sinners

Need to pray

how-and-why-pray

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; All the king’s horses and all the king’s men Couldn’t put Humpty together again.”

No human hand could repair him but God could. In my brokeness, if I take it and place it in God’s hands, He will heal me.

Then the Lord told me to break the jar in front of those who had gone with me and to tell them that the Lord Almighty had said, “I will break this people and this city, and it will be like this broken clay jar that cannot be put together again. People will bury their dead even in Topheth because there will be nowhere else to bury them. I promise that I will make this city and its inhabitants like Topheth. The houses of Jerusalem, the houses of the kings of Judah, and indeed all the houses on whose roofs incense has been burned to the stars and where wine has been poured out as an offering to other gods—they will all be as unclean as Topheth.”

Then I left Topheth, where the Lord had sent me to proclaim his message. I went and stood in the court of the Temple and told all the people that the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, “I am going to bring on this city and on every nearby town all the punishment that I said I would, because you are stubborn and will not listen to what I say.” – Jeremiah 19:10-15  GNT

God is seen as a terrible person when it comes to sin and sinners. Unbelief does not alter who He is. Obstinacy is my choice and the decision not to “hear” God is also my choice.  I pray every day that God, by His grace, would deliver me from a hard heart, contempt of His word and the lack of desire to obey Him.

O Lord, I fall into pride, but on the cross you made yourself of no reputation and gave up all your power and glory – for me! The more I thank you and rejoice that you did that, the less I need to worry about my own honor and reputation, about whether people are approving of me or not. – Timothy Keller

Prayer is incense

prayer is incense

In the Old Testament, incense is just that, incense. The New Testament defines incense as prayer – it is mentioned alongside or is a synonym for prayer. So when I read a portion from the Old Testament, I am challenged to look at it as prayer.

Every morning when Aaron comes to take care of the lamps, he is to burn sweet-smelling incense on it. He must do the same when he lights the lamps in the evening. This offering of incense is to continue without interruption for all time to come. – Exodus 30:7-8 GNT

Today I have confidence that God hears and delights in my prayer as one would delight in the smell of expensive perfume. I offer them up morning and evening, but also continually throughout the day. What an amazing privilege. I will imagine my prayers as incense rising to God.

Whom does God hear when they pray?

We know that God does not listen to sinners; he does listen to people who respect him and do what he wants them to do. – John 9:31 GNT

I do know that the blind man who was healed was quoting the Pharisees here and we know that God does indeed listen to sinners. However, it is the sinner who comes to Him humbly ready to do what He asks them to do.

It is best that I enter my world in prayer first, for if I fail to do so, it will be I who will be ending it with prayer asking God for help getting me out of the mess I entered into during the day.

My child, have you promised to be responsible for someone else’s debts? Have you been caught by your own words, trapped by your own promises? Well then, my child, you are in that person’s power, but this is how to get out of it: hurry to him, and beg him to release you. Don’t let yourself go to sleep or even stop to rest. Get out of the trap like a bird or a deer escaping from a hunter. – Proverbs 6:1-5 GNT

If I do not pray about getting into an agreement, then I will certainly pray getting out of it.

“I want your heart to be stirred and guided concerning the thoughts which ought to be comprehended in the Lord’s Prayer. These thoughts may be expressed, if your heart is rightly warmed and inclined toward prayer, in many different ways and with more words or fewer. I do not bind myself to such words or syllables, but say my prayers in one fashion today, in another tomorrow, depending upon my mood and feeling.” – Luther