Tim Haile has written a good and concise article on prayer and the conditions we must meet for God to hear our prayers – “Whose Prayers Are Answered?
“The initial response of most people to this question will be that “God answers the prayers of all people.” And while it would be quite comforting to believe this, the Bible actually teaches something very different. God has given certain rules and guidelines that govern prayer…”
Read the rest of the article here – Whose Prayers Are Answered?
Christians are “aliens and strangers” in this world (1 Peter 2:11). While we live here in the nations of men, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). However, even though we are a separate people (1 Peter 2:9), we cannot help but live among those in the world (1 Corinthians 5:9-10). So wherever we are, we must live under some form of human government. How then is the Christian to respond to and use the civil government?
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Shortly before His arrest, trials, beatings, and crucifixion, Jesus spent time in the Garden of Gethsemane praying to the Father. Some interpret this prayer in such a way as to try and show that Jesus was praying that He might escape death. They say that this was a moment of weakness for Jesus and describe Him as being in dread of the cross. They depict Jesus (perhaps unwittingly) as if He were some miserable coward. Can such an interpretation be correct?
Notice Matthew’s account of the Lord’s prayer:
“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there to pray.’ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.’ And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’ […] He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matthew 26:36-39, 42).
After reading of His prayer, let us seek to answer this question: Did Jesus wish to avoid the cross?
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Many of us find it easy to worry about things in our life. Matters that relate to our jobs, families, finances, and more can cause anxiety. But Jesus told his followers, “Do not be worried about your life” (Matthew 6:25). Sometimes this is easier said than done. But notice what Jesus said about this subject:
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:25-27).
In these verses, Jesus asked three questions. As the master teacher, He was able to ask questions in a way that was more instructive than inquisitive. Notice the three points Jesus made that will help us deal with anxiety.
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Last month I wrote an article about putting on the armor of God. I briefly covered the items mentioned by Paul – truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God (Ephesians 6:14-17). Some include prayer in this list as well, as it is mentioned in the next verse (Ephesians 6:18) and may wonder why I did not mention it when discussing the other items.
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Christians are to be known as a people of prayer. Why? We are children of God (Romans 8:16). Prayer is how we communicate with our Father (Philippians 4:6). Prayer is to be part of our lives as individuals (Matthew 6:6; 14:23) and our collective assemblies with God’s people (Acts 2:42; 12:12). It is important then to study the topic of prayer to learn and to be reminded how to be most pleasing to God in this area of our lives.
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Prayer is one of the great privileges we have as Christians. Through prayer, we are able to make our requests known to God (Philippians 4:6), ask for help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16), cast our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7), and ask for forgiveness of sins (Acts 8:22). We are not to be negligent in this, but instead we ought to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
The Scriptures teach that we are to pray to God (Romans 10:1; 15:30; 2 Corinthians 13:7). Nowhere does the Bible command or authorize us to pray to any other. Some believe in praying to saints or deceased family members. The word of God speaks of no such practice in the life of a Christian. Though there are three persons of God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), brethren typically think of the Father as the one to whom prayer is addressed. When Jesus taught the multitudes about prayer in Sermon on the Mount, He presented a model prayer. This example prayer – which some refer to as the “Lord’s Prayer” – was addressed to the Father: “Our Father who is in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9).
Does this serve as an exclusive pattern for our prayers today? That is to say, are we only authorized to pray to the Father? Many believe this is the case. They believe that whenever we pray, we are to pray to the Father. What about praying to Jesus? Some say we cannot do this. What do the Scriptures say?
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What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
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