Praying like the persistent widow

SCRIPTURE:

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8

OBSERVATION:

In divine teaching about perseverance in prayer, our Lord Jesus painted the picture of a widow that kept bugging the town judge to give her justice against her adversary. Eventually, although the judge was an ungodly man and did not care about others, he finally gave in to the widow to stop her bothering him. Using this illustration, the Lord explains that we who keep praying to God are like the widow, and if we keep crying to God day and night, He will see that we get justice, and quickly.

Four things we can learn from this parable. Firstly, we must be persistent in prayer. If we pray a half-hearted once-in-a-while prayer, we can hardly expect God to answer. But if we pray earnestly and persistently day and night, our prayers will be heard, and God will respond.

Secondly, the motive of the prayer is important. The widow prayed for justice from a judge. We pray to a God who is all righteous and all just. If we pray for something that is unjust or not right, how can we expect to get an answer? We must pray for what is right. We can pray all we want for millions of dollars so we don’t have to work and live an easy, indulgent life, but how can we expect God to answer such a selfish prayer?  

Thirdly, we must pray with passion. The widow was so aggressive and passionate in her pleas to the judge that he was worried that she might come and attack him! The Lord said in Matthew 11:1 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent take it by force”. Violence here does not mean harming others but being forceful and passionate in pursuing something. We need to be strong in our prayers, believing God is our Father!

Fourthly, we are to leave vengeance to God. Romans 12:19 says “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.” The widow did not take matters into her own hands and attack her adversary, but left it to the judge to take action. In the same way, though we are wronged on earth, we are not to take vengeance. Instead, we are told to love our enemies, to forgive others, to leave vengeance to God. We are not the judge, God is. Our part is to trust God to be just, and concerned with our own selves being right before Him.

God is looking for people who will be persistent and passionate and seek justice and righteousness in their prayers. The Lord wondered if at His second coming He would find faith on the earth. In the time of great trouble that He predicted, Christians will come under the most heavy persecution ever seen, and there will be a great falling away. Would we be among those who keep praying to God, who keep trusting in His justice and righteousness in spite of all that will happen?

APPLICATION:

We need to be persistent in prayer, pray with passion, and pray with right motives. Then, we also need to learn to leave vengeance to God, not become consumed in our own anger or unforgiveness. Let us pray that we will be faithful in prayer and trusting God till the end and be able to stand before the Lord!  

PRAYER:

We praise You and love You and thank You, Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, for this lesson on prayer. Teach us Lord and empower us to pray passionately, persistently and rightly. Strengthen us we pray to forgive those who hurt us, to bless those who hate us, to leave vengeance to You, trusting in Your complete righteousness and justice. We bless You and thank You and love You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

It is God who grants us favor with men

SCRIPTURE:

 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

“They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

I was cupbearer to the king. Nehemiah 1:8-11

OBSERVATION:

Many Christians avoid reading the Old Testament, but it is in fact rich in helping us understand God’s character and reveals to us how He deals with people. In His promise to the people of Israel through Moses, God assured them that they would be scattered among the nations if they were unfaithful, but even then, if they returned to Him and obeyed Him again, God would bring them back to their home land.

For us, even though we are under the new covenant, the principle is the same. Some of us found Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life, but we became choked by the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth or the desires for other things, and left the narrow way to salvation in pursuing God’s kingdom and His righteousness. However, if we, like the prodigal son, come to our senses and return back to God and seek to please Him, He is faithful, and will bring us back to fellowship with Him.

Nevertheless, although we know God is merciful and longsuffering, we must never take the grace of God for granted lest we come to a point where we are no longer able to turn back. Many in the church today think that just because they have said the sinner’s prayer at some point in time, they can do whatever they like henceforth and make it to heaven. Do not be deceived! The Scripture is clear that those who keep on sinning as a way of life will not inherit the kingdom of God. As we walk on this earth, we do fall into sin, but we who are truly in Christ Jesus do not keep continuing to sin as a way of life, and our desire is always to grow in righteousness by following the Holy Spirit’s leading so as to please God more and more.

God promised to bring the repentant of Israel back to the place He had chosen as a dwelling for His name. This reminds us of God’s desire to stay together with us, which is the whole purpose He sent His Son to die on the cross that we might be redeemed. The whole Bible is the story of God’s plan to bring a people to Himself who will love Him and revere Him and stay with Him forever.

In the last part of this Scripture, we also learn from Nehemiah’s prayer that God can and does cause others to favor His servants. It is thus a good and fitting prayer to ask God to give us favor in the presence of others, be it our teachers, superiors, colleagues, or anyone with whom we come into contact with. We need to remember though, that Nehemiah asked for this favor not for selfish purposes, but for the good of His people. Hence, the purpose for favor upon us should not just be for personal motives, but to glorify God with our lives.

APPLICATION:

Praise God that He is faithful and forgiving and accepts anyone back who returns to Him in humility and honesty. If we are strayed away from Him, return back quickly, and find His favor and forgiveness again. Praise God for His great plan to bring us to Himself through His Son that we might stay with Him and be part of His people. Desire and pray that we might learn to live according to His will more and more. Pray for God’s favor in the presence of others we come into contact with, that we might glorify Him, and be a blessing to more and more people.

PRAYER:

We praise you and thank You, Heavenly Abba Father, precious Lord Jesus, for calling us to become part of Your family, to have that great destiny of being able to stay with You as Your people. For those of us who have strayed from you, we pray that You bring us back, and forgive us as we return to You. Help us O Lord, and give us a strong desire to live life in a way that pleases You more and more. We pray to You too, Lord, for your favor in the presence of our teachers, our superiors, our classmates, our colleagues, our friends, that we might be more and more a blessing to them in a way that glorifies You. We praise You and love You and thank You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Our God who sees and hears us

Our God who sees and hears us

SCRIPTURE:

Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. Nehemiah 1:5-7

OBSERVATION:

Studying the prayer of Nehemiah here, we get a good glimpse into the characteristics of the great God we pray to. Firstly, we are reminded that God is the God of Heaven, that He made the Heavens high above us, and He is the Great and Awesome King there. Later, in the New Testament, we as Christians are exhorted to set our minds on things above in Heaven, where rust and moth cannot destroy rather than on earthly things here that pass away.

Secondly, we are reminded that God is a loving and faithful God, who keeps his covenant with those who love Him and keep His commandments. Our part is to love God and obey Him. We can rest assured that He will never leave us nor forsake us who love Him and obey Him.

Thirdly, God has ears that hear and eyes that see those who pray to Him, especially those who pray to Him day and night. Nehemiah’s stance in prayer is serious, and he puts his whole heart into it, praying day and night before the Lord. God is pleased with this kind of genuine prayer, and listens to and sees the man who prays fervently like that!

Besides that, we also see the importance of repentance in Nehemiah’s prayer, not just for his own sins, but that of his father’s family and his whole people. He acknowledged before God all their wrongdoings, asking God for forgiveness. Repentance is such a critical part of prayer that we must certainly not ignore it. Our God is a forgiving God, who does not deal with us as our sins deserve but delights in forgiving those who earnestly turn to Him.

APPLICATION:

Praise God as the God of Heaven, High above, Great and Awesome, Loving and Forgiving. Praise God that He has ears that listen and eyes that see and is pleased with those who believe in Him and pray to Him. Learn to repent before Him and ask His forgiveness, not only for our own selves, but that of our family, our company, our cell group, our church. Wherever, we find ourselves part of a community, we can and should repent on their behalf.

PRAYER:

We praise You and worship You, Abba Heavenly Father, Precious Lord Jesus! How great and deep is Your love for us! You are seated high in the Heavens, perfect in all Your ways, great in all Your deeds! We thank You and praise You, that You are a God who hears us and sees us, and delights in having that relationship with us whom You created from the dust. Forgive us we pray for our many sins. Even for the stubbornness of our hearts and that of our family, our church, our workplace, we ask Your forgiveness. Melt our hardened hearts we pray O Lord. Let our ears be open to Your Spirit and receive Your correction. We praise You and bless You and worship You Lord.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Should we pray to Father God or Jesus?

A well meaning Christian once told me, that we should pray to Father God, and not to Jesus, although we can talk to Jesus. However, in my personal walk, I have always found it comforting to pray to Jesus. Well, considering that Father God loves the Son, I cannot imagine that He would be displeased if we prayed to His Son. However, we should examine what the Scripture says about this.

Now Jesus taught about prayer extensively in His teachings. The Lord’s prayer in particular teaches us the manner in which we should pray to God the Father. First, it starts off with “Our Father who art in Heaven”, focusing our attention on Father God in Heaven. Then comes “Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”. Our first priority at the start of every prayer is never our needs no matter how pressing it may be. It is always first about Father God’s glory, for His kingdom to come and for His will to be done. There follows “Give us this day our daily bread”, speaking of asking Father God for our daily provisions, and “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” which speak of asking Father God for forgiveness of ours sins while we commit to forgive others. Next, comes “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” which asks God for protection from ourselves because of our capacity to fall into temptation and protection from others who mean evil against us.

Comparing earthly fathers to Father God, the Lord explains that if even earthly fathers give good gifts to their children, how much more will Father God give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. This teaches us that we are to ask Father God for more and more of His Holy Spirit, the best gift He can give us. In the book of James, we are encouraged to ask Father God for wisdom, who gives generously to all without finding fault.

In the manner that we pray to Father God, the Lord also teaches us to persevere and keep on asking, giving us the illustration of a lady who keeps pestering a judge for justice and a man who keeps knocking on the door of his neighbor for bread.

Therefore, by and large, most of our prayers in our prayer life should rightfully be addressed to Father God who provides for us all our needs, who protects us, who forgives us. Even when we think of a good father in an earthly sense, we picture one who provides for and protects and disciplines his children so that they do not stray to harm’s way.

However, one important point that we must remember is that when we pray to Father God, we should do so in Jesus name. That’s why we always end our prayers in Jesus name. For Jesus said “No one comes to the Father except through me”. Therefore, all prayer to Father God is only possible through Jesus Christ.

Now looking at prayer to our Lord Jesus, we must first remember who our Lord Jesus primarily is to us. In the Sinner’s prayer, we invite Jesus to come into our hearts as Lord and Savior. Let’s look firstly to Jesus as our Savior. It is He who saves us. Our first response, when we are in trouble, is usually “Lord Jesus, save me!” When He walked the earth, the Lord healed the sick, cast out demons and raised the dead. When Peter sank in the waves, he cried “Lord, save me”. Remember that salvation in the Greek sense is all-encompassing, including physical, emotional, spiritual healing. Therefore, just as the many cried “Lord Jesus, heal me”, it is also right for us to pray that. Interestingly, Paul prayed to Jesus to remove the “thorn in his flesh”, which again is a fitting prayer to Jesus as Savior and Healer and Deliverer but the Lord would not, saying that “My grace is sufficient for you and my power is made perfect in your weakness.” When Stephen died he cried “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”, which is a fitting prayer at the end of our lives to our great Savior.

Now looking at Jesus as Lord, we must remember that we are His servants and His disciples. Therefore, we have to obey Him, to understand His instructions in His Word and say “Yes, Lord”. In regard to calling and specific ministry and even daily decision-making it is good to come to Jesus and pray “Lord, where should we go? What shall we do?” He is our Leader and Shepherd, and we are to follow Him. And He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit whom He has given us from Father God. Also, if we don’t understand something in His Word, we can ask Him to help us comprehend, praying “Lord, help us understand”, as the disciples often asked Jesus concerning His parables.

Remember also that as His disciples, we are to become more and more like Him, to the point that we can like the Apostle Paul say, to live is Christ. So it is good to pray “Lord Jesus, help me become more and more like you!”

As a helpful model for our prayer lives therefore, it is good to pray to Father God and Lord Jesus thinking of them respectively as Perfect Father and Savior Lord. Still, we should not be rigid in our prayer lives and think we can only pray to Father God this way or only pray to Jesus that way, but rather pray freely to both Father God and Lord Jesus as the Holy Spirit leads us.

On a closing note, it is good to read John Chapter 14 where Jesus says “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.”

So we see that we can pray to Jesus for anything in His name, and to pray to Jesus is to pray to Father God as the Father is always in Jesus. Whatever Jesus asks the Father, the Father will do as the Father loves the Son and is glorified in the Son. Therefore let us pray freely to Father God and Lord Jesus, praising precious Father and Son, trusting in them, obeying them, and desiring to do their will, even as we are led by the precious Holy Spirit whom they have given us. In Jesus name, Amen

God bless,

Jason Gong

Yet not as I will, but as you will

Yet not as I will, but as you will

Scripture:

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”⁴⁰ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”⁴³ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

⁴⁵ Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” Matthew 26:39-46

Observation:

In His deep anguish and sorrow, the Lord Jesus fell facedown to the ground and prayed “Abba Father (Daddy), if it is possible, take this cup from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Three times the Lord went to His Father and prayed the same thing. Three times upon returning to his disciples, he found them sleeping.

The word used by the Lord here in prayer “Abba Father”, was a term of great intimacy that a son used to call his father, like a child may typically call his “daddy”. How dreadful indeed was the task ahead of Jesus, and he pleaded with God for another way. Yet in spite of his feelings, the Lord submitted His will to the Father.

How disappointed the Lord must have been with his disciples. They still could not sense what was just about to happen. Being physically tired, they quickly fell asleep, leaving Jesus to suffer and pray on His own. There was no encouragement from them whatsoever.

Could you not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. There are some important prayer principles here. “Watch” here in the Greek means literally to stay awake and be alert. When one is tired, it is certainly not an easy thing to force one’s self to stay awake. For some, there is coffee. For others, they may walk around. In any case, the practice of staying awake when needed is an important discipline that the Lord expected of His disciples. While watching, the disciples were not just to do nothing, but to pray.

By watching and praying, they would not fall into temptation. In this case, it was the temptation to sleep. A short while later, it was the temptation to deny knowing Jesus.

Meditating on the words “watch with me”, we note that this kind of “watching and praying” is not done alone, but with other brothers and sisters, and even with the Lord Himself in Heaven. As we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, He will teach us how and what to pray.

Application:

Our Lord was reluctant to go through with the difficult path given Him by His Father. In life too, sometimes, God leads us through very difficult paths. Consider the hardships faced by Joseph and David for example. Like Jesus, it is right for us to pour out our feelings to our Father in Heaven. Father God, if possible, please let me not go through this, yet not I will, but you will. Even in voicing our reluctance, there is no sin, for in spite of all our feelings, we are still in complete submission to God.

Watch and pray is an important principle for us to remember. Continuous watching and praying every night would probably wear us out too much especially in conjunction with a working week, but there are times and perhaps seasons when we need to commit certain days to watching and praying. During those times, we need to speak much in tongues, yet also meditate in our minds to see what God may say to us and in what areas to pray.

Prayer:

Praise You, Heavenly Father, for Your excellent greatness and marvelous love for us. We thank You, Father, that You lead us even through difficult paths for our own good and learning. In times of trouble, we will call to You, O Lord. Give us Your strength, and let us learn to be in submission to You even in such times.

Teach us, Lord to watch and pray. Give us that discipline and self-control to pray that way even as You lead us. Give us the opportunity and the strength to participate in such times of prayer, whether individually or corporately. May Your name be blessed forever O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen. 

The fruitless fig tree

The fruitless fig tree

Scripture:

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:18-22

Observation:

“May you never bear fruit again!” the Lord had said to the fig tree. And to the disciples’ great surprise, it immediately withered, never to bear fruit again. The Lord had been hungry and had gone to the tree hoping to find fruit, but there was none. In Proverbs, it is written how the tongue has the power of life and death, and even proclamation to living things such as a tree has great effect indeed. This calls us to bring to our attention the words that we use regarding ourselves and regarding our family members. Do we speak blessings or curses to them? Do we speak blessings or curses on ourselves? Carelessly, many people use flippant remarks like “I’m dead” or “that will be the death of me”. They do not realize the power of their words over their own lives. Rather than use such careless words, speak blessing, life, health, healing in Jesus name to our own bodies, to our loved ones, even the plants in our garden, or our pets.

Regarding the fruitlessness of the fig tree, there is also an inherent warning to us. Are we bearing fruit for the Lord? John the Baptist warned that the axe is at the tree and every unfruitful tree will be cut off! He was not talking concerning physical trees but human beings and the fruit or lack thereof that they produced for God. How do we know whether we are bearing fruit? Basically, we should ask ourselves if we are a blessing to those around us or not? A fruitful tree gives life and blessing to those that come across it.

Seeing his disciples’ amazement, the Lord takes the opportunity to remind them of the importance of faith. “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done.” From the withering of the fig tree, the Lord now gives His disciples the picture of a mountain being thrown into the sea at His command.” The mountain is basically the largest physical thing we can imagine, and even that is nothing to a person of faith. How do we get this faith? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God! It is in inculcating that close personal walk with God that our faith grows and His Word comes alive to us.

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer”. What is to believe? It is to believe that God is for us, that He hears us, even that He is and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. How do we strengthen that belief in God. Again, it comes from that personal relationship inculcated preciously with the Lord! If we are close to the Lord and we pray as Jesus taught us, we find that our will is moulded to seek His will, and our desires and emotions are brought in sync with that of the Lord’s. Again, we are reminded of the all-importance of prayer, the seedbed from which are faith really grows.

Application:-

Remember to be conscious of the words we speak, whether they are blessing or cursing ourselves, our loved ones, and those around us. Remember that the tongue has the power of life and death.

Meditate on ourselves using the picture of a fruit tree. Are we bearing much fruit for the Lord, or are we fruitless like the barren fig tree? Pray to the Lord that He might make us fruitful even as we yield our hearts and hands to Him.

Resolve to spend more time in prayer and listening for God’s voice in quietness. Therein is the place where our faith will grow stronger and we will learn to truly believe. Then only will we begin to see ourselves saying prayers that move mountains and bring momentous change in the lives of others.

Prayer:-

We thank You, Father God, for the power of Your Word that You have given us. We thank You Lord that You are trustworthy and righteous and watch over Your Word to make sure it comes to pass. Let our trust be founded strong and secure on Your Word O Lord, and let us too choose to speak words of life and strength and blessing in our daily lives.

We pray O Lord that You bless our hands with fruitfulness. Let the work that we do in You prosper and be blessed 30 times, 60 times, a 100 times. Forgive our sins, but let us enter times of refreshing in You, we pray.

Forgive us for the times we have neglected to fellowship with You, even in the quietness of our hearts. Draw us to You, O Lord. Reveal more of Yourself to us day by day, hour by hour. Let our faith grow and expand and strengthen even as we trust in You, O Lord. May Your name be blessed forever O Lord. In Jesus name, 

Amen.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

A house of prayer

A house of prayer

Scripture:

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

Matthew 21:12-17

Observation:

First came the fury of the Lord. Tables were overturned. Birds squawked in terror. Coins were scattered all over the floor. There was shouting and anger, shock and disbelief, as the temple courts were overrun by the rage of the Lord. Eyes glistening with hot anger, the Lord declared “It is written: My house will be called a house of prayer but you are making it a den of robbers!”

To understand this better, we need to take a look at history and how this practice of allowing money changers and sellers of doves into the temple came about. Now Jews from all over the world would return to the temple of Jerusalem to pray and give their sacrifice. However, as they had foreign currency and also since it was not practical for them to bring animals over such a long journey, they had to depend on the money changers and dove sellers to fulfill their worship obligations. Sensing this as an attractive money-making venture, the Pharisees had collaborated with businessmen to charge exorbitant rates and prices, thus exploiting all the foreign Jews who came there. To make matter worse, they had camped in the Court where the Gentiles were to worship. Their actions were akin to daylight robbery, and their evil in this defiled the temple and raised God’s anger.

From the fury, we are suddenly brought to a different scene, a scene of great joy and healing as the blind see and the lame walk even as Jesus heals them – now with a Word, now with a touch. The children in the courts start singing “Hosanna to the Son of David”, praising Him as Messiah, Savior. As usual, the jealous priests and Pharisees are indignant and call the Lord to question for allowing them to sing that way. Here, the Lord again quotes Scripture to them “Haven’t you heard, from the lips of children and infants, you Lord have called forth praise?”

At the end of the day, he retires to Bethany, probably to the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, where he is comfortably welcome.

Application:

Meditating on the clearing of the temple, we quickly realize that God’s house is holy, and that we must take extra care to make sure we honor His house. Now providing money changing services and doves for foreign guests are not wrong in themselves. The sin here was in exploitation, charging exorbitant prices to take advantage of the weak. That’s why the reference to the “den of robbers”, for these businesspeople in connection with the Pharisees were guilty of daylight robbery in an ethical sense. For us too in our daily lives, whether in business or trade, we must be careful to be fair and honest, not to take advantage of the weak but to treat our neighbor as we would like to be treated. Another point we should take note of is that our body is God’s temple, and we must honor God with our bodies in like manner, not letting our minds or bodies be defiled by filth or impurity or idolatry.

Remember that God’s house is a house of prayer, where we seek God, and pray to God. Even our bodies are houses of prayer, and we are meant to pray to God in a sense unceasingly, throughout the day. Those who have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and can speak in tongues are better able to do this, able at any given moment, pray in tongues to build up our spirit man, to pray for ourselves in the Spirit with groans that no words can express.

Consider the praises of the infants and the children “Hosanna to the Son of David”. The Sunday School or Children’s ministry is very precious indeed, as God is most pleased with the praises and songs from His young ones. Those involved in this ministry are blessed indeed and even if we are not, we can lead the young ones in our lives to praise and worship Jesus in like manner wherever we can.

Reflect on how dear Bethany was to Jesus. He was welcome there. Friends who loved him were there. He was able to go there and be comfortable and find rest. Let us also who have homes endeavor to make it a place like Bethany, welcoming and refreshing to those who visit.

Prayer:

We praise and thank You, Heavenly Father, for this day’s lesson which is rich in application. Forgive our sins we pray, especially where we have felt to honor Your house, and even our bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Teach us Lord to honor You with all our heart, mind and soul, even as Your Spirit leads us. Give us the wisdom and discipline to put away practices or sins that dishonor You. Give us temperance and peace especially in our interaction with others that glorifies Your name. We thank You Lord for making Your House a house of prayer. Let us never forget that we go to church, first and foremost to commune with You, not as a routine but as a time of deep fellowship with You for You speak to us even through the worship or the Pastor or even in the times of prayer. Even on our own, teach us to pray without ceasing, strengthening our spirit man, even as we pray in the Spirit.

We thank You for all who are involved in the Children’s ministry for they are precious to You. Empower them and give them strength and patience, that they may leave a great impact on the all-important younger generation. May they grow in love and knowledge of You even as they teach the children. We also pray that we may make our homes like Bethany, hospitable and welcoming to all who visit, just like when You visited with Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Bless our homes we pray for this, in Jesus name, Amen.

A prayer of Hezekiah

A prayer of Hezekiah

Scripture:- And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only. Isaiah 37:15-20

Observation & Application:- The Scripture today is focused on the prayer of Hezekiah, one of the few godly kings of Judah, who in a time of great distress when surrounded by the great armies of Assyria cried out the Lord for help and was miraculously delivered. Studying Hezekiah’s prayer also gives us a pattern of prayer that we too can use to pray to our great Lord.

1. PRAISE

“O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth”

Hezekiah’s prayer starts with praise, It is always good to begin every prayer with praise, acknowledging God for the great and wonderful God He is. We need not pray lengthy and flamboyantly worded prayers, but it is the attitude of our heart that is important at the beginning, with a desire to praise God. “Praise you, Father, for You are so good to Me.” Or “Praise you, Lord, for the wonderful things You have made”. Just pray whatever praise you feel for God in your heart.

2. CAST YOUR CARES ON GOD – TALK TO GOD ABOUT THE SITUATION

“Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.”

Hezekiah continues, “Oh Lord, please listen to me, look at the problem I have here…..” Peter exhorts all believers “Cast your cares upon the Lord for He cares for you”. Some of us may think, “What is the point of telling God about my problem? He already knows everything” However, there is a release when we talk to God and He is pleased when we pour out our emotions to Him. That is how we cast our cares on Him, by telling God and letting it out. If we just keep everything bottled inside, it will only eat us on the inside. We may pray “Lord, look how my boss is treating me.” “Lord, I’m so frustrated with the children”. Prayer is about honesty, about releasing our feelings, our emotions, our thoughts to God. Sometimes, just by talking about a problem, we can suddenly receive a solution. We need to learn to talk to God more, to thrash out our thoughts and feelings with God. For some of us, writing our feelings down is a very effective way of release while for some, speaking it out finds more relief. The main principle is coming to God and just talking to Him about what is bothering us.

3. ASK GOD FOR HELP

“Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand…..”

After praising, after talking to God about the problem, Hezekiah asks God for help. As the Psalmist says “God is my refuge and my strength, an ever present help in times of trouble!” God is always there to help when we call out to Him. Sometimes He may not remove us from a problem, but He will give us strength and enable us to overcome all difficulties and come out stronger. God did not spare Joseph from being sold as a slave or thrown into prison, but was with Him all the time and gave him strength. Likewise, David too endured many difficult years but always found strength in the Lord. Indeed, God will save us, all in His good timing for He is mighty to save! Our part is to ask – ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened unto you! Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking, the Lord will surely answer and save in His good time but we must never lose our hope in Him!

4 SEEK GOD’S GLORY

“that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only”

As we close our prayer, it is always good to seek God’s glory. In the Lord’s prayer, we end with “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever, Amen”. All things at the end of the day discover its true meaning in glorifying God so we too, as we walk with Him, should always remember that our purpose is to glorify Him and to pray that He be glorified always in our lives.

Prayer: Lord, praised be Your name forever and ever. We praise You for Your wonderful works, the beauty of Your creation, Your new mercies every morning! Lord, we thank You for watching over us, for understanding our troubles, for being compassionate on our difficulties. Help us O God and deliver us as we walk with You. In all things, May Your name be glorified in us we pray. In Jesus name, Amen.

Lord, teach us to pray

Lord, teach us to pray

This Sunday, we were privileged at CDC to have brother Paul Lim speak on the text Luke 11:1-13 on the topic “Lord, teach us to pray”.

The passage chronicles the great Lord’s prayer in the Lord’s response to his disciples who asked him “Lord, teach us to pray”. In this passage, the Lord also gave the example of a friend obtaining his request because of his persistence and the heart of the Father who always delights in giving good things to His children.

Basically, prayer is the lifeline of every Christian to God, and without prayer, the spirit dies, and God becomes no longer real in one’s life. The very life of Jesus was a perfect model of prayer, doing nothing on His own without consulting the Father.

Brother Paul shared how the Lord’s prayer actually teaches us how to overcome the seven deadly sins known to men.

To the sin of Wrath, we are told to pray “as we forgive those who trespass against us” as a condition for our own forgiveness

To the sins of Lust and Avarice, we are told to pray “lead us not into temptation”

To the sins of Envy and Gluttony, we are told to pray “Give us this day our daily bread”, to ask God to fulfill our daily basic needs and be content with that.

To the sin of Sloth, we are told to pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done”, acknowledging our partnership with God in faithfully advancing his kingdom on earth

To the sin of Pride, we are to pray “Deliver us from evil”, acknowledging our dependence on God to save us instead of depending on our own strength.

Speaking from personal testimony, brother Paul shared with us the importance of always having an awareness of God in all our waking moments. Muslims pray 5 times a day, Jews pray 3 times a day, but Christians pray all the time! Brother Paul’s favorite prayer in particular is Lord, renew my mind, asking God to make our minds new every morning, every day, with His wisdom and grace and peace. In particular, he shared one instance when a major problem faced his Goodyear company, and while engineers from Europe and the US could not resolve the problem after months, Paul was able to do it in 1 day because the Lord was with him. We are encouraged to constantly depend on God for strength as we face any and every problem!

May the Lord give us the wisdom and discipline to pray as Jesus taught us, praying the Lord’s prayer, praying to God for all our needs, and being aware of God through all our waking moments.

God bless, Jason