Category Archives: Prayer
Pray for more blessing – and give all the glory to God.
“O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake … ” (Daniel 9:19).
“O Lord” – This is prayer. We do not take our problem to everyone else but the Lord. We take our problem to the Lord.
“Hear” and “listen” – There can be a very real difference between hearing and listening. Something is said in our hearing, but we’re not listening. When something is important, we say, “Are you listening?” Why do we want to make sure that the hearer is paying attention to what we’re saying? – Because it’s important to us. When we say to the Lord, “Hear” and “listen”, we’re saying, “Lord, this is important to me.”
“Forgive” and “act” – We want to break free from our past. We want to be set free for God’s future. Don’t let my past sins hinder my future blessing. Send Your blessing, Lord. That’s what we’re praying for when we say, “Lord, forgive and act.”
How Much Do You Really Want To Be Blessed By The Lord?
1 Chronicles 3:1-4:23
God answers prayer – ‘Jabez called upon the God of Israel, “Oh that You would bless me…”. And God granted his request’(4:10). Behind the name, ‘Israel’, there are many other names, many faces, many people, many prayers rising up to the God of Israel, many believers calling upon the Name of the Lord, looking to Him for His blessing. The story of ‘Israel’ is a story of ‘disobedience’ and ‘mercy’(Romans 11:25-32). This is the story of our life. We have been disobedient to God. He has been merciful to us. How are we to receive the blessing of God? Pray to God for His mercy: ‘Have mercy on me, O God, a sinner’(Luke 18:13). Come to Him with this earnest prayer: ‘Oh that You would bless me…’. How much does the blessing of God matter to you? How much do you really want to be blessed by the Lord? Make it the most important thing: ‘Oh that You would bless me…’.
Praise God For What He Has Done In The Past. Pray For More Of His Blessing In The Future.
1 Chronicles 10:1-11:19
Saul’s life can be summed up in one word – ‘unfaithfulness’: ‘he was unfaithful to the Lord’. This is a warning: Don`t become like Saul who ‘did not keep the command of the Lord… and did not seek guidance from the Lord’(10:13-14). David was quite different from Saul. He became king ‘according to the Word of the Lord’. He grew in strength because ‘the Lord of hosts was with him’(11:3,9). David was helped greatly by his ‘mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel’(11:10). These things were ‘written for our instruction’ (Romans 15:4). Praise God for what He has done in the past – ‘Blessed be the Lord for ever!’(Psalm 89:52). Pray for more of His blessing in the future – ‘O that some one would give me to drink from the well of Bethlehem’(11:17; Revelation 22:17; John 7:37-39).
A Call To Prayer And A Promise Of Blessing
The Word of God does not benefit us when we do not receive it with faith.
Genesis 18:1-15
Is anything too hard for the Lord? (14). We need to hear these words as God’s call to greater faith. Sarah, like Abraham, had heard God’s promises, yet ‘she laughed to herself’(12). We can hear God’s Word, and still remain, in our hearts, men and women of unbelief. The Word of God does not benefit us when we do not receive it with faith (Hebrews 4:2). God knows what is in our hearts, just as He knew what was in Sarah’s heart (13-15). He knows the human heart, ‘deceitful above all things’(Jeremiah 17:9), yet He continues to love us. He does not give up on us. He perseveres with us. He could have given up on Sarah as a hopeless waste of His time, but He did not. ‘The evil heart of unbelief’ is always with us, but God is constantly at work to create in us ‘a clean heart’( Hebrews 3:12: Psalm 51:10). ‘Soften my heart, Lord’(Mission Praise, 606).
Genesis 18:16-33
In the face of the threatened judgment of God upon Sodom and Gomorrah, we find Abraham engaging in mighty intercessory prayer. He is not concerned only about himself and his own salvation. He is prayerfully committed to seeking the salvation of others. This is a mark of spiritual maturity – a deep concern for the salvation of sinners, leading to earnest intercessory prayer for them. Abraham drew near to God (23; James 4:8). He pleaded with the God of grace to have mercy on the city (23-25; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3-4, 1:15; John 3:17). With a deep love for the people, Abraham prays with boldness and persistence (27,32; Hebrews 4:16). A great many people refused to honour God, yet His purpose was not hindered. The remnant seemed impossibly small. It was the beginning of blessing for all nations. ‘To God be the glory, Great things He has done’(Church Hymnary, 374).
Jesus prays for us (John 17)
It’s wonderful to know that Jesus prays for us. We fail in prayer. We forget one another. Jesus never fails. Jesus never forgets.
Confess your sin. Pray for salvation. Stand on God’s Word. Make it personal!
Genesis 31:43-32:21
Jacob and Laban were not exactly the best of friends. Nevertheless, they came to an agreement that they would not continue feuding with each other (52). Jacob prepares to meet Esau (1-21). From verses 9-12, we learn some important spiritual lessons – (a) Make sure that God is your God, and not only the God of your father and grandfather (9). (b) Confess your unworthiness of ‘all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness’ of God (10). (c) Pray to God for salvation – ‘Save me I pray…’(11). (d) Stand on the promises of God – ‘You have said…’(12). Jacob, soon to be renamed Israel (32:28), was preparing to meet Esau. There is, in his prayer, the way of being prepared for a more important meeting: ‘Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!’(Amos 4:12). Confess your sin, pray for salvation, stand on God’s Word – make it personal!
Jesus is still praying for us.
Jesus prays for you. Jesus prays for me. We have come to faith in Him through the written Word of His apostles (20). The story of the Cross (1-5), the story of the first disciples (6-19) is an ongoing story. It continues in us. The saving effects of Christ’s death are still being felt today. The written Word of His apostles is still exerting its powerful influence on today’s world. Jesus is still praying for us (Hebrews 7:25). He prayed for His first disciples – ‘that they may be one’ (11). He prays the same prayer for us (20-23). Among His first disciples, there was Judas Iscariot, ‘the one who chose to be lost’ (12). If we are to ‘maintain the unity of the Spirit’, we must take account of ‘the Judas factor’ – ‘take notice of those who create dissensions… avoid them’ (Ephesians 4:3; Jude 4; 1 John 2:18-19; Romans 16:17-18).
In salvation and surrender, we find our true joy.
Notice the importance of prayer in the advance of the Gospel. They were looking for a prayer meeting when Lydia was saved (13-14). They were going to a prayer meeting when the girl was saved (16-18). They were having a prayer meeting when the jailer was saved (25-34). They had gone to Philippi ‘to preach the Gospel to them’(10). Even when they were ‘in chains’, the Gospel proved itself to be ‘the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith’(Ephesians 6:20; Romans 1:16). ‘The Word of God is not bound’. It is ‘living and active’. ‘Sharper than any two-edged sword’, it is ‘the sword of the Spirit’(2 Timothy 2:9; Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17). Do you want people to ask the Salvation question and heed the Gospel answer (30-31)? ‘Pray at all times in the Spirit… with all perseverance’(Ephesians 6:18).
The Word of God and the Spirit of God in Acts 1-2
The promise of God and the call to mission
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1). “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised …” (Acts 1:4-5). In Acts 1:8, we have the promise of God and the call to mission. God’s people pray (Acts 1:14). They are waiting on the Lord, trusting that He will fulfil His promise: “Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). Notice that the Holy Spirit is God’s gift (Acts 1:4). The disciples are not being rewarded for their commitment to prayer. They are waiting upon the Lord who sends the Holy Spirit as the gift of His grace.
The coming of the Spirit is like ‘wind’ and ‘fire.’
The coming of the Spirit is like “wind” and “fire” (Acts 2:2-3). The wind of the Spirit comes from heaven. The fire of the Spirit rests on the disciples. The coming of the Spirit leads to mission. The Gospel is communicated to many people who have gathered in Jerusalem from many different places (Acts 2:5-11). People are puzzled. They look for a human explanation (Acts 2:12-13). The real explanation is spiritual (Acts 2:14-21).
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit
When God pours out His Spirit (Acts 2:17), the promise of salvation (Acts 2:21) is emphasized in the preaching of the Gospel. When God pours out His Spirit, the preachers of the Gospel keep Christ at the centre of their preaching (Acts 2:22). When God pours out His Spirit, the Story of Jesus is told – His “miracles, wonders and signs” (Acts 2:22), His crucifixion (Acts 2:23), His resurrection (Acts 2:24), His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 2:33). The Story of Jesus is the Story of God’s love. We hear this Story and the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to draw us to the Saviour.
What must I do to be saved?
When we hear the message of salvation, preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are moved by the Spirit to ask the question, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). This is the question of salvation. The question comes from God. He puts it into our hearts. The answer comes from God. He speaks to our hearts. God’s answer – the answer of salvation – is spoken by Peter in Acts 2:38-39. It is the call for conversion. It is the promise of salvation. We are to come in faith to Jesus, confessing our sin and receiving His forgiveness.
When the Son of Man comes …
“When the Son of man comes, will He find faith on earth?” Pray that your love for Him will not grow cold. Pray for faith to stand firm to the end.
Pray that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 10:38-11:28
Mary was ‘listening to the Lord’(39). Martha was ‘distracted’(40). ‘One thing is needful’(42): Don’t let anything distract you from this – Getting alone with God. More than anything else, Jesus wants to ‘teach us to pray’(1). The greatest gift that God gives – in answer to prayer – is the Holy Spirit (13). We are to ‘pray at all times in the Spirit’, relying completely on the Spirit to teach us to pray (Ephesians 6:18). Pray that you will be ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’(Acts 4:31). As you pray, let the Spirit be your Helper (Romans 8:26). ‘Some’ are so critical: Negative thinkers, they ‘point the finger’ at everything (15). ‘Others’ are never satisfied: They’ve made complaining a way of life (16). Let’s rise above all this: ‘Blessed… are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!’(28).
Sometimes, God’s “No” Means “Not Now. Later.”
1 Chronicles 16:37-17:27
Sometimes, God’s “No” means “Not now. Later”. David wanted to build a Temple for the Lord. God said, “No”- ‘You shall not build Me a House to dwell in’(1-4). This was not God’s last Word on the matter – ‘one of your own sons… shall build a House for Me’(11-12). One ministry comes to an end. Another ministry begins. We wonder, ‘Has God said, “No”?’. Has He said, “There will be no blessing”?’. God’s “No”may mean “Not yet”. The blessing will come – but not yet. The “No”was spoken to David, yet still, there was the promise of God: ‘the Lord will build you a House’(10). The true servant of the Lord does not say, “The blessing must come in my time”! God’s servant rejoices in the “not yet”blessing of God – ‘still the vision awaits its time… If it seem slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay’(25-27; Habakkuk 2:3).
Service, Prayer, Love and Witness
“it is the total ministry of service, prayer, love and witness, throughout the year, which is used to bring new life to the parish” (Local Church Evangelism, edited by David Wright and Alastair Gray, p. 85).
To be reminded of our calling to be faithful in service, prayer, love and witness is to be reminded of our failure.
When, however, we look beyond the inadequacies of our service, prayer, love and witness, we catch a a glimpse of the faithfulness of God – “If we are faithless, He remains faithful” (2 Timothy 2:13).
In the presence of the God of “great faithfulness”, we are reminded that we have “received this ministry by the mercy of God” (Lamentations 3:22; 2 Corinthians 4:1).
We have “received mercy” so that “we might proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
“Shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory; blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire … “. These are not only words to be sung. It’s a life to be lived. They are not only words for the mountain-top experience – the exuberance of praise. It’s an all-year round life, a life of service, prayer, love and witness. Let’s live the life and see the difference it makes!
