Prayer is a War-time Walkie Talkie

What follows is an excerpt from a sermon by John Piper (video found here). What makes Piper's comments intriguing and even compelling, is that they fly in the face of many of our (or at least my) conceptions of prayer.Maybe this is the bottom-line: In prayer, as in everything else, it is not about me. Its about God. Its about Jesus. Its about the cross. Its about the gospel. Its about us accomplishing God's mission for us and for the world. And as Piper says (see quote below) if we use prayer for something it wasn't designed for, it malfunctions.

"Prayer is a war-time walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom for ringing up the butler to change the thermostat. It is a war-time walkie-talkie to call in firepower because the enemy is greater than we are. If you try to turn this into a domestic intercom to bring another pillow, it malfunctions, and you wonder why. Its not made to be an intercom. Its made to be a war-time walkie-talkie" - John Piper

There are a few implications I haven't sorted through yet, but I really appreciate this perspective on prayer, because 1) it coincides closely with actual prayers in the Bible, 2) it removes any sense of selfishness from prayer, 3) it makes sense of passages like Jn 15:7,16 and Jm 4:1-3. Piper's imagery also helps solidify some other things: God's in command and has the over all plan / strategy. We are crucial to carrying out our assigned objective. If we are not carrying out our objective (building a bridge instead of blowing one up) or trying to carryout the objective some other way (taking out the bridge by throwing rocks at it because there are lots of rocks around and we are really good rock throwers) our prayers (more construction materials or more rocks to throw respectively) will not be answered.

I have one final thought that always tags along with prayer. We must know (or at least have a sense) of God's mission (globally, locally and personally) for our prayers to be effective. Is this a tall order? In one sense Yes. But in another sense No, because God's will in laid out in His Word. When we dive in and actually ask and seek and knock with the objective to know Him and what He wants to accomplish, He gladly lays it before us. Confusion is always from another source!

To God Alone be the Glory

The Gospel is Everything

“Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God. But by the knowledge of the gospel we are made children of God, brothers of Jesus Christ, fellow townsmen with the saints, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, heirs of God with Jesus Christ, by whom the poor are made rich, the weak strong, the fools wise, the sinner justified, the desolate comforted, the doubting sure, and slaves free. It is the power of God for the salvation of all those who believe …”  - John Calvin


Read the rest here.


To God Alone be the Glory

When You Don't Feel Like Praying

Transparency time. There many (too many) times when I don't feel like praying. And there I many more times my prayers are literally like water off a ducks back.But, God has used J.D. Greear's sermon I referenced in a previous post and now a blog post by Scotty Smith to remind me (again!) of how crucial and beautiful prayer is. Here is an excerpt from Smith's post

"It’s one of those days I’m glad the gospel is much more about your grasp of me than mygrip on you. It’s one of those days I’m grateful your delight in me is not contingent upon my delight in you.  It’s one of those days I’m very thankful for the prayer ministry of the Holy Spirit."

and

"And at this very moment your Spirit is praying inside of me—perfectly tuned into my needs and in total harmony with your will. I cannot measure the peace that brings. I surrender right now, Father. I gladly groan to your glory. I collapse on Jesus in this very moment. I will not waste any energy today in the paralysis of analysis, vain regrets, pretending or posing. I know you are at work for my good in all things, including in my unrest and uncertainty."

Read the whole thing here.

To God Alone be the Glory

I Will Rejoice in Doing Them Good

"I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul." Jer 32:41

I am on the continual quest to learn how to pray. I think this quest will continue until I finally learn in glory. But, recently I heard a compelling sermon that refreshed /  renewed / revised my way approaching prayer. Listen here. Out of several good observations, J.D. Greear's made one point that has struck home with me: "God delights to do good things for his children."

This truth, of course is grounded in the gospel. God has already given us the one really good gift, new life in Christ. We have been justified, purified, ransomed, and adopted. Because of all this, won't God also give us the relatively smaller things?

Perhaps the best way to frame the impact of the truth of this sermon is to say it has not so much changed my prayer requests as it has changed my attitude and approach in prayer. I still grasp and affirm God's sovereignty and I realize (at least as much as my sinful mind allows) the selfishness of many of my prayers. Yet in the midst of that, to view God not as a king or a president, to be petitioned nor as the IRS to be approached in just the right way nor as a vending machine / genie to get everything I've ever wanted, but rather as the best, perfect, truly loving Father who really wants what is best for us. Isn't that the point of Rom 8:28? Of course, it is his best for us, not necessarily our best for us that's in view.

So, as you pray, remember "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart" Jer 29:12-13

To God Alone be the Glory

Preaching the Gospel to Ourselves

The link below by Scotty Smith is a great reminder that the gospel is not just something that gets us into heaven. Rather it is everything. It is our means of salvation, but it is also our means of growth and what drives us and enables us to worship.  Here is an excerpt:

"There was a time when I thought the gospel was only for nonbelievers—simply the doorway for beginning a relationship with you. I now realize we believers need the gospel just as much as nonbelievers. From beginning to end, our redemption is entirely dependent upon the grace, truth, and power of the gospel. Indeed, there’s nothing more than the gospel, there is just more of the gospel.

Thank you for rescuing us from the notion that salvation is primarily death preparation. It’s about coming to life and it concerns the whole of life. It’s about becoming like you, Jesus—one Day being as beautiful and loving as you. It’s about deliverance from our little stories of personal peace and affluence, that we might serve in your big story of pan-national and cosmic redemption. What a privilege and honor!"

Read it all here.

To God Alone be the Glory