PRAYER – POWERFUL or PATHETIC?

PRAYER – POWERFUL OR PATHETIC?

I was watching the movie “Ordinary Angels” with Hillary Swank (Sharon in the movie) and Alan Ritchson (Ed Schmitt) which is based on a true story. Ed is a hard-working middle-class guy, with a wife and two daughters. His wife dies of cancer leaving him with two adolescents and $432,000 in medical bills. He is clearly drowning in debt and sorrow. Then his youngest daughter, Michelle, is diagnosed with an untreatable and fatal liver disease. Her only hope is a liver transplant. Ed’s mother comes to help with the household and encourages Ed to not lose his faith in God. Ed responds saying, “Michelle is on the same 17 prayer lists as Sharon, and look at what good that did”.

How many people-how many of you reading this-may have felt, or are now feeling the same way? How many people, through despair, have sadly decided that prayer is nothing more than ‘an opiate for the masses’ of suffering people?

It may be helpful and maybe even ‘lifesaving’ to know these important biblical facts about prayer.

1. Effective biblical prayer is for the Righteous.

James 5:13-16 informs, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

2. Effective biblical prayer is for the confident.

Mark 11:22-24 tells us that, “Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

1 John 5:14-15, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

3. Effective biblical prayer is for those who endure.

Matthew 24:13, “The one who endures to the end will be saved (sozo – to be healed, preserved, made safe, to do well, be made whole, to bring safely).

When all is said and done, it is God Who does the work of hearing, answering and executing the prayers of a Righteous person.

You can know ‘all the steps’, requirements and commandments regarding effective prayer, but it is in God’s Eternal Plan to hear and answer your prayers. But He will answer according to His Will, Purpose and Plan, for all things work together for the good of those who are (the) called according to his purpose. And sometimes the best prayer is just “God please help me!”

His answers to your prayers, at times may seem bewildering, difficult, painful and not what you thought you wanted or needed. But, stand fast. Do not faint or turn aways. God is answering and has answered your prayers. (And, by the way, He never says ‘no’ to one of His children. He just does it His Way and not your way.)

4. Effective biblical prayer is a process and a blessing. (This following section is for the brave-in-heart who want to know about this entire matter).

Matthew 5:1-11, Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

1. This “Sermon on the Mount” starts by telling us that we are Blessed, when we are poor in spirit. We all have heard that this means we are “spiritually bankrupt”.Yes, I suppose this can be one very basic and rudimentary meaning.Being “Poor in Spirit” however, means so much more:

V3:  “Poor in spirit” (Greek:  ptochos) literally means reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms; destitute of wealth, influence, position, honor;  lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches; helpless, powerless to accomplish an end; poor, needy, lacking in anything as respects their spirit; destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (men of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ’s teaching and proved themselves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure.

This comes from a root and alternate meaning “to be terrified”, “as a decaying corpse”.

It should cause us to wonder how could we possibly be considered “Blessed” if we are “poor in spirit”.

“Poor in spirit” is, more literally, to be crushed in your spirit; to be pinched by toil, hopelessness and extreme poverty; A beggar with no hope of rescue on the verge of death and perishing.

It is when life deals you crushing blows, which seem to be your end with no way of escape that this marvelous work of salvation, redemption and sanctification can begin; and not before.

We hear it said “you must come to the end of yourself to enter the Kingdom of God” which is true enough, but none of us have the will power to bring ourselves to such a desperate state.  It is God, alone, who will allow or bring crushing circumstances to bear on our lives which will cause us to turn to God for help.  And only God can save us from such desperate circumstances, redeem us to a state of wholeness, health and safety which is His Sanctification (holiness) of our lives.

Please read the following verses and take note of the process.  Here, the Bible explain to us, ahead of time, what we must endure (yes, endure) in order to “inherit the Kingdom of God”.Verse 4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Mourning”.  An understandable response upon finding yourself severely pinched by poverty, reduced to begging; destitute with no influence, no position; lowly, afflicted and helpless; powerless to change your circumstances for the better; lacking in anything and terrified.

Think with me.  Have you ever endured an especially difficult time?  Perhaps, as a child, you were punished for bad behavior?  Besides receiving a scolding you may have been spanked or had privileges taken from you?  Or perhaps you endured a time of suffering and loss?  “Mourning” was the natural response.  What did you experience next?

Verse 5: “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

Do you remember after enduring a time of suffering or loss and “mourning” your loss, having a good cry, you how your emotions or spirit was quieted for a time?  You may have now had time to reflect on what has happened and you lapse into a time of quiet, gentle appearing reflection.

Verse 6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Do you remember coming through a difficult time, having a good cry, either mentally or actually shedding tears and then the ‘calm the followed the storm’ in your soul?  Do you also remember that, for some reason, with the storm of your life behind you, you were actually hungry?

It is the same in our spirit.  It is usually at this point that we begin to make life-decisions.  We either getting angry and defiant or we decide to do better and to “be better”.

For those being redeemed by the mercies of God, the process is to ‘hunger and thirst for right thinking and right living’:  which is the very definition of Righteousness.

It is through this process that we gain new insights and understanding.  How apt are scriptures to remind us in the next verse that

Verse 7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

The word ‘mercy’ in this verse literally means “kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them; of men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one’s self merciful

We are indeed being “Sanctified”:  Being made holy and set apart for God’s use.

Verse 8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Our attitudes are changing.  Showing mercy is a sign that our hearts are changing and become pure in the sight of God.  We are being transformed in what we see and in how we see.  We are beginning to see matters as God sees them.

Verse 9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

A peace will begin to settle over the heart and mind of the redeemed and sanctified Believer.  We, not only begin to experience ‘a peace that passes understanding’ from our deepening relationship with God, but we begin to demonstrate and practice that peace of God which earns us the title “sons (and daughters) of God”.  We are being made into His image.

Verse 10: “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The bible tells us that it is now that we possess the Kingdom of Heaven.  This statement is too rich and too profound for the “casual Christian” or “casual Believer” to understand.

The phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” means this:

Kingdom:  932 βασιλεία basileia bas-il-i’-ah. Probably from Strong’s #939 through the notion of a foundation of power; 1) royal power, kingship, dominion, rule, 1a) not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom

1b) of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah

1c) of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom

(Note:  This comes from a root word baino,  “to walk”, AV-foot (sole of) a stepping, walking; that with which one steps, the foot; This reminds us of the tremendous proclamation in Joshua 1:3 “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.”

Heaven:  3772 οὐρανός ouranos oo-ran-os’; perhaps from the same as 3735 (through the idea of elevation); the sky; the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it; the universe, the world; the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings.

We are becoming and, in a real sense, we have already become, heirs of the Kingdom of God, the place of the foundation of all power.

(Ephesians 1:4  But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,)

A place of royal power, kingship, dominion and rule, not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom, God’s Kingdom.  It is of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah.  It is the Place of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom.  (From Strong’s concordance, definitions and translations of the Greek and Hebrew languages)

Through this process called Sanctification, Matthew 5:14 says,  “You are (now) the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. (Therefore) “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Verse 11. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Verse 12. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

If this seems or sounds counter intuitive, you are right. But just look at the life and ministry of Jesus. Read Matthew 4:1-11 and realize that Jesus led by example. You will endure this same testing, the process of being sanctified – or you will not receive.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PS: There may be some of you asking, “If God is such a good God, why does He allow suffering–especially of children and the most vulnerable?”

First, let me be blunt. I say to that person what God said to Job, who suffered enormously: “Who are you to questions God’s authority and wisdom by your words? Words that have no knowledge or wisdom? Hike up your pants like a big boy or girl and act like a man or a woman, and I will ask you about His matters. You would question or instruct God?! Where were you when God laid the foundation of the earth? Will you, who has no real knowledge of God, be His critic and faultfinder? You know nothing about His Eternal Plan and why people suffer.”  You are asking is the wrong question. The right question is “What is the purpose of suffering and how should I respond?”