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Hi friends, peace be with you. Let’s continue to discuss the topic of devotions, which is our fellowship with God, a way to draw close to God through Bible reading and prayer.
The writer of this series, Rev. Caleb Su, shared that God spoke to him and called him through Joshua 1:9. When he knelt and asked God to show him the path ahead, God moved and asked him to acquire theological training in Indonesia. Rev. Su was afraid because he is Chinese-educated and to study in Indonesia means he had to learn Indonesian first. Then he answered, “I’m afraid!” and the Holy Spirit responded, “Do not be afraid, I am with you.” This is the verse found in Joshua 1:9.
According to Rev. Su, the voice came directly to his ears. Upon hearing, he opened his eyes and looked around but he saw no one around. He said to the Lord, “Oh Lord, is that Your Word? Is that Your voice? If so, I am willing to obey.” The moment he said, “I am willing to obey”, there was an unspeakable peace within his heart - a peace he has never experienced for a second time. That’s what God gave him directly by the Holy Spirit - a joy without derivation.
When we read the Bible, God puts His Word in our hearts. If there is no prompting in the moment, the Holy Spirit can speak to us through that passage in the future. This is the benefit of Bible reading: you hear His voice and you know His will. God speaks to us as we read the Scripture continually.
We fellowship with Him through prayer and we hear God’s voice speaking to us through prayer. This kind of mutual fellowship is essential and indispensable for our spiritual growth.
Sometimes, we’re afraid to pray! Some brothers and sisters who attend Bible study classes would pass a note in advance through others to not ask them to pray. But, prayer is truly simple; it is a natural response from within the heart. For instance, one day when I was arriving home, my child who was several months old, suddenly called to me, “Dad!” Wow! I was thrilled that he finally articulated “Dad”, that’s wonderful! Likewise, we are spiritually newborn babies who can respond or speak to God through very simple words.
The Content of Prayer
As we grow older, the content of our conversation between father and son becomes broader and deeper. What should a Christian express when praying? What should the content of our prayer be?
Revelation 4:9-11 say, “Whenever the living creatures give glory, honour and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
This passage emphasizes the great importance to worship and praise in prayer. God is our Creator, the Almighty God, and our Redeemer who saves us; hence, we are to give all glory and praise to Him. In other words, when we come to God, we respond as a created being. This is a natural way to offer worship and praise.
In Luke 18:13-14, it says, “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” This clearly states that man is to come before God with confession and repentance. In the presence of the Holy God, we ought to confess any sins we have committed, whether they are visible deeds or hidden faults in our hearts, we should make known to Him and by doing so, delighting God. Do not hide in the presence of the Holy God, and do not say you are innocent. Martin Luther said, “We are sinners, yet righteous; we are righteous, yet sinners.” In other words, we are justified in Christ, but we will still offend God and people in the rest of our lives. Therefore, we need to confess our sins, repent and renew every day. This is the necessary second part of the prayer content.
In Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Thanksgiving is to thank God for His loving-kindness and to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving in return. You and I must not regard God as a milk cow, merely asking Him for what we want without being thankful.
For instance, if someone sees you and borrows money. And he returns the following week and borrows money again saying his father is ill; then on the third week, he asks again saying his mother is hospitalised. And on the fourth week, again he asks. If this happens, you would not like to see him again.
Contrarily, if he sees you after the first week and says, “Thank you for your help last week. My father’s condition has shown improvement. I will return part of the money I borrowed next week.” You will be comforted by his words because your help indeed helped him. You see his gratefulness.
Similarly, we should also thank God when we come to Him — thank Him for the salvation in Jesus Christ, the daily supply in life and the extra protection of grace in many mishaps. Hence, thankfulness is a basic and noble sentiment that a person should have as a spiritual expression to God.
In James 5:16, it says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” The book of James reminds us that intercession is very important, which is an expression of love in the body of Christ, pleasing to God, and we believe that our intercession is powerful and effective. Therefore, intercession is a personal expression of love for brothers and sisters. If you love someone, you will intercede for him/her. When you intercede for someone whom you do not like, you will find that your relationship with that person will soon improve.
Matthew 7:7-8 say, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” We can pray and tell God everything we need. A request allows us to experience God more, and inspire our prayer life because our prayers are answered. Hence, we are not merely asking for others but also for ourselves.
Faith - the Fundamental Requirement
Jesus said in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Does this mean what we pray for will be answered?
The basic requirement for prayer is faith, which is also an important factor in our communication with others. When we come to God, we must believe that He rewards those He delights in. Nonetheless, this does not mean that God will answer all prayers made in faith; otherwise, God’s sovereignty is bound by the faith of man, that is to say, man’s faith controls God’s actions. The idea that as long as I have faith, God cannot help but listen to my requests and respond accordingly is not the teaching in the Bible. Some prayers and supplications are not according to God’s will.
Unanswered Prayer
What prayers are not answered? This includes, first, asking amiss. James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Asking amiss is a request that is not in line with God’s will. In other words, it is to satisfy one's own desire, not for the glory of God. God cannot accept such a self-centred petition.
Secondly, cherished sin in my heart. In Psalm 66:18, it says, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” If I pray and want God’s blessing to do something that displeases Him, obviously I have the wrong motive. Contrarily, we should confess our sins first, repent to God, before coming before God in prayer.
Thirdly, God’s timing. Luke 18:1 says, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” And Daniel 10:12-13 say, “Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me because I was detained there with the king of Persia.” At times, God wants us to wait. Daniel prayed on the first day, but he only got a response 21 days later. There is spiritual warfare in heaven when we pray. We have to pray persistently and not be discouraged — we need to pray to defeat the evil, to overcome ourselves and to glorify the name of the Lord. Therefore, let us utter the voice of triumphant prayer and look up to God.
Lastly, it is not easy to remain faithful to the Lord for a whole lifetime. In our spiritual life, the difficulties and challenges require “perseverance”. To persevere, besides faith, our encounters with God are sources of motivation. Therefore, let us experience God constantly in our life and devotions so that we can pray to God persistently and also read His Word to discover His will and fellowship with Him.
Thank you for staying with us today.
