As a Christian, I would have to say that one of my biggest struggles is the discipline of Prayer.
This is something that is lacking. Especially after finishing reading the Bible in 90 Days, I feel as though something is missing. I should have a certain renewed "power", but I don't.
I can read the Bible for hours. I can listen to Christian music (any genre) all day long. Certain songs make me shout for joy. Others cause me to weep. Still, others highlight the deep longing in my soul for more of my God.
Sermons found online or on the radio hold my attention and sometimes prevent me from getting out of my car until they're finished. I'll sometimes even take notes in order to return to the subject being discussed. Many of these thoughts and ideas have been "reborn" in Sunday school lessons or blog posts.
I can see and experience the Glory of God in nature and the world around me. I still wonder about a rainbow or a fresh blanket of snow or the changing of the leaves and seasons around our home. To a certain degree I live vicariously through my children and grandchild (I pray for many more in due time) as they discover what I once was in awe of. They still have a certain degree of innocence. As a middle-aged adult, I'm much farther from "Eden".
But it is Prayer that most vexes me. And I have a funny feeling that a "meaningful" prayer life vexes you too.
These prayers are not the typical "rote" prayers that seem to bounce off the ceiling. Not the standard liturgical prayers that just leap off of our tongues in church or at certain functions. This is not the laundry list of needs and desires that may or may not have anything to do with God's Plan.
What I'm referring to are the prayers that come from my innermost being. The prayers of the heart, soul, and gut. These are the prayers that sometimes don't even have words; they are groanings of the spirit. These are the desires of wanting deep communion with my God. These are the wishes and words of praise, supplication, petition, and even conversation that are vocalized in a small group, a Sunday school class, or especially alone. These are the prayers that come before the Throne of Grace that change my life and the lives of others. These are the prayers that become part of God's Plan.
That's what I want. I want the prayer life of a saint of old. Yeah. That's what my heart desires.
Do I sometimes experience these kinds of prayer times? Yes. But to say they are infrequent would be an overstatement. Those ultra-sweet times of communion with my Father are too far and few between. My spirit longs for more but is more often interfered with by the cares, worries, and trinkets of this world and this lifestyle.
But how do I learn to pray that way? And just as importantly, why is that type of prayer life important?
What's not important is whether you are sitting, kneeling, standing; hands clasped, hands together; eyes open or closed; face up or face down; arms lifted to heaven or prostrate on the ground. Following is a great example of prayer. We can picture the saint of long ago alone in his prayer closet. Any physical position would be appropriate.
"Lord, the great and awesome God, Who keeps his covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your Name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
"Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where You have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to You. We and our kings, our princes, and our ancestors are covered with shame, LORD, because we have sinned against You. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him; we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws He gave us through His servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey You.
"Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us because we have sinned against You. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven, nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to Your truth. The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything He does; yet we have not obeyed Him.
"Now, Lord our God, who brought Your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for Yourself a Name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, turn away Your anger and Your wrath from Jerusalem, Your city, Your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and Your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
"Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, Lord, look with favor on Your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, our God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your Name. We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."
That's Prayer. That's how the prophet Daniel prayed in chapter 9 verses 4 through 19.
The context of the prayer is that Daniel is an old man probably in his mid to late 80s. He's been in Babylon since the exile for nearly seventy years. And he has been reading God's Word. He knows it well. The verses before the prayer tell us that Daniel was reading the writings of the great prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah was there when Jerusalem and the southern kingdom fell. He told the king and the people what to do in the face of Nebuchadnezzar and his conquering army. Yet no one would listen. Jeremiah told the people that God was exacting 70 years of rest for the land since the nation did not voluntarily follow His laws of Sabbath rest (every 7 years the land was to "rest" and not be cultivated).
About 500 years had passed since the Israelites had taken the land of Promise, but they neglected the Sabbath rest for the fields and land in general that God had ordained. Essentially, the people had not trusted God for complete provision every 7 years.
Now with the people in exile in Babylon and elsewhere, the land would rest.
And God is now about to open Daniel's eyes and mind to what He is to do next. Daniel was among the exiles. He vividly remembers the day when he and his family and compatriots were forcibly removed from the Promised Land and the Holy City of Jerusalem. As he re-read the text from Jeremiah, Daniel realized that the exile was about to come to an end.
I can't even imagine Daniel's utter amazement when his eyes, heart, and spirit were exposed to this "forgotten" fact. He had long waited for this day and it was almost there. God was setting up all of the scenes, scenery, and players. I can picture Daniel holding his hand to his mouth as God pulled the veil from his eyes so that he read and understood what Jeremiah had written so many years earlier. God would show him awesome and amazing things.
After a lifetime devoted to God's Will, God's Purposes, God's Word, and Prayer, Daniel is singularly ready to see what the Sovereign of the universe will do. Not only as He brings His people out of exile, but what God's prophetic clock will look like over the coming years, centuries, and even millennia.
Daniel's prayer life was an integral part of God's Plan!
This prayer from Daniel 9 (you may also want to read the prayers from Nehemiah chapter 9 and Ezra chapter 9; after all, these men were contemporaries of Daniel and were used by God to bring the Jewish people back to Jerusalem and the land after the 70 years in exile) provides 8 "hows" and "whys" of prayer.
1. A vibrant prayer life must be coupled with an understanding of God and His Word. Am I, are you, compelled to be a man or woman of prayer? Has coming to know God through His Word caused you to daily speak with and commune with God?
2. Prayer must be God-centered. Prayer is about God, not you or me. As we speak with and commune with God daily, we better understand WHO God is and HOW he operates. We also understand who we are. We are always subordinate to Him.
3. Prayer is motivated and directed by Scripture itself. A question I ask myself as I read my Bible is, "Am I being motivated to pray?" In other words, is God's Word so pricking my heart and mind as I read His Word that it causes me to ask God questions? There are several questions that we will explore in this lesson as we look at praying God's Word back to Him.
4. Prayer must be honest before God. Do I blame God for my current circumstances or condition? Am I hiding behind the stuff of life rather than standing naked before God and owning what I am guilty of? God is Sovereign in our lives, we are not. We are sinful, God is not. Let's face it, God already knows everything about us. Are we willing to admit our condition?
5. Prayer must include confession and repentance. Confession is the "vomit" of the soul. Since we men and women are sinning sinners, we have to become confessing confessors. Whether we like it or not, all of us from cradle to grave are infused with sin. It is our natural nature. Ever since the Garden of Eden, every man and every woman has struggled with sin. We must deal with it. Forgiveness and being forgiven by a gracious God is an integral part of prayer.
6. Prayer should be specific as well as grand. Grand, sweeping prayers are perfectly good and at times appropriate, but God wants us to get down to the nitty-gritty of our lives. He wants us to bring the minutia to Him in prayer.
7. Prayer assumes that we Trust God. Daniel trusted God because God had a "track record" with him. Over the decades in exile, Daniel watched, both through the Scriptures and through his natural eyes, that God is active in the affairs of His creation.
8. Prayer is to be part of the Plan of God. Daniel understands that at that moment in time specifically, he was an integral part of God's glorious Plan. It is part of God's Plan that you and I pray. Yes, God is Sovereign. He is in control. But God also uses our prayers to bring about His entire Plan. We cannot deny God's demand that we pray.
Over the coming weeks, we will look at all of these aspects of gaining a good, full, and vibrant prayer life. It may not be easy as we examine our prayer lives, but it will be good. Prayer will lead us back to fellowship with God. We have indeed left Eden, corporately and individually; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Prayer leads us back home to the heart and mind of God.
Heavenly Father, I ask you to please be with your children as we better learn how to pray. Direct our hearts, direct our eyes, direct our minds as we seek to better commune with You. I want to be a participant in Your Plan. Bring forth Your Kingdom and Your Will for my life as it fits into Your Plan. Amen.
Leaving Eden - Brandon Heath
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