Prayers with Purpose

The Word is First...

Ephesians 1:17 (NIV)

¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit^a of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

^a Or a spirit

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

The Apostle Paul sets many examples for us through descriptions of his actions as conveyed in his letters. There is one behavior though that I note is repeated throughout his writings namely prayer for those to whom he writes. According to his letters he is constantly beseeching God to bless, reveal, strengthen and provide for those to whom he ministered. When I consider the content of Paul's prayers and contrast them to my own, I realize that I'm not paying close enough attention.

In today's study verse we see this pattern of behavior repeated and I am again convicted to 'amp up' my prayer life for my friends. With respect to this verse though, under the overarching theme of constant prayer there are three points which command my attention.

First is the centrality of Jesus Christ. Paul is not praying 'to' Jesus nor is he praying simply to 'God.' Note the ownership implied in his description of to whom he is praying; "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father..." In this manner, Paul is establishing the relationship of Jesus as 'the Son' and is in effect praying 'through' Jesus to God. He is also establishing the authority of Jesus to identify the true God, the one to whom our prayers should be directed, and he is expressing a yieldedness to Christ in that Paul follows Jesus who follows God the Father. I believe that Paul is also firmly reiterating that Jesus is the Son of God and that it is by his authority the Paul may present his requests to God.

Second is the nature of the petition. Paul is praying on behalf of his friends in the church at Ephesus. He is not praying is some nebulous form that they be 'blessed' or 'protected' or 'strengthened' or 'convicted.' Rather he is praying specifically that God grant them 'a spirit of wisdom and revelation.' In this instance, I do not believe Paul is speaking of The Holy Spirit as that Spirit has already been granted unto them. Further, true wisdom and revelation cannot be present without the simultaneous presence of The Holy Spirit. So it is my contention that Paul is praying that in addition to The Holy Spirit that the readers be given 'a spirit' or 'attitude' or 'disposition' of wisdom and revelation. For clarity's sake, I believe that 'wisdom', in this context, implies the ability to discern the true nature of things. 'Revelation' is the 'unveiling' or 'full understanding' of whatever is being discussed which in this case is God himself. This then is a petition of serious import the granting of which would greatly benefit the recipient. What a wonderful example of how we should pray for one another!

Third is the purpose of the prayer. Though the granting of this petition would greatly benefit the recipient, the purpose is not for personal advancement, achievement, comfort or happiness. The real purpose of this prayer is that the person for whom this prayer is prayed is 'so that you may know him [God] better.' Paul is not speaking of any form of abstract knowledge or the accumulation of of objective facts with respect to God. Rather he speaks of a deep, meaningful and intimate awareness of God's character and will. This is the revelation for which we all thirst and hunger. This is the relationship that satisfies the soul and pushes away everything unworthy.

Compared to the glorious riches implied in this petition from Paul, all those requests to 'help with my finances' or 'reveal the job intended for me' or 'give me peace, respite and relief' are but paltry pleas for our own comfort. I believe that I'll pray instead for 'a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better.' When you're in that relationship with God, all the other things will be given unto you.

In His Grip,
Carl

Where Do You Place Your Trust

The Word is First...

Psalm 22:4-5 (NIV)

⁴ In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.

⁵ They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

Read the whole Psalm. Go ahead, I'll wait.... Okay, now we can proceed.

My 'verse spinner' pointed me to V4 today and I immediately added V5. Then as I began my study, I read the entire Psalm (it's short) so that I could have the correct context for these two focus verses. But before I write on the focus verses, I just have to mention a couple of points about Psalm 22 in it's entirety.

First, I can't help but notice that the opening words of this Psalm are the very words that Christ cried out as he hung upon the cross. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" That really got my attention! I know from personal experience and from talking with others that everyone (if not everyone, then nearly everyone) has moments when they 'feel' as though they have been abandoned or forsaken by God. More often than not, in those times, I have depended upon my own abilities which got me into the mess from which I needed rescue. Even so, God uses those times, those moments of crisis, to remind me that I need to depend on him and not on my own understanding. My perception of being forsaken is caused by my taking my eyes off him and consequently, I am unable to see him even though he is ever-present.

Second, in the progression of the Psalm, I see concentric circles of threat and a foreshadowing of Christ upon the cross. V6 speaks of the low opinion of others. V7 speaks of the hatred and vitriol that so easily flows from the mouths of men. V12 speaks of 'bulls surrounding' which makes me think of the Jewish leaders whose bull-headedness led them to condemn Jesus. V13 speaks of 'roaring lions' which makes me think of the Roman Empire which in a moment of 'devouring' carried out a false judgment of Jesus. V14 speaks of "pouring out like water" and "my bones are out of joint." Both of these remind me of Jesus' experience upon the cross. From his side flowed blood and water; from the torturous position on the cross, joints would separate as a result of the tremendous stress upon them. V15 speaks of "dried up" strength and how the "tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth." Again, I am reminded of Christ withering upon the cross and how a sponge laden with vinegar and something soothing was offered to slake his thirst and ease his pain by the dulling of his senses. V16 speaks of 'dogs surrounding him' and that too draws my mind to the throngs of onlookers at the cross who came to see the spectacle of a murdered man. There too is a reference to 'a band of evil men' that have 'pierced my hands and my feet.' My mind runs to the Roman soldiers, hammer in hand as they carried out the sentence. V17 speaks of "counting all my bones", "people stare and gloat over me", "they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." As I envision Jesus upon that cross, all these things are realities.

So as I read this psalm, intellectually I understand that this is David writing of his own experiences. But emotionally, I feel that it is a depiction of things to come, horrible things that though meant for evil, were the very basis for the most wonderful blessing of salvation.

The truth is that David suffered at the hands of men just like I have, perhaps like you have. Christ too experienced those same pains so that it could be said that in specific ways, David, Jesus, me, we are not that different. Yet Jesus endured far worse than either David or us that proves just how different we are from him. We endure these types of trials often of our own making whereas Jesus endured innocently, on our behalf.

Whether it is David suffering the wilderness of the desert or Jesus suffering the cross, neither lost sight of God. That's the core message of this psalm; God is faithful. David called out to God and placed his trust in Him. Jesus called out to God and his faith in God never wavered.

We can trust in God, same as David, same as Jesus. Where DO you place your trust?

Peace Out,
Carl

There is Yet Hope

The Word is first...

Isaiah 54:11 (NIV)

¹¹ “O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted,

I will build you with stones of turquoise,^a

your foundations with sapphires.^b

^a The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

^b Or lapis lazuli

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

This passage is written about the city of Jerusalem that suffered and indeed still suffers many troubles or storms. The Lord's promise to rebuild the city with precious stones reflects His care and esteem for the city.

God's 'care and esteem' for the city of Jerusalem is nothing compared to His passion for people. The city is a place, a place for people but it cannot praise nor bring glory to God. People however, can enter into a relationship with God, praise Him and bring glory to His name.

The truth is that no matter where you are right now, no matter the storms you face, no matter how down-trodden you feel or how full of sin you are, God can and wants to redeem you. He wants to receive your broken-down, hopeless and despairing self. He wants to rebuild you into something magnificent. Where he would use turquoise to rebuild a city, he will use love and compassion to rebuild you. Where he would build city foundations of sapphire, he will undergird you with foundations of the strength and righteousness that is found in Christ.

Place your hope in The Lord and rejoice for He is faithful; His love endures forever.

Shalom,
Carl

Our Hope in God

The Word is first...

1 Peter 1:21 (NIV)

²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

God has given us many opportunities to believe in Him. For those who have no access to the Good News of Jesus Christ, there is evidence of God in creation. Even the most illiterate and simplistic people can look at the wonder of creation and know there is a God. Throughout history, God has proven his existence with signs and wonders. Yet at every opportunity, man turns aside from belief and puts his faith in things of this world. In an effort to win the hearts and minds of man, God sent his Son Jesus and allowed him to suffer on our behalf that we could be reconciled forever unto God. He even provided a literacy reference, The Bible, to share the facts of this truth and he has preserved The Bible across generations, causing it to be distributed throughout the world.

For us today, it is the story of Jesus and his sacrifice that moves our hearts to faith. We love him because he first loved us. And as we gather around the feet of Jesus, as we place our faith in him, he is continually pointing us to his Father. Thus, whatever faith and hope we find in Christ, is grounded to the Father. If we believe in The Son, we must necessarily believe in The Father.

There is no better vault to store the treasure of our faith and hope than God himself. So let us come to the Father through Christ the Son as it is the only path to salvation. Our faith and our hope are in God.

Shalom,
Carl