Scott Lane – Page 8 – The Everyday Prayer

Group Activity

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 3:14-21 (day five)

“may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,”

Paul is convinced that being in community and fellowship with other believers gives them the best chance to grow and grasp God’s love. Spiritual growth is often a group activity. Why? How? Because when you’re with other believers in worship, bible study, serving, praying, and ministering- you see, hear, and experience the many facets of God’s love. We learn from one another. We challenge one another. We encourage one another. Testimonies. Examples. Faithfulness. Endurance. Joy. Kindness. All, ways we might not ever encounter God’s love and power on our own or by ourselves. God desires to use each of us to display His love to others. In the same way, God desires to use others to teach and remind each of us (if we are willing to look, listen, and learn) of His great love and holiness. Wanna grow? Wanna walk in step with the Spirit? Then, be faithful to be in your place with other believers, and be ready to see and sense the Lord’s love and power!!

Already, Not Yet

Re:Verse passage – Luke 18:1-8 (day five) “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Jesus has just finished teaching on the Kingdom of God. Now, He is teaching us how to live in the “already, not yet” tension. Jesus had come, bringing the Kingdom of God with Him. (Chapter 17). The Kingdom is “already” here for those who believe in Him. But it is “not yet” complete (until His second coming). Suffering, persecution, and sin are all still prevalent in the “not yet”. So how do you live in this already, not yet tension? Jesus addresses that question in this week’s Re:Verse text. One of the ways is persistent prayer. Keeps our faith tethered to the Living God (in conversation), who is near and listening. Keeps our thoughts and hopes informed and longing for the coming Kingdom (when faith will be sight). How often and how sincerely should we pray? The parable teaches us to pray continually and persistently. Jesus will find faith on earth in His children who pray like this in the “already, not yet”.

Both

Re:Verse passage – Luke 11:5-13 (day five)

“I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.”

It almost seems like Jesus is teaching 2 different approaches to prayer. Asking and trusting. What if they are two sides of the same coin ? A tension that we must live in? What if we are persistent AND trusting in our prayers? Jesus believes both should exist at the same time. Both are required. When both are together, our prayers give us humility and boldness. Both needed and necessary. For God’s glory, and for our good!!

In Our Weakness

Re:Verse passage – Romans 8:26-27(day five) “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.”
The human heart can be so prideful. We don’t like to admit or even recognize our own weakness. Ever have a hard time saying any of the following: “I was wrong”, “I don’t know”, “I am scared”, “I don’t understand”? The effects of living in a broken creation cause all kinds of circumstances (physical, emotional, social) that bring fear, anxiety, doubt, and disappointment to name a few. Make no mistake, suffering can bring a feeling of weakness to us. And with all these feelings and emotions, sometimes words can’t or don’t come. I like the ESV translation. “Spirit helps us IN our weakness”. In the very midst of the sufferings and struggles (weakness) the Spirit helps us by directing and connecting the deepest places of our troubled hearts to the Lord through prayer. Isn’t that remarkable? Praise God for His perfect love and care for us, especially in our weakness!!

Just As It Did with You

Re:Verse passage – 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 (day five)

“Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you;”

Paul is asking these believers to pray for the gospel to grow God’s Kingdom in strength and number in the days ahead. To guide their prayers, He reminds them of how that had happened in them and to them. The gospel had a distinctive intensity and energy. They witnessed it. Experienced it. Believed it.

This Monday begins Youth Camp for our students and their leaders. A week that has been near and dear to my heart for decades. Those of us that have attended Camp before- remember how personal and powerful the gospel was? Preaching. Worship. Bible Study. Fellowship. Salvation. Conviction. Repentance. Rededication. Surrender to ministry. Call to deeper faith.

As you remember your camp experiences, will you join me in praying for the students and sponsors from FBCSA in the days ahead? “That the word of God would spread and be glorified just as it did with you.”

All-Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 6:17-20 (day five)
“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,”

Does this verse stretch your perspective and approach to prayer like it does for me? Notice the repetition of the word “all”. Four times.
John Bunyan called this “All-Prayer”. Speaks to: Variety- praise, petition/supplication, confession, intercession. Consistency- not just in a set “prayer time”, but moment by moment throughout the day we remain in dialogue with the Living God. Persistency/Intensity- determined, disciplined, and tenacious. Community- the believers we work, worship, serve, sing, play, fellowship, study, and live with.

The “Who, How, When, and Why” I pray gets challenged and corrected by the Re:Verse passage this week!!

Honest Request

Re:Verse passage – Esther 7:3-7 (day five)

“While they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “Tell me what you want, Queen Esther. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”

Have you ever been asked a question like this from someone who could in fact completely answer and deliver on the promise connected to it? Anything? Everything? Queen Esther shows great wisdom and patience in her response. (Actually the second time she has been asked by the king). Made her think and process what she wanted, needed, what she was desperate to request. Separates the urgent from the important and the temporal from the long lasting. Her answer/request ends up being bigger than herself- her people and their lives.

Reminds me of Jesus’ words in Luke 18. “What do you want me to do for you?”

How would you answer Jesus’ question? How would that sound in your prayers? Can you say the words of an honest and desperate request? Would they be all about you or something larger and longer? Ask, seek, and knock for the Lord is listening and inviting an honest conversation and request!!

Wavering Faith

Re:Verse passage – 1 Kings 18:30-39 (day five)

“How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.” The Israelites had a heart problem. Nothing new. Same tendency we see throughout scripture and even in believers today. The word “hesitate” is translated in other versions as “waver”, “sit on the fence”, and “limp” to name a few. Speaks of a divided heart and faith. Presents as weakness and godlessness. Trust and commitment that has waned and drifted to things and people other than the Living God. Anything that supersedes God in our trust, priorities, obedience = idol. The result often looks like spiritual hesitancy, inactivity, apathy, and powerlessness. (The Israelites) The New Testament has plenty to say about this common condition too…

“But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” James‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭8‬

“They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” 2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬-‭16‬

Perfect King

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 18:6-11 (day five)

David was a good king but not a perfect king. There was still sin and depravity in his life. Part of God’s plan is to convince Israel (and us) that what we really need is a king to lead and love us perfectly. To restore and rescue us. (Pointing to Jesus) God is showing us that only Jesus can lead and love us perfectly. There’s a small narrative before our Re:Verse text that demonstrates the difference and need (2 Samuel 14).

After rebelling and publicly humiliating his father, Absalom returns back to Jerusalem. Yet David (the father), refuses to see his son. David could have met Absalom at the gates, forgiven and restored him. But he chose not to do so. Jesus tells the story of a rebellious son who returns to his father. And the father runs to meet him (at the gates) and forgives and restores him.

We can rejoice that in spite of the fact, like Absalom, we have rebelled against and humiliated a Holy God with our sin, our Heavenly Father loves and leads us perfectly, taking the initiative (thru Christ) to restore us into a right relationship with Him.

I’m thanking God for His wise and patient plan to show us our need and provide for us, a king to lead and love us perfectly!!

Repeat and Remember

Re:Verse passage – 1 Samuel 17:38-51 (day five) “This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you.”
What David did was incredible. No doubt about it. Killed Goliath with a sling and a stone. We know from reading 1 Samuel 17, that what actually happened was that God used David to kill Goliath. VS 46.
The biggest battle David fought (that day and often) was his inner fear (that the Israel armies had succumbed to). To them, Goliath seemed larger than God (fear). To David, God was larger than Goliath (faith). So, where did David’s faith come from? I believe it came from “repeating and remembering”. Repeating God’s promises. And remembering God’s power. Something the Israelites failed to do. Just 3 chapter earlier in 1 Samuel, many of those same soldiers saw God use Jonathan to defeat a Philistine garrison. Yet, they forgot. That experience had left their minds. Not David. He repeated God’s promise (anointed as king) and remembered God’s power (bear and lion). It was a constant battle and discipline for David. Read the first 25 Psalms. Fear creeps in. David prays (repeats and remembers). Finds faith. Should be for us too. Daily repeating God’s promises found in scripture. Remembering God’s power working in, around, and through us.
Being thankful to God helps shape these disciplines. When we can’t be reminded of God’s promises and God’s power, we most likely are in a place of great despair and fear. (Israelite Army) We should learn from David’s example. We find faith and courage. For the Glory of God!!