Pray for help

pray for help

Leviticus 18 has some actions listed that people might have done and would be considered as something that could push their relationship away from God.

You know that whoever does any of these disgusting things will no longer be considered one of God’s people. – Leviticus 18:29 GNT

It is not the evil one who will punish those who commit these sins but God. I suppose if I were to fall into the hands of the evil one, I could pray, and God would help me. But is there a place for me to go when God decides to not call me one of His?

It happened to Jesus and I saw it through the eyes of Psalm 22 today. This is where the gospel of Matthew correlates between what Jesus was seeing, experiencing and saying. There were four of them.

  1. Matthew 27:35 GNT – They crucified him and then divided his clothes among them by throwing dice.

Psalm 22:18 GNT – They gamble for my clothes and divide them among themselves.

2. Matthew 27:39 GNT – People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus

Psalm 22:7 GNT – All who see me make fun of me; they stick out their tongues and              shake their heads.

3. Matthew 27:43 GNT – He trusts in God and claims to be God’s Son. Well, then, let us see if God wants to save him now!

Psalm 22:8 GNT – “You relied on the Lord,” they say. “Why doesn’t he save you? If  the Lord likes you, why doesn’t he help you?”

This next one is where I noted the abandonment of Jesus by God.

4. Matthew 27:46 GNT – At about three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?”

Psalm 22:1 GNT – My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I have cried desperately for help,     but still it does not come.

How do I pray Psalm 22 with Jesus in mind? How do I meditate on what Jesus experienced and prayed? The Psalm jumps back and forth between the Messiah describing His experience and then praying.

When I feel abandoned —

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
I have cried desperately for help,
    but still it does not come.
During the day I call to you, my God,
    but you do not answer;
I call at night,
    but get no rest. – Psalm 22:1-2 GNT

When I want to remember Christ’s presence —

But you are enthroned as the Holy One,
    the one whom Israel praises.
Our ancestors put their trust in you;
    they trusted you, and you saved them.
They called to you and escaped from danger;
    they trusted you and were not disappointed. – Psalm 22:3-5 GNT

What I do know is that I can cry out to God for help.

O Lord, don’t stay away from me!
Come quickly to my rescue!
Save me from the sword;
save my life from these dogs.
Rescue me from these lions;
I am helpless[d] before these wild bulls. – Psalm 22:19-21 GNT

This is why I can pray and ask God for help for I have not lost my confidence in God’s ability to rescue. Though He may seem far, He is near. My crises of life should never become a crises of faith.

Discipline

BY GEORGE HERBERT

Throw away thy rod,
Throw away thy wrath:
                  O my God,
Take the gentle path.
For my heart’s desire
Unto thine is bent:
                  I aspire
To a full consent.
Not a word or look
I affect to own,
                  But by book,
And thy book alone.
Though I fail, I weep:
Though I halt in pace,
                  Yet I creep
To the throne of grace.
Then let wrath remove;
Love will do the deed:
                  For with love
Stony hearts will bleed.
Love is swift of foot;
Love’s a man of war,
                  And can shoot,
And can hit from far.
Who can ’scape his bow?
That which wrought on thee,
                  Brought thee low,
Needs must work on me.
Throw away thy rod;
Though man frailties hath,
         Thou art God:
Throw away thy wrath.

 

The basis of thanks in prayer

the basis of thanks in prayer

There is rarely a day that goes by where I do not spend some time reminding myself about Christ and His death and resurrection. There is in my pray time a thanks to God for sending His Son to die on the cross so that I can have a relationship with Him. Without His death, I have nothing – because of His death, I have everything.

Leviticus 17 is all about blood and my takeaway is forgiveness – when my own sins were erased by God. I do not deserve forgiveness, but God grants it me my anyway. I cannot earn forgiveness but God graciously gives it to me anyway. With that gift comes a responsibility – to forgive others.

One of David’s prayers encourages me to pray for others but also to hold dear their prayers for me.

May the Lord answer you when you are in trouble!
May the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from his Temple
and give you aid from Mount Zion.
May he accept all your offerings
and be pleased with all your sacrifices.
May he give you what you desire
and make all your plans succeed.
Then we will shout for joy over your victory
and celebrate your triumph by praising our God.
May the Lord answer all your requests. – Psalm 20:1-5 GNT

I pray because I know God will answer. I pray so that I need not be excused from praying because others are praying for me. When it comes to matters of the heart – “may He give you what you desire” – I can pray in faith as I lay my life as one who is after God’s own heart.

It is interesting to me on what godly prayer looks like. There would seem to be the personal devotional side of prayer as well as a public devotion made through submission. Paul makes indication of this.

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, requests, and thanksgivings be offered to God for all people; for kings and all others who are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceful life with all reverence toward God and with proper conduct. This is good and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to know the truth. For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself to redeem the whole human race. That was the proof at the right time that God wants everyone to be saved, and that is why I was sent as an apostle and teacher of the Gentiles, to proclaim the message of faith and truth. I am not lying; I am telling the truth! In every church service I want the men to pray, men who are dedicated to God and can lift up their hands in prayer without anger or argument. – 1 Timothy 2:1-8 GNT

Why does Paul want men to pray? Most likely because they were not praying. If the men are not praying, what state do you think the church is in? Men tend to want to DO things and prayer doesn’t fit our male model of work. So, as a man, I learn submission by praying.

Prayer becomes my priority – “First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, requests, and thanksgivings be offered to God for all people.”

I need to be prepared to pray, to want to pray. I love how many different ways my prayer can look like – petitions, requests and thanksgiving.

I learned a new acronym today – SPIT prayers.

Supplications – the kind of prayer where I ask God to meet a felt need.

Petitions – a reverent request of sacred words and respect as I ask God for help on my behalf.

Intercessions – I am coming to God knowing He can answer my request. I pray with confidence that God is going to answer. I pray for someone else who needs God’s help. The “inter” and “cede” means that someone comes between God and the need and prays for that person.

Thanksgiving – a prayer of thanks to God for what He has done expressing my gratitude and appreciation.

The reason for my prayer – “This is good and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to know the truth.”

Prayer is not to get my will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth. Praying for those who are not saved and who do not know the truth is something that pleases God. I want to be someone who prays for them.

My prayer is based on this simple fact – “For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself to redeem the whole human race. That was the proof at the right time that God wants everyone to be saved, and that is why I was sent as an apostle and teacher of the Gentiles, to proclaim the message of faith and truth. I am not lying; I am telling the truth!”

Grant us true obedience, a perfect, calm, single-minded composure in all things—spiritual, earthly, temporal, and eternal. Protect us from the horrible vice of character assassination, slander, backbiting, frivolously judging or condemning others, and misrepresenting what others have said. O hold far from us the plague and tragedy which such speed can cause; rather, whenever we see or hear anything in others that seems wrong or displeasing to us, teach us to keep quiet, not to publicize it, and to pour out our complaints to you alone and to commit all to your will. And let us sincerely forgive all who wrong us and be sympathetic toward them. – Luther

 

 

 

Pray this to God

Woman hands place together like praying in front of nature green bokeh and blue sky background.

Just think about it. Right now, all your sins, every single sinful thought, desire, word, deed, the things that you are really thankful nobody else knows about – God knows about all of it. And by the blood of Jesus, it is all covered. Your sin has been atoned for.

These regulations are to be observed for all time to come. This ritual must be performed once a year to purify the people of Israel from all their sins. So Moses[c] did as the Lord had commanded. – Leviticus 16:34 GNT

When you and I pray, and tell Jesus that we are sorry that we have turned our back on Him and believe that He died, was buried and rose again, then our sins are gone and grace covers us with the blood of Jesus.

Even my hidden faults, I ask God to forgive them.

None of us can see our own errors;
    deliver me, Lord, from hidden faults!
Keep me safe, also, from willful sins;
    don’t let them rule over me.
Then I shall be perfect
    and free from the evil of sin. – Psalm 19:12-13 GNT

When I pray for this specific request, I usually find that God does not just wipe them away and that’s it. I find that He wants me to deal with them. He may send someone, He may cause His word to jump from the pages of the Bible, He may use a sermon – but in some way or other I am suddenly confronted with what I say or have done and I find that it is ugly and I do not like it. God has His way of opening up the secret places.

There is only one prayer in all of Proverbs and here it is.
I ask you, God, to let me have two things before I die: keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So give me only as much food as I need. If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God. – Proverbs 30:7-9 GNT

You can learn a lot about someone when you listen to them pray. This prayer addresses God on the spiritual weaknesses in my life that either block or detour the pursuit of godliness in my life. It also teaches me to pray with an ask that comes from humble submission.

I liked that Agar simply asked God for what he wanted, like a child addressing his father, like a servant speaking to his master, like a sinful man praying to a holy God. He had his spiritual priorities in place and did not waste his time on trivial superficial things. It was weighted down with the gravity of eternity.

“In praying one should think about dying and then pray accordingly.” – Matthew Henry

The idea of being set free from lying may very well be a confession of sin or it may be a prayer to protect him from lying.
I am challenged not only to ask Jesus to remove my sin from my life but to present any attitude and perspective that would block my pursuit of being godly. I do not want to be detoured from pursuing Him.
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No matter what season in life I am in I want to pray knowing God has everything under control. 
“Grant us grace to bear willingly all sorts of sickness, poverty, disgrace, suffering and adversity and to recognize that in this your divine will is crucifying our will.” – Martin Luther

Praying for deliverance

suffering-man.1200w.tn

David shares one of his prayers for deliverance with us.

How I love you, Lord!
    You are my defender.

The Lord is my protector;
    he is my strong fortress.
My God is my protection,
    and with him I am safe.
He protects me like a shield;
    he defends me and keeps me safe.
I call to the Lord,
    and he saves me from my enemies.
Praise the Lord! – Psalm 18:1-3 GNT

It starts with an incredible statement of desperate love. It is as if David is saying that he loves God with his deepest depths like a mother loves her child from the womb. What a great picture of how I can approach God in prayer.

I wonder sometimes, when I pray, do I love God or do I just want something from Him.

The danger of death was all around me;
    the waves of destruction rolled over me.
The danger of death was around me,
    and the grave set its trap for me.
In my trouble I called to the Lord;
    I called to my God for help.
In his temple he heard my voice;
    he listened to my cry for help. – Psalm 18:4-6 GNT

There will be a time to call in His name in my most desperate moments. It is my unwavering reliance on the Lord that calls me in times of crises and desperation to place me on my knees and go to God.

Then there is the call to pray for others.

Finally, our friends, pray for us that the Lord’s message may continue to spread rapidly and be received with honor, just as it was among you. Pray also that God will rescue us from wicked and evil people; for not everyone believes the message. – 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 GNT

Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the Increase of Faith, Hope, Strong Limbs for an Axe, and Charity, that we may obtain That which thou dost promise, make us to love that which Thou does command; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. – Thomas Cranmer

 

Proper renewal prayer

HealMyMindLord

I love the church. even with all of its problems. I pray to be renewed as I experience Jesus more in my life. I find that praying for myself is an opportunity for me to bring something new of Him into my church life. This might be the very way for a diseased church to be healed.

In this way he shall perform the ritual of purification for the house, and it will be ritually clean. – Leviticus 14:53b GNT

The more I experience Christ, the more I have to offer to a church that needs healing. I believe we have seen churches try to heal through discussions, arguments and debates but they seem to end up with the church more in trouble. As I experience newness in Christ, I can bring that to the church so that they too can be healed and move forward in Christ.

In my prayer of lament, frustrated and hurt, all I can do is pray. When I am criticized or accused of doing wrong, I cry out to God in hope. I like David’s prayer and the way he begins it.

Listen, O Lord, to my plea for justice;
    pay attention to my cry for help!
    Listen to my honest prayer. – Psalm 17:1 GNT

David pleas to God, seeking His attention. He does so because he trusts God. God is not fooled by what I say and shares little concern for popular consensus or opinion. God is a God of truth.

I know that it is possible for me to think that my cause is just when it is not. I cannot automatically apply these words of David to myself.  Yet I can look at my cause as impartially and dispassionately as possible (a very hard thing to do), looking as best I can from the perspective of the others and be more concerned with what is truly just than simply what favours me. Unfortunately, the unhealthier I am the more I might blame myself.

 “A cry is our earliest utterance, and in many ways the most natural of human sounds; if our prayer should like the infant’s cry be more natural than intelligent, and more earnest than elegant, it will be none the less eloquent with God. There is a mighty power in a child’s cry to prevail with a parent’s heart.” – Spurgeon

So I desire to pray as honestly as I can – I am not deceived that I deserve my problem and I do not withhold facts even if they seem to undermine my cause. I come to God with some confidence because of my tested conscience.

“They have Jacob’s voice, but Esau’s hands; they profess like saints, but practise like Satans; they have their long prayers, but short prayings.” – Bales, cited by Spurgeon

I know that God is not bound to hear or even honour me if I neglect His word. Before I even speak with Him, I must humbly and attentively be listening to His word or else my prayer is not honest, it will be repulsive to God. 

If you do not obey the law, God will find your prayers too hateful to hear. – Proverbs 28:9 GNT

“The prayer certainly will not be a proper prayer; someone who refuses to obey God will not pray according to God’s will—he will pray for some physical thing, perhaps even making demands on God.” – Ross

The first petition is that God’s name be hallowed [ Matthew 6:9]; the need for it is associated with our great shame. For what is more unworthy than for God’s glory to be obscured partly by our ungratefulness, partly by our ill will, and so far as lies in our power, destroyed by our presumption and insane impudence? Though all ungodly men should break out with their sacrilegious license, the holiness of God’s name still shines…we should wish God to have the honor he deserves; men should never speak or think of him without the highest reverence. To this is opposed the profanity that has always been too common and even today is abroad in the world. Hence the need of this petition, which ought to have been superfluous if even a little godliness existed among us. – Calvin