Let's Start Praying More (Part 10)

(2)  Seek My Face: To seek the Face of God is to have a personal relationship with God. When Adam and Eve "hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God" (Gen 3:8, NASB), they literally hid themselves from the "face or faces" of the LORD God.  
 
Moses is unique among all the prophets because "the LORD used to speak face to face, as a man speaks to his friend," (Ex 33:11). Just as Moses beheld "the form of the LORD" (Num 12:6-7), "The One who is from God; He (Jesus) has seen the Father," (John 6:46)(John 1:18). Just as the face of Moses shone because he had stood in the presence of God, so the face of Jesus shone as He stood in the presence of the Father on the Mount of Transfiguration. 
 
Seeking the LORD runs the entire length of scripture from the Garden of Eden to the end of this world, "Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually," (1 Chron 16:11). In the words of Rabbi Heshy Kleinman,
 
"A person’s ultimate mission is to continuously seek Hashem through prayer and Torah." (Praying With Fire, page 85).
 
 Jesus said it this way, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you," (Matt 6:33). When speaking to the people of Athens, Paul said, 
 
"And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth…that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each of us." (Acts 17:26-27, ESV)
 
Seeking the LORD in an intimate act of faith, as it is written, "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him," (Heb 11:6). Seeking the LORD, is a desire to know the LORD (Phil 3:10), moving from seeing in a mirror dimly, "but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known," (1 Cor 13:12)(Rev 22:3). 
 
Often the tribulations brought into a person’s life will elevate their level of prayer. Since the LORD desires a "face to face" relationship with each person, He often permits tribulation in life to bring us into His presence like the parable of the prodigal son who returned to his father because he was impoverished and starving. The wives of the Patriarchs were infertile because the LORD desires the prayers of the righteous.
 
(Just this morning I read these words, "The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended," (Psa 72:20).  Two OBVIOUS insights I never noticed before: (1) All of David's psalms are in the beginning of the book running through Psalm 72.  I had thought that they were scattered throughout.  (2) All the psalms of David are considered "prayers."  David had many prayers to lift up and it should be the same in our lives.) - Scott

Let's Start Praying More (Part 9)

 
THE PREREQUISITIES FOR EFFECTIVE PRAYER:
 
“My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chron 7:14)
 
This familiar verse is the LORD'S response to Solomon’s request that any prayer offered at the Temple would be heard by the LORD, (2 Chron 6:40). “The LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, ‘I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice” (2 Chron 7:12), which is followed by, “Now my eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place,” (2 Chron 7:15). Between these two verses, we read the well-known passage that provides three necessary conditions for hearing the prayer of a believer:
 
(1) Humble themselves,
(2) Seek My Face, (Part 10) and
(3) Turn from their wicked ways (Repent) (Part 11).
 
All three are conditional requirements of effective prayer and worthy of a detailed discussion, but we will attempt to summarize in our context about prayer.
 
(1) Humble Themselves: In scripture, humility is demonstrated by obedience to the LORD. The best definition of humility in the entire Bible comes in reference to Jesus,
 
“Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross,” (Phil 2:8)
 
Moses is referred to as “very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth,” (Num 12:3). We understand the humility of Moses to be reflected in his obedience, which allowed the Law to come through Moses. Moses became the pattern for the prophet who would come after Moses (Deut 18:15), the one Who came, “humble in heart,” (Matt 11:29), and “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross,” (Phil 2:8).
 
Obedience to the commandments has a very tangible benefit that is almost never appreciated by the believer. To the degree the believer perform the same obligations as Jesus and the prophets, he comes to understand that he can achieve a similar level of spiritual growth.  In the words of Abraham Cohen,
 
“Spiritual greatness is inborn within each of us, and therefore, the goal of bringing it to the surface is within our grasp…When one aspires to the deeds of our Forefathers, he finds himself propelled along the path of spiritual growth because the opportunity truly does exist to reach the loftiest level.” (Everyman's Talmud)
 
In the words of James, “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 earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit,” (James 5:17-18).
 
To the degree a believer can live like Elijah and mirror the life of Jesus, the believer will come to understand that he also has the opportunity to pray like the great men of faith, as it is written,
 
“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry…The righteous cry out and the LORD hears them,” (Psa 34:15-17)


(Have a blessed day - Scott)

Let's Start Praying More (Part 8)

DOES GOD HEAR THE PRAYERS OF EVERYONE?
 
Not long ago, the subject in our Sunday night group study was prayer and one person asked the question, “Does God hear the prayers of everyone?” This is a fascinating question that deserves some consideration. The man blind from birth, but then healed by Jesus expressed this understanding,
    
“We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him,” (John 9:31).
 
This statement appears to reflect a solid theology based on scripture. First, notice the healed man’s statement is inclusive “if anyone is God-fearing.” This opens the door for a God-fearing Gentile like Cornelius to have his prayer ascend “as a memorial before God,” (Acts 10:4). The statement of the healed man is also conditional for the person who “does His will.” In first century Israel, a “sinner” was limited to the secular Jew who did not regularly attend synagogue nor keep the commandments such as those that differentiated between clean and unclean. In other words, God heard the prayers of people who sought Him, the person who “does His will”. Such was Cornelius, “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually,” (Acts 10:1). Cornelius sets a high standard for Gentiles to follow, which was the reason God chose him.
 
I tend to believe that every person's prayer is initially heard by God.  As God responses to a person’s prayer, He tests the heart of each individual to see if that person will draw closer to Him. For the one who does draw closer, the LORD will lead him into a relationship with His Son, which will open the door to entering the “Holy of Holies” in prayer. However, for the person who ignores the grace of God, that person builds a wall around himself where God will not respond to his prayer. After some time, God will “not hear sinners.”
 
Most believers do not realize the impact our behavior has on the response of God to our prayers. We like to quote the words of Jesus, “Whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you,” (John 15:16). However, this blessing is contingent on a relationship with Jesus,
 
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and It will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” (John 15:7-8)
 
The response to a person's prayer is preconditioned on “abiding” in Jesus.  So what does it mean to “abide"?  Jesus provides a definition a few verses later, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love,” (John 15:10). The person who desires to have his prayers answered, must move toward a relationship of “abiding” in Jesus Christ, which is predicated on keeping “My commandments.”
 
(Have a blessed day - Scott)

Let's Start Praying More (Part 7)

PRAYER ACCORDING TO HIS WILL


“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully,” (Psa 24:4).


Let’s face the facts, most believers have a pretty cavalier attitude when it comes to prayer. Either we do not pray, pray infrequently, or do not have the right heart in our prayers.


“The Gemara says that prayer stands at the very heights of the world, yet it is ‘looked down upon and degraded by man.’” (Praying With Fire, Rabbi Heshy Kleinman)


We either do not approach the Lord in prayer because we do not perceive a power in prayer or we approach in any condition and believe our prayer will be effective. Even a brief examination of scripture will indicate that this is not the case. James tells us “a righteous man” can pray an “effective prayer,” (James 5:16). The implication is that many prayers are not “effective” because the person praying has not properly prepared himself for prayer, i.e., is not “righteous”. Believers, “may not realize how very much the quality of their prayers really does matter.” “But no person should refrain from praying because he feels himself undeserving of a response; he should persevere with his prayer.” (Praying With Fire)


The heart and condition of the person praying comes into the equation because, “the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer,” (1 Pet 3:12). As an example, the petition of Zacharias was “heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,” (Luke 1:13), because “Zacharias and Elizabeth were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the LORD” (Luke 1:6). Although we have imputed righteousness from Jesus Christ, James indicates an obligation to mirror the righteousness of the Son to achieve “effective prayer”. From Everyman’s Talmud we read,


“For a prayer to be heard by God not only must it be sincere, but the person who offers it must be worthy of his petition being answered. ‘Whoever performs the will of the All-present and directs his heart to Him in prayer is heard’ (Exod. R. XXI.3).”


A familiar passage is often referenced to help explain the ineffectiveness of the average prayer.


“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” (1 John 5:14-15)


A common response to unanswered prayer is the notion that the prayer was not “according to His will.” While this concept is true, the average believer has a limited scope of what praying “according to His will” encompasses. In addition to the providence of God’s plan, praying “according to His will” includes a heart that seeks to know the LORD and a life that lives in obedience to the commandments of God, i.e., the prayers of “a righteous man,” (James 5:16).


“Praying according to His will” (1 John 5:14), is predicated on a lifestyle lived in obedience to will of God, as David said, “I delight to do Thy will, O my God!” (Psa 40:8), and Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 4:34).


(It was good seeing our friends in Austin - Scott)

Let's Start Praying (Part 6)

PATTERNS OF PRAYER IN SCRIPTURE


All Jews hold to the position that praying is a commandment. What is disputed is the origin of the commandment. Mamonides held that the commandment originated from the Torah, “to serve Hashem with all your heart” (Deut 6:5), and wrote,


“The responsibility of this mitzvah is such that a person should beseech and pray each day, and express praise of Hashem, and afterward…ask for his needs in supplication and prayer, and then give praise and thanks to Hashem for the favor, kindness, and good which Hashem showers upon us.” (Praying With Fire, Heshy Kleinman, page 79)


The majority of Jews hold to the position of Ramban that “to serve Hashem with all your heart," is of Rabbinic origin, and not in the original Torah. Whatever the origin, prayer is significant to the first century believer, reflected often in the gospel accounts and the epistles.


The pattern of Mamonides follows the words Paul expressed over one thousand years earlier, “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God,” (Phil 4:6). The often quoted Christian acronym “ACTS”, sets the order of prayer as acclamation, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. While this is a good expression of the components of prayer, the apostle Paul and Mamonides reverse the order of supplication and prayer. I thought the difference is fascinating, but Teresa was less excited.


The most common word for prayer in the Hebrew text is “tephillah,” (1 Kings 8:28).  The act of prayer is best understood by the numerous terms used to describe the activity: “To call (qara) on the name of the LORD” (Gen 4:26)(Rom 10:13); to “cry out (za’aq) to the LORD” (Judg 3:9); to seek the face (biqqesh penei) of God (Hosea 5:15)(2 Chron 7:14); to inquire (sha’al) (Psa 105:40); to lift up (nasa) (Jer 7:16); to intercede (paga) (Jer 7:16); to plead (chanan) (Deut 3:23); to “pour out your heart (shafakh lev)” (Psa 62:8), and to complain (si’ah) (Psa 142:3). In the Hebrew text,


“Jacob prayed for essential material needs (Gen 28:20); Eliezer for the success of his mission (Gen 24:12-14); Abraham for the salvation of Sodom (Gen 18:23-33); Moses for erring Israel (Ex 32:31-32); Joshua for divine help in the hour of defeat (Josh 7:6-9); Hezekiah for deliverance from Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:15-19); the prophets on behalf of their people (Jer 14:1, Amos 7:2); Daniel for Israel’s restoration (Dan 9:3-19); Ezra for the sins of his people (Ezra 9:6-15); and Nehemiah for the distress of his people (Neh 1:4-11). Solomon’s noble dedication prayer at the consecration of the Temple (1 Kings 8:12-53) includes almost every type of prayer – adoration, thanksgiving, petition, and confession…The spectrum of biblical prayer thus ranges form the simplest material needs to the highest spiritual yearnings.” (Encyclopaedia Judaica, Vol 16, page 457)


In the Greek text we are told in word or by example to pray: To Hallow the Name of the Father (Matt 6:9); For the manifestation of the Kingdom in this world (Matt 6:10); For our daily needs (Matt 6:11); For the forgiveness of our sins (Matt 6:12); For deliverance from temptation and evil (Matt 6:13); For success in our endeavors (Rom 1:10)(Col 4:12); For God to open the door for the word (Phil 4:3)(2 Thes 3:1); For abounding love (Phil 1:9); For deliverance (Phil 1:19); For salvation of another (Rom 10:1)(Col 1:3)(2 Thes 1:11); To support the work of evangelists (Rom 15:30)(2 Cor 1:11)(Heb 13:18); For relief from suffering and sickness (James 5:13-14); For good health (3 John 1:2); For another (James 5:17); For all men (1 Tim 2:8); For wisdom and enlightenment (Eph 1:18)(Col 1:9); To do no wrong (2 Cor 13:7); To sanctify the food we eat (1 Tim 4:5); in essence, For everything, (Phil 4:6).


In the example of prayer given by Jesus, we are told to pray in this way,


“Our Father who is in heaven, Hollowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matt 6:9-13)


(Have a blessed week - Scott)