COMMENT - Urgent Prayer
(Bible Study - May 2003)
Each of us knows that consistent prayer to the Father is essential in a believer’s life for spiritual health. Each of us may also feel that prayer, by its very nature, should be fervent. We are speaking to the all-powerful Creator of the universe and we are His creation. How could our speaking to Him be anything else but fervent at all times? But as humans, that’s a problem.
When we try to put these two aspects of prayer together – consistent and fervent -- we run into the limitations of our nature. Consistent, fervent prayer is difficult for us. There’s no two ways about it! Either our prayers become inconsistently fervent or sporadic. You can demonstrate this characteristic to yourself on your computer. Type out a page of text, something that you think is important, and then bold-face the whole thing. What’s the effect? When everything is bold then nothing is bold. Sometimes we get this with our speakers. When everything is emphasized in their talk, then nothing’s emphasized! Our senses are easily lulled to sleep by sameness, and that’s the problem with being consistently fervent in our prayers. We simply can’t maintain it over the long term.
Urgent times, urgent prayer
There are times, however, when our prayers are urgent and indeed, must be
urgent. Situations arise in our lives -- serious illness, accident, one of
our family members losing faith, a marriage or ecclesia that is falling
apart, some sin which entangles us – when our prayers will naturally be
urgent and more fervent than at other times. We should not be terribly
disappointed with ourselves when this happens. We might think of ourselves
as fair-weather Christians and strongly criticize ourselves, “Only when I
need God urgently do I pray fervently to Him. Where was my fervent prayer
last week before this situation arose?” If this is the way we feel, we
need to take comfort in the fact that God knows our limitations and is very
receptive to urgent prayers when we come to a point of crisis. Examples
abound in the Bible illustrating this is so.
Urgent prayer in Judges
The cycle we find in the book of Judges is a case in point. Consider Judges
3:
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother (Jdg. 3:7-9).
This cycle repeats several times. Yet, although the trials which came upon Israel were of their own making, when they cried unto God at the height of their tribulation, He was entreated of them and delivered them.
Solomon’s prayer
The same concept is integral to the prayer of Solomon at the dedication of
the temple. Solomon specifically asks God to hear Israel in times of great
distress:
If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be: Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house: Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men) (II Chron. 6:28-30).
And God assures Solomon that if the people pray in such distress, “Mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place” (II Chron. 7:13-15).
A
general principle
When we look carefully in the Scriptures, we find that these situations are
not exceptional. Our Heavenly Father invites us to pray to Him in our
distress: “…call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and
thou shalt glorify me” (Psa. 50:15). He tells us that when troubles
come our way, He will be there with us. “He shall call upon me, and I
will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and
honour him” (Psa. 91:15).
This is the major theme of Psalm 106 and 107, repeated over and over again. It is the means by which natural Israel will finally be redeemed. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God” (Zechariah 13:9).
God desires our urgent prayer and there is no shame in turning to God when there is no one else to turn to. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (I Pet. 5:6).
Father and friend
What should our urgent prayers consist of? Isn’t it reasonable that the
content of our prayers should reflect the relationship that we have with our
God and be consistent with examples of such prayers in the Bible? In our
relationship with the God of the universe, we are prone to forget that He
wishes to be known as our Father.
These ideas are not contradictory. The scriptures makes it very evident that the almighty God desires us to be His friend. Despite the fact that our friendship requires a deep humility on our part, in recognition of our position, friendship is still the scriptural term that is used. What does Jesus say? “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:14). Here are the two parts of the relationship; a realization of our position and responsibility, but also an intimacy that is best described as friendship. Jesus was the perfect reflection of the mind of his Father and so we can expect that the same relationship is desired by the Father as well.
Look at a major character in the Bible and consider the way his relationship with God is described. “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God” (James 2:23). If we are part of Abraham’s faithful seed, shouldn’t our relationship be like Abraham’s?
Are we surprised to find at the end of the Revelation that it is God’s purpose to dwell with men? “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Rev. 21:3). God is our friend and as long as we also know our position before Him, doesn’t it make sense that, when we are appealing to Him, the form of our conversation should be on that basis?
We are tempted too often to let the majesty and purity of God and our own lowly position override the fact that we are talking to our friend. In the case of urgent prayer, this may lead us to a timidity of expression and thought that does not give full expression to our close relationship with the Father and it may actually dampen the fervor of our pleas.
Abraham’s plea
How did men of the Bible deal with urgent prayer? Is it consistent with a
relationship that is based on friendship? Take for example the prayer of
Abraham recorded in Genesis 18. In verse 20 and 21, Abraham is told of the
intent of the angels to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Here was
an urgent situation. Abraham knew that his beloved nephew, Lot, was in one
of those cities and the rest of the chapter records his urgent pleas for the
life of “that righteous man.”
We might not have considered this interchange to be a prayer, because it takes the form of a conversation between Abraham and the angel of the Lord. But the two parties in conversation are clearly noted. Verse 22 tells us, without doubt, that it was Abraham talking to God. Of course, God was manifested by His angel but it was God talking. Consider Abraham’s prayer:
“And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:23-25).
Look at the way Abraham voices his plea for Lot. First he reminds God that Lot is righteous. Next he politely points out that it would not be right to destroy the righteous with the wicked and he does that four times! Then he reminds God that He should do the right thing. That isn’t the end of it as we know. In the next few verses, Abraham negotiates an agreement with God that He will not destroy the cities for the sake of ten righteous persons.
Hezekiah’s prayer
In the midst of a severe illness, Isaiah told Hezekiah he would die.
“Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
and said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before
thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in
thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore” (Isa. 38:1-3).
What is common to the urgent prayers of Abraham and Hezekiah? Both men remind God that it is not right to kill righteous men. Both men presume to call men righteous. Abraham puts Lot in that category and Hezekiah puts himself in that category. What is it about these two men that makes them think they can tell God about the righteousness of a man when the Son of God wouldn’t even allow himself to be called good? Finally, both men are not afraid to show the earnestness of their concern by negotiating with God in the case of Abraham or weeping sore in the case of Hezekiah.
In both of these prayers the stated intention of God was put aside as these two men appealed to the character of God to argue against His decision. In effect, these men stated that they knew that God would do right and then they provided reasons why His stated intention was not right.
Why didn’t God dismiss their appeals as presumptuous? Surely it was their friendship with Him.
Note how God reacts. In Abraham’s case, His response was immediate and without recrimination. “You want me to spare the cities for the sake of fifty on down to ten? That’s fine. I’ll do it.” No mention of Abraham’s questioning God’s conduct. What about Hezekiah? “Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years” (Isa. 38:4-5). No hesitation! No words of correction! God just grants his prayer. But that’s not all! In the next few verses we find that not only does God grant a fifteen year extension to Hezekiah’s life, but He is also going to deliver Jerusalem from the hand of Assyria.
Guidance for us
From these examples, we must see that God desires us to speak with Him as we
would with a friend. Without losing sight of our position and His
perfection, we must point out to Him in our prayers that we do not
understand the urgent situation that has come upon us or one of our brothers
and sisters or our ecclesia. We must talk over with Him where we see
inconsistencies between what is happening and His character. We must bring
before Him all of the evidence of righteousness that we see in the case
before us. We must presume on His mercy and beg for it, allowing our
emotions to run freely.
He has told us that He will be with us in our trouble (Psalm 91). He understands what we are going through and He understands that “...no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb. 12:11).
If we really believe these things, and if we really believe we are His friends, then our urgent prayers should reflect these beliefs.
Jim Robinson