Samuel Chadwick: Our Lord taught men to pray to God as Father. That is the central fact of His teaching. "When ye pray say, Our Father, which art in heaven."
He rebukes all parade and pretense in payer. It must be in the secret place, and the door must be shut. Within the secret place there must be simplicity and sincerity. (Google image, Answered prayers)
Hypocrisy cannot live where either much speaking or fine phrasing is forbidden. Fathers and children do not make speeches to each other. God is not far off. He is near. He does not need to be informed, for Jesus says, "For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him."
Neither does He need to be persuaded; "for if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" Nothing could be simpler more natural, more assuring. "Ask, and ye shall receive; for every one that asketh receiveth."
Alongside this teaching there come the parables of the Friend at Midnight and the Unjust judge. They are not like His other parables, for they teach by contrast not by comparison. God is not like the reluctant friend or the unjust judge.
Then why tell the stories? The point in common between them and prayer is that in both importunity prevails. If the suppliants were not heard for their much speaking, their persistence had much to do with their prevailing.
What place is there for such importunity in the prayers of children to their heavenly Father?
Our Lord Himself prayed with intensity and importunity. He rose early to pray. He spent all nights in prayer. The Epistle to the Hebrews (5:7) tells us that He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears.
The awe of Gethsemane is full of mystery. He called upon God as Father, but in His praying there was the sweat and agony of blood. "He kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done . . . and being in agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:41-44).
St. Matthew 26:38-46, tells us that He prayed a third time using the same words. He wrought many mighty works in nature and in men, calming the tempest, casting out demons and raising the dead, but in none of them is there any trace of strain or travail.
Virtue went out of Him and He wearied in toil, but there was the ease of mastery in all He did; yet of His praying it is said, "As He prayed He sweat." He prayed in agony unto blood. If God be Father, why such agony in the praying of His Son?
(Check out the next post, Prayer and Supplication)
Revelation 3:20-21 (AMPC) “Behold, I stand at the
"When God speaks we have to choose to step into what he says. This can be hard because we have no grid for the things he wants us to enter into. In the moment that we step out we may have the support of those around us or we may not, but stepping out in what God says is what must happen to bring us to the new place that he has in store for our lives. Abraham went into a land that was not his own. Moses had to go back toward Egypt. Joshua had to cross the Jordan. David had to face Goliath.
The things that he calls us to may be foreboding, overwhelming, or terrifying but he isn’t calling us to that place to fail. He is calling us to the place of our mountains so that faith will rise up and we will achieve success. God wants to bless your life. He wants to be your strength so that you will succeed in the moment you step out."
(From the Imperative of Faith).
Today's next 5 posts of 100 things Our God Is . . .
Today's popular post-
Dr. Wesley L. Duewel: "God uses importunity to bring us into great spiritual blessing.
Andrew Murray calls importunate prayer one of God's choicest means of grace."
Upcoming posts-
The Victory Rest
20th- Saturday's post by Lee Forbes
#31 The Cost of Prayer
23rd- Tuesday's post by Samuel Chadwick
#32 The Recompense of Prayer
25th- Thursday's post by Samuel Chadwick
Jean's blog
He rebukes all parade and pretense in payer. It must be in the secret place, and the door must be shut. Within the secret place there must be simplicity and sincerity. (Google image, Answered prayers)
Hypocrisy cannot live where either much speaking or fine phrasing is forbidden. Fathers and children do not make speeches to each other. God is not far off. He is near. He does not need to be informed, for Jesus says, "For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him."
Neither does He need to be persuaded; "for if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" Nothing could be simpler more natural, more assuring. "Ask, and ye shall receive; for every one that asketh receiveth."
Alongside this teaching there come the parables of the Friend at Midnight and the Unjust judge. They are not like His other parables, for they teach by contrast not by comparison. God is not like the reluctant friend or the unjust judge.
Then why tell the stories? The point in common between them and prayer is that in both importunity prevails. If the suppliants were not heard for their much speaking, their persistence had much to do with their prevailing.
What place is there for such importunity in the prayers of children to their heavenly Father?
Our Lord Himself prayed with intensity and importunity. He rose early to pray. He spent all nights in prayer. The Epistle to the Hebrews (5:7) tells us that He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears.
The awe of Gethsemane is full of mystery. He called upon God as Father, but in His praying there was the sweat and agony of blood. "He kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done . . . and being in agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:41-44).
St. Matthew 26:38-46, tells us that He prayed a third time using the same words. He wrought many mighty works in nature and in men, calming the tempest, casting out demons and raising the dead, but in none of them is there any trace of strain or travail.
Virtue went out of Him and He wearied in toil, but there was the ease of mastery in all He did; yet of His praying it is said, "As He prayed He sweat." He prayed in agony unto blood. If God be Father, why such agony in the praying of His Son?
(Check out the next post, Prayer and Supplication)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Let's pray-
Father, Jesus taught men to pray to You as our Father, which is the central fact of His teaching, rebuking all pretense in prayer.
We're to pray in secret, with the door shut, and to pray with simplicity and sincerity.
Folks tend to wonder why He told stories, but it is evident that He was trying to show us how persistence had much to do with our prevailing prayers.
Christ prayed with intensity and importunity, as He rose early to pray, sometimes spending a night in prayer. Your Word tells us that He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears.
The awe of Gethsemane is full of mystery, as there we see Christ Jesus praying with sweat and agony of blood; He knew full well what would soon happen.
We read that Jesus prayed a third time in the garden, using the same submissive words to Your will. He wrought many mighty works in nature and in men, calming the tempest of a sea, casting out demons and raising the dead; in none of them is there any trace of strain or travail.
When it came to surrendering His will to You, His Father, His humanness cried out, as He knew there would be much pain and suffering ahead of Him to endure the Crucifixion.
Christ Jesus knew well that this was why He'd been sent: to be the sacrifice for men's sins, though He had none of His own.
We pray for enlightenment in what all Christ did for us that fateful day, some 2,000 years ago. We offer our gratitude and praise to You for providing salvation for those of us who believe and trust in His Atonement for our sins.
I pray this in Jesus' precious name. Amen.
Did you know?
~ Adding our faith to what we do can bring about a profound transformation to every area that's under our influence.
~ Faith fights from the position of our rest and confidence in God.
We're to pray in secret, with the door shut, and to pray with simplicity and sincerity.
Folks tend to wonder why He told stories, but it is evident that He was trying to show us how persistence had much to do with our prevailing prayers.
Christ prayed with intensity and importunity, as He rose early to pray, sometimes spending a night in prayer. Your Word tells us that He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears.
The awe of Gethsemane is full of mystery, as there we see Christ Jesus praying with sweat and agony of blood; He knew full well what would soon happen.
We read that Jesus prayed a third time in the garden, using the same submissive words to Your will. He wrought many mighty works in nature and in men, calming the tempest of a sea, casting out demons and raising the dead; in none of them is there any trace of strain or travail.
When it came to surrendering His will to You, His Father, His humanness cried out, as He knew there would be much pain and suffering ahead of Him to endure the Crucifixion.
Christ Jesus knew well that this was why He'd been sent: to be the sacrifice for men's sins, though He had none of His own.
We pray for enlightenment in what all Christ did for us that fateful day, some 2,000 years ago. We offer our gratitude and praise to You for providing salvation for those of us who believe and trust in His Atonement for our sins.
I pray this in Jesus' precious name. Amen.
Did you know?
~ Adding our faith to what we do can bring about a profound transformation to every area that's under our influence.
~ Faith fights from the position of our rest and confidence in God.
Today's Bible verses-
door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and
heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in
to him and will eat with him, and he will eat with Me.
He who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant him to
sit beside Me on My throne, as I Myself overcame
(was victorious) and sat down beside My Father on
His throne.”
heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in
to him and will eat with him, and he will eat with Me.
He who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant him to
sit beside Me on My throne, as I Myself overcame
(was victorious) and sat down beside My Father on
His throne.”
1 Pet. 5:6 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under
God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in
due time."
Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is confidence in
God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in
due time."
Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is confidence in
what we hope for and assurance about what
we do not see."
Today's quote-
|
"When God speaks we have to choose to step into what he says. This can be hard because we have no grid for the things he wants us to enter into. In the moment that we step out we may have the support of those around us or we may not, but stepping out in what God says is what must happen to bring us to the new place that he has in store for our lives. Abraham went into a land that was not his own. Moses had to go back toward Egypt. Joshua had to cross the Jordan. David had to face Goliath.
The things that he calls us to may be foreboding, overwhelming, or terrifying but he isn’t calling us to that place to fail. He is calling us to the place of our mountains so that faith will rise up and we will achieve success. God wants to bless your life. He wants to be your strength so that you will succeed in the moment you step out."
(From the Imperative of Faith).
Today's next 5 posts of 100 things Our God Is . . .
86. Giving Us Revelation Knowledge
| |
87. Giving Us the Keys to the Kingdom
| |
88. Giving Us His Name
| |
89. Giving Us the HOLY SPIRIT
| |
90. Anointing Us for Service
|
Today's popular post-
Dr. Wesley L. Duewel: "God uses importunity to bring us into great spiritual blessing. Andrew Murray calls importunate prayer one of God's choicest means of grace."
Upcoming posts-
#30 Prayer and Supplication
18th- Thursday's post by Samuel ChadwickThe Victory Rest
20th- Saturday's post by Lee Forbes
#31 The Cost of Prayer
23rd- Tuesday's post by Samuel Chadwick
#32 The Recompense of Prayer
25th- Thursday's post by Samuel Chadwick
Helpful ways the Lord helped me in my marriage
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