We are talking about the necessity of prayer, particularly in relation to God’s sovereign, eternal, predestined will. Yesterday, we saw a dramatic example of this in Daniel’s prayer in Dan. 9. Today, let’s talk about what God wants to accomplish in us through our prayer. We said that our prayer is a means by which God achieves His purpose. But, obviously, not all of our petitions are answered the way we think or hope. In fact, there are many, to which God’s answer is no. This should not surprise us. The Bible says clearly, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:14).
Read MoreWe are talking about the necessity of prayer as a divinely ordained means by which God accomplishes His purpose. This is to show that our prayer matters in the divine, predestined scheme of things. One of the clearest and most dramatic examples of this is Daniel’s prayer in Dan. 9. There, Daniel prayed with fasting and sackcloth and ashes, confessing his sins and the sins of his people, Israel. Then, we read in v. 21, “...while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice.” What did the angel Gabriel say to Daniel? “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you...” (vs. 22-23). Talk about an immediate answer from God. While Daniel was praying—that is, even before Daniel finished his prayer—in fact, at the beginning of his prayer, “a word went out” in answer to his prayer. What was that about?
Read MoreYesterday, as we continue to think about the necessity of prayer, we started to talk about the relationship between God’s predestination and our prayer. The two are not incompatible or mutually exclusive because God predestined everything—not just the result but also the process and the means, including our prayer. Why did God decide to use prayer as a means of accomplishing His purpose?
Read MoreAs we continue to think about the necessity of prayer, I’d like to introduce another reason. For those of you in our church, this may be a familiar concept but something worth reviewing: prayer is necessary for the fulfillment of God’s eternal, unchangeable, predestined plan. Many are puzzled by that statement. They wonder why they should pray if God predestined everything. What kind of thinking is behind that kind of question? Prayer is all about exerting my will on the world and even on God rather than seeking God’s will. If God predestined everything, is there any place for my will, for what I want?
Read MoreWe have been speaking of the necessity of prayer. Let me introduce another reason today. I’m sure we all want to have a “better” prayer life. We don’t want prayer to feel burdensome to us; we want to look forward to praying. We don’t want to close our eyes to pray and have nothing really to say; we want words to flow out of our hearts and minds. We don’t want to struggle through all our prayer time, fighting off distractions and racing thoughts; we want to be able to focus and go into fellowshipping with God right away. When we are done praying, we don’t want to feel glad that it’s over; we want to reluctantly tear ourselves away from praying because God is calling us to do other things for Him. But when we stop praying, we want to know that we have been changed by that time with God, not feel more depressed because we feel like we haven’t been heard.
Read MoreWe have been talking about why we need to pray. For the last two days, we talked about our need for a God-centered, biblical perspective. Today, we will talk about another important reason:those who depend on us to pray for them. One of the important aspects of our Christian fellowship is intercessory prayer—prayer for one another. Of course, there are many things we can, and ought to, do for one another, using our God-given resources and talents. And when they are done in a timely and wise fashion, God can use them to bring much comfort and encouragement to others, to effect a profound change in their lives, and even to lead them to salvation. But we are very much limited in our abilities and sphere of influence. There are many times when we feel utterly incompetent and helpless against the enormity of the problems our loved ones face, when we don’t know what to say or what to do, except to cry out to God.
Read MoreYesterday, in reflecting on prayer as a means of regaining a God-centered perspective, we talked about pleasure as our greatest motivator and our need to have it reoriented and reordered from the worldly perspective. Let’s stay on that topic one more day. Yesterday, I briefly mentioned the importance of Scripture reading for our prayer life. The ultimate and final prayer of ours should be, “Not my will, but yours, be done” (Matt. 26:39). “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:14). Where do we learn of God’s will? Isn’t it in the Scripture that we find the clearest expression of His will? But of course, we need the Holy Spirit, who inspired the words of the Bible, to help us understand them. So, we should pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit before we read the Bible. Then, we should read it prayerfully with careful attention and reverence. Then, we should pray for the proper application of the Word as well as according to the Bible.
Read MoreWe are talking about the necessity of prayer. Yesterday, we spoke of our need for a God-centered perspective, especially in the morning as we feel the burdens of the day. Today, let’s talk about another aspect of the God-centered perspective we need. They say that pleasure is the most powerful motivator in all that we do. This is not necessarily bad, of course. In fact, we can say that this is how God wired us when He created us. This shows how good God is: He made us to be drawn to pleasure rather than pain because pleasure is what He wants us to experience and enjoy, not pain. It is not wrong to seek pleasure.
Read MoreWe are talking about why we need to pray. Yesterday, we spoke of our need to carry our burdens to God. Today, I want to speak of our need for a right, God-centered perspective. I don’t know about you but, when I wake up in the morning, I find myself already feeling rushed and even anxious. My heart is heavy with the list of all the things that need to get done, some of which are tedious, demanding, and even so unpleasant that I really want to avoid them or put them off till later. Often, there are difficult, unresolved situations to deal with, which invite many fears of what might happen if I make a mistake or things don’t go just right. (I hope you don’t check the news before you pray because that will add to a whole new set of concerns, frustrations, fears, and even anger!) So, as I look ahead, I already feel like I don’t have enough time to get things done. This is precisely why I need to pray: “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Ps. 46:10)! Before I launch into another day, I need to be still in the presence of God and remember that He is God and He is working out His purpose to glorify His name in all things.
Read MoreWe have been speaking of the necessity of prayer. Obviously, it is grounded in our creaturely needs. But we saw how our greatest need is our communion with God because we are made in the image of a triune God. Yesterday, we talked about the danger of neglecting this greatest need we have and being preoccupied with the lesser needs. Today, as we finish this week off, I’d like to talk about the kind of communion we are granted to have with God through Jesus Christ. Horatius Bonar said,
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