Distractions to Prayer

Distractions to Prayer

No one who has tried to pray for more than a few seconds at a time would claim that he is never distracted. It is astonishing to note how insistently and immediately irrelevant matters come to mind, noises occur, things to be attended to are remembered, people interrupt, and even physical discomforts or pains bother us which we had not noticed until we tried to pray. These things are, of course, the work of the master saboteur of souls, who knows how to render our spiritual machinery useless, by the loosening of the tiniest screw or the loss of the smallest nut.
Distractions can be useful. They provide constant reminders of our human weakness. We recognize in them how earthbound we are, and then how completely we must depend on the help of the Holy Spirit to pray in and through us. We are shown, by a thousand trivialities, how trivial are our concerns. The very effort to focus, even for a minute, on higher things, is foiled, and we see that prayer--the prerequisite for doing anything for God--cannot be done without Him.
We are not, however, left to fend for ourselves. "The Spirit too comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God" (Romans 8:26-27 JB).
(Elisabeth Elliot)

Notes on Prayer

Some readings on prayer, by Elisabeth Elliot:


Notes on Prayer:
Prayer is no game. Even if you are part of a "team," as when others join you in prayer, you are not cheered on by spectators or coached by any experts. You won't get any trophies--not on this side of the Jordan, anyway. It's not likely you'll get any credit at all. For some people prayer might fall into the category of "fun," but that's not usually the reason we pray. It's a matter of need and responsibility.
Prayer is work because a Christian simply can't "make a living" without it. He can't live a Christian life at all if he doesn't pray.
Prayer is the opposite of leisure. It's something to be engaged in, not indulged in. It's a job you give first priority to, performing not when you have energy left for nothing else. "Pray when you feel like praying," somebody has said. "Pray when you don't feel like praying. Pray until you do feel like praying." If we pray only "at our leisure"--that is, at our own convenience--can we be true disciples? Jesus said, "Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences" (Luke 9:23 LB).
The apostle Paul did use an analogy from sports to describe prayer. He said we "wrestle." In the wrestling of a Christian in prayer, "our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organizations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil" (Eph. 6:12, Phillips). Seldom do we consider the nature of our opponent, and that is to his advantage. When we do recognize him for what he is, however, we have an inkling as to why prayer is never easy. It's the weapon that Unseen Power dreads most, and if he can get us to treat it casually he can keep his hold.
Prayer is like incense. It costs a great deal. It doesn't seem to accomplish much (as we mortals assess things). It soon dissipates. But God likes the smell. It was God's idea to arrange the work of the tabernacle to include a special altar for incense. We can be pretty sure he included all that was necessary and nothing that was unnecessary.
Christ prayed. He offered thanksgiving, he interceded for others, he made petitions. That the Son--co-equal, co-eternal, consubstantial with the Father--should come to the Father in prayer is a mystery. That we, God's children, should be not only permitted but commanded also to come is a mystery. How can we change things by prayer? How "move" a sovereign and omnipotent God? We do not understand. We simply obey because it is a law of the universe, as we obey other laws of the universe, knowing only that this is how things have been arranged: the book falls to the floor in obedience to the law of gravity if I let go of it. Spiritual power is released through prayer.
One way of laying down our lives is by praying for somebody. In prayer I am saying, in effect, "my life for yours." My time, my energy, my thought, my concern, my concentration, my faith--here they are, for you. So it is that I participate in the work of Christ. So it is that no work of faith, no labour of love, no smallest prayer is ever lost, but, like the smoke of the incense on the golden altar, rises from the hand of the angel before God.


Pray Hard, Work Tirelessly:
Sometimes we think of these two things as in opposition. The Bible never places them so, but shows how perfectly they harmonize. Prayer is one kind of work, necessary to the proper doing of all other kinds. When we pray, we are in touch with God, expectant, trusting: He is at work. He does what we cannot do. We are to be at work also, doing what we can do.
In Paul's closing remarks to the Christians in Colossae he includes greetings from Epaphras.
He prays hard for you all the time....He works tirelessly for you. (Col 4:12-13 NEB)
As we pray, the Lord frequently shows us what we ourselves can do to cooperate with Him in bringing about the answer. Let us listen as we pray. Then let us go out and work tirelessly.


Why Bother to Pray?
If God is sovereign, and things will be as they are going to be anyway, why bother to pray? There are several reasons. The first is really all we need to know: God has told us to pray. It is a commandment, and if we love Him we obey his commands.
Second, Jesus prayed. People sometimes say that the only reason for prayer is that we need to be changed. Certainly we do, but that is not the only reason to pray. Jesus was not being made more holy by prayer. He was communing with his Father. He was asking for things. He thanked God. In his Gethsemane prayer He was beseeching the Father to prevent what was about to take place. He was also laying down his own will.
Third, prayer is a law of the universe. As God ordained that certain physical laws should govern the operation of this universe, so He has ordained the spiritual law. Books simply will not stay put on the table without the operation of gravity-- although God could cause them, by divine fiat, to stay. Certain things simply will not happen without the operation of prayer, although God could cause them, by divine fiat, to happen. The Bible is full of examples of people doing what they could do and asking God to do what they couldn't do. In other words, the pattern given to us is both to work and pray.

Teach Me To Pray, pt.8

Chapter 8:

Motivations To Prayer

How devoted are you to prayer? Do you pray as often and for as many things as you ought? If you are like most of us, you will answer with a definite “no.” Every Christian ought to ask, “Is something lacking in my spiritual life? Am I really motivated to pray if I don’t pray as I should?” Scriptures give us plenty of motivations to overcome our lack of prayer. For example: Psalm 37:4; Luke 11:9-10; 1 John 5:14-15
More motivations are:

1. A Desire For The Lord’s Glory – Our desire for the Lord’s glory should be the first and foremost motivation for prayer. When we pray for God to be exalted, that His plan and promises be fulfilled, we are not praying for self; we are praying for Him, because we desire that the Lord be glorified.
2. A Desire For Fellowship With God – Another motivation to prayer stems from a genuine longing to be in the presence of God. That longing often begins when our heart feels lonely, estranged, or cut off from the Lord and therefore cries out for fellowship with Him. (ie: Psalm 42:1-2; Psalm 63:1-2; Psalm 84:1-2)
3. A Desire For Needs To Be Met – Christians should also be motivated to pray because they desire the Father to answer the concerns of their hearts with power and blessing. We need to pray for our needs every day, even if it’s simply to thank God for so mercifully supplying them when we don’t deserve anything.
4. A Desire For Wisdom – (James 1:5) If you believe that you don’t need divine wisdom as you live in a sinful world, you’re really deceived. When Jesus taught us to pray, He said, “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). That is a prayer for spiritual discernment, or spiritual wisdom.
5. A Desire For Deliverance From Trouble – Periods of great difficulty tend to prompt us to unceasing prayer as we realize there is no human way of deliverance from our dilemma.
6. A Desire For Relief From Fear And Worry – All believers can identify with the desire for relief from fear. If you’re in distress and experiencing fear, worry, anxiety, and depression, what should you do? Go to the Lord in persistent, continual prayer and you will experience His peace and find the right answers to all your questions and problems. (Philippians 4:6-7; Psalm 4:1)
7. A Desire To Offer Thanks For Past Blessing – If we have a thankful heart and remember all that the Lord, in His goodness, has done for us in the past, that ought to motivate us to pray and at least offer God a simple thanks. (ie: Psalm 44:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3)
8. A Desire To Be Free From The Guilt Of Sin – Along with Psalm 51, Psalm 32 is a classic psalm that addresses the penitent believer’s desire to be freed from sin’s guilt. The desires that motivated David ought to prompt us to incessant, penitential confession so that we also remain free from the guilt of unconfessed sin, and have the joy of salvation.
9. A Desire For The Salvation Of the Lost – When you’re compassionately concerned about lost people, you will be moved to pray for their salvation. (ie: 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Romans 10:1; 2 Peter 3:9). If we don’t pray unceasingly for the lost, then something is lacking concerning our compassion for them and we need to ask God to give us a new desire to pray for the unsaved.
10. A Desire For The Spiritual Growth Of Other Believers – Paul was a model in praying for others’ spiritual growth (Ephesians 1:15-19; Ephesians 3:14-21; Colossians 1:9-12). We often take for granted that fellow Christians will increase in their knowledge of the Lord. But He wants us to make that increase an object of regular prayer.

The Key To Prayer Motivation

If we are not following the mandate to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), something is wrong with our desire to pray, something is missing at the motivational level. …The only sure way to prompt and sustain a quality prayer life is to maintain a regular and disciplined study of the Word of God. The more you find God’s person, character, and majesty revealed on the pages of Scripture, the more you’ll want to fellowship with Him through prayer. And the more you study the Bible and discover how God wants to provide everything to meet all the needs of His children, the more you’ll be prompted to pray to that end. Etc.
The apostle Paul admonished us to “pray without ceasing,” and that should be our way of life. Start today!


A Prayer Of Charles Spurgeon:

Draw us nearer, Lord, draw us into the inner Sanctuary; draw us within the place which once was hidden by the veil which Christ has rent; bring us right up to the throne of grace, and there beholding the glory of God above the Mercy Seat may we have communion with the Most High. Today help Thy people to put on Christ. May we live as those who are alive from the dead, for He is the quickening Spirit; and may we feel Him to be so. If any part of us is still dead, Lord, quicken it. May the life which has taken possession of our heart take possession of our head; may the brain be active in holy thought; may our entire being, indeed, respond to the life of Christ, and may we live in newness of life. We would fain fall down on our faces and worship the Son of God today. It is such a wonder that He should have loved us; and He has done such wonderful things for us and in us that we may still call Him God’s unspeakable gift. He is unspeakably precious to our souls.


Scripture verses mentioned:

Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Luke 11:9-10 - So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

1 John 5:14-15 - This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Psalm 42:1-2 - As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

Psalm 63:1-2 - O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

Psalm 84:1-2 - How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Matthew 6:13 - And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Philippians 4:6-7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 4:1 - Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

Psalm 44:1-4 - We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 - We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 - I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Romans 10:1 - Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Ephesians 1:15-19 - For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength.

Ephesians 3:14-21 - For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Colossians 1:9-12 - For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 - pray continually

Teach Me To Pray, pt.7

Chapter 7:

Hindrances of Prayer

If you are like most believers, you find that prayer, in spite of its amazing, blessed benefits, is a difficult spiritual duty to fulfill. There are some important reasons why prayer is so often difficult for us – what we might call hindrances to prayer. The main hindrance is the general presence of sin. And the other most common hindrances to our prayers are:

1. Carnality And Unconcern – When we were born anew, God imputed to us Christ’s payment for sin’s penalty (1 Peter 3:18) and removed sin’s controlling power (Romans 6:5-7; Galatians 2:19-20), but the tendency to evil remains within us. One word that best characterizes our flesh is “selfishness,” the tendency to focus on our own will and interests and against God’s. Such self-centeredness easily hinders us from praying as we ought. Our carnal selfishness also makes us totally unconcerned about the needs of others. Before you go to the Lord in prayer, make sure you are not being indifferent to the needs of others, or praying for yourself as if you were isolated.
2. An Unforgiving Spirit – An unwillingness to forgive others is another specific sin that can hinder prayer (Mark 11:25). Before God will hear your prayers, you need to forgive anyone who has offended you. We cannot truly worship God or expect Him to answer our prayers if we harbour resentment or bitterness for someone. How can we ask God to pour out all of His love, mercy, and grace on us – undeserving sinners – if we won’t forgive and be reconciled to another undeserving sinner? When we refuse to forgive we also forfeit the inner peace, spiritual power, and spiritual growth that the Lord would otherwise grant through our prayers. Before you ask God to be gracious to you, do some self-examination to make sure you are treating others with the same kind of gracious, forgiving favour you want to receive from God.
3. Doubt – (James 1:6-7) God requires the right kind of asking when we come to Him in prayer. We must ask without doubting, which means our prayers have to be accompanied by authentic trust in God’s character, purposes, and promises. Prayer that doesn’t trust the Lord’s promises, or doubts that He is trustworthy or able is a terrible affront to God.

A Prayer Of John MacArthur:

Father of the Lord Jesus, help us to approach You with deepest reverence, not with presumption, and not in servile fear but with holy boldness. You are beyond the grasp of our understanding but not beyond our love. And You know that we confess to love You supremely for You are supremely wondrous, good, perfect, and glorious. Our hearts melt at the love of Jesus, our brother and our Saviour, our Lord and our friend, our eternal bridegroom, dead for us, alive for us. We are overwhelmed that He is ours and we are His. He has given for us and given to us. And we thank You for the gift of Christ, and we offer in response our worship.


Scripture verses mentioned:

1 Peter 3:18 - For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.

Romans 6:5-7 - If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Galatians 2:19-20 - For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Mark 11:25 - And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

James 1:6-7 - But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.

Teach Me To Pray, pt.6

Chapter 6:

Petition

God wants to hear what burdens us, and we do not need to be afraid to take those burdens to Him. We cast all our cares on the One who cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

The Objects Of Our Petitions

Prayers of most saints rarely get beyond making petitions for their own and others’ physical needs, when we should be far more concerned about spiritual matters. Paul commands us to pray “for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18), and illustrates praying for others in two prayers recorded in his epistle to the Ephesians. Paul first prayed for the believers’ understanding of their spiritual resources in Christ; then he prayed they would know how to experience God’s power in their lives:

A Petition For An Understanding Of Spiritual Resources – Ephesians 1:15-23
It is vital that all Christians comprehend what their spiritual resources are, but apart from supernatural spiritual insight, even the most intellectual believer can’t grasp the full range of spiritual privilege. In this prayer, Paul is in essence asking God through the Holy Spirit to give the Ephesians wisdom and enlightenment. “Wisdom” refers to the practical application of the truth revealed. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians and all believers is that they both know the deep truths of salvation and that they appreciate and apply them more and more. To assure that will happen, he wants all to know:

1. The Greatness Of God’s Plan – Paul’s petition seeks a divine grace from God that has “the eyes of your understanding… enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18). Paul wants us especially to apprehend two specific aspects of God’s great plan: the hope of His calling and the riches of His inheritance. It is an immeasurable, incomprehensible blessing for us as believers to know the immense privilege of being in Christ. In fact, all God’s riches are ours because we are part of His plan – that’s why Paul prayed that we would have the joy of that understanding.
2. The Greatness Of God’s Power – (Ephesians 1:19-20) The apostle prays that we would be energized by God’s mighty power, the same power that created the universe and raised Jesus from the dead (Colossians 2:12).
3. The Greatness Of God’s Son – (Ephesians 1:21) The Father has elevated the Son far above all other beings… none is equal or superior to Him. As we endeavour to serve the Lord, we need to remember Christ’s divine presence in us (Colossians 1:15-18; 2:9) and His sympathetic understanding of us (Hebrews 4:15).

So Paul prays that fellow Christians apprehend the spirit of wisdom and revelation as they experience the greatness of God’s power and rely on the greatness of His Son – all of which is according to God’s great eternal plan. That is an example of how we should pray for fellow Christians – for their grasp of the glories of redemptive theology.

A Petition For The Release Of God’s Power – Ephesians 3:14-21
This prayer outlines for us five aspects of divine power that are available to all Christians:

1. Inner Strength – (Ephesians 3:16) All who know Christ need inner strength to cope with the stress and pressures of everyday living, thus Paul prays that the Ephesians “be strengthened with might.” That emphasizes the tremendous spiritual strength available to the believer’s inner person. Such strength comes “through His Spirit,” which simply means believers must be Spirit-filled, living in Spirit awareness, and submitting to the authority of the Holy Spirit in everything they think, say, and do.
2. The Indwelling Christ – (Ephesians 3:17) Paul’s second petition is that Christ would dwell in Christians’ hearts. But this indwelling cannot happen if sin and disobedience are present. Only when the Lord controls every aspect of our lives can He really be at home in our hearts. Jesus wants to “settle down” in the heart of every believer, and we should pray toward that end, not only for ourselves but also for our fellow Christians.
3. Incomprehensible Love – (Ephesians 3:17) When we are spiritually strengthened inwardly by the Holy Spirit and Christ indwells us, our lives will radiate the incomprehensible love of the Lord Jesus. Before we can love other people – even other Christians – as we ought, we must not only be rooted and grounded in love, we must comprehend it. In the Greek, “comprehend” means “to seize” something and make it your own. That’s what Paul prays the Ephesians will do – take hold of the love of Christ in all its dimensions.
4. Infinite Fullness – (Ephesians 3:19) Paul is asking that the Ephesians would possess (as much as possible in the Spirit’s power) the essential, undiminished characteristics of God. We as believers can possess God’s fullness – His essential characteristics. We are thereby able to communicate godly love, wisdom, holiness, and graciousness to the world around us. Christians communicate who God is not only by speaking the Scriptural truth, but also by displaying the essence of His character in their lives.
5. Immeasurable Power – (Ephesians 3:20) Only when we are aware of our own inadequacies and lack of power will we truly see God’s power at work through us in serving the church and evangelizing the world. This is an awesome blessing to contemplate, and worthy of much prayer for others and ourselves in the Body of Christ.

A Prayer Of John MacArthur:

Our sovereign Lord, we praise you continually for permission to approach Your throne of grace and to spread before You our wants and our desires. We are not worthy of Your blessings, we are not worthy of Your mercies. We have no righteousness of our own. We acknowledge our self-despair. Yet we remember there’s hope in You because the Lamb has taken away our sin. We thank You that we have been drawn to Him, to hear Him, to trust in Him, to delight in Him, and to delight in Your Word and Your law. Preserve our minds from error. Preserve our hearts from the love of idols. Preserve our lips from speaking deceitfully. Preserve our behaviour from stain of sin, our character from any appearance of evil, and may we live as harmless, blameless children of God without rebuke in the world, holding forth the Word of Life that others may see Christ in us and be drawn to Him. These things we ask for His glory and in His name.


Scripture verses mentioned:

Ephesians 6:18 - And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Ephesians 1:15-23 - For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Colossians 1:15-18 - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

Colossians 2:9 - For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.

Hebrews 4:15 - For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

Ephesians 3:14-21 - For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Teach Me To Pray, pt.5

Chapter 5:

Praise

Christians cannot grow unless their lives are characterized by praise. If you want to glorify God, praise Him. (Psalm 50:23)
What does it mean to praise God? According to the Bible, praise involves three elements:

1. Naming God’s Attributes – Scripture powerfully and extensively reveals the character of God, enabling us to praise Him better (for example: Habakkuk 1:12-13). It is a good habit just to review God’s character when you pray and remember that He is a God of infinite love, glory, grace, majesty, mercy, and wisdom. He is invincible!
2. Naming God’s Works – God’s attributes are manifest in His works. Whenever we have a problem we don’t know how to solve, we should praise God for His wisdom and might, as demonstrated in biblical history. It is reassuring to praise God in this way. When you spend time in praise, reviewing all that God is and all He did for His people in Old Testament times, what Christ accomplished for sinners, what God did through the disciples in the first century, and what He has done through the history of the church, your problems pale in comparison to the Lord’s power. Praise bolsters confidence in God because He has proven Himself trustworthy in the past. So when we praise God before bringing Him our problems, we can be confident that He will solve our troubles with wisdom and power – because it is His very nature to do so.
3. Offering Thanks – Naming the attributes and works of God easily leads to thanking Him for all He has done, is doing, and will do. At the heart of all praise is thanksgiving. The apostle Paul emphasized the need for gratitude when he wrote Philippians 4:6. Thanksgiving is the antidote to worry. Instead of praying to God with doubt or discontentment, we can approach God in a spirit of thanksgiving. That’s because God promised not to allow anything to happen to us that would be too much for us to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). Romans 8:28 establishes the overarching principle we need to keep in mind… God’s providence should cause us to be thankful for anything that happens in our lives. Because God actually uses all difficulties for our good, there is nothing we cannot thank Him for.

So be filled all the time with praise. In so doing, you’ll find yourself released from fear and worry. Give every situation over to God’s sovereign control, trusting Him because you know His history of wisdom and power and you understand His promise to supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19). Nothing about you escapes Him (Psalm 139:3). You know He cares about you (1 Peter 5:7), and He has the power to overcome every difficulty (Psalm 62:11). But He uses suffering to perfect you to be like Christ (Philippians 1:6), and His power and understanding are infinite (Psalm 147:5).


A Prayer of John MacArthur:

We thank You, Father, that You have been gracious to us and so we sing of Your mercy, we sing praised to You. Our faith is in You, our expectation is from You. Our love goes out toward You. We believe You. We submit to Your Word. We are eager to do Your will. We trust in Your promises. We rest in Your providence. We thank You that the court of conscience affirms that we are Yours through the witness of the Spirit. We thank You that we do not need signs and wonders to believe, for Your Word is more sure. We have cast our anchor in the port of peace, knowing that we are secure in the present and the future from all the storms that rage because we’re held in the nail-pierced hands of Jesus Christ. We acknowledge, O God, that You are good and wise and just and holy and merciful. You are the fountain, the source of all law. You’re also the fountain and source of all grace to those who having broke Your law come to You for forgiveness. We yield to Your sovereignty, wanting only what You want for us. We ask that You would grant us silence in our heart in place of murmuring and complaining. May our truest wishes be those things that advance the kingdom and not our own will. May we never find fault with Your providences. May we only look for Your mercy in them all knowing that trouble draws us to You and that’s where we need to be for joy and blessing. When we sin and are rebellious, help us to repent, take away our mourning and give out music. Remove our sackcloth and adorn us with the garments of joy. Take away our sighing, fill our mouths with song. And when we are restored and rest again in You and walk in the light of Your truth, may we know the fullness of Your blessing. These things we ask in the name of Jesus Christ.


Scripture verses mentioned:

Psalm 50:23 - He who sacrifices thank offerings honours me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.

Habakkuk 1:12-13 - Are you not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die.O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? (ESV)

Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Philippians 4:19 - And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 139:3 - You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Psalm 62:11 - One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong.

Philippians 1:6 - being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Psalm 147:5 - Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

Teach Me To Pray, pt.4

Chapter 4:

Confession

All Christians who take honest spiritual inventories are cognizant of personal sin. We know God hates sin and thus are unnerved over our own iniquities. So Christians continually confess their sin.
The daily forgiveness Jesus taught us to pray for is a familial forgiveness. It is the remedy for God’s fatherly displeasure when we sin (Hebrews 12:5-11). As long as we live in a sinful world, with our sinful tendencies, Christians need daily cleansing from the defiling influence of our sin… the forgiveness we seek in our daily walk is not pardon from an angry Judge (justification – which we have), but mercy from a grieved Father.

True confession of sin is not just admitting you did something wrong, but acknowledging that your sin was against God and in defiance of Him personally. True confession also involves a penitent attitude – turning away from the evil thought or action. You have not honestly confessed your sins until you have longed to be rid of them. Thus real confession includes a brokenness that inevitably leads to a change of behaviour.

The Purpose Of Confession

Confession is a healthy beginning for prayer because it provides a reminder that we do not deserve anything God gives us. A materialistic perspective on prayer gets eliminated when we go before God with the brokenness and the contrite heart of people who confess their sins. When we affirm with God that we deserve nothing, we end any self-centeredness in our prayers.

A second reason for confessing sin is this: When any believer confesses his sin, God can chasten (discipline) him without being thought of as unfair. If He chastens us because of our sin, we know we deserve the correction.

The Elements of Confession:

1. A Right View Of Sin – A right view of sin is the recognition that sin deserves judgement. A right view of sin also recognizes an urgent need for cleansing. Sin leaves a deep stain, and only a total cleansing will suffice. Just as Christ stooped to wash the disciples’ feet, we need to allow Him to cleanse us from the dirt of the world every day. Another crucial part of having a right view of sin is accepting full responsibility for it. A right view of sin also recognizes that we sin because it is in our nature to do so. Sin is not an anomaly, nor could we stop sinning even if we wanted to. We are sinful at the very core of our humanity.
2. A Right View Of God – God’s holiness: (Psalm 51:6) God is not concerned with external behaviour but with the thoughts and motives of our hearts. God’s authority over sin: (Psalm 51:7) God can and will change your sinful habits, but He requires your trust in His authority over the powers of evil. God’s mercy: (Psalm 51:9) God has the power and desire to pardon sin in those who exhibit genuine repentance.
3. A Right View Of Self – We are to live godly lives/turn from sin if we want to be used by God to convert sinners to Him. We are to live godly lives for the sake of God Himself. And we must be holy for the sake of the saints.

True confession can occur only when we see God for who He is, when we see sin for what it is, and when we see ourselves for what we really are.


A Prayer Of Charles Spurgeon:

We might well start away and flee from Thy face if we only remembered our sinfulness. Lord! we do remember it with shame and sorrow; we are grieved to think we should have offended Thee, should have neglected so long Thy sweet love and tender mercy; but we have now returned unto the “shepherd and bishop of [our] souls” (1 Peter 2:25). Led by such grace, we look to Him whom we crucified, and we have mourned for Him and then have mourned for our sin. Now, Lord, we confess our guilt before Thee with tenderness of heart, and we pray Thee seal home to every believer that full and free, that perfect and irreversible charter of forgiveness which Thou gavest to all them that put their trust in Jesus Christ. We bless that glorious one who hath come “to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins” (Daniel 9:24), to bring in everlasting righteousness, which righteousness by faith we take unto ourselves and Thou dost impute unto us.


Scripture verses mentioned:

Hebrews 12:5-11 - And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Psalm 51:6 - Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Psalm 51:7 - Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:9 - Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

Teach Me To Pray, pt.3

Chapter 3:

Continual, Persistent Prayer

Prayer is a way of life for true believers… prayer is like breathing. The natural thing for us to do is commune with God. Prayer should flow naturally and continually from our hearts… we should be in constant communion with God.

Think of prayer as living in continual God-consciousness, in which everything we see and experience becomes a kind of prayer, living in deep awareness of and surrender to our heavenly Father. Living in unbroken communion with Him makes life a continually ascending prayer. All your thoughts, deeds, and circumstances become an opportunity to commune with your heavenly Father.

God’s greatest desire, and our greatest need, is to be in constant fellowship with Him now, and there is no greater earthly expression or experience of that fellowship than prayer.


Persistent Perseverance:

Prayer is not easy. Just because we can talk to God anytime throughout the day certainly doesn’t mean we will. But… to “continue earnestly in prayer” (Colossians 4:2) is to courageously and persistently bring everything, especially the needs of others, before God. The matter of perseverance is taught in two parables: Luke 11:5-10 and Luke 18:2-5.

God longs to respond to His chosen children who are persistent in prayer – so just keep praying without ceasing and don’t give up. Keep knocking. Keep asking. Keep seeking.

(But remember – we can never, by our persistence, force God to do what we want against His will; but we do need to demonstrate to Him a heart of compassion and the genuineness of a concerned and caring soul)


Constant Alertness:

If we are to persevere in prayer, we must also be on the alert to situations that need our prayers. We need to keep our eyes open – to be alert to the spiritual needs of others. As we become sensitive to what is happening around us, we learn what to pray.



A Prayer Of Charles Spurgeon:

O Thou blessed God! The joy of knowing that we are Thine forever, Thine in trials of life, and Thine in the last dread of death, and then Thine in resurrection, Thine throughout eternity! We do therefore worship Thee, O God, not as a constraining nor under terror or pressure, but cheerfully and gladly, ascribing unto Thee praise, and power, and dominion, and glory, and honour, world without end. We wish we knew how to do something for Thee. We pray that we may be helped to do so ere we die; yea, that every flying hour may confess that we have brought Thy Gospel some renown; that we may so live as to extend the Redeemer’s kingdom at least in some little measure; that ours may not be a fruitless, wasted life; that no faculty of ours may lay by and rust; but to the utmost of our capacity may we be helped of the Divine Spirit to spend our whole life in real adoration.


Scripture verses mentioned:

Luke 11:5-10 - Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'
"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”


Luke 18:2-5 - He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'"

Teach Me To Pray, pt.2

A summarized look at Chapter 2 of Lord, Teach Me To Pray…


How Should We Pray?

There are many ways to pray – pray on your knees, pray with your hands up, pray with your hands folded, read a prayer out of a book, pray aloud, pray silently, or pray in many other ways. But Paul says that we are to be “praying always with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18). If we are going to be praying all the time, we must be able to pray in all kinds of different ways.

When is the best time to pray? Psalm 55:17 says, “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray.” Daniel prayed three times a day (Daniel 6:10). Luke 6:12 says that Jesus “continued all night in prayer to God.” Prayer ought to characterize our whole way of life.

There are no set formulas for prayer – but the following are guiding principles:

1. Ask In Christ’s Name – When Christ commands us to pray in His name, He wants us to pray consistent with who He is – His person, His will, and His purposes. When we truly pray in the name of Christ, we ought to be seeking to align ourselves with the will of God. So don’t get in the habit of adding “in Jesus’ name” to the end of your prayers with little or no thought for the reason you’re doing so. Rather, realize to whom you are praying and why. You are coming to the Lord of the universe to be used by Him in the accomplishment of His will in your life. (Note: MacArthur says that he closes his prayers with: “This I ask because I believe this is consistent with the will and person of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Because that thought pervades his prayer, it allows him to filter out all unnecessary and selfish requests)
2. Ask In Faith – All Christians need to approach God believing in His wisdom and power. He wants to see us trust Him. …If you don’t believe God’s promises, the Bible says you make Him a liar (1 John 5:10). As Christians, we dishonour God when we doubt Him. Unbelievers ought to be able to know Christians as those who live confidently because our trust in God is evident.
3. Ask In The Spirit – In times that we simply don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit helps out (Romans 8:26-27). The Holy Spirit is constantly praying for us. Ephesians 6:18 says we are to pray “in the Spirit.” That simply means that because the Holy Spirit always prays in the will of God, we need to line ourselves up with Him. Offer prayers that are consistent with the Spirit’s prayers so that you are committed only to God’s will. Praying in the Spirit is the same as praying in the name of Christ – praying in a manner consistent with who He is and what His will is. …But how do we do that? By walking in the fullness of the Spirit. As our lives are filled with the Spirit, as we walk in obedience to Him, and as we are constantly communing with God, the Spirit of God will govern our thoughts so that our prayers will be in harmony with Him. That is supernatural praying – when the Spirit of God pulls you into His praying patterns.
4. Ask From A Pure Heart – James 5:16 says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” We need to ask from a pure heart for God to consider our prayers. What is the righteousness James refers to? A personal and practical righteousness. We are commanded to live righteous lives. What James is saying is that if you expect God to answer your prayers, you must be committed to living a righteous life. (other verses about this: 1 John 3:22; Psalm 66:18; Psalm 34:15).

A Prayer Of Charles Spurgeon:

… Lord, help us to do Thy will. Take the crippled kingdom of our manhood and reign Thou over it. Let spirit and body be consecrated to God. May there be no reserves; may everything be given up to Thee. Reign forever! Pierced King, despised and nailed to a tree, sit Thou on the glorious high throne in our hearts, and may our lives prove that Thou art Lord over us; by our every thought and desire, and imagination, and word, and act, in every respect being under Thy divine control.


Scripture verses mentioned:

Daniel 6:10 - Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

1 John 5:10 - Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

Romans 8:26-27 - In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

1 John 3:22 - …and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

Psalm 66:18 - If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Psalm 34:15 - The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.

Teach Me To Pray, pt.1

I recently borrowed a book from a friend called Lord, Teach Me To Pray, by John MacArthur. It turned out to be one of the best books I’ve read about prayer. He covers many topics and questions about prayer, and I found it to be full of great encouragement and words of inspiration to apply to my own prayer life. So I thought I’d jot down some of the highlights of the book, and share them in here. I’ll do this chapter by chapter for the next little while.
So, beginning today is chapter 1:

Why Pray?

Because we know that God’s power is invincible and His will unhindered, we should have unwavering faith in coming to His throne in prayer. Any view that strips believers of their passion to pray is disobedient Christianity.
The Bible details at least five reasons we ought to pray:

1. Prayer Is Commanded – (Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17) This is not a mere suggestion – we don’t have the option to ignore it because we can’t determine how our prayer fits into God’s plans. Even though we cannot know how our prayers work within God’s eternal rule and purpose, we are to pray.


2. It Is A Sin Not To Pray – Because we are commanded to pray, it is an act of disobedience if we don’t pray. Prayer is a duty, and the neglect of prayer is therefore a sin.


3. Prayer Gives Glory To God – The primary issue in prayer is not obtaining what we want but allowing God to display His glory. The eternal benefit of prayer is that it magnifies God’s glory. (Daniel 9:16-17)


4. Prayer Aligns Us With God’s Purposes – Often we pray with the idea that we can pull God into line with our plans. But that is not the goal of prayer. When you begin to seek God’s purposes in your prayers, your heart will be aligned with His will.


5. Prayer Results In Answers – God answers prayer, and that alone should be reason enough to pray. (James 5:16)

God sovereignly uses our prayers to fulfill His perfect plan. Therefore, our petitions should reflect our heart’s desires. At the same time, we show our willingness to surrender our will to God’s own holy purposes.


A Prayer Of Charles Spurgeon:

Our Father, Thy children who know Thee delight themselves in Thy presence. We are never happier than when we are near Thee. We have found a little heaven in prayer. It has eased our load to tell Thee of its weight; it has relieved our wound to tell Thee of its smart; it has restored our spirit to confess to Thee its wanderings. No place like the mercy seat for us.
We do bless Thee, Lord, for instituting the blessed ordinance of prayer. What could we do without it, and we take great shame to ourselves that we should use it so little. We pray that we may be men of prayer, taken up with it, that it may take us up and bear us as on its wings towards heaven.

Scripture verses mentioned:

Ephesians 6:18 - And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 - pray continually

Daniel 9:16-17 - O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favour on your desolate sanctuary.

James 5:16 - Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

The Lord's Prayer

I have been doing a Bible study with some ladies in my church, and we are studying the Gospel of Luke. We recently had a lesson that focused on prayer, and in it we looked a bit closer at the Lord’s Prayer. I appreciated the way the authors of this study looked at the Lord’s Prayer and I wanted to share a brief overview of this prayer that is so well known to us. It’s a simple overview, but it’s always great to be reminded of…

“Father…”
While Jesus was not the first person ever to call God “Father,” He did make this title central to our relationship to God in a new way. Jesus also added “new depth and content” to this way of addressing the Lord of the universe. Contemplate the difference it makes to begin each day by praying to God as your Father.

“Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come…”
In this, both our prayers and our lives become God-centered. We pray that our lives will reveal God’s holiness to everyone around us and that our first concern will be God’s kingdom.

“Give us each day our daily bread…”
This reminds us of our dependence on God.

“Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us…”
Praying for forgiveness reminds us that we need to receive and practice forgiveness as much as we need food to live.

“And lead us not into temptation…”
The petition on temptation recalls Jesus’ wilderness time (and our own) and leads us to approach each day with the humility of knowing we need the Holy Spirit to guide our every step.

To pray to God as Father in this way each day is to take regular steps toward the primary goal of our lives – to become Christlike, conformed to the image of Christ. As Christians, we will receive and radiate the saving life from God that Jesus brings. We can enter the mystery of this transforming process by the simple yet profound practice of starting each day by praying the way Jesus teaches us to pray.

The Great God

The following is another prayer from The Valley of Vision:

The Great God

O Fountain of all Good,
Destroy in me every lofty thought,
Break pride to pieces and scatter it to the winds,
Annihilate each clinging shred of self-righteousness,
Implant in me true lowliness of spirit,
Abase me to self-loathing and self-abhorrence,
Open in me a fount of penitential tears,
Break me, then bind me up;
Thus will my heart be a prepared dwelling for my God;
Then can the Father take up his abode in me,
Then can the blessed Jesus come with healing in his touch,
Then can the Holy Spirit descend in sanctifying grace;
O Holy Trinity, three Persons and one God,
inhabit me, a temple consecrated to thy glory.
When thou art present, evil cannot abide;
In thy fellowship is fullness of joy,
Beneath thy smile is peace of conscience,
By thy side no fears disturb,
no apprehensions banish rest of mind.
With thee my heart shall bloom with fragrance;
Make me meet, through repentance,
for thine indwelling.
Nothing exceeds thy power,
Nothing is too great for thee to do,
Nothing too good for thee to give.
Infinite is thy might, boundless thy love,
limitless thy grace, glorious thy saving name.
Let angels sing for
sinners repenting,
prodigals restored,
backsliders reclaimed,
Satan’s captives released,
blind eyes opened,
broken hearts bound up,
the despondent cheered,
the self-righteous stripped,
the formalist driven from a refuge of lies,
the ignorant enlightened,
and saints built up in their holy faith.
I ask great things of a great God.

Yielding to Distractions

This is a wonderful little excerpt from a reading found in Charles Spurgeon's Morning & Evening...

As a shadow has no power because there is no substance in it, even so a supplication in which a man’s proper self is not thoroughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement desire is utterly ineffective, for it lacks that which would give it force…
The common fault with most of us is our readiness to yield to distractions. Our thoughts go roving hither and thither and we make little progress towards our desired end. Like quicksilver our mind will not hold together, but rolls off this way and that. How great an evil this is! It injures us, and what is worse, it insults our God. What would we think of a petitioner, if, while having an audience with a prince, he were playing with a feather or catching a fly? … Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business – our habit and vocation. As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in our element, and so pray without ceasing.
Lord, teach us to pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication.

(C.H. Spurgeon)

God The All

I’ve been greatly inspired, blessed, and encouraged through the prayers found in the book The Valley of Vision. I have posted a few prayers from this book in the past, and I want to continue to do so as I read through the book this year and come across prayers that specifically impact me... Like this one!

God The All

O God Whose will conquers all,
There is no comfort in anything apart from
enjoying thee and being engaged in thy service;
Thou art All in all, and all enjoyments are
what to me thou makest them, and no more.
I am well pleased with thy will, whatever it is,
or should be in all respects.
And if thou bidst me decide for myself in any affair,
I would choose to refer all to thee,
for thou art infinitely wise and cannot do amiss,
as I am in danger of doing.
I rejoice to think that all things are at thy disposal,
and it delights me to leave them there.
Then prayer turns wholly into praise,
and all I can do is to adore and bless thee.
What shall I give thee for all thy benefits?
I am in a straight betwixt two, knowing not what to do;
I long to make some return, but have nothing to offer,
and can only rejoice that thou doest all,
that none in heaven or on earth shares thy honour;
I can of myself do nothing to glorify thy blessed name,
but I can through grace cheerfully surrender soul and body to thee,
I know that thou art the author and finisher of faith,
that the whole work of redemption is thine alone,
that every good work or thought found in me is the effect
of thy power and grace,
that thy sole motive in working in me to will and to do is
for thy good pleasure.
O God, it is amazing that men can talk so much
about man’s creaturely power and goodness,
when, if thou didst not hold us back every moment,
we should be devils incarnate.
This, by bitter experience, thou hast taught me concerning myself.