The Four Dimensions of Prayer

The Four Dimensions of Prayer

by | Jul 31, 2016 | Prayer

​Paul frequently urges prayer in his writings (Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6, etc.), but in his instruction to Timothy he gives the most complete guidance in this regard. 

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:1-5).

The apostle begins his instruction with the words “I urge, then, first of all…” and if we are studying Paul’s writings carefully we see that he does not follow with a “second” or “third” exhortation – the “first” is not the first of many, but something he feels is first in importance.  Paul tells us it is of primary importance that we are active in four forms or “dimensions” of prayer: “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving.” Although there is some overlap, each of these four aspects of our conversations with God carries a different nuance of meaning. 

The word “petitions” (Greek deésis) indicates prayer for a particular need – simply asking for something.  Although prayer should never be just a list of requests, God’s word shows he does want us to look to him for our needs, of course (Matthew 6:11, 1 Peter 5:7, etc.), and when we do ask for something  it should be in the firm confidence that this word implies.

“Prayers” (proseuche) is a more general word for prayer, but it often carries the idea of worship and praise. The same word is found in Matthew 21:13 where Jesus said of the Temple, “My house will be called a house of prayer.”   

“Intercessions” (enteuxis) represents what may often be an urgent request on the behalf of others.  But this intercession with God can be either for or against someone or something.  We see this in Romans 8:26, 34 “… the Spirit himself intercedes for us … Christ Jesus … is also interceding for us” and in Romans 11:2 “Elijah … appealed to God against Israel.” The word can mean to intervene or to interfere in a situation, and the central idea is one of strong pleading for justice, mercy, or some other aspect of God’s intervention.

“Thanksgiving” (eucharistia) conveys expressions of gratitude which are a vital dimension of fully effective prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It is also important to understand that our expressions of thankfulness should be for the good things that have been given not only to us personally, but also to others – as Paul stresses in telling us that all these forms of prayer are to be made “for all people.”

Paul then specifically mentions prayer for “kings and all those in authority” (vs. 2a) so that believers “may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (vs. 2b).  But there is probably another reason Paul mentions kings in regard to prayer.

Although the Romans permitted the peoples of their empire to worship their own gods, they insisted that conquered peoples demonstrate their loyalty to Rome by also praying to the goddess Roma and the spirit of the emperor. Because the Jews worshiped only one God, the Romans allowed them to pray and sacrifice for the emperor rather than praying and sacrificing to him. When we remember this situation, Paul’s exhortation to pray for kings so that we “may live peaceful and quiet lives” takes on clearer significance  and reminds us that  we too should pray regarding the political and legal aspects of life that affect this world and God’s people in particular.

Finally, in these verses, Paul makes the point that our prayers should be offered through (or in the name of) the “one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”  The pagan peoples of the ancient world believed in many intermediaries between humans and the gods, but Paul stresses the fallacy of this idea in presenting his guidelines for full and acceptable prayer.
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In saying these things, Paul stresses the importance of both our right approach to God as well what we say in our prayers.  And we should remember that the four aspects of prayer he enumerates show our prayers should never be “one dimensional” – they should often include all these forms of address for full communication with God.

Less Is More

Less Is More

by | Jul 24, 2016 | Giving

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​“Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and turmoil with it” (Proverbs 15:16).

“Less is more and more is less” is a maxim that we see frequently these days. As life in the 21st Century gets ever busier, more cluttered, and more complex, many of us find ourselves wanting less in our lives rather than more, and wanting to focus on what we have rather than what we don’t have. 

“Less is more” is a basic principle anyone can apply and profit from, but for the Christian it has a particular depth of meaning. We can see the underlying principle in Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

“… I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ … Brothers, join in imitating me”(Philippians 3:8, 17).

Paul not only tells us here that he had come to consider everything else besides his relationship with God meaningless, but also he specifically tells us to imitate him in this. Now that does not mean that we have to renounce all worldly possessions, of course.  But once we understand and begin to live the principle of not placing undue importance on “things,” we begin to realize we do not need nearly as much as we might assume.  Not only that, but for those of us who enjoy plenty in many aspects of our lives, also we begin to see many of our excess possessions as things that could help others. 

We are reminded of the words of John the Baptist. When John was asked what people should do to prepare for the Kingdom of God that he announced, he answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same” (Luke 3:11).   Once again, it is a principle that is involved. John’s words did not mean that we should not own more than one set of clothing.  Paul’s own writings speak of parchments and an extra item of clothing he had stored away for later use (2 Timothy 4:13), but Paul didn’t speak of packing crates of extra clothes, either.

If we take the admonition of Paul seriously and begin to follow the principle of John’s Kingdom preparation advice, we see more and more clearly that so many of us need less than we have.   That’s the exact opposite mindset of the prosperity focus that some have chosen to follow, but it is a scriptural approach, nonetheless.
  
What does “less is more” mean in our lives?  Perhaps it means taking the time to go through closets and storage areas once a year, to weed out some of the many extra things we may have gathered, but don’t use, and to donate them to a charity or missionary work. A good rule of thumb is often that if we had forgotten we had something, we probably don’t need it.  Unneeded expensive items can often be sold online with very little difficulty and the money given to a good cause, but even an old pair of shoes we never really wear might look very good on the feet of someone who has no shoes at all.

Ultimately, a Christian acceptance of “Less is More” is all about relearning what we really need, sharing from what we don’t need, and thankfully enjoying what we have.  But the relearning is key. Only as we begin to realize we can live with less – and perhaps help others in the process – do we come to realize that less is more for everyone.

Balancing Justice and Mercy

Balancing Justice and Mercy

by | Jul 17, 2016 | Love

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“… And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Most of us are familiar with the concept of “Lady Justice” – we may have seen statues and paintings of her holding a sword in one hand and a balance scale in the other.

The sword, of course, represents punishment and justice itself, and the balance scale symbolizes the idea of fairness in the justice dispensed. And if we look closely at these representations of the figure of Justice, we see she is usually wearing a blindfold – symbolic of total impartiality in judgement.

The Bible stresses the same concepts of justice and fairness – or justice and mercy as it calls them – as we see in Micah’s words “to act justly and to love mercy” as well as the words of Zechariah “…Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another” (Zechariah 7:9), and the words of Christ himself “…you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness….” (Matthew 23:23).

But we must be careful when it comes to the blindfold.  God’s word encourages us to be involved in the dispensation of justice and mercy – to interact with the individuals to whom these principles must be applied in our roles as parents, supervisors, or whatever. Biblically, we cannot be impartial.  We cannot temper justice with mercy if we don’t look at the circumstances involved in the situation we are judging, and we cannot temper mercy with judgment if we do not look at the attitudes involved.

From a biblical perspective, we do need to see clearly what is involved in each instance where we may be in a position to dispense justice or punishment, just as we must where we might need to grant mercy or forgiveness.  Certainly, we must not judge by appearances, as Christ confirmed: “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge the righteous judgment” (John 7:24).

But we must not judge blindly – we must learn to look below the surface and judge matters of justice and mercy without the blindfold of social pressure that sometimes may lean unduly toward mercy, or conversely the blindfold of our human nature that may lean unduly toward justice.  Either of those blindfolds can obscure what we need to see.

The word of God encourages us to see situations needing justice or mercy clearly, but through the lens of its teachings rather than through those of social pressure or human nature.  We may understand this and know the importance of applying both justice and mercy, but how well do we know the scriptures that apply to doing just that?  It’s a simple enough study (search “justice” and “mercy” in a concordance or on a Bible website with search capabilities) and one we should all do at some point: preferably before situations arise needing the application of justice or mercy rather than after they do.

Ultimately, knowing the Scriptures and being guided by God’s Spirit through them is the only way we can properly hold the sword and the scale in our everyday lives as Christians. It’s the only way we can express the law of love through a right balance of justice and mercy, and the only way to do it without being blindfolded.

Remember Those in Chains

Remember Those in Chains

by | Jul 10, 2016 | Persecution, Prayer

​Something to think about:   
 “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering” (Hebrews 13:3 NIV).

This single verse packs a lot into a short space – the many people we should remember, the extent of our identification with them, and the extent of our responsibility toward them.

It is easy to think of this scripture as applying only to those held in physical chains in prisons or dungeons, but it refers literally to all who are “bound” and this includes prisoners who are so bound, as well as all who are held against their will in slavery and forced labor or simply detained, held in custody or imprisoned for their faith. In fact, the meaning extends to all who are mistreated, though again, the focus is on those suffering for their beliefs rather than those being punished for wrongdoing.

Our identification with these people is to be complete.  The Greek is literally “Be reminded of the bound ones as being bound together [with them]”  and encourages us to think about the actual circumstances of those for whom we pray – the conditions they suffer, the effects on their health, welfare, and families, as well as the depression and loss of hope such situations can produce. 

The extent of our responsibility to these people is also stressed in various ways. The meaning is that we are to continue to remember them, rather than only occasionally, and remembering means not just “thinking about” but primarily praying for and also, by extension, doing acts of kindness to help those who are bound in some way.  
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This verse asks questions of all of us:  How few or how many of those who are “bound” are we remembering, how deeply are we thinking about them, and what are we doing in our own lives to ease the suffering of those in “chains”?

Ultimate Liberty

Ultimate Liberty

by | Jul 3, 2016 | Positive Living

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The concept of liberty, like independence and freedom, lies at the heart of every democratic society and is enshrined in the 4th of July holiday we celebrate every year in the United States.  It’s a concept we all applaud and agree with, but not one we necessarily think about as deeply as we might.

Interestingly, the Bible shows two types of liberty: on the one hand, liberty from anything that enslaves us, and on the other, liberty to serve God.  The latter type of liberty may seem counter intuitive, and that’s where thinking a little more about the concept of liberty comes in.

Liberty from anything that enslaves us is easy enough to understand. That is the liberty to which the Children of Israel were called as they were brought out of Egypt.  It is the liberty from sin that Jesus stressed as He began his ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because … He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives…to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).

The apostle Paul speaks of this freedom: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).  Yet Paul and the other apostles constantly speak of themselves as the servants or slaves of God (Romans 1:1, James 1:1, Jude 1:1, etc.). Being a servant is clearly part of the calling of every Christian (Mark 9:45, 10:44),  so how can the two be reconciled?

The truth is, beneath the political and social liberty we rightly praise and strive to protect, at the ultimate foundational level we are all individually servants of someone or something.  We can only choose who or what.  This is a basic biblical truth and is clearly seen in Paul’s statement: “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin…or to obedience…?” (Romans 6:16).  

The person who insists that he or she is individually free and serves no one is, at the very least, the servant of his or her own desires, moods and decisions.  In giving up individual liberty in submission to God, the Christian is really switching to a new way of life where desires, moods and decisions are brought into alignment with what God has revealed is best for us.

Paul summarized this situation as he continued in Romans 6:  “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18).  James agrees – pointing out that the law of God is the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25, 2:12); and Peter himself wrote “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16).

So, counter intuitive as it might seem, no matter how much we cherish and protect our wider liberty, we should remember that ultimately as individuals we all serve something.  In choosing to serve God, we free ourselves not only from the penalty of sin, but also from the results of following our own nature. It is in doing this that we find ultimate liberty.

*This post was first published on this site July 3, 2014.