people

Prayer example for a spiritual gift

1 Kings 3:5-15

It is so encouraging to read the beginning of Solomon’s life and it helps take away the sting of some of his failures later on. In fact, it is even hard to imagine how he would have failed but that lasts only for a moment for I too have strayed even when I knew better.

It is a prayer, none-the-less, that is an example that helps me in my walk with Jesus today.

First of all, Solomon’s succession to the throne was already messy. He knew that he had help from his father and others and now he knew he needed God’s help more than ever.

It is probably safe to say that imperfect people need to pray – my imperfection is why I pray – it should never be the reason not to pray. Simple requests matter.

I take my weaknesses and my needs and I bring them to God in prayer. It does not matter what kind of leadership tasks I am responsible for, what matters is that I accompany each of them in prayer. If you are like me, how many people do we know that has mastered wisdom? Who does not need more or who has no need to offer this kind of prayer? I am encouraged to ask for this one spiritual gift – wisdom.

It was prayed in faith, it was prayed in his sleep, but it was as real as any of us could imagine.

When I pray, do I pray for the simple things or do I pray for a special gift? While I am fully aware that there is nothing wrong when I pray for my daily needs and concerns, I cannot forget that God wants to give me more.

What spiritual gifts should I be praying for today? It seems that wisdom would be the theme for today.

“Elisha saved a boy’s life and saved a city from a siege – both through prayer.” – Timothy Keller

After I pray for unreached people

When I finish praying, I find myself thinking about what I need to lay down or put aside in order to be more effective in my ability to share the gospel with those around me.

Among the weak in faith I become weak like one of them, in order to win them. So I become all things to all people, that I may save some of them by whatever means are possible. All this I do for the gospel’s sake, in order to share in its blessings. – 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 GNT

I pray for an unreached people group every morning. Being a leader in a ministry reaching out to Middle Eastern people in both there and in Canada, I talk about praying for unreached people groups in the world. There is a reason why they are unreached. They are hard to reach and difficult to reach.

I pray that God would help me and give me the same heart as Paul who wrote those words above. I pray for this posture, if you will, this perspective. I pray for those all around me and for those far from me, that God would raise up labourers who will leave behind what is known, safe and comfortable to take the gospel to a place it has not been.

 “My God, Father, and Savior, since you have been pleased to give me the grace to come through the night to the present day, now grant that I may employ it entirely in your service, so that all my works may be to the glory of your name and the edification of my neighbors.  As you have been pleased to make your sun shine upon the earth to give us bodily light, grant the light of your Spirit to illumine my understanding and my heart.  And because it means nothing to begin well if one does not persevere, I ask that you would continue to increase your grace in me until you have led me into full communion with your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who is the true Sun of our souls, shining day and night, eternally and without end.  Hear me, merciful Father, by our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.” – John Calvin

Teaching me to pray

I see a lot of private prayer in Jesus’ life. So it comes as no surprise that this is a key action in how I pray.

But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you. – Matthew 6:6 GNT

There is also something to be said for speaking plainly and simply.

“When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long.  Do not be like them. Your Father already knows what you need before you ask him. – Matthew 6: 7-8 GNT

When I start praying to God in my private space the same way I pray when surrounded by believers, I am in trouble. I should pray around believers the same way I pray to God in private. Praying is simply expressing what is on my heart to God.

Isn’t the idea – I need to pray – so who cares what it sounds like. If God likes it that is all that matters.

Look, prayer is spilling your guts. It doesn’t have to be pretty. It doesn’t have to be tidy. It doesn’t have to be particularly eloquent or even particularly intelligent…Spilling our guts in prayer is how we process God’s words to us. Prayer is how we interact with our friend Jesus. – Jared Wilson

The Lord’s Prayer really encourages me to pray about all areas of my life. It brings to my attention how I pray regarding my life with God and my life with others.

“The Lord’s Prayer stretches from the Father at the beginning to the devil at the end, from heaven to hell, and in between in six brief petitions everything important in life” Frederick Bruner

I am learning how to pray about God.

Our Father in heaven:
    May your holy name be honored;
 may your Kingdom come;
    may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. – Matthew 6:9-10 GNT

I want to pray that God’s reign will become a reality in my own world.

Then I am encouraged to pray about people, and about life.

Give us today the food we need.[a]
 Forgive us the wrongs we have done,
    as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.
Do not bring us to hard testing,
    but keep us safe from the Evil One. – Matthew 6:11-13 GNT

I have needs and I love that I am encouraged to only worry about my daily needs and not to worry about tomorrow. That goes the same about my sins and my relationships. Jesus knows I am going to mess up, instead of hiding it from God, I am encouraged to bring it straight to Him. I am going to bring my worst to Him.

“There is mercy for a sinner, but there is no mercy for the man who will not own himself a sinner” Spurgeon

There is also included here the prayer for protection. I pray this one probably more than any other for without His covering and favour I know I will not go far. I am called to pray through and to pray for strength to resist. At the end of the day I am encouraged not to struggle on my own, I need to ask God for help. How I live and my prayer life need to connect. It is surprising how Jesus ends His instructions on how to pray.

If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done. – Matthew 6:14-15 GNT

Is this not Jesus insisting that our insides and outsides match. How can I pray and then ignore my personal relationships? God cares about relationships. Seems like I cannot claim to be forgiven if I do not extend forgiveness to others.

When this connection happens, it is amazing how those who are not followers of Jesus will ask for prayer. King Darius did this in Ezra’s time.

This is to be done so that they can offer sacrifices that are acceptable to the God of Heaven and pray for his blessing on me and my sons. – Ezra 6:10 GNT

King Darius saw prayer working and wanted some of that blessing for himself and his family. What a testimony to God’s faithfulness when our prayer life connects with living life.

So let us do what the apostles committed themselves to do.

We ourselves, then, will give our full time to prayer and the work of preaching. – Acts 6:4 GNT

Devotion is more than mere emotion. It is disciplined adherence to a chosen path, uninterrupted, earnest pursuit towards something precious, a willingness to persevere, constant diligence towards one purpose.

“We should not drive a wedge between seeking personal communion with God and seeking the advance of His kingdom in hearts and in the world. And if they are kept together, then communion will not be just wordless mystical awareness on the one hand, and our petitions will not be a way of procuring God’s favour “for many words” on the other.” – Tim Keller