Prayed Up Or Made Up???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #175

I want us to change up today and look at the import of prayer.  We are called to be men and women of prayer and its place in our life will reveal itself in our everyday actions and interactions. There are so many things to consider, and we will find that our choices do make a difference.  Let’s take some time first of all to see what scripture tells us about prayer.

“Pray

without ceasing.

18 In every thing

give thanks:

for this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus

concerning you.

19 Quench not the Spirit.”  1 Thessalonians 5:17-19

God’s will for us is to pray “without ceasing”, to “give thanks” and to “Quench not the Spirit”; now that doesn’t mean I close my eyes driving down the highway to pray, but that my heart is ever sensitive to the voice and work of The Spirit of Jesus in recognizing His urging to pray for a specific thing or person even if I don’t know why?  It means that I am to be yielded continually to the work of The Holy Spirit and not reject it, ignore it, or discount the truth of HIS work in me/you!  Quenching the Holy Spirit’s work in us isn’t limited to willfully denying His direction but can be as simple as writing His prompting off to unimportant, or I’ll get it later, or even I can’t do that.  It’s going my way instead of paying attention to God’s working in me, leading me.

Jesus’ instruction to His disciples was simple but of great import; and it seems they missed the import—as we often do as well.

“Then saith he unto them,

My soul is exceeding sorrowful,

even unto death:

tarry ye here, and watch with me…

…. 40 And he cometh unto the disciples,

and findeth them asleep,

and saith unto Peter,

What,

could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Watch and pray,

that ye enter not into temptation:

the spirit indeed is willing,

but the flesh is weak…

….. 43 And he came and found them asleep again:

for their eyes were heavy.

44 And he left them, and went away again,

and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

45 Then cometh he to his disciples,

and saith unto them,

Sleep on now,

and take your rest:

behold, the hour is at hand,

and the Son of man is betrayed

into the hands of sinners.”  Portions of Matthew 26:38-45

Jesus in His last hours asked His closest friends to “watch and pray” with Him, yet being weary and tired, they fell asleep.  Don’t save bedtime as your best praying time—most of us will fall asleep every time!  Let’s be faithful to our Lord and pray not only regularly, but at every prompting of The Spirit.

Jesus also gave us some hard instructions about prayer; for we are often willing to pray for our friends, but not those whom we have ill will toward.  Jesus said something unpopular and surely not easy, but doable in love and the power of The Holy Spirit.

“Ye have heard that it hath been said,

Thou shalt love thy neighbour,

and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you,

Love your enemies,

bless them that curse you,

do good to them that hate you,

and pray for them

which despitefully use you,

and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father

which is in heaven:

for he

maketh his sun to rise

on the evil

and on the good,

and sendeth rain

on the just

and on the unjust.”  Matthew 5:43-45

Prayer needs to be our “first things first” priority, not that we don’t have other obligations to meet, but we must not neglect prayer in all things.  The Apostle Paul reminds us that there are those times when we don’t know how or what to pray for in any specific situation, but don’t quit, when we don’t have the words—The Holy Spirit does—and I am abundantly grateful that HE does!

“But if we hope for that we see not,

then do we with patience wait for it.

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities:

for we know not what we should pray for

as we ought:

but the Spirit itself maketh intercession

for us

with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts

knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit,

because he maketh intercession

for the saints

according to the will of God.”  Romans 8:25-27

God knows and we can run to HIM in any situation, we can trust to HIS care and provision, for HE never fails.

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest,

that is passed into the heavens,

Jesus the Son of God,

let us hold fast our profession.

15 For we have not an high priest

which cannot be touched

with the feeling of our infirmities;

but was in all points tempted like as we are,

yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly

unto the throne of grace,

that we may obtain mercy,

and find grace to help

in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16

What about the ‘made up’?  Well, I could be talking about “makeup” and that could be a fitting contrast—as scripture has a lot to say about ‘painted eyes’ (a focus on the flesh instead of the Spirit”) but I’d rather talk about something Jesus talks about in His letters to the churches of The Revelation, particularly the church at Laodicea.  Jesus makes a contrast between having that which is really from God, and that which we have set as valuable in the flesh.  What foundation am I standing on?  Human wisdom or God’s wisdom and true salvation.  And remember this letter is to a church.

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;

These things saith

the Amen,

the faithful and true witness,

the beginning of the creation of God;

15 I know thy works,

that thou art neither cold

nor hot:

I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm,

and neither cold

nor hot,

I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17 Because thou sayest,

I am rich,

and increased with goods,

and have need of nothing;

and knowest not

that thou art wretched,

and miserable,

and poor,

and blind,

and naked:

18 I counsel thee to buy of me

gold tried in the fire,

that thou mayest be rich;

and white raiment,

that thou mayest be clothed,

and that the shame of thy nakedness

do not appear;

and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve,

that thou mayest see.”  Revelation 3:14-18

Here Jesus calls those who “claim” His name and are in a church, to examine themselves (Paul also talks about this in 2 Corinthians 13:5 and also in 1 Corinthians 11:31-32) and in verse 19 of this passage He calls them to repent!  Jesus is saying the same thing that Isaiah talks about, we can’t do it ourself, our righteousness (so called) will never meet God’s standard!

“But we are all as an unclean thing,

and all our righteousnesses

are as filthy rags;

and we all do fade as a leaf;

and our iniquities,

like the wind, have taken us away.”  Isaiah 64:6

Jesus calls these people, this church, us, to examine ourselves to see if we have come to depend upon our own resources instead of the “blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin”?  How did they get to this point?  We don’t know, but we know that they had become so self-sufficient that they said of themselves, we “have need of nothing”!  And if we go on to look at verse 20, I ask you to examine where Jesus is?

“Behold,

I stand at the door,

and knock:

if any man hear my voice,

and open the door,

I will come in to him,

and will sup with him,

and he with me.”  Revelation 3:20

Did you notice?  Jesus is outside trying to get in—HE is knocking at the door calling to “any man” who will “hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him”!  This church is so ‘self-sufficient’ that they don’t even need Jesus!  Ring any bells?  What are you depending on?  Do you “have need of nothing”?  Does your church “have need of nothing”?  Is Jesus knocking at your door?  Are we trying to pass off our ‘filthy rags’ as “righteousness” to God?  It didn’t work for the people in Isaiah’s day, and it won’t fool God today!  It didn’t fool Jesus in the church at Laodicea!  I can’t help but believe that we may be there!

So, are you (or your church) prayed up or ‘made up’?  It’s your choice, but choose wisely, there is a test!  Make sure you’re ready today!  For “... behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” 2 Corinthians 6:2b

Amen and Amen!!!