out. Paul has already reminded Timothy that the goal of the gospel message is to produce lives of love (agape) that come from a pure heart, good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5). The implication is that any instruction that does not produce this is not the gospel he preaches. He is not impressed with those who have an abundance of head knowledge and theories. He is less impressed with those who think they understand the Old Testament but have failed to see Jesus as its fulfillment. The gospel is aimed first at the human heart, but does not neglect the renewed understanding that results. It changes the priorities of daily living as well as the perspective of life as a whole.
The first priority for those who have been impacted by the gospel is prayer. Paul mentions all kinds of prayers to be employed. They are to include all kinds of people. There is reason to pray for all people without national, ethnic, or social distinctives. He then singles out the leaders. Regardless of the form of government, those who lead affect the lives of all who are citizens of their realm. The hope is to have a life free enough under the established order that the distinctive lifestyle the gospel produces will be highlighted in society.
The prayer, however, is for these leaders to be saved by the one God and one mediator between God and mankind. Our prayers are not limited to petitions for their good decisions and wisdom in leadership. They are part of the "all people" we are to include in our intercessions. No leader can fully reach his or her potential apart form being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. The best unbelieving leader will be better when he knows God personally and enjoys the enlightened mind that is part of the blessing. It might be considered by some to be politically incorrect to pray for civil leaders to become Christians. Some would even protest the mixing of church and state by such actions. But under the ultimate government of the universe, we are commanded to pray for our leaders with the knowledge that God has made a way for them to have transformed lives, but only through one mediator who alone paid the ransom for us.
Gospel pray-ers are bold and unashamed to embrace the truth. They cannot give up their knowledge of truth in order to appear objective. Leaders deserve to be offered the gospel just like others. They are not bound to be neutral in the area of faith because of their calling to civil service.
Those whose lives are demonstrating the love (agape) the gospel has produced will be intentional in praying according to the truth of the gospel. They love enough to pray the truth." You can visit Dudley's website at www.sclm.org
6/14/2011
Hannah's Prayer: I Samuel 2:1-10
2:1 And Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength [8] is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.
8 He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
and on them he has set the world.
9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
against them he will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
and exalt the power [9] of his anointed.”
“My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength [8] is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.
2 “There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.
8 He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
and on them he has set the world.
9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
against them he will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
and exalt the power [9] of his anointed.”
4/26/2011
How To Pray For Revival by Ray Ortlund
Revival is a gift from heaven. We don’t work it up. God sends it down.
When Jonathan Edwards described the awakening in his church, he had to use words like “surprising,” “extraordinary” and “astonishing.” The Bible says of the early church that “awe came upon every soul” (Acts 2:43). We can’t program that into our worship: 10:45 am – Awe comes upon every soul.
Since revival is of God, we should pray for it. But how? The Bible teaches us how to pray; Isaiah 63:15-64:12 is a biblical prayer for revival.
Longing for the love of God
“Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me” (63:15).
Isaiah is saying, “Father, your mighty heart beats with so much passion for us. But you’re holding back. We need more of you!” We can pray for the outpouring of God’s felt love upon us.
Lamenting our own hardness
“O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not?” (63:17).
Isaiah is not blaming God for our sins, but he is saying God can hand us over to the power of our sins. We think we can play with sin, no big deal. But it isn’t that simple. When we are stuck, we can ask God to move toward us and free us again: “Return for the sake of your servants” (63:17).
Longing for the presence of God
“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down!” (64:1).
God hung the starry canopy above us like a big curtain in space (Isaiah 40:22). Isaiah is saying God can take that curtain in his mighty hands, so to speak, rip it apart and step down into our world with power from above. “When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down” (64:3). Our God is full of surprises. Let’s never settle for any status quo.
Lamenting our own sinfulness
“In our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?” (64:5).
“Isaiah is not blaming God for our sins, but he is saying God can hand us over to the power of our sins.
”It’s easy to think, “We’ll never change. Nothing will ever change.” After all, it’s not as though we fell just yesterday. We have long histories running contrary to God. Let’s admit it to him. Let’s admit how helpless we are. Let’s hurl ourselves at Christ, the mighty friend of sinners.
Longing for the touch of God
“We are the clay, and you are our potter” (64:8).
If we are the clay and God is the potter – if God is sovereign over us – why pray? Because we are the clay and he is the potter! We lie in his power. He can touch us again and reshape us in new ways. Nothing in us limits God.
Final appeal
“Will you restrain yourself at these things, O Lord? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?” (64:12).
Oh, that God would visit us with unrestrained power! Nothing in us can hold him back. Only God controls God. We therefore cry out to him, to vindicate the holy name of Jesus Christ in our time.
Will you join me in praying for revival, as the Bible instructs us to?
When Jonathan Edwards described the awakening in his church, he had to use words like “surprising,” “extraordinary” and “astonishing.” The Bible says of the early church that “awe came upon every soul” (Acts 2:43). We can’t program that into our worship: 10:45 am – Awe comes upon every soul.
Since revival is of God, we should pray for it. But how? The Bible teaches us how to pray; Isaiah 63:15-64:12 is a biblical prayer for revival.
Longing for the love of God
“Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me” (63:15).
Isaiah is saying, “Father, your mighty heart beats with so much passion for us. But you’re holding back. We need more of you!” We can pray for the outpouring of God’s felt love upon us.
Lamenting our own hardness
“O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not?” (63:17).
Isaiah is not blaming God for our sins, but he is saying God can hand us over to the power of our sins. We think we can play with sin, no big deal. But it isn’t that simple. When we are stuck, we can ask God to move toward us and free us again: “Return for the sake of your servants” (63:17).
Longing for the presence of God
“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down!” (64:1).
God hung the starry canopy above us like a big curtain in space (Isaiah 40:22). Isaiah is saying God can take that curtain in his mighty hands, so to speak, rip it apart and step down into our world with power from above. “When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down” (64:3). Our God is full of surprises. Let’s never settle for any status quo.
Lamenting our own sinfulness
“In our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?” (64:5).
“Isaiah is not blaming God for our sins, but he is saying God can hand us over to the power of our sins.
”It’s easy to think, “We’ll never change. Nothing will ever change.” After all, it’s not as though we fell just yesterday. We have long histories running contrary to God. Let’s admit it to him. Let’s admit how helpless we are. Let’s hurl ourselves at Christ, the mighty friend of sinners.
Longing for the touch of God
“We are the clay, and you are our potter” (64:8).
If we are the clay and God is the potter – if God is sovereign over us – why pray? Because we are the clay and he is the potter! We lie in his power. He can touch us again and reshape us in new ways. Nothing in us limits God.
Final appeal
“Will you restrain yourself at these things, O Lord? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?” (64:12).
Oh, that God would visit us with unrestrained power! Nothing in us can hold him back. Only God controls God. We therefore cry out to him, to vindicate the holy name of Jesus Christ in our time.
Will you join me in praying for revival, as the Bible instructs us to?
4/25/2011
Prayer To The Holy Spirit - Saint Augustine of Hippo
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.
Amen. - Saint Augustine of Hippo
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.
Amen. - Saint Augustine of Hippo
1/15/2011
Scraps of Thoughts on Daily Prayer by Tim Keller
There are three kinds of prayer I try to find time for every day - meditation (or contemplation), petition, and repentance. I concentrate on the first two every morning and do the last one in the evening.
Meditation is actually a middle ground or blend of Bible reading and prayer. I like to use Luther's contemplative method that he outlines in his famous letter on prayer that he wrote to his barber. The basic method is this - to take a Scriptural truth and ask three questions of it. How does this show me something about God to praise? How does this show me something about myself to confess? How does this show me something I need to ask God for? Adoration, confession, and supplication. Luther proposes that we keep meditating like this until our hearts begin to warm and melt under a sense of the reality of God. Often that doesn't happen. Fine. We aren't ultimately praying in order to get good feelings or answers, but in order to honor God for who he is in himself.
There are two kinds of Bible reading that I try to do. I read the psalms through every month using the Book of Common Prayer's daily office. I also read through the Bible using Robert Murray M'Cheyne's reading calendar. I take the more relaxed version - two chapters a day, which takes you through the Old Testament every two years and the New Testament every year. I do the M'Cheyne reading and some of the psalms in the morning, and read some Psalms in the evening. I choose one or two things from the psalms and M'Cheyne chapters to meditate on, to conclude my morning devotions.
Besides morning prayer (M'Cheyne, Psalms, meditation, and petition) and evening prayer (Psalms and repentance) I try as often as possible to take five minutes in the middle of the day to take a spiritual inventory, either by remembering the more spiritually radioactive ideas from my morning devotion, or by a quick look at my most besetting sins and idols. I do that to see whether so far that day I've given in to bad attitudes such as pride, coldness and hardness of heart, anxiety, and unkindness. If I see myself going wrong, the mid-day prayer can catch it. The problem with mid-day prayer is finding a time for it, since every day is different. All I need is to get alone for a few minutes, but that is often impossible, or more often than not I just forget. However, I carry a little guide to mid-day prayer in my wallet which I can take out and use.
The last form of prayer that I do daily is prayer with my wife, Kathy. About nine years ago Kathy and I were contemplating the fact that we had largely failed to pray together over the years. Then Kathy exhorted me like this. "What if our doctor told us that we had a serious heart condition that in the past was always fatal. However, now there was a pill which, if we took it every night, would keep us alive for years and years. But you could never miss a single night, or you would die. If our doctor told us this and we believed it, we would never miss. We would never say, 'oh I didn't get to it.' We would do it. Right? Well, if we don't pray together every night, we are going to spiritually die." I realized she was right. And for some reason, the penny dropped for us both, and we can't remember missing a night since. Even if we are far away from each other, there's always the phone. We pray very, very simply - just a couple of minutes. We pray for whatever we are most worried about as a couple, anyone or anything on our hearts that day. And we pray through the needs of our family. That's it. Simple, but so, so good.
It is very hard to stick with this regimen, especially when I'm traveling. But every so often I buckle down for a 40-day period in which I push myself to do every one of my stated times of prayer every day. This creates habits of mind and heart that stick with me, so that even when there are very busy times, I find I am able to stick with some of my disciplines, and I don't find myself getting cold and hard toward God.
Robert Murray M'Cheyne was reputed to have said to ministers, "what your people need most from you is your personal holiness."
Meditation is actually a middle ground or blend of Bible reading and prayer. I like to use Luther's contemplative method that he outlines in his famous letter on prayer that he wrote to his barber. The basic method is this - to take a Scriptural truth and ask three questions of it. How does this show me something about God to praise? How does this show me something about myself to confess? How does this show me something I need to ask God for? Adoration, confession, and supplication. Luther proposes that we keep meditating like this until our hearts begin to warm and melt under a sense of the reality of God. Often that doesn't happen. Fine. We aren't ultimately praying in order to get good feelings or answers, but in order to honor God for who he is in himself.
There are two kinds of Bible reading that I try to do. I read the psalms through every month using the Book of Common Prayer's daily office. I also read through the Bible using Robert Murray M'Cheyne's reading calendar. I take the more relaxed version - two chapters a day, which takes you through the Old Testament every two years and the New Testament every year. I do the M'Cheyne reading and some of the psalms in the morning, and read some Psalms in the evening. I choose one or two things from the psalms and M'Cheyne chapters to meditate on, to conclude my morning devotions.
Besides morning prayer (M'Cheyne, Psalms, meditation, and petition) and evening prayer (Psalms and repentance) I try as often as possible to take five minutes in the middle of the day to take a spiritual inventory, either by remembering the more spiritually radioactive ideas from my morning devotion, or by a quick look at my most besetting sins and idols. I do that to see whether so far that day I've given in to bad attitudes such as pride, coldness and hardness of heart, anxiety, and unkindness. If I see myself going wrong, the mid-day prayer can catch it. The problem with mid-day prayer is finding a time for it, since every day is different. All I need is to get alone for a few minutes, but that is often impossible, or more often than not I just forget. However, I carry a little guide to mid-day prayer in my wallet which I can take out and use.
The last form of prayer that I do daily is prayer with my wife, Kathy. About nine years ago Kathy and I were contemplating the fact that we had largely failed to pray together over the years. Then Kathy exhorted me like this. "What if our doctor told us that we had a serious heart condition that in the past was always fatal. However, now there was a pill which, if we took it every night, would keep us alive for years and years. But you could never miss a single night, or you would die. If our doctor told us this and we believed it, we would never miss. We would never say, 'oh I didn't get to it.' We would do it. Right? Well, if we don't pray together every night, we are going to spiritually die." I realized she was right. And for some reason, the penny dropped for us both, and we can't remember missing a night since. Even if we are far away from each other, there's always the phone. We pray very, very simply - just a couple of minutes. We pray for whatever we are most worried about as a couple, anyone or anything on our hearts that day. And we pray through the needs of our family. That's it. Simple, but so, so good.
It is very hard to stick with this regimen, especially when I'm traveling. But every so often I buckle down for a 40-day period in which I push myself to do every one of my stated times of prayer every day. This creates habits of mind and heart that stick with me, so that even when there are very busy times, I find I am able to stick with some of my disciplines, and I don't find myself getting cold and hard toward God.
Robert Murray M'Cheyne was reputed to have said to ministers, "what your people need most from you is your personal holiness."
12/31/2010
Prayer and Fellowship
Prayer is one of the foundational disciplines of a disciple. In John 15:4 Jesus tells his disciples “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” When the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord teach us how to pray,” it was because they knew that he was a man of profound devotion and prayer. They walked with him and talked with him. But perhaps more importantly for our study, they saw that he was a true man of prayer.
Pray like Jesus
Jesus is the primary example for prayer to his disciples. The Gospels tell us Jesus prayed at every major event in his life: his baptism (Luke 3:21); the choice of apostles (6:12-12); his transfiguration (9:29); before the cross at Gethsemane (22:39-40); and on the cross (23:46). And he continues in prayer for us. Hebrews 7:27 says, “He always lives to make intercessions for them.” He sets the example for us to follow.
Disciples are to follow Jesus’ example of prayer. Prayer is personal communion with the living God. It refers to the greatest privilege a Christian can have—access to God himself. Through prayer, disciples become intimate with the Lord.
It's personal
There are several keys to personal prayer. First, seek God with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:10-14). Second, schedule a daily prayer time. The important thing is to be consistent. Third, choose a private place to pray. A prayer closet could be anywhere, as long as it is private. Limit distractions. Last, the best way to learn how to pray is to do it!
A disciple is devoted to fellowship
When reading the book of Acts, we can see that the life of the early church revolved around fellowship. Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Fellowship is an intimate union in which Christians share. This is not just friendship, but also the deep bond that only Christians can know as the family of God. At the heart of the word for fellowship is the idea of participation together. The Christian life is living together in community with Christ and one another. The cultivation of fellowship is very important in living the Christian life.
Two are better than one
The Bible says that it is not good to be alone, and that two are better than one (Ecclesiastes 4:9). God made us for community and right relationship with others. Martin Luther said, "God has created man for fellowship, and not for solitariness." Disciples of Christ need one another to live for God in the world.
“Fellowship is one of the main ways disciples grow in the Lord.
”God has given believers the blessing of fellowship to provide a place for spiritual growth, intimacy, accountability, and protection. The church is a place where fellowship happens. It is not a building; it is the family of God and the body of Christ. The church is a spiritual family that supports and encourages believers. Through true fellowship, disciples experience and share the love of God with other brothers and sisters in Christ. Disciples also take part in discipling others through the blessing of fellowship. (The article by Winfield Bevins was taken from the Resurgence blog.) www.theresurgence.com
Pray like Jesus
Jesus is the primary example for prayer to his disciples. The Gospels tell us Jesus prayed at every major event in his life: his baptism (Luke 3:21); the choice of apostles (6:12-12); his transfiguration (9:29); before the cross at Gethsemane (22:39-40); and on the cross (23:46). And he continues in prayer for us. Hebrews 7:27 says, “He always lives to make intercessions for them.” He sets the example for us to follow.
Disciples are to follow Jesus’ example of prayer. Prayer is personal communion with the living God. It refers to the greatest privilege a Christian can have—access to God himself. Through prayer, disciples become intimate with the Lord.
It's personal
There are several keys to personal prayer. First, seek God with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:10-14). Second, schedule a daily prayer time. The important thing is to be consistent. Third, choose a private place to pray. A prayer closet could be anywhere, as long as it is private. Limit distractions. Last, the best way to learn how to pray is to do it!
A disciple is devoted to fellowship
When reading the book of Acts, we can see that the life of the early church revolved around fellowship. Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Fellowship is an intimate union in which Christians share. This is not just friendship, but also the deep bond that only Christians can know as the family of God. At the heart of the word for fellowship is the idea of participation together. The Christian life is living together in community with Christ and one another. The cultivation of fellowship is very important in living the Christian life.
Two are better than one
The Bible says that it is not good to be alone, and that two are better than one (Ecclesiastes 4:9). God made us for community and right relationship with others. Martin Luther said, "God has created man for fellowship, and not for solitariness." Disciples of Christ need one another to live for God in the world.
“Fellowship is one of the main ways disciples grow in the Lord.
”God has given believers the blessing of fellowship to provide a place for spiritual growth, intimacy, accountability, and protection. The church is a place where fellowship happens. It is not a building; it is the family of God and the body of Christ. The church is a spiritual family that supports and encourages believers. Through true fellowship, disciples experience and share the love of God with other brothers and sisters in Christ. Disciples also take part in discipling others through the blessing of fellowship. (The article by Winfield Bevins was taken from the Resurgence blog.) www.theresurgence.com
11/24/2010
How To Pray Better In Public And In Private, Too by Tim Keller
The post was copied from the Redeemer Presbyterian Church website. www.redeemer.com
Years ago when I wanted to become more skillful in public prayer, I was fortunate to come across the collects of Thomas Cranmer, the writer of the original Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. The “collects” (the stress is on the first syllable)that Cranmer wrote were brief but extremely ‘packed’ little prayers that tied together the doctrine of the day to a particular way of living. They were prayed by the minister on behalf of the people, or prayed in unison by the whole congregation.
As I have read them over the years they have brought me two great benefits. First, they have given me a basic structure by which I can compose good public prayers, either ahead of time, or spontaneously. Cranmer’s collects consist of 5 parts:
1. The address - a name of God
2. The doctrine - a truth about God’s nature that is the basis for the prayer
3. The petition - what is being asked for
4. The aspiration - what good result will come if the request is granted
5. In Jesus’ name - this remembers the mediatorial role of Jesus
See this structure in Cranmer’s famous collect for the service of Holy Communion:
1.Almighty God
2.unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid,
3.cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit,
4.that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name,
5.through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
See how the prayer moves from a doctrinal basis (why we can ask for it) to the petition (what we want) to the aspiration (what we will do with it if we get it.) It is remarkable how this combines solid theology with deep aspirations of the heart and concrete goals for our daily life.
As time has gone on I have come to use Cranmer’s collects in my personal devotional time (this is the second benefit.) I take up one collect at the beginning of each new week. I read Paul Zahl’s volume The Collects of Thomas Cranmer (Eerdmans, 1999) that provides a very short explanation and meditation on the prayer. Then I pray that prayer to God reflectively every morning for the rest of the week as I begin my personal time with God. I commend this practice to you. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Blessed Lord, who has caused all holy Scripture to be written for our learning; grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them; that by patience and comfort of thy holy word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of eternal life, which thou hast given us in our savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Almighty God, who dost make the minds of all faithful men to be of one will; grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise, that among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may be surely fixed where true joys are to be found, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God, which hast prepared to them that love thee such good things as pass all man’s understanding; Pour into our hearts such love toward thee, that we loving thee in all things, may obtain thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve, pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy, forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid and giving unto us that which our prayer dare not presume to ask; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou does command; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Years ago when I wanted to become more skillful in public prayer, I was fortunate to come across the collects of Thomas Cranmer, the writer of the original Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. The “collects” (the stress is on the first syllable)that Cranmer wrote were brief but extremely ‘packed’ little prayers that tied together the doctrine of the day to a particular way of living. They were prayed by the minister on behalf of the people, or prayed in unison by the whole congregation.
As I have read them over the years they have brought me two great benefits. First, they have given me a basic structure by which I can compose good public prayers, either ahead of time, or spontaneously. Cranmer’s collects consist of 5 parts:
1. The address - a name of God
2. The doctrine - a truth about God’s nature that is the basis for the prayer
3. The petition - what is being asked for
4. The aspiration - what good result will come if the request is granted
5. In Jesus’ name - this remembers the mediatorial role of Jesus
See this structure in Cranmer’s famous collect for the service of Holy Communion:
1.Almighty God
2.unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid,
3.cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit,
4.that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name,
5.through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
See how the prayer moves from a doctrinal basis (why we can ask for it) to the petition (what we want) to the aspiration (what we will do with it if we get it.) It is remarkable how this combines solid theology with deep aspirations of the heart and concrete goals for our daily life.
As time has gone on I have come to use Cranmer’s collects in my personal devotional time (this is the second benefit.) I take up one collect at the beginning of each new week. I read Paul Zahl’s volume The Collects of Thomas Cranmer (Eerdmans, 1999) that provides a very short explanation and meditation on the prayer. Then I pray that prayer to God reflectively every morning for the rest of the week as I begin my personal time with God. I commend this practice to you. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Blessed Lord, who has caused all holy Scripture to be written for our learning; grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them; that by patience and comfort of thy holy word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of eternal life, which thou hast given us in our savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Almighty God, who dost make the minds of all faithful men to be of one will; grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise, that among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may be surely fixed where true joys are to be found, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God, which hast prepared to them that love thee such good things as pass all man’s understanding; Pour into our hearts such love toward thee, that we loving thee in all things, may obtain thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve, pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy, forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid and giving unto us that which our prayer dare not presume to ask; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou does command; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
9/15/2010
A Prayer Life That Nourishes Your Relationship To God by Tim Keller
This post was copied from the Redeemer Presbyterian Church website www.redeemer.com
"Every year I look forward to the slower pace of the summer months because of the opportunity it gives me to re-invigorate my prayer life. It's not that I don't pray during the year, but rarely, in the press of hectic scheduling, am I able to consistently devote the hours necessary to reawaken the intimacy with God that not only I crave, but which is my only defense against burnout.
Just as the old discussion of quality time versus quantity time with your family is a red herring (there IS no quality time, except that which occurs in the midst of a large quantity of time), so with God. The richness of my experience of God in prayer only occurs in the midst of much time set aside to be with him. That said, there are several other things I do which might be helpful to some of you who also will have increased flexibility of time in the coming months, and who want to connect with God in a deeper way.
The main way I do this is to seek an increase in the amount of my meditation. It is no accident that the first two Psalms in the Psalter are not prayers per se, but rather meditations. In fact the very first Psalm, the doorway into the prayer book of the Bible, is a meditation on meditation. Why? We are being taught that while it is certainly possible for deep experiences of the presence and power of God to hap pen in innumerable ways, the ordinary way for 'going deeper' spiritually is through meditation. It is in meditation that we get into deeper self-surrender, then into higher, clearer faith-sights of his beauty, and finally into powerful, dynamic prayer for the world.
What is meditation?
In most Protestant traditions, the 'personal devotional' life consists of two parts: Bible study and prayer. But meditation is neither and both. The Puritan Richard Baxter wrote: "Solemn or stated meditation is distinguished from the study of the word, wherein our principle aim is to learn the truth; and also from prayer, whereof God himself is the immediate object. But meditation is the affecting of our own hearts and minds with love, delight, and humility toward the things contained [in the Word]."
An example of meditation is found in Psalm 103:1-2: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Notice that this is not the same thing as prayer. He is not speaking directly to God, though it is clear that David is extremely aware of being in the presence of God. The object of the meditation is his own heart. David is 'talking to himself' - to his soul. But the subject of the meditation is truth about God - "forget not all his benefits."
Obviously, David has not intellectually forgotten that God has forgiven his sins, redeemed his life, and so on (Ps.103:2ff.) Rather, he is taking Biblical truths and driving them into his own heart until it is affected, delighted, and changed by them. Peter Toon has written that meditation is the descent of the mind with Biblical truth into the inmost heart until the whole being yearns for God.
The kind of meditation we see in the Psalms is neither the anti-rational 'spirituality' of New Age religion, nor is it the over-rational 'spirituality' of much modern evangelical religion. On the one hand, New Age religion takes its cues from Eastern philosophy and thinks of meditation as a calm, serene emptying of the mind of all rational thought. David's meditation, however, is furiously rational. "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?" he says in Psalm 42, literally arguing and reasoning with his heart. On the other hand, much evangelical religion is afraid of any mystical, experiential element. It conceives of a 'devotional life' as only the study of the Bible and then prayer for the strength to practice it. David's meditation, however, is deeply mystical. "One thing I seek - to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord" (Ps.27:4). He is looking for a transformation of the affections of his heart as he prays.
Jonathan Edwards speaks of this very thing in his own practice of meditation. "In reading [the Scripture] I seemed often to see so much light, that I could not get along in reading - almost every sentence seemed to be full of wonders....I...found, from time to time, an inward sweetness, that used, as it were, to carry me away in my contemplations. I felt alone... sweetly conversing with Christ, and wrapped and swallowed up in God. The sense I had of divine things, would often of a sudden as it were, kindle up a sweet burning in my heart; an ardor of my soul, that I know not how to express..." Notice how his meditation ("contemplations") on the Word led into a deep sense of intimacy in prayer. That is why a Psalm on meditation begins the Biblical book on prayer.
How to meditate
Of course, the best way to learn to do anything is to watch a "master" at work. If you read Psalms 1, 42, 77, 103, and 119 you get this very thing. However, we all need to begin as beginners. There is no better 'Beginner's Guide to Meditation' than the model that Martin Luther gave in his letter "A Simple Way to Pray" written to his barber, Peter Beskendorf, in 1535. Luther directed that we should "warm the heart up" through meditation before we prayed. Based on Luther's insights, I use the following outline for a short (30 minutes or less) time of Bible reading, meditation, and prayer. After reading a portion of the Bible slowly, and choosing one or two things or insights that especially helped me, I take each insight and ask the following questions:
1.Adoration - How can I love and praise God on the basis of this? What do I see here that I can praise him for?
2.Repentance - How do I fail to realize this in my life? What wrong behavior, harmful emotions or attitudes result when I forget this?
3.Gospel Thanks - How can I thank Jesus as the ultimate revelation of this attribute of God (#1) and the ultimate answer to this sin or need of mine (#2)?
4.Aspiration- How does this show me what I should or can be and do? How would I be different if this truth were powerfully real to me?
After I have thought out and at least sketchily written out answers to each question, then I proceed to pray my praises, confessions, and supplications to God directly. Often, as you are meditating, or as you are praying, you may feel your heart warm or even melt with a spiritual sense of the reality of God. Sometimes, of course, nothing happens at all! And very rarely, you can have life-changing experiences of the presence of God that you never forget. The number and power of these encounters are completely out of your control. The Spirit blows wherever he pleases (Jn 3:8). But it has only been with the practice of meditation that my own experience of God's reality has become at all regular and progressively deeper.
"Blessed is the man [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1,3)"
"Every year I look forward to the slower pace of the summer months because of the opportunity it gives me to re-invigorate my prayer life. It's not that I don't pray during the year, but rarely, in the press of hectic scheduling, am I able to consistently devote the hours necessary to reawaken the intimacy with God that not only I crave, but which is my only defense against burnout.
Just as the old discussion of quality time versus quantity time with your family is a red herring (there IS no quality time, except that which occurs in the midst of a large quantity of time), so with God. The richness of my experience of God in prayer only occurs in the midst of much time set aside to be with him. That said, there are several other things I do which might be helpful to some of you who also will have increased flexibility of time in the coming months, and who want to connect with God in a deeper way.
The main way I do this is to seek an increase in the amount of my meditation. It is no accident that the first two Psalms in the Psalter are not prayers per se, but rather meditations. In fact the very first Psalm, the doorway into the prayer book of the Bible, is a meditation on meditation. Why? We are being taught that while it is certainly possible for deep experiences of the presence and power of God to hap pen in innumerable ways, the ordinary way for 'going deeper' spiritually is through meditation. It is in meditation that we get into deeper self-surrender, then into higher, clearer faith-sights of his beauty, and finally into powerful, dynamic prayer for the world.
What is meditation?
In most Protestant traditions, the 'personal devotional' life consists of two parts: Bible study and prayer. But meditation is neither and both. The Puritan Richard Baxter wrote: "Solemn or stated meditation is distinguished from the study of the word, wherein our principle aim is to learn the truth; and also from prayer, whereof God himself is the immediate object. But meditation is the affecting of our own hearts and minds with love, delight, and humility toward the things contained [in the Word]."
An example of meditation is found in Psalm 103:1-2: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Notice that this is not the same thing as prayer. He is not speaking directly to God, though it is clear that David is extremely aware of being in the presence of God. The object of the meditation is his own heart. David is 'talking to himself' - to his soul. But the subject of the meditation is truth about God - "forget not all his benefits."
Obviously, David has not intellectually forgotten that God has forgiven his sins, redeemed his life, and so on (Ps.103:2ff.) Rather, he is taking Biblical truths and driving them into his own heart until it is affected, delighted, and changed by them. Peter Toon has written that meditation is the descent of the mind with Biblical truth into the inmost heart until the whole being yearns for God.
The kind of meditation we see in the Psalms is neither the anti-rational 'spirituality' of New Age religion, nor is it the over-rational 'spirituality' of much modern evangelical religion. On the one hand, New Age religion takes its cues from Eastern philosophy and thinks of meditation as a calm, serene emptying of the mind of all rational thought. David's meditation, however, is furiously rational. "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?" he says in Psalm 42, literally arguing and reasoning with his heart. On the other hand, much evangelical religion is afraid of any mystical, experiential element. It conceives of a 'devotional life' as only the study of the Bible and then prayer for the strength to practice it. David's meditation, however, is deeply mystical. "One thing I seek - to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord" (Ps.27:4). He is looking for a transformation of the affections of his heart as he prays.
Jonathan Edwards speaks of this very thing in his own practice of meditation. "In reading [the Scripture] I seemed often to see so much light, that I could not get along in reading - almost every sentence seemed to be full of wonders....I...found, from time to time, an inward sweetness, that used, as it were, to carry me away in my contemplations. I felt alone... sweetly conversing with Christ, and wrapped and swallowed up in God. The sense I had of divine things, would often of a sudden as it were, kindle up a sweet burning in my heart; an ardor of my soul, that I know not how to express..." Notice how his meditation ("contemplations") on the Word led into a deep sense of intimacy in prayer. That is why a Psalm on meditation begins the Biblical book on prayer.
How to meditate
Of course, the best way to learn to do anything is to watch a "master" at work. If you read Psalms 1, 42, 77, 103, and 119 you get this very thing. However, we all need to begin as beginners. There is no better 'Beginner's Guide to Meditation' than the model that Martin Luther gave in his letter "A Simple Way to Pray" written to his barber, Peter Beskendorf, in 1535. Luther directed that we should "warm the heart up" through meditation before we prayed. Based on Luther's insights, I use the following outline for a short (30 minutes or less) time of Bible reading, meditation, and prayer. After reading a portion of the Bible slowly, and choosing one or two things or insights that especially helped me, I take each insight and ask the following questions:
1.Adoration - How can I love and praise God on the basis of this? What do I see here that I can praise him for?
2.Repentance - How do I fail to realize this in my life? What wrong behavior, harmful emotions or attitudes result when I forget this?
3.Gospel Thanks - How can I thank Jesus as the ultimate revelation of this attribute of God (#1) and the ultimate answer to this sin or need of mine (#2)?
4.Aspiration- How does this show me what I should or can be and do? How would I be different if this truth were powerfully real to me?
After I have thought out and at least sketchily written out answers to each question, then I proceed to pray my praises, confessions, and supplications to God directly. Often, as you are meditating, or as you are praying, you may feel your heart warm or even melt with a spiritual sense of the reality of God. Sometimes, of course, nothing happens at all! And very rarely, you can have life-changing experiences of the presence of God that you never forget. The number and power of these encounters are completely out of your control. The Spirit blows wherever he pleases (Jn 3:8). But it has only been with the practice of meditation that my own experience of God's reality has become at all regular and progressively deeper.
"Blessed is the man [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1,3)"
8/15/2010
Mathew Henry: Give Honor to the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
I must give honor to the three persons in the Godhead distinctly, to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that great and sacred Name into which I was baptized and in which I assemble for religious worship, in communion with the universal church.
I pay my homage to three that testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; for these three are one. 1 John 5:7(KJV)
I adore you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, Matthew 11:25(ESV) and the eternal Word, who was in the beginning with God and was God, through him all things were made, and without him was not any thing made that was made; John 1:1-3(ESV) and who in the fullness of time, Galatians 4:4(ESV) became flesh and dwelt among us and showed his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14(ESV)
And since it is the will of God that all men should honor the Son, just as they honor the Father, John 5:23(ESV) I adore him as the radiance of his Father’s glory and the exact imprint of his nature; Hebrews 1:3(ESV) herein joining with the angels of God, who were all bidden to worship him. Hebrews 1:6(ESV)
I pay homage to the exalted Redeemer, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth, Revelation 1:5(ESV) confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:11(ESV)
I also worship the Holy Spirit, the Helper, whom the Son has sent from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, John 15:26(ESV) and who is sent to teach me all things and to bring all things to my remembrance; John 14:26(ESV) who indited the Scriptures, holy men of God writing them as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:21(ESV)
I pay my homage to three that testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; for these three are one. 1 John 5:7(KJV)
I adore you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, Matthew 11:25(ESV) and the eternal Word, who was in the beginning with God and was God, through him all things were made, and without him was not any thing made that was made; John 1:1-3(ESV) and who in the fullness of time, Galatians 4:4(ESV) became flesh and dwelt among us and showed his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14(ESV)
And since it is the will of God that all men should honor the Son, just as they honor the Father, John 5:23(ESV) I adore him as the radiance of his Father’s glory and the exact imprint of his nature; Hebrews 1:3(ESV) herein joining with the angels of God, who were all bidden to worship him. Hebrews 1:6(ESV)
I pay homage to the exalted Redeemer, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth, Revelation 1:5(ESV) confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:11(ESV)
I also worship the Holy Spirit, the Helper, whom the Son has sent from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, John 15:26(ESV) and who is sent to teach me all things and to bring all things to my remembrance; John 14:26(ESV) who indited the Scriptures, holy men of God writing them as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:21(ESV)
8/08/2010
Parying The Six D's by Jon Bloom
A few years back I wrote about the 5 "D's" I pray for daily. Recently, I added a sixth: desperation. I need to feel continually my desperate need for God.
Whatever it takes, Lord, give me...
Delight in you as the greatest treasure of my heart.
Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
Desire to know you, be with you, and seek your kingdom above all else.
Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
Discernment that comes from a renewed mind that I might know your will.
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)
Desperation because when I stop feeling my need for you I tend to wander.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. (Psalm 119:67)
Discipline to plan for what I discern as your will.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16)
Diligence to do your will with all my heart.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
Whatever it takes, Lord, give me...
Delight in you as the greatest treasure of my heart.
Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
Desire to know you, be with you, and seek your kingdom above all else.
Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
Discernment that comes from a renewed mind that I might know your will.
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)
Desperation because when I stop feeling my need for you I tend to wander.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. (Psalm 119:67)
Discipline to plan for what I discern as your will.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16)
Diligence to do your will with all my heart.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
7/30/2010
Dudley Hall on Kingdom Prayer
This post is an excerpt from Dudley Hall's monthly message entitled, Praying As Sons, June 2010. You can get read this message in it's entirety by going to Dudley's website. Dudley has been a tremendous help to me on my spiritual journey since 1983. www.sclm.org - Bobby
"Prayer is talking and listening and waiting in the presence of the Father. What could be more satisfying than visiting with the person who knows everything and is essentially good? The more we know him, the more we will love him, and that love is the highest form of life. Prayer then is not primarily a duty. It is the high privilege that sons have because of Jesus’ work.
Prayer is a partnership. One day the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. This is interesting because they probably already knew how to go to the temple and pray. They knew the posture and the words, but when they watched Jesus pray, they knew something was different. They wanted to be able to fellowship with the Father like Jesus did. He granted their request with the model prayer.
“When you pray, say, ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven….’” Jesus was telling them that they would participate in the expression of the kingdom of God, which had come to earth in him.
Remember, the first man was given partnership with God. Now the last Adam was restoring the dignity destroyed by sin. The followers of Jesus would work with God by praying his kingdom into the earth.
So how would praying the kingdom to come look?
For government, we can pray that God will lead the leaders to make clear and simple laws that will protect the citizens from internal and external oppression, and free them to manage their own lives with opportunity to trade with each other. That is the purpose of government in society.
For the church, we can pray that it will awaken to its societal responsibilities of defining and declaring truth while equipping its members to demonstrate the kingdom of God in every sphere of influence. If it gets distracted from this role, all of society will suffer.
For the home, we can pray that families will model the family of God with mutual submission and clear division of labor, that the members will be nurtured and empowered to discover their destiny in relation to God’s purpose.
For individuals, we can pray for unbelievers to have their eyes opened to see the gospel in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3-5). We can pray for believers to have eyes opened to see their inheritance in Christ and to walk in it. Both have a “seeing” problem we can address in prayer. Remember, when we pray, God sends lightening and thunder. They can see and hear the truth that will set them free.
This is a day when God is calling his people to take seriously their privilege in prayer. We are partners with him."
"Prayer is talking and listening and waiting in the presence of the Father. What could be more satisfying than visiting with the person who knows everything and is essentially good? The more we know him, the more we will love him, and that love is the highest form of life. Prayer then is not primarily a duty. It is the high privilege that sons have because of Jesus’ work.
Prayer is a partnership. One day the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. This is interesting because they probably already knew how to go to the temple and pray. They knew the posture and the words, but when they watched Jesus pray, they knew something was different. They wanted to be able to fellowship with the Father like Jesus did. He granted their request with the model prayer.
“When you pray, say, ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven….’” Jesus was telling them that they would participate in the expression of the kingdom of God, which had come to earth in him.
Remember, the first man was given partnership with God. Now the last Adam was restoring the dignity destroyed by sin. The followers of Jesus would work with God by praying his kingdom into the earth.
So how would praying the kingdom to come look?
For government, we can pray that God will lead the leaders to make clear and simple laws that will protect the citizens from internal and external oppression, and free them to manage their own lives with opportunity to trade with each other. That is the purpose of government in society.
For the church, we can pray that it will awaken to its societal responsibilities of defining and declaring truth while equipping its members to demonstrate the kingdom of God in every sphere of influence. If it gets distracted from this role, all of society will suffer.
For the home, we can pray that families will model the family of God with mutual submission and clear division of labor, that the members will be nurtured and empowered to discover their destiny in relation to God’s purpose.
For individuals, we can pray for unbelievers to have their eyes opened to see the gospel in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3-5). We can pray for believers to have eyes opened to see their inheritance in Christ and to walk in it. Both have a “seeing” problem we can address in prayer. Remember, when we pray, God sends lightening and thunder. They can see and hear the truth that will set them free.
This is a day when God is calling his people to take seriously their privilege in prayer. We are partners with him."
7/25/2010
First, You Listen
First, You Listen
Discover the key to seeking what's on God's heart
by Lee Brase
Several years ago, God urged me to develop a deeper prayer life. I chose as my mentors the praying people of the Bible. Their words gave me a language for my own prayers. They also taught me other valuable lessons. One of them was the need to listen to God–to wait on Him–before and as I pray.
This attitude of listening was a challenge to my activist tendencies. But as I studied my mentors from Scripture. I became convinced that the habit of waiting on God was key to a transformed prayer life.
Waiting in Silence
"My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation. . . . My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him" (Ps. 62:1, 5, NASB). There are different ways to wait on God, but perhaps the most intense is the one described here by David: waiting in silence. When we wait in silence, we give God an opportunity to communicate His thoughts to us. David closes Psalm 62 with two thoughts that God spoke to him during his silence: "Power belongs to God" and "Lovingkindness is Thine, O Lord" (vv. 11-12, NASB). Though distressed by his circumstances and the wickedness of men, David found assurance in the character of God because he took time to listen to God.
A group of us were trying to learn to pray from God's heart rather than from our own thoughts and emotions. One person described a very difficult home environment. Our first inclination was to rush into prayer to ask God to rescue our friend from her painful circumstances. Instead, however, we spent several minutes in silence to do what David did in Ps. 131:2: "I have stilled and quieted my soul." In that silence, we asked God to prompt our hearts and minds to know what He wanted us to pray.
It was amazing how united we were in our asking. For about 15 minutes we built upon each others' prayers. When we finished praying, I turned to our friend and asked: "Did you notice what God did not lead us to pray?" Her immediate response was, "I certainly did. I think God must want to change me rather than my circumstances." We had entered the silence expecting God to use our prayers to change her circumstances, but God had something more important in mind for her. To accomplish His purpose, God changed what we asked of Him.
A Listening Attitude
Asking is the easy part of prayer; knowing what to ask is the difficult part. That's why waiting on God is so critical when we intercede for one another.
How can you learn to listen to God before you rush into asking? Begin by placing yourself in a listening attitude. Think of a time when you were listening intently to someone. You focused your attention on them, you were quiet, and you absorbed their thoughts. That's what you can do with God.
Solomon urged, "Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God" (Eccl. 5:2). Instead of blurting out your list of requests, enter into this silence and stillness with one question: "Lord, what do You want me to ask of You concerning the need before me?" Expect God to remind you of a Scripture passage or to put a thought in your mind. If you have already decided what you think God wants to say, you will close your heart to any other thoughts from Him, so give Him the opportunity to say anything He wants to you.
There is great safety when a group takes the time and effort to work toward finding God's will in prayer. From time to time, my wife and I do this with Mt. 18:19 in mind: "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." After a time of silence, we make a list of prayer requests that we agree we need to see God act on. By listening to God and coming to agreement, we enter prayer with greater faith and fervor.
Where's your focus?
Another key to listening to God is to focus your attention on Him. The most powerful prayer meetings I have experienced have been the ones where we focused first on God. The longer a group stays focused on God, the more united it is in prayer. Dwelling on God causes us to become absorbed in Him and His desires. This is a form of listening because our hearts are drawn into His heart and our wills are lost in His will.
David's prayer when he was running from Saul is recorded in Psalm 63. David was in great danger, and we'd expect his prayer to begin with cries for deliverance. But David was so absorbed in focusing on God that he didn't mention his distressing situation until the end of the psalm.
One way to focus on God is to look at how He has acted in biblical history. In Acts 4, Jesus' followers faced great danger. Their lives were threatened by the same people who had condemned and crucified Jesus a few months earlier. The disciples were told "not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus" (Acts 4:18).
What would you pray in these circumstances? I can imagine asking God, "Protect us from these evil people. Give us a more acceptable method to preach Jesus. Do away with those on the council. Don't let us get caught proclaiming Your name." But listen to what the disciples prayed (vv. 24-30).
Sovereign Lord . . . you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One." Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
These threatened believers probably didn't know what to ask when they first approached God. So they recalled a time in biblical history when people made threats against God. Then they traced God's response in history. The disciples saw that Jesus' suffering and death in the hands of rulers was something that God "decided beforehand should happen."
After reviewing how God's victorious plan had involved suffering, the disciples did not ask God for safety, comfort, or an easy way out. They gained the courage to ask for those things that would best advance God's kingdom during their time on earth. They made two requests: one for boldness and one for miraculous works to give their bold words credibility. God answered their prayer.
Reviewing God's work in history can be a form of listening when it is done to discern His plan and purpose. It helps us look beyond immediate needs to see how God might be using the present difficulties for eternal good.
From God's Heart to Yours
If we are to colabor with God through intercession, we need to learn to listen before we ask. Silence and waiting will not come easily at first, but as you practice this discipline, you will grow in it. Begin this week. During your time of intercession, wait silently before God before you speak. Begin with short segments of silence: They will expand as you become more comfortable with waiting. In time, you will discover that your prayers are coming right from the heart of God. You will be part of the magnificent process described by S. D. Gordon in his book Quiet Talks on Prayer:
It begins in the heart of God, sweeps down into a human heart upon the earth, so intersecting the circle of the earth, which is the battlefield of prayer, and then it goes back again to its starting point, having accomplished its purpose.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the author:
Lee Brase is the director of The Navigators' Prayer Ministry, a member of the National Prayer Committee, and member of the facilitating team for Pastors' Prayer Summits.
Lee coauthored, with Henry Helsabeck, the Bible study guide Praying from God's Heart (NavPress). He likes being with people who "know how to live a relaxed lifestyle among the lost."
Discover the key to seeking what's on God's heart
by Lee Brase
Several years ago, God urged me to develop a deeper prayer life. I chose as my mentors the praying people of the Bible. Their words gave me a language for my own prayers. They also taught me other valuable lessons. One of them was the need to listen to God–to wait on Him–before and as I pray.
This attitude of listening was a challenge to my activist tendencies. But as I studied my mentors from Scripture. I became convinced that the habit of waiting on God was key to a transformed prayer life.
Waiting in Silence
"My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation. . . . My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him" (Ps. 62:1, 5, NASB). There are different ways to wait on God, but perhaps the most intense is the one described here by David: waiting in silence. When we wait in silence, we give God an opportunity to communicate His thoughts to us. David closes Psalm 62 with two thoughts that God spoke to him during his silence: "Power belongs to God" and "Lovingkindness is Thine, O Lord" (vv. 11-12, NASB). Though distressed by his circumstances and the wickedness of men, David found assurance in the character of God because he took time to listen to God.
A group of us were trying to learn to pray from God's heart rather than from our own thoughts and emotions. One person described a very difficult home environment. Our first inclination was to rush into prayer to ask God to rescue our friend from her painful circumstances. Instead, however, we spent several minutes in silence to do what David did in Ps. 131:2: "I have stilled and quieted my soul." In that silence, we asked God to prompt our hearts and minds to know what He wanted us to pray.
It was amazing how united we were in our asking. For about 15 minutes we built upon each others' prayers. When we finished praying, I turned to our friend and asked: "Did you notice what God did not lead us to pray?" Her immediate response was, "I certainly did. I think God must want to change me rather than my circumstances." We had entered the silence expecting God to use our prayers to change her circumstances, but God had something more important in mind for her. To accomplish His purpose, God changed what we asked of Him.
A Listening Attitude
Asking is the easy part of prayer; knowing what to ask is the difficult part. That's why waiting on God is so critical when we intercede for one another.
How can you learn to listen to God before you rush into asking? Begin by placing yourself in a listening attitude. Think of a time when you were listening intently to someone. You focused your attention on them, you were quiet, and you absorbed their thoughts. That's what you can do with God.
Solomon urged, "Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God" (Eccl. 5:2). Instead of blurting out your list of requests, enter into this silence and stillness with one question: "Lord, what do You want me to ask of You concerning the need before me?" Expect God to remind you of a Scripture passage or to put a thought in your mind. If you have already decided what you think God wants to say, you will close your heart to any other thoughts from Him, so give Him the opportunity to say anything He wants to you.
There is great safety when a group takes the time and effort to work toward finding God's will in prayer. From time to time, my wife and I do this with Mt. 18:19 in mind: "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." After a time of silence, we make a list of prayer requests that we agree we need to see God act on. By listening to God and coming to agreement, we enter prayer with greater faith and fervor.
Where's your focus?
Another key to listening to God is to focus your attention on Him. The most powerful prayer meetings I have experienced have been the ones where we focused first on God. The longer a group stays focused on God, the more united it is in prayer. Dwelling on God causes us to become absorbed in Him and His desires. This is a form of listening because our hearts are drawn into His heart and our wills are lost in His will.
David's prayer when he was running from Saul is recorded in Psalm 63. David was in great danger, and we'd expect his prayer to begin with cries for deliverance. But David was so absorbed in focusing on God that he didn't mention his distressing situation until the end of the psalm.
One way to focus on God is to look at how He has acted in biblical history. In Acts 4, Jesus' followers faced great danger. Their lives were threatened by the same people who had condemned and crucified Jesus a few months earlier. The disciples were told "not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus" (Acts 4:18).
What would you pray in these circumstances? I can imagine asking God, "Protect us from these evil people. Give us a more acceptable method to preach Jesus. Do away with those on the council. Don't let us get caught proclaiming Your name." But listen to what the disciples prayed (vv. 24-30).
Sovereign Lord . . . you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One." Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
These threatened believers probably didn't know what to ask when they first approached God. So they recalled a time in biblical history when people made threats against God. Then they traced God's response in history. The disciples saw that Jesus' suffering and death in the hands of rulers was something that God "decided beforehand should happen."
After reviewing how God's victorious plan had involved suffering, the disciples did not ask God for safety, comfort, or an easy way out. They gained the courage to ask for those things that would best advance God's kingdom during their time on earth. They made two requests: one for boldness and one for miraculous works to give their bold words credibility. God answered their prayer.
Reviewing God's work in history can be a form of listening when it is done to discern His plan and purpose. It helps us look beyond immediate needs to see how God might be using the present difficulties for eternal good.
From God's Heart to Yours
If we are to colabor with God through intercession, we need to learn to listen before we ask. Silence and waiting will not come easily at first, but as you practice this discipline, you will grow in it. Begin this week. During your time of intercession, wait silently before God before you speak. Begin with short segments of silence: They will expand as you become more comfortable with waiting. In time, you will discover that your prayers are coming right from the heart of God. You will be part of the magnificent process described by S. D. Gordon in his book Quiet Talks on Prayer:
It begins in the heart of God, sweeps down into a human heart upon the earth, so intersecting the circle of the earth, which is the battlefield of prayer, and then it goes back again to its starting point, having accomplished its purpose.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the author:
Lee Brase is the director of The Navigators' Prayer Ministry, a member of the National Prayer Committee, and member of the facilitating team for Pastors' Prayer Summits.
Lee coauthored, with Henry Helsabeck, the Bible study guide Praying from God's Heart (NavPress). He likes being with people who "know how to live a relaxed lifestyle among the lost."
6/18/2010
A.C.T.S. Prayer Model
(This article was taken from the Mana Bits Of Daily Bread website.)
The Bible identifies several different types of prayers we can pray. One model for how we should pray is captured in the acrostic A.C.T.S. Each letter stands for a specific aspect of prayer, arranged in a very natural order.
A: Adoration (Worship)
C: Confession (Of Specific Sins)
T: Thanksgiving (Gratitude)
S: Supplication (Specific Requests)
Adoration: Jesus essentially taught us the same thing in the Lord’s Prayer, which begins, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name” (Matthew 6:9). This puts things in perspective for us. A good example of this type of adoration is found in Psalm 95:1-7. When we take time to praise and worship God in our prayers, we are placing God where He rightfully belongs. As a result, our problems and needs come into their proper perspective.
Confession: The closer we draw to God, the more we sense our own sinfulness. When Isaiah came into God’s presence, he said, “Woe is me, for I am undone!” (Isaiah 6:5). The confession of our sin removes any barriers and clears the air of anything that would cause God not to hear our prayers. As 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us . . . ” This is, once again, modeled in the Lord’s Prayer. After “Our Father who art in heaven,” we find, “Forgive us our sins” (Matthew 6:12).
Thanksgiving: Our immediate response after confession is thanksgiving. We should be thankful that God would indeed cleanse and forgive us. Should we give thanks because everything is going perfectly in our lives or because we are in a good mood? No, we should give thanks because God deserves our praise. Psalm 118:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For his mercy endures forever.” As another translation puts it, “His love endures forever.” By giving thanks, or simply expressing gratitude for what we have, we prevent our focus from shifting to what we do not have.
Supplication: If we are faithful in the first three steps, the last step will not degenerate into some spiritual shopping list. Too often in prayer, we cut to the chase instead of spending time in adoration, confession, and thanksgiving first. Yet, God does want to hear our needs and requests. Scripture tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6-7). We are also promised, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:l9).
Do not neglect this vital part of your Christian walk. As someone has said, “Prayer is the breath of the newborn soul, and there can be no Christian life without it.”
The Bible identifies several different types of prayers we can pray. One model for how we should pray is captured in the acrostic A.C.T.S. Each letter stands for a specific aspect of prayer, arranged in a very natural order.
A: Adoration (Worship)
C: Confession (Of Specific Sins)
T: Thanksgiving (Gratitude)
S: Supplication (Specific Requests)
Adoration: Jesus essentially taught us the same thing in the Lord’s Prayer, which begins, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name” (Matthew 6:9). This puts things in perspective for us. A good example of this type of adoration is found in Psalm 95:1-7. When we take time to praise and worship God in our prayers, we are placing God where He rightfully belongs. As a result, our problems and needs come into their proper perspective.
Confession: The closer we draw to God, the more we sense our own sinfulness. When Isaiah came into God’s presence, he said, “Woe is me, for I am undone!” (Isaiah 6:5). The confession of our sin removes any barriers and clears the air of anything that would cause God not to hear our prayers. As 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us . . . ” This is, once again, modeled in the Lord’s Prayer. After “Our Father who art in heaven,” we find, “Forgive us our sins” (Matthew 6:12).
Thanksgiving: Our immediate response after confession is thanksgiving. We should be thankful that God would indeed cleanse and forgive us. Should we give thanks because everything is going perfectly in our lives or because we are in a good mood? No, we should give thanks because God deserves our praise. Psalm 118:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For his mercy endures forever.” As another translation puts it, “His love endures forever.” By giving thanks, or simply expressing gratitude for what we have, we prevent our focus from shifting to what we do not have.
Supplication: If we are faithful in the first three steps, the last step will not degenerate into some spiritual shopping list. Too often in prayer, we cut to the chase instead of spending time in adoration, confession, and thanksgiving first. Yet, God does want to hear our needs and requests. Scripture tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6-7). We are also promised, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:l9).
Do not neglect this vital part of your Christian walk. As someone has said, “Prayer is the breath of the newborn soul, and there can be no Christian life without it.”
6/16/2010
Apostolic Prayers - New American Standard Bible
“And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” — Acts 4:29-30
Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. –Romans 15:5-6
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. –Romans 15:13
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
(I) do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. –Ephesians 1:16-19
(I pray) that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. –Ephesians 3:16-19
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. –Philippians 1:9-11
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. –Colossians 1:9-12
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. –1 Thessalonians 5:23
To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. –2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. –2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
Scripture quotations taken from New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. –Romans 15:5-6
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. –Romans 15:13
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
(I) do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. –Ephesians 1:16-19
(I pray) that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. –Ephesians 3:16-19
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. –Philippians 1:9-11
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. –Colossians 1:9-12
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. –1 Thessalonians 5:23
To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. –2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. –2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
Scripture quotations taken from New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
5/13/2010
Pray For Grace To Govern Your Tongue by Matthew Henry
I must pray for grace to enable me both to govern my tongue well and to use it well.
Lord, enable me to guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue, and to guard my mouth, as if with a muzzle, Psalm 39:1(ESV) that it may not be hasty to utter a word. Ecclesiastes 5:2(ESV)
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips, Psalm 141:3(ESV) that I may not stumble in what I say. James 3:2(ESV)
Let my speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, Colossians 4:6(ESV) and enable me always, out of the good treasure of my heart, to bring forth good. Matthew 12:35(KJV) Let my mouth utter wisdom, and my tongue speak justice; Psalm 37:30(ESV) and let not your words depart out of my mouth, or any of your people’s mouth, or out of the mouth of our offspring, or our children’s offspring, from this time forth and forevermore. Isaiah 59:21(ESV)
Enable me always to open my mouth with wisdom, and let the teaching of kindness be on my tongue. Proverbs 31:26(ESV) Give me to know what is acceptable, Proverbs 10:32(ESV) that my tongue may be as choice silver, and my lips may feed many. Proverbs 10:20-21(ESV)
Lord, enable me to guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue, and to guard my mouth, as if with a muzzle, Psalm 39:1(ESV) that it may not be hasty to utter a word. Ecclesiastes 5:2(ESV)
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips, Psalm 141:3(ESV) that I may not stumble in what I say. James 3:2(ESV)
Let my speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, Colossians 4:6(ESV) and enable me always, out of the good treasure of my heart, to bring forth good. Matthew 12:35(KJV) Let my mouth utter wisdom, and my tongue speak justice; Psalm 37:30(ESV) and let not your words depart out of my mouth, or any of your people’s mouth, or out of the mouth of our offspring, or our children’s offspring, from this time forth and forevermore. Isaiah 59:21(ESV)
Enable me always to open my mouth with wisdom, and let the teaching of kindness be on my tongue. Proverbs 31:26(ESV) Give me to know what is acceptable, Proverbs 10:32(ESV) that my tongue may be as choice silver, and my lips may feed many. Proverbs 10:20-21(ESV)
5/07/2010
John Stott's Morning Trinitarian Prayer
(This prayer was taken from Trevin Wax Kingdom People blog.)
Good morning heavenly Father,
good morning Lord Jesus,
good morning Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, I worship you as the creator and sustainer of the universe.
Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world.
Holy Spirit, I worship you, sanctifier of the people of God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your presence
and please you more and more.
Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.
Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons in one God,
have mercy upon me. Amen.
- John Stott, quoted in Basic Christian: The Inside Story of John Stott
Good morning heavenly Father,
good morning Lord Jesus,
good morning Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, I worship you as the creator and sustainer of the universe.
Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world.
Holy Spirit, I worship you, sanctifier of the people of God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your presence
and please you more and more.
Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.
Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons in one God,
have mercy upon me. Amen.
- John Stott, quoted in Basic Christian: The Inside Story of John Stott
5/01/2010
Kingdom - Centered Prayer
(This article was taken from the Redeemer Presbyterian Church website.) www.redeemer.com
People are used to thinking about prayer as a means to get their personal needs met. However we should understand prayer as a means to praise and adore God, to know Him, to come into his presence and be changed by Him. We need to better learn how to pray, repent and petition God as a people.
Biblically and historically, the one non-negotiable, universal ingredient in times of spiritual renewal is corporate, prevailing, intensive and kingdom-centered prayer. What is that?
1.It is focused on God's presence and kingdom.
Jack Miller talks about the difference between "maintenance prayer" and "frontline" prayer meetings. Maintenance prayer meetings are short, mechanical, and totally focused on physical needs inside the church. But frontline prayer has three basic traits:
a.a request for grace to confess sins and humble ourselves
b.a compassion and zeal for the flourishing of the church
c.a yearning to know God, to see his face, to see his glory.
It is most interesting to study Biblical prayer for revival, such as in Acts 4 or Exodus 33 or Nehemiah 1, where these three elements are easy to see. Notice in Acts 4, for example, that the disciples, whose lives had been threatened, did not ask for protection for themselves and their families, but only boldness to keep preaching!
2.It is bold and specific.
The characteristics of this kind of prayer include:
a.Pacesetters in prayer spend time in self-examination. Without a strong understanding of grace, this can be morbid and depressing. But in the context of the gospel, it is purifying and strengthening. They "take off their ornaments" (Exod. 33:1-6). They examine selves for idols and set them aside.
b.They then begin to make the big request–a sight of the glory of God. That includes asking: 1) for a personal experience of the glory/presence of God ("that I may know you" – Exod. 33:13); 2) for the people's experience of the glory of God (v. 15); and 3) that the world might see the glory of God through his people (v. 16). Moses asks that God's presence would be obvious to all: "What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" This is a prayer that the world be awed and amazed by a show of God's power and radiance in the church, that it would become truly the new humanity that is a sign of the future kingdom.
3.It is prevailing, corporate.
By this we mean simply that prayer should be constant, not sporadic and brief. Why? Are we to think that God wants to see us grovel? Why do we not simply put our request in and wait? But sporadic, brief prayer shows a lack of dependence, a self-sufficiency, and thus we have not built an altar that God can honor with his fire. We must pray without ceasing, pray long, pray hard, and we will find that the very process is bringing about that which we are asking for – to have our hard hearts melted, to tear down barriers, to have the glory of God break through.
People are used to thinking about prayer as a means to get their personal needs met. However we should understand prayer as a means to praise and adore God, to know Him, to come into his presence and be changed by Him. We need to better learn how to pray, repent and petition God as a people.
Biblically and historically, the one non-negotiable, universal ingredient in times of spiritual renewal is corporate, prevailing, intensive and kingdom-centered prayer. What is that?
1.It is focused on God's presence and kingdom.
Jack Miller talks about the difference between "maintenance prayer" and "frontline" prayer meetings. Maintenance prayer meetings are short, mechanical, and totally focused on physical needs inside the church. But frontline prayer has three basic traits:
a.a request for grace to confess sins and humble ourselves
b.a compassion and zeal for the flourishing of the church
c.a yearning to know God, to see his face, to see his glory.
It is most interesting to study Biblical prayer for revival, such as in Acts 4 or Exodus 33 or Nehemiah 1, where these three elements are easy to see. Notice in Acts 4, for example, that the disciples, whose lives had been threatened, did not ask for protection for themselves and their families, but only boldness to keep preaching!
2.It is bold and specific.
The characteristics of this kind of prayer include:
a.Pacesetters in prayer spend time in self-examination. Without a strong understanding of grace, this can be morbid and depressing. But in the context of the gospel, it is purifying and strengthening. They "take off their ornaments" (Exod. 33:1-6). They examine selves for idols and set them aside.
b.They then begin to make the big request–a sight of the glory of God. That includes asking: 1) for a personal experience of the glory/presence of God ("that I may know you" – Exod. 33:13); 2) for the people's experience of the glory of God (v. 15); and 3) that the world might see the glory of God through his people (v. 16). Moses asks that God's presence would be obvious to all: "What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" This is a prayer that the world be awed and amazed by a show of God's power and radiance in the church, that it would become truly the new humanity that is a sign of the future kingdom.
3.It is prevailing, corporate.
By this we mean simply that prayer should be constant, not sporadic and brief. Why? Are we to think that God wants to see us grovel? Why do we not simply put our request in and wait? But sporadic, brief prayer shows a lack of dependence, a self-sufficiency, and thus we have not built an altar that God can honor with his fire. We must pray without ceasing, pray long, pray hard, and we will find that the very process is bringing about that which we are asking for – to have our hard hearts melted, to tear down barriers, to have the glory of God break through.
4/22/2010
Conquering Prayerlessness by Andrew Murray
"This article was taken from the Redeemer Presbyterian Church website.) www.redeemer.com
The greatest stumbling block in the way of victory over prayerlessness is the secret feeling that we shall
never obtain the blessing of being delivered from it. Often have we put forth effort in this direction, but in
vain. Old habit, and the power of the flesh, our surroundings with their attractions, have been too strong for
us. What good is it to attempt that which our heart assures us is out of our reach?
The change needed in the entire life is too great and difficult. If the question is put: “Is a change possible?
Our sighing heart says: “Alas, for me it is entirely impossible!” Do you know why that reply comes? It is
simply because you have received the call to prayer as the voice of Moses and as a command of the law.
Moses and his law have never yet given any one the power to obey.
Do you really long for the courage to believe that deliverance from a prayerless life is possible for you, and
may become a reality? Then you must learn the great lesson that such a deliverance is included in the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus, that it is one of the blessings of the New Covenant which God Himself
will impart to you through Christ Jesus.
As you begin to understand this, you will find that the exhortation, “Pray without ceasing,” conveys a new
meaning. Hope begins to spring up in your heart, that the Spirit – who has been bestowed on you, to cry
constantly, “Abba, Father” – will make a true life of prayer possible for you. Then you will hearken, not in
the spirit of discouragement, but in the gladness of hope, to the voice that calls you to repentance.
Many a one has turned to his Inner Chamber, under bitter self-accusation that he has prayed so little, and
has resolved for the future to live in a different manner. Yet no blessing has come – there was not the
strength to continue faithful, and the call to repentance had no power, because his eyes had not been fixed
on the Lord Jesus. If he had only understood, he would have said, “Lord, Thou seest how cold and dark my
heart is. I know that I must pray, but I feel I cannot do so, I lack the urgency and desire to pray.”
He did not know that at that moment the Lord Jesus in His tender love was looking down upon Him and
saying “You cannot pray; you feel that all is cold and dark; why not give yourself over into My hands?
Only believe that I am ready to help you in prayer; I long greatly to shed abroad My love in your heart, so
that you, in the consciousness of weakness, may confidently rely on Me to bestow the grace of prayer: Just
as I will cleanse you from all other sins, so also will I deliver from the sin of prayerlessness – only do not
seek the victory in your own strength. Bow before Me as one who expects everything from his Saviour.
Let your soul keep silence before Me, however sad you feel your state to be. Be assured of this – I will
teach you how to pray.”
Many a one will acknowledge: “I see my mistake; I had not thought that the Lord Jesus must deliver and
cleanse me from this sin also. I had not understood that He was with me every day in the Inner Chamber,
in His great love ready to keep and bless me, however sinful and guilty I felt myself to be. I had not
supposed that just as He will give all other grace in answer to prayer, so, above all and before all, He will
bestow the grace of a praying heart.
What folly to think that all other blessings must come from Him, but that prayer whereon everything else
depends, must be obtained by personal effort! Thank God I begin to comprehend – the Lord Jesus is
Himself in the Inner Chamber watching over me, and holding Himself responsible to teach me how to
approach the Father. This only He demands – that I, with child-like confidence, wait upon Him and glorify
Him.”
If fear and hesitation still remain, I pray you by the mercies of God in Jesus Christ, and by the unspeakable
faithfulness of His tender love, dare to cast yourselves at His feet. Only believe with your whole heart –
there is deliverance from the sin of prayerlessness. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In His blood and grace there
is complete deliverance from all unrighteousness, and from all prayerlessness. Praised be His Name
forever! Rev. Andrew Murray, in The Prayer-Life (1920
The greatest stumbling block in the way of victory over prayerlessness is the secret feeling that we shall
never obtain the blessing of being delivered from it. Often have we put forth effort in this direction, but in
vain. Old habit, and the power of the flesh, our surroundings with their attractions, have been too strong for
us. What good is it to attempt that which our heart assures us is out of our reach?
The change needed in the entire life is too great and difficult. If the question is put: “Is a change possible?
Our sighing heart says: “Alas, for me it is entirely impossible!” Do you know why that reply comes? It is
simply because you have received the call to prayer as the voice of Moses and as a command of the law.
Moses and his law have never yet given any one the power to obey.
Do you really long for the courage to believe that deliverance from a prayerless life is possible for you, and
may become a reality? Then you must learn the great lesson that such a deliverance is included in the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus, that it is one of the blessings of the New Covenant which God Himself
will impart to you through Christ Jesus.
As you begin to understand this, you will find that the exhortation, “Pray without ceasing,” conveys a new
meaning. Hope begins to spring up in your heart, that the Spirit – who has been bestowed on you, to cry
constantly, “Abba, Father” – will make a true life of prayer possible for you. Then you will hearken, not in
the spirit of discouragement, but in the gladness of hope, to the voice that calls you to repentance.
Many a one has turned to his Inner Chamber, under bitter self-accusation that he has prayed so little, and
has resolved for the future to live in a different manner. Yet no blessing has come – there was not the
strength to continue faithful, and the call to repentance had no power, because his eyes had not been fixed
on the Lord Jesus. If he had only understood, he would have said, “Lord, Thou seest how cold and dark my
heart is. I know that I must pray, but I feel I cannot do so, I lack the urgency and desire to pray.”
He did not know that at that moment the Lord Jesus in His tender love was looking down upon Him and
saying “You cannot pray; you feel that all is cold and dark; why not give yourself over into My hands?
Only believe that I am ready to help you in prayer; I long greatly to shed abroad My love in your heart, so
that you, in the consciousness of weakness, may confidently rely on Me to bestow the grace of prayer: Just
as I will cleanse you from all other sins, so also will I deliver from the sin of prayerlessness – only do not
seek the victory in your own strength. Bow before Me as one who expects everything from his Saviour.
Let your soul keep silence before Me, however sad you feel your state to be. Be assured of this – I will
teach you how to pray.”
Many a one will acknowledge: “I see my mistake; I had not thought that the Lord Jesus must deliver and
cleanse me from this sin also. I had not understood that He was with me every day in the Inner Chamber,
in His great love ready to keep and bless me, however sinful and guilty I felt myself to be. I had not
supposed that just as He will give all other grace in answer to prayer, so, above all and before all, He will
bestow the grace of a praying heart.
What folly to think that all other blessings must come from Him, but that prayer whereon everything else
depends, must be obtained by personal effort! Thank God I begin to comprehend – the Lord Jesus is
Himself in the Inner Chamber watching over me, and holding Himself responsible to teach me how to
approach the Father. This only He demands – that I, with child-like confidence, wait upon Him and glorify
Him.”
If fear and hesitation still remain, I pray you by the mercies of God in Jesus Christ, and by the unspeakable
faithfulness of His tender love, dare to cast yourselves at His feet. Only believe with your whole heart –
there is deliverance from the sin of prayerlessness. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In His blood and grace there
is complete deliverance from all unrighteousness, and from all prayerlessness. Praised be His Name
forever! Rev. Andrew Murray, in The Prayer-Life (1920
4/21/2010
Praying The Psalms
(This article was taken from the Redeemer Presbyterian Church website.)
1."The Psalms teach us to pray through imitation and response...Real prayer is always an answer to God's revelation. The Psalms are BOTH prayer and revelations about God�the perfect ideal soil for learning prayer.
2.The Psalms take us deep into our own hearts 1000 times faster than we would ever go if left to ourselves...Religious/moral people tend to want to deny the rawness and reality of their own feelings, especially the darkness of them...The secular world has almost made an idol of emotional self-expression...But the Psalmists neither 'stuff' their feelings nor 'ventilate' them. They pray them–they take them into the presence of God until they change or understand them.
3.Most importantly, the Psalms force us to deal with God as He is, not as we wish he was. 'Left to ourselves, we will pray to some god who speaks what we like hearing, or to the part of God we manage to understand. But what is critical is that we speak to the God who speaks to us, and to everything He speaks to us...the Psalms train us in that conversation." (quote from Eugene Peterson's Answering God)' "
Additional Note: The Imprecatory Psalms can be confusing with their cries for vengeance upon Israel's or the psalmist's enemies. "Basically, realize that calls for justice are absolutely right, and remind us how important God's holiness and justice are. But secondly, recognize that the Psalmists did not have the justice of God completely satisfied in Christ. Thus we pray for our enemies, not wish them ill. Yet we as Christians can pray these Psalms as longings for social justice and hatred against the 'power and principalities' behind the world." Quotes from Dr Tim Keller's January 2006 MCM teaching notes, c2006, used with permission.
Suggestions:
1.Try to understand a psalm before praying it. A commentary is particularly helpful to understand the context of the Psalm. What was the Psalmist going through when he wrote this particular Psalm? The Psalms also point to Christ. Where might this psalm fit into His life? (see example on p 2)
2.Linger over a Psalm. Is there a particular verse that is particularly relevant to your life right now? Chew on it. Read it aloud over and over, with a different emphasis on each word. Why is this word chosen or important here? What difference would this make in my life if I believed this with all my heart? If I applied this to my life? Pray for yourself and others from it.
3.Use the Psalms to praise God for different aspects of His character.
4.Use an order to guide you: chronological; Book of Common Prayer schedule (see p 2)
Trying it out:
Try out the above suggestions. (If you want to experiment, Psalm 131 is short, yet speaks richly to New Yorkers today. Commentary notes for this psalm are on the back). Take small steps. 15-20 minutes a day would be a great starting point. Don't rush. Don't worry about doing this perfectly, just start! Invite the Holy Spirit into these times and let His grace and truth shape your prayer and heart. Stay at it for three weeks - research shows that it takes about 3 weeks to build a habit. Be alert to what differences might be happening in your relationship with the Lord and your life as a result. (If helpful, go for a leisurely block of time on a Sunday! Or discuss/pray a Psalm in community.)
Psalm 131
My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.Commentary #1: New Bible Commentary, 21st edition, p 575.
Psalm 131. Rest In Psalm 130 the exhortation to hope arose from what is true of the Lord; in 131:3 it arises from what the psalmist has found to be personally true. He has taken a lowly place (1); his inner being (2) is at rest - like a child grown past the instinctive demands and fretfulness of infancy and now content, as a toddler, simply to be with mother. What kind of an original journey out of self-confident pride into humility and rest first prompted this beautiful psalm? We do not know, but its call to hope in the Lord links it with 130 and makes it the testimony of a sinner forgiven: humbled by the mercy of God, at peace within because at peace above.
Commentary #2: Notes on the Psalms, G Campbell Morgan, p 260.
Psalm 131: Jehovah the Satisfaction of the Pilgrim This is a brief psalm, but it very full of beauty, as it sets forth the contentment of a restless soul in the will of God. It follows the last as an advance of experience, and as a sequence. Its peculiar note is not that of a natural contentment, but of a satisfaction won in spite of all contrary tendencies. The thought of weaning is the dominant one. That for which a child craves it at last becomes content without. So the soul of the singer, which once was ambitious and restlessly attempted to walk in ways for which it was not fitted, is with Him in quietness and contentment. The secret of victory over feverish ambition is divulged in the psalmist's appeal to Israel to hope in the Lord. That, interpreted in the light of the previous psalm, means that in the gracious sense of His forgiving love is the secret of a content which puts an end to all false ambition. Redemption truly apprehended, is more than forgiveness. It is restoration to the quiet peace of being in harmony with all the forces of nature, because governed by the will of God.
From The Book of Common Prayer, 1662: Read 1 or more psalms selected by the schedule.
Day AM PM Day AM PM Day AM PM Day AM PM
1. 1-5 6-8 8.38-40 41-43 15. 75-77 78 22. 107 108-109
2. 9-11 12-13 9. 44-46 47-49 16. 79-81 82-85 23. 110-113 114-115
3. 14-17 18 10. 50-52 53-55 17. 86-88 89 24. 116-118 119:1-32
4. 19-21 22-23 11. 56-58 59-61 18. 90-92 93-94 25. 119:33-72 119:73-104
5. 24-26 27-29 12. 62-64 65-67 19. 95-97 98-101 26. 119:105-144 119:145ff
6. 30-31 32-34 13. 68 69-70 20. 102-103 104 27. 120-125 126-131
7. 35-36 37 14. 71-72 73-74 21. 105 106 28. 132-135 136-138
29. 139-140 141-143
30. 144-146 147-150
1."The Psalms teach us to pray through imitation and response...Real prayer is always an answer to God's revelation. The Psalms are BOTH prayer and revelations about God�the perfect ideal soil for learning prayer.
2.The Psalms take us deep into our own hearts 1000 times faster than we would ever go if left to ourselves...Religious/moral people tend to want to deny the rawness and reality of their own feelings, especially the darkness of them...The secular world has almost made an idol of emotional self-expression...But the Psalmists neither 'stuff' their feelings nor 'ventilate' them. They pray them–they take them into the presence of God until they change or understand them.
3.Most importantly, the Psalms force us to deal with God as He is, not as we wish he was. 'Left to ourselves, we will pray to some god who speaks what we like hearing, or to the part of God we manage to understand. But what is critical is that we speak to the God who speaks to us, and to everything He speaks to us...the Psalms train us in that conversation." (quote from Eugene Peterson's Answering God)' "
Additional Note: The Imprecatory Psalms can be confusing with their cries for vengeance upon Israel's or the psalmist's enemies. "Basically, realize that calls for justice are absolutely right, and remind us how important God's holiness and justice are. But secondly, recognize that the Psalmists did not have the justice of God completely satisfied in Christ. Thus we pray for our enemies, not wish them ill. Yet we as Christians can pray these Psalms as longings for social justice and hatred against the 'power and principalities' behind the world." Quotes from Dr Tim Keller's January 2006 MCM teaching notes, c2006, used with permission.
Suggestions:
1.Try to understand a psalm before praying it. A commentary is particularly helpful to understand the context of the Psalm. What was the Psalmist going through when he wrote this particular Psalm? The Psalms also point to Christ. Where might this psalm fit into His life? (see example on p 2)
2.Linger over a Psalm. Is there a particular verse that is particularly relevant to your life right now? Chew on it. Read it aloud over and over, with a different emphasis on each word. Why is this word chosen or important here? What difference would this make in my life if I believed this with all my heart? If I applied this to my life? Pray for yourself and others from it.
3.Use the Psalms to praise God for different aspects of His character.
4.Use an order to guide you: chronological; Book of Common Prayer schedule (see p 2)
Trying it out:
Try out the above suggestions. (If you want to experiment, Psalm 131 is short, yet speaks richly to New Yorkers today. Commentary notes for this psalm are on the back). Take small steps. 15-20 minutes a day would be a great starting point. Don't rush. Don't worry about doing this perfectly, just start! Invite the Holy Spirit into these times and let His grace and truth shape your prayer and heart. Stay at it for three weeks - research shows that it takes about 3 weeks to build a habit. Be alert to what differences might be happening in your relationship with the Lord and your life as a result. (If helpful, go for a leisurely block of time on a Sunday! Or discuss/pray a Psalm in community.)
Psalm 131
My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.Commentary #1: New Bible Commentary, 21st edition, p 575.
Psalm 131. Rest In Psalm 130 the exhortation to hope arose from what is true of the Lord; in 131:3 it arises from what the psalmist has found to be personally true. He has taken a lowly place (1); his inner being (2) is at rest - like a child grown past the instinctive demands and fretfulness of infancy and now content, as a toddler, simply to be with mother. What kind of an original journey out of self-confident pride into humility and rest first prompted this beautiful psalm? We do not know, but its call to hope in the Lord links it with 130 and makes it the testimony of a sinner forgiven: humbled by the mercy of God, at peace within because at peace above.
Commentary #2: Notes on the Psalms, G Campbell Morgan, p 260.
Psalm 131: Jehovah the Satisfaction of the Pilgrim This is a brief psalm, but it very full of beauty, as it sets forth the contentment of a restless soul in the will of God. It follows the last as an advance of experience, and as a sequence. Its peculiar note is not that of a natural contentment, but of a satisfaction won in spite of all contrary tendencies. The thought of weaning is the dominant one. That for which a child craves it at last becomes content without. So the soul of the singer, which once was ambitious and restlessly attempted to walk in ways for which it was not fitted, is with Him in quietness and contentment. The secret of victory over feverish ambition is divulged in the psalmist's appeal to Israel to hope in the Lord. That, interpreted in the light of the previous psalm, means that in the gracious sense of His forgiving love is the secret of a content which puts an end to all false ambition. Redemption truly apprehended, is more than forgiveness. It is restoration to the quiet peace of being in harmony with all the forces of nature, because governed by the will of God.
From The Book of Common Prayer, 1662: Read 1 or more psalms selected by the schedule.
Day AM PM Day AM PM Day AM PM Day AM PM
1. 1-5 6-8 8.38-40 41-43 15. 75-77 78 22. 107 108-109
2. 9-11 12-13 9. 44-46 47-49 16. 79-81 82-85 23. 110-113 114-115
3. 14-17 18 10. 50-52 53-55 17. 86-88 89 24. 116-118 119:1-32
4. 19-21 22-23 11. 56-58 59-61 18. 90-92 93-94 25. 119:33-72 119:73-104
5. 24-26 27-29 12. 62-64 65-67 19. 95-97 98-101 26. 119:105-144 119:145ff
6. 30-31 32-34 13. 68 69-70 20. 102-103 104 27. 120-125 126-131
7. 35-36 37 14. 71-72 73-74 21. 105 106 28. 132-135 136-138
29. 139-140 141-143
30. 144-146 147-150
3/12/2010
Pray For God's Grace To Fortify You Against Everything Evil: Matthew Henry
I must pray for the grace of God, and all the kind and powerful influences and operations of that grace.
I draw near to the throne of grace, that I may receive not only mercy to pardon, but grace to help in every time of need: Hebrews 4:16(ESV) grace for seasonable help.
From the fullness that is in Jesus Christ (in whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell), Colossians 1:19(ESV) let me receive, grace upon grace. John 1:16(ESV)
4.1
I must pray for grace to fortify myself against every evil thought, word, and work. Having been earnest for the removing of the guilt of sin, that I may not die for it as a crime, I must be no less earnest for the breaking of the power of sin, that I may not die by it as a disease, but that it may be mortified in me.
O let no sin have dominion over me, because I am not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14(ESV)
Let the flesh be crucified in me, with its passions and desires; Galatians 5:24(ESV) that walking in the Spirit, I may not gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16(ESV)
Let my old self be crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that I may no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6(ESV) And let not sin reign in my mortal body (in my immortal soul), to make me obey its passions, Romans 6:12(ESV) but having been set free from sin, let me become a slave of righteousness. Romans 6:18(ESV)
Let the law of the Spirit of life set me free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2(ESV)
Give me grace to put off my old self, which is corrupt through deceitful desires, Ephesians 4:22(ESV) and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24(ESV)
Let the world be crucified to me, and I to the world, by the cross of Christ. Galatians 6:14(ESV)
I draw near to the throne of grace, that I may receive not only mercy to pardon, but grace to help in every time of need: Hebrews 4:16(ESV) grace for seasonable help.
From the fullness that is in Jesus Christ (in whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell), Colossians 1:19(ESV) let me receive, grace upon grace. John 1:16(ESV)
4.1
I must pray for grace to fortify myself against every evil thought, word, and work. Having been earnest for the removing of the guilt of sin, that I may not die for it as a crime, I must be no less earnest for the breaking of the power of sin, that I may not die by it as a disease, but that it may be mortified in me.
O let no sin have dominion over me, because I am not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14(ESV)
Let the flesh be crucified in me, with its passions and desires; Galatians 5:24(ESV) that walking in the Spirit, I may not gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16(ESV)
Let my old self be crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that I may no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6(ESV) And let not sin reign in my mortal body (in my immortal soul), to make me obey its passions, Romans 6:12(ESV) but having been set free from sin, let me become a slave of righteousness. Romans 6:18(ESV)
Let the law of the Spirit of life set me free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2(ESV)
Give me grace to put off my old self, which is corrupt through deceitful desires, Ephesians 4:22(ESV) and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24(ESV)
Let the world be crucified to me, and I to the world, by the cross of Christ. Galatians 6:14(ESV)
3/08/2010
Charles Spurgeon On The Lord's Prayer
"After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, etc."
Matthew 6:9
This prayer begins where all true prayer must commence, with the spirit of adoption, "Our Father." There is no acceptable prayer until we can say, "I will arise, and go unto my Father."
This child-like spirit soon perceives the grandeur of the Father "in heaven," and ascends to devout adoration, "Hallowed be thy name." The child lisping, "Abba, Father," grows into the cherub crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy."
There is but a step from rapturous worship to the glowing missionary spirit, which is a sure outgrowth of filial love and reverent adoration—"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Next follows the heartfelt expression of dependence upon God—"Give us this day our daily bread."
Being further illuminated by the Spirit, he discovers that he is not only dependent, but sinful, hence he entreats for mercy, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors:" and being pardoned, having the righteousness of Christ imputed, and knowing his acceptance with God, he humbly supplicates for holy perseverance, "Lead us not into temptation." The man who is really forgiven, is anxious not to offend again; the possession of justification leads to an anxious desire for sanctification. "Forgive us our debts," that is justification; "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," that is sanctification in its negative and positive forms.
As the result of all this, there follows a triumphant ascription of praise, "Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen." We rejoice that our King reigns in providence and shall reign in grace, from the river even to the ends of the earth, and of his dominion there shall be no end.
Thus from a sense of adoption, up to fellowship with our reigning Lord, this short model of prayer conducts the soul. Lord, teach us thus to pray.
—From Spurgeon's Morning and Evening
Our Father which art in heaven, etc."
Matthew 6:9
This prayer begins where all true prayer must commence, with the spirit of adoption, "Our Father." There is no acceptable prayer until we can say, "I will arise, and go unto my Father."
This child-like spirit soon perceives the grandeur of the Father "in heaven," and ascends to devout adoration, "Hallowed be thy name." The child lisping, "Abba, Father," grows into the cherub crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy."
There is but a step from rapturous worship to the glowing missionary spirit, which is a sure outgrowth of filial love and reverent adoration—"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Next follows the heartfelt expression of dependence upon God—"Give us this day our daily bread."
Being further illuminated by the Spirit, he discovers that he is not only dependent, but sinful, hence he entreats for mercy, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors:" and being pardoned, having the righteousness of Christ imputed, and knowing his acceptance with God, he humbly supplicates for holy perseverance, "Lead us not into temptation." The man who is really forgiven, is anxious not to offend again; the possession of justification leads to an anxious desire for sanctification. "Forgive us our debts," that is justification; "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," that is sanctification in its negative and positive forms.
As the result of all this, there follows a triumphant ascription of praise, "Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen." We rejoice that our King reigns in providence and shall reign in grace, from the river even to the ends of the earth, and of his dominion there shall be no end.
Thus from a sense of adoption, up to fellowship with our reigning Lord, this short model of prayer conducts the soul. Lord, teach us thus to pray.
—From Spurgeon's Morning and Evening
1/28/2010
1/22/2010
Plead the Promises of God for The Enforcing of Your Petitions- Matthew Henry
I must plead the promises of God for the enforcing of all my petitions, put these promises in suit, and refer myself to them.
Lord, you have given me many precious and very great promises, 2 Peter 1:4(ESV) which are all Yes and Amen in Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:20(ESV) Now be it to your servant according to the word that you have spoken. 2 Samuel 7:25(ESV)
Give me to draw water with joy from these wells of salvation, Isaiah 12:3(ESV) to nurse and be satisfied from Jerusalem’s consoling breast; Isaiah 66:11(ESV) and now, O LORD God, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant be established forever, and do as you have spoken. 1 Chronicles 17:23(ESV)
Deal with me according to the tenor of the everlasting covenant, which is well-ordered in all things and secure, and which is all my help and all my desire. 2 Samuel 23:5(ESV)
Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name; Psalm 119:132(ESV) do more for me than I am able to ask or think, Ephesians 3:20(ESV) and supply all my needs according to your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19(ESV)
Lord, you have given me many precious and very great promises, 2 Peter 1:4(ESV) which are all Yes and Amen in Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:20(ESV) Now be it to your servant according to the word that you have spoken. 2 Samuel 7:25(ESV)
Give me to draw water with joy from these wells of salvation, Isaiah 12:3(ESV) to nurse and be satisfied from Jerusalem’s consoling breast; Isaiah 66:11(ESV) and now, O LORD God, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant be established forever, and do as you have spoken. 1 Chronicles 17:23(ESV)
Deal with me according to the tenor of the everlasting covenant, which is well-ordered in all things and secure, and which is all my help and all my desire. 2 Samuel 23:5(ESV)
Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name; Psalm 119:132(ESV) do more for me than I am able to ask or think, Ephesians 3:20(ESV) and supply all my needs according to your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19(ESV)
1/21/2010
Rely on Jesus Alone for Acceptance with God - Matthew Henry
I must profess my entire reliance on the Lord Jesus Christ alone for acceptance with God and come in his name.
I do not present my plea before you because of my righteousness, Daniel 9:18(ESV) for I am before you in my guilt, Ezra 9:15(ESV) and cannot stand before you because of it; Psalm 130:3(ESV) but I make mention of Christ’s righteousness, even of his only, who is the LORD our righteousness, Jeremiah 23:6(ESV) and therefore the LORD my righteousness.
I know that even spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God only through Christ Jesus, 1 Peter 2:5(ESV) nor can I hope to receive anything but what I ask of you in his name; John 16:23(ESV) and therefore, bless me in the Beloved, Ephesians 1:6(ESV) that other angel who put much incense to the prayers of the saints and offers them up on the golden altar before the throne. Revelation 8:3(ESV)
I come in the name of the great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, who is able to sympathize with my weaknesses, Hebrews 4:14-15(ESV) and is therefore able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25(ESV)
Behold, O God, my shield, and look on the face of your Anointed, Psalm 84:9(ESV) in whom you have by a voice from heaven declared yourself to be well pleased; Lord, be well pleased with me in him. Matthew 3:17(ESV)
I do not present my plea before you because of my righteousness, Daniel 9:18(ESV) for I am before you in my guilt, Ezra 9:15(ESV) and cannot stand before you because of it; Psalm 130:3(ESV) but I make mention of Christ’s righteousness, even of his only, who is the LORD our righteousness, Jeremiah 23:6(ESV) and therefore the LORD my righteousness.
I know that even spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God only through Christ Jesus, 1 Peter 2:5(ESV) nor can I hope to receive anything but what I ask of you in his name; John 16:23(ESV) and therefore, bless me in the Beloved, Ephesians 1:6(ESV) that other angel who put much incense to the prayers of the saints and offers them up on the golden altar before the throne. Revelation 8:3(ESV)
I come in the name of the great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, who is able to sympathize with my weaknesses, Hebrews 4:14-15(ESV) and is therefore able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25(ESV)
Behold, O God, my shield, and look on the face of your Anointed, Psalm 84:9(ESV) in whom you have by a voice from heaven declared yourself to be well pleased; Lord, be well pleased with me in him. Matthew 3:17(ESV)
12/23/2009
Martin Luther on The Lords Prayer
Luther's Little Instruction Book
(The Small Catechism of Martin Luther)
Translated by Robert E. Smith
May 22, 1994
The Our Father
The Simple Way a Father Should Present it to His Household
I. Introduction
Our Father, Who is in Heaven.
Q. What does this mean?
A. In this introduction, God invites us to believe that He is our real Father and we are His real children, so that we will pray with trust and complete confidence, in the same way beloved children approach their beloved Father with their requests.
II. The First Request
May Your name be holy.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Of course, God's name is holy in and of itself, but by this request, we pray that He will make it holy among us, too.
Q. How does this take place?
A. When God's Word is taught clearly and purely, and when we live holy lives as God's children based upon it. Help us, Heavenly Father, to do this! But anyone who teaches and lives by something other than God's Word defiles God's name among us. Protect us from this, Heavenly Father!
III. The Second Request
Your Kingdom come.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Truly God's Kingdom comes by itself, without our prayer. But we pray in this request that it come to us as well.
Q. How does this happen?
A. When the Heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that we believe His holy Word by His grace and live godly lives here in this age and there in eternal life.
IV. The Third Request
May Your will be accomplished, as it is Heaven, so may it be on Earth.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Truly, God's good and gracious will is accomplished without our prayer. But we pray in this request that is be accomplished among us as well.
Q. How does this happen?
A. When God destroys and interferes with every evil will and all evil advice, which will not allow God's Kingdom to come, such as the Devil's will, the world's will and will of our bodily desires. It also happens when God strengthens us by faith and by His Word and keeps living by them faithfully until the end of our lives. This is His will, good and full of grace.
V. The Fourth Request
Give us our daily bread today.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Truly, God gives daily bread to evil people, even without our prayer. But we pray in this request that He will help us realize this and receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
Q. What does ``Daily Bread'' mean?
A. Everything that nourishes our body and meets its needs, such as: Food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, yard, fields, cattle, money, possessions, a devout spouse, devout children, devout employees, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors and other things like these.
VI. The Fifth Request
And forgive our guilt, as we forgive those guilty of sinning against us.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We pray in this request that our Heavenly Father will neither pay attention to our sins nor refuse requests such as these because of our sins and because we are neither worthy nor deserve the things for which we pray. Yet He wants to give them all to us by His grace, because many times each day we sin and truly deserve only punishment. Because God does this, we will, of course, want to forgive from our hearts and willingly do good to those who sin against us.
VII. The Sixth Request
And lead us not into temptation.
Q. What does this mean?
A. God tempts no one, of course, but we pray in this request that God will protect us and save us, so that the Devil, the world and our bodily desires will neither deceive us nor seduce us into heresy, despair or other serious shame or vice, and so that we will win and be victorious in the end, even if they attack us.
VIII. The Seventh Request
But set us free from the Evil One.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We pray in this request, as a summary, that our Father in Heaven will save us from every kind of evil that threatens body, soul, property and honor. We pray that when at last our final hour has come, He will grant us a blessed death, and, in His grace, bring us to Himself from this valley of tears.
IX. Amen.
Q. What does this mean?
A. That I should be certain that such prayers are acceptable to the Father in Heaven and will be granted, that He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and that He promises to answer us. Amen. Amen. This means: Yes, yes it will happen this way.
(The Small Catechism of Martin Luther)
Translated by Robert E. Smith
May 22, 1994
The Our Father
The Simple Way a Father Should Present it to His Household
I. Introduction
Our Father, Who is in Heaven.
Q. What does this mean?
A. In this introduction, God invites us to believe that He is our real Father and we are His real children, so that we will pray with trust and complete confidence, in the same way beloved children approach their beloved Father with their requests.
II. The First Request
May Your name be holy.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Of course, God's name is holy in and of itself, but by this request, we pray that He will make it holy among us, too.
Q. How does this take place?
A. When God's Word is taught clearly and purely, and when we live holy lives as God's children based upon it. Help us, Heavenly Father, to do this! But anyone who teaches and lives by something other than God's Word defiles God's name among us. Protect us from this, Heavenly Father!
III. The Second Request
Your Kingdom come.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Truly God's Kingdom comes by itself, without our prayer. But we pray in this request that it come to us as well.
Q. How does this happen?
A. When the Heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that we believe His holy Word by His grace and live godly lives here in this age and there in eternal life.
IV. The Third Request
May Your will be accomplished, as it is Heaven, so may it be on Earth.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Truly, God's good and gracious will is accomplished without our prayer. But we pray in this request that is be accomplished among us as well.
Q. How does this happen?
A. When God destroys and interferes with every evil will and all evil advice, which will not allow God's Kingdom to come, such as the Devil's will, the world's will and will of our bodily desires. It also happens when God strengthens us by faith and by His Word and keeps living by them faithfully until the end of our lives. This is His will, good and full of grace.
V. The Fourth Request
Give us our daily bread today.
Q. What does this mean?
A. Truly, God gives daily bread to evil people, even without our prayer. But we pray in this request that He will help us realize this and receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
Q. What does ``Daily Bread'' mean?
A. Everything that nourishes our body and meets its needs, such as: Food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, yard, fields, cattle, money, possessions, a devout spouse, devout children, devout employees, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors and other things like these.
VI. The Fifth Request
And forgive our guilt, as we forgive those guilty of sinning against us.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We pray in this request that our Heavenly Father will neither pay attention to our sins nor refuse requests such as these because of our sins and because we are neither worthy nor deserve the things for which we pray. Yet He wants to give them all to us by His grace, because many times each day we sin and truly deserve only punishment. Because God does this, we will, of course, want to forgive from our hearts and willingly do good to those who sin against us.
VII. The Sixth Request
And lead us not into temptation.
Q. What does this mean?
A. God tempts no one, of course, but we pray in this request that God will protect us and save us, so that the Devil, the world and our bodily desires will neither deceive us nor seduce us into heresy, despair or other serious shame or vice, and so that we will win and be victorious in the end, even if they attack us.
VIII. The Seventh Request
But set us free from the Evil One.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We pray in this request, as a summary, that our Father in Heaven will save us from every kind of evil that threatens body, soul, property and honor. We pray that when at last our final hour has come, He will grant us a blessed death, and, in His grace, bring us to Himself from this valley of tears.
IX. Amen.
Q. What does this mean?
A. That I should be certain that such prayers are acceptable to the Father in Heaven and will be granted, that He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and that He promises to answer us. Amen. Amen. This means: Yes, yes it will happen this way.
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