June 20, 2000
Our neighbor boys discovered a coyote in one of their grain bins. Ignoring any danger, they waved sticks and shouted at the critter who cowering in a corner. Finally the coyote dashed past them, tail between its legs, determined to escape. The boys hooted and called themselves brave.
For humans and animals both, threatening situations produces a response. Adrenalin begins to flow. The mind makes a choice: do we pick up a stick? Or look for the nearest exit?
For the boys, fighting was brandishing since that coyote was more afraid of them then they of it. In other situations, fighting might mean actual combat. However, it often takes another form. If we chose to stick around, we might resist with noise, anger, anxiety and determination.
This week, I fought using all four. I talked a lot. I got mad. I worried and chewed on my situation trying to figure out what to do about it. I determined how to win. But nothing worked. All I got out of it was a headache, a sore neck, and fatigue. Fighting is hard work. In my case, the hard work would have been worth it had I won, but I wound up fighting a foe bigger than myself. It didn’t start that way but my battle was against God.
No wonder I was worn out. Someone told me that beating your head against the wall uses 150 calories an hour. Imagine the calorie burn from fighting the Almighty. I should have lost weight as well as sleep and peace of mind.
From this experience, I realized some realities. First, it is true that the person losing the argument is the one who does the most talking. The more I slipped into second place, the more I tried verbal defense, but it didn’t work.
Second, it is not wrong to be angry but it is wrong to let anger motivate sin. Someone lied about me and lied to me. I was hot. God gets angry at lies (He is Truth so He can do that) and since He lives in me, some of that anger may have been His. What I did wrong was call down fire on the other person. I judged him, accused him, and if I could have reached his neck, I might have rattled his teeth. Not a godly response to lies. Besides exhaustion, this added fuel to the situation.
Anxiety didn’t help either. I worried myself stiff over this. How would other people react to these lies? Would they believe them? Would the lies hurt others? What could I do to stop this person? How should I defend myself? I plotted (not hard for a writer) but the ending eluded me. Determination might do it for some people, but without a cool head, a reasonable solution, and any energy, my resolve was rapidly shriveling. Besides, God reminded me of a few things.
“When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” My dad often told me there is a reason we have two ears and one mouth, and that no one can listen and talk at the same time. To really hear God and His solution, I had to shut up.
“In your anger, do not sin: do not let the sun go down while your are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Anger may be justified but it needs to be resolved quickly, not nursed. By persisting in it, I pushed God aside and let my enemy confuse the issue with more lies.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
My tension started to dissolve when I began to thank God for allowing this to happen, and for His promise to use it for good in my life. As my determination to fix things or get even faded, it was replaced by prayer for the one who upset me. At that, I was presented with another of God’s mysteries; I could think about the incident yet not feel upset. I do not understand how that works but it sure beats having a headache.
Showing posts with label prayers God hears. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayers God hears. Show all posts
Friday, December 1, 2017
Friday, June 9, 2017
Surviving Ursus ................ Parables 599
June 9, 1998
A few years ago, when our youngest was still a baby, we were tenting in a mountain campground. About midnight, Bob and I woke up to loud crashing and scraping noises. We quickly peered out the tent door window. Much to our amazement and only a few feet away was a large black bear.
Bruno was intensely interested in our metal cooler. He straddled it and pulled off the drain spout releasing the smell of food inside which drove him into a frenzy. But batting it ten or twelve feet at a time was not working. After half a dozen swats, he decided to take a run at the door of our tent. He stopped several feet away then whirled back to the cooler. Again and again, he charged the tent, each time coming closer. Soon Bob could smell and feel his hot breath.
Our little guy was still asleep. The older two were awake, shaking in fear. Bob handed me a knife and said, “When I tell you, cut a hole in the back of the tent and take the kids to the washroom.” It was a few yards behind our campsite.
My mind was strangely calm. In fact, running through it were the words of a comical country and western song: “Lord, you delivered Daniel from the lion’s den; now for goodness sakes do something about that bear.” I took the knife, wondering if cutting canvas was difficult.
In a few moments, the occupants of the next campsite drove into their parking space. We had asked them earlier to be quiet because their noisy party kept our baby awake. They left and now were back, obviously from another party.
Getting their attention seemed to take a long time but once they spotted the bear, their bottle-derived courage flared. One started yelling. Soon all four were throwing rocks. The confused bear decided the food in the cooler was not worth this harangue. He lumbered off.
After thanking our rescuers and safely stowing the cooler in the trunk of the car, we went back into the tent. The children went back to sleep. Bob and I enjoyed sudden peace with trees silhouetted on the wall of our tent. About an hour later, we woke again to a new silhouette. The bear was back, but again, we were unexpectedly calm. He snuffed up to the tent, dug a small hole near our heads, then shuffled away. Soon we were sleeping.
Years later, we tell of this strange event. Common sense says we should have been terrified, or at least much more concerned than we were. Yet faith often reassures me of what was really happening that night. God was there — and He taught me at least three important truths.
One is that prayer does not have to be theologically deep, solemnly spoken, in King James English, or said on my knees with heart-felt emotion and pleading. It can take any form, even that of a silly song running through my head. As the Bible says, God “hears the cry of our hearts.”
Second, I learned that God answers the needs of the moment. His response may not be a miracle, nor is He limited to our ideas of what constitutes a miracle. Also, His answers may not come through angelic beings or even pious people. If God wants to meet our needs using the drunken bravery of four partying campers, He can do it. He says, “Call unto me and I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know.”
Third, I learned that when I am in the care of God, I do not have to be afraid; nothing can harm me unless He wills it. That bear may have been the biggest and most dangerous in the park, but God knew how to influence its actions and choices.
Our tenting days are over now. Our children do not even remember that night, but I will never forget it. It is a memory not just because of the bear but because of God’s faithfulness to hear and answer a prayer that was never quite prayed.
A few years ago, when our youngest was still a baby, we were tenting in a mountain campground. About midnight, Bob and I woke up to loud crashing and scraping noises. We quickly peered out the tent door window. Much to our amazement and only a few feet away was a large black bear.
Bruno was intensely interested in our metal cooler. He straddled it and pulled off the drain spout releasing the smell of food inside which drove him into a frenzy. But batting it ten or twelve feet at a time was not working. After half a dozen swats, he decided to take a run at the door of our tent. He stopped several feet away then whirled back to the cooler. Again and again, he charged the tent, each time coming closer. Soon Bob could smell and feel his hot breath.
Our little guy was still asleep. The older two were awake, shaking in fear. Bob handed me a knife and said, “When I tell you, cut a hole in the back of the tent and take the kids to the washroom.” It was a few yards behind our campsite.
My mind was strangely calm. In fact, running through it were the words of a comical country and western song: “Lord, you delivered Daniel from the lion’s den; now for goodness sakes do something about that bear.” I took the knife, wondering if cutting canvas was difficult.
In a few moments, the occupants of the next campsite drove into their parking space. We had asked them earlier to be quiet because their noisy party kept our baby awake. They left and now were back, obviously from another party.
Getting their attention seemed to take a long time but once they spotted the bear, their bottle-derived courage flared. One started yelling. Soon all four were throwing rocks. The confused bear decided the food in the cooler was not worth this harangue. He lumbered off.
After thanking our rescuers and safely stowing the cooler in the trunk of the car, we went back into the tent. The children went back to sleep. Bob and I enjoyed sudden peace with trees silhouetted on the wall of our tent. About an hour later, we woke again to a new silhouette. The bear was back, but again, we were unexpectedly calm. He snuffed up to the tent, dug a small hole near our heads, then shuffled away. Soon we were sleeping.
Years later, we tell of this strange event. Common sense says we should have been terrified, or at least much more concerned than we were. Yet faith often reassures me of what was really happening that night. God was there — and He taught me at least three important truths.
One is that prayer does not have to be theologically deep, solemnly spoken, in King James English, or said on my knees with heart-felt emotion and pleading. It can take any form, even that of a silly song running through my head. As the Bible says, God “hears the cry of our hearts.”
Second, I learned that God answers the needs of the moment. His response may not be a miracle, nor is He limited to our ideas of what constitutes a miracle. Also, His answers may not come through angelic beings or even pious people. If God wants to meet our needs using the drunken bravery of four partying campers, He can do it. He says, “Call unto me and I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know.”
Third, I learned that when I am in the care of God, I do not have to be afraid; nothing can harm me unless He wills it. That bear may have been the biggest and most dangerous in the park, but God knew how to influence its actions and choices.
Our tenting days are over now. Our children do not even remember that night, but I will never forget it. It is a memory not just because of the bear but because of God’s faithfulness to hear and answer a prayer that was never quite prayed.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Chain mail to God? .................. Parables 448
November 22, 1994
An Edmonton community newspaper ran this “Prayer to the Holy Spirit” in its classified section: “...You who makes me see everything and... shows me the way to reach my ideals... and who can give me the divine gift to forgive and forget all that is done to me... You who are in all the instances of my life with me... I want to thank You... and to confirm once more, I never want to be separate from You no matter how great the material desires... I want to be with You and my loved ones.”
The ad went on to say if a person prayed this for three consecutive days without asking for their wish, after the third day, their wish would be granted, no matter how difficult it was. They must also promise to publish this as soon as the favor was granted.
Whoever wrote this prayer recognizes the Holy Spirit has the ability to help them understand. They also recognize the Spirit of God gives the ability to forgive, is with them, and to be thanked. The Bible affirms these things.
The author also seems to believe they cannot tell the Spirit what to do directly, but if they pledge some sort of allegiance and offer this prayer, He will do what they want Him to do.
In this regard, this prayer does not match what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit or about prayer. One point about His role; it is not to show us how to reach our ideals but point us to Christ and help us reach His goal for us.
Second, while the Holy Spirit does help us forgive, biblical forgiveness is not forgetting. Rather, forgiveness means choosing not to hold anything against those who wrong us. God forgives our sins and in a metaphorical sense says He remembers them no more yet it is utterly impossible to conceive of the God of the Bible having no knowledge about anything. He “remembers no more” in the sense that when Christ died, all our sins were put on Him. He paid the penalty for them. Once we accept that for ourselves, He then has grounds to never hold our sins against us. We are set free from His judgment of sin.
Third, any who know God find the struggle is not between material desires and being with the Spirit. Jesus guaranteed the Spirit’s abiding presence when He said, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth.” Instead, our struggle is between our sinful, selfish desires and what the Spirit wants us to do. We need His help to say no to sin and yes to Him.
Another role of the Holy Spirit is to teach us to pray when we do not know what to say. Since He is “the Spirit of truth,” those prayers will not contradict what God says elsewhere. In a prayer like this, an incantation or formula has been devised to convince God to do whatever the praying person wants. However, no matter how we pray or how often, God is powerful and wise. Our selfish purposes will not prevail over the good He desires for us. Prayers such as these test the Almighty.
In other words, expecting the Spirit to “grant wishes no matter how difficult they may be” usually have nothing to do with being righteous and following the will of God. When Jesus was encountered by a similar notion that offered personal gain in exchange for His homage, He said, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”
People who want to follow God can learn how God operates and know what kinds of prayers He wants us to pray. A good place to start is by examining the prayers of Scripture, not those placed in an ad in a newspaper.
An Edmonton community newspaper ran this “Prayer to the Holy Spirit” in its classified section: “...You who makes me see everything and... shows me the way to reach my ideals... and who can give me the divine gift to forgive and forget all that is done to me... You who are in all the instances of my life with me... I want to thank You... and to confirm once more, I never want to be separate from You no matter how great the material desires... I want to be with You and my loved ones.”
The ad went on to say if a person prayed this for three consecutive days without asking for their wish, after the third day, their wish would be granted, no matter how difficult it was. They must also promise to publish this as soon as the favor was granted.
Whoever wrote this prayer recognizes the Holy Spirit has the ability to help them understand. They also recognize the Spirit of God gives the ability to forgive, is with them, and to be thanked. The Bible affirms these things.
The author also seems to believe they cannot tell the Spirit what to do directly, but if they pledge some sort of allegiance and offer this prayer, He will do what they want Him to do.
In this regard, this prayer does not match what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit or about prayer. One point about His role; it is not to show us how to reach our ideals but point us to Christ and help us reach His goal for us.
Second, while the Holy Spirit does help us forgive, biblical forgiveness is not forgetting. Rather, forgiveness means choosing not to hold anything against those who wrong us. God forgives our sins and in a metaphorical sense says He remembers them no more yet it is utterly impossible to conceive of the God of the Bible having no knowledge about anything. He “remembers no more” in the sense that when Christ died, all our sins were put on Him. He paid the penalty for them. Once we accept that for ourselves, He then has grounds to never hold our sins against us. We are set free from His judgment of sin.
Third, any who know God find the struggle is not between material desires and being with the Spirit. Jesus guaranteed the Spirit’s abiding presence when He said, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth.” Instead, our struggle is between our sinful, selfish desires and what the Spirit wants us to do. We need His help to say no to sin and yes to Him.
Another role of the Holy Spirit is to teach us to pray when we do not know what to say. Since He is “the Spirit of truth,” those prayers will not contradict what God says elsewhere. In a prayer like this, an incantation or formula has been devised to convince God to do whatever the praying person wants. However, no matter how we pray or how often, God is powerful and wise. Our selfish purposes will not prevail over the good He desires for us. Prayers such as these test the Almighty.
In other words, expecting the Spirit to “grant wishes no matter how difficult they may be” usually have nothing to do with being righteous and following the will of God. When Jesus was encountered by a similar notion that offered personal gain in exchange for His homage, He said, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”
People who want to follow God can learn how God operates and know what kinds of prayers He wants us to pray. A good place to start is by examining the prayers of Scripture, not those placed in an ad in a newspaper.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Learning how to pray ................. Parables 238
(October 10, 1990)
The old fashioned midweek church prayer meeting isn’t a sold-out event these days. People still pray but it seems many are reluctant to get together to do it. Busy life styles, maybe less faith, any number of things could contribute to the empty chairs, but one other thing could have something to do with it: inexperienced pray-ers feeling intimidated by those who obviously have been practicing for years.
I remember how I felt as a new Christian at prayer time. I could pour my heart out to God when alone, but in a group, my tongue tied itself in knots and ALL words escaped me, never mind words that sounded right. I felt like the disciples must have felt the day they heard Jesus praying. (Luke 11)
While not too many of His prayers are recorded in the Bible, we can conclude from those that are, this one was communication par excellence. When He was finished, it is no surprise that one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray...”
Who wouldn’t want to pray like Jesus prayed? Maybe the disciples thought if they could say it like He did, they would be more apt to be heard. Or maybe they believed if they just could memorize those beautiful words, their prayer life would be more dynamic.
But saying the right thing is only part of it. The prayers of Jesus had two other important qualities. First, they were entirely within the will of God. Secondly, they were delivered in complete faith. With those two distinctives, the importance of saying the right words lines up a weak third, if that.
In all graciousness, Jesus did tell the disciples the words to pray: “When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”
I remember praying those words every day as a school child. All twenty-five of us learned them by rote and I doubt any of us understood what we were saying. I can’t recall myself ever thinking God heard me or that I was saying anything that fit in with His plans. They were only words.
Teaching someone how to say the right words is easy. My grade school teachers did it by repetition. Teaching someone to believe in the God to whom those words are directed is another matter. Jesus used two illustrations to explain what He is like. The first was the persistent request of one who keeps on asking because he knows his friend will come through. The second was about a son who can ask his father for bread and fish with confidence, knowing he won’t get a stone or a scorpion. Jesus wanted the disciples to understand that it makes no sense saying the right words to God if you don’t know what He is like and don’t really believe He will answer.
Praying is not mere ritual nor is it oratory requiring great skill. It is simply talking to God about what is on our hearts, giving Him the honor due Him, expressing praise and thanksgiving, and making requests regarding our needs. Prayer is also the avenue by which God gives us the qualities we need to overcome sin and deal with problems in relationships.
Thank God eloquence isn’t the issue. He is interested in our hearts --and the reasons why we pray (or fail to pray) to Him.
The old fashioned midweek church prayer meeting isn’t a sold-out event these days. People still pray but it seems many are reluctant to get together to do it. Busy life styles, maybe less faith, any number of things could contribute to the empty chairs, but one other thing could have something to do with it: inexperienced pray-ers feeling intimidated by those who obviously have been practicing for years.
I remember how I felt as a new Christian at prayer time. I could pour my heart out to God when alone, but in a group, my tongue tied itself in knots and ALL words escaped me, never mind words that sounded right. I felt like the disciples must have felt the day they heard Jesus praying. (Luke 11)
While not too many of His prayers are recorded in the Bible, we can conclude from those that are, this one was communication par excellence. When He was finished, it is no surprise that one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray...”
Who wouldn’t want to pray like Jesus prayed? Maybe the disciples thought if they could say it like He did, they would be more apt to be heard. Or maybe they believed if they just could memorize those beautiful words, their prayer life would be more dynamic.
But saying the right thing is only part of it. The prayers of Jesus had two other important qualities. First, they were entirely within the will of God. Secondly, they were delivered in complete faith. With those two distinctives, the importance of saying the right words lines up a weak third, if that.
In all graciousness, Jesus did tell the disciples the words to pray: “When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”
I remember praying those words every day as a school child. All twenty-five of us learned them by rote and I doubt any of us understood what we were saying. I can’t recall myself ever thinking God heard me or that I was saying anything that fit in with His plans. They were only words.
Teaching someone how to say the right words is easy. My grade school teachers did it by repetition. Teaching someone to believe in the God to whom those words are directed is another matter. Jesus used two illustrations to explain what He is like. The first was the persistent request of one who keeps on asking because he knows his friend will come through. The second was about a son who can ask his father for bread and fish with confidence, knowing he won’t get a stone or a scorpion. Jesus wanted the disciples to understand that it makes no sense saying the right words to God if you don’t know what He is like and don’t really believe He will answer.
Praying is not mere ritual nor is it oratory requiring great skill. It is simply talking to God about what is on our hearts, giving Him the honor due Him, expressing praise and thanksgiving, and making requests regarding our needs. Prayer is also the avenue by which God gives us the qualities we need to overcome sin and deal with problems in relationships.
Thank God eloquence isn’t the issue. He is interested in our hearts --and the reasons why we pray (or fail to pray) to Him.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Gaining God’s ears .................... Parables 181
September 6, 1989
“VOYAGER is so distant that by the time its radio signal reaches Earth it will be reduced to the strength of only one 10-quadrillionth of a watt. That is 20 billion times weaker than the power used to operate a digital wristwatch.” (Edmonton Journal, August 13, 1989)
Not only has man created a satellite capable of going across our solar system and sending out signals, but also we have receivers here on earth able to detect those unimaginably weak signals and translate them into photographs and other information. This is even more marvelous when the pollution of our airwaves is considered. Shortwave radio, radar, television, AM, FM, telephone, electricity, lightning, sound waves, crowd the atmosphere. What hope for a tiny whisper from outer space? Yet we have “ears” that hear it.
The creative capacity of the human species amazes even us, and so it should. Yet whatever power we have to create is but a reflection of the far greater power of the One in whose image we have been created.
For instance, suppose for a minute what the “ears” of God must be like. With a human population of several billion, and conditions of need in every corner of the world, the prayers that go up to Him must number in the millions every moment of every day. Some will be shouted. Some will be whispered. Some will be from groups praying the same requests together. Some will come from alone and lonely souls. Some will be given in anger. Some pleading. Some will be exceptional in their articulation, others expressed by a simple thought.
Sad to say, in spite of the amazing power of God revealed in what He created, many people think, “Prayer is a wasted effort, God doesn’t hear.”
Some gods don’t hear. Psalm 115 describes idols invented by the hands of men, “...they have ears, but they hear not...” Amazingly, those who fashion idols will talk to them in full confidence that they are heard, yet refuse to bring their needs, fears, concerns, and hopes to the One who created the materials that make up those dumb objects.
The Psalm writer, David, knew that the God he worshipped was not deaf. He said, “Blessed be the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications... The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry.” (Psalm 28:6 and 34:15)
Notice that he said God hears the cry of the “righteous.” Because of their faith in God and in His promise to send a Savior, God’s people Israel of the Old Testament were called righteous, even though they did not always act like it. It is not surprising that God warned them He wouldn’t listen to their prayers if they disobeyed Him. However, He promised this to those who walked with Him, “... before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” (Psalm 66:18 and Isaiah 65:24)
The promise that God would hear His people is repeated in the New Testament. This time it is given to those who trust in Christ, the Savior God sent. (1 Peter 3:12) But along with it are the same warnings: disobedience blocks answers. It is not that God cannot hear but He will not respond with a YES when we willfully ignore His commands.
Self-centered requests are not heard either. James 4:3, for example, says we have not, because we ask with wrong motives.
Prayer is the marvelous privilege of the child of God. Through prayer we not only see requests become reality, but we also learn His will, discover the difference between mere wants and true needs, become purified in our motives for asking, and deepen our capacity to stand in trials.
Keeping our life clean and our sin confessed, gives us the great privilege of communication with the Creator of the very universe into which we are sending spacecraft. We have His promise that He hears every word, even every thought, sent up from those whose hearts and lives are righteous before Him. So the signals we send, regardless of their frequency, modulation, pitch, or even their strength, get through. And His answers make keeping those communication lines open worth the effort.
“VOYAGER is so distant that by the time its radio signal reaches Earth it will be reduced to the strength of only one 10-quadrillionth of a watt. That is 20 billion times weaker than the power used to operate a digital wristwatch.” (Edmonton Journal, August 13, 1989)
Not only has man created a satellite capable of going across our solar system and sending out signals, but also we have receivers here on earth able to detect those unimaginably weak signals and translate them into photographs and other information. This is even more marvelous when the pollution of our airwaves is considered. Shortwave radio, radar, television, AM, FM, telephone, electricity, lightning, sound waves, crowd the atmosphere. What hope for a tiny whisper from outer space? Yet we have “ears” that hear it.
The creative capacity of the human species amazes even us, and so it should. Yet whatever power we have to create is but a reflection of the far greater power of the One in whose image we have been created.
For instance, suppose for a minute what the “ears” of God must be like. With a human population of several billion, and conditions of need in every corner of the world, the prayers that go up to Him must number in the millions every moment of every day. Some will be shouted. Some will be whispered. Some will be from groups praying the same requests together. Some will come from alone and lonely souls. Some will be given in anger. Some pleading. Some will be exceptional in their articulation, others expressed by a simple thought.
Sad to say, in spite of the amazing power of God revealed in what He created, many people think, “Prayer is a wasted effort, God doesn’t hear.”
Some gods don’t hear. Psalm 115 describes idols invented by the hands of men, “...they have ears, but they hear not...” Amazingly, those who fashion idols will talk to them in full confidence that they are heard, yet refuse to bring their needs, fears, concerns, and hopes to the One who created the materials that make up those dumb objects.
The Psalm writer, David, knew that the God he worshipped was not deaf. He said, “Blessed be the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications... The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry.” (Psalm 28:6 and 34:15)
Notice that he said God hears the cry of the “righteous.” Because of their faith in God and in His promise to send a Savior, God’s people Israel of the Old Testament were called righteous, even though they did not always act like it. It is not surprising that God warned them He wouldn’t listen to their prayers if they disobeyed Him. However, He promised this to those who walked with Him, “... before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” (Psalm 66:18 and Isaiah 65:24)
The promise that God would hear His people is repeated in the New Testament. This time it is given to those who trust in Christ, the Savior God sent. (1 Peter 3:12) But along with it are the same warnings: disobedience blocks answers. It is not that God cannot hear but He will not respond with a YES when we willfully ignore His commands.
Self-centered requests are not heard either. James 4:3, for example, says we have not, because we ask with wrong motives.
Prayer is the marvelous privilege of the child of God. Through prayer we not only see requests become reality, but we also learn His will, discover the difference between mere wants and true needs, become purified in our motives for asking, and deepen our capacity to stand in trials.
Keeping our life clean and our sin confessed, gives us the great privilege of communication with the Creator of the very universe into which we are sending spacecraft. We have His promise that He hears every word, even every thought, sent up from those whose hearts and lives are righteous before Him. So the signals we send, regardless of their frequency, modulation, pitch, or even their strength, get through. And His answers make keeping those communication lines open worth the effort.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Praying to be heard ...................... Parables 015
Last week I discovered that some correspondence that I had mailed “Special Delivery” was lost somewhere between here and Minneapolis. I’m told that this happens “all the time” but it was the first time in my experience. I was able to send duplicate copies, this time by courier, but now feel some anxiety about the reliability of delivery services in general and the postal service in particular. In fact, no matter what methods we use to communicate, all have some flaws or at least possibilities whereby our messages can be lost, or misinterpreted, or never received. Even prayer.
Prayer is simply communication with God, but like letters that somehow find themselves in the dead-letter office, prayers can sometimes just “bounce off the ceiling.” I did a quick Bible study to see what reasons are behind the kind of praying that never quite makes it, and these are samples of what I came up with:
1) Not praying in accordance with God’s will. 1 John 5:14. “ . . . if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” God is sovereign, and our prayers therefore do not “pull His strings.” So we need to find out what He wants, and how He plans to accomplish it, and align ourselves with it, especially as we pray.
2) Asking with selfish motives. James 4:3 says that we don’t receive what we ask for because we just want to satisfy sinful desires. These prayers are excellent “ceiling-bouncers.”
3) And speaking of sinful desires, if we know we have some, and prefer to hang on to them rather than confess and forsake them, then the Lord will not hear our prayers. Psalm 66:18. Our communication to Him must come from a clean heart.
4) Wrong relationship toward our spouse: 1 Peter says that if a husband does not honor his wife and understand her special needs, or if a wife does not align herself in harmony with the God-given leadership position of her husband, they experience frustration in their prayer life.
5) Sending it through the wrong courier system: Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one can come to the Father but by me.” God is not obligated to hear the requests of anyone who comes to Him on the basis of their own merits, their religious performances, or any other reason. His heart, however, is always open to the cries of those who know His Son and pray in His name. Jesus Christ died on the cross so that access could be opened to the Father. Anyone who places their faith in Him, as Savior and Lord, can come “boldly to the throne of grace for help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Losing something in the mail can be serious, but far more vital to us and to God is that the avenue of communication that He has made available for us not be rendered useless because we fail to follow His guidelines. No prayer need bounce off the ceiling. God has made provision for us to be heard, and His love extends an invitation to communicate with Him.
Prayer is simply communication with God, but like letters that somehow find themselves in the dead-letter office, prayers can sometimes just “bounce off the ceiling.” I did a quick Bible study to see what reasons are behind the kind of praying that never quite makes it, and these are samples of what I came up with:1) Not praying in accordance with God’s will. 1 John 5:14. “ . . . if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” God is sovereign, and our prayers therefore do not “pull His strings.” So we need to find out what He wants, and how He plans to accomplish it, and align ourselves with it, especially as we pray.
2) Asking with selfish motives. James 4:3 says that we don’t receive what we ask for because we just want to satisfy sinful desires. These prayers are excellent “ceiling-bouncers.”
3) And speaking of sinful desires, if we know we have some, and prefer to hang on to them rather than confess and forsake them, then the Lord will not hear our prayers. Psalm 66:18. Our communication to Him must come from a clean heart.
4) Wrong relationship toward our spouse: 1 Peter says that if a husband does not honor his wife and understand her special needs, or if a wife does not align herself in harmony with the God-given leadership position of her husband, they experience frustration in their prayer life.
5) Sending it through the wrong courier system: Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one can come to the Father but by me.” God is not obligated to hear the requests of anyone who comes to Him on the basis of their own merits, their religious performances, or any other reason. His heart, however, is always open to the cries of those who know His Son and pray in His name. Jesus Christ died on the cross so that access could be opened to the Father. Anyone who places their faith in Him, as Savior and Lord, can come “boldly to the throne of grace for help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Losing something in the mail can be serious, but far more vital to us and to God is that the avenue of communication that He has made available for us not be rendered useless because we fail to follow His guidelines. No prayer need bounce off the ceiling. God has made provision for us to be heard, and His love extends an invitation to communicate with Him.
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