HONEST COMMUNICATION – Part 2 of 2

The prayers of godly people recorded in Scripture are examples of straightforward honesty. When they were afraid, they told God about their fears. When they doubted, they doubted out loud in front of God. When they were angry, they let it rip. Under the reign of the evil King Jehoiakim, the nation of Judah was declining rapidly during a time of injustice, immorality, and violence. The prophet Habakkuk was convinced God wasn’t doing what He should and cried out, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but You do not listen? Or cry out to You, ‘Violence!’ but You do not save! Why do You make me look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrong?” (Habakkuk 1:2-3) You could call that a gut-level honest prayer. Habakkuk wasn’t the only one to talk honestly with God. Moses, Gideon, and Elijah all questioned God. Job even cursed the day God made him and said, "I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul” (Job 10:1). Jesus never criticized prayers that were honest, only those that were long and showy…

All of us desperately need God’s guidance, leadership, and affirmation. We need to hear from God. As we increase the frequency of our prayers, and communicating with God becomes part of our everyday lives, we begin to sense that communication is always two-way. Frequent, honest prayers open our hearts and minds to God. In genuine prayer, we relate to God in a conversation. 

-- Craig Groeschel in “The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn’t Exist”

#6193

HONEST COMMUNICATION – Part 1 of 2

My best definition of prayer is simple: prayer is communicating with God. This straightforward concept can help put us at ease, especially when we realize that communication involves more than just talking. We communicate through music and body language and sculpting and painting and facial expressions and dancing and writing -- even macramé! We each have our favorite modes of communication, and God is fluent in all of them. So if talking isn’t your thing, you can still be good at praying.

Whether you pray by talking or by some other mode of communication, God most enjoys the prayer that is natural, direct, and simple. One of the most important qualities of effective communication is gut-level honesty. God hates it when we wear masks to the meeting, when our prayers become showy and inauthentic. Here are Jesus’ instructions: “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full… And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” (Matthew 6:5,7) 

-- Craig Groeschel in “The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn’t Exist”

#6192

EMBEDDING PRAYER INTO OUR DAILY LIVES – Part 2 of 3

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”  (Romans 8:26 NIV)

Another way to accept the Spirit’s invitation to pray is what might be called “paper prayers.” Hezekiah was king of Israel when he received a letter from the much more powerful king of Assyria. The Assyrian king demanded the capitulation of Israel and warned Hezekiah not to trust in God. He warned that resistance meant that they would have to “eat their own filth and drink their own urine” before they died.

Hezekiah took the letter, went up to the temple, “and spread it out before the Lord.” Then he prayed, beginning by remembering God’s greatness: “O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see.” (Isaiah 37:16-17a)

What piece of paper would you spread out before the Lord? Maybe it is a financial statement that is overwhelming. Maybe it is a divorce certificate or a medical diagnosis or a pink slip or a flaming e-mail. Any piece of paper that causes distress can be an invitation to prayer, a candidate to be spread out before the Lord. 

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be”

#6111

BEING REAL WITH GOD – Part 1 of 2

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  (Matthew 6:5-6 NIV)

Many of us have struck spiritual poses in prayer. We have a hard time being ourselves. Praying before others, we have a tendency to talk more to people in the room than to God. Even in private prayer, sincerity doesn’t come easily. We talk to God as if He requires formal language, as we would talk to some governmental authority we didn’t know well. Or we speak in a kind of fake biblical language we’ve cobbled together from the Scriptures or other embellished prayers we’ve heard. Prayer becomes a performance, and we have to work at it.

God simply wants us to talk with Him. Talk is simple communication, and it doesn’t need to be dressed up. We should talk to Him as we’d talk to a best friend -- simply being ourselves, being totally honest without worrying how it might sound.

Have you ever listened to a public prayer and really liked a turn of phrase? And you thought to yourself, That’s awesome -- I’m going to put that into my prayer repertoire! We pick up phrases like these: traveling mercies; lead, guide, and direct; the nourishment of our bodies. Perhaps we believe those are special phrases that establish some kind of spiritual superiority. But it’s not God language. He wants to hear from the real me and the real you.

Who we’re pretending to be doesn’t match who we are on the inside. Yet what God asks could not be simpler. His invitation says, “Come as you are. Please don’t dress up. Don’t decorate your language. Don’t put on a show. Just be at home with Me. Be real. My place is your place.” 

-- Kyle Idleman in “The End of Me: When Real Life in the Upside-Down Ways of Jesus Begins” 

#5907

A PRAYING CHURCH IN TODAY’S WORLD

“The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous person (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God -- it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].”  (James 5:16b AMP)

It is reported that Mary, Queen of Scots, once said, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more that I fear all the armies on the face of the earth.” That was probably the last time anyone feared the prayers of the church.

The world does not fear the church – it barely tolerates it. Generally, the world perceives the church as no longer a player in world affairs, only an observer,… of a culture that has long since abandoned Christian presuppositions as a serious voice in shaping the values of modern society. The church is a quaint relic of the past that lends a certain charm to the neighborhood, a holdover from bygone days, big but harmless, like a beached whale.

For many, the crucial question facing the church is will it survive. I can answer that question. Yes, the church will survive. God has never left Himself without a witness, and His church will still be around when the curtain comes down on this [world]. It may not survive in its present form, but God help us if we’re interested only in surviving. Christ intends that His church do a lot more. 

-- Ronald Dunn in “Don’t Just Stand There, Pray Something: The Incredible Power of Intercessory Prayer”

#5885

PRAYER IS…

“Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore!”  (1 Chronicles 16:10-11 NKJV)

Prayer is co-operation with God. It is the purest exercise of the faculties God has given us -- an exercise that links these faculties with the Maker to work out the intentions He had in mind in their creation. Prayer is aligning ourselves with the purposes of God...

Prayer is commitment. We don't merely co-operate with God with certain things held back within. We, the total person, co-operate. This means that co-operation equals commitment. Prayer means that the total you is praying. Your whole being reaches out to God, and God reaches down to you...

Prayer is communion. Prayer is a means, but often it is an end in itself. There are times when your own wants and the needs of others drop away and you want just to look on God's face and tell Him how much you love Him...

Prayer is commission. Out of the quietness with God, power is generated that turns the spiritual machinery of the world.  When you pray, you begin to feel the sense of being sent, that the divine compulsion is upon you... 

-- E. Stanley Jones in “Growing Spiritually”

#5851

LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’”  (Luke 11:1 NIV)

He was a gifted Preacher, a powerful Person, a Man who drew people to Himself, yet search as you will, His disciples never ask Jesus how to preach or how to become a magnetic person.  But they do ask Him:  "Lord, teach us to pray."  Somehow they realized that behind that magnetic and productive life lay a power unknown to them, a source untapped by them.

They had seen Him get up early in the morning [to pray].  They had known Him to stay up late at night [praying].  They knew He prayed as the need arose.  More than once they caught Him in meditation.  "Lord, teach us to pray."  We, too, want to know the secret of a productive life.  We, too, want to tap the source of power. 

-- H.S. Vigeveno in “Jesus the Revolutionary” 

#5850

OUR MOST EFFECTIVE PRAYERS

Jesus said, “From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who He is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.”  (John 14:13-14 MSG)

Healthy relationships are nourished by good communication, and good communication requires listening as well as talking. Relating to God is the same way -- it involves talking to Him in prayer, but it also requires listening to Him.

Our most effective prayers are those that we pray after having first listened to God. Our prayers are powerful when they are rooted in a knowledge of God’s person and based on His principles. Prayers that stake claim on God’s promises are full of promise, but prayers based on presumption profit nothing. Prayers that stipulate “Thy will be done” rise to heaven. Prayers that ask only “my will be done” fall flat. Prayers that embrace the diving purpose draw the petitioner into communion with God. Prayers that entertain only selfish interests draw little response from God…

Godly men and women guard their behavior and pray in keeping with what God has said. They can then claim God’s promises, pray with confidence, and anticipate the answers with uplifted hearts. 

-- Adapted from Stuart Briscoe in “Daily Study Bible for Men”

#5722

KNOWING HOW TO PRAY

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”  (Romans 8:26-27 NKJV)

Prayer is worship. Our praying should be full of adoration, affection, and fondness for God. It is one of the best ways in the world to love Him.

Prayer is petition. We can ask anything -- even the most difficult things -- and know that God hears us. George MacDonald said, “Anything big enough to occupy our minds is big enough to hang a prayer on.”

Prayer is asking for understanding. It is the means by which we comprehend what God is saying to us in His Word.

Prayer moves what we know from our heads to our hearts; it’s our hedge against hypocrisy, the way by which we ring true.

Prayer focuses us and unites our fragmented hearts. We have a thousand necessities. It’s impossible for us to simplify them and integrate them into one. We should pray with David, “Give me an undivided heart” (Psalm 86:11).

Prayer is all these things but it is more: it is the means by which we fit in. It is the way God aligns us with Him and enables us to collaborate with Him in complete union and oneness. Seen in that way, prayer is more like listening than anything else -- being quiet in God’s presence, waiting on God until we know what to do. “If you pray the work,” Mother Teresa said, “you will know what to do.” 

-- David Roper in “A Beacon in the Darkness: Reflecting God’s Light in Today’s World”

#5704

THE ARGUMENT FOR PRAYER

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’  Jesus said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come…’”  (Luke 11:1-2 NIV)

Jesus never argued the validity of prayer any more than He argued for the existence of God. God was not something to be proved by argument; God was simply there, the beginning and the end of experience. Just so, prayer was not something to be proved by argument; prayer was there, the native breath of the soul. Prayer was mankind’s instinctive tendency, wrought into the very constitution of our nature. Its well-springs lay deep down beneath the region of argument; they lay in hearts which God has made for fellowship with Himself, which therefore (as Augustine at a later day expressed it) would always be restless until they found rest in Him. Hence Jesus never argued the matter.

But certainly there was a sense in which His own prayer life was the one unanswerable argument. Did any disciple -- Thomas, for example -- have doubts about prayer, genuine, honest doubts? Nothing was more likely to vanquish his doubts than the sight of Jesus upon His knees, for knowing Jesus and realizing what an utterly sure and reliable insight Jesus had into all the deepest things of life, such a disciple would feel it better to trust Jesus’ certainty rather than his own uncertainty. He would think it wise to attach more importance to Christ’s conviction than to his own doubts. In all matters of faith this is an enormously valuable principle, and certainly it carries weight here. Doubts are dispelled and dissolved before the shining prayer life of the Christ. The praying Christ is the supreme argument for prayer. 

-- James S. Stewart in “The Life and Teaching of Jesus Christ”

#5645

ABIDING IN CHRIST

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5 NKJV)

Abiding in Christ is essential for prayer that pleases God and brings answers. Trying to cultivate prayer without abiding in Christ is like trying to grow palm trees in Siberia. The climate is all wrong.

Abiding means keeping our shared life with Christ harmonious, free from the discord of sin. It is closely related to cherishing and obeying His Word: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7 NKJV)

A vine sustains its branched so that they bear grapes. So Christ, as we abide in Him, provides the life and strength we need for obedient, productive lives, as well as for effective prayer.

Abiding kindles within us a craving for the greatest gift we can receive through prayer -- a richer experience of God Himself. Whatever else He gives is secondary… Abiding means we will experience intimate fellowship with the King. This is the crowning privilege of being a member of His kingdom and family. 

-- Warren Myers with Ruth Myers in “Prayer: How to Be Effective in Prayer”

#5593

THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light.”  (Colossians 1:9-12 NIV)

Can we believe that God ever really modifies His action in response to the suggestions of [humans]?  For infinite wisdom does not need telling what is best, and infinite goodness needs no urging to do it.  But neither does God need any of those things that are done by finite agents, whether living or inanimate.  He could, if He chose, repair our bodies miraculously without food; or give us food without the aid of farmers, bakers, and butchers, or knowledge without the aid of learned [men and women]; or convert the heathen without missionaries.  Instead, He allows soils and weather and animals and the muscles, minds, and wills of [human beings] to cooperate in the execution of His will...  It is not really stranger, nor less strange, that my prayers should affect the course of events than that my other actions should do so.  They have not advised or changed God's mind -- that is, His overall purpose.  But that purpose will be realized in different ways according to the actions, including the prayers, of His [people]. 

-- C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) in “The Efficacy of Prayer”

#5589

PRAYER POSTURE

“I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.”  (Psalm 143:6 NKJV)

One of my favorite prayer postures I learned from the Quakers. I lead our congregation in this prayer frequently. We begin with hands facing down, symbolizing the things we need to let go of. It involves a process of confessing our sins, rebuking our fears, and relinquishing control. Then we turn our hands over so they are facing up in a posture of receptivity. We actively receive what God wants to give -- joy unspeakable, peace that transcends understanding, and unmerited grace. We receive the fruit and gifts of His Spirit with open hands and open hearts. 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Circle Maker”

#5463

THEY PRAYED FOR BOLDNESS – Part 1

Living in a multicultural world, the disciples easily could have remained silent about their dramatic encounter with God in Jesus Christ. In a world of many religions, they might understandably have been timid about even mentioning their faith in Jesus Christ. In a time when allegiance to the official religion often was demanded, they would have found it so much simpler to go along with the crowd. In a time when advocacy of any religion was dangerous, they would have been so much safer to hide any evidence of faith in Jesus Christ.

However, these very risks and dangers that could have sent the disciples running in fact prompted them to pray for boldness to declare the gospel. They did not ask for security, relief from persecution, or the demise of the opposition. They asked for boldness to declare the gospel. They were not longing for their own safety; they were longing for faithfulness. And as soon as their prayers subsided, the place where they were gathered was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31). Their prayers were instantly answered. 

-- Reuben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

#5442

THE 5 FINGERS OF PRAYER

The 5 Fingers Prayer was originally developed by Pope Francis, long before he was elected to be the Pope. He published this prayer method as a way to make prayer more accessible and help people pray for those who need prayer the most.

1.  Your thumb is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you.  They are the easiest to remember.  To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2.  The next finger is the pointing finger.  Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal.  This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3.  The next finger is the tallest finger.  It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president and other world leaders; federal, state and local officials; leaders in business and industry; and administrators.  These people shape our world and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4.  The fourth finger is our ring finger.  Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5.  And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all. Which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others.  As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you."  Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself.  By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

-- Adapted

#5426

GRACE AND PEACE THROUGH PRAYER

“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”  (2 Peter 1:2 NIV)

Prayer is not a luxury or merely a spiritual exercise. It is the greatest integrative force we know. I don’t mean the kind of prayer that asks for things to support our lifestyle or prayer to vindicate the rightness of our understanding, but prayer that with an open heart and open mind brings the things of everyday life, our problems and concerns, and the people of our life to God. This prayer bridges the gap we so often sense between our daily lives and our spiritual lives. It relates everything to God in the knowledge that He cares and understands. And often in praying about the things that confuse us and pull us in many directions, we find that in laying them out before God the relative importance of things becomes clearer, we remember things we overlooked, and in that we begin to sense something of God’s “grace and peace.” 

-- Earl F. Palmer in “Integrity in a World of Pretense: Insights from the Book of Philippians”

#5282

THE EFFECTIVE PRAYER

My relationship with God is part of my relationship with human beings. Failure in one will cause failure in the other. It isn’t necessary that it be a distinct consciousness of something wrong between my neighbor and myself. An ordinary current of thinking and judging -- the unloving thoughts and words I allow to pass unnoticed -- can hinder my prayer. The effective prayer of faith comes from a life given up to the will and the love of God. Not as a result of what I try to be when praying, but because of what I am when I’m not praying, is my prayer answered by God. 

-- Andrew Murray in “With Christ in the School of Prayer”

#5224