Pray without ceasing?

 

In a weekly prayer time with 2-3 other women we formally pray, but also discuss our burdens and thoughts about walking with Jesus. We’ve agreed that God hears our discussions as prayer the same way He hears when we speak with bowed heads.

This morning I read a devotional thought that agrees. It says that “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) is “the breath in our lungs and the blood from our hearts” flowing  ceaselessly without being conscious of it, and prayer is like that. Jesus keeps us in perfect relationship with God when we are obeying Him. Because this is so, our lives are the exercise of prayer. Because Jesus never mentioned unanswered prayer and because His care is endless, I can be certain that He is continually at work to hear and answer me, whether I am speaking or not, and whether He is speaking to me or not.

This writer says we need to see what Jesus says about prayer and instead of excusing His words or trying to make sense of them, just do what He says about this fantastic privilege of having a two-way conversation with our Creator.

For instance, He says “When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6) This warns me about praying to impress others, but also suggests that His answers may also be kept secret for a time.

Jesus makes prayer simple talk. “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.” (Matthew 6:7) I don’t need fancy or formal words.

I do need to persist though:

Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell 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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Luke 11:5–10)

And I also need to believe that He is going to do what I ask:

Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:23-24)

But if I have a rift with others because of their sin, or any other reason, I need to first deal with that or any other sin of my own. He isn’t listening if I’m harboring unconfessed sin in any form:

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. (Mark 11:25)

Prayer is not all about what I want. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He began with praise and with a huge request: “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.’ ” (Luke 11:2) God’s priorities are far bigger than any requests about personal comfort!

I’m also to pray in His name, which is asking with the conviction that my requests represent His requests. “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:13–14) Far too often, prayer is a personal request for personal comfort, not to glorify God or a request based on knowing His will.

All of these instructions mean knowing what He wants, not only in how to pray but what to pray for. I cannot assume that because I want it, Jesus also wants the same thing. He might, but if my prayer is totally selfish, His answer will include conviction to talk with Him about His will instead of my own.

PRAY: Father, in the name of Your Son, enable my prayer life to be more like His, that You will be glorified and I have nothing to boast about. May I also realize that everything I think, or say, or do, is communication with You — and for that reason, I need to listen more than I speak.

God hears my heart…

 

At times I’ve said that God is the only one who can hug me and give me a good kick at the same time. Today’s devotional reading does that. First the hug part:

True prayer, like all other graces and acts of worship, is a heart work. You may memorize little religious sayings and call them prayers. You may read and recite prayer books and think you are praying. You may repeat the earnest prayers of other people and suppose that you have prayed. But true prayed cannot be taught or learned by men any more than breathing can be. It is not an art or skill. Prayer is the breath of the renewed soul. Prayer is born in the heart by the grace of God. It is the power and grace of the Spirit in a man’s heart that teaches him to pray.
When I pray with others, we often talk about spiritual matters and things on our hearts. We agree that in the mind of God, we are praying in those conversations. The above paragraph hints that this is true because God is listening to our hearts as we breathe out what is truly the needs and desires made aware to us by His Spirit.

At the same time, there are warnings of what not to do concerning prayer, and examples of how God’s people should pray. Jesus said: “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matthew 6:5)

I cannot say I’ve prayed with that motivation, but must admit thinking that I need to ‘pray properly’ or some such notion. Because God knows my heart, I can sense the admonition and know that praying to impress others does not belong at all.

The example of David also hugs and convicts. His prayer was filled with worship, and I’ve learned the importance of praying to honor Him. Not only is this right, it also puts my focus on Him and being more concerned that His will is done. It is easy to pray for my will to be done, but praying that way and honoring God cannot co-exist. David prayed:

Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God… Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears… And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God… Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.” (2 Samuel 7:18–29, shortened for space, but this prayer is filled with praise)

From this Word today, I better understand what it means to “pray without ceasing.” It includes continual admission of sin, always seeking God’s will, and always trusting His love and goodness. Prayer is my source of strength and consolation to my faith. But I must not forget that my prayer life reveals my heart attitude, both toward God and myself. I’m thinking how my mind wanders, easily distracted, even forgetting the One I’m talking to — and that is far from the sense of being hugged.

PRAY: Lord Jesus, when I talk with You, I need to confess my sinfulness and weakness in the flesh, but not dwell on it in any sort of self-pity. Keep my heart more focused on You, Your goodness and care, and with a strong, undistracted heart fixed on who You are and what You want in my life and in all the people and things that You put in my heart. Thank You for showing me where Your focus is when I pray, not on my words so much as on my heart and on Your heart.

His knowledge = my comfort & joy!

Last night while watching a detective show, I noticed how those investigating a crime were able to discern when the people they interviewed were lying. Actors did a realistic imitation of the gestures and so on of those who are hiding something but proclaiming the opposite. Some people do have that ability in real life.

Imagine the discernment of God — how refreshing to know that God never mistakes outward appearance for reality, nor is led by the judgment of humans, particularly those who speak falsely. He laughs at our foolishness and ignorant judgements. Imagine God with no sounder discernment than we do and woe to sincere people who others think are hypocrites.

It is a joyful reality to know that God has infinite understanding. One day He will wipe off the dirt of worldly reproaches because He knows the least bit of grace and righteousness in the hearts of his people. He sees even the least saving faith, cherishes it, and will finish the work He has begun, not ever abandoning it.

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. (Matthew 12:20)

When it comes to prayer, He hears more than our words. One of my praying friends began our sessions covering her mouth for fear her words were inadequate, but Stephen Charnock rightly says that words are but the garment of prayer while meditation is the body, and affection is the soul and life of prayer. He points to verses like, “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation” (Psalm 5:1) to point out that prayer is a rational act of the mind. not the act of a parrot. It comes from the heart even though the speaking part is the work of the tongue. God gives ear to the words, but He considers the meditation of our hearts.

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. (Malachi 3:16)

This too is related to His vast and complete knowledge. He observes millions of sins committed at the same time, by a vast number of persons, to record them in order to punishment. He also distinctly discerns an infinite number of cries, all at the same moment, to register them in order to answer. A sigh cannot escape Him — even though it is crowded among a mighty multitude of cries from others, even though it might be covered with many unwelcome distractions in myself. It is like the believing touch from the woman that had the bloody issue was not concealed from Christ, nor was her cry undiscerned in the pressure of the multitudes. My groans are as audible and intelligible to Him as my words. He knows the mind of His own Spirit (who is prompting my thoughts) even if it is expressed in no plainer language than sobs and gasps.

And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:27)
O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. (Psalm 38:9)

PRAY: Oh Lord, such a blessing to read and think these realities about You and Your total knowledge, particularly regarding prayer. You hear the desires of my heart. Knowing You hear me makes up for the many times I’ve felt that no one is listening. Knowing You hear me, I can even say with the psalmist: “Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.” (Psalm 6:8–10) And this is the confidence that I have toward You, that if I ask anything according to Your will You hear me. And if I know that You hears me in whatever I ask, I know that I have the requests that I have asked of You. (1 John 5:14–15, personalized) You are utterly amazing!

God can handle it

A friend was upset with another person and told me about it with great angst. I suggested that she tell God what she told me, seeking His face and His comfort. She replied, “I could never talk to God like that. It would be disrespectful.”

I gently reminded her of the psalms and how some of them expressed burdens to God in much stronger language than hers. I don’t know if she realized that her attitude demeaned the Lord. Does He not know our hearts? Isn’t He able to deal with our deepest woes and worries?

Tozer’s words today are worth repeating. He warns his readers to beware of reducing God to theory and intellect. He says when God appears to us as awesome, vast and incomprehensible, then the mind sinks into silence and the heart cries out “O Lord God!” This signifies the difference between theological knowledge and spiritual experience. He tells us to “watch lest we lose the ‘Oh’” from our hearts.”

Another Christian lady keeps telling me I’ve a super-sensitive heart when I pray or speak my burdens with the emotions that I feel. Maybe that sensitivity is the reason her words bother me, but doesn’t God have a burden for the lost, a broken heart for those struggling through life? Isn’t Jesus Christ sensitive and compassionate?

At times, I think I have a hard heart but then read Tozer’s words, “There is real danger that we fall victim to the prophets of poise and the purveyors of tranquility, and our Christianity be reduced to a mere evangelical humanism that is never disturbed about anything nor overcome . . .”

If nothing bothers me, if I cannot pray “Oh God” or express concern for the events in our world, then I am not like this psalmist:

“O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. They say, ‘Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!’  . . . . Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O Lord. Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, that they may know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.” (Psalm 83:1-4; 16–18)

Who else can I share those concerns with? Who can do something about the hard stuff, the tragedies, the burdens that bother me?

I’ve noticed that whenever my interest in world affairs lags, or my concern for the well-being of others is turned off because I caring is hard on me, then my prayers become rote repetition, requests without any passion. Tozer puts it this way: When the calm listing of requests and the courteous giving of proper thanks take the place of the burdened prayer that finds utterance difficult we should beware the next step, for our direction is surely down whether we know it or not.

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Lord Jesus, faith in You means a relationship in which Your Spirit lives in me and affects how I think and live. It seems fitting that I should feel what You feel and converse with You as expressed by Your people, both in the OT and the New. May I never reduce You to a CEO where I bring my list of requests as if You are the boss. May I never think You are unapproachable if my words become a strong outpouring of my heart. May I never stop praying, “Oh God.”