Get Closer

 

 

“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

— Matthew 7:3

 

A speck is just a small particle of something, like chaff, straw, or a splinter. In this parable, it’s a sin but not a flagrant rebellion upon which other sins and one’s life has been founded upon.

 

Often, our sins become a foundation for a way of life we begin to follow or make our life be centered around. It’s not a way of life that glorifies God. It’s self-centered. This way of living becomes quite noticeable to other people. They begin to associate the sinner as the one who does that action, whatever the sin is. Their beam is big and very obvious.

 

Often, a person will find a sin in someone  else so that the focus of other people is on that person instead of him or herself, the beam-blinded sinner. They forget that by pointing their finger at the speck-obstructed person that four fingers point back to themselves. 

 

God’s focus never moves away to another by our pointing fingers. He sees us and knows us. God knows our hearts and our sins. He experiences the pain of our beams and specks. 

 

Confessing of our sins to God and repenting of them provides the pivot point for Him to remove each of these elements of sin. God’s removing the beam and speck only at confession doesn’t mean He cannot remove it before then. It means we’ve gotten closer to Him by seeking Him with our whole being and asking Him to remove our sins by confession and repentance. We’ve returned to the place where we choose Jesus to be our foundation, not the beam.

No Judgment

 

 

“Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus,”

— Romans 8:1

 

“Now” of this verse seems to be a static point in time, but since God is the author of time and space and is not confined to them, “now” is forevermore for people who have believed in Jesus as God’s Son and the Savior who died for their sins. Each Christian’s “now” of salvation is fulfilled now, but not yet. Not yet because he/she has not died and entered eternity’s door into the presence of God. That “not yet” is the present hope of believers that will be fulfilled. It’s a hope backed by God, the ever-faithful and never-forsaking God. 

 

What is the promise upon which the present and future hope rests? Paul writes that no condemnation will occur to all who believe in Jesus as their Savior. Ultimate condemnation—judgment for sins (wrongdoing)—comes down from ever-holy God to sinful people. This judgment will render unbelievers in Jesus into a  permanent separation from God, a state of torment of endless evil with no good ever to come. This state of being and place is called Hell. See how great is the salvation Jesus died to offer when compared to unending evil with no chance of goodness and mercy.

 

There is now no condemnation for whoever believes in and are in Christ Jesus. 

 

On which side of that great divide between good and evil will you be? If you believe Jesus is God’s Son, who died as the ultimate and final sacrifice for your sins, you are saved and safe from ultimate and tormenting eternal separation from God. If you have not believed in Jesus by the time you die, your future does not hold any hope of goodness, mercy, joy, love, and peace. Your future will entail endless agony at not being able to taste, touch, hear, smell, and see God’s goodness. Your judgement—condemnation—will be sure and secure.

 

What prevents you from believing in Jesus, confessing and repenting of your sins, and asking Him to save you and be your Lord? What part of yourself are you unwilling to give up and, instead, let it lead to your condemnation? Is that really worth being separated from God’s goodness for eternity. Stop now and ask God to show you what separates you from Him. For the sake of your soul, confess, repent, and believe. 

 

Come to know the “now” and “not yet” of the hope of eternal salvation and life with God.

Live It Out

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

— Colossians 3:13

 

The command from Paul to “bear with” means to endure by living out the faith God works in you and do it with calmness and composure. It’s not the “grin and bear it” determination just to get through a meal with someone who irks you. This “bearing with” is more of being a loving presence of God to the person by your example of patience, faith, and forgiveness. God bore with sinful humanity out of love. He planned the perfect method of salvation for humanity before time began, before day and night existed. One who loves so much that He plans our salvation before our sin shows great love and that love shows itself in many ways, two of which are patience and forgiveness. This kind of bearing is the example from God and Jesus that Paul commanded the Colossian church and all Christians to show each other. Without this example of bearing, we Christians would have a hard time relating to people who grate on our nerves. So, be patient— endure with love—the person who irks you or is difficult.

 

Paul then commanded them to “forgive” any complaint. Forgiveness originally comes from God. It’s a grace—a favor—He gives to us. Forgiveness is one of His characteristics and its source is God. Believers can forgive because they have received the example of forgiveness from God for their sins. They can forgive because, with that gift of forgiveness received from Him, they forgive and live in harmony with other people. Forgiveness is part of growing closer to God and growing to be more like Jesus. It’s a gift the Spirit bestows to us. God extended down to us forgiveness freely. Nobody who has ever lived or will live can ever do enough good things to earn forgiveness from God. In the same manner, believers in Jesus are to extend forgiveness freely to other people. That person who irks you shouldn’t have to do anything to earn it. 

 

The second part of this command says to forgive without complaining. Paul used a Greek word here in this verse that means forgive without casting blame or fault. Freely forgive, whether or not they know they’ve offended or hurt you. Freely extend forgiveness by living out your faith in Jesus like He modeled to and for humanity. Never did Jesus tell His Father people were unworthy. Never did He complain when people distrusted, betrayed, hurt, or spewed lies about Him. Jesus knew His task to live as God with us in daily life and God for us at His crucifixion. He did this because of His love for humanity. Jesus forgave people with His life.

 

Live out your faith in Jesus with the patience and forgiveness He has shown to you and gives to you. Live this way among people who are easy to love and those who are difficult. Do it without casting fault or blame on them in your heart, mind, words, or actions. To emphasize these commands to Christians, Paul reminded them to forgive as the Lord has done for you. You forgive others as Jesus forgave and forgives you—seventy times seven—ceaselessly and perfectly. 

 

Take time to ask God who you have not loved and forgiven as He loves and has forgiven you. Seek God’s mind and heart about this person. Live out your faith with that person first by asking God to correct your thoughts and heart about him/her. Then, in the quiet of your spirit, forgive that person without seeking that person’s fault or confession. Now, go and be with him/her as you worship, live, and minister, living as Jesus did by loving and forgiving people. Forgive as often as necessary, for bitterness in your heart can cause your relationship with God to become distant. Forgive seventy times seven. 

 

Live out in your life what God has given and keeps giving you.

The King of Glory

The King of Glory

                                                                       Psalm 24

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness of it, the world and they who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the currents and rivers. Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood nor sworn deceitfully.” (vs. 1-4 [NASB])

We could top there and just praise, confess, and repent. David takes us through the first two parts of prayer-adoring and confessing. David wanted to be in the Lord’s presence. He wanted to praise God, but recognized his own sinfulness. Yet, that did not get David down. He knew God had the power to make him clean so he could be in the presence of God as He sat on His throne in His temple. David recognized he needed clean hands, hands that had done no sin, and a clean heart, one that had not contemplated evil thoughts that led to evil actions or words. Remember, from the heart comes the evil a man does or the good he does. Jesus said this when he said it is not what a man puts in his body that defiles him, but what comes out of his heart and mouth that makes him unclean (Matthew 15:11). David came to the Lord and said he had confessed and the Lord cleansed him. Have you confessed and allowed God to cleanse you and make you pure so you can be in His presence to worship Him?

David did not stop with just praise, confession and repentance. He gave us something for which to thank God in verse five. He said, “He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” David understood the greatest reason for him to thank God after his confession and repentance. Once a person genuinely comes before the Lord confessing and repenting, God will clean him or her. With this newly received forgiveness and salvation, the natural response is thanks and praise. David did that here. He said we must thank God for his blessings and the righteousness He gives us through the salvation Jesus provided through His death and resurrection.

With verse six, David explained who would receive this blessing and salvation. He said, “This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, O God of Jacob.” [AMP] David used the name Jacob to refer to all the Israelites in the Old Testament. For Christians today, this means all who have believed in Jesus for salvation as the Son of God and have received His forgiveness and mercy. No one will be left out. All people are called to believe in Him and receive salvation, being made righteous-cleansed from our evil thoughts, words, and actions. Any of the people of Jacob can go up the mountain to the temple of Zion, go into God’s great heavenly throne room and stand in His presence adoring, thanking, praising, and confessing to God.

After adoring, confessing, and thanking God, the One who made heaven and earth and all that is in it, the One who makes us clean and pure, the One who gives blessing and righteousness, and will be found by His people, David brought us back to why we should worship the Lord with verses seven through ten. He said, “Lift up your heads, O you gates, and be lifted up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is the king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates, yes lift them up, you age-abiding doors, the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts. He is the King of glory!”[AMP]  We should worship the King, the Lord Jesus, because He is mighty and victorious in battle. He took on the powers of hell and defeated them for each of us. Open up, you gates of heaven and let your King enter and take His place. He is mighty and strong in battle. Again, David explained who the King, the One we should worship? He is the King of glory, Jehovah, our righteous and all-sufficient Savior.

Just as the angels in heaven bowed down when Christ returned to sit on the right hand of the Father, He calls us to open our doors and let Him into our hearts and lives. Do you know God? Do you recognize Him in creation on earth and in heaven? He is the One who created all things and deserves adoration and praise.

Have you looked into your heart and mind and recognized you are not innocent; you are unrighteous? Jesus died so you can be clean from your sin. Confess and repent now and the Savior, the Lord who died and won the victory over death and sin, will clean and save you.

Are you one who has tasted the victory Christ gives, but have forgotten to seek and praise Him? We are of the house of Jacob and we have oh, so many reasons to thank and praise Him. He is our Savior. He died because of His love for you even while you were a sinner and far away from Him. For this, we should heartedly and with humbleness thank and praise God.

Have you wondered who this Jesus, the Son of God is? Do you need a reminder why you should praise Him? He is the mighty warrior who defeated sin and death. He died and rose again to walk into the throne room of the temple in heaven. He is the King of glory. Jesus is the One to whom the angels and all the heavenly hosts bow down and the One to whom you bowed when you confessed, repented, and accepted Him as your Savior. He is the Lord of hosts and is your Lord.

If you have not believed in Jesus Christ as the Savior, the One who lived a sin-free life and died an innocent death, who rose back to life three days later and then ascended back to heaven, He waits for you to believe in Him, and confess and repent of your sins so He will clean you from your evil thoughts, words, and actions. Jesus loves you and wants you to receive salvation so you can be free of sin and death and live in an eternal relationship with Him, receiving His blessing of eternal life. Will you come before the Lord now opening your heart, adoring God for who He is and what He’s done? Will you believe Jesus Christ is God’s Son, the One sent to be the Savior for all people so you can be cleaned from your sins and receive eternal life? Will you come before Him thanking Him for all He’s done for you and what He will do for you? Will you come before Him praising Him because Jesus, Jesus alone, is the King of glory, mighty in battle, and victorious over sin and death?

Christian, will you come before God adoring Him? Will you come confessing and repenting so God will cleanse you from your sins? Come before Him thanking Him and confessing Him with all the hosts in heaven and on earth. All creation will rise up and praise His holy name.

“All the earth shall bow down to You and sing praises to You. They shall praise Your name in song.” Psalm 66:4 [AMP]

Lord, God almighty, we get caught up in doing life and forget about you. We do, think, and say evil things. Without you we are powerless over sin and death. Jesus, you give us this power because of your innocent death and resurrection. Please forgive us now, we pray. Bring us back into a right relationship with you so we can praise and thank You with our whole being-heart, soul, mind, and strength. You, O Lord, deserve all praise, glory, and honor. Thank you for dying and defeating sin and death for us. Thank you for Your love.

Prayer: How Should We Pray to God?

When I was a child, my Sunday School teacher taught me to pray to Jesus for other people and myself. As a teenager, a minister taught more on prayer. He said prayers to God should include the words from the acronym A.C.T.S. – Adoration, Confession, Thanks, and Supplication. Considering the latter, I find it interesting the Bible records more prayers about petitioning God for one’s self and others than any other part of A.C.T.S. I believe this occurs because people throughout time realized their need for God to provide for them and intervene for them where they lived. Most people approach God when his or her body or life is under threat. Do we forget Him at other times and only realize our need for Him in our lives when we face dire days? We see this truth for many of God’s children. Yet for those who strive to have a growing faith and relationship with God, prayer is more than an SOS. It concerns relationship. Prayer is growing one’s relationship with Yahweh God, which requires speaking and listening, as we learned in the first part of this study, PRAYER: What is Prayer and How do We approach God? Let us now consider how to pray to God.

Petition for Self

Both the Old and New Testaments record people praying to God as petitioning Him to help them. Authors of books in the Bible recorded twenty-four times when people “petitioned” God to help them. The New Testament records these prayers of petition nine times. Consider these verses:

·         Judges 15:18,

·         2 Samuel 7:27

·         1 Kings 8:28, 8:38

·         Nehemiah 4:9

·         Job 21:15

·         Psalm 5:2, 18:6, 35:13, 66:17

·         Jeremiah 29:12

·         Daniel 2:23, 9:20

·         Matthew 7:11

·         Mark 11:24

·         Luke 11:13, 21:36

·         John 16:26

·         Acts 7:59, 8:24

·         Philippians 4:6

·         1 Thessalonians 3:10

·         2 Thessalonians 3:1

·         James 1:5-7, 4:2

·         1 John 5:14-15

Besides these verses, which in specific mention “praying for” or “petitioning” the Lord for one’s self, other verses record people “crying out to” or “pleading for” the Lord’s help in their plight. These verses include 1 Kings 8:45; Psalms 4:1, 17:1, 35:13, 66:17, 88:2, 118:5, and 143:1; and Lamentations 3:8.

Petition for Others

As mentioned in an earlier paragraph, petitioning to God for other people occurred often in the Bible. “Petitioning” God for other people occurred twenty-three times in the Bible. Sometimes “petitioning” God for one’s self happened at the same time as petitioning for other people. The verses that record these prayers are –

·         1 Samuel 7:5, 12:19

·         1 Kings 8:28

·         Job 42:8

·         Jeremiah 7:16, 11:14, 14:22

·         Daniel 9:20

·         Luke 22:32

·         Acts 13:3

·         2 Corinthians 1:11

·         Philippians 1:19, 4:6

·         Ephesians 6:18

·         Colossians 1:9, 4:3

·         1 Thessalonians 3:10, 5:25

·         2 Thessalonians 3:1

·         1 Timothy 2:1-2

·         Hebrews 13:18

·         James 5:16

When people petition for other people, they care enough for that person to intervene for them to God asking His help or protection for the person. Notice, when we pray to God as part of a growing relationship with Him, we do it because of love for Him. When we pray for other people, we do it because of our care/love for those people. This shows we obey what God commanded in the Old Testament with the Ten Commandments – love God (commandments 1-4) and love other people (commandments 5-10) (Deuteronomy 5:4-21). It shows, too, what Jesus taught with the Greatest Commandment – love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). Jesus taught His followers to go a step further than this with His next teaching.

Pray for Persecutors

Jesus, in the New Testament, taught what God taught in the Old Testament, but He took it a step further. He taught the people the neighbor they were to love could be their enemy. Jesus taught His followers to love their enemies and pray for them, even those who persecute them (Matthew 5:44). To love and pray for their enemies, Christians must be in a growing relationship with God. They must become more Christlike. By becoming more Christlike, the love of God for their enemy grows in the Christian. From that growth of love, the believer can love and pray for his/her enemies. By loving and praying for one’s enemies, the believer will be like Jesus when He loved and prayed for those who persecuted Him. Remember when Jesus was on the cross and prayed to the Father saying, “Father forgive them; they know not what they do” (Luke 22:34)? When a person becomes more Christlike, loving a person no matter who they are or what they have done can occur because of God’s love for that person and all people.

A.C.T.S.

You may ask, “What happened to A.C.T.S.?” The Bible writers wrote so much regarding petitioning God and asking Him to help that it appears adoration, confession, and thanks are unimportant. That is not true though. Remember, in communication we ask people to help us, and encourage them, thank them, and often confess sins/faults to them just as James taught in James 5:16. These elements of relationship must be part of our conversations, our relationship, with God, too. They are more important with our conversations with God than with people.

Confession.

When we sin, we sin against God. Remember, sinning separates us from God because He will not be in the presence of sin since He is holy. God is holy and all-powerful. To be able to be in His presence, each person must be made holy again each day because each person sins daily. Because God is merciful, He will forgive our sins when we confess, repent, and ask for His forgiveness. Each person must do this to be in a relationship with Him. The blood of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who died to take the sins away from people who believe, makes the believer pure, clean, and holy.  Confession is a person’s recognition of his or her sins against God and His laws. Repentance is the grief and guilt a person experiences because he or she disobeyed God and thereby, created a rift in his or her relationship with Him. Repentance brings a person to God seeking His forgiveness and causes a person to turn around to follow God once again. By confessing and repenting daily of sins, each person’s relationship with God remains unstrained and open. He created each person because of His love and wants a relationship with everyone. David, Nehemiah, Daniel, Luke, James, and John each speak on confession and repentance in these verses –

·         1 Kings 8:28

·         Nehemiah 1:6

·         Psalm 42:8

·         Daniel 9:20

·         Acts 8:22

·         James 5:16

·         Revelations 5:8

Thanksgiving.

Throughout the Bible, individual writers of the books and Jesus taught that prayer should includes thanks to God, too. To be in a growing and strong relationship, communication must include thanking the person for caring, helping, and praying for you. A relationship with God through Jesus Christ should include thanks to Him, too. God does and has done many things for us over the years as individuals and as a group of believers from the beginning of time.

David said in his prayer only those who lived with God could thank Him (Psalm 6:5). Daniel thanked God for giving him power and wisdom (Daniel 2:23). Jesus thanked His Father for the fish and bread to feed the 5000 people (Luke 9:16-17). Paul taught people to thank God for what He would do in answer to their prayers (Philippians 4:6). He told them to devote themselves to prayer and thanksgiving to God, too (Colossians 4:2). Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 each Christian should pray and petition God for people in authority and give thanks for those leaders. Finally, in 1 Thessalonians 6:16-18, he told the people of Thessalonica to give thanks in everything. As seen, thanks to God should be part of every prayer. Believers must thank Him for what He has done and will do in their lives and the lives of other people for whom they pray.  By prayer and with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Trust Him because of His love for you.

Adoration. 

Praising and exalting God is adoration. God deserves praise because He is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (all places at once), and because He is the One true God. David, Daniel, Paul, James, and Luke praised God and taught other followers of Jesus to adore (praise and exalt) Him.

David called God His Rock and Redeemer. He was the strength upon whom David could rely (Psalm 19:14). David said God was merciful (loving-kindness) in Psalm 66:20. He called God his King and extolled (praised and exalted) Him (Psalm 5:2 & 66:17). Daniel recalled his ancestors followed Yahweh God and He carried them. He said God gave him wisdom and power (Daniel 2:23). Paul and Silas gave testimony of God’s greatness and love while they were in prison (Acts 20:26). Paul taught believers to rejoice always because the Lord was their God. He aligned this with thanking Him in all circumstances and praying continually (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). James taught people to pray with cheerful songs to God. John saw people bowing before the Lamb in a vision while on Patmos (Revelation 5:8).

Adoration - praise and exaltation - is a form of prayer/song to and about God. Adoration is different from thanks because it does not necessarily refer back to what God has done, but always to who God is. Believers learn to praise God because He is greater than anything life can throw at us and we know God – our God – conquers all things. Christians can have hope in the midst of trying times because they know they will be in heaven with Him one day. Knowing God as Lord, Redeemer, Creator, Protector, and Provider gives believers joy and hope and that should flow back to Him as praise and exaltation – adoration. Adoration and thanks to God come out of our love for God as believers.

Recap

In the first two lessons on prayer, we learned that prayer is communicating and communing with God, which requires speaking to Him and listening to what He says. For communication to be effective and growing, it must be two-way. God listens to our prayers and responds to them as David and Daniel found out. He is faithful to His children even if they are unfaithful to Him.

In the second part of the first lesson, we learned we have to recognize God for who He is and approach Him with reverence. We must recognize His mercy, existence, power, faithfulness, righteousness, and that He rules over all from heaven. Besides this, when we pray and revere God, we give a testimony regarding God through our prayers. Paul and Silas did this while in prison.

The second lesson taught us how to pray. Whether using the acronym of A.C.T.S. or remembering the specific parts from the Bible verses above, we must remember prayer – communication with God – includes each aspect as seen in the teachings of Jesus, the apostles, and other Bible writers. Besides this, for our prayers to be genuine - providing a growing relationship with God and a growing Christlikeness - we should praise and exalt God, confess and ask forgiveness, thank Him, and petition for ourselves and other people, including our leaders and enemies. By offering prayers in each of these areas, we show love for other people and for God. We will have a continual growing relationship with God for which He provided salvation for every person.

Relevance and Conclusion

How active and vibrant is your prayer life? Do you just go to God when you need help or want something? Is He your super-Santa? That should not be.

If you are a Christian, you should continue to grow in your relationship with God. This relationship occurs because He provided the cleansing from your sins that separated you from Him through the blood of His only Son, Jesus Christ, who died for each person’s sin penalty – death and eternal separation from God.

If you pray regularly, do you remember to adore, praise, and exalt Him? Do you thank Him daily? Often we have our needs supplied and we do not give a thought that God’s faithfulness to us provided what we needed before we asked. The bed you slept on last night, for example, you probably bought or received it years ago, but forget to thank Him for it and praise Him each day for knowing in advance just what you needed before you did. That is God’s omniscience. That is God’s faithful love to you, too.

Do you ask God to help you see your sins of the day so you can confess them and ask for forgiveness from Him? God’s righteousness means He will not be in the presence of sin, which means He will not be in your presence because of your sin. His righteousness has a flip side, like a coin. Because God is righteous, He must bring judgment for sin, yet because of His mercy and loving-kindness, He provided the penalty-bearer (Jesus Christ) before your birth and later sin. This action for you means He genuinely wants to be in a relationship with you. Have you confessed your sin today so God can give you His love and mercy today?

Praying for things is as natural as breathing to most of us. Want, need, and desire remind us to pray for our circumstances and ourselves. Praying for other people is not as easy to remember. Just as we breathe and petition God for ourselves, we should petition for other people, including our enemies.

What is prayer? It involves and affects our relationship with God. Prayer is two-way communication with God that brings growth in our relationship with Him and in our Christlikeness. It produces Christian virtues and leads us closer to Him and closer to perfection through salvation in Christ.

It is time to reflect upon ourselves. What are our questions today?

v  Do you pray each day?

v  Do you recognize God for who He is and revere Him?

v  Are you in a growing relationship with the Lord so you do not have a Christmas wish list, but love and effective communication?

Repentance then New Life: A Psalm 51:10 Devotional

David realized his sin and the guilt he carried because of it. He recognized God would not fellowship with Him in his state of sinfulness. In verses two, seven, and nine, David stated he was a sinner full of iniquity, transgressions, and guilt. He admitted (confessed) his sins to God and repented of them.

After his three confessions of sinfulness, David petitioned God to create a clean heart in him. He did not ask only for cleansing, but a re-creating of his heart. The Hebrew word translated as “create” means to transform, reshape, or re-form. Ezekiel used it in 18:31-32 recognizing a clean heart comes because of getting away from sins and includes confessing and repenting. He realized only when a person was no longer tainted by sins and the guilt of sins would God create a new heart in the person. Paul agreed with this and applied New Testament theology to it. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul taught  that when God creates a clean heart in a person, He creates that person in the image of Christ Jesus to do good works. He said we (Christians) are God’s workmanship. Without His cleansing and purification, He would not give us/create in us a new heart.

From this, we get the understanding that a clean heart comes from the forgiveness of God and His washing away our sins by the sacrificial blood shed by His sinless Jesus Christ. The heart David, Ezekiel, Paul, and others speak of is the inner being of each person. The mind, will, heart, and soul of a person that decides to act morally – according to God’s ways – or immorally is the inner being. From Paul’s earlier verse we recognize we can keep a clean heart by doing the good works of God. David added through Psalm 24:3-4 the one who has a pure heart and clean hands is the one who does not lie or swear deceitfully. Only those people, he said, could ascend the hill of the Lord. Luke stated in Acts 15:9 the pure in heart are the ones whom God cleansed their hearts because of their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Jesus taught in the Beatitudes the promise of seeing God for those with a clean heart (Matthew 5:8). Why would anyone not want to have a clean heart or be created in Jesus’ image? David, though he did not know the Savior, knew from God’s prophets God would send a Messiah. He sought the only way of being cleansed from his evil actions and thoughts, through God’s love and mercy, through God’s re-creating his heart.

David asked God for a second thing in this Psalm 51:10. He requested God renew a right spirit within him. This request for renewal shows David recognized his tainted and sinful being. He realized his sinfulness and repented to God. David realized only God, the original Creator of his being, could renew – remake – his inner being/heart so he could stand strong and not sin, not be weighed down by the guilt of his sins, and see God. With a heart restored by and to God, God became primary in his life once again.

With God as primary and relying upon Him, David could withstand temptations and trials and continue to be in fellowship with God. The word “right” David used comes from the Hebrew word meaning to be in alignment with God, and persevering, enduring, and being established in God and His ways because of love for Him. David spoke of a steadfast or right spirit other times, like in Psalm 78:36-37. He said in these verses a steadfast heart does not speak deceit or lies, but is faithful to God’s covenant with him/her.

David asked God to create in him a clean heart. He requested further that God re-make and transform his inner being - his heart - so he would be right with God – in a right relationship with Him because of being cleansed from his sins - and stand strong for Him persevering in faith no matter what trials and temptations arose.  We each need to ask ourselves daily if we are in a right relationship with God. Is there sin blocking our relationship with God and leading us to fall more often to temptation? Is there any stain and sin in our past we need to confess and repent as David recognized in himself and repented of to God? Only then will God create a new heart and establish a right relationship with Him for us. Remember, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”

v  Now is the time to confess and repent.

v  Now is the time to go before God seeking forgiveness and renewing.

God wants to be in a personal, intimate, and growing relationship with you.

Communing begins with Repentance: A Psalm 51:1-4 Devotional

David, the man God said was “after His own heart,” was a human who sinned, as all do. He was a shepherd who stood up in faith and slew Goliath with the power of God. David was the armor-bearer and soother of King Saul’s heart. He was faithful to his best friend, Jonathan, and cared for his one remaining family member, Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. Though he walked as a man of God, he remained a sinful man. David recognized his sinfulness and wrote/sang of it in many of his psalms. Psalm 51 teaches us how sinful humankind can approach Elohiym God, the one true God. The first four verses speak of sin and God’s righteousness.

David recognized righteous God cannot be in the presence of sin. Solomon, Paul, James, Peter, Luke, and John understood this, too, and wrote about it (Proverbs 15:29, 1 Timothy 2:8, James 4:3 & 5:15-17, 1 Peter 3:12, Acts 10:2, & 1John 5:14-15). God taught this to Job’s friends in Job 42:8. Besides this, Solomon, Jesus, and Peter each taught God considers abominable and will not answer the prayers of an unrighteous person (Proverbs 28:9, Matthew 23:14, & 1 Peter 3:12).

David’s first statement in this prayer of Psalm 51 shows he recognized God would only listen to and answer the prayer of a righteous person. He noted he was not righteous; he rebelled and sinned against God. David’s knowledge of his sinfulness brought guilt to his consciousness. Because of this knowledge, he began his prayer seeking God’s forgiveness. When approaching God, if we genuinely want to commune with Him – pray effectively, we must ask God to show our sins to us and then with genuine confession and repentance seek His forgiveness.

David pleaded with God to be gracious to him and show him favor according to His lovingkindness (love and mercy) and compassion. He realized God wanted to be in a relationship with Him because of his history with Him. God wants to be in a relationship and share His love with every person.

David recognized his sin and guilt. He wanted a renewed relationship with God and understood his sin kept him separated from Him. David asked God with His lovingkindness and compassion to blot out his transgressions. He entreated God to wipe out - completely obliterate - his transgressions (rebellion) against Him, to wash the guilt of his sins thoroughly (as much as needed and continually) from him, and to purify him completely (physically and morally) from sin.

David realized he was unrighteous because of his sin and guilt and knew God could not be where sin is. He wanted to be in God’s presence and commune with Him so he began his prayer asking God to wash away his sins and guilt of sins. David recognized his sin was against God; it was rebellion against God and His righteousness. He knew sin is evil and because God is Elohiym, the true God, the One who is righteous, He is blameless and justified to pass judgment on a person because of his or her sin.

What can we learn from David in Psalm 51:1-4?

When we seek to be with God, to commune with Him through prayer, we must realize God cannot be in the presence of sin and the guilt of sin. The Bible says repeatedly God will not listen to the prayers of an unrighteous - a sinful - person. Read the Bible verses noted in paragraph two. Because of this, when a person seeks God in prayer and quiet, he or she must first confess and repent of sin so God can thoroughly wash and blot out that person’s sin. We must ask God to show to us the ways we have rebelled and sinned against Him so we can confess and repent. John told us in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive all our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Once God makes a person clean from his or her sin, He will commune with the person – hear and answer his or her prayer.

How is your prayer life? Are your prayers to God blocked by your sin?

Seek God’s Forgiveness First.

PRAYER (part 1): What, Why, and How

Introduction

If you are a Christian-a follower of Jesus-then ministers and teachers undoubtedly taught you about prayer. Many people have written books and study guides to teach other people what prayer is, how to pray, what comprises prayer, and whose prayers God hears. This Bible study is an earnest seeking of everything the Bible says on prayer and praying-noun and verb. There are over 130 verses in the Bible about prayer, praying, calling out, supplicating, asking, petitioning, and requesting.

In this Bible study, I researched and found 132 verses that speak on this topic. Of the 132 verses studied, sixty-four related to four of the fifty-nine areas of prayer denoted within the verses. That means of the fifty-nine areas related to prayer, the Bible spoke of four areas in over half the verses. That is statistically significant.

Before getting to that discussion, let us understand what this study will show us. By studying the Bible, we find answers to the following questions on prayer and praying.

·         What is prayer?

·         What do we do when we pray?

·         How do we/are we supposed to pray?

·         What is expected of the pray-er?

·         When should we pray?

·         Should we expect God to answer prayer?

·         What happens when we pray?

The study of God’s Word-the Bible-is a discipline every Christian should follow. A person cannot grow in his or her relationship with God without knowing more of Him and striving to become more Christlike. The Bible teaches both these things. The people in the Bible understood what prayer is. Jesus Christ taught His disciples how to pray and modeled it regularly for them. If for no other reason, these should compel us to pray, too. Join with me in the first of a fifteen-part Bible study series on prayer as we learn what the Bible teaches on prayer and the person who prays–the pray-er.

What is Prayer?

The word “prayer,” according to 2 Samuel 7:27 (the first place in the New American Standard Bible to use the word “prayer”), comes from the Hebrew word tephillah and means prayer, to pray a prayer, hear prayer, and house of prayer[i]. In this passage, David talked with God about building His temple. God promised him his royal line would not vanish. Notice prayer is listening and speaking.

For a relationship to exist and grow, communication must occur. People of every era have known having a relationship with their god or with Yahweh, the One true God, requires praying to their god or God. For Abraham and his descendants-his blood descendants (the Israelites) and faith descendants (Christians)-praying was/is being in conversation with the One and only God, Yahweh.

Most people learn for communication to occur, each person involved in the conversation must listen and speak. If one side does all the talking, no true communication or growth of relationship occurs. The talkative person uses the other person as a sounding board only. With that in mind, for true communication to happen between a person/people and God, the person/people must listen to God and speak to Him.

From this understanding of communication, we know prayer is a person or group of people listening to and speaking with God–communicating and communing with Him. Before David’s prayer in 2 Samuel 7:27, other people spoke to God. Consider Moses at the burning bush or on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandment tablets from God. Besides this, consider Abraham when God spoke to him about being the father of many nations. Recall Samuel hearing and speaking to the LORD when he was a small boy working with Eli. These men spoke to God, and He spoke to them through the writers of these parts of the Bible did not use the word “prayer.” 

At other times in the Old Testament, the writers used specific words that describe how or what the person or people prayed–crying out, petitioning, thanking, etc. Other places in the Bible that refer to speaking with God through prayer are: first Kings 8:28, Job 16:17, Job 22:25-27, Psalm 18:6, Psalm 19:14, Jeremiah 7:16, Daniel 9:20, Luke 3:21, Acts 10:2 & 9, Acts 20:36, Ephesians 6:18, and 1 Timothy 2:8.

People throughout time prayed to God. They sometimes queried whether God listened to them when they prayed. God spoke of hearing the prayers of His people in Jeremiah 29:12. This verse is part of a covenant-a promise-He gave to His children, Israel, and to His adopted children through faith. Second Samuel 7:27 records David’s recognition that God heard his prayer relating to his desire to build His temple. Along with this verse, Daniel 2:23 and 9:20, and Acts 9:11 speak of God answering Daniel’s prayers and speaking to Ananias. Daniel requested God’s will concerning his circumstances. He gave him an answer. In the second reference, Daniel prayed to God and God sent His messenger, Gabriel, to help him. Ananias received word from God through a vision telling him to go to a blind Saul and restore his sight. Each of these show positive conversations from God. God often told His servants/prophets not to pray to Him for Israel (negative conversations) because He would not listen nor answer the prayers. Jeremiah 7:16 and 11:14 record these types of conversations.

One other point must be made about being in a vital relationship with God, a relationship where two-way communication occurs. God desires to be in a relationship with every person. This desire requires a person be cleansed from his or her sin by the sacrificial death of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. The relationship with God is so precious to Him that John recorded in Revelation 5:8 and 8:3 that the prayers of the saints (believers) are incense, a sweet and pleasant fragrance, to Him. Our relationship with God is sweet and pleasing to Him and blesses us. Prayer is not only important as a sounding board for us, but for developing a pleasant, harmonious, and blessed relationship with Yahweh, too.

What do We do when We Pray? 

Prayer is life-giving (vital) for our relationship with God. When we pray, we recognize God for Who He is–Creator, LORD, Provider, and Lover of our souls. He gave His own Son to die in our place so we could be saved and live forever with Him in heaven. When we relate to God positively, we realize God is greater than anything we can perceive and all we know. With that in mind, we understand why the Bible shows us how to relate to God and approach Him in prayer. We must recognize seven things relating to God and respond to Him with reverence so we do not abuse/misuse our relationship with Him. He is God and we are just part of His creations.

David expressed in six of his psalms and in 2 Samuel who God is. His writings teach us today how to approach God in prayer. To approach God in prayer, we must recognize these things regarding God.

Ø  Recognize God is to be Revered – 2 Samuel 7:27

Ø  Recognize God’s Mercy – Psalm 4:1

Ø  Recognize God Exists – Psalm 65:2

Ø  Recognize God’s Power – Psalm 65:2

Ø  Recognize God’s Faithfulness – Psalm 143:1

Ø  Recognize God’s Righteousness – Psalm 143:1.

Other Bible writers such as Luke, Paul, and Job recognized some of these same things in relation to God and approaching Him in prayer. Consider the following verses–

·         Acts 10:2, 1 Corinthians 11:4 (revere God)

·         Job 22:25-27 (recognize God’s power)

Besides remembering these six aspects of God when approaching God in prayer, Solomon, Nehemiah, Daniel, Luke, and James spoke of another thing to recognize or do when praying to God. They said to recognize God lives in heaven, so pray towards there. Recognize God is greater than themselves-is eternal and all-powerful-so keep focused heavenward–keep focused on God. First Kings 8:28, Nehemiah 1:6, Daniel 9:20, Acts 8:22, and James 5:16 teach this.

The final thing spoken concerning what we do when we pray comes from Acts 20:36 and Colossians 4:3. Luke and Paul taught our prayers are to give testimony of God. This testimony comes from the previous seven things listed and from what God has done for you. If your prayer is not a testimony of who God is and what He has done for you, then your prayers are just a laundry list of “gimmes,” like a child’s Christmas wish list. If a “gimme” list describes your prayers, then your prayers-your supposed two-way conversation with God-are not effective. Your relationship with Him is not vibrant and growing. How should we pray then?

How Should We Pray to God?

When I was a child, my Sunday School teacher taught me to pray to Jesus for other people and myself. As a teenager, a minister taught more on prayer. He said prayers to God should include the words of the acronym A.C.T.S.–Adoration, Confession, Thanks, and Supplication. Considering the latter, I find it interesting the Bible records more concerning petitioning God for one’s self and others than any other part of A.C.T.S. I believe this occurs because people throughout time realized their need for God to provide for them and intervene for them where they lived. Most people approach God when his or her body or life is under threat. Do we forget Him at other times and only realize our need for Him in our lives when we face dire days? We see this truth for many of God’s children. Yet for those who strive to have a growing faith and relationship with God, prayer is more than an SOS. It concerns relationship. Let us consider how we pray to God.

Petition for Self

Both the Old and New Testaments record people praying to God as petitioning Him to help them. Authors of books in the Bible recorded twenty-four times when people petitioned God to help themselves. The New Testament records these prayers of petition nine times. Consider these verses:

·         Judges 15:18,

·         2 Samuel 7:27

·         1 Kings 8:28, 8:38

·         Nehemiah 4:9

·         Job 21:15

·         Psalm 5:2, 18:6, 35:13, 66:17

·         Jeremiah 29:12

·         Daniel 2:23, 9:20

·         Matthew 7:11

·         Mark 11:24

·         Luke 11:13, 21:36

·         John 16:26

·         Acts 7:59, 8:24

·         Philippians 4:6

·         1 Thessalonians 3:10

·         2 Thessalonians 3:1

·         James 1:5-7, 4:2

·         1 John 5:14-15

Besides these verses, which in specific mention “praying for” or “petitioning” the Lord for one’s self, other verses record people “crying out to” or “pleading for” the Lord’s help in their plight. These verses include 1 Kings 8:45; Psalms 4:1, 17:1, 35:13, 66:17, 88:2, 118:5, and 143:1; and Lamentations 3:8.

Petition for Others

As mentioned in an earlier paragraph, petitioning to God for other people occurred often in the Bible. Petitioning God for other people occurred at least twenty-three times in the Bible. Sometimes petitioning to God for self occurred at the same time as petitioning for others. The verses that record these prayers are–

·         1 Samuel 7:5, 12:19

·         1 Kings 8:28

·         Job 42:8

·         Jeremiah 7:16, 11:14, 14:22

·         Daniel 9:20

·         Luke 22:32

·         Acts 13:3

·         2 Corinthians 1:11

·         Philippians 1:19, 4:6

·         Ephesians 6:18

·         Colossians 1:9, 4:3

·         1 Thessalonians 3:10, 5:25

·         2 Thessalonians 3:1

·         1 Timothy 2:1-2

·         Hebrews 13:18

·         James 5:16

When people petition for other people, they care enough for the other person to intervene for them to God asking His help or protection for the person. Notice, when we pray to God as part of a growing relationship with Him, we do it because of love for Him. When we pray for other people, we do it because of our care/love for those people. This shows we follow what God taught in the Old Testament with the Ten Commandments–love God and love other people. It shows, too, what Jesus taught with the Greatest Commandment–love God and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). Jesus taught His follower to go a step further than this with His next teaching.

Pray for Persecutors

Jesus in the New Testament taught what God taught in the Old Testament, but He took it a step further. He taught the people that the neighbor they were to love might be their enemy. Jesus taught His followers to love their enemies and pray for them, even those who persecute them (Matthew 5:44). To love and pray for their enemies, Christians must be in a growing relationship with God. They must become more Christlike. By becoming more Christlike, the love of God for their enemy grows in the Christian. From that growth of love, the believer can love and pray for his/her enemies. By loving and praying for one’s enemies, the believer will be like Jesus when He loved and prayed for those who persecuted Him.  

A.C.T.S.

You may ask, “What happened to A.C.T.S.?” The Bible writers wrote so much regarding petitioning God and asking Him to help that it appears adoration, confession, and thanks are unimportant. That is not true though. Remember, in communication we ask for people to help us, and encourage them, thank them, and often confess sins/faults to them. These must be part of our conversations with God, too. They are more important with our conversations with God than with people. 

Confession

When we sin, we sin against God. Remember, sinning separates us from God because He cannot be in the presence of sin since He is holy. We must be made holy again and so must confess our sin to Him and ask for His forgiveness. This will keep our relationship with Him unstrained. God is holy and all-powerful. That means He is merciful and cleanses sin from us when we confess and ask for His forgiveness. David, Nehemiah, Daniel, Luke, James, and John each speak on this in these verses–

·         1 Kings 8:28

·         Nehemiah 1:6

·         Psalm 42:8

·         Daniel 9:20

·         Acts 8:22

·         James 5:16

·         Revelations 5:8

Thanksgiving

Throughout the Bible, the authors of individual books and Jesus taught prayer includes thanks to God, too. To be in a growing and strong relationship, communication must include thanking the person for caring, helping, and praying for you. A relationship with God through Jesus Christ should include thanks to Him, too. God does and has done many things for us over the years as individuals and as a group from the beginning of time.

David spoke in his prayer that only those who lived with God could thank Him (Psalm 6:5). Daniel thanked God for giving him power and wisdom (Daniel 2:23). Jesus thanked His Father for the fish and bread to feed the 5000 people (Luke 9:16-17). Paul taught people to thank God for what He would do in answer to their prayers (Philippians 4:6). He told them to devote themselves to prayer and thanksgiving to God, too (Colossians 4:2). Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 each Christian should pray and petition God for people in authority and give thanks for those leaders. Finally, in 1 Thessalonians 6:16-18, he told the people of Thessalonika to give thanks in everything. As seen, thanks to God should be part of every prayer. Believers must thank Him for what He has done and will do in their lives and the lives of other people for whom they pray.  

Adoration

Praising and exalting God is adoration. God deserves praise because He is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (all places at once), and because He is the One true God. David, Daniel, Paul, James, and Luke praised God and taught other followers of Jesus to adore (praise and exalt) Him.

David called God His Rock and Redeemer. He was the strength upon whom David could rely (Psalm 19:14). He said God was merciful (loving-kindness) in Psalm 66:20. David called God his King and extolled (praised and exalted) Him (Psalm 5:2 & 66:17). Daniel recalled his ancestors followed Yahweh God, and He carried them. He said God gave him wisdom and power (Daniel 2:23). Paul and Silas gave testimony of God’s greatness and love while they were in prison (Acts 20:26). Paul taught believers to rejoice always because the Lord was their God. He aligned this with thanking Him in all circumstances and praying continually (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). James taught people to pray with cheerful songs to God. John saw people bowing before the Lamb in a vision while on Patmos (Revelation 5:8).

Adoration-praise and exaltation-is a form of prayer/song to and about God. Adoration differs from thanks because it does not necessarily refer to what God has done, but always to who God is. We praise God because He is greater than anything life can throw at us and we know God conquers all things. We can have hope amid trying times because we know we will be in heaven with Him one day. Knowing God as our Lord, Redeemer, Creator, Protector, and Provider gives us joy and hope that should flow back to Him as praise and exaltation–adoration. Adoration and thanks to God come out of our love as believers for Him.

Recap

In this lesson, we learned that prayer is communicating and communing with God, which requires speaking to Him and listening to what He says. For communication to be effective and growing, it must be two-way. God listens to our prayers and responds to them as David and Daniel found out. He is faithful to His children even if they are unfaithful to Him.

In the second part of this lesson, we learned we have to recognize God for who He is and approach Him with reverence. We must recognize His mercy, existence, power, faithfulness, righteousness, and that He rules over all from heaven. Besides this, when we pray and revere God, we give a testimony about God through our prayers. Paul and Silas did this while in prison.

The final part of this lesson taught us how to pray. Whether using the acronym of A.C.T.S. or remembering the specific parts from the Bible verses above, we must remember prayer–communication/communion with God–includes each aspect as seen in the teachings of Jesus, the apostles, and other Bible writers. Besides this, for our prayers to be genuine-providing a growing relationship with God and a growing Christlikeness-we should praise and exalt God, confess and ask forgiveness, thank Him, and petition for ourselves and other people, including our leaders and enemies. By offering prayers in each of these areas, we show love for other people and for God. We will have a continual growing relationship with God for which He provided salvation for every person.

Relevance and Conclusion

How active and vibrant is your prayer life? Do you only go to God when you need help or want something? Is He your super-Santa? That should not be.

If you are a Christian, you should continue to grow in your relationship with God. This relationship occurs because He provided the cleansing from our sins that separated us from Him through the blood of His only Son, Jesus Christ, who died for each person’s sin penalty. If you pray regularly, do you remember to adore, praise, and exalt Him? Do you thank Him daily? Often, we have our needs supplied and we do not give a thought that God’s faithfulness to us provided what we needed before we asked. Consider the bed you slept on last night. You probably bought or received it years ago, but forget to thank Him for it and praise Him each day for knowing in advance just what you needed before you did. That is God’s omniscience. That is God’s faithful love to you, too.

Do you ask God to help you see your sins of the day so you can confess them and ask for forgiveness from Him? God’s righteousness means He cannot be in the presence of sin, in your unrepentant presence. His righteousness has a flip side, like a coin. Because He is righteous, He must bring judgment for sin, yet because of His mercy and loving-kindness, He provided the penalty-bearer (Jesus Christ) before your birth and later sins. This action for you means He genuinely wants to be in a relationship with you. Have you confessed your sin today so God can give you His love and mercy today?

Praying for things is as natural as breathing to most of us. Want, need, and desire remind us to pray for our circumstances and our selves. Praying for other people is not as easy to remember. Just as we breathe and petition God for ourselves, we should petition for other people, including our enemies.

What is prayer? It involves and affects our relationship with God. Prayer is two-way communication with God that brings growth in our relationship with Him and in our Christlikeness. It produces Christian virtues and leads us closer to Him and closer to perfection through salvation in Christ.

It is time to reflect upon ourselves. What are our questions today?

v  Do you pray each day?

v  Do you recognize God for who He is and revere Him?

v  Are you in a growing relationship with the Lord so you do not have a Christmas wish list, but love and effective communication?

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[i] Brown, Driver, Bringgs, and Gesenius. “Hebrew Lexicon entry for Tephillah.” “The NAS Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon.” (http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/nas/tephillah.html).