prayer 101: 3. Scripture

God's Word Motivates. 

What does that mean, "God's Word Motivates"? I'm having a difficult time putting together a single-sentence answer. Even before Daniel was thrown into the lion's den, he was motivated to pray. But as we look at his prayer in Daniel 9, we see that God's Word did indeed motivate Daniel to pray.

As we've already noted, Daniel looking back and through God's Word - the  Jeremiah scrolls and other pieces of Scripture that he had - Daniel had an understanding of God. Daniel had an understanding of His Ways. Daniel knew that whatever God had set out to do, was coming to fruition in his sight and experience. God was also the center of Daniel's life; not only was God the center of his prayers, but his very being. Daniel, I believe, was in a constant (almost) state of "being" with God. His life itself was prayer.

And that's where God wants all of us to be. After all, we are "human beings", designed and created to be with, commune with, and enjoy God; both now in this temporal life and in the future "eternity".

As I've thought through this process - and it is a process - there seem to be 2 parts to "motivates". 

We can look at these two parts as the "motivator" and the "motive". I'll explain each as we move along.

As Daniel read and experienced God's Word, he was motivated to pray. 

Hopefully, as each of us is reading the Bible each day, we are motivated to pray.  And as Daniel prayed - and as we pray - the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Word. We are taught. Our hearts and minds are moved. We begin to have a desire to talk with and listen to God.

Let me do the best I can in attempting to describe this motivation to pray. I speak for no one but myself. No matter what part of the Bible I am reading, Old or New Testament, Psalms, Historical books, or Gospels, the power of the Holy Spirit is able to come upon me. He speaks to my mind and soul. He whispers to my subconscious. 

This may work better with a couple of examples. At the time, I was going through a fairly rough season in my life. Personally, and professionally. It seems that every aspect is a struggle. There are days when I feel as if I'm a  caged beast and have no way to escape. Just several days ago I was reading through what has become one of my top 5 favorite books of the  Bible; the Book of Job. And what intrigues me most is not so much his trials and current condition, but Job the man. 

Reading through Job chapters 29 through 31, you get a pretty good picture of the MAN Job. Diligent, bright, and respected among his peers and his community. He took his position seriously. He loved his wife, his children, and his business. And now almost all of it was ripped from his hands.

He was now looked down upon. He was broke and broken. On top of all that his wife whom he loved (and who was sharing in his loss) told him to "curse God and die". Well, gee, thanks a lot, honey. I don't know who was worse, his wife or his friends.

I am living those passages of Scripture. And the words -  and all of the pictures that they paint - motivate me to remember and to pray. God calls to mind the "high" times of my life; the "good" times. And now I choose to wallow in the low times. These are not new problems or issues. Today's stressful times and situations are and have been repeated over and over again by countless men and women over countless centuries. We live in a fallen world. The fact of the matter is that God has arranged BOTH times to live through. I praised Him in the good and now I will seek Him - and praise Him - in the bad. 

As Christians, we must remember that not only does God "work everything to good", Romans 8:28, but He is also personally and purposefully restoring each of us to our true image; the image of Christ. We are Christians first, not second. We are God's prime creations. We men and women mirror God's Image.

The second example of God's Word motivating me to pray works through our attitude. Following is 1 Chronicles 29:10 - 13.

"David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,

"Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
   for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
   Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
   Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name."

The event was the Dedication of the gifts of King David, the noblemen of all  Israel, and everyone who chose to give. There were hundreds of tons of gold and silver freely given by the people of God to be used in the building of Solomon's Temple. The scene must have been awesome.  Can you just picture mounds and mounds of gold, silver, bronze, precious stones, fine linen, and other materials?

As we read through the books of first and second Samuel, first Kings, and first Chronicles, we read of David's life. A life that began in the fields tending his father's flock ended as a king in the country, but again tending his Father's flocks. David's life was not easy. It was oftentimes very difficult. But he had a heart that was fully devoted to  God. Was David perfect? No. Just read the texts. But he LOVED God.  David's life was a prayer. He was able to cry out to God in grief and despair and then later rejoice in God's triumphant working in his life.

Reading about David's life or Job's life or another Divine Mentor's life can be mirrors of our own lives. The Bible is a fascinating book not just because it is God's Word. It is a fascinating, inspiring, and motivating book because God shows and uses normal, fallible men and women, doing what they typically do to bring Him glory. God takes the ordinary and endows it with His power and grace, And when God does that, the "it"  becomes extraordinary.

That should be a motivation to pray. We should be motivated by what God has already done to and through so many people over the centuries. We should be spurred on and encouraged to pray. This is the "motivator".

The second part or aspect of God's Word motivating us to pray is the "motive". It is a subtle difference. Not only does Holy Scripture motivate us to  pray, but it is also the motive or the force powering or moving or directing our prayers. Motive refers to how the Bible has the power to "push" us in a  certain direction or "pull" us. Think of Scripture as the "locomotive" of prayer. Oftentimes, the Bible provides the actual words that we will pray with.

Have you ever wondered HOW or WHAT to pray? You stumble and mumble and fumble and the words just aren't there. Sometimes there is just so much confusion or anxiety or turmoil in our lives that we can't even string together a coherent sentence. There's a sudden something that happens and we are left speechless. You know those times when you "could just cry" or "could just die"?

How do you - how do I - articulate what we want to say? And it's not only in times of trouble. Those times of extreme joy sometimes don't have the right words either.

And that's where God Himself provides the right words. 

As I mentioned, I was going through a difficult time in my life. There were days and hours (still are) when I didn't have the right words to express what I  truly wanted to say. Just the other day, a couple of issues hit my desk.  My heart sank and my mind just whirled. Thankfully I had been reading the book of Psalms. Let's take a look at a few passages.

Psalm 17:6-9. "I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
   give ear to me and hear my prayer. 
Show the wonder of your great love,
   you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
   hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who assail me,
   from my mortal enemies who surround me."

Psalms 18:1-6, 16-19. "I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
   He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

"The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
   my cry came before him, into his ears.

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, 

      who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me."

Psalm 22:1-2, 10-16, 25-26. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
   Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.

"From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
   you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me,"

"From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
   before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him—
   may your hearts live forever!"

And of course Psalm 23. "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,  

    He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love [mercy] will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

These are just examples from the Psalms. There are hundreds of passages that God calls us to use to pray back to Him. In fact, I would go so far as to say that God enjoys hearing His Word prayed back to Him. After all, His words are "sweet"  (Psalm 19:10 and 119:103).

God wants us to "customize" His Word, if you will, to make it a truly personal prayer. "Our Father Who art in heaven" becomes "My heavenly Father (Daddy) who lives in eternity, holy is Your Name".

Or how about Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." could become something like, "Lord  Jesus I am anxious about... I know you love me and I give these anxious thoughts to You. Give me Your peace. Guard my heart and mind. Thank you, Jesus."

We are created and we serve to glorify a Good God. He is loving. He is just. He is always able to provide everything that we could possibly need or want. And you know what? He even provides all the right thoughts and all the right words with which to pray, commune, and be with.

His  Word motivates us to pray. The motivation of the people and the context and how they relate to my life. The motive or the power of the Words themselves as they come forth from my own mouth. May we always be motivated to pray.

Heavenly  Father, my gracious Provider, thank you for all of my trials and hurts.  In Your Word, I can cry out in pain. I can rejoice in glory. I can confess with words that You Yourself supply. I agree with David, the man after your own heart when I ask, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14).

Amen and amen.