What Should Be the Center of Our Every Prayer?

"...to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever, Amen."  Jude 25

Keddie's thoughts: "Jude asks for God's eternal glory to be revealed in all the fullness of his wisdom and saving grace. If God glorifies himself in these, then his believing people will also come to glory through his Son who died for them on that awful cross. To pray for his glory is to pray for his enabling grace and, with his answer, to receive the assurance that we will be kept from stumbling and brought holy so as to glory in his presence. In the modern Christian obsession with prayer requests - that too often are concerned with our comfort - we too easily forget that the highest prayer of all is for God to glorify his own name. We forget that his glory is the guarantee of our own. His glory is in fact our highest goal. It ought therefore to be our greatest joy and the very center of our every prayer."

Candy's thoughts: I just love the idea that God's "glory is the guarantee of our own." We are seeking the good of the One who is entirely committed to our best future state. We could never come up with a better plan for ourselves than the one which He has for His own glory.

*Taken from Gordon Keddie's book entitled Prayers of the Bible. See previous posts for image of the book cover.

A Scalpel for Healing, or a Hammer for Harm?

"The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Prov. 12:18

Prayer: Gracious Jesus, I love words. I especially love the way you use words to bring me healing, freedom, and hope. You never shame me with words. You never manipulate me with words. You never hurt me with words. You never flatter me, but you do bring great encouragement. You never repeat my failures to others; you only bring my sin and brokenness to the throne of grace. You never say too much or too little. You neither mince words nor waste words. You alone have the words of life.

My prayer is simple yet necessary: grant me greater stewardship of my words, Jesus. As you speak to me, please speak through me. I'm painfully aware that my words can bring great harm and death, even as they can be a source of hope and life (Prov. 18:21). If I'm not careful, my words can have the effect of gangrene (Eph. 4:29).

You tell me that my words are a sure reflection of what's filling my heart: "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). So no mere promise to avoid gossip, idle chatter, reckless words, or coarse jesting will be enough. I must constantly be preaching the gospel to my heart. May the overflow of your grace be obvious to all. I want my tongue to be a scalpel for healing, Jesus, not a hammer for harm. I pray in your merciful name. Amen.

Candy's thoughts: Such a good prayer! I love how Scotty Smith describes God's words in both negative and positive aspects ("You never..." and "You bring me..."), and then he does the same for us ("gossip, idle chatter..." and "a source of hope..."). May we always remember that if we are tempted to speak words of harm, that at a minimum we would follow Job's good example and "...put my hand over my mouth" (Job 40:4a).

The Time of Old Age

                           

"Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent."   Psalm 71:9

Peterson writes:

"Old age is a time of special need. This prayer expresses the foreboding that when strength fails and usefulness diminishes, life itself will lose its meaning. But God does not love us for what we can do for him, or for our usefulness to society, but for what we are."

"PRAYER: Almighty God, help me to find the meaning of my life, not in the size of my paycheck nor in the list of things I can accomplish, but in the eternal purposes you have set for me in Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray.  Amen."

J.C. Ryle on Practical Religion

“Do nothing that you would not like God to see. 
Say nothing you would not like God to hear. 
Write nothing you would not like God to read. 
Go no place where you would not like God to find you. 
Read no book of which you would not like God to say, 'Show it to Me.'

Never spend your time in such a way that you would not like to have God say, "What are you doing?” 

J.C. Ryle

The Importance of Praying for our Church Leaders

"Brethren, pray for us."  1 Thess. 5:25-28

Keddie's thoughts: "This is a plea for prayer support for God's ministers. Pray for your pastor. He would be blessed hearing that you pray for him.  Paul is not a "prince of the church" that cannot call his spiritual children "brethren" and mean it from the heart. Neither is he above standing in the need of prayer. Congregations that never pray for their pastors, elders, deacons, and missionaries can only wither on the vine, as God removes the leadership and ministry they have no heart to support. But if you want God to do your pastor some good and be blessed yourselves in the process, then apply this injunction every day in the secret place of your prayers."

Candy's thoughts: Of course this blog post sounds self-serving for a pastor's wife to recommend, yet Scripture instructs us in the discipline and importance of praying for our leaders. Even I need a reminder to do so.

Bonhoeffer's Prayer

I never grow tired of hearing this song on a CD entitled "He Will Not Cry Out" by Bifrost Arts. The music is lovely and the lyrics are inspirational.

"Bonhoeffer's Prayer"



Lyrics:

Lord, early in the morning, we cry unto You.
In You, there is light, when I cannot see. In you, there is love, patience, and peace. Lord, I do not understand Your ways, but You know the way for me.

A Better Prescription

Scripture: "Be anxious for nothing."  Phil. 4:9

Keddie's thoughts: "Paul does not talk about the things our world likes to believe will give peace of mind. Things like good health, job security, and the right medication may indeed relieve anxiety. But we need real solutions, not temporary palliatives. He echoes Jesus's teaching in Matthew 6:8-9 that we turn to the God who knows the things we need before we ask him. Anxiety is often well founded. There are all sorts of nasty and uncertain events in life. Even so, anxiety inevitably rests more on doubt about God than on certainty about future woes. Whatever our circumstances - good or bad - Paul's counsel is to "rejoice in the Lord always." His powerfully practical theological reason is that "the Lord is at hand" (v.5). Anxiety is understandable enough, but at its root it is atheism. Rejoicing in the Lord is faith in action, looking to the Lord who is there and who loves his people."

Candy's thoughts: Ouch. Like a doctor who gives us a serious diagnosis after examining our symptoms, Keddie's conclusion is a tough one to deny. We act like 'practical atheists' when we continually fret and worry even though we have the Biblical option to turn to the God who knows everything about us, including our fear and sadness. Let's pray that the Lord would help us to trust him more and more, especially in the midst of difficult circumstances that threaten to undo us. "I believe, help my unbelief."