Sunday, November 9, 1997 In Your Absence:
In this week's lesson, which came from John 14:12-14, 15:14-16, John 16:23-24, 26, and I John 5:13-15, we studied about the importance of praying in Jesus' name. Prayer is an important way for us to communicate with our Lord. However, as Jesus taught His disciples, our prayers need to be offered in accordance with some specific standards. The first is that we can and should pray as one who has faith in Christ and who is a partaker in His work. In James 4:1-3, the author, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote that our prayers are often not answered because we have prayed amiss, asking for things which bring ourselves satisfaction rather than praying as one who is involved in and interested in the Lord's work. Prayer should not be viewed as a vehicle for selfish gain. Instead, it should be recognized as a way in which we can acknowledge our Lord, Who He is, His work, our part in His work, and our need of Him to get that work done. My opinion is that too many people come to Christ with the false expectation that living for Him is supposed to be some kind of cakewalk. Scripture teaches me that living for Jesus involves presenting ourselves to Him as faithful, obedient servants.
The second important insight from this lesson about prayer is that we need to ask our petitions in Jesus' name. To me, the logic in this sort of two-pronged approach to prayer is undeniable. The Christian first commits him or herself to their Lord with the idea that that commitment will involve some kind of active service. Then, once the Christian is engaged in carrying out that particular service, his or her prayers will automatically and naturally be a reflection of that work. If we are committed to doing the Lord's will for our life and if He is equally committed to our doing His will and to glorifying our heavenly Father, then there is no reason for Him to ever close His ears to our petitions. What could be simpler? Even on those occasions when our prayers are not answered the way we would like, my opinion is that He will still give us peace with the results, regardless of what those results may be. In II Corinthians 12, when the Apostle Paul prayed about His thorn in the flesh, He did not get the exact answer for which he had sought, but He still found peace and contentment in the answer which he did get.
The messages of this week's lesson were clear. Jesus wants to be our Savior, He wants to be our Lord, and He wants to be our Friend. He wants us to enjoy the rich blessings of being actively involved in the ministry to which we have been called. He wants to figuratively hold our hand and let us be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit as we go about the daily task of trying to win others to Him. We live in a world where many people only care about themselves and about what they can amass for themselves. As Christians, let us turn away from the phony trappings of this world and instead turn to the rich blessings of serving Christ. The cry of the world is for its inhabitants to be self-motivated while the cry of Jesus is for us to be others-motivated. As you go through the coming week, let the Holy Spirit guide your heart and steps and let yourself be used as an instrument for His service.
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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