The Prayers of St. Paul – Pt. 3

~ A Prayer Life ~ 1 Comment

Continue earnestly in prayer…

~ Colossians 4:2a (NKJV)

Maybe the most important lesson we receive from the Apostle Paul regarding prayer is the importance of a persistent prayer life. Many of the difficulties and trials that surround cultivating a wholesome life of prayer are quickly dissolved if we will but come to the Lord in an earnest, faithful and consistent manner. If practice ever made perfect, continuing earnestly in prayer, seeking the face of God continually, may best fit that old adage.

One of the trademarks of early Christians was their tenacious prayer life. We read, for example, in Acts 1:41 about the first disciples, how they “all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer“. Likewise, in Acts 2:42, the Church is described “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers“. And then later Paul would exhort the Thessalonians, “pray without ceasing“. These are but a few inspired examples of the significance placed on an on-going life filled with regular prayers.

The words the Apostle uses in Colossians 4:2 that we translate “continue earnestly” literally mean “to be devoted or constant…to give unremitting care to a thing…to persevere and not to faint“. So we can see the importance, not only of occasional prayers, but of a resolute, determined and unrelenting life never ceasing with prayer. I feel it is safe to say most believers do not have this kind of vibrant prayer life. Most of us struggle to even know what to pray for, more or less how to strive continually in prayer. My sincere hope is this brief devotion on the Apostle’s attitude towards prayer will help us to grow closer to God and continue earnestly in prayer.

~ apl

Safe Beneath The Cross

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Come with me, poor soul, and you and I will stand together while the tempest gathers, for we are not afraid. How sharp that lightning flash! But yet we tremble not. How terrible that peal of thunder! And yet we are not alarmed, and why? Is there anything in us why we should escape? No, but we are standing beneath the cross – that precious cross, which like some noble lightning-conductor in the storm, takes itself all the death from the lightning, and all the fury from the tempest. We are safe. Loud mayest thou roar, O thundering law, and terribly mayest thou flash, O avenging justice! We can look up with calm delight to all the tumult of the elements, for we are safe beneath the cross.

~ Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

The Prayers of St. Paul – Pt. 2

~ A Prayer Life ~ 3 Comments

Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me…

~ Romans 15:30 (NKJV)

In this verse, taken from Romans 15, there are really two precepts on prayer that might be culled away. But for the purpose of this brief essay, I would like to only consider one with any real depth. The first principle is believers ought to strive together in prayer. The collective voice of Christ’s church is a powerful weapon against His enemies and a wonderful sound in the ear of God. Here, the Apostle Paul touches on this seeking other Christians to join him in prayer.

This leads me into the main point I hope we can take from this passage: The Apostle Paul strives in prayer for himself. Notice how he asks others to unite “with me in prayer to God for me” (emphasis mine). St. Paul knew the necessity of a prayer life which included supplication for himself. If you look at the verses which follow, you will read some of the specific items of concern both Paul and the others are praying about on his behalf. Paul prays on his own behalf to God “that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe” and “that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints” (vs.31). Likewise, he asks, “that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you” (vs.32). Paul prayed for himself so he might faithfully labor in the service of God and be spiritually strengthened to serve others.

The mighty apostle knew lifting up his own spiritual needs before the Lord was essential to fruitful and meaningful service in the name of Jesus Christ. It is never self-centered to pray for ourselves. And to the first point, neither is it to ask others to strive together with us in prayer. Yet, confessing our own sins and admitting our own needs before the Lord ourselves, is a vital step in walking with God, growing in grace, and being a true blessing to our fellow man.

~ apl

Father, Please Give Me

~ A Prayer Life ~ 1 Comment

Gracious and holy Father, please give me intellect to understand you, reason to discern you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, a spirit to know you, a heart to meditate upon you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you, a tongue to proclaim you, a way of life pleasing to you, patience to wait for you, and perseverance to look for you. Grant me a perfect end, your holy presence, a blessed resurrection, and life everlasting. Amen.

~ Benedict of Nursia (480-547)

The Prayers of St. Paul – Pt. 1

~ A Prayer Life ~ 2 Comments

I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with understanding.

~ 1 Corinthians 14:15b

I would like to take a few posts and survey some of the prayers and prayer methodology of the Apostle Paul. Paul is well-known for his fervent proclamation of the Gospel and his tireless defense of sound doctrine. But this dear saint was also a deeply devotional and passionately Spirit-filled man of prayer. With even a cursory reading of Paul’s epistles, one will find a treasure trove of guidance and instruction for their own prayer life. After studying Paul’s prayers, I might even say he is the quintessential New Testament example for believers today. My sincere hope is this series will be of spiritual profit to those who read it.

In 1 Corinthians, the 14th chapter, Paul lays out two guiding principles for his prayer life. Number one, he will pray with the spirit. Number two, he will pray with understanding. Any meaningful and moving prayer will always consist of these two elements. As for praying with the Spirit, it can be said there is no godly prayer without it. Prayers of our own making, prayers of our own strength, without the abiding and enabling help of God’s Holy Spirit are no prayers at all. We pray in the power of the Spirit or not at all. The person who seeks to bring their supplications before the Lord, must first seek and find the communion of the Holy Spirit to make their prayers pleasing and acceptable to God (Romans 8:26-27).

Second, Paul’s desire is to pray with understanding. The idea here is he will pray intelligently, with a working knowledge of how and what to pray for. This is accomplished through the ongoing cultivation of our over-all spiritual life. People learn to pray with more and more spiritual understanding as they grow in their faith and fellowship with Christ and by feasting on His Word. There are those who pray without understanding and you will find them praying in a frivolous and worldly manner. Paul’s principle of praying with the understanding is essential for growth in God and in a purposeful and fruitful prayer life.

If you find yourself struggling to know where to begin in your own prayer life, take these two fundamental principles of the Apostle Paul to heart. Prayer with the spirit and with understanding; they are so important and a prerequisite to finding fulfillment in prayer.

~ apl

The New Life Which Follows Repentance

~ A Prayer Life ~ 1 Comment

Our Lord’s idea of repentance is as profound and comprehensive as His conception of righteousness. Of the three words that are used in the Greek Gospels to describe the process, one emphasizes the emotional element of regret, sorrow over the past evil course of life, metamelomai; a second expresses reversal of the entire mental attitude, metanoeo; the third denotes a change in the direction of life, one goal being substituted for another, epistrephomai; Repentance is not limited to any single faculty of the mind: it engages the entire man, intellect, will and affections… Again, in the new life which follows repentance the absolute supremacy of God is the controlling principle.

~ Geerhardus Vos (1862-1949)

Moral Relativism & The Battle For Truth

~ A Prayer Life ~ 6 Comments

“I am… the Truth”

~ John 14:6

The influence of a Modern, and more recently, a Post Modern worldview places a premium on the relative nature of truth. According to those who embrace Post Modernism, truth is largely a particular construct of the individual based on their immediate circumstances. So that, what may be true one moment and in one context, may cease being true in the next. Both Modernism and Post Modernism came about as a result of the Enlightenment and was a product of the 17th & 18th century Age of Reason. Consequently, this shift from objective to subjective truth has adversely effected the faith of many Christians and has lead to a rapid decline in the belief of moral absolutes and an objective standard for truth.

For example, men like Joseph Fletcher (1905-1991) who was an ordained Episcopal priest, theologian, educator, and author developed a concept known as “situational ethics” whereby the ethical nature of an act gives more consideration to such things as private ideals, individualistic values, and personal interests over and above transcendent, absolute, moral standards. Another 20th century theologian, Lutheran professor Karl Bultmann (1884-1976) promoted the philosophy of existentialism, again advocating for a strong emphasis on the immediacy of how one’s own experiences shape their beliefs about life, faith, and truth.

As a result, this moral relativism has spread, not only throughout society at large, but it has sadly taken root in the Church. We judge truth rather than truth judging us. There is a battle for defining truth. Many Christians now look more to their own personal experience for what they believe or “feel” is true rather than trusting the objective standard of Holy Scripture. Yet, it is in the Bible where we read Jesus’ powerful testimony about Himself – He is the Truth! Truth is not found in private meditation or personal reflection, truth is found in Jesus Christ alone. Christians ought not to look inward for truth, but outward and upward. Look to Jesus. That which is truth will always accord with what God and His Son has revealed to us, not what we can find delving into the depravity of our own sin-darkened hearts.

Therefore, if we find ourselves trusting too much in the “wisdom of men” or in “leaning on our own understanding”, let us repent and remember: truth is in a person, that person just isn’t ourself – it is the Lord Jesus Christ. The One who declared two thousand years ago:

“I am… the Truth”.

~ apl

The Evidence of Piety

~ A Prayer Life ~ 1 Comment

Let Christians remember, that in a season of revival as well as in a season of coldness, the evidence of piety is to be sought in the fruits of the Spirit. And let sinners remember that no degree of attendance or means, no degree of fervor, can be substituted for repentance of sin and faith in the Savior.

~ William Sprague (1830-1915)

Our Inheritance

~ A Prayer Life ~ 2 Comments

In [Christ] also we have obtained an inheritance…

~ Ephesians 1:11 (NKJV)

Those who are “in Christ”, that is, those who repent, believe and embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior have had promised to them a great and glorious inheritance. Though this anticipated inheritance contains many countless benefits and blessings, the greatest of them all is the eternal communion and fellowship we will enjoy with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

But let us not forget the very nature of an inheritance; it is only received after someone dies. First, Christ died for us (the Surety of our inheritance), and then, as we live and die in Him, we obtain that true treasure. It is an inheritance. It is not something we fully realize here and now. The blessedness of the Christian’s reward may never be completely realized this side of glory. Yet as an inheritance, promised by a loving God, it is waiting for the Faithful who die in Christ in this world, only to be raised with Him in the next.

~ apl