Pray and meditate

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I wonder if I have lost this value of the Levites, a value of compassion. The cities of refuge were cities that were appointed to the Levites.

 These were the cities of refuge chosen for all the people of Israel and for any foreigner living among them. Any who killed a person accidentally could find protection there from the one looking for revenge; they could not be killed unless they had first received a public trial. – Joshua 20:9  GNT

It was an honour to have this appointment given to them. They were being called to be the judges in those cases where God was needed to be invited. There was need for a protector of oppressed innocency and kindness to a refugee. For while this person could not leave this city, they were in a place where they were surrounded by the servants of God. They could instruct, pray for and help them and bring them to a place of healing.

It is in our safe place that we can receive ministry from God. I believe that is what happened with the early church.

Then the apostles went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is about half a mile away from the city. They entered the city and went up to the room where they were staying: Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas son of James. They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women and with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers. – Acts 1:12-14  GNT

They were all together, as frequently as possible, and they all prayed. The secret of their successs was obedience, meeting together and being in prayer.

The 120 individuals are providing me a simple lesson – it is a privilege and a responsibility to attend meetings of prayer. Those times of prayer are frequent and consistent. What I admire the most is that they all prayed together – there was one heart and one mind – there was unanimity about the matters to what they prayed for and that makes me think that they were in harmony, united by the love of God.

I think prayer means that they were including praise, worship, thanksgiving, adoriation, confession and intercession.

Jeremiah has three responses to success as well – worship, humility and trust.

Lord, there is no one like you;
    you are mighty,
    and your name is great and powerful.
Who would not honor you, the king of all nations?
    You deserve to be honored.
There is no one like you
    among all the wise men of the nations
    or among any of their kings.

But you, Lord, are the true God,
    you are the living God
    and the eternal king.
When you are angry, the world trembles;
    the nations cannot endure your anger.

The Lord made the earth by his power;
    by his wisdom he created the world
    and stretched out the heavens.
At his command the waters above the sky[b] roar;
    he brings clouds from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning flash in the rain
    and sends the wind from his storeroom.

The God of Jacob is not like them;
    he is the one who made everything,
    and he has chosen Israel to be his very own people.
    The Lord Almighty is his name. – Jeremiah 10: 6-7,10,12-13,16  GNT

 

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.  It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete until it is expressed. […] If it were possible for a created soul fully (I mean, up to the full measure conceivable in a finite being) to ‘appreciate’, that is to love and delight in, the worthiest object of all, and simultaneously at every moment to give this delight perfect expression, then that soul would be in supreme beatitude.  It is along these lines that I find it easiest to understand the Christian doctrine that ‘Heaven’ is a state in which angels now, and men hereafter, are perpetually employed in praising God. […] To see what the doctrine really means, we must suppose ourselves to be in perfect love with God-drunk with, drowned in, dissolved by, that delight which, far from remaining pent up within ourselves as incommunicable, hence hardly tolerable, bliss, flows out from us incessantly again in effortless and perfect expression, our joy no more separable from the praise in which it liberates and utters itself than the brightness a mirror receives is separable from the brightness it sheds.  The Scotch catechism says that man’s chief end is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”  But we shall then know that these are the same thing.  Fully to enjoy is to glorify.  In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him. – C.S. Lewis

 

My soul pours out and I pray for others

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After they had conquered the land, the entire community of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of the Lord‘s presence. – Joshua 18:1  GNT

Shiloh means rest, or peace. Real rest and peace can be found in the presence of God. Whereever my soul pours itself out in prayer, there is my Shiloh or my restful dependence on Him.

My personal space of prayer has become my “Shiloh.” It is a place of rest, a quiet resort, a refuge and my sanctuary. It is the founation place for me to be made strong as I walk into the community of believers.

As I enter my church community, I do so in order to glorify God together with them. Our harmony with the voice of praise and thanksgiving, along with prayer and intercession, We come to address our Father in heaven.

It is here that I feel united by our faith. My church is not only a scene of worship, a house of prayer, but a witness to our faith.

Every house of prayer has its own hallowed memories. They would be stories I would love to capture.

With such strength around me, I look at Jesus and wonder if I could ever challenge like He challenged.

“How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside. In the same way, on the outside you appear good to everybody, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and sins. “How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You make fine tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of those who lived good lives; and you claim that if you had lived during the time of your ancestors, you would not have done what they did and killed the prophets. So you actually admit that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets! Go on, then, and finish up what your ancestors started! – Matthew 23:27-32  GNT

I instantly become aware that I could be in the same trap as the Pharisees and see myself on a higher level than others. I need to bring to God anything that comes to mind in my time of prayer that reflects me separating myself from God. May I trust in His loving mercy.

Back to challenging like Jesus did – speaking truth to power. One has to be brave and one has to be willing to pay the price. While I may not be cut out for this, I must pray for those who are and are willing to risk speaking truth to power. I also will pray for those who abuse their power and for their victims.

With that purpose in mind, I pray that the eye of my own heart is clear. I want to be aware of my own inconsistencies in both thought and action. I repent for all my hypocrisy and pray for those who suffer because of my weakness.

“The end of prayer, all prayer, is praise. Our lives fill out in goodness; earth and heaven meet in an extraordinary conjunction. Clashing cymbals announce the glory: Blessing. Amen. Hallelujah.” – Eugene Peterson

Call to worship and prayer of praise

call to worship and prayer of praise

 

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from heaven,
you that live in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels,
all his heavenly armies.

Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, shining stars.
Praise him, highest heavens,
and the waters above the sky.[a]

Let them all praise the name of the Lord!
He commanded, and they were created;
by his command they were fixed in their places forever,
and they cannot disobey.[b]

Praise the Lord from the earth,
sea monsters and all ocean depths;
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
strong winds that obey his command.

Praise him, hills and mountains,
fruit trees and forests;
all animals, tame and wild,
reptiles and birds.

Praise him, kings and all peoples,
princes and all other rulers;
young women and young men,
old people and children too.

Let them all praise the name of the Lord!
His name is greater than all others;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
He made his nation strong,
so that all his people praise him—
the people of Israel, so dear to him.

Praise the Lord! – Psalm 148

The Church of England has this prayer added to this psalm —

O glorious God,

your whole creation sings your marvellous work;

may heaven’s praise so echo in our hearts

that we may be good stewards of the earth;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. – Common Worship: Daily Prayer

Click here for a prayer from a Presbyterian minister based on this psalm.

Here is a prayer based on this verse – “He commanded, and they were created;
     by his command they were fixed in their places forever,
    and they cannot disobey.” – verse 6 —

How we praise and thank You, heavenly Father, for all that You have created. Praise the Lord, for You are worthy of all honour from the heavens above and the earth beneath. Thank You for sending Jesus to be my Redeemer and thank You that He was willing to stretch out His arms of love for me – on the cross of Calvary. You alone are worthy of all honour and glory, for all that You are, all that You have done and all that You have promised to do. Thank You that the works of Your hand are established forever and Your decrees will not pass away. How I praise You that I will be part of that celestial chorus to honour You in the ages to come – in Jesus’ name, I pray, AMEN.

Here’s a combination call to worship/prayer of praise inspired by this psalm.  It was written by Joan Stott —

We gather to praise you O God,

for all the things we can see, and sometimes understand:

the sun, moon and stars; the clouds and changing weather:
We join in their eternal chorus of praise to God.

We gather to praise you, O God,

for all the things that we cannot see or understand:

all heaven’s angels, outer space; and the skies above us;
We join in their eternal chorus of praise to God.

We gather to praise you O God,

for all the things in life that we experience:

the created world, people of all ages and circumstances,

all God’s creations.
We join in their eternal chorus of praise to God:
whose name is glorious, and whose ways are holy. Amen.

This is not a ‘word of praise’ slapped onto whatever
       mess we are in at the moment. This crafted
       conclusion of the Psalms tells us that our prayers
       are going to end in praise, but that it is also
       going to take awhile. Don’t rush it. It may take
       years, decades even, before certain prayers arrive
       at the hallelujahs….Not every prayer is capped off
       with praise. In fact most prayers, if the Psalter
       is a true guide, are not. But prayer, a praying
       life, finally becomes praise. Prayer is always
       reaching towards praise and will finally arrive
       there. If we persist in prayer, laugh and cry,
       doubt and believe, struggle and dance and then
       struggle again, we will surely end up at Psalm 150,
       on our feet, applauding, “Encore! Encore!” – Eugene Peterson

 

A promise is the basis of my prayer so I will repent

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When I read about Caleb’s request to Joshua for the land in Hebron, I see his strength as he stands on the promise of God to him and his family.

Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him the city of Hebron as his possession. Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, because he faithfully obeyed the Lord, the God of Israel. – Joshua 14:13-14  GNT

It is a powerful place to stand in prayer presenting the promises of God. It allows me to pray according to His will. 

It does not allow me to stop praying a sinner’s prayer.

Happy are those who have the God of Jacob to help them
    and who depend on the Lord their God. – Psalm 146:5

Refering to Jacob may not seem to be the right approach here but what a picture of redeeming character and salvation. Jacob was very human and selfish but he was also a man who believed in God and who believed in prayer. A sinful heart is no proof that he was hypocritical. What a great lesson for me to understand that I do not have to wait to be a saint before I pray, for it is in prayer that I am sanctified.

So when Jeremiah is told by God not to pray for the people of Israel, it was God’s way of saying – stay out of the way, I need to do some work here.

The Lord said, “Jeremiah, do not pray for these people. Do not cry or pray on their behalf; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you. – Jeremiah 7:16  GNT

There was corruption, there was a prevailing attitude that was skewed towards God’s holiness and this was not the time for the people to be left unchanged. Promises and all, we need to be sanctified and if I choose not to move closer to Him, God will draw me in.

Is it not true that when we go to church every week, do a couple of volunteer hours, pray a prayer of thanks when we get up and when we go to sleep and over our mealtimes that we seem protected from the consequence of our sin because we are close to sacred things? This kind of sinfulnesss stops the promises of God to be effective for God wants more and it starts with me acknowledging and repenting of my sins daily. 

Prayer is our most intense and interior act of futurity. All prayers, by definition, are directed to God, and this aims brings them, finally into the presence of God where ‘everything that has breath’ praises the Lord. Praise is the deep, even if often hidden, eschatological dimension in prayer…’Most joy is anticipatory,’ says Karl Barth. ‘It normally has something of an eschatological character’…The five hallelujah psalms with Psalm 145 as a foundation are a cathedral built entirely of praise. No matter how much we suffer, no matter our doubts, no matter how angry we get, no matter how many times we have asked in desperation or doubt, ‘How long?’, prayer develops finally into praise. Everything finds its way to the doorstep of praise. Praise is the consummating prayer. This is not to say that other prayers are inferior to praise, only that all prayer pursued far enough, becomes praise. – Eugene Peterson

 

God does not leave me when I pray even when my prayers are not answered the way I expect them to be

god does not leave me even when he does not answer my prayer the way I expect him to

On the theology side, I know God is omnipresence which means He is always near me. However, I believe not only is He near me, He is also there to sympathize with me and to give me favour. When I pray and confess His name, God does not leave me alone to battle the world, He is by my side. Formal prayers or false professions will never bring me to the relationship that God wants to have with me. To pray with true professions means I need a true heart marked by humility and with passion – anything else would make prayer a lie.  

He is near to those who call to him,
    who call to him with sincerity.
He supplies the needs of those who honor him;
    he hears their cries and saves them. – Psalm 145:18-19  GNT

I believe that there are unlimited answers to my prayers that come from the riches of God’s grace that comes in Jesus. From my desire to pray, coming out of my expression of need, I find what makes a genuine and effective prayer.

God’s people are a praying people, a generation of seekers, and such commonly are speeders. God never said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain. They seek his face, righteousness and strength, and he is found of them … The saints alone betake themselves to God and his help, run to him as their sanctuary; others fly from God’s presence, run to the rocks, and the tops of the ragged rocks, call to the hills and the mountains; but a child of God goes only and tells his Father, and before him lays open his cause; as good Hezekiah did, when Rabshakeh came out against him; “O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me”; or the Church ( Isaiah 33:2 ), “Be thou our arm every morning, and our salvation in time of trouble.” They only sensibly need, and so alone crave and implore divine succour; and God will not suffer his people to lose the precious treasure of their prayers. “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him; he will fulfil their desire, he will hear their cry”, etc. That God who prepares his people’s heart to pray, prepares also his own ear to hear; and he that promises to hear before we call, will never deny to hearken when we cry unto him. As Calvin saith: “Oppressions and afflictions make man cry, and cries and supplications make God hear.” –F. E., in “The Saint’s Ebenezer”, 1667.

Definition of prayer – “call to Him“; variety in prayer – “call, cries, honour“; essential characteristic of prayer – “sincerity“; where is God when I pray? – “near“; assured success of prayer – “supplies, hears, saves.”

The story of the blind men being healed give me an illustration about how to pray. There are a number of truths I have gleaned from what looks like a simple account of what took place with Jesus.

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd was following. Two blind men who were sitting by the road heard that Jesus was passing by, so they began to shout, “Son of David! Have mercy on us, sir!”

The crowd scolded them and told them to be quiet. But they shouted even more loudly, “Son of David! Have mercy on us, sir!”

Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.

“Sir,” they answered, “we want you to give us our sight!”

Jesus had pity on them and touched their eyes; at once they were able to see, and they followed him. – Matthew 20:29-34  GNT

I believe they were desperate to get through to Jesus and I believe Jesus appreciated that desperation. There was no formality, they opened their mouths and exercised their right to cry out in their incredible desire to connect with Him.

They did not look for someone else to connect with Jesus – they did not seek for an intermediary. They knew they could have access to call on Him directly.

When they connected with Jesus, they presented themselves in a simple and straightforward manner. No need for fancy words or the right combination of words.

They specifically asked Jesus what they wanted – what is important here is how they didn’t pray. Do I not sometimes come in a round about way to making my request? What takes 1 minute to pray, I take 5 minutes for it to come out of my mouth.

They shouted out loudly – even when I know God is not deaf and already knows what is in my heart, but it sure helps keep my spirit, and thereby my prayer, focused on Jesus. I know this is something I rarely do – I am one to pray silently – I am usually engaged with my thoughts, anxieties or feelings. Howeve, there seems to be an ability, in exercising my prayer out loud, that strengthens my prayer life.

I can pray to God about all the matters of my life – prayer is simply a personal, direct conversation between Him and I. Even when He does not respond directly to my request, or even answers differently than I expected Him to, I am assured that what matters to me matters to Him and that He cares about what bothers me or weighs me down.

The first four benedictions work variations on a common theme with the words “Blessing” and “Amen” holding key positions. … When the time comes to provide a conclusion of the fifth book, the Blessing and the Amen, wonderful and powerful as they are, are dropped in order to bring the Hallelujah front and center as the controlling word. Psalm 150 begins and ends with Hallelujah, but also uses it internally. These hallelujahs are cannonades: thirteen times this strongest of all Hebrew praise words thunders across the earth reverberating the eucharistic end of prayer. There is more. Psalm 150 does not stand alone; four more hallelujah psalms are inserted in front of it so that it becomes the fifth of five psalms that conclude the Psalter – five hallelujah psalms, one for each “book” of the Psalms, and the last, the 150th doing double duty as the conclusion to both the fifth book and to the five books all together. – Eugene Peterson