Working at prayer

What is prayer like? Paul in Colossians 1:29 calls it toil and struggle. Perhaps surprisingly, he describes it in those terms even although he says that he was also aware of the Lord’s almighty strength helping him. We might imagine that the Lord’s strength would mean that prayer would no longer be a struggle. But Paul’s experience was the opposite. Even at the best of times, he found prayer to be a struggle for him.  

Why is prayer a struggle? One reason might be the weight of the burden on our hearts. Paul’s prayer for the Colossians included the desire that they would continue to know spiritual blessings and that they would not be led astray by false teachers, of whom there were plenty. Paul certainly found that issue to be a big burden that pressurised him as he prayed. 

 

Another reason is the matter of persistence in prayer. We know that God has the power to answer our prayers immediately. But yet he often does not. Why does he not do so? Because often he tests our resolve. The only way that resolve can be tested is to see if it will last. How long would Paul have to pray for the church in Colosse? For as long as there was a need, which is the same as saying all the time. 

 

Moreover, the greater the responsibility a person has, the more onerous the task can be. Although Paul was praying for the Colossians, he was also praying for something else — the glory of God. It is like someone serving the Queen — that person would want to do his best so that she would be honoured. In a higher sense, that outlook should accompany prayer, so that God’s great name would be exalted. Someone who truly prays will long with all his heart for God to have great glory. That outcome burns within him.

 

Elsewhere Paul says about another church that he prayed night and day for it (1 Thess. 2:10). We don’t know whether Paul was a strong man physically. But even if he was, the strength that he used was not inherent to him. Rather he was aware that the Holy Spirit would help him, and therefore he put 100% into everything he did for the Lord. Yet it is likely that, without giving himself to prayer, nothing much would happen.

 

Planning and prayer reversed

In Jeremiah 42, a large group of people led by a man called Johanan were reluctant to live in Judah because they were apprehensive of Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of Babylon who had conquered Judah and Jerusalem. They decided it would be better for them if they sought protection under Pharaoh in Egypt. Then they decided to ask Jeremiah to find out what the Lord thought about the matter. Their request was framed in much religious-speak. 

Jeremiah agreed to find out. Ten days later, the Lord told Jeremiah to inform Johanan not to to go to Egypt but to stay in Judah because it would be safe to do so, whereas they would be punished if he went to Egypt. Johanan and his band were not pleased, accused Jeremiah of lying, and went off to Egypt (Jer. 43).

Here we have an example of misuse of the name of God. How, you might ask? What was wrong with their request? Was it not wise of them to wish to know what the Lord thought about it? Not really, because they had already decided what they would do. All they wanted God to do was rubber stamp their own decisions. And God will not be manipulated into a situation in which humans act as sovereign and he is treated as a pawn in their game.

 

It is easy to see how Johanan went wrong. He feared Nebuchadnezzar and did not think that God could restrain that ruler. He came up with a worldly-wise solution to the problem and assumed that God would approve of that choice. He failed to recognise that God is the sovereign and that he should be approached before a decision was made and not as an afterthought. He reduced God to someone he thought could be coerced into agreeing with a pre-conceived plan.

 

Johanan was not the first to make a plan and assume that God would approve of it. Nor was he the last. It is easy to decide on a plan and then recall that we need God’s blessing. That is the wrong way round. What we need to do is pray first and ask God to lead us into the future. Because he did not do so, Johanan led his followers into a disaster area. He even forced Jeremiah to go with him. But God did not take him into a place of blessing after he had ignored God’s Word.   

Prayer under control

What happens when we pray? The matters we mention may or may not have been intended by us. We may have items to pray about each day of the week or we may begin our prayers with no idea concerning the details that we will mention. Those who do the latter may regard the former as rather unspiritual whereas those who do the former may regard the latter as completely disorganised. I suspect both are looking at prayer from the earth upwards, which is not the best view to have.

From a higher viewpoint, we can see that prayer is connected to God’s purpose and providence. Since God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, our prayers must be included in his plan. His plan is only worked out in his providence, which must mean that he oversaw the circumstances in which he guides us to pray about certain matters, whether we have a daily routine or not.

In his providence, he may have led you to pray for John Smith on every Wednesday. Maybe you hear about something that happened to John Smith on a Friday. Does that mean your praying for him on Wednesday was unspiritual? No. In his providence, God arranged for you to pray for him on Wednesdays and he will have arranged for others to pray for John on Fridays. What about those who do not pray regularly for John Smith? God may not burden them on any day, or he may bring John to their minds on a Monday, or he may do so on that Friday. God will work out his plan in the way he has chosen. Our method is always subject to his will . 

Sometimes, we get into a dilemma about prayer that is not wise but allowed in providence. Prayer is guided from above. The Holy Spirit, who knows the details of the plan, arranges the method we use. He may lead us to use a regular routine, or he may lead us to pray freestyle, or he may cause us to use both. 

The fact that he is in charge of our prayers does not mean that our prayers always get a positive answer. In the inscrutable wisdom that designed his plan, he may have arranged for a petition guided by him not to be answered because he knew that the petitioner was not ready at that time for a positive answer. So his unchanging plan may include him saying no, or not yet, or yes. We have to leave all that with him and continue praying in providence, reminding him of his promises, and avoiding the things that offend him.

No doubt the apostle Paul would have prayed that his intended trip to Rome would help him get to Spain (Rom. 15:24, 28). What happened? He did get to Rome, but not in the way he planned because he arrived there as a prisoner and was kept there for a few years. What did he do? Among other things, he continued to pray from where he was in God’s providence, as we can see in his prison epistles. Was it wrong for him to have made plans and prayed about them? No, because he would have known that God could have said no, or not yet, or yes. Did he get to Spain after he was released? No one knows.

Gethsemane and our prayers

In a sermon about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, John Calvin considers why Jesus prayed more than once about the cup he did not want to drink. Calvin concludes that ‘we see from [Jesus’] example that he urges us not to faint if our prayers are not granted as quickly as possible. Those who lose heart when God does not answer their first request show that they do not know what prayer is. For to have God as our refuge means that the right rule is to persist in prayer. Accordingly, the principal exercise of faith is prayer.’

Calvin’s explanation says a great deal about Christian experience. After all, we live in an immediate age. When something goes wrong with one of our household items, we phone up a person with the expectation that one call will be enough to get him or her to solve the problem. We cannot do that with God. It is presumption, not faith, that assumes he will act right away just because we have asked him. Of course, he may answer rapidly, but that is no proof that such faith is stronger than when he does not answer immediately.

Calvin also reminds us that faith is usually expressed in our prayers, which implies that little prayer points to little faith. Faith rather brings the matter to God, asking him to deal with it in his own way, even if he takes hours or days or weeks or months or years to do so.

There are lots of things that we pray for because we assume that the divine answer should and will be given immediately. One reason why that assumption happens is that we have forgotten the significance of divine providence, which usually works slowly. While it is the case that lack of prayer will result in nothing, it is not the case that lots of prayer will always produce an instant outcome. The answer will only come when God gives it.

One way to check our use of prayer is to ask if we are praying daily with urgency for the same things that we prayed daily with urgency for a month ago or a year ago. Calvin indicates that in his opinion a failure to persevere with petitions is evidence that those mentioning them were not really praying about them. They were merely thoughts they had for a brief time and then they evaporated.

In many ways, the Christian life is all about persistence. It requires persistence at public worship, persistence with personal devotions, persistence in Christian fellowship, persistence in attending prayer meetings, persistence in obedience when Jesus is unpopular, as well as persistence in personal prayer. 

Pray without ceasing

Charles Hodge is well-known for what he did as an adult. He was a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary for fifty-six years and wrote numerous books, including his famous three-volume Systematic Theology. 

His father died when Hodge and his older brother were very young. So where did his preparation for his life work begin? He tells us in his own record of how this happened.

 

‘Our early training was religious. Our mother was a Christian. She took us regularly to church, and carefully drilled us in the Westminster Catechism. There has never been anything remarkable in my religious experience, unless it be that it began very early. I think that in my childhood I came nearer to conforming to the apostle’s injunction: “Pray without ceasing,” than in any other period of my life. As far as I can remember, I had the habit of thanking God for everything that I received, and of asking him for everything that I wanted. I thought of God as an everywhere present being, full of kindness and love, who would not be offended if children talked to Him.’

 

Would anyone watching him as a child imagine where he would end up in God’s providence? Of course not. But his mother knew what the best preparation for his unknown future was. So she taught him to pray simply and often to his heavenly Father. 

 

Which prayers will God choose to answer during this time of pandemic? Hopefully, all that are sent to him and that he will answer them in his own time. Yet it may be the case that he will answer the prayers of children. I wonder what the young Charles Hodge would have prayed if he had been living today. We should certainly encourage children to pray at organised times, but also whenever they wish. After all, God may have given to them the desire to do so.

God can help us

Why do we pray? Many answers could be given to that question. So we can rephrase it and ask, ‘Why do we need to pray for God’s help?’ The answer to that question is obvious – we are helpless. Some might think that is not a good state to be in. Yet it is a good state in a spiritual sense because it means that many of God’s promises become relevant for us. There are numerous promises in the Bible that offer divine help.

 

When Jesus was about to leave his disciples and return to heaven, he promised them that he would send the Holy Spirit to all of them. The title that he used for the Holy Spirit can be translated in different ways and usually it is translated as Comforter. But a very strong case can be made for translating the word as Helper, and indeed some Bible translations use that word. Literally, the word means ‘someone who comes alongside’.

 

Jesus knew that his disciples would require someone beside them all the time. The only kind of person who could do that would be a divine person. He also knew that the person who would help them would need to know all their needs. Again, the person with that degree of awareness must be divine. Moreover, the one who would help would need to know all the available resources, and the only person with that range of knowledge has to be divine. So we can see how suitable the Holy Spirit is to be the Helper.

 

Of course, this leads to another question: how does the Holy Spirit help us? Obviously, he helps us through what is in the Bible (after all, he is the author of it). And he can help us through urging us to pray and then bringing the answer from heaven. A third way he helps his people is by getting them to express care and help in different ways.

 

The Holy Spirit is still the Helper in the current crisis we are experiencing. He wants us to read his Word and he wants us to pray. But he also wants us to speak words of comfort to one another. Those three ways of receiving and giving help are means of divine blessing, and each is straightforward to do.

Corporate prayer in difficult times

I recently reread the life of George Müller by Roger Steer. Most people have heard about Muller and the numerous orphans he looked after in his children’s homes. In addition to his care of orphans, Müller was one of two pastors in a Brethren Assembly - the other was a man called Henry Craik. 

 

In June 1832, a cholera outbreak commenced in Bristol. The outbreak spread quickly and by August it had reached, as Steer observes, ‘horrifying proportions’.  Craik and Müller recorded in their diaries that the funeral bell was ringing constantly.

 

What could they do about it? They arranged for a daily morning prayer meeting in their chapel and between two and three hundred from different churches met at 6am to ask God to stay the cholera outbreak. 

 

September brought no reduction in the outbreak. In that month, Muller’s wife was due to give birth. As she was near to giving birth, she became very ill (not with cholera) and Müller spent the night of September 16th in prayer for her and the unborn child. Their daughter was born the following day, and both mother and child were fine.

 

The cholera outbreak was still raging. But in October, it passed its peak and shortly afterwards Müller and Craik arranged for a day of thanksgiving to be held.

 

What can be learned from that brief account? One is that it took much prayer by many people for a prolonged time before the answer came regarding the outbreak. Another is that personal troubles may occur during a wider problem. A third is that earnest prayer should be the response to all troubles. Fourth, there is real value in praying together.

Delays

It is good that we can draw near to our heavenly Father. Jesus told his disciples to pray as children do when they ask their parents. Most children will ask their parents expectantly, whether or not they received the previous things they asked for. Such asking is an expression of trust. Sometimes when we pray we may have at the back of our minds previous requests that we imagine God has not answered. Of course, the reality is that we cannot say that delay is denial; after all, delay may mean God is waiting for a better time for the petition to be answered. If previous prayers are not answered yet, the delay is not a reason to stop asking.

 

While there is more to this relationship than asking, it is usually the case that what we get from him is the consequence of our asking. Even then, we should not limit the answer to our expectancy. We can ask God to give us more grace, but how would we quantify an answer to that petition? In making that prayer, we may have had in mind a specific matter, but God in answering it may have dealt with a dozen or fifty or a hundred matters. Paul does say that God can answer by giving us much more than we can ask or even imagine, which may be an incentive to use our imagination when we pray.

 

One reason why God may delay an answer is because he wants us to spend more time with him. It is possible that our prayers can become self-centred rather than God-centred. If all we do with the heavenly Father is pray about what we want, we are missing out on fellowship and communion with him. Communication with God involves worship – worship is our hearts responding to his greatness revealed to us in his grace. As we have fellowship with him, there must be a sense of wonder in our hearts, there must be gratitude expressed to God for sending his Son to be the Saviour, and there must be submission to his revealed will in the Bible. 

 

We are not only in his presence as his children, we are also there as his servants. The outcome of time spent with God is not just what we want him to do for us. In addition, there will be what he wants us to do for him. That is what happened with our best Example in prayer – Jesus himself. Whenever he spent time with his Father he came away from such times with the determination to fulfil his Father’s will. 

 

In Psalm 17:6-7, we have a precious description of prayer: ‘I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words. Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Saviour of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.’ He can show to us wonderful things in answer to prayer.

Praying like children

Jesus on several occasions informed his disciples that they would need to approach God in a manner similar to how children behave. He did not mean that they should be childish, but he did mean that they should be childlike, and there is a big difference between those two options. 

 

How do children approach their parents? Children normally come as they are. When asked to come, they don’t go and find their best clothes first and try and give a different impression. God always wants us to come as we are, without trying to dress up in a way that pretends we are different from who we are. We come to him with our fears, our weaknesses, our weariness.

 

Why is it important to come as we are? Because it helps prevent us from turning into Pharisees who only have changes on the outside. God will see through that veneer into our hearts if we don’t come as we are. When we come as we are, God can deal with our defects and sins; when we pretend they are not there, they will remain there. In prayer, as in much else, honesty is the best policy.

 

Coming as a child reminds us that true prayer is normally a very simple, straightforward dialogue with God. We can see that is the case from the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray. Today, let us speak to our Father who wants to hear the real ‘us’ and ask him to work in our lives and to give his blessing to many.

Unanswered prayer - five reasons

Often we are perplexed by what seem to be unanswered prayers. Various suggestions are made about why this happens, some connected to God’s will and others to human resistance. James provides a simpler reason when he says that we receive not because we ask amiss.

It is difficult to preach on such a topic pastorally because it is inevitable that each believer is concerned about it. So it was interesting for me to read a sermon today on James’ words by a nineteenth century Scottish preacher. What did he say?

First, he pointed out that we sometimes ask amiss when we pray for something for ourselves that God has not given a promise about. He noted that even Paul once asked amiss when he prayed for the thorn in the flesh to be removed. The preacher did not mean that we had to have a specific promise for each petition. He did mean though that what we pray about should be in line with divine promises.

Second, we can also ask amiss by praying with the wrong spirit or manner. It is common for some believers not to pray as children of the Father. When that happens, ‘cold reserve will take the place of open-hearted confidence.’

Third, it is also the case that we can attempt to pray without realising that we must be aware of the mediation of Christ as we pray. Our prayers will only be answered when offered in his name. True prayer renounces all dependence on self. Otherwise our prayers are self-righteous expressions.

Fourth, a right spirit of prayer will also be marked by strong desire and earnestness. One’s heart must be in it. ‘God counts not, but weighs man’s supplications.’ We must long for his answers. 

Fifth, we cannot pray appropriately if we are cherishing a sin or sins in our hearts. The sin could be personal pride, or it could be a refusal to forgive, or it could be unrighteous anger, or it could be unbelief, or it could be many other sins. But they all prevent answers to our prayers, and each one by itself is successful. 

Of course, I knew those reasons already. In fact, I have known them for decades. Yet my response to the sermon should not be disappointment at reading nothing knew. Rather I should be thankful that the assessment of a physician of souls, who lived in the nineteenth century, was able to diagnose my spiritual health although he never met me.

What is prayer?

No doubt, we have thought about this question many times. It seems to many people to be a strange activity because we cannot see the One with whom we are speaking. Yet a Christian knows that prayer is a real experience personally and he also knows that countless other Christians have had and have similar experiences.

At a basic level, prayer is contact with the living God. It does not matter in this regard if our prayers are verbal or silent. Both kinds are means of contacting God about matters that concern us. The contact is not physical, yet it is real. Pray is an expression of faith because anyone that approaches God believes that he exists and that he rewards those who seek for him.

Prayer is more than contact, however, because it is also communion with God. Communion implies delight and pleasure, and in true prayer we share time with the Lord. This means that we have fellowship with him. Prayer is an activity of those who love one another. We love God and he loves his people. This communion with God is very rich because we can have fellowship with each of the persons of the Trinity.

Prayer is also challenging because it involves speaking to God about situations and people we know he can change. Our God has infinite power, and nothing is too hard for him to do. Of course, his power is governed by his holy nature, which means that he only engages in holy activities. His power is also active according to his wisdom, which means that he knows when and how to use his power.

Prayer is possible because of the coronation of Jesus. After all, we must pray in his name, which means that we pray according to his authority. He has access to all the resources of heaven and God is willing to give such resources to us because of what Jesus did and does. This is amazing since we are sinners who offend him by our sins. Yet, although we are sinners, we are forgiven by God on the basis of the atonement made by Jesus, and for which he was rewarded for by his exaltation.

Prayer is also an expression of confidence in God. Sometimes the impression is given that prayer is a kind of last resort that we can use when all other attempts fail. In contrast, prayer should be made alongside whatever else we do. Prayer is the conviction that God will keep his promises, that he is interested in our situations, and that he enables us to pray fervently about them in faith.

Having said all that, answered prayer has conditions connected to it. They include not regarding sin in our hearts as well as praying according to God’s revealed will. We should also want answers primarily in order for God to be glorified and that outlook should be a conscious one that we are aware of when we pray.

Let us pray.

The Pattern Prayer and Prayer for Divine Blessings

A question that arises is whether or not there are differences between what Jesus said in the Lord’s Prayer and what he says later in the Sermon on the Mount about asking, seeking and knocking as expressions of prayer. Perhaps one difference is that the Lord’s Prayer guides us what to say in prayer and the later verses guide us regarding how we pray.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus tells his disciples to pray for five things. First, he mentions praise of God by his children, which describes an intimate interaction between them. In their praise, they are reverent because they recognise he is in heaven and they rejoice in his holiness, in the way that he is always perfect. 

Second, Jesus instructs them to pray for the growth of the kingdom of God. Such growth happens in two ways: one is through the conversions of individuals and the other is revealed in the ongoing and deepening consecration of his people.

Third, Jesus tells them to pray about the provision of daily needs. Here Jesus mentions daily food, but the request extends to all legitimate daily needs connected to life in this world.

Fourth, Jesus says that they should pray about pardon for personal sins, which is a reminder that such sin will be present throughout life. True confession will occur alongside forgiveness of others, which tells us that confession of sin should be made when appropriate to one another.

Fifth, Jesus instructs his people to pray for protection during spiritual conflict, which again indicates what his followers can expect throughout life. Satan and his forces are out to trap and defeat the people of God and one part of their duty is to ask for divine help in order to have victory. 

But how do they pray for such blessings? Later in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus uses three pictures to illustrate prayer - ask, seek, and knock. As we look at them, what ideas come to mind? Here are five suggestions. One is simplicity, a second is nearness, a third is desire, a fourth is specificity and a fifth is persistence.

The simplicity is seen in the verbs that Jesus uses – ask, seek and knock. They are taken from everyday activities that each of his listeners engaged in. We all know what it is to ask for something, to look for something, to knock at someone’s door.

The three examples also indicate nearness. If we want to ask for something, we have to be within hearing distance of the person. If we seek for something, we need to be near the space where it can be found. And if we knock at a door, it is obvious that we have to be beside it. Prayer is drawing near to God. 

The third idea is that of desire because usually the three illustrations are connected to what someone wants strongly. A child asks its parent for an item it wants, a treasure hunter seeks for an item he wants, and a door knocker wants access to the person in the room. This is a reminder that true prayer is never offered in an indifferent manner.

Fourth, the examples lead us to think of specificity. We know that normally we don’t ask vaguely, nor do we describe a person as a seeker who is merely looking at the ground, and nor do we regard someone merely standing at a door as a knocker. I suppose we could say that it is specificity that distinguishes real prayer from hypocrisy. God demands that we be specific in our prayers.

Fifth, Jesus uses the present tense when he refers to asking, seeking and knocking. He does not mean that we should only ask for something once. Instead we are to persevere with the petitions. Perseverance is the indicator of expectancy. If we give up praying for something, it may be a sign that we did not believe God could answer the petition. 

Obviously, those sets of verses are not the only teaching in the Bible on prayer. We cannot use the sets by themselves and ignore what is said elsewhere. For example, we are told that we must pray according to God’s will, which is a reference to matters that he has revealed as suitable things to pray about. And one of the psalmists says that if we regard sin in our hearts the Lord will not hear us. We can say that in order to pray we also need to be submissive to God’s will and cleansed from sin.

Praying for Divine Blessing

There are many promises in the Bible regarding receiving blessing from God. Sometimes, the promises are given in an individual way and at other times they offer blessings in a corporate manner. Usually, those blessings, while promised, are given in answer to prayer.

No doubt, we are aware of the need for prayer, but we are also aware that not all prayer is the same. How do we pray so as to get God’s blessing in a deeper way? Job, on one occasion, said that he would use arguments in his prayers in order for change to come in his circumstances. Here are some arguments we can use.

One effective argument is to say to the Father that the promised blessing we are seeking was purchased for sinners by Jesus when he died on the cross. It is a way of pleasing God when we mention to him the triumphs of Jesus at Calvary. Speaking in such a way to God reveals that we have grasped the significance of the sacrifice that Jesus made. One reason why he died was so that sinners could enjoy answered prayer.

Another argument that we can mention is that all the children of God are granted certain spiritual privileges because they belong to his family. We cry to him as the Father. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that the heavenly Father would give good things to those who ask for them. That promise is certain, but there is a condition, which is that we have to ask. It is not a wise expression of faith to speak to God merely in general terms and say to him words such as, ‘Lord, give me the blessings you promised.’ Instead, we should itemise the blessings we desire and also say to God why we want them.

A third argument we can mention to God is the glory of his own name. The Lord is glorified when sinners are converted and when converted sinners become more and more like Jesus. I suspect that the Father loves to hear requests connected to those two aspects of spiritual living. There is joy in the presence of the angels when a sinner is converted, and it is difficult to imagine that heaven does not have such joy frequently, probably continually. And he is very pleased when his people make progress spiritually and develop in Christlikeness. We may not be as Christlike as we should be, but we can tell if we are heading in that direction. Asking the Lord to save sinners and then to turn them into imitators of Jesus pleases him greatly and he delights to answer such prayers.

Forgiveness and prayer

What was the first thing I was conscious of when I became a member of the family of God? It was that my sins were forgiven. I had received pardon from God. The one who was now my Father had declared that I was forgiven. How did I know that was the case? Because he stated so in his Word. 

Not that my name was mentioned there specifically. Even if my name had been mentioned, how would I know it was me that was described? After all, many others have shared my name, and if it was mentioned in the Bible, would I know for definite that it was me? It is far better to know that whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

Why were my sins forgiven? The answer is straightforward: because Jesus took my place on the cross. I had realised that because the Son of God became a man and went to the cross to pay the penalty for my sins I could be forgiven. That realisation was a tremendous discovery. Of course, millions of others have made the same discovery and found themselves in the family of God.

I also discovered that I wanted to talk to God about everything. It was not that I only spoke to him during times set aside to pray. Instead, I wanted to speak to him automatically, freely, as it were. This happened when I was walking along the road, sitting on a bus, reading a book. Those conversations, which were not oral, were not interruptions. Later on, I discovered that Paul thought it normal for Christians to pray without ceasing. 

I think that we pray more often than we think we do. The Bible mentions all kinds of prayers and types of praying. But the Christian life, in one way or another, begins with prayer because we ask God to forgive us, and it continues by prayer.

This was a basic lesson to learn. Forgiveness and prayer go together. We can talk to God as our Heavenly Father because he has forgiven us for the sake of Jesus, his Son. It is inevitable that we will learn many other things about life in the family of God, but we should never move away from this incredible reality that we can speak to our Heavenly Father because we have been forgiven. Hopefully we are speaking to him now.

Daniel as a Man of Prayer

Adolph Saphir describes the prayer life of Daniel in the following passage from his book on the Lord’s Prayer. Many comments could be made, but one is, ‘Do I have time to pray?’

‘Let me remind you of the example of the saints of God, as recorded in Scripture. We read of David, “Seven times a day do I praise Thee, because of Thy righteous judgments”; and of Daniel, “that he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God.” This had always been his habit, a habit dear to him as life, for he would not relinquish it even at the risk of death. Nathanael was most probably in prayer under the fig-tree when our Saviour saw him. Peter had fixed hours for prayer: we read of his going up to the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.

‘These examples are very striking, especially when we notice the character and circumstances of the men. Take the case of Daniel. He was a man in a most prominent position, filling a place of the greatest responsibility. In one of the greatest empires which this world has ever seen, he held the chief ministry; pre-eminent among the presidents who ruled over the hundred and twenty princes who governed that vast monarchy. What a burden must have been upon his mind! How little leisure could he have enjoyed! And yet he found time to pray three times a day. He was determined to secure it; for he knew that prayer is a gain of time, an increase of strength, the safeguard and prosperity of work.

‘And thus we learn this great lesson, that regular private prayer is compatible with an active and busy life; that we cannot excuse ourselves by pleading the onerous character of our work, or the incessant claim that our occupations have on our time. The examples of diligence and regularity in prayer are taken from the chambers of the most active men of the world; who, though not of the world’s spirit, yet belonged to the world’s sphere and engagements. The men who prayed most have done most work; they were not slothful in business, because fervent in spirit.

‘The influence of this habit on the life of Daniel shows how the Father, who seeth in secret, rewards openly. The king and all the nobles noticed there was an excellent spirit in Daniel. The world may not be able to appreciate orthodoxy of religious opinion, or fervour of religious sentiment; it may not be able to see the height of your lofty doctrine, or the depth of your spiritual affections; but the world notices the excellent spirit of a man – his tone, the tenor of his life, his unfeigned humility, his unostentatious love of good works, his kindliness of heart, his integrity, his firmness and consistency: they recognise the man who is actuated by an inward principle and a heavenly influence.

‘This illustrious man had nothing to facilitate, but everything to obstruct, his spiritual life. In a heathen land, among a court worldly and opposed to the faith of Israel, far from the Temple of Jerusalem, and without the cheering influences of congregational life, he was exposed to temptations of doubt and despondency, in which it was easy to fall into languor and lukewarmness. Many envied him; not one sympathised with him. And yet they could find no fault in him. No inconsistency in life or temper, no injustice, no harshness, no pride; his only fault was ‘concerning the law of his God’. He was a worshipper of God, fearing and loving him. This was the only fault which jealous and watchful enemies could point out. What an illustration of the power of prayer!’

The referendum

Congregational Newsletter (26/6/2016)

If we wanted to paraphrase Ecclesiastes 3, we could say that there was a time to be in the European Union and a time to be out of it. At the moment we are still in it, but are also on the way out of it, and not too sure about where we are going. Still, the author of Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that all that happens is under the control of God, that whatever time it is, whether we like the changes or not, has been brought about by God for his own purposes. So what should we do? Here are some suggestions.

First, it is important in a changing time to focus on the One who changes not. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). All power has been given to him in heaven and on earth, and Paul states elsewhere that Jesus is head over all things for the benefit of his body, the church. So whatever else may happen because of the recent vote, one thing is sure – Jesus will overrule for the benefit of his kingdom.

Second, we should pray for our rulers, present and future. We will have a new Prime Minister later this year. This development was unexpected when Mr Cameron won the General Election last year; it looked then that he would be in power for five years. In that election he won when he was expected to lose, and in the referendum he lost when he was expected to win. No doubt, he is disappointed, and we should pray that he and his family would discover God’s blessings. And we should also pray about his successor, whoever he or she will be. 

Third, the obvious aspect of the referendum is the division of opinion seen in the closeness of the votes and in the geographical breakdown of how different areas voted. It is a bit odd to describe ourselves as the United Kingdom at this time. No doubt, there are many reasons for this situation. Yet we must recognise that such trenchant division is a dangerous path to be on, and we don’t know what kind of social upheaval could result. So our rulers need wisdom to take us through the next while until things are sorted out, and we should pray to God that he will guide our governments in the choices they need to make, and that our people will come together.

Fourth, it was frequently stated on the night of the referendum that politicians and the other elites in society have lost touch with large sections of the population, and that the vote to leave was an expression of discontent with those above. I suspect that many don't listen to what the politicians have to say on most topics, and have not done so for a long time. So in the communication age we have a lack of communication between those at the top and those elsewhere. Somehow we have to start using words with clear meanings.

As a Christian church, we too have to ask ourselves if we have lost touch with large sections of the community who have concluded that we have nothing of value to say to them, mainly because we have not said anything coherent to them about the gospel.

Fifth, in such situations as we are in, it is helpful to recall what the author of Ecclesiastes says about God – he has made everything beautiful in his time. We might think that there is chaos at the moment, but the Bible tells us that behind the scenes and in the scenes One is at work whose purpose cannot be sidelined or diverted. We might say that with regard to the referendum we did not know what we were doing, and that the politicians did not know what they were doing, but we cannot say that God did not know what he was doing. And in ways that we cannot imagine, he will make something beautiful of this time, and future generations will be able to look back and see what he did. At the moment, what we have to do is trust him.

Time for prayer

One of the problems that people seem to have is finding a place and time for prayer. Peter shows us in Acts 10 how we can do it. The last verse of Acts 9 tells us he chose a place where he would not be disturbed – the house of a tanner, a place that many would stay away from because of the work of the owner. The time he chose to pray was six o’clock in the morning, at dawn, and he made prayer his priority for the day. It was even more important to him than his breakfast. Luke is not saying that all of us should pray before breakfast, but he is saying to us that our lives have to be arranged so that we will have a regular, daily time of prayer.

When we think of prayer, there are two inadequate responses. The first is that it will happen automatically and the second is that it will happen spontaneously. Both these suppositions seem spiritual but in reality each is an expression of spiritual laziness. Obviously there is a sense in which a Christian automatically prays, such as when he speaks to God when driving a car or walking along a road; there is also a sense in which he will pray spontaneously when matters come to mind suddenly without any prior hint. But neither of these responses is a substitute for real prayer. The only adequate alternative is organised time for prayer.

This raises the next question, which is, when should we pray? The answer to this question is that each of us has to find the answer personally. There is not a verse in the Bible that specifies a particular time, although there are examples of regular prayer. Daniel prayed regularly three times a day (Dan. 6:10), as did David in Psalm 55:17, whereas one of the other psalmists prayed seven times a day (Ps. 119:164). But here Peter prays first thing in the morning. I realise that some cannot set aside time to pray in the morning – those who work nightshifts, young mothers, and sick people, for example. Yet we should think about Peter’s method because he must have found it helpful.

Are there any compelling reasons why he prayed in the morning? I can think of five at least. (1) There could be the common sense argument that in the morning we are the freshest we will be on that day. (2) There is the likelihood that the early morning is the time of day that we will face fewer distractions. (3) There is the deduction from the petition in the Lord’s Prayer in which we pray for our daily bread, which suggests that it is a prayer offered at the beginning of the day for sufficient food to eat during that day. (4) There is the example of Jesus who used to pray before the dawn. (5) There is the method of the psalmist in Psalm 5:3: ‘O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.’

Another important question is, Why should we pray? The answers are many, but again here are five selected reasons. First, prayer is a statement that we have confidence in God. Second, prayer is a confession that we need God’s help. Third, prayer is the evidence that we have matured to the spiritual state which realises that without God’s input nothing of spiritual value will happen to us or through us. Fourth, prayer is the glad admittance that we are not self-sufficient, but have discovered that our sufficiency is found in God alone. Fifth, prayer is the realisation that we should not take a step without asking for God’s guidance, not even if one is an apostle.

Adolph Saphir summed up the importance of early morning prayer in this way: ‘Each day we rise, let us bless God. As every morning is a renewal of our natural life, let it be also a renewal of our true life, which is hid with Christ in God. Jesus speaks of our taking up our cross daily; does not this imply a daily dedication of ourselves unto God? It is good to see the face of God ere we see the face of man, and to breathe the atmosphere of eternity, before we commence our earthly and transitory occupations. It is good to commend ourselves to that love and care which condescends to our smallest troubles and duties, and to be reminded that we are called to eternal blessedness, and to glorify God in our daily work. He who has sought divine light and peace is prepared for the day’s work and trial; he is not afraid of evil tidings; while he remembers that we know not what a day may bring forth, he is assured that all things work together for good unto them that love God. And some divine promise, some spiritual truth, having been most probably impressed on his mind during prayer and the reading of Scripture, his soul has a nourishment “that the world knows not of.”’

Peter says to us from this incident, ‘Is your current arrangements helping you to pray?’ He says, ‘I arranged my location in Joppa and ensured that I would have a time and a place for prayer.’ If our lifestyle makes it difficult to find time to pray, we need to reconsider how we live.

Why Pray?

Paul had explained to the Colossians how they were to show that they belonged to the new humanity, whether in life in general or in the specific area of household life (chapter 3 of his letter). We can imagine the Colossians, as they listened to the letter being read to them, responding at least to themselves, ‘How can we retain correct thinking about all these issues in our minds?’ If they were thinking in that way as they heard Colossians 4:1 being read, they received the answer in verse 2: ‘Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.’

Further, they may have said to themselves, ‘In addition to demands connected to life in the church, it is also the case that we have to face pressures from those outside the church. Our family members, our neighbours, the contacts we make day by day are not interested in what we have to say about Jesus. What would Paul, who we have never met, say to us?’ No doubt the apostle could say many things, but it is reasonable to assume that one response he would urge would be to ‘continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.’

In addition, it is possible that the Christians in Colosse would face official investigations and punishments by the authorities. Although Colosse was a small town, it was not a backwater location because it was close to the cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis. It was inevitable that the authorities would be curious at least about the appearance of this radical new group that involved different races, all levels of society, and did not participate in any of the official religions. One of Paul’s responses to such potential difficulties for the church in Colosse would be to ‘continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.’   

The church in Colosse had lost its pastor Epaphras. He had brought the gospel to Colosse after he had been converted through hearing Paul in Ephesus. Over the next decade or so, he had guided the church in Colosse. He then had gone to Rome to see Paul and had himself been arrested. There is no hint that Epaphras was about to be released and we can imagine the anxiety that the church would have when Tychicus and Philemon appeared – without Epaphras (vv. 7-9). Paul’s advice, I am sure, would be to ‘continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.’

Two men had left the church in Colosse in the past while. One was their faithful pastor Epaphras and one was the unreliable slave Onesimus who had ran away from his master Philemon in whose house the church in Colosse met. I am sure that they prayed for both men, although with different desires for each. They would have prayed for the release of Epaphras and the conversion of Onesimus. Now they could see that the Lord had kept his promise and answered prayer for Onesimus. But what were they to do with regard to their prayers for Epaphras? The answer was to ‘continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.’ Be thankful for Onesimus and continue to pray for Epaphras.

Of course, Paul wanted them to pray for him. He knew that his colleagues Tychicus and Philemon would convey information about his circumstances when they delivered the letter to the church, and in their report they would mention his confinement as a prisoner. We will look in a future reading at what he requested about himself, but it is the case that with regard to these specific requests in verses 3 and 4, Paul would want them to ‘continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.’