CONTINUING IN PRAYER The Lord Jesus has given us great encouragement to continue in prayer to our Heavenly Father. In John 15:23,24 He says, "Verily, verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you...Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full". It is His desire that we have the joy of receiving definite answers to our prayers. This is not only for the major issues in our lives, for Paul writes in Phil.4:6,7, "Be careful (anxious) for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus’. We have a similar exhortation in I Peter 5:7, ‘Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you". Yet in spite of these faithful promises, how often we have to confess with J.Scriven in his well-known hymn -
However, as we continue in prayer and look out for answers, we must remember that the promise of the Lord is not entirely unconditional. He said, "If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7). The condition implied here is that we are living in the conscious acknowledgement that He is our life and without Him we can do nothing (vv.4,5), and that our thoughts and actions are guided by His words. James gives us two reasons for unanswered prayers: 1. Unbelief. He says in chapter 1:6. "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (or doubting)". Then, of the doubter he says in v.7, "Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord". 2. Selfish Motives. Chapter 4:3, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (or, spend it on your pleasures)". James had already warned his readers in v. I that their selfish pleasure-seeking was the cause of the strife among them. We are not surprised then, that their prayers in these matters remained unanswered. The Psalmist gives us another reason in Psalm 66:18 -"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me’, Or, as another version has it, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened". However, even keeping these things in mind, there are times when our requests are not granted, or the answers are not as we expected. Let us consider some such cases in the Scriptures. 1. Job prayed that God would destroy him - Job 6:8,9. In a time of deepest sorrow and loss, misjudged by his friends, and thinking God was against him, Job prayed this prayer. But God brought him through this intense trial. He revealed Himself more fully to him, vindicated him to his friends, and gave him twice as much as he had before. Instead of granting his request, God blessed him with a long and satisfying life and made him an outstanding example of patience to all succeeding generations of saints (James 5:11). 2. Elijah requested that he might die – l Kings 19:4. James tells us that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, and he gives Elijah as an example. Elijah prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain for three years and six months. He prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit (James 5:16-18). Elijah was a man of God, but he was also a man subject to like passions as we, and soon after this he received a grim threat on his life from Jezebel the Queen. He knew that she was cruel and ruthless, and he fled for his life. Sitting alone under a juniper tree, fearful, discouraged and deeply depressed, he prayed that the Lord would take away his life. But the Lord had higher thoughts. He had further work for him to do, and his life’s work was not ended by death, but the Lord took him up into heaven by a whirlwind. 3. Moses prayed to go into the promised land - Deut.3:23-25. Some time earlier the people of Israel had provoked his spirit by their rebellious complaining, and he spoke ‘unadvisedly with his lips’ and disobeyed the word of the Lord. Because Moses was the leader, this was a serious failure in the sight of the Lord, and He would not permit him to lead the people into the promised land (Num.20:l-i3; Ps.l06:32,33). Now they had come to the border of the land, and Moses tells the people how he had prayed again, and he said, "But the Lord was angry with me for your sakes and would not hear me". And the Lord’s final answer was, "Let it suffice thee, speak no more to Me of this matter" (Deut.3:23-26). The Lord had already spoken plainly, and the answer was no. But Moses was a great man of God (Deut.4:10), and the meekest man in all the earth (Num.12:3). He did not indulge himself in resentment or self-pity. His thoughts quickly turned to the welfare of the Lord’s people whom he loved, and he prayed for a worthy successor, so that they would not be as sheep without a shepherd. 4. Paul prayed that a hindrance might be taken away – 2 Cor. 12. In his service for the Lord, Paul had become aware of an impediment which he referred to as "a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan to buffet him". Three times he had prayed that it might be taken away. The impediment remained, but the Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness". As Paul accepted that refusal, he saw the reason for it. He had been blessed with an abundance of revelations from the Lord, even being caught up to the third heaven, where he heard things that he was not permitted to repeat. He now realised that though it was sent from Satan, his impediment was really a gift from the Lord to prevent him from becoming proud. Not only so, he was now glad of this ‘infirmity’, or ‘inability to produce results’. Through this experience he learned to rest and rejoice in the knowledge that his weakness gave opportunity for the power of Christ to rest on him in a way that could not be otherwise known. 5. The Lord Jesus prayed, "Father, remove this cup from Me". Here we perceive something of the great mystery of godliness -God was manifest in flesh (1 Tim.3:16). He Who existed in the form of God, took upon Him the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil.2:6-8). The Lord Jesus was about to become the sinless Sin-bearer. In His perfect holy humanity, the awful horror of the righteous judgement of God against sin was pressing in upon Him. That judgement was soon to fall on Him as He stood in our place. He prayed three times, and the Gospel records portray the deep anguish of His soul. Yet this is perfectly blended with His voluntary submission to the will of His Father. Matthew 26:39 "0 My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt". Verse 42, "0 My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done". Mark 14:36, "Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me; nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt". Luke 22:42, "Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done". The dread cup was not removed, and John records the sublime and submissive resolve of our Lord as He rose from prayer - "The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it"? Boundless and eternal are the streams of blessing that flow from this supreme act of willing obedience by Jehovah’s perfect Servant. What a hallowed example for us. As we continue in prayer, and watch for answers, let us trust our Heavenly Father, and remember, "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Psalm 145:9). - R.M. Goatley LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY - Luke 11:1. Do you pray in the comfort zone or in the combat zone? Do your requests focus mainly on relief from trials, sickness and for safe journeys and the like, or are you more concerned that God’s Name be hallowed, His will accomplished and His kingdom advanced in and through those for whom you pray? That is the combat zone. Relief, healing, and safety are not ends in themselves. They are only good for us when they contribute to His will being done and His Name being glorified. When we begin to "wrestle.. .against.. .the rulers of the darkness of this world", our prayers become strategic. Lord, teach us to pray. - C.F. Anderson "Choice Gleanings". SOME THOUGHTS Nearly everything we know about Joseph is recorded in the Book of Genesis and, except where otherwise stated, all Biblical references in these studies will be to that book. He is clearly the dominant character in its closing chapters (37-50), but for his birth and early home life we must go back to chapter 30. When Jacob left his parent’s home and went to live and work for his uncle Laban, it was there that he first met Laban’s daughter Rachel, who was later to become Joseph’s mother. Jacob soon sought Rachel’s hand in marriage, but Laban tricked him into marrying Leah, her older sister, first. Leah eventually bore Jacob six sons and one daughter. Then when the two sisters had given their handmaids to Jacob as additional wives, and each produced two further sons, the result was that Joseph had ten half-brothers in the home from the time of his birth. Rachel had one further son, Benjamin, but she died at childbirth, thus leaving the two boys without a mother at an early age. Now Rachel had been the first woman to win Jacob’s heart and was really the wife of his choice, so it was but natural for him to have a special interest in the welfare of her two motherless boys. And if Joseph had a special place in the heart of his father, much more did he have a special place in the plans and purposes of God. Coming now to the divine record of Joseph’s colourful life, we are pleased to find that the main events are presented in chronological order, thus making it easy to trace the various phases through which he passed from his childhood years in Canaan until his death in Egypt. We see him as - a youth, a slave, a prisoner, a governor, a father, a prophet, and a type. As a Youth - Jacob’s sons worked as shepherds, a work which often took them far from home for lengthy periods, and as a teenager Joseph seems to have been his father’s message boy, taking provisions to his older brothers from time to time and then reporting back on their welfare. But he soon incurred their envy and hatred, and that for three reasons: 1. Because of an unfavourable report he once brought back to his father about the sons of the two handmaids; 2. Because of the distinctive coat he wore, actually a status symbol which Jacob had made for him, and for him alone; 3. Because of some vivid dreams he had of his own future greatness, dreams which even Jacob thought to be outlandish at the time. Things eventually came to a head when Joseph went on a fresh errand to his brothers, and as he approached, they recognised him by his coat and conspired to kill him. At first they took away his coat and left him to die in a pit, but later sold him to some passing traders who took him down to Egypt. The brothers then tore up Joseph’s coat and stained it with blood to give the semblance of his having been devoured by a wild beast, and thus convince their heart-broken father that Joseph was dead. This done, they tried to expunge all thought of Joseph from their minds. As a Slave - The Lord, however, did not forget Joseph. The traders sold him as a slave to Potiphar, a captain in charge of the guard at the royal palace. In chapter 39 it is stated four times that ‘the Lord was with" Jose ph. We also read that "the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake", and Potiphar put him in charge of "all that he had’. Joseph was obviously a very capable and talented young man, with an attractive personality as well, being "well favoured" like his mother - compare 29:17 and 39:6. But divine favours must never be taken for granted. As one of the old prophets said centuries later, "the Lord is with you while ye be with Him". If God did not forget Joseph, then Joseph must not forget God. Nor did he! When Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, his response was, "how can I do this wickedness and sin against God"? Here was a very positive assertion of the fear of God in Joseph’s heart, and he acted accordingly - "flee fornication", as Paul once put it. But immediately his would-be seducer became his accuser, denouncing him in a loud voice before the whole household, with the result that a totally innocent man was thrown into prison by the enraged husband. As a Prisoner - The feelings of Joseph as he was marched through those prison doors can be better imagined than described. Yes, he was deeply hurt. Not only did the fetters hurt his feet, but "iron entered into his soul" (Psalm 105:18, Newberry margin). Prison doors and iron chains, however, could not rob Joseph of that sense of the Lord’s presence which sweetens every trial, and he did not sit bemoaning his fate as prisoners sometimes do. Indeed, the keeper of the prison saw great potential in the young man, and gave him a position of trust among the others. Then came a day of great significance for Joseph’s future, when two new prisoners were committed to his care. They were, or had been, Pharoah’s head baker and head butler, and very likely Joseph heard them speak about life in the royal palace, never dreaming that he himself would one day be there. However one morning he found them both in a state of agitation because of dreams they had the night before. Joseph was able to interpret their dreams accurately, giving all the credit to God at the same time. Three days later things turned out as Joseph had said - the baker was hanged and the butler was reinstated in the palace. Joseph asked the butler to remember him after his release from prison, but the man promptly forgot. So Joseph had another item to add to his list of grievances: sold by his brothers, maligned by his masters wife and now forgotten by the butler. But he kept looking to the Lord and possessing his soul in patience, thus leaving for future generations a glowing example of how to act in times when problems abound. Put thou thy trust in God, - W.P.W. McVey. THE DEEDS OF THE BODY "If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live". - Romans 8:13. The mortifying of the deeds of the body is the life-long business of the believer. The delusion that sin may be expelled from the mortal body while we are here below is not a harmless one. Sin is present to the end of our pilgrimage, and continually calls for determined resistance. Of all the sins by which the heart may be hardened and the conscience deadened, perhaps the most delusive is the sin of pride and complacency, which springs from a fancied attainment of sinlessness. "If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (l John 1:8). Continual vigilance will be found to be necessary by those whose aim is to please God in all things, and to give full and unreserved obedience to all His holy will as declared in His Word. There are indeed, no limits to the victory over sin which the Spirit of God can give us. As one has said, "There is no sin from which the blood of Christ cannot cleanse, and there is no sin which the Spirit of God cannot conquer". But if we desire this victory we must not be careless about the thing that would hinder it. We cannot get beyond the tempter’s reach, therefore we must "watch and pray" that we "enter not into temptation". If we would overcome temptation there must not only be the abstaining from "fleshly desires", but also a closing of the eyes and ears to much that would attract our attention in the attitudes and pursuits that are popular in society around us. It is by means of these things that Satan often reaches believers upon whom temptation to grosser evils would have little effect. He well knows the tendency and weakness of each one of us, and can adapt his temptations accordingly. Hence the need of watchfulness that we may discern the snare, as well as prayer that we may have grace and wisdom to avoid it. There are no shortcuts to holiness, and it becomes us to be continually exercised before God as to our growth in spirituality of mind, and to consider carefully what may foster and what may hinder this. The secret of growth in spirituality is the diligent use of the Word of God, worship, and prayer, and specially meditation on the sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. This will lead to lowliness of mind and exercise of conscience touching what is acceptable to God and what is not. Let us not evade the fact that the cultivation of the "mind of the Spirit" rests with ourselves, though it is only by the grace of God that progress is made. The haste of this present time, which affects us even in the service of God as well as in other ways, is not conducive to that quiet communion with God which is the secret of growth. But in spite of all the difficulties, we may, if we will, prove the sufficiency of the Holy Spirit to enable us to "mortify the deeds of the body" and so "bring forth fruit unto God". - Extract WH. Bennet. ATONEMENT On every hand it is apparent that sin has entered into the world. This is a great fact that fallen, sinful man continually tries to ignore. Sin is different from crime. Crime is a wrong done to a neighbour of such a kind that it brings the offender under the condemning power of human law. Sin is wrong done against God. Sin may be most serious, even though no fellow-creature is directly affected by it. Indeed, the sins that are most obnoxious to God are often those which mere natural conscience fails to recognise. For instance, pride is seldom regarded as sin, in fact, it is rather gloried in. In John 16:8 we read that the work of the Holy Spirit toward the world is to convict men "of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment". This conviction is not that a man is sorry that he drank too much when the following morning his head throbs with pain; nor is it that of a thief who finds himself in jail; nor of the covetous man who through speculation has lost his all. These may be convinced that their ways were folly, and that they are reaping their due; but that may be without any conviction of sin as against a holy, and righteous, and loving God. It is this kind of conviction that the Holy Spirit works in the soul. This was the kind of conviction that was brought home to David. He had committed a crime indeed - a grievous wrong done to Uriah, and to Uriah’s wife, as well as a sin against himself and against God. But when convicted by the Spirit his confession is, "Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned". Did he mean by this that he had not wronged Uriah? Certainly not, but rather that his sin against God was infinitely more terrible than even the grievous wrong done to the man he murdered. Righteousness is the second great fact of which the Spirit convicts. God is a righteous God - a God of inflexible righteousness. His throne and government are established in righteousness. Whatever God does through all eternity must be consistent with His own character of eternal and inflexible righteousness. Consequently, if God deals with a sinner and with his sin, He must do so in perfect righteousness. He cannot act in any other way. God is gracious, infinitely gracious, but He cannot show grace at the expense of His own righteousness. Sin is an outrage against His righteous government; against His laws; against His name and character, and it must be dealt with in absolute righteousness. Now if there be sin on the one hand, and righteousness on the other, what can the prospect be but judgment. There is a judgment to come. Since God is Creator of all, He is the Lawgiver for all, therefore He must be Judge of all (Heb. 12:23). Because all His judgment will be done in perfect righteousness, there can be only one verdict for the sinner, and that is - Guilty. In view of this, ATONEMENT IS AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY. There must be a way by which God’s hatred for sin is displayed, as well as His love for the sinner; by which the claims of His broken law are met, as well as the sinner absolved from its curse; by which the righteousness of His government is maintained, as well as the sinner pardoned; by which the holiness of His character is vindicated, while the sinner is brought into favour and blessing. There is only one solution. God Himself must provide the Ransom. And He has. "He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (llohn 4:10). The Cross of Christ; the suffering of the Son of God, the Just for the unjust; the spotless One made a curse for us; all this has made it possible for God to be just, and yet the justifier of the sinner who believes in Jesus. The justice of God’s throne is satisfied, and now "grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom.5:21). God’s present message to the world is called "The Gospel of the Grace of God". But therein is the righteousness of God revealed (Rom. 1:17) as well as His grace. A gospel that ignores atonement by the blood of Christ is no gospel. The Scriptures have no such message for guilty man as to trust in the general mercy of God. Salvation can be found upon the ground of redemption, but nowhere else. Grace excludes works. Human merit has no place in God’s scheme of redemption. Grace has provided a full and complete salvation in Christ Jesus. Faith accepts Him as the Saviour. Unbelief seals its own doom by making God a liar (I John 5:10). - Extract. J.R. Caldwell. QUIET CONFIDENCE I wish thee now, ‘midst all the world’s dark sorrow, His hand, unseen, still ruleth o’er the nations; Not sin, nor wrong, nor base unholy passion In Him we rest; our fortress, strong, abiding; - J. Danson Smith Please address Wholesome Words correspondence to: R.M. Goatley, |