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Praying for Our Nation

I participate in a church intercessory prayer ministry. Volunteers come to a prayer room for an hour each week to pray for our nation and its leaders, among other things. This is important as our national life right now is characterized by bitterness, anger, and division. The church, by contrast, should be characterized by harmonious prayer.

1Timothy 2:1-8 says this. Imagine a teacher explaining these verses to a Sunday school class. He says, “When you come together to pray,” then he pauses. Yes, you think, what comes next? The teacher then continues,  “Let there be no anger, no disputing, no arguing!”

Why does 1 Timothy 2:8 say this? Because Jesus taught that quarrels and conflicts are hindrances to prayer (Matthew 5:23-24). Rancor and heated arguments may be the stuff of the rough-and-tumble world of politics. But unlike the world, God’s church must seek peaceful relationships and unity in prayer.

! Timothy 2 teaches us that prayer is the pulse of the church. It says that we should pray for our nation and its leaders.

This kind of praying is an urgent priority. “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone — for kings and all those in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). All kinds of payers are mentioned, for all kinds of people, especially governmental leaders.

Why this reminder? Had Timothy’s church been neglecting prayer for those outside the fellowship? Had they grown insulated and unconcerned for their neighbors who need Christ? Had they failed to pray for their nation and for the well-being of their city? Were their national leaders ever mentioned by name in their public and private prayers?

This kind of praying is comprehensive and specific. “For everyone” means all kinds of people. Then Paul gets even more specific: “for kings and all those in authority.” In New Testament times, there were despotic rulers such as Nero, Caligula, Herod, and Pilate. Christians may have been tempted to rebel against their oppression, or even hate them.

In America, we do not have a king or emperor, but we do have a president, and congressional leaders, and this means we should pray for them whether we like them or not, “without anger or disputing.”

In my prayers for our president, I ask the Lord to open his heart to the gospel. I pray for God to protect him and his family. I pray that he will not act on his worst instincts, but pay attention to wise counsel of godly advisors. I pray that he will “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” (James 1:19). For a long time I have been praying that he will “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).

This kind of praying yields results that are pleasing to God. Internally, the outcome for the church might be peace and protection from persecution (v. 2). Externally, the result might be that the moral influence of God’s people would help steer the culture in a righteous direction. “Godliness and holiness” (v.2) are as much for Monday morning as they are for Sunday morning.

Another result is that the church’s witness would be effective. God wants people “to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (v.4). The truth is that there is but one God, not many gods (v.5). There is but “one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (v. 5). 

There is but one gospel message. Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all men” (v.6). As we pray, it is with a growing concern that the people in the world around us might come to the knowledge that Christ died to pay the ransom for sinful people. If we are faithful to this gospel, we will share it, not with the power of political coercion, but with humble persuasion empowered by the Holy Spirit.

In today’s political climate these verses are incredibly relevant. Anger, hatred, and cruel words have been the currency of too much of the political conversation. ! Timothy 2:8 tells us to put aside bitterness, argumentation and anger, and come together in prayer. Our unity is not in a political party or loyalty to a politician. The church’s unity is in Christ. As one writer put it, “Our rallying cry is not ‘Hail to the Chief’ but ‘Jesus is Lord.'”

On that basis, we pray for wisdom and guidance for our political leaders. We pray for the church’s influence on the culture. We pray for the effective communication of the gospel at home, and around the world. We pray for healing for a divided nation.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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“Standing Down” to Pray

Several years ago the secretary of the navy ordered what he called a two-day stand down for the entire United States Navy. There had been too many accidents at naval installations and ships in a short period of time. He instructed that all officers and enlisted personnel spend two days reviewing all procedures and safety policies. An entire military service stopped what it was doing to look inward and evaluate itself.

It might be a good idea if the churches of America would slow down and do the same thing. Many congregations are busy with activities, most of which are well-intentioned. But what if we stopped what we are doing long enough to think deeply, to repent of worldliness, and to pray for the spiritual wellbeing of God’s church?

The church of which I am a member has been doing this. Our pastors have initiated a weekly time for folks to come together for no other purpose than to pray for the health of the church and its witness in our community.

I have been attending church prayer meetings all of my life. It seems that many, if not most of the prayers that are offered have to do with people’s physical ailments. Prayers for health and healing are appropriate. But when I read the prayers of Paul in the New Testament, I notice that they put the emphasis on spiritual, not physical health.

An example is found in Ephesians chapter 3. There is nothing in Paul’s prayer about material prosperity, nothing about physical healing, nothing about earthly success, or deliverance from difficult circumstances. It is a prayer for the church to experience God’s love, power and fulness. When was the last time you were in a prayer meeting when somebody asked God for these things?

Here is an example of how we could be praying for ourselves, and for fellow believers in our churches.

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and upon earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power through his Spirit in your inner being, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled  to the measure of all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-19).

Strength

Here is a prayer that the church may receive and experience God’s power. This is the strength that comes from the Holy Spirit who lives in the hearts of believers. The prayer that Christ may “dwell” in our hearts is a prayer that he may make himself at home. He is not to be treated as a visitor or a guest, but is to be the master of the house! This is where our spiritual strength comes from.

Stability

Pauls’ prayer mixes agricultural and architectural metaphors. “Rooted” means deeply planted into Christ. “Established” means built solidly on the foundation of Christ. The New English Bible translates this “deep roots and firm foundations.” What a prayer for us to pray for one another!

Knowledge

Once we have been planted and built, the result the Lord desires for us is that we may comprehend, or understand by deep experience a knowledge of Christ’s love. His love is wide enough to encompass people of all nations, long enough to last for eternity, deep enough to save the most hardened sinner, and high enough to bring us to God in heaven.

Fulness

This is a prayer that the church may experience  the fulness of God in Christ by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Surely after the rapture, when we no longer battle besetting sins and human limitations, we shall see Him face to face and live in the fulness of his presence. But this is a prayer for our lives now. This is a prayer for the church’s sanctification and growth toward maturity.

What a bold, audacious prayer! It is worth “standing down” to pray this way. It is an example to us of how we may pray for spiritual health in our churches and for revival in our nation, not to mention the experience of Christ’s love for ourselves and others in all its dimensions.

Pastor Randy Faulkner.

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Winning Souls By Prayer

William Carey was a humble shoemaker in England in the eighteenth century. After he became a Christian believer he was burdened to pray for the conversion of people in other lands who had not been reached with the message of Jesus Christ. He sought to influence others to pray, to give money, and to go to reach the unreached with the gospel.

When he became a pastor he preached and wrote on these themes. He helped form the first  missionary society in England for the purpose of sending missionaries.

In 1793 he and a colleague, John Thomas, sailed for India as missionaries themselves. Carey mastered the language and set to work translating the Bible into Bengali. For forty-one years he devoted himself to evangelism, medical relief, church planting, education, Bible translation and publication. He influenced the establishment of missions to other parts of Asia. He has become known as “the father of the modern missionary movement.”

It all began with prayer.

The apostle Paul said this is a priority for Christians. “Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). Paul was asking the church to pray for an effective witness to people who do not yet know Jesus Christ. This reminds us to pray for our friends who need Christ. This is a reminder to pray, as Jesus said, for “the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2).

Paul’s appeal is more than a mild suggestion. It has a tone of urgency: “Pray, brothers, pray!” It is in the Greek present tense which means this kind of prayer is to be continuous and habitual.

In asking that the message of the Lord might spread rapidly, Paul was referring to the gospel. This is a prayer that the gospel will run swiftly like a runner carrying the Olympic torch. Psalm 147:15 says, “His word runs swiftly.” What is this but a prayer that the gospel will spread to many people around the world and that the unconverted will be saved?

When he requested prayer that the word might be honored, Paul expressed the desire that the gospel would gain influence. Luke tells us about the conversion of Gentiles in Antioch of Pisidia. He says “they honored the word of the Lord and all who were appointed for eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).

In the last part of 2 Thessalonians 3:1, Paul reminds the believers of what God had done among them. The gospel had spread rapidly and had been honored. Paul wanted to see the same thing happen in other places as had happened in Thessalonica: “just as it was with you.”

If God has given us new life in Christ, does not this mean that we should pray that others also may be given the same gift of salvation? That is the way William Carey prayed, and look what God did in answer to his prayers!

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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Why Can’t I Get Through to God?

I pulled up at an intersection hoping to turn onto a thoroughfare only to discover that the street looked like a parking lot. Traffic had been diverted through our normally quiet neighborhood from a freeway several miles away. A truck accident was blocking the roadway and rush hour traffic was backed up for miles. My route was blocked.

Did you ever have the feeling that your prayer life was choked by spiritual grid lock? That no matter what you tried, you didn’t feel that you were getting through to God?

Isaiah the prophet put his finger on this condition when he wrote, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). In the New Testament  James understood this problem: “When you ask you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives” (James 4:3).

There are hindrances to prayer that must be cleared away if we want to get through to God. I will mention three of them.

Unbelief

There is an old story of a midwestern town that was suffering from an extended drought. The townspeople decided it was time to gather to pray for rain. When they came together only one small girl had faith enough to bring an umbrella! That’s how it is too often for some Christians. They pray without expecting that God will answer their prayers.

James 1:7 says that unbelief is a major obstacle to prayer. What can we do about our doubts? First, we should keep on praying. We should not let our anxious misgivings keep us from coming to God out of sheer obedience. When our faith is wavering let us pray the prayer of the helpless father in Mark 9:17-24: “Lord I believe; help my unbelief!”

Second, we should remind ourselves of God’s promises. It is said that George Muller kept a careful record of his prayer requests — and of God’s answers. His prayer journal was a reminder to him of God’s faithfulness to his word.

Once I was praying with a Christian man who was unemployed. He was distressed and desperately needed to see God supply the needs of his family. I heard him pour out his heart to his heavenly Father, reciting one after another of God’s promises. My own faith was strengthened as he prayed.

Weariness

It is easy to identify with the disciples of our Lord. The hour was late. They had just eaten a big meal. They were exhausted.

The gospels record how they fell asleep at the very time Jesus needed their companionship in prayer (Matthew 26:36-41). Three times the Lord found them sleeping. His words, “The spirit is willing but the body is weak” show how patient he was with their physical limitations — and with ours.

Prayer is not easy. It is not always enjoyable. It requires dedication and persistence So, we should set aside some good time for prayer when our minds are alert and our bodies are rested. King David made it a point to meet with God in the morning. “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you” (Psalm 5:3).

The prophet Elijah was physically and emotionally drained. He was so depressed that the only prayer he could manage was for death to take him (1 Kings 19:4-7). Before God began to use him again, he sent an angel to minister to his physical needs. After Elijah had slept for a while and had taken nourishment, God sent him back to an effective ministry. Sometimes the best aid to a spiritual life is a good night’s sleep.

Marital conflict

Some folks make the mistake of trying to develop a relationship with God while ignoring their relationship with their spouses. The apostle Peter says they are connected. Christian wives are to adapt themselves to their husbands’ leadership and husbands are to treat their wives with consideration and respect (1 Peter 3:1-7). This, he says, is so that nothing will hinder their prayers!

The Bible says that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:23). How can we husbands love our wives as Christ loves the church? Christ laid down his life for the church. Most husbands would react instinctively if their wives were in danger, sacrificing themselves if necessary. But in addition to the heroic moments that may come once in a lifetime, there is the daily sacrifice of one’s self-interest in little ways for the benefit of the wife.

How does Christ love the church? Christ intercedes for us (John 17; Hebrews 7:25). A husband who loves his wife will pray for her. Christ is building his church (Matthew 16:19). Christian husbands are to build up their wives instead of cutting them down with criticism (Colossians 3:19).

How does Christ love the church? He listens when we pray to him. A Christlike husband will pay attention when his wife talks to him. If we husbands want the Lord to hear us when we pray, perhaps we had better learn to listen to our wives.

Christ promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  A husband or wife who wants an unrestricted prayer life must promise the same thing.

Here, then, are three of the ways our prayers may be hindered. If we deal with them according to scripture,  our confidence in prayer may be restored and spiritual power renewed.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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Praying Together

The apostle Peter found himself in a hopeless situation. Herod the king had authorized the killing of the apostle James, the brother of John. Now he had Peter put in prison, under the guard of four groups of soldiers. After the Jewish Passover he intended to put him on trial, possibly to face execution.

Was Peter anxious? It would not appear so. In the jail, chained between two soldiers, Peter was asleep! The other soldiers stood guard at the entrance to the prison (Acts 12:6). Acts chapters 4 and 5 tell how Peter had been in prison before for preaching the gospel. He had experienced God’s deliverance. So here he is sleeping peacefully.

Peter’s fellow Christians  gathered out of concern for him. They came to pray. “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (Acts 12:5). Peter’s friends prayed earnestly, with sincere urgency. They prayed to God, to the only one who could do something about this hopeless situation. They prayed specifically, for Peter. They prayed together. There is power in united prayer. Agreement in prayer pleases God.

The rest of the New Testament supports what we read here. We are instructed to pray continuously (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Paul asked the church in Rome to join in his struggle by praying ( Romans 15:30). He said to the Corinthians, “You help us by your prayers” (2 Corinthians 1:11). We are to be devoted to prayer (Colossians 4:3). Paul requested prayer support from the entire church at Thessalonica (2 Thessalonians 3:1).

What happened as a result may only be described as a miracle. Suddenly Peter was awakened by a bright light and an angel. The heavenly messenger ordered Peter to get up, get dressed and to follow him. Peter’s chains fell off and he followed the angel out past the guards. The massive prison gate opened by itself and Peter found himself on the street where the angel left him (Acts 12:7-10).

Peter then went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. This was possibly the home where the disciples had met with the Lord Jesus in the upper room for his last Passover with them. It may have been the place where they gathered for prayer after Christ’s ascension. Acts 12:12 says that there were many people there praying  for Peter.

The location was familiar to Peter. When he arrived and knocked on the door of the outer entrance (it was a large house), a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. She was so excited when she recognized Peter’s voice, that she ran back inside to tell the group that Peter was at the door. She had forgotten to let him in!

If that detail is not embarrassing enough, the reaction of the group is even more distressing. “You are out of your mind,” they told Rhoda. “It must be his angel” (Acts 12:15). This group of valiant prayer warriors didn’t believe it when God answered their prayers. Peter kept knocking until they came and let him in. “They were astonished,” the scripture says (Acts 12:16).

These human touches are all too familiar to us who struggle with weak faith. One of the ways we may strengthen our boldness in prayer is to pray together. One believer’s faith strengthens another’s. We often find the believers in the book of Acts gathering for corporate prayer.

Another lesson from this story is how the news of Peter’s deliverance came through a humble servant girl. She was persistent and insistent. Her faith and enthusiasm shine brightly in contrast to the pessimism of the others.

Also this is a reminder that God is listening when his people pray together. When Peter told his story to the Christians, he “described how the Lord had brought him out of prison” (Acts 12:17). God got all the credit for his intervention and protection. He answered their prayers.

Their faith was weak but it was not non-existent. It is not the amount of our faith that gets answers from heaven, but the focus of our faith. These believers were appealing to the God of heaven, the only one who could do something about this impossible situation.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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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'” (Luke 11:1).

Jesus had a need to be alone with God the Father for fellowship, to seek guidance, and to obtain power for his ministry. He lived in constant dependence upon his heavenly Father. In this respect he was an example to his disciples and to us.

When the disciple asked him to teach them to pray, Jesus gave them a pattern for prayer, and a story to illustrate prayer. The pattern is what is commonly called the Lord’s prayer. Luke’s version reads, “When you pray, say, ‘Father, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation'” (Luke 11:2-4).

In this model prayer our Lord taught us to think of God as a Father. Prayer is to be an expression of a relationship, not an empty ritual. The Father is to be worshipped, revered, hallowed. To ask for his kingdom to come is to seek his will and to submit to his authority, now and in the future kingdom.

Jesus teaches us in this prayer to ask for our daily needs to be met.  We are taught to confess our sins to God. “Lead us not into temptation” means that we need the Lord’s guidance to avoid the temptations of the evil one. This is how we should pray!

Then Jesus told a humorous story to illustrate prayer. “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’

“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs” (Luke 11:5-8).

This is a story about inadequate resources, inconvenient circumstances, and irritated people. It recognizes that life is messy sometimes, and especially in those times, we need to pray. What is the Lord Jesus teaching us about prayer?

For one thing, he is teaching persistence and boldness in approaching God. John Newton wrote, “Thou art coming to a king. / Large petitions with thee bring. / For his grace and power are such / none can ever ask too much!”

Also, this is a lesson about God. He is not like the reluctant neighbor in the story. He is a loving Father who delights to do what is best for his children. “He will get up and give him as much as he needs.” Phillips Brooks said, “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. It is laying hold of his highest willingness.”

Our Lord concluded his teaching on prayer with these words: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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A Prayer We Should Pray

Jesus’ disciples accompanied him as he traveled throughout Galilee teaching, preaching, and healing. They saw large crowds gathering to hear his gracious words. They witnessed his compassion for the people, “because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:35-37).

Then he said something to the disciples that is an important guide for us as we pray. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:38). 

Billions of people in our world have yet to be reached with the gospel of Christ. At the same time, there is an unprecedented receptivity worldwide to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is now time, as it was in Jesus’ day, for us to pray the way he asked his disciples to pray: for the salvation of the unreached, for new efforts in evangelization, and for the Lord to send workers to tell the good news.

Jesus “saw the crowds” (Matthew 9:36). We see what we choose to see. We look away from what we do not want to see. If we follow the example of Jesus we will see the people who are lost and deceived, victims of injustice, people who are spiritually needy and without hope, who face eternity without salvation and the knowledge of God’s love. Surely we should have compassion on them, as the Savior did.

Jesus said for us to pray about this. Prayer precedes all other ministry activity. Prayer puts us in our place, an attitude of dependency upon God. It connects us with our source of strength. Prayer opens our hearts to God’s will. Prayer sensitizes us to new opportunities and makes us more responsive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Why does the “Lord of the harvest” desire workers for his harvest? If he is in control of the outcome (and the processes that lead to the outcome), why does he need human workers? Why doesn’t he use angels to do the job? The answer lies in the incarnation. Just as he came into the world in the person of Jesus Christ, so he sends followers of Christ into the world to represent him to the world.

Jesus said to the disciples, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). In going as Jesus sent them, the disciples became the answer to their own prayers! If we pray for the Lord to send workers into his harvest, we shouldn’t be surprised when he does it. Maybe he is sending you into your world to tell somebody about him.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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A Theology of Prayer

Every Christian should be a praying Christian. Prayer is a distinguishing characteristic of the Christian life.

What is prayer? Simply put, prayer is communion and communication with God. Christians pray because of who God is, because of what Jesus has done for us, and because of the Holy Spirit who helps us.

Jesus said to his disciples (and to us), “And I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:13-14).

Right away, we find ourselves asking if this promise is to be understood as an all-inclusive guarantee, like an Aladdin’s lamp with a magic genie inside. No, there are some built in limitations in this promise. The mention of the Father means that any request that would be granted must bring glory to God. Also the mention of the name of Jesus means that our petitions should be consistent with the character and purposes of the Lord Jesus.

The immediate context of this promise emphasizes the fact that Jesus was about to return to the Father in heaven. In preparing the disciples for this, the Lord mentions the Father twelve times in John 14:1-14. He wants us to think of God as a Father.

The Father is willing to hear us, to help us, to listen and to understand. He is strong and sympathetic. Jesus invites us to pray to him because of who he is, what he has done, and what he has promised to do. This gives us assurance in prayer.

Because we are sinners, we need a way of approaching God. We have such a way. Jesus is the Savior who died to take away our sins. He is the mediator who  intercedes for us as our representative before God. He is the one who says to believers, “You are in me and I am in you” (John 14:20). This union with Jesus makes the Father accessible to us. We may approach God with freedom and confidence in the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus gives us authority in prayer.

Furthermore, in the verses that follow, Jesus promised the disciples that he and the Father would send the Holy Spirit to them. He would indwell them and help them. One of the ways the Spirit helps believers is in prayer. Romans 8:26-27 tell us that the Spirit intercedes for us when we do not know how to pray as we ought. He helps us in our weakness. The Holy Spirit, then, gives us ability in prayer.

Robert Murray McCheyne wrote, “When we pray in private there are three persons with us: there is God the Father, whose eyes see in secret and whose ears are open to our cry; there is God the Son, blotting out our sins, and offering up our petitions with the incense of his own merit; and there is God the Holy Spirit, quickening our spirits and putting into our hearts good desires.”

Let us pray.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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Jesus Prayed and So Should We

“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)

If our Lord Jesus, who was the embodiment of perfection, needed to pray, then certainly we who claim to follow him should do the same. I am quite certain that few of us would claim to be fully satisfied with our lives when it comes to prayer. I know I have much to learn.

Jesus instructed his disciples to pray. He taught them principles and precepts about prayer. But I think the greater impact on their lives was when they saw and heard him pray. They learned from his example.

The prayer life of Jesus illustrates to us when, where, and why we should pray.

When did Jesus pray?

He prayed at the beginning of things. As he stepped out into his public ministry, he prayed at his baptism, and the Holy Spirit descended on him (Luke 3:21). He spent an entire night in prayer before choosing his twelve disciples (Luke 6:12). The application for us is obvious. We ought to begin our days in prayer to the Lord for guidance and wisdom for every duty and decision.

He prayed in the middle of things. As he was surrounded by crowds of needy people, he felt the need for prayer. The gospels tell us that whenever possible, in the middle of busy activities and interruptions, he found time to retreat to talk with the Father in heaven. If we are too busy to pray, we are too busy.

He prayed at the end of things. near the end of his earthly ministry, our Lord prayed with his disciples in the upper room (Luke 22:31-32). He prayed for them in John 17. He agonized in prayer in Gethsemane (Luke 22:40-46). Three of his seven last statements from the cross were prayers (Luke 23:34). The habits of his life were continued at the time of his death.

When did Jesus pray? In every conceivable situation. When should you and I pray? In every conceivable situation.

Where did Jesus pray?

Luke 5:16 says he “withdrew” and sought solitude in out-of-the way places. The New International Version translates it as “lonely” places, possibly meaning uninhabited pasture lands or mountains.

What is the point of this for us? We all have a need for quietness and solitude as we spend time in prayer. Jesus said that when we pray, it is not to put on a show of piety before other people. “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 6:6).

Why did Jesus pray?

Our Lord prayed in order to get things from the Father. John 11 tells the story of his raising Lazarus from the dead. He expressed confidence that God heard his prayer (John 11:41-42). The miracle that followed was a direct answer to his prayer, for the glory of God.

He prayed because of the needs of others. The circumstances in our text describe the pressures of ministry to large crowds who wanted healing and who were spiritually hungry. Prayer was the key to his composure and compassion. No doubt he prayed for the people he served and healed.

He prayed to cultivate dependency upon God. Jesus had a sense of radical dependence on the Father for his mission and ministry. “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does'” (John 5:19).

Jesus prayed to commune with God. There are at least fifteen instances recorded in the four gospels where we find Jesus praying. Many of these are obviously for simple communion with God.

I read about a woman who was sitting beside the bed of her sick husband looking at him. He asked in a feeble voice, “What are you doing?” She replied, “Just loving you.” When God looks at us and says, “What are you doing?” may our answer be, “Just loving you.” I think that is what Jesus was doing as he prayed, just loving the Father.

If Jesus needed to pray then so do we. The best way to learn to pray is to follow his example.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

 

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Profit and Loss

“But whatever was to my profit, I now consider loss, for the sake of Christ” (Philippians 3:7).

An acquaintance of mine was very active in community service. He had achieved some significant things in working for causes he believed in. When I asked him what motivated him, he said he was doing what he did for God. I learned in that conversation that he hoped to gain heaven by his good deeds.

Until the apostle Paul met the Lord Jesus that was his motivation, too. He told the story in Philippians 3:1-9. He wrote about how proud he had been of his ancestral heritage, and of his achievements in the strictest traditions of his religion. He was trying, he said, to attain a reputation for being “faultless” in the eyes of people, and in the eyes of God.

Paul was proud of these apparent advantages. Using accounting terminology, he had considered them spiritual assets. He had been trying to save himself by keeping the law of God. He discovered it cannot be done. What he had once considered “profit” was really “loss.” What he had once thought to be to his credit, was really a deficit. He had been trying to make himself righteous by self-effort and it cannot be done. His religious works were actually coming between him and salvation.

Paul learned there are two kinds of righteousness, God’s righteousness and human righteousness. Human righteousness is putting one’s confidence in the flesh, a do-it-yourself religion. The accumulation of human religion and good deeds, no matter how sincere and diligent, can never take a person to heaven. God’s righteousness is a gift of grace, and is not based upon good works or trying to keep the laws of God.

Paul wrote, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” (Philippians 3:8-9).

A friend told me about a hot dog stand in the Bahamas. It had a sign on the side that said, “Your pastor can’t get you to heaven. Your priest can’t get you to heaven. Your rabbi can’t get you to heaven. Only Jesus can get you to heaven.”

That was Paul’s message: righteousness comes through faith in Christ alone. The good news in the Christian gospel is that we may be declared righteous, not on the basis of what we do for God, but on the basis of what Christ has done for us. It is through faith in his death and resurrection. Jesus bore our sins and offers us his righteousness in exchange.

Is your righteousness an asset, or a liability? Paul said that if it is anything other than Christ, it is no better than “rubbish.”

“Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law’s demands. / Could my zeal no respite know; could my tears forever flow, / all for sin could not atone. Thou must save, and thou alone.

“Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to thy cross I cling. / Naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace. / Foul, I to thy fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.” (“Rock of Ages” by A. M. Toplady).

Pastor Randy Faulkner