Tag Archives: pray without ceasing

Divine Inquiry

So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines?  Will You deliver them into my hand?”

And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”    2 Samuel 5:19

This month we’ve focused on prayer—the intentionality of it (2017 NDP Post Mortem), the consistency of it (Pray without Ceasing) and the responsibility of it (Watch and Pray).  We closeout this series with a few insights as to another aspect of prayer that often goes “unpracticed”—divine inquiry.

Divine inquiry is the discipline of going FIRST to the Lord for guidance and direction.  It is not a new phenomenon and is detailed in both the Old and New Testament.  2 Samuel 5:17-25 recounts David’s use of divine inquiry in the defeat of the Philistines in the Valley of Rephaim.  On two occasions the irksome enemy of Israel was defeated by David.  In both instances, David defers to the Lord of Host to determine the best plan of attack.  The result was a resounding victory—driving back the Philistines a distance of fifteen (15) miles.  Thus friend and foe could see the evidence of God’s protection and power on David and his kingdom.

Although God desires to counsel and guide believers, we have, unfortunately, developed “habits of behavior” that hinder our ability to hear Him clearly.  As we move through life, we have, metaphorically, “gotten on the wrong BUS”—a bus that frequently takes us where we really don’t want to go.  And what are the results?  We miss the good things God has for our lives.

Busyness robs us of both energy and our ability to hear.  Busyness most often is the result of wrong priorities.  As a rule, we place priority on the things we value.  Hearing from God deserves first priority. It’s hard to hear God when you’re multitasking; He gets caught between our thoughts and His voice becomes “muted”.

Unbelief houses all the lies we believe about ourselves and about God.  We believe that God speaks to others but not us.  We attribute this excuse to “being humble” but in reality we don’t believe that God is (His existence) or God can (His power) or God will (His promises)—so why talk to Him?  There is always a “lie” in unbelief.

Self (sin, too) keep us from hearing from God.  This happens when “self” (versus God) rules our life—self-righteousness, self-esteem, self-sufficiency, self-promotion.  When self is on the “throne of our heart”, God finds no place for Him to sit (except on the outside).  Sin separates us from a holy God.  When sin dominates our life, God won’t talk or listen (Gen. 17:1).  This condition, however, can be corrected (1 John 1:9).

SELAH:  Are you on the “BUS”?  Meditate on who God is, what God can do, and what God will do just for you.

Pray Without Ceasing

“Never stop praying.” 1 Thess. 5:17 (Phillips Translation)

Last week, I responded to the call of the National Day of Prayer with a personal challenge for believers to move from an occasional, event driven-prayer life to one with greater intentionality and commitment.  For many of us, this may be a very difficult assignment in that most believers, even biblical scholars may admit to feelings of inadequacy when it comes to prayer.  What do you say to the Creator of Heaven and Earth?  We struggle to find the right words or phrase as we attempt to communicate with the Most High God.  Do we use the “ACTS” prayer formula—adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication?  Should we follow the Lord’s Prayer outlined in Matthew 6?  Are our prayers to be made in the morning or in the evening?  Do we stand, sit, or kneel?  Should hands be lifted or placed covering our heads?

To add to our personal prayer dilemma, Paul admonishes believers to pray without ceasing.  What does that mean and how do you do it?  To me, praying without ceasing is neither a pattern nor a spiritual event.  It is an attitude we adopt as part of our Christian life style.  Praying without ceasing is

Purposeful.  We come to hear from God.  Our motivation to pray may vary—upon reading His Word, facing a problem or in anticipation of a particular event.  While prayer is initiated by believers, we must also be “eager listeners” as God responds to our petitions and supplications.  He desires to act on our behalf (2 Chron. 16:9).

Relational.  We spend time with God.  It is here that we begin to understand His nature—His ways and His works.  He is “Abba Father”, so we approach Him as the loving nurturer and protector of our soul and life. In prayer we can be “totally transparent” showing Him all our faults and flaws.  He knows our heart (Ps. 103:13-14).

Dynamic.  We can come to God in the morning, throughout the day, or at the close of the day.  Our prayers should never be “repetitive babblings” but genuine expressions of our needs and concerns.  We often do not know how to pray about a particular situation or for a person.  We can depend on the Holy Spirit to guide our petitions (Rom.8:26-27).

Inclusive.  We are sensitive to the Holy Spirit as He identifies the needs of those around us.  Prayer is not just about us.  God will send people through divine appointments who need our prayers. We are to pray for those God “puts on our hearts”—our leaders, our nation, even our enemies. We are to pray for all saints (Eph. 6:18).

As we pray without ceasing, let us take a KISS approach—Keep It Simple Saints.  One of the greatest privileges we have as believers is to bring our prayers to a holy and powerful God.  Let us come to Him ready to hear and obey. Never stop praying.

SELAH:  For your time of quiet contemplation, I leave you with a bit of levity on prayer from a poem that features four men discussing prayer.  I believe God does have a sense of humor!

 

“THE PROPER WAY for a man to pray,”

Said Deacon Lemuel Keyes,

“And the only proper attitude,

Is down upon his knees.”

“No, I should say the way to pray,”

Said Reverend Doctor Wise,

“Is standing straight, with outstretched arms,

And rapt and upturned eyes.”

“Oh no; no, no,” said Elder Slow,

“Such posture is too proud:

A man should pray with eyes fast closed

And head contritely bowed.”

“It seems to me his hands should be

Austerely clasped in front,

With both thumbs pointing toward the ground,”

Said Reverend Doctor Blunt.

“Las’ year I fell in Hodgkin’s well

Head first,” said Cyrus Brown,

“With both my heels a-stickin’ up,

My head a-p’inting down;

An’ I made a prayer right then an’ there—

Best prayer I ever said,

The prayingest prayer I ever prayed,

A-standing on my head.”