April 08, 2015
Prayers of the Saints
During a recent church
service the pastor offered seven different prayers throughout the service and I
was surprised by their depth, insight and conviction. Each of the prayers had the
composition of a mini sermon and the content was sermon worthy. I was so enamored
with the prayers that it took me awhile to realize the prayers really were
directed toward the hearts of the audience, rather than toward the heart of God.
“But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O
God, answer me with your sure salvation” (Psalm 69:13 NIV).
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----”Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Ps 37:4) You can’t help but notice it’s quite circular. “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” (Ps 35:27b) Love is circular. Each party of love looks to the welfare and joy of the other party. This makes prayer sort of special. We look to God’s joy and find it is in our joy. He looks to our joy and finds it is in His joy. And so we are one with Him. “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind…Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 2:1-2, 4-5) The attitude doesn’t stop with God. Delighting in His law and council and ways we delight in each other’s well being and joy, for God also delights in them. And we can’t honestly say we delight in His joy unless we delight also in the things of His delight. Therefore the unity Christ prayed upon us was not just a philosophical nicety, nor was it even worse in being a unity between minions and elitists, that is, laity and clergy, into which it has become perverted over the centuries. No. The unity is in the desire of the hearts - the desire to see and know the delight of others as much as your own. And in as much as we keep these desires embedded in the law and council and ways of the Lord, then righteousness begins to grow out of the heart‘s desires. So he will give you the desire of your heart delighting in Him. “The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.” (James 5:16b)
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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