Get Praying!

 “A moving buddy -- if you don't have one, get one!”

Woody – Toy Story

As moving day approached in the movie Toy Story, Woody strongly urged all toys to find a “moving buddy” for their safety and support.  I have heard believers exhort other Christians in a similar manner to “get prayer” or encourage them to find someone if they “need prayer.”  This way of speaking of prayer might suggest prayer is something we need others can do for us, that prayer is primarily about what we receive or there are greater benefits on offer when we coordinate with others.  The Bible does not speak about prayer in terms of getting but doing ourselves, and to pray with other Christians with likeminded faith is a privilege, responsibility and birthright of believers we ought to embrace.  

The spiritual reality is we are exhorted to pray without ceasing because this is the will of God for us.  We need to pray for the health of our souls even as we breathe for the health and support of our bodies.  In this sense we “need prayer” but not that we need someone to pray for us to be heard:  we are commanded by God to pray and as we look to Jesus He provides an example of a prayer-filled life.  Jesus prayed, and His disciples exhorted others to pray for them.  But we do not hear Peter or Paul in conversation saying, “I need prayer” because prayer is a means to draw near to the God we need Who hears us.  In a strange way prayer itself or people we trust know the LORD and will pray for us can almost be idols we look to for help, support or benefits when God is the source of all these good things.  

Prayer fundamentally is more about giving than getting, though we do receive many benefits from obedience to God in prayer.  It takes the form of giving thanks, offering praise, seeking the LORD, humbly laying down our will to align ourselves with God’s will.  We are also called to intercede for others, to make our requests known to God.  Prayer is a means God uses to meet many of our needs and this is something all born again believers can do by the leading of the Holy Spirit.  God graciously does respond to prayers for ourselves and others, but to rely on the prayers of others for us when we will not pray ourselves is hypocrisy.  We must be cautious our faith never shifts to the one who prays for us rather than God Who is addressed in prayer.  

Jesus said in Matthew 6:5-6, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”  Notice Jesus said, “When you pray…” because it is something His disciples ought to regularly do.  We do not pray to be seen, nor did Jesus in His example suggest a need to include a person to boost the effectiveness of our prayers.  Because God is with us and knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts, our prayer power is not like a weak wi-fi signal with limited range because God draws near to commune with us. 

We ought to pray individually, and we are also encouraged to pray corporately.  James 5:13-18 says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”  The overarching point here is the prayer of faith in God is effective.  Don’t allow the details about elders, oil, confession of sin, and healing distract from the primary point James made, that the prayer of faith is of primary importance.  That is why James cited the example of Elijah, a regular guy who prayed earnestly by faith in God and God answered him.  If God answered the prayer of Elijah who was deemed righteous by faith in Him, God will answer us too.

 The exhortation then?  Let us pray in faith and obedience to God!  Invite others to join with you in praying, not because you need to “get prayer” but because you trust God and desire to seek Him.  The power is not in prayer but in the God who answers prayer and in the Holy Spirit-filled person who demonstrates faith and joyful obedience to pray to God. :)

Walking With Jesus

It is remarkable that in the time between the creation of the world and the great flood, there were only a handful of people mentioned by name who feared the LORD and walked with Him.  Abel, Enoch and Noah are men spoken of in the book of Hebrews who were marked by faith in God.  By faith Abel and his offering were accepted, Enoch walked with God and was not because God took him, and by faith Noah was moved to obey God and build an ark according to divine specifications.  Everyone created in the image of God has the capacity to know and walk with Him by faith, but the scripture makes it clear those who do are numbered in the minority.

It dawned on me clearly as I observed what we are told of the antediluvian world, that very few people walk with God.  It is one thing to call on the name of the LORD but another to walk with Him, day by day in communion and fellowship.  People who have heard of God and even believe He exists do not always call out to Him, seek Him or walk with Him.  I believe this is true concerning believers as well, for we can view God as a means to our end.  We substitute seeking something from God for walking with Him by faith.  Like the prodigal in the parable, we can approach God as the man did his father to provide what he wanted so he could go on his merry way.  The older brother also showed this tendency, for he departed from the festivities and his father to show his disapproval for the father's mercy, grace and joy towards that wayward son of his.

Praise the LORD, for in the parable the father ran to meet the wayward son and also pursued the proud and angry one.  The father went to his returning son to welcome him, and he went and pleaded with the self-righteous son who departed from him.  In this we see the loving character of God towards His own children, wretched in every respect by comparison.  The generosity of our heavenly Father has been wasted on us as is the privilege of serving Him.  We have imagined ourselves good and faithful when really Jesus Christ is the only One who deserves such honour.  Our Saviour Jesus bids us to walk with Him in Matthew 11:28-30:  "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

It is a great privilege and humbling honour to be personally invited by Jesus to walk with Him, but let us not be content with an invitation alone:  our rest and satisfaction is found in Christ.  It is primarily in who we are as born again believers than what we do.  What we do flows from who Jesus is like a branch is connected to the vine.  Jesus is the Head of the church and we are members of His body.  Because each member of the body has a brain it is possible we would have a "mind of our own" and not submit ourselves to the mind of Christ.  When we have the mind of Christ and yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit in unison, then we will be coordinated in service unto Him.  In a three-legged race there must be yielding and agreement between both people to reach the goal and remain upright, and when we come alongside Christ to walk with Him we learn of Him.

Let us seek Jesus Christ to walk with Him, not just to be healed or given a directive.  Isaiah 2:3 says concerning the last days, "Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."  In the Millennium people will flock to Jesus Christ the KING OF KINGS to learn His ways and to walk in His paths.  We have been invited to walk with Him today by faith, and blessed are all those who do.

God's Unsearchable Ways

An aspect of God I admire is His power over all things at the same time.  There is nothing that happens without His knowledge; no scheme of man or Satan is allowed to be enacted that skirts His redemptive plans and purposes.  Knowing we will see God's goodness in the land of the living turns our eyes towards Him in faith, to see what He will do.  As the scripture demonstrates countless times, His ways are higher than ours.  We could be likened to dogs sniffing the ground when God is over and above all with all wisdom, knowledge and power.  When we are on the trail of truth it is only because He first blazed it before us.

I love how God uses means we imagine are below Him.  He chooses to use human beings as His servants when He created angels for the purpose of being His ministers.  He can use the worst trials and tribulations to bring forth beauty, healing and comfort.  God even at times used enemies of His people to discipline His chosen people, like when He chose king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to be His servant.  The children of Israel were incredulous the holy God could use such an unclean vessel.  I wonder how this verse struck them in Isaiah 19:14 if they took it to heart:  "The LORD has mingled a perverse spirit in her midst; and they have caused Egypt to err in all her work, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit."

God did not send a perverse spirit to Egypt to destroy them but as a means to redeem the nation to Himself.  Their efforts resembled a drunk man trying in vain to walk, slipping in a mess he was responsible for.  God did this knowing exactly what the end result will be Isaiah 19:22-25:  "And the LORD will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the LORD, and He will be entreated by them and heal them. ²³ In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. ²⁴ In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria--a blessing in the midst of the land, ²⁵ whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, "Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance."  Isn't God AWESOME?  God did not strike to destroy Egypt but to heal, that they would be a blessing in the midst of the land and blessed by God:  "Egypt My people."

Blessed is the one who trusts the LORD always, one who makes God his strong confidence.  In considering our ways let us behold the works of the LORD whose ways are past finding out.  Even so we can testify of His goodness and redemptive plans throughout the history of mankind, nations and even in our own lives:  God makes desolate to draw near.  Psalm 46:8-11 exhorts us:  "Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth. ⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. ¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! ¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah"  I love how the voice of God breaks in to bolster our faith in waiting on Him, to be still and know He is God who will be exalted.  Knowing God is with us and is our refuge, let us exalt Him!

Rebuking the Devil

There is a place for rebuke in the body of Christ, as this is a way love can be shown by correction.  When I hear people who feel inclined to rebuke the devil, however, I wonder why not seek the LORD in prayer?  Why not make our supplications to God who will rebuke and destroy the enemy of our souls in due time?  Imagine, praying to the devil when you ought to be praying to God!  Even if Satan happens to be in earshot, our rebukes are nothing compared to God's.

It is a good practice to see if the practices of professing believers have biblical merit.  A quick survey of the scriptures does not demonstrate believers are ever taught or led by Jesus to rebuke the devil.  The passage which some have run with is Jude 1:8-9 that reads, "Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. ⁹ Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"  The context of this passage is not put forth as a command or pattern for believers to follow but was an example of how Michael the archangel did not assert himself in contending with the devil and instead appealed to God's authority and power--something dreamers and evil speakers refused to do.

In the scripture it seems the vast majority of rebuking is done by God Himself.  When we do rebuke people can get this wrong, like when Peter rebuked Jesus for saying He was going to the cross in Matthew 16:22.  The multitudes rebuked two blind men and told them to be quiet when they cried out for mercy from Jesus Christ the Son of David in Matthew 20:31.  We are wise to heed the rebuke of God as it is written in Hebrews 12:5-6:  "And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; ⁶ for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."  Rather than being told to rebuke the devil, we ought to heed God's rebukes without discouragement knowing we are loved by Him.

I am convinced if we follow the tradition of some in rebuking the devil we risk treading on God's sovereign territory because He has promised to do this when His people walk in obedience to Him.  God rebuked the children of Israel through the prophet Malachi who said it was vain to keep His command under Law to bring tithes.  God promised if they would keep His commands He would bless them beyond measure and then said in Malachi 3:11-12:  "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," says the LORD of hosts; ¹² "and all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land," says the LORD of hosts."  Better God rebuke the devourer than us, for He is able to do everything.  God's arm is not shortened that He cannot save, and His word is what matters.