A House of Sacrifice and Prayer

It is not wrong to be amazed when God miraculously answers prayer.  We serve an amazing God who does amazing things!  In Acts 12 it was unbelievable when Peter, who had been imprisoned under heavy guard, was led out of prison by an angel.  People who had been praying continuously for his release did not immediately believe Rhoda it was actually him knocking at the door.  It didn't mean they lacked faith in God.  More likely their disbelief revealed God did not answer their prayer in the way or timing they expected.

People talk about the "power of prayer," but belief there is power in my praying is misplaced.  All power belongs to the Almighty God who answers the prayers of faith in His time and way.  Christians are to pray - not because it is effective or it works - but because God commands us to pray.  God works in those who pray and works in response to their prayers.  It may seem a trite distinction but it is an important one.  If we only pray because we hope to receive something from God our motive is self-centred.  We can reduce following Jesus to a utilitarian religion where God's goodness and blessing hinges on our efforts.  There are blessings God gives to the obedient but it is all of grace.  But when we pray in obedience to God's command, according to His leading and will, we can expect an answer.  We don't pray just so we can have our answer but in response to what God has already spoken.

After King Solomon prayed at the dedication of the temple, 2 Chronicles 7:12 says, "Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice."  The prophet also spoke of the temple and those who love and serve God in Isaiah 56:7:  "...even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations."  These verses describe the Temple as a house of sacrifice and prayer for all nations.  Paul brings home the significance of these purposes for Christian in 1 Corinthians 3:16:  "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"  Since Christians are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, we are called to present our bodies joyfully as living sacrifices before God.  Another primary purpose of Christians is to pray by making supplications, intercessions, and to give thanks for all men (1 Timothy 2:1-8).  Even as Solomon's temple was adorned with gold, panels of cedar, and precious stones, so prayer is the holy material which adds value and beauty to our lives.

We do not pray because "it works" but because God works.  If God works, we ought to labour in prayers according to Christ's example.  Like the savour of sacrifices rising from the altar, the prayers of faith of all saints rise up as sweet-smelling incense before God's throne of grace.  The prayers and alms of the centurion Cornelius came up before God as a memorial.  Wouldn't you be pleased for God to remember your words and answer them?  Philippians 4:6-7 states, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  We shouldn't pray in the hopes of only obtaining something from God, but so something good will come out of us by His grace.  Blessed are those who labour in prayers day and night, for God delights to hear our voice.  Have your prayers come up as a memorial before God today?

Avoid Foolish Disputes

During the morning prayer meeting, these verses were read from 2 Timothy 2:23-26:  "But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. ²⁴ And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, ²⁵ in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, ²⁶ and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will."  When we hold to a biblical position in this world, strife is something we Christians can count on.  Yet we are not called to lash out or squabble with people who do not agree with us.  They might mock or slander us, but we must exhibit self-control and remain gentle.  God has taught us the wrath of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God (James 1:20).

Men who are humble before God do not need to shout to be heard, for their meek conduct speaks volumes.  Jesus is the epitome of a man who was gentle, patiently taught, and corrected the errors of those who challenged Him.  When His shouting accusers sprayed lies before Pilate and Herod, He opened not His mouth.  It is nigh impossible for a man in the heat of betrayal and false accusation to remain silent, but Jesus had already committed His life into the hands of His Father in heaven.  He knew those who accused Him did not realise what they were doing.  They had been deceived by lies.  They had been taken captive by the devil to to his will.  Judas, one of Christ's disciples, had been filled with Satan himself!  Jesus remained compassionate towards His enemies even after being nailed to the cross and cried out, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

The thing which struck me from the passage in 2 Timothy is we can think as Christians because we are stewards of the truth of God it is up to us to bring people to their senses.  When we are met with opposition or our efforts do not seem to be achieving our desired effect we might increase our volume of speaking or intensity of argument.  Instead of patiently defending the truth we can start attacking others in an unloving manner.  If all who have chosen this course would honestly consider the results of this approach, all would agree it tends to generate much strife but very few - if any - transformed hearts.  Our role as Christians is to speak the truth in love from God's Word and to pray for people to come to their senses.  We aren't to look for fights or to insist on having the last word.  Beat people over the head with your Bible if you wish, but it will never manage to sow God's truth in a receptive heart.  There are two general responses to an attack:  fight or flight.  Either way the defenses are immediately up and we hinder Christ's cause to bring them to their senses and escape the snare of the devil.  It was not his loving father or self-righteous brother which caused the Prodigal Son to see the folly of his ways.  After being left alone with the pigs for awhile the man started listening to the sensible reasoning of his own conscience.  His awful situation brought him to his senses.

God has given every human being a conscience and they are in all sorts of conditions.  The Bible refers to a good conscience, a seared conscience, evil conscience, and a pure conscience.  Regardless of the state of a person's conscience, the Bible is the appropriate tool to cut to the heart of the matter.  The way we wield the Sword of the Spirit - God's Word - is very important.  Jesus told His followers to gird on their swords on the night He was betrayed.  When Jesus and His disciples were in the Garden of Gethsemane and saw men coming to arrest Jesus Luke 22:49-51 reads, "When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" ⁵⁰ And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. ⁵¹ But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this." And He touched his ear and healed him."  Peter had the sword and felt threatened.  He asked a question of Jesus but never waited around for the answer!  He started swinging the sword and a man was horribly maimed from the attack.  When we handle the Word of God like this we can unnecessarily wound others.  Praise God Jesus is a healer of wounded souls, but let us not be guilty of generating strife through useless quarrels.

A New Thing

Sheep and human beings share the same trait of having a long memory concerning negative experiences.  Past experiences have a way of colouring the way we see the world and others.  Negative bias is easily confirmed due to this naturally skewed perspective, yet we remain self-assured we see clearly.  Our failures and past struggles hinder us from moving forward and burden us with a preoccupation with self and the assumption others judge us as severely as we currently judge them.  How can we even find the way forward in this state?  The cure for all these ills is found when a person fixes their eyes on Jesus Christ in faith, the One who promises to make all things new.  Before our risen LORD we must each confess our sins and repent saying, "Woe is me!  I am undone!"  He is the One who heals the broken hearted and sets captives free.  No longer need we be saddled with the weight or our inferiority or the expectations of others because we have been made new creations through faith in Jesus.

To a people who would experience war, destruction, and decades of captivity, God said through the prophet in Isaiah 43:18-21, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. ¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. ²⁰ The beast of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. ²¹ This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise."  How easy it is for us to immerse ourselves in thinking of the former things:  regret with what has happened, obsessing over our failures, fantasising if things had gone differently, and drowning in self-pity.  After the Exodus the children of Israel longed for the leeks and onions of Egypt rather than the milk and honey in the Land of Promise!  This is the natural tendency of all people, thinking the best is somehow behind us when the Spirit of God leads us on.

God said He would do a new thing, making a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.  How many people have been lost in a wilderness and frantically searched for a trail, a path to lead them home!  Countless people have perished in the fierce heat of a desert, hallucinating over oasis after oasis which proved to be nothing more than cruel mirages!  God said the jackals and ostriches would honour God for His provision, and these are not animals known for their brilliance.  Sad, isn't it, that beasts without understanding could honour God more than people He has delivered from death ?  Yet God's grace is shown because He choose us sinners - though at times brute beasts acknowledge and trust Him more than His own redeemed.  God be praised that despite our weakness, that we are blind, miserable, poor, and naked, He opens our eyes to see Him, grants us heavenly riches, places clean apparel on us, and looses our tongues to declare His praise.

Will you take God's exhortation on board?  Do you believe the Word of God, that He will do a new thing and now it shall spring forth?  He is able to make roads through the wilderness and bring refreshing rivers in the desert.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  In every regenerated heart Jesus Christ is enthroned the heavenly reality proclaimed in Revelation 21:5 rings true:  "Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."  We are eyewitnesses of these things.  Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus and trust, not just try.  Will you declare God's praise?

Broken Vows

When God says something, He can be counted on to keep His word.  Man qualifies his promises with swearing and oaths, but not God.  His Word is true.  Because God is righteous His deeds, character, and word are always in perfect alignment.  Men will someday answer for their own words and will even be judged by them:  every idle word will be accounted for and brought under God's judgment (Matthew 12:26).  Numbers 30 is an entire chapter in the Law of Moses establishing the fact that every vow a man or woman makes is important before God.  If a man made a vow to the LORD, God will hold him responsible to do all he has said.

How many times as a Christian have we said we were going to do something, followed through best as we could, but ultimately fell short of what we said?  We don't have to "cross our heart or hope to die, stick a needle in our eye" to make words spoken in secret binding before God.  I was reminded of this yesterday when I read from J. Edwin Orr's book Full Surrender.  "A man's word is his bond" it has been said, and this rings true concerning the words which come from a man in God's hearing - and He hears all.  The chapter I read made me think:  how many times had I spoken something and not followed through?  Has my relationship with God been hindered because of ignored vows, promises which were proved empty over time, words I simply forgot?  Better to confess my sin and fall on the mercies of God now and be restored than to answer for idle words in the future with negative eternal consequences.

Consider the closing thoughts of Dr. Orr in the first chapter:

"Why should God be angry at your voice, and destroy the work of your hands?"  Not all prayer is acceptable.  If one regards iniquity in one's heart, the Lord will not hear him.  A broken vow is a sin of omission.  It is also the commission of an affront to God.  It must be confessed as sin before fellowship is completely restored. Otherwise, the discipline of God, the chastening of the Lord, begins to operate.  It is necessary for the Lord to bring our schemes to nought in order that we may not waste time and effort in building of wood, hay and stubble.  Our Friend becomes our opponent, not our enemy, and says "check" to each move until, checkmated, we begin again with Him.

What then are the vows that Christians customarily make to God in times of blessing and on special occasions?  More time in prayer, more intercession for others, more devotional reading, more study, more personal witness, tithing of talents and money, better example to others, patience with children, personal purity, self-denial - there are the vows that are made in watch-night services, prayer meetings, evangelistic campaigns, deeper life conventions, missionary meetings, and the like.  These vows go unfulfilled.  Part of the price is kept back.

Until broken vows are mended, it is difficult to make progress along the way of consecration.  Before seeking blessing from God, one should carefully consider in retrospect one's previous dealings with Deity.  It is not enough that no offence was meant.  It is not enough that no deceit was planned in advance.  The sin against God arises from the most serious transgression of any commandment, that of nursing a coldness of heart towards God Himself. (Orr, J. Edwin. "Broken Vows." Full Surrender. London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1951. 18-19. Print.)