The short answer is yes! The challenge for us as believers is to learn to pray in line with our Father's will. Jeremiah 29 provides a great example of how this works. in v4-7 God reveals to Jeremiah what is going to happen in 70 years time, then in v10-14 he instructs his people to pray for his revealed will to be done.
We pray as thsoe who God has revealed his will and purposes to for them to be fulfilled, because as his people we long for him to be glorified and his will to be done. Its why the bible is so important in our praying in learning what it is we ought to pray for.
Showing posts with label questions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label questions. Show all posts
Monday, 29 March 2010
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Questions on prayer
2. Is it OK to start a prayer and then pick it up later?
Fascinatingly this question says quite a lot about our attitude to prayer, and in turn to God. God does not legalistically have an acceptable format to prayer, it must not be a certain length or in a certain style, it is his loved and redeemed children speaking to him.
Prayer is like anything else it becomes easier the more you pray, it is also important to study the Bible and stand on the shoulders of those whose prayers God has kept there for us to learn by.
It is OK to start a prayer and then pick it up later, but my little warning with that would be to ask yourself if this is a repeated pattern and what it shows about your prayer life and relationship with God as a priority. It may be that you can't avoid the distraction or it maybe that you have simply gotten into the habit of looking for distraction. It may be a chance to evaluate how, when and where you pray so that you can carve out for yourself some time to set aside without the chance of distraction.
3. Is there anything we shouldn't pray for?
Yes, we shouldn't pray for God to do things against his character or against his revealed will. We shouldn't pray for opportunities to sin. Interestingly the bible gives us examples of prayers not to pray - Jonah 4 is just one such example, and yet we see there the amazing grace of a loving father who doesn't answer the prophets prayer to be put to death but graciously teaches him about his misunderstandings of God's character.
There are things we ought not to pray for though we ought to pray about those things, let me give an example. Firstly one that is very blatant; the Bible clearly says marriage is sacred and adultery is wrong, it would wrong to pray for the opportunity to commit adultery, but it would be right to pray to God to help you flee the attraction you may be having for someone other than your spouse. There are lots of more subtle variations on this - for example we ought not to pray that we would have vengeance on someone who wrongs us, but pray that we would be able to forgive them trusting that God is judge.
Prayer is a privilege of the blood bought people of God who are given the joyfully relationship whereby they can approach the almighty God of the universe as their father.
Fascinatingly this question says quite a lot about our attitude to prayer, and in turn to God. God does not legalistically have an acceptable format to prayer, it must not be a certain length or in a certain style, it is his loved and redeemed children speaking to him.
Prayer is like anything else it becomes easier the more you pray, it is also important to study the Bible and stand on the shoulders of those whose prayers God has kept there for us to learn by.
It is OK to start a prayer and then pick it up later, but my little warning with that would be to ask yourself if this is a repeated pattern and what it shows about your prayer life and relationship with God as a priority. It may be that you can't avoid the distraction or it maybe that you have simply gotten into the habit of looking for distraction. It may be a chance to evaluate how, when and where you pray so that you can carve out for yourself some time to set aside without the chance of distraction.
3. Is there anything we shouldn't pray for?
Yes, we shouldn't pray for God to do things against his character or against his revealed will. We shouldn't pray for opportunities to sin. Interestingly the bible gives us examples of prayers not to pray - Jonah 4 is just one such example, and yet we see there the amazing grace of a loving father who doesn't answer the prophets prayer to be put to death but graciously teaches him about his misunderstandings of God's character.
There are things we ought not to pray for though we ought to pray about those things, let me give an example. Firstly one that is very blatant; the Bible clearly says marriage is sacred and adultery is wrong, it would wrong to pray for the opportunity to commit adultery, but it would be right to pray to God to help you flee the attraction you may be having for someone other than your spouse. There are lots of more subtle variations on this - for example we ought not to pray that we would have vengeance on someone who wrongs us, but pray that we would be able to forgive them trusting that God is judge.
Prayer is a privilege of the blood bought people of God who are given the joyfully relationship whereby they can approach the almighty God of the universe as their father.
Monday, 22 March 2010
1. In what ways is prayerlessness a sin?
One of the common reactions people have when the topic of prayer is mentioned, discussed or preached on is guilt. I don't pray enough, I haven't prayed today, I'm not sure how to pray, It just feels like God isn't there, and so on are all responses I have heard, often followed by a line like I know I should pray more but I find it hard and I feel guilty.
This often isn't helped by having examples of great saints from the past who rose in the early hours of the morning to pray for hours laid before them, to many it makes them feel worse and they despair of ever being able to pray like that so they give up.
The Bible certainly calls on us to pray, Jesus provides a great pattern of prayer we read of often how he would withdraw to pray. We see him teach his disciples how to pray (Luke 11), in Luke 18 he teaches his disciples to always pray and never give up. We see in Acts that the early church is a praying church and the apostle Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to pray continually. Praying is a great thing that the Bible calls on us to do.
But is prayerlessness a sin? Fascinatingly the Bible does not address that question because unlike us it does not view prayer as a chore, it is a privilege, a mark of sonship. To be prayerless would be a bit like being breathless. The New Testament assumes that the disciple will want to speak to their father.
Prayerlessness is not a sin like greed or idolatry, but it is a symptom of either a misunderstanding of what prayer is, or misunderstanding the privilege that is ours in knowing God and being his children, or a symptom of sin. Prayerlessness can be a vital warning indicator of a spiritual malaise or malady. Yet God our Father always waits to hear his children speak to him.
This often isn't helped by having examples of great saints from the past who rose in the early hours of the morning to pray for hours laid before them, to many it makes them feel worse and they despair of ever being able to pray like that so they give up.
The Bible certainly calls on us to pray, Jesus provides a great pattern of prayer we read of often how he would withdraw to pray. We see him teach his disciples how to pray (Luke 11), in Luke 18 he teaches his disciples to always pray and never give up. We see in Acts that the early church is a praying church and the apostle Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to pray continually. Praying is a great thing that the Bible calls on us to do.
But is prayerlessness a sin? Fascinatingly the Bible does not address that question because unlike us it does not view prayer as a chore, it is a privilege, a mark of sonship. To be prayerless would be a bit like being breathless. The New Testament assumes that the disciple will want to speak to their father.
Prayerlessness is not a sin like greed or idolatry, but it is a symptom of either a misunderstanding of what prayer is, or misunderstanding the privilege that is ours in knowing God and being his children, or a symptom of sin. Prayerlessness can be a vital warning indicator of a spiritual malaise or malady. Yet God our Father always waits to hear his children speak to him.
Thursday, 24 July 2008
God in the dock
In centuries gone by mans preoccupation was how could we be made right with God. The big shift now is that do not assume we need to be made right with God, instead God is in the dock and he must answer our charges against him. This is seen nowhere more clearly than in questions about suffering.
The Bible's preoccupation is not with God answering our questions but us being made right with God. We must make sure we mirror that message whilst also being sensitive to the questions people have.
The Bible's preoccupation is not with God answering our questions but us being made right with God. We must make sure we mirror that message whilst also being sensitive to the questions people have.
Thursday, 26 April 2007
The questions men asked
Just finished reading Why men hate going to church? It is a thought provoking book, though as always with American based books part of the challenge in thinking about it is working out how reflective the trends it highlights in US Churches are of British churches. Wouldn't it be great to have a book specifically researched and written in the context of British churches.
One of the best chapters in the book was about teaching and the masculine spirit, the challenge as Murrow sees it is dor our churcehs to be places where men are learning. He says we need to ask men great questions, not simply give them easy answers, and addressing the questions that men have in our preaching, here are his ten questions:
One of the best chapters in the book was about teaching and the masculine spirit, the challenge as Murrow sees it is dor our churcehs to be places where men are learning. He says we need to ask men great questions, not simply give them easy answers, and addressing the questions that men have in our preaching, here are his ten questions:
- What is true manliness?
- What is success?
- How do I deal with guilt feelings?
- What is male sexuality? Is purity possible for the modern man?
- How can we nurture family life?
- What is Christian leadership? How is it developed?
- What are the basic disciplines of the Christian man?
- What ministry skills need to be developed? How?
- What is biblical business conduct?
- What is integrity? How is it developed?
I wonder if men in church in Britain today would agree that they are the questions they'd love teaching on?
Thursday, 15 February 2007
Making the good news known
People do things all the time that make us question their beliefs. Jesus certainly did in the gospels, that's why he has so many run ins with the Pharisees, as he does things that show he thinks differently about the sabbath, about cleanliness, about sin and righteousness.
For Christ followers the challenge is to do likewise. How do my beliefs show in my actions? How does being part of God's kingdom affect my living in exile in this kingdom? Do my friends and family see that my beliefs about life, about death, about God are different? Am I perceived as just being religious or do I live as a sinner saved by God's outrageous grace in Christ?
What would such living look like? It would mould my attitude in the office as I put on the mind of Christ; not worrying about my rights, not concerned about my position, knowing that living for God means I might be belittled but that God will lift me up.
Or as a parent, how do I live the gospel? What opportunities does the day present to me to teach my children about the outrageous love of God, as we look at the world and as they experience pain and joy?
Living like that provokes questions and gives credibility to our words as we make the great news about Jesus Christ known.
For Christ followers the challenge is to do likewise. How do my beliefs show in my actions? How does being part of God's kingdom affect my living in exile in this kingdom? Do my friends and family see that my beliefs about life, about death, about God are different? Am I perceived as just being religious or do I live as a sinner saved by God's outrageous grace in Christ?
What would such living look like? It would mould my attitude in the office as I put on the mind of Christ; not worrying about my rights, not concerned about my position, knowing that living for God means I might be belittled but that God will lift me up.
Or as a parent, how do I live the gospel? What opportunities does the day present to me to teach my children about the outrageous love of God, as we look at the world and as they experience pain and joy?
Living like that provokes questions and gives credibility to our words as we make the great news about Jesus Christ known.
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