The sort of people who have effective prayer lives.Tuesday October 18, 2022
General forms of prayer: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, intercession, and petition.
If we desired, we could (biblically) break these down into a few more subcategories. Also, petition means to ask, so technically it is the same as intercession if you are asking for someone else.
Paul, in his instruction to Timothy concerning church administration, he puts prayer at the top of the list.
1Ti 2:1-8 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties [requests] and prayers, petitions [there is not much difference between these first three words] and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time. 7 And for this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.
Notice that effective prayer leads to a “tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity, which is good and acceptable (pleasing) in the sight of God our Savior.”
Then Paul instructed him on the proper behavior of the women, pastors, deacons, older men and women, widows, etc. He puts prayer before the instruction on behavior. We can say that a believer has to be of a certain type or character, of which prayer would be a symptom, before properly receiving instruction on conduct.
We have established that prayer is a life-long conversation with God that He began with us. It is based upon His character and His word and anything outside of that is not effective prayer. We also established that one aspect of prayer is seeking God, or the understanding of God, and seeking the truth of His Word. We noted that the Lord’s Prayer contains all prayers, and we have more work to do on that. We noted that we can pray the Psalms and we have some more work to do on that.
It doesn’t begin with either a song or a prayer, but the first two psalms serve as an introduction to the rest (148). The first one is about you and me; the second about the Lord Jesus Christ.
The first is a meditation that contrasts the way of the righteous with the way of the ungodly and sets the stage for the hostility of the ungodly.
The righteous live among ungodly men and the ungodly are hostile to God’s law, which the righteous strive to keep. The conflict set up by this dichotomy is what demands that the righteous continually seek the face of the Lord, continually learn and meditate upon God’s law, and continually pray about others and himself, and pray for the ungodly, our enemies, for their good and open eyes.
Psa 2 is a royal psalm that lays out the connection between God’s rule and the human monarchy (and their subjects).
“Putting the two psalms together we have the main themes of the book, the way of the righteous are to live among the ungodly, and the salvation the righteous have in their divinely chosen king.” [Allen Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms]
God has not been caught off guard by sin or evil. He has decreed human history and has allowed this contrast to exist. He has also established His absolute authority in this world in which all are accountable to His law, and He has also set His love upon this world in giving all the gift of His Son as King, if they will kiss the Son by faith.
Mat 5:17-18 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”
Psa 1
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.
Psa 1:1 “How blessed” – a term (ashrey) that refers to the joyful spiritual condition of those who are right with God and the pleasure and satisfaction that is derived from that.
It means more than happiness, for happiness can often be a superficial feeling based on what happens. Ashrey refers to that sense of joy and satisfaction that comes with knowing that one is right with God. Playing around with sin, as a Christian, and claiming the grace of God, which you have and so are forgiven, is only robbing yourself of true joy.
Then a threefold description: wicked, sinners, scoffers.
Wicked – ungodly. Unbelievers who may or may not be involved in wicked deeds.
The first word, “wicked” are the unbelievers, who are described throughout the Psalms as not only having wicked deeds, but mostly are those who are not members of the covenant by rejecting God’s gospel and so are ungodly. Throughout the Psalms they may be wicked or kind, but they are always outside of the covenant, having rejected God’s redemption plan. It would be an extensive but fruitful study to go and find them throughout the Psalms.
Sinners – those who fail to obey God.
The next word “sinners” are those who are either ignorantly or intentionally failing to obey God. Finally, scorners, are those who ridicule the righteous and try to destroy their integrity.
Scoffers - vicious in their words.
Pro 24:9 The devising of folly is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
The blessed do not walk, stand or sit with them.
This is why it is expository teaching that is necessary in the church, meaning that the message given is based solely on the Scriptures. Expository teaching creates hunger in the members for God’s word. It removes the personality cult issues; messages on the opinions of the pastor or on current affairs.
The blessed delight in the law (Torah) of the Lord – all of the Scriptures.
Psa 19:7-10 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
“In His law he meditates day and night,” What we would miss in English is that the verb meditates is used again in Psa 2:1 concerning the ungodly.
Psa 2:1 Why are the nations in an uproar, And the peoples devising (meditating) a vain thing?
Meditation means that the godly know the Scripture well enough that throughout the day and at night they can recall it and think about it. It is hiding God’s word in your heart as a treasure, one that you pull out and look upon and delight in throughout the day and night. This requires also an understanding of the Scripture that continues to increase.
Meditation on the Word allows one to speak to God about the word, turning its ideas and concerns into prayer.
Psa 8:3-9 When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him? 5 Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God, And dost crown him with glory and majesty! 6 Thou dost make him to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet, 7 All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Thy name in all the earth!
Meditation is also self-exhortation – rebuking, exhorting, or encouraging, when need be (2Ti 3:16).
2Ti 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
The Hebrew word for meditation here actually means speaking and uttering the words themselves, which can be done in the mind or verbally. This practice helps fix the mind on the words in a deeper manner.
With emblematic parallelism, the third verse gives a lovely picture of the success of the person who lives according to divine revelation.
Psa 1:3 And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
He is like a tree flourishing and fruitful and a blessing to himself and others – a simile often used by God to describe the godly.
The tree represents the godly person and the streams of water (irrigation ditches possibly) represent the word of God. As water causes the tree to grow, so God’s word causes the person to grow spiritually.
1Co 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
Jer 17:7-8 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord And whose trust is the Lord. 8 "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.
The tree produces fruit in its season – not all the time, but when it is supposed to bear fruit. Believers, properly watered in the heart by the word of God will produce righteous acts at the proper time. The fruit of the Spirit is in view for us in this age.
Taking kindness, for example, there isn’t always the opportunity for it, but multiple times a day the opportunity to be kind (even in our thoughts when a person comes upon our mind) presents itself. It is the time spent delighting in the Scriptures, learning and living them, that enable one to be this kind of person, this stable tree or character and grace, whose fruit from the Spirit is consistently shown, day-by-day, and is a blessing to others.
“Its leaf will not wither.” Because it is well watered, it will not only survive but flourish.
Joh 10:10 I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.
Just because we are alive doesn’t mean that we know how to really live.
Why are we toying around with so much less than that which is abundant life from the author of life? I suggest this question be a consistent part of your prayer life (and mine), for it is what we love that eventually determines our decisions and ultimately our life footprint on this earth. If we don’t love the Lord and His law more than anything else, even ourselves, be honest with your Father in prayer and seek with Him the source of this obvious error. Ask, seek, and knock consistently throughout life, for our love of the Lord will always have to increase and self will always have to decrease.
Finally: And in whatever he does, he prospers.
This not to be taken as the proponents of the prosperity gospel would. It is not a blanket statement promising unlimited success, as if the world’s prosperity would be the same as what God would consider it to be. It would mean that he flourishes, when he is in easy times or adverse.
“He prospers” – he flourishes in lean times and abundance; adversity and prosperity.
Php 4:11-13 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
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