Trying to understand the Trinity

There are a lot of things I do not understand about God. I know a little bit, and I'm learning a little bit more, but at the end of the day, I can only say this: 

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor?”

“Or who has given a gift to him

that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36) 

When it comes to understanding God, one question that I have mulled over lately is the question of the Trinity. Exactly how does that work? The only thing I know for sure about the Trinity is that God understands it, while I do not. I can hardly wrap my brain around God existing for eternity, let alone God existing for eternity as one God yet three distinct Persons. If my brain could ever literally explode from confusion, the Trinity would be the reason. 

However, I do have some confused and rambling thoughts about the Trinity. 

Calvin among others has said that Jesus is "God from Himself", because one of the early creeds said that Jesus is God from God - that is, begotten by the Father from eternity. The argument there is that to suggest He gets His "Godness" from the Father is essentially diminishing Him to the level of a sub-deity. One of the foundational attributes of God is that He must exist from Himself, without relying on anyone else. 

Yet I think that whole argument misses the concept of the Trinity! God is one God, in three Persons. It is diminishing to the Trinity to suggest that any Person could exist without any other. All Persons of the Trinity together make up God. This One God cannot exist without the three Persons. 

The Son is eternally begotten by the Father. The Son therefore needs the Father. The Father also needs the Son. The Father is not the Father without the Son, just as the Son is not the Son without the Father. The Spirit likewise proceeds from the Father. The Spirit would not be the Spirit without the Father. The Father would not be the Father without the Spirit. The Son likewise. Make sense at all? 

The Trinity is God in unity, perfect in existence, power, will and authority. The persons are distinct, but not so distinct that they could exist without one another. I think that in all our meditation upon the Trinity, we should remember to balance the two. God is One, but three Persons. The three Persons are distinct, but one God, unified in love, faithfulness, dedication, and purpose. God works in perfect unity with Himself in all things, including our salvation, adoption, redemption and glorification. Amazing!

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

Different Perspectives

A few months ago, I asked some friends a question about a passage in Psalm 19. It fascinated me how different their answers were. God leads each of His children along a different road, creating unique characters, building distinct perspectives, yet all being crafted more and more towards Christlikeness. We can see many things differently, or have a contrasting "take" when it comes to one subject or another. I love to echo the praise found in Scripture when it says, "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" (Ps. 139)

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-11)

Me: There's a lot of interesting stuff in this short passage. What jumps out at you from these verses?

CP: The fear of the Lord is clean. No threat, no condemnation. More of a reverent fear than a fear of pain or punishment. The purest definition of 'awesome' that there can be. Jaw dropping wow. And IT DOESN'T STOP, EVER.

ZS: ‎"More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb." How much do we desire the ways of the Lord? Are His ways gold to us? Personally, I need to do a better job at that. Desire His ways, His word, His fellowship.

JL: "The law of the LORD is perfect" We all know this to be true, but it is always good to see where in scripture that it shows that we should never doubt God's laws and word.

SGB: What amazes me is that God rewards us for finding and serving him, when because he's so perfect and amazing serving him should be enough reward in itself. But no, he adds to it with a refreshed soul, wisdom, a joyful heart, and a new way to see the world just to name a few. I love the passion of this passage, and how in love with God the writer is: it reminds me of my "first love".

BP: ‎"The commandment of the Lord is pure..." is slightly amazing.. it's funny and awe-inspiring to think that we don't even truly understand the meaning of the word 'pure'; everything we've ever known except for God Himself has been tainted in some way. Nothing besides Him is totally as it should be.

~

Thanks, everyone, for your answers! Now, a question for you, Reader: what jumps out at you from Psalm 19:7-11? 

The Gadarenes

Imagine being self-destructive, full of demons, bound, alone and injurious. Imagine that people have tried to subdue you, but they have not the strength to contend. Imagine crying out night and day, seeking relief from the constant emotional and spiritual pain inflicted by this Legion within. 

Imagine seeing Jesus from afar. Imagine the Legion within you carrying you to His feet, falling down before Him, and begging Him to leave. Who is this Jesus, that His very presence torments the demons, but they cannot help but bow down? 

Imagine hearing this man Jesus say to the demons, "come out of him!" Is it possible? Could you finally be free? The demons beg not to leave the country, though they are bargaining because they know they can no longer stay in you. Is it possible? 

Imagine the feeling. Freedom. Being self-controlled, finally in your right mind, clothed and sitting. At peace. Finally, finally at peace. Breathe that in. 

Imagine Jesus turning to leave. This man who has freed you, this great man who has sent out the demons - a Legion of demons, obeying His word - He is leaving. 

As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:18-19)

In a way, this man's life-change is a picture of our own. We are not all possessed by demons in such a way, we are not all so physically self-destructive, but in many ways our salvation is just as drastic. Jesus comes. Jesus calls. His word is obeyed. He rescues us from our self-destruction, our calloused hearts, our darkened minds. He opens our eyes and replaces our heart of stone with a heart of flesh. He frees us from the bonds of Satan. He redeems us so that we are no longer under the wrath of God. 

Like this man, I just want to be with Jesus. I understand and connect with what Paul says here:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. (Philippians 1:21-26)

Yet look at what Jesus did - in fact, what Jesus did not do. He did not permit the man to follow Him. The man wanted to be in Jesus' presence, to follow Him, to live the rest of His life at the feet of Christ, and Jesus said no. He says no to us as well, while we wait here in the hope for His return. Someday, someday, I will find that man of the Gadarenes, and I will hug him and I will go with him to bow at the feet of the Saviour Who has said, "not yet," but Who has also said, "behold, I am coming soon." In the meantime, our calling is much the same as it is for every believer:

"Go home to your friends and 

tell them how much the Lord has done for you, 

and how he has had mercy on you." 

The full extent of grace

To see the full extent of grace, sometimes I have to look at the full extent of sin. My mind works in contrasts a lot. It helps me to learn and to grow - especially when the contrasts are concerning something so utterly relevant and definitive to my life and the way I live it.

For me, the full extent of sin is seen not only in the sinful acts I do, but it is seen in my capacity to sin. Even where I do not sin, when I choose to control myself and not allow the temptation to pull me in, the very fact of my contemplating the sin even for a moment condemns me. My mind is sinful. I find sin attractive. It is an option for me.  I am tempted to sin all the time. I relate to temptation. I consider the possibility of acting in sin. I weigh the pros and cons of sinning. My very consideration is a mark against me.

Jesus never considered sin as an attractive possibility. To sin was a concept so foreign and disgusting to Him that He immediately responded to Satan's tempting with righteousness. Satan sought to tempt Him just as he tempts us. The intent of the tempter remains the same in all cases. Satan wants people to fall, to sin, to deny God. Especially, I think, the Son of God incarnate. I imagine he was trying his devious best at that point.

In Christ, there was no connection. Jesus was completely without sin. Satan could not relate. He sought to tempt Jesus, to see Jesus fall, and found no hold. Jesus was sinless, perfectly righteous, perfectly good. Just as the volume of my sinfulness is basically limitless, so too is the volume of Christ's righteousness, of His goodness.

It is beautiful then for me to think of my own atrocious worthlessness, and then look away from my self (knowing full well that I can find no way out of sinfulness on my own) to my Saviour. The full extent of grace is that Jesus was willing to die for sinners, sinners so fully entrenched in their sin that they are ignorant of the depths. He was willing to take the full extent of our sin upon Himself, and bear it all, and die for it. He was willing to transfer to me all of His righteousness. I don't even understand that. It brings tears to my eyes to think of all that Jesus endured, and all that He has given to me, in spite of who I was. Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!

Praying in Jesus' Name

What does it mean to pray “In Jesus’ name”? 

I remember when I was younger, I used to finish off prayers with a hasty "Jesus' name, amen". It didn't even register in my mind what those words actually meant. It was just the postscript, the Prayer Finisher. These were the words that let everyone else know you were finished praying. How ignorant I was! Thank God that by His far-reaching mercy, He even hears the prayers of the weak and the foolish. 

I think praying in Jesus' name means acknowledging that we have no self-grown merit before God; but we trust in the promises and sacrifice of Jesus, so we have the confidence to come before the throne of God our Father. This confidence is based solely on what Christ has done for us, and the righteousness He has attributed to us. To pray in the name of the Saviour means remembering how we are even praying to the glorious, holy God in the first place. 

If we pray in Jesus’ name, we must pray for what He would pray for. He will not be our representative in praying for sinful, selfish things. To pray in Jesus' name means to pray for His will to be done, for His Word to be spoken, and for His character to be shown rather than our own. Asking according to His will means praying within the bounds of what He has revealed His will to be. To pray like that means we must be representatives of Jesus' requests. When I pray in Jesus' name, when I say those words, they remind me that my whole life is submitted to the will of my Saviour and Lord. I do not always understand what He is doing in my life, but I know that I can trust Him, and that He will keep me, and that no one can snatch me out of His hand. 

To pray the way Jesus would pray means praising God for His holiness. He is perfect, He is light and in Him is no darkness at all. This means that He will never do anything evil or wrong. Because He is good, we can trust that what He orchestrates for our lives is good.  

It means praying that God would grow and strengthen His kingdom. It means praying for the souls of men, all the while knowing it is God Who moves hearts and awakens souls. 

It means praying God's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven - that is, God's will being perfectly experienced, eliciting the praise God deserves for His perfect mercy. We will not experience God's will perfectly until Christ returns, for we are still debilitated by sin. Yet this prayer asks, "amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" This prayer looks forward in hope to the Lord's return, and lives in the light of that promise. 

It means praying that God would provide, recognizing that it is God Who provides your daily needs, whether bread, or life and breath and everything.

It means seeking forgiveness from God, and living in the light of the forgiveness found in Christ by expressing forgiveness to those who have wronged you. 

It means asking the Lord to keep you from temptation, acknowledging that He has the power to deliver us from evil. It means knowing that God will not let us suffer anything beyond our endurance (1 Corinthians 10:13).

It means declaring God to be the Sovereign Lord, the Owner and Ruler of the kingdom, the Possessor of omnipotent power...and all glory belongs to Him exclusively. The Lord in Whose name we pray is able to hear and to answer our prayers. The Lord in Whose name we pray intercedes for us Himself before the Father. We can trust Him. We can seek Him. We can ask Him. 

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (1 John 5:14-15)

A new view...

Well, my curiosity gets the best of me sometimes.

I'm trying a new blog look - one of their "Dynamic Views".

The only problem is, I've lost all my sidebar things. My blog list, my recent posts, my archive, all of it.

I'm not sure I like that.

I'm not sure I can recover them, either. However, I may keep it and make a new page for my Blog List.

What do you  think of this new setup?

Offer him there

Genesis 22 (select verses):

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”


He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac.


When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.


But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 

It always makes me cry to think of being in Abraham's shoes. Imagine being asked by the God you love to give up - more than that, to kill yourself - the son you love. God tests Abraham's obedience. Abraham obeys the Lord, believing God will provide His own offering. Abraham believes that God keeps His promises, so he is willing to obey, knowing that God could even raise Isaac, his promised son, from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). Abraham is committed to his God.

Just before Abraham slaughters his beloved son, God intervenes and blesses Abraham. God provides a ram as a substitute. I always think of the relief and joy Abraham must have felt, receiving his son back, being blessed by God.

Part of the reason this passage brings me to tears is that God spared Abraham's son, but did not spare His own Son. God offered Him there on the cross. Jesus was sacrificed for our sake. Jesus knew, just as the Father knew, what was required for sinful men to be reconciled to God. Upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace. 

A guest post and something of a milestone

With this post, the number of blogs published will be 300. I received comment number 600 this morning. Thank you to all who have stuck with me through the years, patiently waiting until I posted something, encouraging me with your comments...I have been blessed by you, as I hope you have been blessed by what I have written. 

Anyway, I figured that since this is a milestone, kind of a special post, what better way to celebrate that than by sharing a post from a good friend of mine! Thanks Jarred. :) 

Inspiration through a conversation with my friend Andy and an x-ray.

I was at my chiropractor’s office today to get an x-ray of my hips. The idea was to see the condition of the hip sockets, especially the right one. Basically there is cartilage which separates the head of the femur and the socket. This allows for functional movement of the head without rubbing the interior bone. The problem presented in arthritis is that cartilage deteriorates and when that happens, the bones begin to touch and grind.

He looked at the x-ray and smirked at me when I pressed him for his opinion and said, “basically it’s the hip of a 65 or 70 year old.” (He’s been right there with me since the beginning of my health condition, and we are friends, hence the informality.) He went on to inform me that it could be worse, since there still is some cartilage present. And, the cool thing is that there are so many advancing techniques and methods of improving problems such as this. For instance he continued, Payton Manning flew over into Europe for a therapy which is currently not approved for use in the US. This therapy seeks to stimulate the growth of new cells, which could allow doctors to replenish lost cartilage. Though unsuccessful for him at this point, the work is out there.. Quite impressive and hopeful for anyone suffering from a debilitating problem.

Later on in the day as I pondered our conversation and my current situation, I had to enjoy the moment. I was walking out of Dominicks back to the car when I introduced a gloomy thought to myself, something to the effect of how horrible life is since I can’t do something simple like just start running. (Being an impact type of movement, it would cause undue force on the problem area.) As my strong arms lifted and lowered my body down into the driver’s seat, I began to smile. How stupid is it to look at a group of activities that I would love to do and get down in the dumps over it, when I have such a host of undeniable blessings? I mean for crying out loud, five years ago at this time, my right leg was 100% incapacitated. I couldn’t move it for fear of excruciating pain. I had to sleep in a recliner that friends from church loaned us. My mom had to tuck me in each night, complete with strategically placing pillows under knees and lower legs and covering me up with a blanket. I can remember a time when I could barely maneuver with my crutches from my recliner across the room, past the kitchen table to the bathroom, or having to sit on a stool in the shower. Now contrast that to me walking out of the store, all by myself, confidently moving across the parking lot to the car which I drove, hop in, turn up the radio loud, and drive into the setting sun. How incredibly blessed I am! I can feel and think. I can see that beautiful sunset. I can hear the music which I so adore. My awesome foot that doesn’t swell anymore can perfectly slap the gas pedal.

But that isn’t what I started out to say.. Back to the fact that I have a 70 year old’s hip. It struck me that that means I have the experiences of a 70 year old. I can think and feel like a 70 year old, somebody who knows what it feels like to have enjoyed tough sports in years past, those long bike rides through the woods or the 6 hours spent playing volleyball with friends. But at the same instant, someone who knows what it feels like to have incapability, not because of a lack of practice, but because of years of physical turmoil and consequent damage.

But I’m not an old man, I have the heart and desires of a 23 year old man. So somewhere in that weird mix, I believe a huge blessing is hiding. A blessing called perspective, or perhaps insight. I am so like my peers, and yet I have both limitations and perspectives which make me so different. Sometimes I catch glimpses of the opportunity for a beautiful future. Other times I cry and hurt because of the past and present. But in all, I strive to live. I truly believe God has given me the gift of unending desire for life- survival. And I sincerely hope that some day the purpose for this will be before me and that perhaps I will have the opportunity to use those perspectives and insights in such a way to bring satisfaction to my life and glory to my Father. I think there are two things which give me the hope that I contain: my blessing of survival and the anticipation of God’s planned out future for me.

The ties that bind us to life are tougher than you imagine, or than anyone can who has not felt how roughly they may be pulled without breaking.  You might be miserable without a home, but even you could live; and not so miserably as you suppose.  The human heart is like india-rubber; a little swells it, but a great deal will not burst it. –Anne Bronte

Should I shrink from the work that God had set before me, because it was not fitted to my taste? Did not He know best what I should do, and where I ought to labour?—and should I long to quit His service before I had finished my task, and expect to enter into His rest without having laboured to earn it? No; by His help I will arise and address myself diligently to my appointed duty. If happiness in this world is not for me, I will endeavour to promote the welfare of those around me, and my reward shall be hereafter. -Anne Bronte

Cast down into the darkness

To stumble towards unknown

Only emptiness to hold on to

Only shadows to seek support from

So arm your heart with self-worth

Yet prepare for sorrow; and pain

Don't let the fear eat you from inside

Wear your weaknesses with pride

and even if you crush my body

And drain it 'til the last drop

You can never touch my spirit

You can never touch my soul

No matter; how bleak or how hopeless

No matter how hard or how far

You can never break my conation

Tear the will apart from desire -Equilibrium

~ Jarred Schaufel

"Pain is not the fruit of pain"

I've wondered sometimes why God calls us through pain. It is, of course, a question that I cannot answer, because God has not revealed the host of His knowledge or the extent of His plan and purpose to me. I rest in His character, in what He has revealed, and what He has promised. I know that whatever pain I go through is for a purpose, for my good and for God's glory.

I know I should not be surprised when a fiery trial comes upon me. It is not something strange, but I treat it like it is. I fear pain, I hate pain, and if I could I would probably escape pain every time.

Yet, when it comes to the existence of pain, when it comes to the reason why God allows us to suffer, I think I know a part of the answer. God's intent is my gain more than my suffering. The dross is purged and purified through the fire. God means pain for something more than just pain. As Elizabeth Barrett Browning said, pain is not the fruit of pain. Something else springs up out of it.

Understanding. Understanding costs something. It costs the death of my selfishness. It costs me my inability to relate to others. It grows compassion in me. I know that when I have gone through terrible things, those who have helped me and encouraged me and lifted me up the most are those who have gone through terrible things as well. I know that I am better able to minister to someone who is struggling because I have struggled. I can say, "I know what you're going through. I understand", and from that standpoint I can begin to encourage and reach out with the gospel.

Patience, too. Because I have been there, I can better understand someone's frailty, and therefore I am more patient with them as they struggle over wounds old and new. The ultimate blessing for me during times where I sat helpless, willing the tears to stop falling, yet being unable to dry my eyes, it has been the patient comfort of others that eased my heartsickness. Suffering has most definitely taught me patience in more than one way. For physical pain, I have learned and continue to learn that sometimes there is nothing you can do but wait until it eases. It's the same with all pain, really. Sometimes it goes away quickly. Other times it takes days.

I have constant pain in my shoulders. It is not debilitating, but it can be frustrating. Sometimes the pain flares into something a bit nastier, and I become grumpy or useless for a day. Yet I think this pain that I have has helped me to deal more patiently with others who suffer daily pain at a greater level than my own.

Gentleness. We are so fragile. We are vessels of dust holding the breath of life in tenuous bodies. Praise be to God, He knows our frame. He never forgets, but we do. I do. I treat others roughly a lot more than I ought to. The pain that God has allowed into my life has taught me something about gentleness. Deal with others carefully; you don't know everything they are going through. God knows the thoughts and hurts of men, yet He is kind, patient, and merciful, not dealing with us according to our sins or punishing us according to our iniquities.

Ultimately, pain teaches me something more about grace, because I know that Jesus suffered the ultimate pain for me. He took my sin upon Himself so that I could be free, redeemed, sanctified and justified before the Father. He took my sin so that I could be adopted into the family of God, being able to call God "Father". He suffered pain for my sake as an expression of love, in the greatest sacrifice in the history of the world. His pain bore the most important fruit: salvation.

Though you have not seen Him

I have such a great hope. It is the very hope that helps me to endure trouble, to battle against stress, and to live with joy instead of depression.

My hope is in Christ, Whom I have not seen.

I have not seen Him, but I love Him.

When I think of all He has done for me, all He has transferred to me, all He has died for in my name and for my sake, I cannot help but love Him.

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29 ESV)

Blessed are those. Blessed are those. We walk by faith, not by sight. We hope in the promises of Christ Jesus. We believe in Him and rejoice in His name. We live and rest and delight in abiding in Christ, echoing John in his utterance: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

He is the Master and King of creation,
Gathering people from every nation
Redeeming them by His own shed blood
Overpowering sin with a gracious flood
Of forgiveness and peace, of mercy and love
Coming down from the Father of Lights up above.
There is no other being remotely above Him
And though I have not yet seen Him, I love Him.

Giving Thanks - Building Up

"It's interesting that there is no word in Hebrew for "to give thanks." The word (yadah) behind our English translations means to praise or to give public acknowledgement; to tell others what God has done. If someone did you a favor or provided a blessing, instead of saying "thank you" you would respond by saying, "I'm going to declare your name to others. I'm going to praise your kindness and generosity and thoughtfulness to everyone I see." That's what thanksgiving or gratitude was in the Old Testament." ~ Sam Storms

I thought this was a really interesting comment on thankfulness. Thankfulness overflows and affects other people. It is contagious. Thankfulness builds others up, builds their reputation, builds relationships.

Sadly, we are more familiar with gossip and tearing down than we are with thankfulness. Thankfulness feels awkward to me. It battles my natural tendency toward selfish pride. It tastes funny in my mouth; it is not a well-known flavour. I'm far more used to the bitter taste of thanklessness!

Yet God works in me. He shows me how frail and needy I am. He provides me with wonderful friends and family who selflessly give. He reminds me of Christ, Who gave everything - everything! - for my sake, and I am shamed into repentance. The more I dwell on Christ, the more thankfulness grows in me, gaining a hold, overpowering the desire to tear down and destroy, overwhelming pride. The more I look on Christ, the more I wish to imitate Him in giving without a thought for repayment. The more I think about Christ, the more I want to express my thankfulness by telling everyone about Him.


Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
(Psalm 100:1-2; Psalm 100:3-5 ESV)
Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
(Psalm 100)

God is not surprised...

God is not surprised by our prayers. He sends His Holy Spirit to help us with them.

God is never thrown off by what we pray. He knows what we need before we even ask. He is prepared with an answer before we make the request. Why then, you might ask, does He even wait for the request? Like everything else, prayer is a means through which we can develop a closer relationship to God. He wants us to put effort into knowing Him and communicating with Him.

How to Pray

How do you pray? Alone? As a family? In a group? Out loud? Within? Writing prayers down in a notebook? There is no real specific way to pray, since we already learned that there are many different kinds of prayer. If prayer is our tool of communication with God, then we should know that, just as we communicate in many different ways with people, so we communicate in many different ways with God. Still, there is something to be said for learning how to pray, for prayer can be taught and learnt.

Prayer is sometimes messy – look at Hannah praying in bitter grief, Elijah praying in depression, Isaiah praying with a question, asking God where He is…questioning God does not always indicate unbelief, though our questions should be asked in the right way.

1 John 5:14-15 (if we ask according to HIS will…),

James 4:1-2, 3 (you do not have because you ask wrongly…)…

Hebrews 5:7 “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.”

We should always pray with the knowledge of Who God is and who we are in mind.

1. Praying God's Word back to Him

We have to be careful that we do not hide evil motives under a pretense of prayer. For instance, praying “God, please strike so-and-so dead because I can’t stand him. In Jesus’ name, amen” won’t get you very far. Sometimes we demand from God rather than seeking God. We want Him to answer and provide for us without developing a real relationship with Him.

If we pray using Scripture, then we will protect ourselves from falling into that kind of false prayer. We can pray, "O Lord, please teach me your Word. Let love abound in me more and more, with all knowledge and discernment (Philippians 1). Give me the wisdom to approve what is excellent (Philippians 1:10) and flee from what is evil. Help me to be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving (Ephesians 4:32). Help me to walk in the light (1 John 1:7). Help me to imitate Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:1). Amen." That is a prayer God will delight to answer. 

Prayer is Important

Why is prayer important?

Prayer is a valuable weapon against our enemy. God has ordained prayer as a weapon against the schemes of the devil. In Ephesians 6, it says this:

...and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, (Ephesians 6:17-18 ESV)


It is interesting to note that prayer is mentioned directly after the Sword of the Spirit. Scripture is our first offensive weapon against the schemes of the devil. Prayer is second.


God has commanded us to pray.

Luke 18:1 "And he told them a parable … that they ought always to pray and not lose heart."

1 Thess.5:16-17 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing…”


God has given us the armour we need in battling the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. We are at war against Satan, sin, and death. Scripture helps to build our armour against these things. Prayer is like the straps holding the armour in place. 


 God has promised to hear and answer our prayers.

Jeremiah 29:12 "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you."

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

Psalm 13 – prayer strengthens our faith:

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I take counsel in my soul

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”

lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.

You can see from this psalm that the speaker begins with questions and doubts, sorrow and humiliation. Yet in speaking to God he reminds himself of the promises and attributes of God, and his faith is restored in verses 5 and 6.

We should remember this when our lack of faith hinders our prayers. If we would only pray, our faith would grow!

Prayer reveals where our true confidence lies.

We should pray through confusion, and recognize hindrances to prayer. What are some hindrances to prayer? 


Unbelief. Sometimes we can have doubts that God will hear or answer our prayer. Is this prayer important enough for God to hear it? Does He care? 


Turning away from Scripture. The Word and prayer go together. The more we read God's Word and understand more about Him, the more we will pray more in line with His will. When we neglect the Word of God, we are neglecting an essential part of the armour of God we have been given. 


Selfish motives. When we seek our own will in prayer, or we make demands, that can be a hindrance to prayer. Even if we are praying, our prayer is rendered ineffective if we pray against the revealed will of God. 


Fear. What if God doesn't answer my prayer? What if He does?  


Pride. This goes back to the idea that we think we are strong enough to accomplish things on our own. We have no need of God for what we determine are "little" things. 

Prayer does not always lead to the end that we wish it to.

It is not our “get out of jail free” card. God does not have to answer prayer as we think He should. Prayer does not make God our servant. Especially as we remember the prayers of the righteous men and women in Scripture, we see that their prayers were based on the fact that God is Lord, not that we are. Those who pray in Scripture always prayed in accordance with the will of God. 

Prayer is an entreaty to the God of the Universe that He would come down, save, rescue, restore, and build up. We are asking the King of kings to help us when we pray. Prayer is not a command, but a request.