Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.   Hebrews 4:16
RECOMMENDED READING:  LUKE 11:1-26 “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.² And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.³ Give us day by day our daily bread.⁴ And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.⁵ And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;⁶ For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?⁷ And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.⁸ I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.⁹ And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.¹⁰ For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.¹¹ If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?¹² Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?¹³ If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?¹⁴ And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.¹⁵ But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.¹⁶ And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.¹⁷ But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.¹⁸ If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.¹⁹ And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.²⁰ But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.²¹ When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:²² But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.²³ He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.²⁴ When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.²⁵ And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.²⁶ Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

COMMENTS: Today’s scripture is Luke’s account of the Lord’s Prayer given by Jesus in response to a disciple seeking instruction on how to pray.  The disciples had witnessed Jesus praying often and desired to learn to pray like Him.  They thought technique or instruction was all they needed but Jesus would share what needed to change in them in order to pray.  His prayer was simple so could be memorized by all Christians and even be learned and valued by non-professing Christians.  This prayer gives the essentials in prayer, including requests for our needs, forgiveness for our sins and ability to forgives others sins against us, strength in battling satan, agreement with God’s plan, request for help in supporting and being a part of His plan, and worship and praise and gratitude for all He does and has done and will do.  These elements, along with praying for others should be included in all prayers.  But His prayer also shows us He doesn’t expect nor want long drawn out prayers.  They do not impress Him nor please Him.

So, what does impress Him?   Well, when look at the Roman Centurion with the dying servant or the healed leper who returned to thank Him, or Saul who became Paul, or Simon who became Peter, or the prostitute who anointed Him with expensive perfume before entering Jerusalem for what would be the last, or the faithful from old testament times like Daniel and his 3 friends, like Joseph or Noah or Mary or Esther or…. The list goes on.   They all give us examples and guides to follow.  But Jesus is our one and only best and perfect example.

We must not get used to nor become indifferent to the significance to Christ’s gift of enabling and purchasing the privilege for each of us to approach the Throne of the Father in prayer with confidence of knowing we are loved and heard and welcome there!  That is incredible and significant.   That is life and eternity changing for you and me.  That is reason to worship and praise Him.  Not just now and again or on Sundays but every time we pray and more often than now often, we currently pray.

We also need to hear Christ warning in regard to satan’s influence in us.  If we let Christ clean us up and fill us, there will be no room for satan.  But if we allow Him back in after Christ has cleansed us, we will be far worse off than before.  Why? Well, when we sin out of weakness, we still are open to seek and receive God’s help and are repentant – remorseful for our sins.  Such limits and sets boundaries around satan, limiting how far and completely he has control and influence over us.  But if we reject God and return to our old sinful life ignoring God’s present and help, we are at greater risk of allowing Him greater influence and power in our souls.

SATAN IS NO MATCH FOR OUR GOD!  Our future is sure if we put our trust and faith in Him.  But if we do so half way or withhold committing to Him, we limit the level of help and protection He can and wants to give us.  When we do that, we leave satan a foothold in our lives and risk exposure to all the evil and destruction he is eager to pile on us.  How many times do we suffer needlessly by withholding surrender to Christ?  How often do we surrender and fail to leave our “treasures” and “wills” at the altar?  We even need God’s help to lay them there but, even more, we need His help to leave them there.   He is ready and eager to help us do so.  We only need to ask and take that first step of response.  He will take it from there!  AMEN?  AMEN! 

If there is a need, you’re reluctant to ask God to meet, go into His presence with confidence. His mercy and grace are there for the asking.

 

God’s sovereignty does not negate our responsibility to pray, but rather makes it possible for us to pray with confidence.

Jerry Bridges

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