Sermon in a Sentence

In light of the coming judgment, we need minds that think straight and hearts that pray straight.

(From the sermon “Proper Perspective” on 1 Peter 4:7, preached at Grace Baptist Church.)

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Getting Your Prayer Life Out of a Rut

“Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1).

“These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer…” (Acts 1:14a).

Have you ever thought your prayer life was in a rut, or that you were basically just talking to yourself? I have. I think we all have. We know God commands us to pray and that it’s one of the ways He gives us to get to know Him better, but there are times when it seems like we’re going through the motions.

I came across this helpful advice. It helped me. I hope it helps you.

The trouble with most prayer is that the person praying is not really talking with God but carrying on a recitation into the air. True prayer involves communion and conversation, and it is a continuous thing. We do not limit our conversation with our husband or wife to a set time, at meals or before going to sleep, and then keep silent all the rest of the day. We talk when we have something to say. The same is true with God. If we limit our prayers to set, formal times, we soon have little to say then.

Then how do we pray? Dozens of times in a day, we talk with God, usually only a sentence or two. Do we have a difficult and trying person to meet or deal with? Then we pray simply, “Lord, give me patience and wisdom to meet this person in Thy Spirit and grace.”

Is our task one we dislike? Then we ask, “Lord, I hate this job, but I must do it. Give me grace to do this thing in the right way and in a better frame of mind.”

If we make a blunder, we say, “Lord, I was pretty stupid that time. Help me grow up in my handling of such problems.” We share with Him, in a sentence or two, a hundred times in a day sometimes, our problems, our delights with things, our fears, our hopes, our everything.

And we must not forget gratitude. “Thanks for helping me through that one, Lord.” Or we say, “There must be something for me to learn here, Lord, that I don’t even know about, so please, Lord, teach me, so that I do better next time.”

If God is real to us, He is “a very present help in trouble” and in time of need (Ps. 46:1). We therefore call upon Him continuously, to share with Him our needs, hopes, joys, griefs, and gratitudes. This is what St. Paul means when he writes, “Be careful [or anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6–7). There is no better way to live.

R.J. Rushdoony

Taken from A Word In Season: Daily Messages on the Faith for All of Life, Vol. 2,  pp. 107-108.

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Heavenly Father

HEAVENLY FATHER

Thou hast revealed to me myself
      as a mass of sin,
  and thyself as the fullness of goodness,
    with strength enough to succour me,
    wisdom enough to guide me,
    mercy enough to quicken me,
    love enough to satisfy me.
Thou hast shown me that because thou art mine
    I can live by thy life,
    be strong in thy strength,
    be guided by thy wisdom;
  and so I can pitch my thoughts and heart in thee.
This is the exchange of wonderful love —
  for me to have thee for myself,
  and for thee to have me, and to give me thyself.
There is in thee all fullness of the good I need,
  and the fullness of all grace to draw me to thyself,
  who, else, could never have come.
But having come, I must cleave to thee,
  be knit to thee,
  always seek thee.
There is none all good as thou art:
With thee I can live without other things,
  for thou art God all-sufficient,
  and the glory, peace, rest, joy of the world
    is a creaturely, perishing thing
      in comparison with thee.
Help me to know that he who hopes for nothing
    but thee,
  and for all things only for thee, hopes truly,
  and that I must place all my happiness in holiness,
    if I hope to be filled with all grace.
Convince me that I can have no peace at death,
  nor hope that I should go to Christ,
    unless I intend to do his will
  and have his fullness while I live.

(From Valley of Vision. Puritan prayers complied by Roger Bennett)

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Pray Without Ceasing?

Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Whenever we come across this verse, the logical question is “What does Paul mean by that?” I heard a good explanation recently that makes a lot of sense.

Replace the word “pray” with the word “eat” and think about the options. Eat without ceasing might mean never backing away from the table (continual eating). It could also have the meaning of making sure you eat regularly and consistently.

Which of those options makes more sense when we think about unceasing prayer? The second one. To pray without ceasing means we pray regularly and consistently without stopping. If you have a regular time of prayer every day, you’re praying without ceasing (if you continue to do it, that is). If you have several times a day when you pray, and you don’t stop, you’re praying without ceasing.

The explanation is helpful to me and I hope it is for you, too.

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God Isn’t Interested in Word Count

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:7).

The phrase translated “meaningless (or vain) repetition” is the Greek word “jabber” or “babble.” Therefore, don’t babble or jabber when you pray.

Some of us may have had a paper returned by a teacher because we were 25 words of short of the required word count. So we added a bunch of adjectives and filler to meet the requirement.

We can do something similar in prayer, too. We think God might hear us, and respond, if we jabber on and impress Him with our wordiness. (I think this also applies to phrases or expressions we use while praying, such as “Lord, just…” and others.)

The truth of the matter is that God isn’t impressed with, or interested in, our word count. In fact, as one author puts it, many of our best prayers can are captured three words – “Wow,” “Thanks,” and “Help.” God is interested in our sincerity, faith, and dependence upon Him as we pray. Remember, Jesus says, “Your Father in heaven knows what you need before you even ask Him. That’s comforting!

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It’s No Bother

While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” (Mark 5:35)

Jairus, the synagogue official, had come to Jesus asking Him to heal his daughter who was very near death. As the Lord was on His way to the girl, He had an encounter with a woman whom He ended up healing. During those few moments, Jairus’ daughter died. The grieving father was told to stop bothering Jesus – there was nothing more that could be done.

Think about the phrase, “why trouble the Teacher anymore?” Have you ever felt that way? Why bother God with this anymore? You’ve prayed and prayed and prayed, but what you’ve asked for hasn’t happened yet, so why keep bothering God? It seems like a lost cause, so why keep troubling God? I’ve felt that way on more than one occasion.

We should never think our coming to God in prayer troubles or bothers Him. It doesn’t! He longs and loves to hear from His children.

There is nothing too hard for God and no such thing as a lost cause. It wasn’t too late for Jairus’ daughter, and it isn’t too late for us, either.

 

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Why, O Lord?

Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do you hide Yourself in times of trouble? (Psalm 10:1)

Every one of us has asked this question. If we haven’t, there will come a time when we will. There are times when we wonder where God is when we suffer or endure trials. Has He hidden His eyes from us (the literal meaning of “hide Yourself”) – doesn’t He see?

The psalmist doesn’t sulk off into a corner and say, “Well, I’m done with all of this God stuff,” rather he spends the bulk of this psalm airing His complaint and asking the Lord to act based on His justice and righteousness. The psalmist did the right thing – he took his complaint to God Himself, and so should we. He’s the only one who can do anything about it, anyway!

Is God far off? No, He’s close by! Does He hide Himself or hide His eyes from us? No, He doesn’t!

The LORD is King forever and ever; nations have perished from His hand. O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear to vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror. (Psalm 10:16-18)

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How to Pray When You Don’t Feel Like Praying

Dustin Benge posted this on Twitter and I wanted to repeat it here because it was an encouragement to me. I hope it is to you, too.

How I pray when I don’t fell like praying:

1. Confess my sin.
2. Use the prayers of Scripture.
3. Recite God’s attributes.
4. Thank God for His blessings.
5. Pray through a prayer list.
6. Focus on the needs of others.
7. Rejoice that Jesus is praying for me.

Thank you, Dustin!

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Keep on Truckin’ in Prayer

One of the many songs I remember listening to (and loving) when I was growing up was “Keep on Truckin'” by Eddie Kendricks. Produced by Motown Records in 1973, the song has a great sound (as does most Motown music) and a better message, even if it wasn’t intended: hang in there, don’t give up, keep on going, persist.

Teaching His disciples about prayer, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10). The words “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” are written as continuous commands in the Greek. In other words, “keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.” We are at pray earnestly, but not simply once or twice. The Lord teaches us to be persistent in prayer because His answers may not come immediately. It requires patience and determination, which only comes by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer should be made with patience and perseverance, according to Psalm 40:1 (I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry) and Psalm 88:1 (O Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You).

Persistent prayer was exemplified by the first-century church. Acts 1:14 says, These all with one mind were continuously devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

Paul encouraged the churches to pray persistently. In Ephesians 6:18, he wrote, With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. (See also Rom. 12:12; 1 Thess. 5:17.)

Abraham (Gen. 18:23-33), Jacob (Gen. 32:24-32), Moses (Deut. 9:25-29), Hannah (1 Sam. 1:10-11), Elijah (1 Kings 18:36-44), the psalmists (Ps. 88:1-18; 119:147-149; 130:1-6), and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Luke 22:42-44) are all example of prayer that is persistent.

The art of waiting on God is the foundation of persistent prayer. Micah 7:7 says, But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Waiting on God, of course, is based on trusting God – the One who is a sovereign, good, and loving Father.

It’s hard to pray, and it’s even harder when answers don’t come quickly. The right response is not to give up, but to keep asking, seeking, and knocking, knowing that such determination will increase our dependance upon God as time goes by.

Persistent prayer glorifies, honors, and pleases God, which is why we should “keep on truckin'” in prayer!

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Desires

The following prayer is taken from Valley of Vision – a collection of Puritan prayers complied by Arthur Bennett. I highly recommend it.

O THOU THAT HEAREST PRAYER,

Teach me to pray.
I confess that in religious exercises
the language of my lips and the feelings
of my heart have not always agreed,
that I have frequently taken carelessly upon
my tongue a name never pronounced above
without reverence and humility,
that I have often desired things which would
have injured me,
that I have depreciated some of my chief mercies,
that I have erred both on the side of my hopes
and also of my fears,
that I am unfit to choose for myself,
for it is not in me to direct my steps.
Let thy Spirit help my infirmities,
for I know not what to pray for as I ought.
Let him produce in me wise desires by which
I may ask right things,
then I shall know thou hearest me.
May I never be importunate for temporal blessings,
but always refer them to thy fatherly goodness,
for thou knowest what I need before I ask;
May I never think I prosper unless my soul prospers,
or that I am rich unless rich toward thee,
or that I am wise unless wise unto salvation.
May I seek first thy kingdom and its righteousness.
May I value things in relation to eternity.
May my spiritual welfare be my chief solicitude.
May I be poor, afflicted, despised and have
thy blessing,
rather than be successful in enterprise,
or have more than my heart can wish,
or be admired by my fellow-men,
if thereby these things make me forget thee.
May I regard the world as dreams, lies, vanities,
vexation of spirit,
and desire to depart from it.
And may I seek my happiness in thy favour,
image, presence, service.

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