Concerning Prayer: H.C. Lord’s Day 45
The Lord’s Prayer: H.C. Question 119
Matthew 6:9-13 – “This, then, is how you should pray:
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
Luke 11:2-4 – He said to them, “When you pray, say:
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
For What do We Pray? H.C. Question 118
Pleasing Prayer: H.C. Question 117
“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
Prayer: H.C. Question 116
Romans 7:24-25 – What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Revelation 8 – Trumpets (Part 1)
Read Revelation 8
When the last seal is opened, John records something unique to Revelation so far: silence. While silence is certainly not a foreign concept in the Bible, often indicating reverence or awe in the presence of God. This could certainly be the case as the scroll that was sealed is now open for all. However, it could also be that this silence brings a time of preparation for what is known as the “trumpet judgments,” the next series of seven judgments that are about to take place on the earth.
The golden censer and the burning incense draw their symbolic meaning from the altar of incense in the Tabernacle and Temple and from Old Testament imagery of prayers and actions before God. Such things rose up to God like the smoke of a fire and were thought to produce either “pleasant” or “fowl” odors before the Lord. John records that the incense that was in the golden censer was indeed the prayers of God’s people. Old Testament tradition holds that angels played a part in mediating between God and humanity though this is certainly not something that the New Testament indicates. Jesus Christ is our mediator and also the perfector of our prayers and worship as He presents them before God.
As the seven angels begin to blow their trumpets, the judgments that are poured out on the earth contain some familiar imagery. Thunder, fire, and earthquakes we have seen before indicating in some fashion the presence of God in whatever is happening. The first trumpet judgment, like many of these, draws its imagery directly from that of the 10 plagues in Exodus, something that is echoed in the book of Ezekiel.
The impact of these judgments is expressed by the fraction 1/3, indicating that at least partially, the punishment that is being poured out here is not yet complete.
The second trumpet judgment’s impact is reminiscent of the first plague on Egypt when the whole of the Nile river was turned to blood. Jeremiah also records the image of the mountain begin destroyed as part of a vision regarding the punishment of Babylon, which becomes an image for all the is evil in the world and a focal point for the battle between good and evil later on in Revelation.
Wormwood, the falling star of the third trumpet judgment, is a very bitter tasting plant. The star, John says, taints the fresh water of the world, making it poisonous to drink. This event is reminiscent of the miracle of the waters of Marah, recorded in Exodus 15, except in reverse. Jeremiah records a similar series of events in his prophecies as well in both chapter 9 and chapter 23 of his book.
The fourth trumpet judgment carries a similar theme to the ninth plague on Egypt, that of darkness. These similarities are important to the overall theme of Revelation, that of the ultimate freeing of God’s people. Israel’s exodus represented the freeing of God’s people from bondage; the plagues were God’s action on behalf of His people to punish the enslaver. Here we see similar things happening again, but on a cosmic scale, signaling the coming of the “final exodus” of God’s people from the oppression of sin and evil in the world. This is also why we draw so heavily on imagery from the prophets because they too envisioned this as a result of the coming of the Messiah and the ultimate redemption, reconciliation, and victory that He would bring.
Drawing on imagery like this doesn’t always “explain” what exactly it means, but rather creates connections in the redemptive work of God throughout salvation history. We can then see that what John is witnessing here is not necessarily something new, but instead is the great revelation of God’s work to reconcile the whole world to Himself and put an end to sin and evil once and for all.
James 5 – Warnings and Prayers
Read James 5
It is no secret in Scripture that God has a special place in His heart for the oppressed and marginalized. Much of the mission of the Church is based on a call to care for the widow, the orphan, those in prison, and the oppressed and much of the early church was made up of such people. The makeup of churches nowadays seems to have changed a bit. Church appears to be a place where those who have their lives all together go, not where the broken come to receive healing.
James issues a warning to those who are “rich,” but it goes for all those who oppress or ignore the oppressed and marginalized. Our actions in this regard do not go unnoticed before the thrown of God. We must be careful in how we act and in where our priorities lie for it is not our earthly wealth that matters to God, but what we did with the blessings, actions that reveal where our heart is, that He has given us that truly matters.
One of the ways we can ensure a proper orientation in our lives in this, and all matters that James brings up, is committing to prayer. We don’t talk about this enough, I think, in the church. When we come before God, we come to praise Him, to thank Him, and to lift up our needs and the needs of the world before Him. We do this because God calls us to, because He is capable of handling our needs, and because we trust Him. Doing so, however, does not exempt us from action either. God calls us to be active participants in His work in the world and this happens through the prayers and actions of His people. When we invite God into situations, we believe that He is going to act in ways the build His Kingdom and further His will in the world.
Hebrews 13 – A "brief" Note
Read Hebrews 13
As the author of Hebrews concludes the letter with the customary final greetings, he/she encourages the audience to take what has been written, especially the exhortations (appeals, advice, arguments, persuasion, etc.) seriously. This letter, the author says, is much briefer than it could have been.
Certainly, that is true of all the writing of Scripture. There is so much more to say on all of these topics. John, at the end of his Gospel, attests to this as well:
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. John 21:25
That being said, Scripture doesn’t continue on in this way. I think of the many dozens of books that I was encouraged to read in seminary, tens of thousands of pages, and the thousands upon thousands of books that have been written on Scripture and theology; we could go on forever… and will!! But the author here has a way of summing it all up in a couple of “brief” exhortations.
Keep on Loving – This first and primary exhortation is the crux of the whole Gospel, the whole Law, and all of Scripture. Keep on loving God. Keep on loving each other. The author offers some practical ways in which this can be lived out but essentially the message is the same as Jesus’ message in Matthew 25, “Whatever you did for the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did for me.”
Hold to sound teaching – This is a message that endures throughout the New Testament. As the church continued to grow, it continually faced a number of different threats from different groups that would offer “new teachings” or “new revelations.” These, however, often steered people way from the faith and away from grace. They were in direct contradiction of Jesus statement in John 14, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me.”
Pray – Prayer is a continual exhortation throughout Scripture as well. Paul writes that we should “pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Jesus too taught His disciples to pray and modeled a prayer life that we are called to follow. Even at the right hand of God, Jesus is said to be praying, interceding for us on our behalf before the Father.
There is so much more to say here. But, I suppose, I should take my cue from the author of Hebrews and keep it “brief.” Much more will come as we begin our reading of James!
Colossians 4 – Open Doors
Read Colossians 4
Remembering that Paul is in prison while writing this, he closes his letter with a request to the church in Colossae to be devoted to prayer for themselves and him as well. Even though he is incarcerated, Paul is still fervently preaching the Gospel and believes that God is going to advance the Gospel through His situation, grim as it may be. To that end, he requests prayer, not just that he would be able to tell others about Jesus, but that he would also have the wisdom to say what needs to be said.
What Paul asks for is quite profound. We talk, in Christian circles, about always spreading the Gospel, showing God’s love to all whom we meet. Yet how often to we ask God for the wisdom to say what needs to be said (or to not say what need not be said)? We find ourselves in very specific contexts in our lives, no one context is similar to another. Like Paul, we ought to be relying on the Spirit to give us the words to say, not relying on our own wisdom to get us by.
More than that, though, Paul encourages the church in Colossae to “make the most of every opportunity.” This too is an encouragement for us. How many times have we heard stories about people who regret not saying something to a friend, loved one, or coworker, thinking that they would have an opportunity later only to find out some tragic thing happened.
People in the world are walking in darkness, the eternity of their souls at stake. We cannot afford to be lax in our words or our actions, simply waiting for another day. For Paul, the time to preach the Gospel was now. Whether he was in prison, at home, or on the road, he sought the spread God’s Good News of love and grace, praying that God would open every door and give him every opportunity.
Acts 4 – Prayer Power
Read Acts 4
After Peter and John are released from their interrogation by the religious leaders, yet another opportunity that they took to spread the Gospel Message, they returned to those who believed. Likely the other disciples, who are now called Apostles, were there too.
Scripture says that, upon their return, the first thing they did after reporting what had taken place was to pray. This wasn’t simply a passing “thank you God for protecting us” type of prayer, but rather a deep prayer of acknowledgement of God’s faithfulness and power shown through Jesus Christ. It is also a petition that God would continue to show that power in the midst of the threats and turmoil that they continued to face.
I wonder how often we turn to prayer like this in the face of turmoil in our lives… or in our culture? Scripture says that when they prayed like this, both committing to continue in God’s name and asking for the Holy Spirit to empower them to advance God’s Kingdom, that the whole room shook and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. It was almost like a second Pentecost!
Sometimes it seems like, when confronted with things that challenge our faith, we more readily turn to social media to complain than to pray and ask for the Spirit’s guidance. More often than not, the resistance that is put up from the church comes in the form of memes, not prayer.
The simple fact is that our power does not come from our prowess on social media, just like the newest, latest, and greatest of anything doesn’t guarantee the advance of the Gospel. It is the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives that yields the fruit that Jesus talked about throughout His ministry. This is what we must pray for.