Reader's Digest

How many times have you been like me in swinging by a fast food place to pick up a couple of burgers to eat on the go from one place to another, absentmindedly wolfing down the food to get a little nourishment in the system? That approach is not unlike our daily feeding from the Word of God. We do it because we're supposed to, knowing it's good for us. But how much nourishment do we receive from that spiritual food when we eat it on the go, barely tasting it, or with our engine impatiently idling?

In 2 Timothy 2:1 Paul says this to his young charge, "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus." Typically, our eyes skim that sentence, take it in to some degree, resonate with it a bit and move on. However, just what does it mean to be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ? How do we go about being strengthened by it? Is there a distinction to be made between the grace of Christ and the grace that is in Christ?

Then, almost as if reading our minds, Paul says a few verses later, "Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything" (2:7). If the questions raised by verse 1 made us tap the brakes, this call to think on makes us put it in park and turn off the engine. There is a command here not to just skim but to ruminate, with the enticement of the benefit of understanding from our Lord Himself.

What our God seems to be telling us here is that in order to receive greater benefit from our reading His Word, we need to be ready to ponder it. In expectation of our Lord Jesus granting understanding (including application), that pondering necessarily involves prayer in seeking and wrestling with Him over the truth He has set before us. In fact, we can say with conviction that prayer is the digestive juices by which we assimilate the milk and meat of God's Word for our spiritual nourishment and growth in grace.

Fanning the Flame

What do you do when men don't pray? That question is not prompted with any chauvinistic overtones, but arises on the heels of a men's retreat I was involved in organizing for the men of my church. The topic this year was prayer. The retreat itself was extraordinary, made so by the working of God's Spirit through our speaker, T. M. Moore, who exposed us to prayer as participation in the unseen things of Hebrews 11:1, inviting us to a deeper, richer relationship with Jesus Christ, fuller participation in the heavenly realities that are ours in Him and involvement in His kingdom. I am convinced this was just what we needed to hear. My prayer is that the direction and momentum established at the retreat would flow out in changed lives, changed homes, a changed church and changed community. But that's not the way it usually works with retreats, is it? We get fired up but the demands of real life smother the budding flame, depriving it of oxygen. But where does the oxygen come from? It comes from the Holy Spirit. So as men lisp prayers of help from God, He gives His Spirit to fan the flame. We need to cry out to our God in frustration and dissatisfaction with our prayer lives pleading with Him to do as He promised in Zechariah 12:10, to pour out upon us a spirit of grace and supplication. May He incite us to pray and inflame our hearts for the passionate pursuit of knowing Him.

Unchained Prayer

It's always remarkable to me how God showcases prayer as a means for His ends. Hezekiah serves as an example. Confronted by a severe threat from the Assyrian army, we're told Hezekiah prayed to the Lord (Is. 37:15). It's worth checking out what he prays. A few verses later we find the words coming from the mouth of the Lord, "because you have prayed..." In the next chapter in an entirely different matter, our attention is again drawn to Hezekiah praying (Is. 38:2). Likewise, a few verses later the Lord declares: "I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears." What I find so remarkable is not just God emphasizing prayer for the accomplishment of His purposes, but how it is so startling to me each time. The only answer has to be the forgetfulness of my unbelief. Instead of being tethered to the theology and experiential example inscripturated in God's Word, I fear my prayer is chained to unbelief. As I result, I don't pray with urgency. I don't pray with expectation. I don't pray.

Just today I read a note a pastor friend passed along to me. I've pasted it below with the names deleted. It serves as a vivid reminder of the difference between prayer tethered to God's Word and prayer chained to unbelief. May God help me and all "believers" in our unbelief.

God is working in _______'s family. Fear and discouragement are a normal and accepted part of peoples' lives in our area and the spiritual oppression is quite shocking. Recently, we have been receiving requests for prayer among _______'s extended family along these lines. The requests are coming as a result of God answering our prayers openly and releasing people from some extreme symptoms. The first time we prayed for a cousin of his, the guy was healed that day! He had been acting like a lunatic with extremely erratic behavior and since our prayer for him, he has had complete relief! _______'s family (aunt's & uncles) have since been calling him for prayer! Instead of the persecution that I feared was imminent, the opposite is actually happening. The oppression that these people have been living under is too much to bear and the (other religions') options have provided no deliverance or relief. Christ has come that they might be released from this bondage and live in abundance and overflowing joy & peace. Recently, ___________and I prayed for another cousin of his who is also having extreme emotional and spiritual difficulties, and the next morning they contacted __________to tell him about the amazing improvement overnight. Prayer is the tool that God is using to reveal His goodness. People are seeing the clear difference between ritualistic religion that offers no hope, and the power of God through Jesus to deliver them. __________is teaching his household (3 nieces, a nephew, 2 daughters, a wife and his mom) all the lessons and stories he is daily learning from the Bible - that's awesome! Keep praying that God would exponentially increase the knowledge of Christ in this community and that ____________would grow daily. It is important to keep in mind that we have been working for over 4 years and are beginning to see God work in this way. We are vessels for His blessing, but He chooses the time and manner in which He will carry out His will.