Wakened to pray so God’s presence could be welcomed

how-to-pray-in-the-holy-spirit-qshm9l2k-6af82dbc0a8b371be8a30b63d9f81c67

There is something about my prayer space being “ritually” pure that makes sense. So when I read this being a concern when involved in warfare I connected right away.

If a man becomes unclean because he has had a wet dream during the night, he is to go outside the camp and stay there. Toward evening he is to wash himself, and at sunset he may come back into camp. Keep your camp ritually clean, because the Lord your God is with you in your camp to protect you and to give you victory over your enemies. Do not do anything indecent that would cause the Lord to turn his back on you. – Deuteronomy 23:10-11, 14  GNT

If God walks in my space and my space is “holy” why would I be practicing anything that would “unwelcome” His presence?

I want to have God’s favour in all I do. As I practice keeping my space holy it is here that I can practice praying for mercy.

A good person will never fail;
    he will always be remembered. – Psalm 112:6 GNT

God hears my prayer and rewards me. If my reward is to be remembered it is only because as I receive God’s mercy and have been ready to show the same mercy to others.

So my purpose is clear when I come into my space to pray.

The Sovereign Lord has taught me what to say,
    so that I can strengthen the weary.
Every morning he makes me eager
    to hear what he is going to teach me. – Isaiah 50:4 GNT

My task is to take the truths that God has shared with me and go. Go to comfort the broken hearts, those who are tired of sin, and those harassed by trouble. The Holy Spirit wakens me each day to pray and then to go and preach the gospel. I receive from Him so that I can deliver the word of God.

Again (I speak now with especial respect unto him in heaven); the glory of his presence, as God and man eternally united; the discharge of his mediatory office, as he is at the right hand of God; the glory of his present acting for the church, as he is the minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle which God hath fixed and not man; the love, power, and efficacy of his intercession, whereby he takes care for the accomplishment of the salvation of the church; the approach of his glorious coming unto judgment, — are to be the objects of our daily thoughts and meditations. Let us not mistake ourselves. To be spiritually minded is, not to have the notion and knowledge of spiritual things in our minds; it is not to be constant, no, nor to abound, in the performance of duties: both which may be where there is no grace in the heart at all. It is to have our minds really exercised with delight about heavenly things, the things that are above, especially Christ himself as at the right hand of God. – John Owen

 

 

Pray for fulfilled promises

globe-nature-gettyimages-romolotavani.1200w.tn

There are a lot of stats flying around these days on how people are dying. Some go far back into history and others talk about the first six months of the year.  I saw a stat that broke my heart. There was a list of the top 10 ways individuals are dying today and the greatest number, by millions, were abortions. There is an actually site that counts the number of abortions taking place in the world today. When I started to meditate on this verse it took me a while to come to a place of prayer.

‘We did not murder this one, and we do not know who did it. Lord, forgive your people Israel, whom you rescued from Egypt. Forgive us and do not hold us responsible for the murder of an innocent person.’ And so, by doing what the Lord requires, you will not be held responsible for the murder. – Deuteronomy 21:7-9 GNT

At first I was thinking this was a great verse to pray over my children, my city, my province and my country and that God would be merciful. Then I thought of the abortions and I was immediately overwhelmed for all of them were intentional. I had to take a few steps back just to breathe. Does that not make this prayer come to our lips.

May his life soon be ended;
    may someone else take his job!
May his children become orphans,
    and his wife a widow! – Psalm 109:8-9 GNT

Now I am evaluating why and for whom I pray. I need to find a place of grace and mercy and I need for those who have sinned so greatly, including myself, to find forgiveness and life.

“In order that people will praise my name,
    I am holding my anger in check;
    I am keeping it back and will not destroy you.
I have tested you in the fire of suffering,
    as silver is refined in a furnace.
But I have found that you are worthless.
What I do is done for my own sake—
    I will not let my name be dishonored
    or let anyone else share the glory
    that should be mine and mine alone.” – Isaiah 48:9-11  GNT

Out of this I have a prayer and it starts like this, “Our Father in heaven: May your holy name be honoured.” I too need to find myself praying that God will fulfill His promises and rescue His name and His reputation from the world.

BUT herein it is required, that we rest not in the Notion of this Truth, and a bare Assent unto the Doctrine of it. The affecting Power of it upon our Hearts, is that which we should aim at. Wherein doth the Bles∣sedness of the Saints above consist? Is it not herein, that they behold and see the Glory of God in Christ? And what is the Effect of it upon those blessed Souls? Doth it not change them into the same Image, or make them like unto Christ? Doth it not fill and satiate them with Joy, Rest, Delight, Complacency and ineffable Satis∣faction? Do we expect, do we desire the same State of Blessedness? It is our present View of the Glory of Christ which is our Initiation thereinto, if we are exercised in it, until we have an Experience of its Transforming Power in our Souls. – John Owen

 

Purposeful prayer

PerilousTimes

I am fascinated by the study of war and the strategic thought behind what makes a good leader in times of engagement. I find I can apply so much to my own leadership to the teams I find leading. So when I read this, I can’t say that I ever looked to the Bible to give advice of this nature.

 Before you start fighting, a priest is to come forward and say to the army, Men of Israel, listen! Today you are going into battle. Do not be afraid of your enemies or lose courage or panic. The Lord your God is going with you, and he will give you victory.’ – Deuteronomy 20:2-4  GNT

I believe they call this – the anointed of the war. The person who was responsible to pray for them – the priest – was called to animate the people. Are not the best encouragers those who believe in the promises of God made to the prayer of faith? It is like an esteemed chaplain in today’s army – not called only to pray, but to preach to them – to give them advice as to what may hinder their success and how to raise their hopes.

The trap of purposelessness faces all of us from time to time. Look how we are instructed to pray and honest prayer.

Then in their trouble they called to the Lord,
    and he saved them from their distress. – Psalm 107:13  GNT

I pray differently than many others but I love the fact that God hears us all – the whispers and the screams.

Unfortunately, I see too many of us who bother not to seek God and to pray about their needs and problems.

Keep all your magic spells and charms;
    you have used them since you were young.
Perhaps they will be of some help to you;
    perhaps you can frighten your enemies. – Isaiah 47:12  GNT

It is a sarcastic comment but what else would one do if they have lost their purpose and have forgotten that prayer matters.

“No man shall ever behold the glory of Christ by sight hereafter who does not in some measure behold it here by faith.”
― John Owen, The Glory Of Christ

 

Pray for God’s mercy

Pray for mercy

This calligraphic fragment includes a Persian poem seeking the mercy and assistance of God. The verse read: Oh Sun of the proud skies, / Oh Gem of the sea freed from need, / I have hope (to receive) your favour, / Kindness, generosity, and support of me.”

I am encouraged to praise God and to cry out to Him to ask Him to pour out His grace on those who follow Him.

Even though I myself have a dismal record, when it comes to obedience, the temptation is that my own shame would hinder me from spending any time in prayer. However, as I am praying for God’s mercy on others, I am also praying for His mercy on myself.

The source of salvation comes from only one place – God. Only God can save a sinner like me. My heart is so hardened by sin that it could never improve itself.

So I pray…

Remember me, Lord, when you help your people;
include me when you save them.
Let me see the prosperity of your people
and share in the happiness of your nation,
in the glad pride of those who belong to you. – Psalm 106:4-5  GNT

It is a prayer I want to pray when I think about revival, about genuine salavation to those enslaved by sin and for spiritual prosperity to those who follow God. It is all those things for me, personally, too.

“A visit from Christ is the cure for all spiritual diseases.” – Spurgeon (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit [Pilgrim Publications], 62:559)

May I experience the joy of His salvation on a daily basis for then I will bless His name.

Save us, O Lord our God,
    and bring us back from among the nations,
so that we may be thankful
    and praise your holy name. – Psalm 106:47  GNT

Time is short and so these hymns based on verses in Revelation might be the types of prayers to consider.

God’s Holy Ways Are Just and True

Then I heard a voice from the altar saying, “Lord God Almighty! True and just indeed are your judgments!” – Revelation 16:7  GNT

The Great Battle for Truth

They are the spirits of demons that perform miracles. These three spirits go out to all the kings of the world, to bring them together for the battle on the great Day of Almighty God. – Revelation 16:14  GNT

Ye servants of the Lord   and  Rise, My Soul, to Watch and Pray  and  Waiting, Watching, Working

“Listen! I am coming like a thief! Happy is he who stays awake and guards his clothes, so that he will not walk around naked and be ashamed in public!” – Revelation 16:15  GNT

 

“How long is the love of God? Jesus says in John 10, “I know my own. I give them eternal life . . . and no one can pluck them out of my hand.” In Philippians 1:6, Paul says ot the Christians, everybody he is writing to at Philippi, “I am convinced . . . that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day fo Christ Jesus.” Not “may.” Will. His love is infinitely long. And when did his love began? We are told in the book of Revelation that the Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world. God put his love on you in the depths of time, and he will never remove it from you. Why? Because salvation is by grace. It is not by works. It is not given toyou because of what you do. It has begun in the depths of time and will last into eternity. It is infinitely long.” – Timothy Keller

 

Faith and prayer may one day be too late

Close-Up Of Man Praying

There is an open invitation given by myself and many others telling whoever will listen that they can look to God for help. Strength comes from God by faith and prayer.

Go to the Lord for help;
    and worship him continually – Pslam 105:4  GNT

I do that because I know seeking God is not a practice that comes up empty – when I seek Him, I find Him and He does not reject me.

I have not spoken in secret
    or kept my purpose hidden.
I did not require the people of Israel
    to look for me in a desolate waste.
I am the Lord, and I speak the truth;
    I make known what is right. – Isaiah 45:19  GNT

However, there is a scene in Revelation that would suggest there will be a day when this opportunity will no longer exist.

The temple was filled with smoke from the glory and power of God, and no one could go into the temple until the seven plagues brought by the seven angels had come to an end. – Revelation 15:8  GNT

By faith and by prayer we enter the presence of God, but here it has become impossible – no one could go into the temple. There is a time coming when it will be too late to pray.

“Thomas Goodwin, a seventeenth-century Puritan pastor, wrote that one day he saw a father and son walking along the street. Suddenly the father swept the son up into his arms and hugged him and kissed him and told the boy he loved him—and then after a minute he put the boy back down. Was the little boy more a son in the father’s arms than he was down on the street? Objectively and legally, there was no difference, but subjectively and experientially, there was all the difference in the world. In his father’s arms, the boy was experiencing his sonship.” – Timothy Keller