Some Thoughts on Prayer

Paul Goddard
February 17, 2009

by Tank Tankersley

In my Bible class this morning we prayed for the sick.  I’m glad we did.  I’m a believer in prayer.  But there’s so much about it I do not understand.  When the sick get well, we thank God or answering our prayers.  And we should! But when they don’t?  Well, then we pray for other things.  But, in this latter case, did God not answer our prayers?  Or did He simply not give us the answer we wanted?  Have you ever noticed how our prayers change as the subject of our petitions get sicker?

We start praying for things other than healing, no pain, peace of mind and spirit, the strength to cope and such.  And we should so pray.  But is it because we have given up on God?  I refuse to do so.  I pray for healing, if it be God’s will, right to the end.  I feel that to do anything less is throwing in the towel, admitting that not even God can do anything now.  Or, when medical science tells us that “it’s over,” do we take this as an indication that healing is not what God desires?  That “it’s time?”

There will come a time, of course when “it’s time” for all of us.  My father died at 75.  I prayed that God would spare him.  God chose not to.  I do not blame God for not giving me more time with my father.  God always know best.  I’d have been praying for healing at 85, or 95, I suspect.  I pray that God’s will be done,  but I’m thinking “I sure hope my will can be your will.”

It’s so hard to not want what I want.  And how can I know God’s will?  If  God desires that healing come, won’t it come anyway?  Is he waiting for me to ask before He does what He wants to do?  And if it’s His will that healing not come, will He grant me what I want rather than what He wants?

Is God ever neutral?  Does he ever grant our petitions because they’re not contrary to His will and because He can “work things out either way?” does it matter how many Christians pray?  “There are a lot of people praying for you,” I’ve told those in need of prayer.  Would one more matter?  One less?  Does how often we pray matter?  How long?  How ardently?

“And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground ” (Luke 22:44).  That’s how our Lord prayed.  I do not pray like that.  Should we get on our knees?  I feel a need to “get low,” to “abase myself,” for I need to show that I know who God is, and who I am.  Phil Slate once told me of a preacher who, when his private prayer time came, would get into coveralls and stretch out on the floor.  I don’t do that, but I understand it.

Yes, there’s so much I don’t know about prayer.  But some things I do know.  I know that we should pray.  “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not faint” (Luke 18:1).  And I know that we forfeit a lot of  blessing because we do not ask.  “…yet, ye have not , because ye ask not” (James 4:2).  And I know that we need to ask for the right things.  “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lust” (James 4:2).

And I know that, though none of us is good enough to “deserve” to have his prayers answered, how we live affects how our prayers are received.  “… the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).  Have you ever found yourself thinking when praying, “This would be a good time to be a more righteous man?”  And I know that our attitude matters.

“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13).  God’s word tells us that it was the penitent publican, not the self-righteous Pharisee, whose prayer served only to exalt himself, who “went down to his house justified” (Luke 18:14).

And I know that prayer is about more than asking for things.  If I prayed every minute of every day for however many days God may grant me, I could not begin to thank Him for all the good things he has given me.  “In everything give thanks : for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Some things I know and so many I don’t.  Well finally there’s one thing I suspect.  I suspect that if we Christians took prayer seriously, if we took God at His word, if we approached Him as we ought, we’d change things.  No, that’s wrong.  He, through us, would change some things.

The war, and the hate, and the pornography, and the abortions, and the drugs, and the broken homes, and the greed, and the abuse of the young and neglect of the aged, and the arrogance of those in power, it’s so over-whelming!  And we can’t do anything about it .

But God can, and would, I suspect, if His people, millions of them, came to Him in earnest, with faith, in humility, not once in a while but all the time, praying as if He were our only hope, which indeed, He is.  Were we to pray that way, I really believe that God would act to make this world that he created, and that we have debased, a very, very different kind of place.

(reprint 8/20/2004)

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Promise

Paul Goddard
February 2, 2009

by Phil McMillion

phillip-mcmillion A promise is a pledge or an assurance that someone will do as he has said, or will keep his word.

The concept of promise is a powerful idea in both the Old and New Testaments.  The most important promises are those given by God to the people of faith.  These promises are meaningful because they show that God’s word is dependable.  The promise of God gives assurance that God will do what he says.

Even though promise is an important concept in the Old Testament, there is not one special term that is used to convey this idea.  The most common terms are simply “word,” “speech,” and “oath.”  The fact there is not one unique word for “promise” is significant.  When God speaks, or gives his word, that word is reliable.  God’s word is always trustworthy.  God does not have to employ some special type of speech to make his word dependable.  God is faithful to keep his promises simply because of who God is and because it is his nature to be truthful and honest.

When God speaks to Abraham in Genesis 12 and says, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you,” God will be true to his word.  In Genesis 18:19, God says that he will indeed do what he has promised.  Genesis 17:16 states that God will give Sarah a son.  Genesis 21:1 shows that God visited Sarah and gave her a son exactly as he had promised.  In each case, when God gives his word, that is his promise, and he will keep it.

God’s promise to the patriarchs is also the basis for giving the promised land to Israel as in Exodus 12:25; 32:13.  The Book of Deuteronomy refers over and over to the promises that God made to the patriarchs as the basis for guiding the people into the land, defeating their enemies, and making them successful in the land.  Deuteronomy 6:3 affirms the promise that it will go well in the land.  In Deuteronomy 9:3-5, God confirms that he will defeat their enemies.  In Deuteronomy 15:6, God will bless them just as he had promised.  God’s promise sustained them through the wilderness and assured them that God would be with them in the new land.

Generations later when David was anointed to lead God’s people, he was also sustained by God’s promise.  In 2 Samuel 3:18-19, God promised that he would deliver the people by the hand of David.  In 2 Samuel 7:21, David confesses that he has been successful because God has kept his promise.

God also promised to be with Solomon and those who came after David in 1 Kings 2:24.  If they would remain faithful to the Lord, then God would honor his promise to them.  Psalm 18:2 states that God’s promise has proven true.  The people can reply on the Lord as their sheild and protection.  Psalm 119 contains many references to the promise of God.  In Psalm 119:41, God’s steadfast love and salvation are a part of God’s promise.  In verse 50, God’s promise gives life.

The prophets also contain references to God’s promise.  In Haggai 2:5, even after the return Exile, God still cares for the people because of the promise he made to the patriarchs.  Throughout the Old Testament, the promise of God shows Israel that the Lord cares for them,  and that God’s word is sure and certain.

In the New Testament, Paul in Romans 9:4 refers to the promises God made the patriarchs, but in 2 Corinthians 1:20 all those promises find their completion in Jesus Christ.  It is the work of Christ that confirms the promises made by God throughout the scriptures.  Hebrews 11:39 also shows Christ as the fulfillment of all the promises of God.

The promises in the Old Testament function like signpost that are constantly pointing to the future.  God does fulfill his promises, but they also point ahead to the fact that there is still more to come.  God is at work, but that work is not complete.  In Christ, God’s work reaches a new level of fulfillment, but even that is not the end.  Only when Christ returns, will the final promise be fulfilled.  When Christ comes again, then the promises will be brought to their final completion.  Revelation 21 gives a beautiful picture of the end of evil and suffering, and of the blessings that God has for those who are faithful to the end.  This is the fulfillment of all the promises that  God makes throughout scripture.

The promises to the patriarchs, to Moses, David, and the prophets, and apostles all come to their conclusion here.  God does show that he is faithful and turstworthy.  Throughout the Bible, God’s promises point ahead to God’s continuing work, and the fulfillment of those promises show that God is true to his word.

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Our Goals as Elders

Paul Goddard
January 24, 2009

bible-21As shepherds of God’s flock, we want you to have a clear understanding of how we try to live and lead this family.  Peter set forth a clear understanding of what it means to be an elder when he wrote:

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers–not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:2-3)

Elders have at times appeared or functioned much like a board of directors, making decisions behind closed doors and then informing the flock.  We do not see this leadership style exemplified in Scripture.

We see the role and work of elders as shepherds who lead the flock, nurturing it, encouraging it to remain true to what pleased the Chief Shepherd and Father through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.  Elders should be committed to this, not to be dominating or demanding.  They should inspire the flock rather than intimidating or forcing it.

We, as elders, know only too well that we fall short of this ideal.  However, it is the goal to which we aspire; it is the goal to which we encourage each other.  We pledge to keep learning and growing so that we can fulfill the Lord’s command through Peter. “As iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17),” we pledge to encourage each other to remain focused on this goal.

This body has physical needs which are important.  In order for us to devote ourselves to shepherd the flock, we have, as much as possible delegated the meeting of these needs to deacons and other individuals in the congregation.  We are not above doing these things, but we feel we have been chosen to shepherd.

It is our desire to mentor, communicate, and encourage our brothers and sisters to please God.  We want to empower people to use their God given talents and gifts to his glory and to bless the flock through these gifts.  We do not want to control people or make them into what we think they should be.  Our desire is to help each member to grow to their fullest potential as they are led by the Holy Spirit.

There are times when decisions are necessary to set the direction of the body.  When these are made, we proceed with prayer as we consider God’s revelation; and we seek the guidance and opinions of the flock.  We may not all share the same opinion on a given matter.  However, once a decision is made we all accept and support the decision.  We believe that the collective, prayerful judgment of the elders is better than the individual judgment of any one elder.

We ask for your prayers as we continually seek to shepherd this flock.  Help us to submit to God so that together we can glorify his name and help extend the boundaries of his rule.  Pray for us so that we may “prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”  (Ephesians 4:11-12)

— from the elders


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Life on Earth

Paul Goddard
January 16, 2009

“It’s not our job to question what He’s doing with our lives.  He has purpose for it, and we just have to trust Him and know that His plan is the right way.”

— Sam Bradford

earth-2 With the hysteria over the current world economic crisis and the fear of global warming, I would like to share a few of Raymond C. Kelcy’s thoughts concerning the realities of our Christian life on planet earth.

Read more:

(http://www.forthright.net/up_for_the_task/life_on_earth.html)

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