Prayers in vain or answered

Fantastic Moonlight

I think that God was watching the leadership of Moses all along. He noticed his strengths and his weaknesses. God has his back throughout his entire life. There was only one time where God could not make his weakness go away and Moses had to face the consequences.

But the Lord reprimanded Moses and Aaron. He said, “Because you did not have enough faith to acknowledge my holy power before the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land that I promised to give them.” – Numbers 20:12 GNT
God points out that it was Moses’ lack of faith in acknowledging God’s power before the people of Israel that was his downfall. It almost sounds like he had blasphemed the Holy Spirit.
How many times do I feel my prayers are said in vain only because I simply do not trust Him? I am told to keep praying and I believe God wants me to come to him, even asking for the same thing over and over again, the difference being how I present these to Him. Am I praying a prayer of faith – if not, and I find myself not trusting Him and therefore repeating the same prayer in a way to build up that faith or trust, maybe I should revisit what prayer is.

I am encouraged again by the praying of David and how he repeats himself but he does so in complete faith and trust in God. People, like Saul, were cruel to David and he wanted them punished.

Where the psalms indicate that they want bad things to happen to people, they are called Psalms of Imprecation – a spoken curse. These are hard for me to understand. A key note for all of us to understand is that each psalm, when they are using this prayer, are asking God to do the punishing – not us.

Here is such a psalm.

Break the teeth of these fierce lions, O God.
May they disappear like water draining away;
    may they be crushed like weeds on a path.[c]
May they be like snails that dissolve into slime;
    may they be like a baby born dead that never sees the light.
Before they know it, they are cut down like weeds;
    in his fierce anger God will blow them away
    while they are still living.[d]

The righteous will be glad when they see sinners punished;
    they will wade through the blood of the wicked. – Psalm 58:6-10 GNT 

By acknowledging the fact that vengeance belongs to God alone, he does not take revenge himself, but he prays that God will avenge him. If you notice these curses, it is understood that the execution of these could only come from the hand of God. It is God who is called on to activate the appropriate consequences.

Going forward to another psalm we see the same thing again. In this case the enemies are those who are trying to kill David.

Save me from my enemies, my God;
    protect me from those who attack me!
Save me from those evil people;
    rescue me from those murderers!

Look! They are waiting to kill me;
cruel people are gathering against me.
It is not because of any sin or wrong I have done,
nor because of any fault of mine, O Lord,
that they hurry to their places. – Psalm 59:1-4 GNT

David is not saying he is sinless, only acknowledging that God is the one who will address him of his sin and that he is not in need of any other stepping into the role of judge, jury and executioner especially if they are lying manipulators.

Hear what he prays for against them.

Rise, Lord God Almighty, and come to my aid;
    see for yourself, God of Israel!
Wake up and punish the heathen;
    show no mercy to evil traitors!

destroy them in your anger;
    destroy them completely.
Then everyone will know that God rules in Israel,
    that his rule extends over all the earth. – Psalm 59:5,13 GNT

What does my prayer look like when I am praying for my enemies? Is the Lord answering my prayer? I love the praise that is found in between all the anger.

But you laugh at them, Lord;
    you mock all the heathen.
I have confidence in your strength;
    you are my refuge, O God.
My God loves me and will come to me;
    he will let me see my enemies defeated.

Do not kill them, O God, or my people may forget.

Scatter them by your strength and defeat them,
O Lord, our protector.

But I will sing about your strength;
every morning I will sing aloud of your constant love.
You have been a refuge for me,
a shelter in my time of trouble.
I will praise you, my defender.
My refuge is God,
the God who loves me. – Psalm 59:8-11, 16-17 GNT

I pray that I too can magnify God throughout my prayer walk and watch Him answer my requests.

It is required of them that receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, that, during the time of the administration of it, with all holy reverence and attention they wait upon God in that ordinance, diligently observe the sacramental elements and actions, heedfully discern the Lord’s body, and affectionately meditate on his death and sufferings, and thereby stir up themselves to a vigorous exercise of their graces; in judging themselves, and sorrowing for sin; in earnest hungering and thirsting after Christ, feeding on him by faith, receiving of his fulness, trusting in his merits, rejoicing in his love, giving thanks for his grace; in renewing of their covenant with God, and love to all the saints. – Westminster Larger Catechism

 

 

 

 

Open my mouth for greater prayer

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My gateway to prayer seems to be the expression I have learned from the Psalms – Lord, have mercy on me.

Be merciful to me, O God,
    because I am under attack;
    my enemies persecute me all the time. – Psalm 56:1 GNT

In my distress, I have only one to turn to – God. I would say that no one else has interest in giving mercy, so I ask for mercy many times a day. I even find myself on occasion asking for mercy for those who are denying me mercy. How amazing is it that a person could make themselves so powerful in our eyes and yet they are simply, just a mere person. So when they rage against me, I open my mouth in prayer. Though these individuals may fight with me every day, and I ask God for justice every day, I ask God to first forgive me of my wrongs. It is what my prayer means when I say – Lord, have mercy on me. The more violent the attack, the stronger is my plea for mercy.

What a promise from Isaiah to help me understand Jesus’ relationship with me.

A child is born to us!
    A son is given to us!
    And he will be our ruler.
He will be called, “Wonderful[g] Counselor,”
    “Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,”
    “Prince of Peace.”
His royal power will continue to grow;
    his kingdom will always be at peace.
He will rule as King David’s successor,
    basing his power on right and justice,
    from now until the end of time.
The Lord Almighty is determined to do all this – Isaiah 9:6-7 GNT

Jesus is my Wonderful Counsellor – He gives me instruction and guidance in my life and offers many of those in His Word. He is the Mighty God – for all power is given to Him which means I can trust Him to accomplish amazing things in and through me. He is the Eternal Father – so I can take comfort in the stability of knowing what the reign of Jesus brings. He is the Prince of Peace – I may rest in Him knowing that because of Jesus everything is well between myself and God. This is what gives me and I am called to – greater prayer, confidence and service.

But it is needful that we should know that we have no sufficiency in ourselves, and in order to know it, we must feel it; and therefore the Lord sometimes withdraws his sensible influence, and then the buzzing of a fly will be an overmatch for our patience. At other times he will show us what he can do in us and for us; then we can adopt the Apostle’s words, and say—I can do and suffer all things, through Christ strengthening me. He has said, My grace is sufficient for you. – John Newton

 

 

A continuous prayer

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Psalm 55 gives me a different glimpse of prayer from one who has not only been served unjustly, but who has been harassed and betrayed by a friend. It explains the emotions that surge throughout the Psalm. As per a Psalm prayer template, those surges are alternating pictures of those who are faithless and having trust in a faithful God. It starts with a prayer of petition, moves to more of a lament over the state of one’s life in this present world and ends with an expression of trust in God.

My favourite verse in this Psalm —

Morning, noon, and night
    my complaints and groans go up to him,
    and he will hear my voice. – Psalm 55:17 GNT

I love the call to prayer again for three times a day and those times are morning, noon and night. When I am in great need, it calls for frequent times of devotion. Why not start, continue and then end the day with God? Basically, I know that I am being asked to pray always. In light of those who want to curse me, I must meet their activity by praying continuously.

We not knowing what to pray for as we ought, the Spirit helpeth our infirmities, by enabling us to understand both for whom, and what, and how prayer is to be made; and by working and quickening in our hearts (although not in all persons, nor at all times, in the same measure) those apprehensions, affections, and graces which are requisite for the right performance of that duty. – Westminster Larger Catechism

 

 

Prayer – salvation from desperate times

prayer - salvation in desperate times

It would seem that David recorded more of these types of prayers than anyone else. Psalm 52 is one of those Psalms and it does teach us how to pray when we are experiencing days when all we seem to be doing is running away from our problems.  In David’s case, he is thinking of Doeg. In our case, is it not amazing that a person can carve out a place in this world by slander, evil and violence – albeit, a short one.

Isaiah faced such times – I love this story about him…

Let us try, if we can, and present to our imaginations some idea of this extraordinary scene. The shades of evening are closing in, and all is still within the sacred precincts of the temple. The daily ritual has been duly observed, and priests and worshippers have withdrawn from the hallowed fane. The noise and stir of the great city, hard by is subsiding; a solemn hush and stillness pervades the place. One solitary worshipper still lingers within the sacred courts absorbed a reverie of prayer. He is a religions and devout man; probably a member of the school of the prophets, well instructed in the faith of his fathers, and familiar with the sacred ritual of the temple, and the lessons that it inculcated. There he is, looking forward possibly to a prophet’s career, yet feeling keenly the responsibilities which it will involve, and perhaps pleading earnestly to be fitted for his mission. He cannot be blind to the unsatisfactory condition of his people. Amidst much outward profession of religiousness and readiness to comply with the ceremonial demands of the faith, he cannot but discern the presence of barren formalism and hypocrisy, and of a latent superstition that might at any moment, were the restraints of authority removed, blossom out into open idolatry. And who shall say what heart searchings may have occupied his own mind as he knelt there in the temple all alone with God. Was he more spiritual than those around him? Was he sufficiently pure and devout to stand up in protest against a nation’s sins? One moment all is silence and stillness as he kneels in prayer; the next, and lo! a blaze of glory and a burst of song! Startled and awe-stricken, the lonely worshipper raises his head to find himself confronted with a sublime and dazzling spectacle. His bewildered vision travels up through ranks of light till it finds itself resting for a moment, but only for a moment, on an Object “too august for human gaze.” I saw also, the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Around that dread Presence the forms of vast and wondrous intelligences of glory, the attendant ministers of the Majesty Divine, seem bending in adoration, and the voice of their worship falls like the roll of thunder on his ear, shaking the very pillars of the temple porch with its awe-inspiring resonance, as they echo and re-echo with answering acclamations the antiphon of heaven–“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” – W. Hay Aitken, M. A.

Leaders can make it or break it on the basis of acknowledging that prayer is very important in their lives.

 Keep on praying for us. We are sure we have a clear conscience, because we want to do the right thing at all times. – Hebrews 13:18 GNT

For others, we are called to pray for wisdom, sensitivity, compassion, patience and grace. We are to pray that they may have knowledge of God’s Word and have exercised the ability to understand it and apply it to their lives and the lives of others. Without prayer, we lose our function. I pray for my leaders in my church because I know they are called to watch over the church in regards to doctrine and life. Prayer involves my own salvation and that of many others.

Prayer responds to God’s revelation of himself by deed and by word. Yet there is a dimension of depth in that revelation. God does not merely speak and act; he is present. Prayer is steeped in the awareness, often an awe-filled awareness, of the presence of God. – Edmund Clowney

Pray for cleansing

Powerful-Prayers-for-Cleansing-and-Protection

Wash away all my evil
    and make me clean from my sin! Remove my sin, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. – Psalm 51:2,7 GNT

What a cry from David asking God to forgive him and wipe him clean of his sin. It is what I am called to do too. Jesus purchased my forgiveness – paid the full price for it. That does not mean I have nothing to do in this regard – in other words, it does not remove my responsibility to ask for it. But I am confident when I ask, the answer will be “yes.” Each day I look to the mercy of God and each day God forgives me and makes me clean.

If I was to take a piece of paper (or maybe a few pieces) and write done all the sins I feel are trapping me, I would be identifying what is actually holding me back in my race as I follow Jesus. If I was to write the names of people I surround myself with who weaken me and who, just by being with them, do not free me from these trappings but enhance them, I need to note the time that I have wasted and thrown away.

As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us.- Hebrews 12:1 GNT

Now that I have a list, it would be great to pray my way through them. Words like resolving, dismantling, resisting and breaking would be appropriate action words I would be using. If by chance I find myself saying that I cannot change – would that be insinuating that God cannot walk with me?

I will need to make another list – one about the superiority of Jesus, the power of His death and resurrection and the power of prayer. I would have to put other peoples names on that list – people who could and would pray for me – people I can trust. I might even want them to check on me and support me.

Prayer brings with it, as food does, a new sense of power and health. We are driven to it by hunger, and, having eaten, we are refreshed and strengthened for the battle which even our physical life involves. For heart and flesh cry out for the living God. God’s gift is free; it is, therefore, a gift to our freedom, i.e. renewal to our moral strength, to what makes men of us. Without this gift always renewed, our very freedom can enslave us. The life of every organism is but the constant victory of a higher energy, constantly fed, over lower and more elementary forces. Prayer is the assimilation of a holy God’s moral strength.

We must work for this living. To feed the soul we must toil at prayer. And what a labour it is! “He prayed in an agony.” We must pray even to tears if need be. Our cooperation with God is our receptivity; but it is an active, a laborious receptivity, an importunity that drains our strength away if it do not tap the sources of the Strength Eternal. We work, we slave, at receiving. To him that hath this laborious expectancy it shall be given. Prayer is the powerful appropriation of power, of divine power. It is therefore creative. – P.T. Forsyth, Soul of Prayer