"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." — Colossians 4:2
No spiritual exercise is potentially more significant, nor practically more difficult than prayer. My own prayer life is such that it is almost embarrassing to write on the subject, but the word of God, not one's own personal experience, is the ground for discourse.
Prayer, more than any other engagement, links us with God. We can feed upon His word, and that is vital, but if we truly pray, we fellowship with Him. If there were no God in heaven, prayer would be the silliest thing a man could do; he ends up talking to himself. But since there is a God in heaven, prayer is the noblest activity in which the believer can engage, and the highest privilege he enjoys. When I pray— when I really pray— the God of the universe pauses to listen and deigns to respond. "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not [Jer. 33:3]." How incredible! "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry [Ps. 34:15]." How wonderful! "The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles [Ps. 34:17]." How encouraging!
The Savior said, "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint [Cf. luke 18:1-8]." The implication is that consistency in prayer will protect from "fainting," i.e., spiritual weakness. The counterpoint is that negligence in prayer will result in feebleness of spirit.
Based upon the fact that we have in heaven a "great high priest," the writer to the Hebrews exhorts, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need [cf He. 4:14-16]." This, too, is linked to spiritual stability: "Let us hold fast our profession. ( v.14)." The prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian.
When the believer prays, he is afforded the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit (himself) maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God [Rom. 8:26-27]." Imagine engaging in prayer with the Spirit of the living God. Or, the Spirit of God condescending to pray with us. Yet this is what transpires when we really pray!
Important to "continuing" prayer, of course, is intelligent content in prayer. Consider some of the subject of prayer revealed in the New Testament scriptures. First is the recognition of God Himself: "Our Father, which art in heaven." It is my judgment that our prayer life should first and foremost cultivate our consciousness of God and His glory. Think God when you pray, "Hallowed be Thy Name." Homage to the King ought always to precede petitioning the King. Of further note, if we follow the Savior's pattern prayer, is the priority given to prayer for His concerns before we address ours: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." When the apostle enjoins prayer, it is along these lines that he expresses his primary concern. "Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak [Col. 4:3-4]." He does not request prayer for release from prison, but that where God has placed him he may be advancing the kingdom. This same spirit prevails in Ephesians 6:18-19, where he exhorts, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel… that I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." He does not ask prayer for better circumstances, but for the grace to take full advantage of the circumstances in which God has placed him.
This does not, of course, preclude the privilege of, or need for prayer for ourselves. "Give us this day our daily bread"; "forgive us our debts… "; "lead us not into temptation"; "deliver us from evil." It is interesting though, if one pauses to reflect upon it, how little instruction scripture gives us in prayer for physical "health and welfare," and how much is focused on the spiritual state of the individual believer and the church. Evangelicals generally discredit the so-called "health and welfare gospel," but our prayer life often reflects it!
"Continue in prayer," indeed. But let us seek to do it with discernment, drawn from the word, of what concerns the heart of God.
*********
[For further study of the content of prayer in N.T. scripture see Rom. 15:30-33; II Cor. 13:7; Eph. 6:18-20; Phil. 1:9-11 & 4:6; Col. 1:9-13; I Thess. 5:17; II Thess. 3:1-2; I Tim. 2:1-3; Heb. 13:18-21; Jas. 5:13-18; I John 5:14-17.]
For HIS glory and our good,
"Pastor" Frasier
No spiritual exercise is potentially more significant, nor practically more difficult than prayer. My own prayer life is such that it is almost embarrassing to write on the subject, but the word of God, not one's own personal experience, is the ground for discourse.
Prayer, more than any other engagement, links us with God. We can feed upon His word, and that is vital, but if we truly pray, we fellowship with Him. If there were no God in heaven, prayer would be the silliest thing a man could do; he ends up talking to himself. But since there is a God in heaven, prayer is the noblest activity in which the believer can engage, and the highest privilege he enjoys. When I pray— when I really pray— the God of the universe pauses to listen and deigns to respond. "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not [Jer. 33:3]." How incredible! "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry [Ps. 34:15]." How wonderful! "The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles [Ps. 34:17]." How encouraging!
The Savior said, "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint [Cf. luke 18:1-8]." The implication is that consistency in prayer will protect from "fainting," i.e., spiritual weakness. The counterpoint is that negligence in prayer will result in feebleness of spirit.
Based upon the fact that we have in heaven a "great high priest," the writer to the Hebrews exhorts, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need [cf He. 4:14-16]." This, too, is linked to spiritual stability: "Let us hold fast our profession. ( v.14)." The prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian.
When the believer prays, he is afforded the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit (himself) maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God [Rom. 8:26-27]." Imagine engaging in prayer with the Spirit of the living God. Or, the Spirit of God condescending to pray with us. Yet this is what transpires when we really pray!
Important to "continuing" prayer, of course, is intelligent content in prayer. Consider some of the subject of prayer revealed in the New Testament scriptures. First is the recognition of God Himself: "Our Father, which art in heaven." It is my judgment that our prayer life should first and foremost cultivate our consciousness of God and His glory. Think God when you pray, "Hallowed be Thy Name." Homage to the King ought always to precede petitioning the King. Of further note, if we follow the Savior's pattern prayer, is the priority given to prayer for His concerns before we address ours: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." When the apostle enjoins prayer, it is along these lines that he expresses his primary concern. "Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak [Col. 4:3-4]." He does not request prayer for release from prison, but that where God has placed him he may be advancing the kingdom. This same spirit prevails in Ephesians 6:18-19, where he exhorts, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel… that I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." He does not ask prayer for better circumstances, but for the grace to take full advantage of the circumstances in which God has placed him.
This does not, of course, preclude the privilege of, or need for prayer for ourselves. "Give us this day our daily bread"; "forgive us our debts… "; "lead us not into temptation"; "deliver us from evil." It is interesting though, if one pauses to reflect upon it, how little instruction scripture gives us in prayer for physical "health and welfare," and how much is focused on the spiritual state of the individual believer and the church. Evangelicals generally discredit the so-called "health and welfare gospel," but our prayer life often reflects it!
"Continue in prayer," indeed. But let us seek to do it with discernment, drawn from the word, of what concerns the heart of God.
*********
[For further study of the content of prayer in N.T. scripture see Rom. 15:30-33; II Cor. 13:7; Eph. 6:18-20; Phil. 1:9-11 & 4:6; Col. 1:9-13; I Thess. 5:17; II Thess. 3:1-2; I Tim. 2:1-3; Heb. 13:18-21; Jas. 5:13-18; I John 5:14-17.]
For HIS glory and our good,
"Pastor" Frasier
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