The When and How of Prayer...

Luke 18:1 ...men ought always to pray, and not to faint.

This week I received the Fall 2012 issue of Free Grace Broadcaster and the subject for this quarter is titled "Vital Prayer." If you are unfamiliar with these quarterly booklets I highly recommend getting on the mail list to receive them. They are real gems!

This verse is a favorite of mine on prayer because it provides so much instruction and insight on when and how to pray in such a short little verse.

We see in Luke 18:1 that men ought always to pray. God's people are a praying people and we should offer up prayers to God at all times and in all seasons. We should go to the throne of grace at every opportunity whether it be for repenting, offering thanks and praise, for prayer requests, or any combination thereof. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul writes to pray without ceasing. Even if our prayers to God appear to go through long droughts without an apparent answer we see in Luke 18:1 that we are not to faint and grow weary from praying, but instead we are to persevere and continue. Though we may be heavily afflicted and suffering mightily we are not to become discouraged, but we should remain steadfast in offering up our prayers to God.

The first article in the "Vital Prayer" Free Grace Broadcaster this quarter is titled "The Most Important Subject" by J.C. Ryle (1816-1900). As I read over this article earlier in the week there were several passages on prayer that I highlighted that are worth writing here. It is my understanding that the excerpts that follow were originally included in Ryle's book "Practical Religion."

• To be prayerless is to be without God -- without Christ -- without grace -- without hope  -- and without heaven.

• Just as the first sign of life in an infant when born into the world is the act of breathing, so the first act of men and women when they are born again is praying.

• Faith is to the soul what life is to the body. Prayer is to faith what breath is to life. How a man can live and not breathe is past my comprehension, and how a man can believe and not pray is past my comprehension too.

As I look inward and analyze my Christian walk one of the areas I know I need to improve upon is my prayerlife. How about you? Do you find yourself praying without ceasing? If not let us work to cultivate this area of our life. We are dependent upon God for our every good and without him we can do nothing - let us offer up prayers always and without growing weary.

Thy way...Thy truth...Thy name, O Lord!

Psalm 86:11 Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

In this verse offered up by David in Psalm 86 we have three deep desires revealed by David that should occupy the heart and mind of every Christian. 1) We should desire that God would reveal his will to us and instruct us; 2) we should be committed to walking according to God's will revealed to us in his truth; and 3) we should desire that our hearts be not divided in its affections, but united in its purpose of revering and honoring God.

Teach me thy way, O Lord...

Oh how important it is to be taught the things of God by God for God's glory. I mention God consecutively like this to stress who is doing the teaching here and for what purpose. If you are not a student of God you will become a student of the world and will be led deeper and deeper into darkness and deceit. The ways of the world around us are foolishness, but the ways of God are all that is true.

I will walk in thy truth...

Once taught by God we are to walk daily in God's truth, as revealed to us in the Bible. There is a quote below that I like from the puritan Thomas Watson that describes this walk beautifully:

Conform to Scripture. Let us lead Scripture lives. Oh that the Bible might be seen to be printed in our lives! Do what the Word commands. Obedience is an excellent way of commenting upon the Bible. Let the Word be the sun-dial by which you set your life. What are we the better for having the Scriptures, if we do not direct all our speeches and actions according to it....and regulate our lives by it?

 Unite my heart to fear thy name...

Our hearts should be united with a single desire to have our will subjected to the will of God and we need to  properly reverence and honor God. In Proverbs 1:7 we read "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." If  you are to be taught the things of God and walk according to his will you must revere and honor God with an undivided heart. On this verse, C.H. Spurgeon comments "to fear God is both the beginning, the growth, and the maturity of wisdom, therefore should we be undividedly given up to it, heart and soul."

Psalm 86:11 is a beautiful verse for us and we see that where holiness is taught (Teach me thy way, O Lord), where truth is practiced (I will walk in thy truth), and where God is adored (Unite my heart to fear thy name) we find the life lived for God and his glory...and thus the life perfected.

Quote of the Week - John Calvin

"For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by his fatherly care, that he is the author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond him -- they will never yield him willing service. Yes, unless they establish their complete happiness in him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to him." 

John Calvin (1509 - 1564)

What is it you treasure most?

Matthew 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust does corrupt, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal...for where your treasure is there will your heart be also.

Dear friend, what is it you treasure most in life? Think upon this question for a while...think about how you spend your time; how you spend your money; what your thoughts are consumed by...and what matters most to you this hour. The answer to this question is undoubtedly what your heart desires most in life. Now take this exercise one step further and ask yourself based on your responses whether your heart's desires are earthly/worldly or whether they are heavenly/eternal. Do your answers show yourself to be a lover of the things of this world (i.e. material possessions) or a lover of the things of God?

If what you treasure most in life is of earthly/worldly importance you are selling your heart into bondage to things that do not benefit the soul and that will never bring you lasting joy and happiness! Instead, lay up for yourself treasures in heaven. As Albert Barnes remarks..."do not exhaust your strength and spend your days in providing for the life here, but let your chief anxiety be to be prepared for eternity. If you are a Christian then you are an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ of an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that does not fade away."

If God truly be the desire of our souls then our hearts will reflect this by treasuring up things of eternal value. Only you and the Lord know where your heart truly is this hour, but I earnestly plead with you that if you do not treasure God the most in your life...if there are things in this world that have replaced God as most important to you....you need to repent, pray for the renewal of your mind, and redirect your heart upwards.

Book Review: Biography of Herman Bavinck by Ron Gleason

About a month ago I finished Ron Gleason's biography on Herman Bavinck. This book was published in 2010 by P&R Publishing. For those not familiar with Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) he was a Dutch Reformed Theologian most famous for writing the classic titled Reformed Dogmatics. A brief summary of Bavinck's life can be found here.

I purchased this book recently at the Westminster Bookstore here for $12.00, which is 60% off the original price of $29.99. I had been interested in reading this book for the last year or so and when I saw the discounted price I couldn't resist.

The book gives a thorough account of Herman Bavinck's family life and upbringing and traces his life into adulthood as a pastor, churchman, statesman, and theologian. The book is well written and keeps the reader engaged throughout. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about one who is arguably the greatest Dutch theologian ever.

It is important for us to read biographic accounts of great men of faith and this book certainly deserves a spot on your bookshelf at home or in the office. This book definitely whet my appetite to learn more about Herman Bavinck and one day Lord willing I will make the plunge and pick up his magnum opus Reformed Dogmatics. 


....when is the last time you read a good book?

Cast Your Burden upon the Lord

Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.


My travels this week through the book of Psalms has taken me now to Psalm 55 and to a great verse of comfort that is found in verse 22. What a wonderful verse this is! The instruction here is to give your burden over to God and he will lift you up and preserve you and never allow you to fall from the weight of what you are going through. Similar instruction is also found in 1 Peter 5:7.

Do you feel burdened this hour by the cares, afflictions, fears, and trials that have been heaped upon your shoulders? Has the weight of carrying around this dreary load caused you to tire and become exhausted? If so, I urge you to give it all over to the Lord. Our great God will not only carry your burdens for you, but he will also carry you in his arms as well.

In Matthew 11:28-30 we find Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, offering this:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden (burdened), and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Dear friend be anxious and worried over nothing...if God's providence has placed a burden upon your shoulders this week then follow what the psalmist has to say here in Psalm 55:22.

Stop carrying life's burdensome load all by yourself and turn to Jesus Christ for rest.



 

Your Soul's Desire...are You Thirsty?

Psalm 42:1-2 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

I am continuing to work my way through the Psalms as of late and today's post covers a pair of verses that includes figurative language that is quite beautiful. For those who may not be accustomed to the King James rendering of these scriptures, it is important to note that "hart" here is an old word used to describe a "full mature stag" or deer. So what we have here described is the the soul and its desire for God being compared to the deer that is longing and looking for the quenching water found in water brooks (streams that run in valleys).

Next we read of the thirst the soul has for the living God and a desire to be with God and to see his face. God is often described as being "the living God" and the reason is to distinguish God from the false Gods that people worship. Friends our God is a living God and unlike the idols people have carved out of wood and stone that have neither eyes to see nor ears to hear. Our greatest longing should be to come face to face before our God in heaven.

In the Treasury of David, C.H. Spurgeon writes:

O to have the most intense craving after the highest good! this is no questionable mark of grace. Not merely for the temple and the ordinances, but for fellowship with God himself....because he lives, and gives to men the living water; therefore we, with greater eagerness, desire him. The ever-living God, the perennial fountain of life and light and love, is our soul's desire....to see the face of God - this is worth thirsting after!

My friend does your soul long and thirst for the one true and living God? Can it be said of your soul that it desires God as the deer desires to drink from the water brook?

Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, says in John 7:37-38 "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

The living water that Jesus gives those who thirst is the only thing that satisfies the longings of the soul. If today you are thirsty and tired I urge you to fall to your knees at the foot of the cross and drink.

Let Us Rejoice and be Glad...We who are in God's Thoughts

Psalm 40:16-17 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified. But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

This morning while sipping a cup of coffee I read through and meditated upon Psalm 40. I have been in the habit lately of using Pigma Micron pens to underline verses of scripture in my bible and among the half dozen or so verses I underlined in this Psalm were the two highlighted above. What an awesome close to the fortieth Psalm!

In verse 16 we read that all those that seek the Lord shall rejoice and be glad and that we should continually praise the Lord and lift up his name. God should be praised continually as it is he that continually pours down blessings upon our heads. If we are not willing to magnify the Lord in all that we do while on earth what makes us think we will want any part of heaven where we are to magnify the Lord for eternity?

Verse 17 contains one of the most amazing truths in all of scripture where it reads "...yet the Lord thinketh upon me" Stop for a second and think about the magnitude of what is written here. The Lord, who is infinitely big and the creator of all that is in existence, actually thinks about us who are so finite and small. We are but specks of dust in the sea of creation yet the Lord thinks upon us! Awesome. Another Psalm that speaks to the thoughts the Lord has towards us is found in Psalm 139:17-18.

Psalm 139:17-18 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. 

I particularly like Albert Barnes' commentary on Psalm 40:17 where he writes: "to be an object of the thoughts of God; to be had in his mind; to be constantly in his remembrance; to be certain that he will not forsake us in our trouble; to be assured in our own minds that one so great as God will never cease to think on us, may well sustain us in all the trials of life."

Let us rejoice and be glad in the Lord and magnify his name always! We who are so poor and needy are in God's thoughts always.

The Brevity of Life

Psalm 39:4-5 Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere hand-breadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. 

I was reading Psalm 39 earlier this afternoon and found verses 4-5 to include a wonderful prayer and an important acknowledgement. One of the many regular prayers we should offer up to God is for the grace to realize how fleeting our lives are. The Lord could call us home at any moment yet all too often we go about our lives as if we are going to dwell in these earthly tabernacles forever. O the foolishness! We need to be reminded daily of the brevity of life. We are here one day and gone the next. In the bible, man is often compared to withering grass to illustrate just how fleeting this life on earth is (Psalm 90, Psalm 103; Isaiah 40, Isaiah 51; 1 Peter 1:24).

So what are we to think of these scripture verses? Well, for the Christian we know that if our earthly house (body) were destroyed we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens (2 Corinthians 5:1). The shortness of life on earth should not cause us to despair! But like the Apostle Paul we should recognize that to live is Christ and to die is gain...that while in the body we will live fruitful lives...but we should desire to depart and be with Christ (Philippians 1:21, 23).

To read a great sermon on Philippians 1:23 given by C. H. Spurgeon on September 11, 1859 check out the Spurgeon Archive here.

The Knowledge of God and of Ourselves...

This evening I pulled out volume one of John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion and read over chapter one of book one on "The Knowledge of God the Creator." I have always enjoyed reading Institutes of the Christian Religion and I am not sure why this classic is not pulled down from my book shelf with more regularity, as it has been a good while since I last buried my nose in it. The rich nuggets that one is able to extract from this classic is nearly unrivaled as far as Christian literature goes in my opinion!

In writing about the knowledge of God and of ourselves, John Calvin states:

It is certain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God's face and becomes convinced of his own unrighteousness, foulness, folly, and impurity...thus from the feeling of our own ignorance, vanity, poverty, infirmity, and - what is more - depravity and corruption, we recognize that the true light of wisdom, sound virtue, full abundance of every good, and purity of righteousness rest in the Lord alone. To this extent we are prompted by our own ills to contemplate the good things of God. Accordingly, the knowledge of ourselves not only arouses us to seek God, but also, as it were, leads us by the hand to find him.

The knowledge of God should serve to humble our pride and reveal to us our complete and utter need of Jesus Christ. Apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5).