Affliction – Praying Pint

52.p. Wilderness – 16.v. “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart”

Deu 28:21  The LORD will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. The LORD will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed. “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away.  The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed. The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind, and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you.

Deu 28:34  so that you are driven mad by the sights that your eyes see.

Deu 28:37  And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the LORD will lead you away.

Deu 28:45  “All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you.

Deu 28:47  Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,

Deu 28:58-59  “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God, then the LORD will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting.

Deu 28:61  Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the LORD will bring upon you, until you are destroyed.

Deu 28:63  And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you.

Deu 28:66-67  Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see.

The same variety of expression is used in these terrible curses, as in the preceding blessings, to intimate every kind of prosperity or adversity, personal, relative, and public.

If we do not keep God’s commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it rests upon him. Whatever he has is under a curse. All his enjoyments are made bitter; he cannot take any true comfort in them, for the wrath of God mixes itself with them. Many judgments are here stated, which would be the fruits of the curse, and with which God would punish the people of the Jews, for their apostacy and disobedience. We may observe the fulfilling of these threatenings in their present state. To complete their misery, it is threatened that by these troubles they should be bereaved of all comfort and hope, and left to utter despair. Those who walk by sight, and not by faith, are in danger of losing reason itself, when every thing about them looks frightful. (Henry)

Oh that our hearts and minds would grasp the holy blessings of God in light of the wrathful curses. Sin has a way of blinding us to only see blessings from God. Sin blinds us to the holiness of God. Neglect of His Word deafens our ears to the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin.

May the Word of God open your hearts and minds to His holiness and give you a deep desire to honor and glorify Him more and more each day. We do not honor and glorify Jesus christ for the blessings we receive, but for who God is.

43.z. “Wilderness” – 8.f. “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way”

Exodus 23:20  “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.

Exodus 14:19    Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them

Psalms 91:11   For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Isaiah 63:9   In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Malachi 3:1    “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

The Book of the Covenant terminates, very appropriately, with a series of promises. God is “the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” He chooses to “reward men after their works,” and to set before them “the recompense of the reward.” (Ellicott)

It is here promised that they should be guided and kept in their way through the wilderness to the land of promise, Behold, I send an angel before thee, mine angel. The precept joined with this promise is, that they be obedient to this angel whom God would send before them. (Henry)

The declaration of the rights conferred by Jehovah upon His people is closed by promises, through which, on the one hand, God insured to the nation the gifts and benefits involved in their rights, and, on the other hand, sought to promote that willingness and love which were indispensable to the fulfilment of the duties incumbent upon every individual in consequence of the rights conferred upon them. These promises secured to the people not only the protection and help of God during their journey through the desert, and in the conquest of Canaan, but also preservation and prosperity when they had taken possession of the land. (Keil)

THE REWARDS OF OBEDIENCE. God always places before men” the recompense of the reward.” He does not require of them that they should serve him for nought. The “Book of the Covenant” appropriately ends with a number of promises, which God undertakes to perform, if Israel keeps the terms of the covenant. (Unknown)

God’s promises for obedience and warnings for disobedience are consistent.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

43.p. “Wilderness” – 7.w. Sojourner, widow, and Orphan

Exodus 22:21  “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

Leviticus 19:33    “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.

Deuteronomy 10:19   Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

Jeremiah 22:3   Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

Malachi 3:5   “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

Deuteronomy 10:18     He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

Isaiah 1:17   learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

Zechariah 7:10   do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”

James 1:27     Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Governments have the right and responsibility to control borders and immigration; yet there is no doubt of the individual’s responsibility to neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him. It is fair to examine how accommodating we are to the strangers among us. The widow and fatherless child were the weakest and most vulnerable members of society. In an unrestrained, survival-of-the-fittest society, they would be the first to suffer abuse and destruction. (Guzik)

The laws against oppression with three crimes of the deepest dye seems intended to indicate that oppression is among the sins which are most hateful in God’s sight. The lawgiver, however, does not say that it is to be punished capitally, nor, indeed, does he affix to it any legal penalty. Instead of so doing, he declares that God Himself will punish it “with the sword”. (Ellicott)

Ye shall not afflict the widow, or fatherless child — That is, ye shall comfort and assist them, and be ready upon all occasions to show them kindness. In making just demands from them, their condition must be considered who have lost those that should protect them; and no advantage must be taken against them, nor any hardship put upon them, which a husband or a father would have sheltered them from. (Benson)

It is good for us to take heed of these words from God. All we have has been given to us by God. Oh, that our hearts and minds would be sensitive to the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit leading us to show God’s grace, mercy, and love.

42.i. “Let My People Go” – 10.f. Angel of God stood behind them

Exodus 14:19  Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them,  coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

Numbers 20:16     And when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.

Isaiah 63:9    In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Psalms 18:11    He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.

Proverbs 4:18-19    But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.  The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

The pillar was a source of darkness to the Egyptians but a source of light to Israel. This is a vivid picture of how the glory of God or work of God can be light to one person yet seem dark to another. “Thus the double nature of the glory of God in salvation and judgment, which later appears so frequently in Scripture, could not have been more graphically depicted. We often have little idea how much God does to protect us from the attacks of our unseen enemies. We sometimes feel that we are overwhelmed in a present spiritual struggle, but we may not know what it would be like if the LORD pulled back His protection. (Guzik)

The word and providence of God have a black and dark side toward sin and sinners, but a bright and pleasant side toward the people of the Lord. He, who divided between light and darkness, Ge 1:4, allotted darkness to the Egyptians, and light to the Israelites. Such a difference there will be between the inheritance of the saints in light, and that utter darkness which will be the portion of hypocrites forever. (Henry)

Thus, the same cloud produced light (a symbol of favor) to the people of God, and darkness (a symbol of wrath) to their enemies (Brown)

We may see and we may not see the protective hand of God in the midst of our troubles. Certainly, a retrospective look will clearly show us His mighty protective love was, in fact, there protecting and guiding us. It amazes me that the same darkness that God blinds people with is Light to others. It has nothing to do with our worthiness or being deserving of it. No, it has only to do with God’s grace, mercy, and love. How many times has God protected us from death while we were still unrepentant and unforgiven sinners, and thereby heading straight to eternal Hell should we have died? This should bring us to our knees in awe, humbleness, gratitude, and worship. Nothing but the Hand of God will soften the dark heart of those who see His holiness and the sinfulness of their sin. It is truly hard to understand the mystery of how a person can be pulled from darkness into light while others choose darkness over light. We often think we chose to come out of darkness to find light, but the truth is that while we were in darkness the light of the gospel was revealed to us. God displayed this light into the darkness clouding our lost souls. Somewhere in here we intentionally choose to believe in the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ and repent, trust, follow, obey, and rely in Him, but make no mistake about it, were it not for God softening our hearts, showing us the sinfulness of sin, removing the darkness clouding our understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we would all be continue to be in darkness.

Every single person is surrounded by darkness and when this darkness is broken by the light of the Gospel some choose to run back into the darkness for they find comfort in it. Others will see the light, run to it, and want nothing to do with the darkness. How a person is able to reject the light and wants to stay in darkness truly is a mystery. Miracles, signs, wonders, creation, God’s Word, and the fact that God has placed within every person a beginning knowledge of Himself, and still people choose darkness. In Matthew and Mark we are told a parable of the seeds. Some of the seeds don’t make it, they are choked out and wither and die. These people saw the light, took hold of it, rejected the watering and nurturing required for growth. They saw the light was good. They spent time in the light. They tasted the drippings of its sweetness of peace, joy, hope, comfort and refuge, and yet they returned to darkness.

Stay in the light. Commit to living every single moment with purpose to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all you think, say, and do. To do otherwise will leave you ever inching toward darkness away from the light.

40.s. “He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them”

Exodus 3:7 Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters.

Psalms 22:24   For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.

Psalms 34:4   I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

Psalms 34:6     This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

Psalms 106:44    Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry.

Psalms 145:19    He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

400 years, or close to it, God’s chosen people were oppressed. Think about that. We declared our independence from England 246 years ago. Add another 154 years to our history and have us living under oppression this whole time and this would be the life of Israelites for generation after generation. 400 years. During these 400 years of oppression, God knew what was going on. God saw it. Year after year it continued. If you had not known freedom and this was the only life you knew, would it make it bearable? No. However, it might make it seem like this is just the way things are, always have been, and always will be. What hope would you have for the present? What hope would you have for the future? It would seem hopeless for life any better.

400 years. I still have a hard time putting this into perspective. The Bible is filled with example after example of God’s protective and mighty hand defending and bringing rather quick resolution. It is also filled with examples of His seeming delays. Of course, we can look to and trust God when He answers immediate prayers. What kind of faith can wait year after year, knowing the promises of God, claiming these promises, believing them, trusting in them, but not seeing tangible evidence of them? This kind of faith keeps eyes, heart, mind, and soul focused on God and not the circumstance or situation. This kind of faith knows without a doubt that God is able and limitless in what He can do. This kind of faith says; “God is able, but if in His plan and purpose I do not see His hand at work I know He is watching over me. He loves me. He will strengthen me. He is God.”

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

40.p. “He will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them.”

Exodus 2:23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

Nehemiah 9:9   “And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea,

Psalms 18:6    In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.

Psalms 81:7  In distress you called, and I delivered you;

Psalms 107:19-20   Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.

Isaiah 19:20   It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them.

God did not turn His attention to Israel because they were such good people, but because of the covenant He made with them. (Guzik)

Probably the murdering of their infants did not continue; that part of their affliction only attended the birth of Moses, to signalize that. And now they were content with their increase, finding that Egypt was enriched by their labour; so they might have them for their slaves, they cared not how many they were. On this therefore they were intent, to keep them all at work, and make the best hand they could of their labour. When one Pharaoh died, another rose up in his place, that was as cruel to Israel as his predecessors. And they cried — Now at last they began to think of God under their troubles, and to return to him from the idols they had served, Ezekiel 20:8. Hitherto they had fretted at the instruments of their trouble, but God was not in all their thoughts. But before God unbound them, he put it into their hearts to cry unto him. It is a sign God is coming to us with deliverance when he inclines us to cry to him for it. (Benson)

How much do we suffer without taking it to Jesus? How long do we wait before we see Him as our hope? Jesus is ever-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful and is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can even imagine. His power and knowledge have no end. Why is it that we try to resolve our trials and troubles in our own reliance and limited knowledge and understanding? How much peace and rest have we forfeited because we choose not to cry out to Him? I fear way too many times. Let us draw near and never choose to leave the presence of our savior for even a single minute of every moment. Purpose in your heart to stay close and honor and glorify Him in all thoughts, words, and deeds.

37.h. “Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.”

Genesis 25:19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

1 Samuel 1:11     And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

1 Samuel 1:27  For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him.

Psalms 50:15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalms 65:2    O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.

Psalms 91:15    When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

Isaiah 45:11     Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: “Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands?

Isaiah 65:24    Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.

Isaiah 58:9    Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

Luke 1:13    But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

Isaac prayed and even the son of promise did not come into the promise easily. It only came through waiting and prayer. We can trust that the prayers of a husband for his wife have a special effectiveness. This prayer was answered, but some 20 years after Isaac and Rebekah first married. Their faith and persistence in prayer was tested and invited to grow through many years. As well, these were the only children born to Isaac and Rebekah. (Guzik)

Though God had promised to multiply his family, he prayed for it; for God’s promises must not supersede, but encourage our prayers, and be improved as the ground of our faith. Though he had prayed for this mercy many years, and it was not granted, yet he did not leave off praying for it. (Benson)

Isaac seems not to have been much tried, but to have spent his days in quietness. Jacob and Esau were prayed for; their parents, after being long childless, obtained them by prayer. The fulfilment of God’s promise is always sure, yet it is often slow. The faith of believers is tried, their patience exercised, and mercies long waited for are more welcome when they come. Isaac and Rebekah kept in view the promise of all nations being blessed in their posterity, therefore were not only desirous of children, but anxious concerning every thing which seemed to mark their future character. In all our doubts we should inquire of the Lord by prayer. (Henry)

Isaac’s marriage, like Abraham’s, was for a long time unfruitful; not to extreme old age, however, but only for 20 years. The seed of the promise was to be prayed for from the Lord, that it might not be regarded merely as a fruit of nature, but be received and recognised as a gift of grace. At the same time Isaac was to be exercised in the patience of faith in the promise of God. After this lengthened test, Jehovah heard his prayer in relation to his wife. (Keil and Delitzsch Biblical)

It is important to recognize that our prayers are heard by God and answered howbeit in His timing, not ours, in His purpose and will not ours. Abraham faithfully waited 25 years believing in God. Isaac waited 20 years believing in God. Do not let God’s timing of His answer to your prayers weaken your faith in Him and His ability to answer. He hears your prayer before the words leave your lips. Grow in patient-reliant faith and do not allow Satan to have any ground towards unbelief. God can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.

36.n. ““Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.””

Genesis 16:7 The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel of the LORD also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” And the angel of the LORD said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.” So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered. And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

The angel of the Lord found her by a well, and directed her to return to her mistress, and submit to her; at the same time he promised her the birth of a son, and an innumerable multiplication of her descendants. As the fruit of her womb was the seed of Abram, she was to return to his house and there bear him a son, who, though not the seed promised by God, would be honoured for Abram’s sake with the blessing of an innumerable posterity. (Keil and Delitzsch)

The almighty and omniscient God; since he promises to do what none but the omnipotent Being could do, and declares such things as none but the omniscient God could know: and when it is said he “found Hagar”, it is not to be understood as if it was a chance matter, or the fruit and effect of search and inquiry, or as if he had not seen her before; but rather it shows that his eye was upon her, and he had a concern for her, and at a proper time and place appeared to her at once, and unawares, and unthought of by her. (Gill)

When we choose to flee a situation it is good that we seek God’s will and plan before taking the first step. A hardened heart can run like the wind toward anything their mind can contrive as better, more comfortable, and safe. Certainly, there are times when this is exactly the will and plan of God. However, to make the decision without prayerfully seeking His direction we succumb to what seems right in our own eyes. What if God is growing you spiritually through the situation? What if God is going to show His power and might through a miracle or act that demonstrates His grace, mercy, and love? What if God is maturing your faith? When we find ourselves in a situation, our first thought and act are to humbly seek His refuge and lay it in His hands. He will certainly guide and direct your thoughts and steps.

32.f. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few”

Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—

As Jesus encountered the depth of human need He was moved with compassion for them. He spent His time teaching and healing. Jesus here described what man is apart from God; that we are like sheep having no shepherd. This means that we are in a lot of trouble until we come under the care of our Shepherd. Being without a shepherd was worse than being under Roman bondage. The people had people who claimed to be spiritual leaders, scribes, priests, and Pharisees. For all their work and piety, these proclaimed spiritual leaders offered nothing that would guide a person into a right relationship with God. Jesus said these leaders do not attend to their flock nor do they harvest ripe fruit and allow it to go to waste.

“Pretenders were many, but real ‘laborers’ in the harvest were few…Man-made ministers are useless. Still, are the fields encumbered with people who cannot use the sickle. Still, the real gospel teaching men are few and far between. Where are the instructive, soul-winning ministries?” (Spurgeon)

How many preachers, teachers, and leaders go about their vocation proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ without compassion for the lost souls of men. Oh, they may have started out this way but have since turned this holy ministry of the Kingdom of God into seeking more money, recognition, and honor for themselves. They have turned from compassion for lost souls to lusts of the flesh, having a form of godliness but have become blind to the author and finisher Jesus Christ who rightly deserves all honor and glory. These teachers, preachers, and leaders may have lost their pure compassion for lost souls. It has become diluted or traded in for human and worldly ideals. The thing is, God’s Word does not return void. Though these people teach with hearts and minds divided amongst godly and worldly, God’s Word is still able to reach lost souls. God’s Word should never profit man in ways other than that which will honor and glorify Jesus Christ. In the blessings of forgiveness, redemption, salvation, healing, peace, joy, courage, strength, and love from Jesus Christ we surely benefit while on this side of eternity. However, all of these benefits are for His honor and glory.

Pray for teachers, preachers, and laborers who are willed with the continued presence of the Holy Spirit and with their hearts, mind, and souls focused and consumed on honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ. Bind temptations of this world from affecting their ministries. Protect them from everything that will draw them away from this holy honor to honor and glorify Jesus Christ.

31.h. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Matthew 6:7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Ecclesiastes 5:2-3     Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.

1 Kings 8: 37-39 “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is,  whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house,  then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind)

Daniel 9:18-19   O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

Philippians 4:6  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

The right kind of prayer does not use vain repetitions, which is any and all prayer which is mostly words and no meaning; all lips and no mind or heart.

One can pray long – but to the wrong god. In 1 Kings 18:26 the prophets of Baal cried out, “O Baal answer us” for half the day. In Acts 19:34 a mob in Ephesus shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians” for two hours. The true God isn’t impressed by the length or eloquence of our prayers, but the heart. “Prayer requires more of the heart than of the tongue. The eloquence of prayer consists in the fervency of desire, and the simplicity of faith.” (Clarke)

“Christians’ prayers are measured by weight, and not by length. Many of the most prevailing prayers have been as short as they were strong.” (Spurgeon)

We don’t pray to tell God things that He didn’t know before we told Him. We pray to commune with and appeal to a loving God who wants us to bring every need and worry before His throne.

“Prayer is not designed to inform God, but to give man a sight of his misery; to humble his heart, to excite his desire, to inflame his faith, to animate his hope, to raise his soul from earth to heaven, and to put him in mind that THERE is his Father, his country, and inheritance.” (Clarke)

Sometimes we pray as though we are informing God and think by giving Him this information will help Him make the right decision in favor of what we are praying about. God is never shocked by what is happening. He already knows. He also knows our hearts and thoughts. Nothing in the future is hidden from His sight today. He is God of all there is, all there will ever be, and He is full of grace, mercy, and love towards mankind.

Some may think wrongly about prayer and say why should I pray if God is in control and His will will be done. I should just accept my lot for the day and move on. The fact is prayer will take us before God. It will allow us to keep a firm hold of who God is. Our prayer is in communion with Him and holds together the foundations of our faith, reliance, trust, and hope that is in and through Jesus Christ. Our prayerful concerns communicated with steadfast faith in God are uplifting and strengthening to our souls. Our hope, trust, faith, and reliance are flames that burn away the doubts, worry, and confusion our human nature conjures up.

Prayer is not to inform God, but rather, to communicate with Him. It is in prayer where we find strength, courage, and hope as we trust, wait, and rely on God.