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Praying to the God Who Knows All

Bible Reading: Psalm 139

Some of you will likely remember this quote from A. W. Tozer I shared in a devotional I wrote way back at the beginning of the year: “What comes into your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.”  It’s important that we think rightly about God for a number of reasons, one of which is the demands of acceptable worship.  Worship is acknowledging God for who He is and what He does in what we say and what we do.  Acceptable worship is that which is in spirit and in truth, so it logically follows that we can only worship God in an acceptable manner to the extent that we are Spirit-led and our thoughts are rightly aligned to that which is revealed to us about God in His Holy Word.  Inasmuch as praying is an act of worship, it is imperative that our prayers are consistent to the truth of who He is.

One of the striking distinctions of this particular Psalm is that it constitutes a prayer, but not in the sense that we generally think of prayer.  It is indeed a prayer, for note how David addressed God throughout.  But praise of God dominates, and the requests are few. 

The focus of the Psalm is on the omniscience and omnipresence of God, but not in a dry, academic sense.  In addressing God, David spoke of these attributes in a personal way, in the manner in which they related to his life.  So, with respect to God’s omniscience, David understood that God knows us, our activities, our thoughts, and all our ways.  God’s omniscience is such that He knows what we are going to say before we say it!  He’s before us and behind us and has His hand on us.  And in contemplating such lofty truths, David said: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it” (Psalm 139:6).  In His instruction to His disciples regarding prayer, Jesus said: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7-8).  Indeed!  When we pray, we are praying to a God who knows all about us and is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives!

David moved on from his consideration of God’s omniscience to his omnipresence, acknowledging the impossibility of being anywhere or going anywhere where God isn’t.  Heaven or sheol, the sky or the sea, darkness or day, it mattered not.  David worshiped God in that reality, knowing that wherever he might be, God’s hand was there to lead him and to hold him.   As David considered his own body, he realized that it was God who had knitted him together, and that he was fearfully and wonderfully made.  And David’s very life was in God’s hands, as God had written in His book the days that were formed for David, before he even existed.  The very contemplation of such things led to a shout out of praise regarding the loftiness and sum of God’s thoughts (Psalm 139:17-18)!

And then there are two requests.  The first is much debated for David calls on God to “slay the wicked” (Psalm 139:19).  This is akin to imprecatory language used elsewhere in the Psalms.  Before we adopt this kind of thinking with respect to how we relate to our enemies, we should keep in mind that David was the King, and reigned in a precursory role to the coming Messiah.  We do well to leave the dealings with the wicked to the One who will one day judge all men.  The other request was for God to search David’s heart.  And that’s quite a request!  I served with a fellow elder who frequently closed his prayers by quoting verses 23-24.  You know all things, God, and here’s my heart.  Feel free to search around.  And while You are at it–here’s my thoughts.  Check them out.  See if there be anything contrary to Your will and Your ways, and “lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:24)!  What a prayer!  Be encouraged by David’s example to pray the attributes of God, praising God for who He is, and mindful of how that relates to you.

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart!

CLEANSE ME

Search me, O God, and know my heart today;
Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from ev’ry sin and set me free.

I praise thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;
Fulfill thy Word, and make me pure within.
Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame;
Grant my desire to magnify thy name.

Lord, take my life and make it wholly thine;
Fill my poor heart with thy great love divine.
Take all my will, my passion, self, and pride;
I now surrender; Lord, in me abide.

A Prayer for Pardon

Bible Reading: Psalm 51

It was a little more than a year ago.  Challenging circumstances in my life had worked to put me in a very needy state.  I was broken hearted, discouraged, and lacking the motivation to do much of anything.  But God was graciously working to get my attention and I began to pray.  At first all I could muster up was a simple cry for help.  But then as I continued praying, day-after-day, I grabbed a hold of this verse in Psalm 51, “a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).  I claimed that verse as a promise and prayed that God would work to lead me in a new direction and give me a purpose.  Some weeks later I was at the grocery store checkout.  I had bought some groceries and was given fifty-two cents in change.  I don’t like to keep change in my pocket, so I put the two cents in the penny jar and spent the fifty cents on the Heppner newspaper (something I rarely do).  I was reading the Help Wanted section and came across a listing for a part time Hospice Chaplain.  The job was only 10 hours per week–perfect!  And it was a job in which I had both experience and interest.  I called the number listed in the ad.  I was hired within days.  I’ve been a part time hospice chaplain ever since.  I work with wonderful co-workers and have been privileged to visit dozens of homes of folks who are much in need of a comforting presence and encouraging word.  The job has since led to other opportunities to assist those who are dealing with grief in suffering loss.  From the depths of my despair, God heard my prayer.  David was likewise brokenhearted, and there’s much we can learn from his prayer here in Psalm 51.

You know the story.  David saw Bathsheba, for she was beautiful, and he sent for her.  He had relations with her, and she became pregnant.  David then conspired to hide what he had done, first by bringing home Urijah from battle that he might have relations with his wife.  But Urijah didn’t do that, so David devised another plan.  He had Urijah sent to the forefront of a battle, then had his army withdraw its troops.  Urijah then died in the battle.  When Bathsheba’s mourning period was over, David sent for her, and she became his wife.  Nathan confronted David.  David subsequently suffered much evil as a consequence of his sin. 

Psalm 51 is “A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone into Bathsheba.”  John MacArthur summarized David’s situation: “If I were to sum up what David was feeling, I might say it like this: Sin had made him dirty, and he wanted to be clean. Guilt had made him sick, and he wanted to be well. Disobedience had made him lonely, and he wanted to be reconciled. Rebellion had made him fearful, and he wanted to be pardoned.”

So how did David pray?  He understood the seriousness of his sin and knew that it demanded judgment, so he appealed to God’s mercy (Psalm 51:1-4).  His was more than a mere earthly sorrow in being caught, he possessed a godly sorrow which led him to repentance. Sin brought guilt; God alone could wash that guilt away.  And that could happen for him only because God is a God who is rich in mercy.

David accepted full responsibility for his sin (Psalm 51:3-4).  He didn’t make excuses.  He didn’t blame anyone else. He acknowledged his sin to be a sin against God Himself (Psalm 51:4a).  The word translated confess in 1 John 1:9 means literally “to say the same thing.”  In confessing his sins David was agreeing with God about the nature of the evil acts he had committed.  Note all the words used by David in describing his offense: transgressions; sin; evil; iniquity.  David held nothing back in confessing his sin.  In fact, he acknowledged that the sin principle had been at work in him since birth (Psalm 51:5; 1 John 1:8).

David looked to God for a cleansing of his innermost being (Psalm 51:6,10).  Sin reminds us of our human weakness and frailty.  It confronts us with our own shortcomings, and in humility and desperation we then look to the sole remedy, God.  God is able not just to forgive us, but to “create in (us) a clean heart” (Psalm 51:10).  It is as the hymn says: “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy riven side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save me from its guilt and power.”  

David looked beyond forgiveness to how his usefulness to God might be restored.  He prayed for a clean heart, restored joy, and a willing spirit–that he might reach sinners and worship God with a cleansed heart.  David, that man after God’s own heart, that writer of all those Psalms, was a worshiper of God by heart.  Sin had gotten in the way.  In confessing his sins, David was looking to God for the cleansing and restoration that every one of us needs.  And God answered his prayers.

“A Broken and Contrite Heart, O God, You Will Not Despise”

WHITER THAN SNOW

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;
I want Thee forever to live in my soul,
Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain:
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies,
And help me to make a complete sacrifice;
I give up myself, and whatever I know,
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. [Refrain]

Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,
I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet;
By faith, for my cleansing I see Thy blood flow,
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. [Refrain]

Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait,
Come now, and within me a new heart create;
To those who have sought Thee, Thou never saidst “No,”
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. [Refrain]

The Prayer of a Man Who Cared

Bible Reading: Nehemiah 1

The Great Coastal Gale of December 2007 caused an incredible amount of damage to our church building.  The total costs for the repairs–paid almost entirely by insurance–would ultimately exceed $900,000.  For ten months we were locked out of the sanctuary portion of the building and forced to meet instead in a much smaller “Playroom.”  It was an intimate setting, to say the least, so everyone was eagerly anticipating the day when we could regain full use of our facility.  I began a study through the book of Nehemiah, and we were all encouraged by the example of Nehemiah’s leadership efforts when it came to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.  That work all started for him when he first got the news of the dire situation of the remnant who had returned, and the broken-down walls and gates which had been destroyed by fire.  Nehemiah got that bad news, and “sat down and wept for days, and continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4).  What do you do with the bad news you hear?  Nehemiah has set a good example for us.  He was burdened by a spiritual need, so he took the matter to God in prayer.

Nehemiah’s prayer began with praise and adoration–a good place to start in our prayers!  Prayer is an activity of worship and worship is, by definition, acknowledging the worth–the glory–of God. In order to worship God in Spirit and in truth it is imperative that we think rightly about God. We need to think about who we are praying to, according to the truth that is revealed about Him in the Scriptures. Nehemiah spoke to God by name in his prayer–Jehovah Elohim.  Jehovah (Yahweh) is the name which speaks of God’s self-existence and eternality.  The name Elohim speaks of God’s power and strength.  Nehemiah’s prayer focused on various aspects of God’s nature.  He is the great and awesome God!  The faithful God who keeps His covenant and loves with a steadfast love!  He is all of that with respect to His people, and Nehemiah appealed to God accordingly.  Adoration of God is the best place for us to start in our prayers.

Nehemiah confessed to God his sins and the sins of his people.  The term translated “confessing” is a particular Hebrew term which is sometimes translated “confess,” but is frequently translated “praise” or “give thanks.” Note how Vine’s Expository Dictionary explains these varied uses of the term: “An affirmation or confession of God’s undeserved kindness throws man’s unworthiness into sharp relief. Hence, a confession of sin may be articulated in the same breath as a confession of faith or praise and thanksgiving. The confession is not a moralistic, autobiographical catalog of sins–individual infractions of a legal code–but a confession of the underlying sinfulness that engulfs all mankind and separates us from the holy God.”  Notice in the confession of sin that Nehemiah didn’t give any excuses. He did not try to explain it away. He did not rationalize it. He did not blame anyone else. He simply acknowledged to God the utter failure of His people to do what it was that God commanded them to do.  In all of this he’s set a good example for us to follow.

Nehemiah had fasted and prayed for days. Undoubtedly God had worked in that time to move to align Nehemiah’s heart to His will–that Nehemiah would endeavor to go to Jerusalem and lead the rebuilding effort! Nehemiah had but one request, “Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of man” (Nehemiah 1:11). Nehemiah was the cupbearer for the King. A prominent position, but nonetheless one in which he was subject to the will and whims of that powerful man. Nehemiah knew that success was dependent on God’s working on his behalf to move the heart of the king. Note how he prayed again in the King’s presence (Nehemiah 2:4b). God answered Nehemiah’s prayer, and Nehemiah would go on to be used by God to rebuild the walls of the city. But it all started when God told a man who cared about a spiritual need and that man prayed. We do well to follow Nehemiah’s example, both in his response to the bad news he received and in the manner in which he prayed.

When Bad News Comes Our Way the Best Thing We Can Do is Pray

GOD OF GRACE AND GOD OF GLORY

God of grace and God of glory,
on your people pour your pow’r;
crown your ancient Church’s story,
bring its bud to glorious flow’r.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
for the facing of this hour,
for the facing of this hour.

Lo, the hosts of evil round us
scorn the Christ, assail his ways.
From the fears that long have bound us
free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
for the living of these days,
for the living of these days.

Cure your children’s warring madness;
bend our pride to your control;
shame our wanton, selfish gladness,
rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
lest we miss your kingdom’s goal,
lest we miss your kingdom’s goal.

Save us from weak resignation
to the evils we deplore;
let the gift of your salvation
be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
serving you whom we adore,
serving you whom we adore.

A Prayer for Protection

Bible Reading: Ezra 8:21-31

It was in the summer of 1990.  I’d been called to fill the pulpit at Lewis and Clark Bible Church as they were without a pastor.  A decision as to whether to call me to serve as pastor would come soon.  Since a previous church split, the church had gone through four pastors in the previous ten years, as they had experienced much strife and division that had nearly worked to shutter the church doors for good.  A local pastor called me and asked if we could have lunch together, as he wanted to warn me about what I was getting myself into.  But Laura and I had prayed much about the matter, and I had a God-given confidence regarding God’s call to serve there.  So, I responded to his warning by saying, “If God calls me to serve there, I can trust Him to take care of me and my family in whatever way He deems best.”  You likely know the rest of that story.  God did indeed call us, and then He kept us there for twenty-seven and ½ years and took good care of us along the way.  We loved the church, and the church family loved us.

Since my days in Seminary, I’ve loved this example of Ezra’s prayer, as it was the subject of a paper I wrote for an Old Testament survey class.  That Ezra chose to trust exclusively in God in that to which he was called, and not rely on any other human resources, is a powerful example that can serve to instruct us in our faith and prayers.  

As the Old Testament prophets had predicted the captivity, so they predicted the return of the Jews to Jerusalem.  Jeremiah prophesied that the nation would serve seventy years of captivity in the land of Babylon (Jeremiah 25:11-12, 29:10).  In 538 B.C. King Cyrus issued a decree providing for a renewal of the worship of Yahweh in Jerusalem and the return of the exiles to Judah (Ezra 1:1-4).  Ezra led one of the three groups of returning exiles.

Ezra was a wonderful leader.  As the writer of the books 1st and 2nd Chronicles, he was well aware of how idolatry and disobedience had worked to bring disaster in judgment to God’s people.  As a leader, he was determined to not repeat the same mistakes of his predecessors.  As a man of faith, Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, to practice it, and to teach it in Israel (Ezra 7:10).  When it came time to lead the returning exiles back to Jerusalem, Ezra assembled them all at the River Ahava.  The King had generously offered a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect Ezra and his entourage of families along the way.  But Ezra refused that help, having told the King, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him” (Ezra 8:22).

So, Ezra proclaimed a fast and the people prayed for God’s protection.  It was a journey of about nine hundred miles and took them about three and a half months.  Opposition and threats were a big concern, but the hand of God was on them, and he delivered them from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes along the way (Ezra 8:31).  You know what?  In trusting in God alone to protect them, God alone received all the credit when that happened!  

And so, it should be in our prayers.  We all have problems and concerns, and it’s good sometimes to seek godly counsel (Proverbs 15:22).  But when it comes to trusting God in our prayers, Ezra’s example is so encouraging!  God is well-pleased when we deliberately choose to trust not in human resources but choose instead to put the matter entirely in His hands (Jeremiah 17:5-8).  For He loves us, knows what’s best for us, and is able to work in ways that transcend our thoughts and prayers (Ephesians 3:20-21).  And when we pray this way, then we can say, “Look what God has done!”  

God is Well Pleased When We put a Matter of Concern Entirely in His Hands

GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU

Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath his wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.

Refrain:
God will take care of you,
through ev’ry day, o’er all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.

Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you. [Refrain]

No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon his breast,
God will take care of you. [Refrain]

A Prayer for Mercy

Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 33:9-20

In an interview on Easter Sunday, Franklin Graham, head of Samaritan’s Purse, urged people to pray for President Vladimir Putin, saying, “What President Putin’s end game is, I don’t know. But I think we just need to pray that God can change his heart…And I would recommend for people to pray for Putin. I don’t want to be misunderstood [on this point]. I want people to pray that God would change his heart. And turn his heart around, and that he would see the sin that he’s involved in. That he would repent and turn from it…And if we pray, that could happen.”  There were some hateful responses with some even calling Mr. Graham a traitor and others calling into question the validity of his Christian faith.  Can God work to save a man like Putin?  Yes!  Will he?  God only knows.  Is it okay to pray for such a person?  Absolutely.

Manasseh ascended to the throne of Judah when he was only 12 years old.  He reigned for 55 years, the longest reign in Judah’s history.  Contrary to his father’s example–who had done right in the sight of the Lord–Manasseh plunged himself and his nation into every possible manner of spiritual evil.  Manasseh rebuilt the high places his father, Hezekiah, had destroyed.  He erected altars for Baal and Asherah. Manasseh erected pagan altars in both the inner and outer courts and even in the temple itself.  The Asherah pole was placed in the temple, the very abode of the sacred name.  Incredibly, he sacrificed his own sons as an offering to the false gods!  In addition, he practiced sorcery and divination and engaged in other demonic activities. He was a violent man.  According to 2 Kings 21:16 he “shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other.”  In his reign, Manasseh led Judah to do more evil than the nations that had occupied the land before them.  Imagine how hard it must have been if you’d been part of the godly remnant that lived in that land in those days!

God sent prophets to warn Manasseh of the grave consequences of his grievous sins, but he refused to listen.  God then set in motion the forces that would work to bring judgment upon the nation.  God humbled Manasseh by allowing him to fall into the hands of the King of Assyria.  In the King’s distress he cried out to God–sometimes it takes a crisis for God to get a man’s attention. Isaiah prophesied during Manasseh’s reign, and once declared: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:6-8).  Perhaps Manasseh had heard these words, but whether he had or not, he “humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers” …and “prayed to him” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13).  “God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom.  Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God” (2 Chronicles 33:13). 

What are we to make of this?  God’s ability to pardon sinners transcends our capacity to comprehend.  God is a merciful God who stands with open arms before the penitent sinner.  In having benefited from the riches of God’s mercy in salvation through Jesus, you’ve got something to be ever thankful for (Ephesians 2:4)!  And Manasseh reminds us that God is able to intervene in the life of anyone, no matter how bad off they might be (1 Timothy 1:12-17). It is as Charles Spurgeon once said, “Let no man, therefore, despair of his fellow. I never do, since I think and hope that God has saved me. I am persuaded that, live as long as I may, I shall never see the individual of whom I can say “That man is a hopeless case.”  We can pray for others mindful that the compassion of the God “who desires all people to be saved” can reach further than we can imagine.

God’s Ability to Pardon Transcends our Ability to Comprehend

THERE’S A WIDENESS IN GOD’S MERCY

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
like the wideness of the sea.
There’s a kindness in God’s justice,
which is more than liberty.

There is welcome for the sinner,
and more graces for the good.
There is mercy with the Savior,
there is healing in his blood.

But we make God’s love too narrow
by false limits of our own,
and we magnify its strictness
with a zeal God will not own.

For the love of God is broader
than the measures of the mind,
and the heart of the Eternal
is most wonderfully kind.

If our love were but more simple,
we should rest upon God’s word,
and our lives would be illumined
by the presence of our Lord.

Show Me Thy Glory

Bible Reading: Exodus 33:12-23

“Who is adequate for these things” (2 Corinthians 2:16)?

Cue the “Mission Impossible” theme music and let’s review how Moses found himself in his predicament…  He was a humble and reluctant leader, yet nonetheless He’s the one God chose to lead His people out of Egypt.  With Aaron as his spokesperson, God worked through Moses to reveal Himself to Pharaoh and the entire nation of Egypt in a series of plagues. After the plague of the first born, Pharaoh kicked Israel out of Egypt, only later to give chase.  In that epic miracle, God parted the Red Sea, allowing His people to pass. Then in a mighty surge display of His power, the ocean swallowed up the mighty Egyptian army when the water rushed back in upon them.   

You’d have thought the miracle would work to engender trust in God in His people.  But instead, we read in the next several chapters of something which sounds like the worst family vacation ever. With a huge multitude of Israelites journeying across the Sinai Peninsula, they soon ran out of provisions.  Sadly, the people complained–a lot!  Despite their lack of trust, God provided for them: quail, water, and bread from heaven.  

Three months after leaving Egypt, Israel set up camp at the base of Mt. Sinai.  God called Moses up the mountain and delivered a covenant through him to His people.  At the heart of the covenant was a promise, “If you will obey Me, I will bless you.”  But while Moses was up on the mountain, the people committed the grievous sin of making for themselves an idolatrous golden calf.  In response Moses found himself interceding on behalf of the people lest God destroy them all and make a great nation out of him alone.  Still, three thousand died by the sword and the Lord sent a plague on the people.  

So that was Moses’ “Mission Impossible” task.  Lead that multitude of grumbling, stiff-necked people to the promised land!  The task had proven difficult enough already.  It literally drove Moses to his knees in intercession.  It’s interesting and instructive to note what it is Moses actually asked for in his prayers.  We all face challenges.  We are prone to pray circumstantially.  By this I mean we tend to pray for God to alleviate or change our circumstances.  But as we shall see in Moses’ situation, his prayers were not circumstantial, but relational.

Moses understands he’s been called to the task, and he knows he’s found favor in God’s sight.  He wisely wants to be careful to please God in everything.  His prayer was, “please show me now your ways” (Exodus 33:13). Moses had witnessed the tragic consequences associated with sin.  In leading God’s people, he wanted to be careful to walk and lead according to God’s ways so he and the people would be blessed.  God reassured Moses His presence would go with him.  Moses responded with a second request, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here” (Exodus 33:15).  In other words, if You aren’t going with us God, I’m not going anywhere.  Moses was aware it was the presence of God which set apart His people “from every other people on the face of the earth” (Exodus 33:16). And without God’s presence, they would never get to where they were going.  Still Moses had yet another specific request, which stands as one of the most precious of all prayer requests we read of in all the Bible.  “Moses said, ‘Please show me your glory’” (Exodus 33:18).  God didn’t say yes to that request, but He didn’t say no either.  It was not possible for Moses to see God’s face and live, so God graciously put Moses in the cleft of a rock, covered him with His hand, until He passed by.  So, in that way, Moses saw God’s back, but not His face.

No matter who you are, or where you are going, the task God has for you in this present world is way too big for you.  God’s plan for you is to conform you to Christlikeness and bring you home to glory.  That’s too big a task for you!  God has purposed to make Himself known through you to other folks, including your family members and friends and even neighbors and strangers.  Again, that’s too big a task for you!  Sometimes our prayers don’t rise high enough, or they miss the mark when it comes to our focus.  Moses’ prayer is so immensely helpful, because it reminds us at the heart of our prayers is the matter of chief concern–our own relationship with God. Teach me Your ways, Lord, by the Spirit and through the Word, that I might please You in all things.  Thank You for Your abiding presence in me, Lord Jesus, help me walk always so very close to You (Ephesians 3:17).  Show me Your glory, Lord Jesus, that I would be awestruck by You, even as the Spirit is even now working to that end, that I would be transformed into Your image (2 Corinthians 3:18)!  Moses faced an impossible task, so he prayed to the God with whom all things are possible.  And you can do that too!

Chief Amongst Our Prayer Concerns Should be the Desires to Know God Better and to Walk in Closer Fellowship with Him

HE HIDETH MY SOUL

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
a wonderful Savior to me.
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
where rivers of pleasure I see.

Refrain:
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
that shadows a dry, thirsty land.
He hideth my life in the depths of his love,
and covers me there with his hand,
and covers me there with his hand.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord;
he taketh my burden away.
He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved;
he giveth me strength as my day. [Refrain]

With numberless blessings each moment he crowns,
and filled with his fullness divine,
I sing in my rapture, “Oh, glory to God
for such a Redeemer as mine!” [Refrain]

When clothed in his brightness, transported I rise
to meet him in clouds of the sky,
his perfect salvation, his wonderful love,
I’ll shout with the millions on high. [Refrain]

Prayer’s Beginnings

Bible Reading: Genesis 4:25-26

Let’s review.  Adam and Eve were experiencing intimate fellowship with God in an idyllic paradise.  They walked and talked with God.  They bore the unmarred image of their creator.  They lacked nothing because God had graciously provided everything they needed.  Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect harmony with God and with each other and with their world.

Then Adam and Eve sinned.  Satan deceived Eve and she partook of the forbidden fruit.  Then she gave to Adam, and he ate.  Having sinned against God, they attempted to remedy their nakedness by sewing together for themselves fig-leaf loincloths.  Their fellowship with God was broken so they hid from Him.  God subsequently declared a curse–on the serpent, the woman, and Adam.  A sin contagion was unleashed into the world.  Their only hope?  A promised deliverer, who would one day come from the seed of the woman, Who would deal a fatal blow to the devil.

Eve bore two sons, Cain and Abel.  The repercussions of sin’s entry into our world were immediately evident in Cain’s brutal murder of his brother.  Genesis 4 gives us the account and the terrible consequences faced by Cain.  Abel was dead, so Eve conceived another son, and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him” (Genesis 4:25).

Two different societies, one godly and the other godless, trace their lineage back to Cain and Seth.  Genesis 4 lists Cain’s descendants, amongst them we read of Lamech who pridefully boasted about his murders (Genesis 4:23-24).  The lineage of Cain was godless and humanistic.  In contrast, Seth’s lineage was godly and even included two individuals whose lives were marked by faith, Enoch (Hebrews 11:5), and Noah (Hebrews 11:7).  These two lines can be traced throughout history, as has been noted by theologians like Augustine, Francis Schaeffer, and even the reformers.

How does any of this history relate to prayer?  In these accounts, it is apparent those born into the godly line came to an understanding in their view of God and themselves, which led to the point where they “began to call upon the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4:26).  They understood something of God’s greatness.  Note the subtle shift in language used by Eve in the birth of Cain vs. the birth of Seth. She said of her first-born, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord” (Genesis 4:1).  Of Seth she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel” (Genesis 4:25).  She had previously begun with herself, but with Seth she acknowledged the preeminence of God–that God is in the beginning, not us.  The second subtle hint in the account is in the name given to Seth’s son, Enosh, which means “frail one” or “mortal” (Genesis 4:26)  Seth was so impressed by his understanding of man’s weakness (because of sin), he gave his son a name which communicated that truth.

In view of the greatness of God and neediness of man, and the fact deliverance must come from God, those folks “began to call upon the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4:26).  These foundational realities, which work to burden us all to pray, stand unchanged over the course of time.  People have been calling upon the name of the Lord ever since.  You and I included.  Devotion to prayer is nothing new.  We’ve a desire to be rescued from our sins and to be restored to intimate fellowship with the One who made us.  Prayer is driven by these realities.  And so, we pray.

Foundational to Prayer is the Realization that God is a Great God and that we Desperately Need Him 

I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR

I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.

Refrain:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Ev’ry hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r
When Thou art nigh. [Refrain]

I need Thee ev’ry hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain. [Refrain]

I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill. [Refrain]

Devotion to Prayer

Bible Reading: Acts 2:42; Colossians 4:2-4

“They were continually devoting themselves…to prayer” (Acts 2:42, NASB).

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2, NASB).

Put simply, prayer is conversing with God.  As a Spirit-led discipline, it plays a vital role in the spiritual health and growth of the believer in Christ.  Prayer is an act of worship in which we praise and thank God for who He is and what He has done in our lives (Colossians 4:2).  In prayer, we confess our sins, reminding ourselves of His holiness and our ongoing need of His mercy and transforming work in our lives (1 John 1:9).  In prayer we bring our requests to His throne of grace, “that we might receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). 

It will encourage us in our devotion to prayer to be ever mindful of Who it is we are praying to.  We are not bringing a laundry list of wishes to a genie in the bottle. Instead, we are speaking to Our glorious God, creator of all things.  The God who has lovingly worked through the Son to save us from our sins and with Whom nothing is impossible.  We have confidence to approach His throne of grace because of the shed blood of Jesus, who has ascended to the right hand of God, from where He even now intercedes for us.  We pray by the Spirit, who indwells us and leads us, who also intercedes on our behalf.  We pray to our God, who is good and does good!  To Him Who loves us always, Who can do all things, and Who always knows what is best for us!

Prayer is an expression of dependence upon God.  And prayer changes things, though frequently the biggest change it brings is to ourselves.  Sometimes God works through prayer in miraculous ways.  In response to the prayers of those early believers, God shook the earth (Acts 4:23-31) and on another occasion delivered Peter from prison (Acts 12:6-17).  I’ve witnessed in my own life some amazing answers to prayer, as I’m sure you have too.  Sometimes God answers yes to our prayers. Yet sometimes, according to His sovereign plan, He answers to the contrary.  Paul prayed three times for a thorn in the flesh to be removed from him, but God had other plans (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).  

The birth of the church was preceded by a prayer meeting (Acts 1:12-14) and once born, it brought forth folks who were steadfast in prayer (Acts 2:42).  Their devotion to prayer is our spiritual heritage and our calling.  How encouraging is the account of the growth and expansion of the early church.  Three things were happening simultaneously: 1) The Spirit was working; 2) the people were praying; and 3) the church was growing and expanding.  What was true of the early church has remained accurate throughout the history of the church. When God’s people pray the church experiences its greatest growth and influence.  As we individually commune with God in prayer, we experience His grace through the manifold blessings associated with maintaining a closer walk with Jesus.  

Those of us who’ve been around for a while know we live in times of unprecedented change and uncertainty.  Consider the changes which have taken place in our society and in the church over the past half-century!  No one fifty years ago could have predicted or imagined the events we are witnessing today.  One of the most grievous things we face is the threat our present society poses to the well-being of our children and grandchildren!  It’s distressing, is it not?  What’s to be done?  There’s a tendency to complain or get angry about things, but the best thing we can do is pray regarding the things that worry and bother us.

I’ve said before if there was ever a time for believers in America to pray, it is now.  And not so much to pray for our country (though there’s nothing wrong with that), but to pray for one another and to pray for the church!  And to pray for the lost!  I’ve a confession to make.  I don’t pray as I should.  But I’ve heard the same from so many others.  So, I’m hopeful this focus on prayer in these devotionals for the month of May, will encourage us all to rededicate ourselves in devotion to prayer.  That God might work through our prayers so we will be strong in Jesus in the face of the great challenges that are soon coming our way, that we might bear a credible testimony before the lost, and that God will intervene in the lives of others so that they might come to know the Savior!  Let’s pray for one another that this will be so!

Devotion to Prayer is Both the Believer’s Heritage and Calling

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer!

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge–
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he’ll take and shield you;
you will find a solace there.

“Devotion to Prayer”

DATE	THEME	BIBLE READING
May 1	Devotion to Prayer	Acts 2:42; Colossians 4:2-4
May 2	Prayer’s Beginning	Genesis 4:25-26
May 3	Show Me Thy Glory	Exodus 33:12-23
May 4	A Prayer for Mercy	2 Chronicles 33:9-20
May 5	A Prayer for Protection	Ezra 8:21-31
May 6	The Prayer of a Man Who Cared	Nehemiah 1
May 7	A Prayer for Pardon	Psalm 51
May 8	Praying to the God Who Knows All	Psalm 139
May 9	Nothing is Too Difficult for God	Jeremiah 32:16-25, 42-44
May 10	A Prayer for the Ages	Daniel 9
May 11	Why, O Lord?	Habakkuk 1
May 12	A Desperate Plea for Help	Jonah 1
May 13	The Lord’s Prayer	Matthew 6:5-15
May 14	Thy Will Be Done	Matthew 26:36-46
May 15	Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer	John 17
May 16	Devotion to Prayer	Acts 2:42
May 17	Praying Amidst Opposition	Acts 4:1-31
May 18	Praying for Our Enemies	Acts 7:54-60; Matthew 5:44-48
May 19	A Boundary-Busting Prayer	Acts 10
May 20	A Prayer Meeting Interrupted	Acts 12:1-19
May 21	Sent Out in Prayer	Acts 13:1-3
May 22	Don’t Worry, Pray	Philippians 4:4-7; 1 Peter 5:6
May 23	Praying in the Spirit	Jude 1:20-21; Ephesians 6:18
May 24	Praying for One Another	Ephesians 6:10-20
May 25	Praying for All Men	1 Timothy 2:1-6
May 26	Praying for the Lost	Romans 10:1-9
May 27	Praying for the Lord Jesus to be Glorified	2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
May 28	Praying for a Worthy Walk	Colossians 1:9-14
May 29	Praying for God’s Excellence in Us	Philippians 1:9-11
May 30	Praying for Spiritual Eyes to See	Ephesians 1:15-23
May 31	Praying for the Spirit’s Power to Know	Ephesians 3:14-21

Love and Compassion (the Sheep and the Goats)

Bible Reading: Matthew 25:31-46

The passage before us has been the subject of various interpretations.  It has been misused by some to proclaim a “social gospel” and by others to teach a salvation by works.  Much of the confusion occurs because the passage is stolen from its context. John Walvoord addressed this matter: “Accordingly, on a strict exegesis of this passage, the judgment deals with those on earth among the Gentiles who have survived the tribulation and now await judgment in relation to entrance into the millennial kingdom.  It is accordingly not a general judgment, not a judgment of the church which has been raptured earlier, nor is it a judgment of the dead as in Revelation 20:11-15.” 

So this passage represents neither the judgment seat of Christ (a judgment for believers with respect to rewards that is subsequent to the rapture) nor the Great White Throne judgment (the judgment of the dead with respect to their destiny).  It is a judgment–to take place at the end of the tribulation–of the nations with regards to the treatment of “His brethren” (Matthew 25:40). 

Another important and oft-neglected aspect of this judgment has to do with the significance of the deeds that were commended.  The things spoken of here (feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; welcome the stranger; clothe the naked; visit the sick or imprisoned) are indeed things that every child of God should do—in any age.  But understanding the context helps to better appreciate the importance of these deeds.  The tribulation will be a time of great persecution of the Jews—“the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7).  The persecution will be so severe that two-thirds of the Jews in the land will die (Zechariah 13:8).  It will be marked by a satanic hatred of the Jewish people (much as exists in this age but to a higher degree).  Satan will once again attempt to exterminate them as he has done before in previous occasions.  Those faithful Jews who refuse to worship the world ruler will face a death sentence.  It is in that context that these deeds take place.  These will be deeds done at great risk to those performing them.  They will be done by faith and in love for Jesus’ brethren (Matthew 25:40).  

In Hitler’s Germany there was a great persecution of the Jews.  Jews were despised, thrown out of their businesses, ostracized, and ultimately led off to slaughter.  There were some believers in Christ who stood against the tide of that growing hatred and persecution.  They spoke out, they intervened, they hid, fed, clothed, visited, and showed love towards the Jews in that day—knowing full well that their benevolent intervention could work to threaten their own lives and/or livelihood.  Some were sent to the prison camps where they suffered the same fate as those they cared for. 

At the end of the tribulation “all the nations will be gathered before Him” (Matthew 25:32).  The long standing promise—“I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse” (Genesis 12:3)—will once again find fulfillment.  We should indeed do the things spoken of in this passage—care for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the unclothed, the imprisoned—true faith in God is revealed in so doing (1 John 3:16-17; James 2:14-17).  But to show love to God’s people in His name when great risk is involved—that’s a glorious thing indeed.  That kind of sacrificial love is even now being demonstrated by believers towards their persecuted brethren in various parts of the world. 

As believers in Christ we will not be at this particular judgment, but we will “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.”  We will then “be recompensed for (our) deeds in the body, according to what (we) have done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).  Those deeds done with His love, by His grace, through the Spirit, in obedience—these alone will pass the test.  The gold, silver, precious stone-like deeds built on the good foundation of a genuine relationship with Christ will remain.  All else will be burned up (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).  Let us be careful then to show love to others and especially to those being persecuted for their faith (Galatians 6:10; Hebrews 10:34, 13:3).  God is well pleased with such sacrifices (Hebrews 13:15-16).  And loving in such a manner is part of what it means to love like Jesus.

To Care for Folks in Their Time of Need is Part of What it Means to Love Like Jesus

Father.  We thank You for Your loving care and protection over us.  We know that we can trust You always to know and do that which is best for us.  How blessed we are to live in a place where we are free to publicly acknowledge and worship You.  But we know that’s not always the case, and that some of Your children live under the threat of persecution simply because of their faith in You.  Forgive us for not praying and caring to the extent that we should. Open our hearts and eyes to the needs of people around us, and especially those who are oppressed in whatever way.  May we be always loving like Jesus to Your honor and glory.  Amen.