Prayer in every situation (7)

We have seen that prayer is a precious gift that we are to be constantly enjoying.

And Paul clearly does not want to limit us in what we pray for, when he says:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." - Philippians 4:6

Yet we all feel the difference between praying in order that the name of Christ would be glorified,
and praying in order that the desires of our flesh would be gratified;
we know that not all prayers are equal (see Jer. 7:16, Mat. 6:5, Jn. 9:31, Js. 5:16).

So what sort of things should fill the content of our stream of prayers?



Here are some representative examples of what the early church prayed for:


1. Thanksgiving to God

Thanking God for his Sovereignty (Acts 4:24-28).
Thanking God for the spread of the gospel (Rom. 1:8).
Thanking God for creation (Heb 1:10-12).
Thanking God for our inheritance (1 Pet. 1:3-4).


2. Spiritual blessings in Christ

For a spirit of wisdom and revelation (Eph. 1:15-20).
For a knowledge of Christ (Eph. 3:14-21).
For knowledge of the will of God (Col. 1:9-14).
For peace in all circumstances (2 Thess. 3:16).
For wisdom from God (Js. 1:5-8).
For grace and peace (2 Pet. 1:2).


3. The spread of the gospel

For God to enable his servants to speak with great boldness (Acts 4:29).
For new believers to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15).
For missionaries being sent (Acts 13:3).
As a witness to those around them (Acts 16:25).
Before missionaries were sent (Acts 20:36, 21:5).
For Israel to be saved (Rom. 10:1, 11:26).


4. Church leadership

To decide who should replace Judas as the twelfth apostle (Acts 1:24).
For newly appointed caterers (Acts 6:6).
For new elders of the church (Acts 14:23).


5. Church family

For persecuted saints (Acts 12:5).

For the church to be united (Rom. 15:5).
For a return visit to happen (1 Thess. 3:9-1).
For saints to be counted worthy of a calling (2 Thess. 1:11).
For the success of a ministry (2 Tim. 1:2-7).
For being equipped by God (Heb. 13:20-21).


6. Signs and wonders

For God to heal and perform signs and wonders (Acts 4:30).
For the dead to be resurrected (Acts 9:40).
To heal the sick by the laying on of hands (Acts 28:8).


7. Spiritual warfare

For forgiveness from evil thoughts (Acts 8:22-24).
For Satan to be defeated (Rom. 16:20).
For God to remove 'a thorn in the flesh' (2 Cor. 12:7-10).
For protection from evil (2 Thess. 3:1-5).



In light of this, we must ask the question:
to what extent do our own prayer lives match up to those of the early church?

As was stressed earlier, we should not feel restricted by this list,
for countless prayers of the church are not recorded in Scripture.

But the prayers of the early church should certainly inform our prayers,
serving as a model not only for how we pray, but also for what we ask for.


To this end, here are five ways we can try to implement this in our lives:

1. Write down these seven headings somewhere in your room and pray from one each day
2.  Pick one of these categories and pray through each of the Scriptures below
3. Check your heart as you pray; are you praying for what your flesh wants, or what God wills?
4. Identify which of the seven categories is your weakest and practice praying from that one
5. Read relevant books, e.g. Let the nations be glad! - Piper; Prayer - Keller


May God lead you in praying in accordance with his will in every situation,
Jeff :)

Pray without ceasing (6)

God longs for continuous communion with his children.
In fact, this was "the joy set before him" for which Jesus endured the cross (Heb. 12:2).

And surely there is no higher joy for us than perpetual communion with Almighty God!
This is, after all, the essence of eternal life; to know God (Jn. 17:3).

Is that even possible here on earth? What would that look like? Should we strive for it?


Our primary example of a life of prayer like this, naturally, is Jesus himself.

In Luke 5:16 we read that Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed,
and in fact Jesus taught us to pray in private, saying in Matthew 6:6:

Close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.
Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.    

And Jesus also encourages corporate prayer in Matthew 18:19, saying:

If two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for,
it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.                                        


James and Paul echo the thoughts of Jesus in advocating regular corporate prayer:

James tells the church to pray for one another that they might be healed (Js. 5:16).

And Paul tells the Thessalonians to pray continually, giving thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:16-17);
tells the Philippians to present their requests to God in every situation (Phil. 4:6);
and tells the Colossians to devote themselves to prayer (Col. 4:2).

     

These challenging exhortations from Paul are manifestly carried out in the early church,
and we see the believers praying often and in many different circumstances throughout Acts:

They prayed in the temple in Acts 3:1,
gathered in houses to pray in Acts 12:12,
and gathered on the beach to pray in Acts 21:5;
Cornelius prayed alone in his house in Acts 10:30,
and Paul and Silas prayed in prison at night in Acts 16:25.

In summary, to follow the teachings of Jesus, Paul, and James,
and to imitate the lives of Jesus, the apostles, and the early church,
we must live with our "eyes always on the Lord" (Ps. 16:8).


What does this look like? After all, clearly Jesus and the saints did other things than just prayer.

What seems to work for me is to have four types of regular prayer in my life:

a. A few times of corporate prayer every week (though this is very situational)
b. A daily time set aside for 'bible-open prayer' (though I often fail at this one)
c. Several shorter periods of prayer through each day (i.e. walking to the shops, eating snacks, ...)
d. Loads of quick-fire prayers in all situations (though I can neglect this one too)


Here are a few other ways we can learn to commune with God 'without ceasing':

1. Imitate Jesus by withdrawing into nature for a couple of hours; maybe take a bible and music
2. Find some friends to regularly pray with and begin to create a culture of spontaneous prayer
3. Pray "bullet prayers", i.e. just a sentence or two, regularly throughout the day
4. Find a few prayers in the bible and think of a regular situation you can pray them in
5. Read relevant books, e.g. Prayer - Keller; the autobiography of.... - Muller

May God lead you into continual communion with himself today,
Jeff :)

Persistent prayer (5)

What happens when you pray, full of expectation, and... nothing happens?

Jesus tells the parable of the friend who asks for bread (Luke 11:5-8)
and the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-11)
to teach his disciples to always pray and to not give up.

Yet because of your shameless audacity
he will surely get up and give you as much as you need                - Luke 11:8-9

Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones,
who cry out to him day and night?"                                               - Luke 18:7

Jesus' conclusion in both cases is clear and unavoidable:
persistent pray-ers are heard and their prayers are answered.

And this principle of persistence is found throughout the bible:

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.        - Psalm 40:1

LORD, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.    - Psalm 88:1

Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.        - Psalm 116:2

They all joined together constantly in prayer.                                             - Acts 1:14


George Muller's autobiography is rich with testimony of the faithfulness of God
in honoring the earnest and persistent pray-er.

Though my own experience pales in comparison to his I can testify to this myself;
I have seen God go far above and beyond what I have asked of him
in the two things I have offered up to God regularly over the past two years.

Having seen the faithfulness of my God in this way, truly I can say
"I love the Lord, for he heard my voice!" (Ps. 116:1);
and surely this is the most effective of motivations for prayer.

The word of God and the saints through the ages implore us:
pray expectantly and persistently, and you will see God do miraculous things.


To that end, are five simple ways we can work towards persistent prayer:

1. Commit to praying for three people in your life daily for a period of time (e.g. a month)
2. Meditate on relevant scriptures, (e.g. Gen. 32, Lk. 11, Lk. 18, 2 Cor. 12,  Col. 1, 1 Thess. 3)
3. Find a prayer partner and regularly pray for the same things together
4. Ask older friends in the faith to tell stories of the fruit of persistent faith
5. Read relevant books, e.g. celebration of discipline - Foster; the autobiography of... - Muller

May God make you as persistent in prayer as a desperate widow and as a friend in need,
Jeff :)

Scripture-saturated prayer (4)

Can you consistently and whole-heartedly echo the words of the psalmists, saying to God:

"how sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth" (Ps. 119:103);
"they are more precious than gold, than much pure gold" (Ps. 19:10)?

Me neither.

But this fierce love of the word of God should be found in us, the people of God,
and should form the cornerstone of our prayer life.


Blessed... is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night .                                   - Psalm 1:1-2

Augustine translates meditates here as chatters, and Spurgeon comments:

As chattering is the employment of birds,
so a continual conversing in the law of the Lord
ought to be the employment of man.

Now if the word of God is written on our hearts (Heb. 10:16) and is quick to our lips (Josh. 1:8)
then our prayers should surely also be saturated in Scripture.


More obviously, the bible explicitly teaches us how to pray (e.g. Luke 11),
and gives plenty of examples of godly prayers (e.g. Ex. 33:13, Jon. 2:2-9, Dan. 9:1-19, Phil. 1:9-11),
and so is a precious resource for anyone who wants to grow in prayerfulness.

Also, the bible also trains us in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16),
and so general exposure to scripture will improve the effectiveness of our prayer lives (Js. 5:16).

And God's word renews our minds, so by reading it we understand the will of God (Rom. 12:2),
and it is prayers that are prayed according to his will that are heard and answered (1 Jn. 5:14).

Lastly, the word of God points us to the grace of God and the glory of Jesus (Jn. 5:39),
and it is being captivated by these things that will stoke and sustain a true passion for prayer.


And with that aim, here are five simple ways we can work towards Scripture-saturated prayer:

1. Memorise scriptures that you can pray (e.g. Pss. 1,16,23,103,117,145; Jn. 15, Rom. 8, Heb. 12)
2. Spend five minutes in the bible before any extended time of prayer, and keep it open as you pray
3. When praying for Christians use Paul's prayers in his letters as a model (e.g. Eph. 3:14-21)
4. Pray off the back of each verse of a psalm in turn, applying it to your situation
5. Read relevant books, e.g. understanding Scripture - Schreiner; knowing God - Packer

May God delight you in his word and motivate you to pursue Scripture-soaked prayer,
Jeff :)

Frontline prayer (3)

We have seen that prayer is dwelling in the presence of God and the conforming of our hearts to his.

But that is not all prayer is.

Prayer is a wartime walkie talkie for spiritual warfare,
not a domestic intercom to increase the comforts of the saints.                - John Piper

In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat is told "a vast army is coming against you" (v.2).
Alarmed, he resolved to inquire of the Lord (v.3), and bowed before God (v. 18).

He even appointed the men at the head of the army to sing to the Lord (v.21),

and God honoured him by giving his army the victory (v.22-25).

This warfare-attitude to prayer also permeates the new testament - especially in Paul's letters,
with the dual of military conquest being missional advance:

Pray for us that the message of the Lord
may spread rapidly and be honoured.                                                      - 2 Thessalonians 3:1

Pray also for me that whenever I speak, words may be given me
so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.              - Ephesians 6:19

And pray for us too, that God may open a door for our message,
so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ.                                      - Colossians 4:3

Not only does gazing upon God provide the motivation for mission,
but also asking God for the gospel to "spread rapidly" is the work of mission.

This is in order that the gospel would go out not simply with words
but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction (1 Thess. 1:5).

After all, unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain (Ps. 127:1).

It is plain, then, that prayer both motivates and drives the mission of the church.

So we must depend on God in prayer whenever we are engaged in sharing Jesus with the lost.

After all, it was when Jesus commissioned his church to spread the gospel
that he promised to be with us, even to the end of the age (Mat. 28:20)!

What an amazing God we serve!

So glorious as to be the perfect motivation and reward for our work,
and so gracious as to provide us communion with him as a means to joyful and fruitful obedience!


With that in mind, here are five simple ways we can work towards praying for the mission:

1. Ask God to give you boldness to share the gospel before every social event you attend
2. Pray daily for a few of your closest friends who don't know and love Jesus
3. Pick a country and pray regularly for the mission work there to bear fruit
4. Read through Acts and ask God for the boldness of the early church in mission
5. Read relevant books, e.g. let the nations be glad - Piper; don't waste your life - Piper


May God train you in bold prayer for the sake of the spread of his name,
Jeff :)

Expectant prayer (2)

We rarely talk or pray as if this were so,
but the bible is utterly unapologetic about the power of prayer.

Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.                    - John 16:24

For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.                          - Matthew 7:7-8

And I will do whatever you ask in my name,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.                                   - John 14:15

So why do our prayers not reflect this?
We clearly have not fully grasped hold of the gift of prayer as God has presented it to us!

We have good reason to expect our prayers to carry weight after all,
for the Spirit himself intercedes for us (Rom. 8:26).

Yet how many of us can back up the following verses with our lives?

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.               - James 5:16

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence before God
and receive from him anything we ask,
because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.                - 1 John 3:21-22

Yes, let us expect our hearts to be more inclined to God when we rise from our knees,
but let us also expect the world to look different because of our prayers.

Let us pray with the expectancy of David and of Paul, who write:

In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.    - Psalm 5:3

And one thing more: prepare a guest room for me,
because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.        - Philemon 22

Let us treasure God's generous and powerful gift of prayer for what it is,
not letting doubts, love of comfort, and cynicism prevent us from biblical prayer.

Here are five simple ways we can work towards praying expectantly:

1. Pray through expectant prayers in the bible, e.g. Neh. 1, Mat. 6:9-13, Acts 4:23-31
2. Try to ask God for things that only he can bring about every time you pray
3. Ask God to increase your faith where you feel your lack, and then pray big anyway (Mk. 9:24)
4. Keep a prayer journal of "big prayers" and leave space to write when they are answered
5. Read relevant books, e.g. a heavenly man - Hattaway; birthing the miraculous - Baker


May God empower you to pray with boldness and expectancy,
Jeff :)

Gazing upon God in prayer (1)

The gift of prayer is an invitation to commune with Almighty God.

This free gift of intimacy with our maker is a grace bought by the blood of Jesus (Mat. 27:51);
we must not treat it merely as a means to getting our requests granted.

As the Lord's prayer begins with a focus on God himself (Mat. 6:9),
so our prayers should begin and be carried by the gazing of our souls upon the face of God.

Yes, before we address God as the giver of every good gift (Js. 1:17),
we should address him as our Father, for this is the order Jesus laid out for us (Lk. 11).

In fact, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord should be the one thing we ask for (Ps. 27:4).

We are to seek the presence of God continually (1 Chr. 16:11),
to search after him with all our heart and with all our soul (Deut. 4:29).

And we are to seek him earnestly, crying with David, "my flesh faints for you" (Ps. 63:1),
remembering we never cry out in vain, for all who seek God rejoice and are glad in him (Ps. 40:16).

As we come before God in prayer, he wants us to fix our eyes on Jesus,
the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2).

For it is as we gaze upon the face of Christ that we will persevere in the faith (Heb. 12:3),
and it is as we keep our eyes always on the Lord that we will not be shaken (Ps. 16:8).

The most basic practice of Christian prayer is the inclining of the soul towards God,
and so the first lesson in prayer we must learn is to be in his presence.

After all, those who dwell in God's house know him,
and those who know God have eternal life (Jn. 17:3).

Let us, then, strive above all else to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives (Ps. 27:4).

Here are five simple ways we might work towards this:

1. Begin each day, and each prayer, praising God for who he is
2. Take time out throughout each day to think about and delight in who God is
3. Pray through the biblical prayers of adoration, (e.g. 1 Sam. 2, Luke 1, Ps. 19, Ps. 145).

4. Read scripture (e.g. Ex. 33, Ps. 16, Ps. 23, Ps. 27, Ps. 130, Ps. 131) and meditate on God
5. Read relevant books, e.g. the pursuit of God - Tozer; desiring God - Piper


May God grant you abundant joy in his presence,
Jeff :)