Redeeming Scripture Archives | Page 46 of 49

In previous posts, we have seen that both the prayers of Jesus and the prayers of Paul were conversational prayers with God. They talked to God about the same sorts of things they would talk to anyone else about, and used the same sort of language. The book of Psalms reflects something similar about prayer. When we pray the Psalms, we learn to pray to God in a way that sounds like we are talking to anyone else.

The Psalms as Prayers

The Psalms are not exactly prayers. They are actually songs that were intended to be sung. But they are not just songs, either. They were intended to be sung when Israel worshiped God in the temple and during their annual festivals. As such, it is safe to think of the Psalms as prayers to God that are sung.

And the great thing about the Psalms is that they reflect the full range of human emotions. If you are feeling something … there’s a Psalm you can use to pray about it.

Most of the Psalms are about giving praise and honor God, and calling on the people to faithfully love and serve Him, but sometimes the Psalmist is angry with God, and tells Him so (Psalms 10:1; 22:1; 42:9; 74:1, 11). Other times the Psalmist is angry and people, and tells God about this too, to the point of asking God to destroy his enemies (Psalms 54:5; 79:10; 143:12). Sometimes the Psalms are quite long (Psalm 119). Sometimes short (Psalm 117). Sometimes they use repetition (Psalm 136). Sometimes they focus on simply praising God (Psalm 150), while others focusing on His past works (Psalm 78).

Walter Brueggemann, in his excellent little book, Praying the Psalms, says that the Psalms are not the voice of God addressing us, but rather contain the voice of a common humanity addressing God (p. 1). When you pray the Psalms, you are praying together with believers throughout the world and throughout time.

Conversations with God

When people wonder what sorts of things they can and should pray about, and what kind of language and words to use when communicating with God, it is often not enough to just tell them that they can have a conversation with God just like with any other person. For some, this seems too informal.

So it is often always a good idea to also recommend the Book of Psalms a helpful guide to learning how to pray and what to pray for. As people pray through the Psalms, they learn that pretty much anything can be said to God, and any emotion is welcome by Him. There are no taboo topics or emotions.

Again, from Walter Brueggemann: “The Psalter knows that life is dislocated. No cover-up is necessary” (Praying the Psalms, p. 9).

But this is just like our real relationships in life, right? Your genuine relationships, your meaningful friendships, are the ones where you interact with each other with honesty and reality. You share your emotions, feelings, and ideas without fear of being judged. Where you do not have this freedom to be real, you do not have a real friendship.

So why do we so often hold back in our prayers? We should not and we must not, if we desire true friendship with God. When we pray the Psalms, we learn to express all our feelings and emotions to God, just as we do with any true friend.

But this is just like life, isn’t it? Our conversations with others cover the whole spectrum of emotions and subjects. Sometimes we are careful with our words and ideas. Other times we don’t hold back.

Just like the prayers of Jesus and the prayers of Paul, praying the Psalms helps us see that prayer is an ongoing and open conversation with God.

All of this, I think, helps us understand what Paul meant when He instructed the Thessalonian believers to “Pray without ceasing.”.

What about praying the Scriptures?

Do you want to pray like never before?

Do you what to talk to God like you talk to a friend? Do you want to see more answers to prayer?

If you have these (and other) questions about prayer, let me send you some teaching and instruction about prayer to your email inbox. You will receive one or two per week, absolutely free. Fill out the form below to get started.

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How to Pray like Paul

By Jeremy Myers

3 Comments

We have previously learned that the prayers of Jesus were most likely conversational prayers with God. They were very similar in substance and language to any conversation Jesus might have with His disciples.

But what about Paul’s prayers? Were they this way?

The Prayers of Paul

There are few examples of Paul actually praying in the New Testament, but there are several places in Paul’s letters where he writes about his prayer requests and how he prays (See Rom 15:5-6, 13; Eph 1:16-19; 3:16-19; Php 1:9-11; Col 1:9-12; 2 Thess 1:11-12).

By looking at these short descriptions of Paul’s prayers, we can learn a few things about how to pray like Paul.

The short descriptions of Paul’s prayers provide a small glimpse into what Paul prayed for and how he prayed. And as we look at what Paul tells the various churches about his prayers for them, it often sounds as if he transitions from writing about what he prayers to actually praying. That is, some of his descriptions of his prayers actually sound like prayers themselves.

So if someone is looking for written prayers which can help guide our own prayer life and helps us know how to pray according to the will of God, the prayers of Paul are always good places to start.

Many of the recorded prayer requests of Paul are nearly identical to the recorded prayer requests of Jesus in John 17. Both Jesus and Paul pray that believers would glorify God through faithful obedience and grow in unity with each other. One other similarity is that just as we saw with Jesus, there is no special language or terminology.

The very things Paul writes about in his letters are the very things he prays about to God, using the same ideas, the same language, and the same style.

Conversational Prayers of Paul

It seems that with Paul, as with Jesus, there is no set structure, form, language, or requests that must be used in prayer. Just as there is no set structure, form, language, and topics that must be used in any other conversation, Paul simply talked to God the way he talked to anyone else.

This means that we don’t need special outlines or languages for prayer. Paul didn’t need these. Jesus didn’t need these. And we don’t need them.

For example, in the past, I have counseled people to use the acronym ACTS for their prayers: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. In recent years, I have had second thoughts about this. I suppose it is not a bad pattern, but it misses the point of prayer. I don’t have acronyms for conversation topics with anyone else … so why should I have them when I talk to God?

Paul gives us a glimpse into his prayer life here where prayer is like having a conversation with God. Just as conversations with people get dull and boring if we talk about the same things all the time and always in the same order, so also conversation with God can get dull and boring if we always come to Him with the same prayers, the same items, the same requests, always in the same order.

When we talk with God, we can talk to Him just as we would any other person.

This will make it real, meaningful, and lively. Sometimes the conversations are short; sometimes they are long. Sometimes they are heated with debate and disagreement; sometimes they are full of praise and love. Sometimes more can be said simply by remaining silent.

We have seen that Jesus prayed this way, and that Paul prayed this way, and in the next post, we will look at the book of Psalms, which contains numerous examples of this type of praying. My book, What is Prayer? also contains more details on this subject.

Do you want to pray like never before?

Do you what to talk to God like you talk to a friend? Do you want to see more answers to prayer?

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4 Tips on How to Pray like Jesus

By Jeremy Myers

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John 17 records the prayer that Jesus prayed in the Upper Room with His disciples at the conclusion of their last supper together. By looking at this prayer, we can learn how to pray like Jesus.

Though the Gospels frequently record Jesus going off by Himself to pray, this is the only recorded prayer of Jesus of any length which provides an indication of the sort of things Jesus might have said when He prayed.

What can we learn from this prayer of Jesus about how to pray?

The Structure of the Prayer

Scholars have long noted that the prayer is divided into three basic sections.

First, Jesus prays for Himself (John 17:1-5), then for His disciples (John 17:6-19), and finally for all who would believe in Him (John 17:20-26). Much can be said about the content of Jesus’ prayer, especially that the primary prayer request of Jesus for all who would believe in Him is that we would be unified (John 17:21).

But my purpose here is not to analyze and explain the prayer of Jesus as much as it is to simply look at how Jesus prayed.

The Posture of the Prayer of Jesus

Notice first the posture of Jesus.

The text does not tell us if Jesus was sitting, standing, or reclining (though reclining on the floor was the typical way of eating meals and conversing afterwards in first century Middle Eastern culture).

One thing is for sure though: Jesus definitely was not bowing folding His hands, bowing His head, and closing His eyes. To the contrary, the text says He “lifted up His eyes to heaven” (John 17:1), which indicates that His eyes were open and His head was raised.

Nevertheless, this is not the “God-approved” posture of prayer. It is not as if such things as kneeling or standing, arms up or arms down, eyes open or eyes closed make any difference in whether or not God hears and answers our prayers. If God is concerned about any sort of posture in our prayers, it is the posture of our hearts, which no one can see but Him alone.

The Prayer Requests of Jesus

What else can we learn from the prayer of Jesus about how to pray?

Well, notice that Jesus begins by praying for Himself. How often have we been told in sermons and books on prayer that we must not begin with ourselves, but instead, begin with adoration of God, and thanksgiving for what He has done?

I have not only heard sermons like this; I have preached sermons about this!

Yet the first thing Jesus does is pray for Himself.

But notice what He prays about for Himself. The primary prayer of Jesus for Himself is that He would glorify the Father. So really, this first prayer request is not exactly about Jesus, but about glorifying God the Father. This is a great thing to pray for yourself, because brining glory to God the father is one of the primary reasons we are here on earth.

Of course, Jesus does spend the entire prayer just praying for Himself … as some of us are guilty of doing (myself included!). Instead, He spends most of His time praying for others.

I think most of us are familiar with the concept of praying for other people, and so I will not belabor the point, other than to say that the primary prayer requests of Jesus for others is that they would remain faithful to God, and in unity with one another. I don’t think God minds hearing prayers for Aunt Mabel’s bunion, our neighbor’s dog, and how the rent is overdue, especially when these are issues that really do concern us. But I do believe that it would be wise for all Christians to develop a broader vision for prayer than how we can use it to tell God about our aches and pains and bills.

How Jesus Does Not Pray

Notice also what is not in this prayer of Jesus.

Nowhere is the needless repetition of the name of God. Nowhere is any attempt to ward off the devil. Nowhere is any flowery and fancy language to impress those who present with His advanced holiness.

In fact, there is almost nothing that sets this prayer apart from any other conversation Jesus has with any of His disciples elsewhere in the Gospels. His conversation with God sounds pretty much just like a conversation He might have with Peter, or Matthew, or John.

For Jesus, communicating with God was just like communicating with others. No special language was needed.

Conversational Prayer

And this brings us to what I think is the main thing we can learn from the prayer of Jesus in John 17.

As I read this prayer, it almost sounds as if the prayer is a small part of a much longer conversation He has been having with God for a very long time. As such, Jesus does not appear to have the need to fit everything in, follow a prayer outline, use any special language, remember any prayer requests, or even begin and end the prayer with a flowery introduction and conclusion.

He simply transitions from talking to His disciples to talking to God. One second He is looking at His disciples and speaking with them, and then next He is looking at God and speaking with Him. His tone and language and posture and even the content of what He is saying does not really change. For Jesus, prayer is just continuing a conversation with God.

When understood this way, prayer become much less of a mystery about how to pray and what to pray for and who can pray and where to pray, and much more like a conversation we have in everyday life.

If you can talk with a friend, you can talk to God. That is how Jesus prayed, and how we can pray too. I write a lot more about this in my book, What is Prayer?

Do you want to pray like never before?

Do you what to talk to God like you talk to a friend? Do you want to see more answers to prayer?

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Bibliology is Dangerous

By Jeremy Myers

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I am quite hesitant to begin blogging through my seminary class notes on Bibliology — the Study of the Bible.

Why?

Because Bibliology is dangerous. It lays traps and creates a labyrinth from which it is very hard to escape. I’ve been trapped in a certain Bibliology for about thirteen years, and in many ways, I feel I am just starting to escape. I would hate to trap anybody else. Of course, maybe I’m entering a new labyrinth and don’t even know it…

Let me back up….

The problem with Bibliology (and Systematic Theology in general) is that the questions it asks are loaded questions. In legal terms, the questions would be considered “leading the witness.” This is a dangerous thing to do when the “witness” is the Word of God.

Here is how Bibliology works:

A theologian (like a lawyer) wants to prove a certain point to the judge and jury. So to prove that point, he calls forward a witness which he views as the ultimate authority — Scripture, the very Word of God.

But the judge and jury are not ready to accept the authority of Scripture. They doubt the credibility of the witness. So the theologian has to back up and make an argument for the authority of Scripture. This is what Bibliology is. It is an attempt to prove the accuracy, authority, and credibility of Scripture.

[Read more…]

6 Ways to Pray Like a Leper (Luke 5:12-15)

By Jeremy Myers

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Ever struggle with what to pray for and how to pray? Learn a few lessons from the leper in Luke 5:12-15.

This man is full of leprosy, which means he has an advanced case. When he sees Jesus approaching, Luke 5:12 says he implored Jesus, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean.” Here are six things we learn from this simple request:

1. Recognize our condition. You come as a beggar, a leper, a nobody. You are not making an exchange with God. You have nothing to offer. Anything God grants is strictly by His grace and out of His love.

2. Implore. The leper “implored” Jesus. The word is very strong. It is more than a request. It is more than a prayer. It is all out pleading, a tearful and earnest begging. When used all by itself, it can be translated, “Please!” This is not a half-hearted prayer. This leper knows his need, and is not afraid to ask. He asks with all his energy and emotions. This is what it means to implore.

3. Ask Jesus. The leper doesn’t turn to another leper. He doesn’t turn to one of the apostles. He doesn’t even turn to the priest. He knows that none of them can help. He turns to Jesus. When we pray, we must turn to God alone. Jesus instructs us to pray to the Father (Matt 6:9), but this does not mean that we cannot pray to Jesus.

4. Ask humbly. The leper says, “If you are willing.” Though he is imploring, begging, pleading for Jesus to answer, he does not make demands. Again, this is due in part to his stance as a leper. He is not in a position to make demands. Today, when some pray, it seems like they are making demands of God. Some Christians even have the audacity to command God. They think this is praying with faith. I’m not sure God sees it that way.

5. Ask simply. There is no long, wordy explanation of why the leper is where he is at now, no attempt to “soften” Jesus up by telling Him how great and wonderful and awesome He is, no repetition of the name of Jesus. Just a simple, straight-forward, honest request.

6. Obey. After praying, the leper obeyed the instructions of Jesus. Prayer is not an end in itself. You cannot pray and think you have done your part, so now God must do His. No, you must often seek to be an answer to your own prayer. This does not mean we answer own prayers, but neither do we pray, then sit back, twiddle our thumbs, and wait for God to act.

Do you want to pray like never before?

Do you what to talk to God like you talk to a friend? Do you want to see more answers to prayer?

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Why you should try Praying the Psalms

The Psalms as Prayers

Conversations with God

Do you want to pray like never before?

How to Pray like Paul

The Prayers of Paul

Conversational Prayers of Paul

Do you want to pray like never before?

4 Tips on How to Pray like Jesus

The Structure of the Prayer

The Posture of the Prayer of Jesus

The Prayer Requests of Jesus

How Jesus Does Not Pray

Conversational Prayer

Do you want to pray like never before?

Bibliology is Dangerous

Here is how Bibliology works:

6 Ways to Pray Like a Leper (Luke 5:12-15)

Do you want to pray like never before?

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