Temporary Hiatus

Due to an unbelievable load this semester for my PhD my posts at this site will be sparse over the next few months. I hope to get back into the swing by May, and until then I will look to post when possible.

Prayer and Fervency

The most well known text of Scripture combining prayer and passion is found in James 5:16- “The effective [or fervent] prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” E. M. Bounds, in his chapter on this topic, makes an excellent point regarding the fervency we need to be pray in an effective manner.

To be absorbed in God’s will, to be so greatly in earnest about doing it that our whole being takes fire, is the qualifying condition of the man who would engage in effectual prayer.” (35)

This kind of engagement with reading God’s Word, seeing His will plainly, and seeking to be absorbed in doing it will lead to fervent prayer, both as a means of attaining this kind of lifestyle as well as a result of being so caught up with the things of God. And lest we mistake the reality of it, the will of God is that which is expressed in the Scriptures, specifically our sanctification or growth in Christ-likeness (Eph 5:17; 1 Thess 4:3; 5:16-18). And, to avoid another categorical error, this being absorbed with doing God’s will does not lead to self-absorption, but rather a passion to love God, serve others, and live in such a way as to make the glory of God go public throughout the world.

If our ultimate desire as Christians is to know God and make Him known for the glory of His name and the joy of our souls, it will require a deep-seated passion that is rooted in the truth of Scripture and expressing itself through obedient, fervent, faith-filled prayer. May we be red-hot in our devotion to God and may this come through in our prayers to Him.

True Worship

The fuel of worship is a true vision of the greatness of God;

the fire that makes the fuel burn white hot is the quickening of the Holy Spirit;

the furnace made alive and warm by the flame of truth is our renewed spirit;

and the resulting heat of our affections is powerful worship, pushing its way out in confessions, longings, acclamations, tears, songs, shouts, bowed heads, lifted hands, and obedient lives.

—Desiring God, 25th anniversary ed. (Multnomah, 2011), p. 82 (my emphasis).

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Prayer and Faith (continued)

A couple more thoughts today from E. M. Bounds on the topic of prayer and faith.

What an era of glorious achievements would dawn for the church and the world, if only there could be reproduced a race of saints of like mighty faith, of like wonderful praying! It is not the intellectually great that the church needs; nor is it men of wealth that the times demand. It is not people of great social influence that this day requires. Above everybody and everything else, it is men of faith, men of mighty prayer, men and women after the fashion of the saints and heroes enumerated in Hebrews, who ‘obtained a good report through faith,’ that the church and the whole world of humanity needs.” (20)

This is certainly not to disparage the need for intellectual pursuits in the Christian life, nor to disregard those who have been blessed by God with financial resources. The point is that our knowledge of the Word and abundance (or lack) of resources should drive us to our knees before God as we know Him better and see His provision. The Word of God was given that we might know God and relate to Him through prayer.

The pastor who succeeds in changing his people from a prayerless to a prayerful people, has done a greater work than did Augustus in changing a city from wood to marble. And after all this is the prime work of the preacher…His main business is to turn them from being forgetful of God, and from being devoid of faith, from being prayerless, so that they become people who habitually pray, who believe in God, remember him, and do his will. (21)

For those in ministry, this is a needful reminder. May we concentrate our efforts on faithfully teaching the Word of God, shepherding His people, and praying for them while also leading them to pray fervently.

Whatever It Takes

Jon Bloom recently had a tremendous yet daunting post over at Desiring God. To me it is so helpful I wanted to reproduce it here in its entirety and challenge all of us to treasure conformity to the image of Christ (Rom 8:28-29) over any temporal comfort this life can offer.

When visiting my mother recently I was leafing through a well-known magazine and came across an article about a well-known actress who is a professing Christian. The article described her vibrant faith and the role of prayer in her life. I was encouraged by her cultivation of constant prayerfulness. I want to grow in that too.

But the comment that stuck with me was, “I know not to beg [God] for patience, because then he gives me situations in which I have to grow more patient; I learned that lesson!”

God bless her honesty. Over the years many earnest Christians have said similar things to me. Ask God to make you more godly and what happens? You get more difficulty, more struggle, and more pain. Who wants that?

The answer is: we should! Not the pain for its own sake, of course. But if the discipline of pain produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11), we should plead for the discipline. If it means we will be more like him, more deeply know him, be freer from fearful unbelief, and have more capacity to love others, we should beg for it. “Love is patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4). If we don’t want more patience, what does that say about our view of love?

And what’s the alternative? Shallow love? Half-heartedness? Do we want this description by C. S. Lewis’s to always be true of us?

It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased” (The Weight of Glory).

No! Let’s not be so easily pleased! Let’s not be afraid to ask God to do “whatever it takes” to bring him the greatest glory and us the deepest joy. Let’s really “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Let’s want the Prize!

Oh Father, whatever it takes, increase our love by increasing our patience! Whatever it takes, increase our delight in you! Whatever it takes, align our rogue desires with yours! Whatever it takes teach us to trust you more! And free us to pray these things! In Jesus’ name, amen.

I do understand our actress sister from the magazine, believe me. God does answer these kinds of prayers. I know it from experience and the discipline is often painful. But what I have tasted of God and his promises during these times are so precious I wouldn’t trade them for the world. And I want more. So I keep praying “whatever it takes,” even with some trembling.

Today Jesus is asking you, “What do you want me to do for you” (Luke 18:41)? Don’t be afraid. Ask (Luke 11:9)! “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”
(Luke 12:32).

Prayer and Faith

So a new semester of PhD work is nearly upon me, and with that comes little time to think about much else. Other guys have greater capacity to do a variety of things effectively, but I find that I must stay focused on a few things to do them well. As such, I want to continue blogging, but for the next several months plan on sharing excerpts from a book that is having a profound impact on my life. That work is entitled The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer. Bounds was a 19th century pastor who dedicated the last years of his life to itinerant preaching and intense prayer. There is much we can learn from this man as it relates to the ministry of prayer, every page contains great wisdom and exhortation. The following excerpts come from his first chapter relating prayer and faith. As time allows I hope to also add some commentary to these excerpts, but my prayer is that we would all be affected and driven to fervent prayer that comes from a righteous heart.

“Faith does the impossible because it brings God to undertake for us, and nothing is impossible with God.” (13)

“The faith which creates powerful praying is the faith which centers itself on a powerful person. Faith in Christ’s ability to do and to do greatly is the faith which prays greatly.” (14)

“A praying faith keeps the commandments of God and does those things which are well pleasing in his sight…Obedience helps faith, and faith, in turn, helps obedience. To do God’s will is essential to true faith, and faith is necessary to implicit obedience.” (15)

“Faith does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honored; it takes God at his Word, and lets him take what time he chooses in fulfilling his purposes, and in carrying on his work. There is bound to be much delay and long days of waiting for true faith, but faith accepts the conditions–knows there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards such delays as times of testing, in which, it is privileged to show its mettle, and the stern stuff of which it is made.” (15)

Call Others to Imitate You

I just read a stirring post on Justin Taylor’s blog and had to post it here. Taylor writes, “Gospel-centered discipleship employs both show and tell. In his little book From the Resurrection to His Return: Living Faithfully in the Last Days (Christian Focus), D. A. Carson asks: “Do you ever say to a young Christian, ‘Do you want to know what Christianity is like? Watch me!’ If you never do, you are unbiblical.”

Paul tells his readers numerous times in Scripture “Imitate me and my Christian faith” (1 Cor 4:15-17; 1 Cor 11:1; Phil 3:17; Phil 4:9; 2 Thess 3:7-9; 2 Tim 3:10-11). This is a command we often ignore, and many times out of a good heart as it seems arrogant to say such a thing. However, it may be that we simply do not feel worthy to make such an exhortation to other people due to the lack we see in our own Christian walk. We are not perfect, and neither was Paul, but God is looking for seasoned disciples to lead others not just by word but also by deed. Exhortation and example.

Read the rest here, and be challenged to live a God-centered, grace-driven, Spirit-filled life that, though imperfect, by God’s grace is worthy of imitation.