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Prayer in a national tragedy
Copyright by Bob Rogers.
Lord, our hearts are broken. The images of death scar our minds. The cries of pain pierce our ears. We are numb and speechless with the horror of evil. God, have mercy on our nation. Have mercy on our world. Help us to overcome evil with good, even as You did in Your cross and resurrection. In the Name of the One who took the nails for us. Amen.
What have you learned about pain and suffering?
After seven weeks of teaching my Bible class about dealing with pain and suffering, today I asked them, “What is the biggest take away you have learned about suffering?” As they talked, I began to summarize their thoughts on the whiteboard. Here is a list of their comments:
*We grow in faith through suffering.
*Suffering can be used as a testimony to glorify God.
*A diamond is formed under pressure; likewise, suffering develops character.
*Suffering is a process, and you have to let the process work you into a diamond. If you quit on God too soon, you just become a lump of coal.
*In the Holy Land, olives were pressed and crushed in a vat, making olive oil. Likewise, God allows us to suffer pressure, and God produces good things in our lives from it.
*We experience God’s presence in suffering– it draws us closer to God.
*Suffering forces us to make choices– will we be better or bitter?
*We must learn to see suffering in perspective: it is temporary and light compared to the eternal weight of glory God has for us (2 Corinthians 4:17)
*We are able to relate to others with similar suffering, and comfort them. (2 Corinthians 1:4).
*Suffering requires us to be obedient to share the lessons we learned with others, even though we might prefer to talk about other subjects. But when we talk about it, it helps others.
Husbands give tulips, wives give honor!
Jim Newheiser has a wonderful acrostic to help husbands and wives remember what Ephesians 5 teaches us to give to one another. He tells husbands to give their wives TULIPs and wives to give their husbands HONOR.
HUSBANDS, GIVE YOUR WIVES TULIPs:
Totally committed to her in love.
Unconditionally sacrifice yourself for her.
Limit yourself to her alone.
Irresistibly draw her with a love that purifies.
Persevere in meeting her every need.
WIVES, GIVE YOUR HUSBANDS HONOR:
Hold fast to the role God has given you.
Obey your husband’s leadership for the Lord’s sake.
Notice how you can be his helper and do good.
Organize your life around your responsibilities at home.
Restore your husband when he strays from the Lord.
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Listen to the Newheiser’s teaching to husbands here.
Listen to Newheiser’s teaching to wives here.
Why should God answer my prayer for help? A study of Psalm 143
Copyright 2014 by Bob Rogers
“Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my pleas for mercy!” – Psalm 143:1, ESV
Your life is a mess, and you cry out to God for help. Have you ever stopped to consider why God should answer your prayer? In Psalm 143, David shows us how to pray for help for the right reasons. This is not a method to manipulate God; this is a supplication that submits to the Almighty.
In the psalm, David asks God to hear his cry. He talks about how his enemies are hot on his trail, and how he is so weary and worn out that he is ready to give up. Then he concludes his prayer with the right way to appeal to Yahweh.
First, notice the wrong reasons to ask God for help.
1) Not because I’m good. “No one living is righteous before You,” David says to the Lord (v. 2). God isn’t going to answer me because I’m good, because I’m not.
2) Not because I beg him. In verses 4-6, David sounds pitiful, saying his spirit faints and his spirit fails. Yet, as we shall see, all of this begging is not the reason that God answers.
3) Not because I need him. In verse 7, David says he’s afraid he’s going to end up at the bottom of the pit. Yes, God cares about our needs, yet even this is not the reason God comes to my aid, because, as we shall see, it’s not about me.
Second, notice the right reasons to ask God for help.
1) Because God is good. “Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” (v. 10). The Hebrew word used here means “good, gracious, beautiful and pleasant.” God answers because God is good, not because we are good (no one is righteous– v. 2).
2) Because God glorifies His name. “For your name’s sake, LORD, preserve my life!” (v. 11). Whenever you see “LORD” in all capital letters, it translates the given name of God, Yahweh. God answers our prayer for help to glorify His holy name, that He might draw people to faith in Him.
3) Because God is faithful to His covenant love. “And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies…” (v. 12). The phrase “steadfast love” translates one word in Hebrew, chesed, the word for God’s love that He gives in His grace to His people, not because we deserve it, but because He promised to do it when He made a covenant with His people. David also uses this word in verse 8, saying, “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love.”
So if you are crying out to God to help you, ask for the right reasons. Don’t ask because you’re good, because you’re not. Ask because God is good. Don’t ask to help because you want it; ask because it will glorify God. Don’t ask for help because you need it; ask God to help because God has promised to be faithful to you and love you. Don’t tell God what a big problem you have, tell your problem what a big God you have, and stand back and watch Him work in ways you never dreamed.
How do you pray when you are desperate for help?
Copyright 2013 by Bob Rogers
How do you pray when you are desperate for help?
Matthew 9:27 says, “As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
Notice three things about their prayer:
1) They refused to give up. They followed Him, shouting! Luke 18:1 reminds us to always pray and not give up.
2) They made a simple plea. They just said, “Have mercy on us.” Your prayer does not have to be complex or eloquent.
3) They recognized Jesus’ authority to heal. By calling Him “Son of David,” they were confessing that He was the Messiah, who was to be a descendant of David. In verse 28, when Jesus asked them if they believed He could heal them, they said, “Yes, Lord.” The miracle of healing the blind never happened in the Old Testament, but Isaiah 35:5 prophesied the blind would be healed by the Messiah. In our times of desperate need, do we believe Jesus has the ability to do in our lives what nobody ever did before?
Bob Rogers 