Why I need to pray without ceasing

 

Yesterday’s devotions gave me much to think about my reasons for praying. While the reading said those who don’t pray miss out on God's promises, I know that is not true. If it was, then my salvation depends on me. Instead, regular prayer is evidence of trusting God. It also builds that relationship. The more I communicate with Him, the better I understand Him and the more He teaches me about myself.

A bit of research on the reason for prayer first said that perseverance in prayer, even when facing delays or silence, is often the way God uses to deepen faith, foster spiritual growth, and strengthen my relationship with God. 

The Bible agrees and so do I. Perseverance says “I trust You.” However, giving up suggests backsliding and a lack of dependence on God. Any time that I’ve been slack about prayer, my faith suffers, but if I am praying, my faith deepens. Part of it is feeling closer to God, just as communication with anyone draws two people closer to each other. 

Many assume that prayer is about asking for and receiving what we want or need. Jesus did say:

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. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7–11)

Yet in these words, I see prayer being more about discovering God’s goodness and wisdom than it is about getting what I want. It is also about learning to trust His timing, and therefore developing perseverance, a quality that applies to most of life. Perseverance comes when I don’t get answers. James describes the process but adds another value in prayer:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:2–8)

While trials boost my prayer life, they also produce perseverance plus a desire for God’s wisdom. Thinking of the situations in the world that stress me, the closer I am to God in prayer, the more apt I am to be wise about what He is doing, rather than struck with horror at it all.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

Drawing near to God in prayer and listening to Him helps me respond to life because of what He tells me. It puts me in teachable mode. This is far better than not praying and being overcome with distress and fear, or remaining in ignorance.

The NT says, “Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and be open to God’s will. I might not get what I expect, but staying close to Him in conversation helps me see He is good and that all He does is for my good and His glory. 

PRAY: Jesus, I cannot pray well using a keyboard, but it does push me in the right direction. This day brings new challenges and I need to hear from You to meet those challenges with faith and wisdom. Thank You for Your Word and for always being near to speak with me.

  

To God be the glory . . .

Deuteronomy 32; Psalm 119:121–144; Isaiah 59; Matthew 7

What a blessing to have a ‘thought for the day’ each morning, a focus for my easily scattered and distracted mind. Today it is a request that I will glorify the Lord. Right away, the above readings suggest ways to do that . . . as does the words of a song that are running around in my mind: “To God be the glory, great things He has done . . . .”

For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. (Deuteronomy 32:3–4)

To God be the glory . . .

The passage goes on to say that the Lord withholds judgment on His rebellious people lest our spiritual enemy claims victory over us instead of acknowledging the power of God. This is His great mercy! He says:

For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free. Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge, who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your protection! “ ‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. (Deuteronomy 32:36–39)

Moses tells the people that these are not empty words but their very life. They need to take them to heart as I also must. God helps me when I am helpless; I am blessed when I am poor in spirit (Matthew 5:5) and unable to defend myself. To God be the glory . . .

God makes a covenant with His people. We do not deserve the promises of Almighty God yet for His name, His glory, He reveals His plan and His great and gracious heart:

“And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.” (Isaiah 59:21)

To God be the glory . . .

The heart of God is revealed when Jesus came into this sin-cursed world. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1:3) Glory to God for redemption! Glory to God for His great love revealed in His Son and revealed in the privileges He has given those of us who are His children. Here is only one of them:

“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. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7–11)

Who are I that I should ask the Creator of the universe for anything? Yet He answers prayer and gives me all good things. To God be the glory . . .

APPLY: There is so much more, a book full of His glory, a created world that shouts His glory. It is seen in the face of a child, the love of a family, the unity of His people, the goodness that He pours into and through our lives, the health and protection He gives, His grace in affliction, even the affliction of persecution, and the victory we have over death so that our funerals are celebrations not just of life but of our graduation into His presence. We have fullness of joy in suffering and so much more that my heart is overflowing as He brings thoughts of Him to my mind. Thank You, Jesus. To God be the glory!

 

Our good God hears and answers prayer

The Bible has much instruction concerning prayer. The basics include these truths . . .  

One, God hears my prayers.

Two, He always answers in one of three ways: Yes, No, or Wait.

Three, if the answer is No, then it is either not His will for me, or I am blocking the answer with unconfessed sin in my life.

When I read a passage about prayer, it points to at least one of those basics. The following words from Jesus point to the fact that God will give me what is good according to His will.

“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. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7–11)

Today, Chambers says this passage illustrates prayer as a “good child asking for a good thing.” While it is true that these instructions are for His children, and that confessing our sin is important, this is not what the passage says. Several other passages fit his theme much better:

“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18)

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1–2)

“We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.” (John 9:31)

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3)

I can pray very selfish prayers, ignoring sinful behavior like spats with other people, pride in myself, defiance toward God’s commands, greed, and all sorts of unconfessed junk. When I pray without paying attention to those things, God has a priority: clear them up first. (See 1 John 1:9)

However, I can also pray with uncertainty. Does God care about what I need? Will He give me something good? If I ask that His will be done, will He bring total misery into my life?

If I am praying with those questions and fears, perhaps I need to confess a lack of faith, or a lack of believing the promises of God. Regardless of the need for humility, in these verses from Matthew, Jesus addresses those fears. He assures me that God knows how to give good things to His children. This means that God loves me and is looking out for me. If I ask for anything that is good for me, He will make sure that I get what is good for me.

Of course it can take years to learn what I should be asking for — especially when my old nature always wants something that I think is good. That is why the Bible tells me to trust Him when I pray. He knows what I need even before I ask, and even better, He promises to answer — with whatever is good for me.

My father and my Father

Often I tell others that our view of our earthly father will affect our understanding of our heavenly Father, yet I must heed my own words. My earthly father was told I would not live past age 16, so he hardly ever said no. Most of what I wanted was not evil but self-indulgent, like a couple of horses and the use of the family car. However, it put the notion in my head that if I ask God, He will eventually give me whatever I want.

Theoretically, it is easy enough to distinguish between asking for something good and evil. Verses like these even encourage Christians to keep asking . . .

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. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7–11)

But in practice, I’m blessed by the “good gifts” only in the sense of how God defines good, not how my old self defines it. If I set my mind on some selfish “good” thing, that old nature can be like a bulldog with a bone, even when my Christian faith and new nature in Christ says I’m being selfish.

I can see how this could go the other way too. Those who had abusive fathers could sometimes think God is mean, or those who had irresponsible and uncaring fathers could fear that God did not love them or care about their lives. The Word of God says otherwise, and the rational mind argues that those ideas are not true, but deep inside, doubt and unbelief sometimes cloud reality.

Blaming dad isn’t the route to take. When I fall into a false view of God, I need to review what my heavenly Father has done in my life and what He says about Himself. I also need to confess my blame-shifting too. I cannot hang on to those sinful and selfish “I wants” using those childish misconceptions as an excuse to stay locked in to them. God is my Father, and as good as my father was to me, my heavenly Father has far more in mind than pleasing me for a mere sixteen years. His goals are eternal and life-changing . . .   

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1–3)

He protects and cares for me, but does not want me to be a slave to my old way of life. “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:17–19)

Those “futile ways” may have seemed fine at the time, but whenever I step backward into them, I find myself in a trap that I cannot get out of by my own efforts. Whenever any “I wants” take over, instead of rejoicing that Christ is my Lord and Savior, I am enslaved to selfishness and begin to lose confidence in God. At that point, He bids me to bring it all to Him and leave it all with Him.

I also need to focus on the fact that the blood of Christ was shed so I can be free of such things. If the loss of those “I wants” is difficult, I need to remember that Jesus said, “Not my will but Thine be done” and also that I now belong to His family and His Father.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:15–17)

Our Heavenly Father will not indulge selfishness, but He does make His children heirs of all things. Besides, if God said yes to everything I ask for now, I would soon be a slave to self-indulgence. By saying no, I might feel a temporary loss, but the gain is eternal.

All for the asking

St. Cross Hospital is England’s oldest almshouse. It was founded by William the Conqueror's grandson, Henri du Blois in 1132 and continues an ancient tradition called the Wayfarer's Dole. Any person who knocks at the door of the Porter’s Lodge and asks for it will receive a small horn cup of ale and a piece of bread.

The almshouse idea came from a monk, but I wonder if he was thinking of these words uttered by Jesus Christ?

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. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7–11)

This offer from the Lord goes back even farther than the tradition at St. Cross. He said it more than two thousand  years ago, linking it to His eternal Father who has no beginning or end. His mercy and gracious heart are always open to those who come to Him in need.

Hungry sinners may ask for bread, even the bread of life, and this is freely given. Yet the offer includes more. There is a bath attached so that marred and sinful souls can go to Jesus and be washed. This fountain is always full, always efficacious, always ready to wash away crimson stains and make us whiter than snow before God.

Jesus’ offer includes a wardrobe. Those who are washed from sin are given a new robe of righteousness. His offer provides armor that will cover and protect those who wear it. This includes a sword and a shield to defend and protect the cleansed sinner’s soul from the enemy’s lies, even refuting them and sending him away. All this is ours for the asking.

Actually, at the feet of Jesus, nothing that is good for us is ever denied. He takes care of physical, mental, emotional and financial needs. He freely offers wisdom to those who ask. Nor only that, the one who knocks at the Savior’s door is given an eternal heritage of treasure beyond imagination.

Spurgeon urges his readers to run to mercy’s door and ask large things of our generous Lord. He encourages me to spread all my needs, even my wants, before the Lord. I am not to be bashful or hesitant about this, nor hindered by unbelief. Jesus said it — and He meant it.

**********

Oh Lord, You know how easily I come to You with a list of my I-wants, even so sure of Your ear that I forget to praise You as I ought. I know and am grateful for Your grace and generosity. You have taken care of my needs since that first day when You came knocking at the door of my heart. Since that day, my requests have changed. Some are still personal, but many are for the spiritual well-being of Your people (which You promise to fulfill) and the salvation of those not yet standing at Your door. As I pray, I know that You care for those in need far more than I do. Not only that, You can put a desire in their heart to seek You and to ask You for the bread of life. May no one who sees Your gracious offer pass by and remain in need.

(photo credit)