TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 86:1-17
You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. - Psalm 86:5
TODAY IN THE WORD

All of us have days when we feel like the cyclist who accidentally dropped the Olympic torch on its way to Atlanta for the 1996 Summer Games. The flame on the torch went out when the accident happened, but the cyclist's mistake was quickly taken care of because a van carrying the original flame followed the torch during the entire relay. The people in charge simply relit the torch, and the relay continued.

In one sense, this is what God does for us when we come to Him in prayer. There are many times that we lose our grip and drop the torch. But, praise God, His goodness is an eternal flame! The truth we want to see and rejoice in today is that God hears and answers our prayers.

David knew the God who responds to the prayers of His people. Because there is more in these verses than we can get our minds around in a few minutes we encourage you to spend some extra time studying this great Psalm.

Its structure is interesting. The opening and closing sections are filled with requests, surrounding a section of praise and adoration (vv. 8-13). Every word, however, is aimed at extolling the goodness, mercy, and lovingkindness of God.

Clearly, David's ""flame"" was low, if not out, when he wrote these verses. He was under attack from his enemies, ""a band of ruthless men."" You probably don't have that many human enemies, but you may feel that circumstances gang up on you from time to time. Those are definitely times when you need mercy and strength from God (v. 16).

Look at the terms David used to describe his relationship with God. He was ""devoted""

(v. 2). Three times, David called himself God's servant (vv. 2, 4, 16). He feared and glorified God's name (vv. 11-12) and was the object of God's great love (v. 13).

These signs of relationship entitled David to ask God for a fresh sign of His goodness (v. 17). You have that privilege too.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

Psalm 86:1 is another verse that needs to become part of our prayer repertoire. We are very privileged to be able to call on a God who hears and answers prayer.

Sometimes, in fact, God hears and answers prayer in ways we are not even aware of until a later time. Has that happened to you recently? One way to find out is by looking over your current prayer list. You might see a need or a request that God has already addressed in a way you hadn't recognized until today. If that's the case, you have one more reason for which to praise Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 8:26-27
The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. - Romans 8:26
TODAY IN THE WORD

There is a great deal of material available to help people become effective public speakers. Much of the advice centers around preparation and helping the potential speaker think through the presentation so that the audience will be able to follow the main points. One expert also advises checking over a speech to weed out unnecessary words and phrases, replacing words that would be hard to pronounce aloud.

All of this is solid advice for a speech that needs to fit a certain occasion in a limited amount of time. Prayer demands preparation too. Most of us need to write down the people and special circumstances we are praying for, and many people pray with their lists in front of them. We also have those prayer items that are familiar and well-rehearsed: children, grandchildren, spouses, and personal needs.

But since prayer is intimate communion and communication with God instead of a speech and since it involves deep human emotions, there are times when words fail us. It's safe to assume you've experienced what could be called the agony of prayer.

What a comfort and help the Holy Spirit's ministry is at times like this! When the prayer burden or desire is so intense that all you can do is sigh in your spirit, the Spirit of God translates those sighs. And when you don't know what to ask for, the Spirit adjusts the request to conform it to the will of God.

You can read Romans 8:26-27 in less than a minute; but there is a lifetime of truth and holy mystery found there. If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we are often weak in prayer. That's one reason the ministry of prayer is so badly neglected among God's people.

But the believer who is sincere in seeking the Lord through prayer discovers a unique blessing--the intercession of the Spirit. Later this month we'll be reminded that the bottom line in prayer must always be, ""Not my will, but Yours, be done."" It's the job of the Holy Spirit to make sure that our prayers line up with the Father's will. Our responsibility is to discern the Spirit's leading and submit to the Father's will.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

Do you have one or more Romans 8 requests or needs on your prayer list today? If so, you can identify with the uncertainty and the deep desire of which Paul speaks.

Since the Holy Spirit's desire for our prayers is to conform them to God's will, why not lay these requests before the Lord this weekend, asking Him to bring each situation in line with His will? Then thank Him ahead of time for the answer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 9:35-38
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. - Matthew 9:38
TODAY IN THE WORD

In his book, With Christ in the School of Prayer, Andrew Murray (see May 1 study) offers this insight concerning Jesus' prayer request to the disciples: ""The Lord frequently taught His disciples that they must pray and how they should pray. But He seldom taught them what to pray. This He left to their sense of need and the leading of the Spirit. But in the above Scripture he expressly directs them to remember…the need to prepare and send laborers for the work.""

Murray is right in noting that Jesus did not give us many specifics to pray for. So when the Savior does tell us to pray for something, we need to pay close attention.

Today's verse is important for a number of reasons. Once is that it reveals the heart of Jesus. The context was one of intense ministry on Jesus' part (v. 35). Crowds surged toward Him on this occasion, as they did wherever He went. Jesus not only ministered to their physical and spiritual needs, He also looked on the people with the eyes and heart of the Good Shepherd.

The Lord's heart went out to the lost sheep He saw all around Him. But His statement to the disciples is interesting because it isn't what we would expect in this situation. Our first impulse would have been to tell the disciples, ""Look at this crowd. Get out there and start sharing the gospel and ministering to these people's needs.""

Of course, Jesus did tell us to go into all the world and preach the gospel. But here He emphasized the indispensable place of prayer in the work of evangelism.

This is the secret, and the mystery, to this text. For reasons we may not fully understand, the all-powerful God of the universe chooses to link the fulfillment of His will to the prayers of His people.

This fact should both excite and humble us. It means we can partner with God in the work of winning souls and expect to see our prayers answered. But it also means we must pray.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

We know we should be praying for a world of lost people and for the workers needed to reap the harvest.

How can we cultivate the kind of intense burden for souls that Jesus felt? One answer is in today's text. Jesus was moved by the sight of people in desperate spiritual need, and He saw them as individuals, not as a crowd. Let's ask God today to help us see people in need the way He sees them.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Timothy 1:3-7
Hannah...named him Samuel, saying, ""Because I asked the Lord for him."" - 1 Samuel 1:20
TODAY IN THE WORD

Evangelist Billy Sunday told of a minister who was calling on his people. He came to one home and asked the girl who answered the door if he might talk to her mother. ""No,"" she replied, ""mother prays from nine to ten."" The minister waited for forty minutes; and when the mother came out, her face was so radiant that he understood why her oldest daughter was a missionary and her two sons were in the ministry. Billy Sunday added, ""All hell cannot tear a boy or a girl away from a praying mother.""

Mother's Day probably evokes more emotions and sentiments than any other day of the year. Those of us who were brought up by godly, praying mothers have something more solid than sentiment to offer today, however. We can thank the Lord for a wonderful influence that, as Billy Sunday suggested, is stronger than the attacks of the enemy.

Hannah is a classic biblical example of a praying mother. For Hannah, motherhood itself was an answer to her intense, heartfelt prayer. The mighty prophet Samuel was born with prayer as his covering, and every year Hannah continued to entrust her child to the Lord.

Timothy's mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois are also honored names on the list of godly mothers. Paul's tribute to these women is not a mere tip of the hat to two family members who were dear to Timothy, his son in the faith. Acts 16:1-3 gives us a brief clue to the life-shaping spiritual influence that Eunice had on Timothy, and later we learn that Eunice herself was the product of a believing mother.

The prayer lives of these two honored mothers is not mentioned, but we can imagine the place that prayer had in this home. The strength of faith that Lois and Eunice passed on to Timothy is obvious in today's reading.

Timothy was filling a tough pastoral assignment in Ephesus. He was a little on the timid side, apparently, so Paul urged him to stand strong and serve in the power of God. The strong foundation on which Timothy was to stand was the faith instilled in him by the hands that rocked his cradle. Praise God for a mother's faith and a mother's prayers!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

It's wonderful when a person's human and spiritual parents are one and the same.

But even if your Mother's Day memories are not what you wish they were, there may be someone in your life who filled the role of spiritual parent to help guide you to Christ. We suggest you make a call today, if that's possible, and greet that special person. Or offer a special word of thanks for your spiritual parent.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. - Colossians 4:2
TODAY IN THE WORD

According to a recent newspaper article, people are returning to the habit of praying in restaurants. The article cited a poll by the Princeton Survey Research Associates which found that sixty percent of people surveyed said they pray aloud before eating in public.

We should applaud any sign that people are practicing prayer in greater numbers. Those who regularly offer thanks for their food, no matter where they are, reveal a habit of the heart that Paul commands in these familiar verses.

But ""Pray continually"" (v. 17) seems like a stretch when you read it, doesn't it? The text does not, of course, demand us to spend twenty-four hours of every day on our knees.

But in seeking God's will for us in prayer, we need to be careful not to weaken the force of Paul's words. Verse 17 comes in the middle of a string of rapid-fire exhortations that help us understand his intent. We can pray continually in the same way that we can always be joyful.

We don't have to be smiling all the time to be characterized by joy. We all know people who emit joy the way the sun emits rays. They choose to live this way. The joy of Christ is the atmosphere that sustains them.

In the same way, God wants prayer to be the atmosphere we breathe, the attitude of our hearts. A person who lives in a continual attitude of prayer is someone who can give thanks in all circumstances (v. 18).

Does today's text suggest anything about how much we should pray? It sure does. Giving thanks in everything by itself is going to consume a good part of your time! And in special times of need or concern, you may literally find yourself praying continually in the sense that your prayer burden is never more than a heartbeat from your conscious thoughts.

Let's face it. Praying too much isn't a big problem for most of us. It's all that we can handle just to cultivate the prayer habit that God wants of us. But we have a prayer Helper in the Holy Spirit. Let's not ""put out"" the prayer fire He wants to kindle in us.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

One way to help develop a habit of prayer is to change some of our standard thinking.

For example, we usually treat the ""Amen"" at the end of our prayers like a period at the end of a sentence. In other words, prayer is over, so let's move on to the next thing. But instead of a period, try thinking of your ""amen"" as a comma--simply a pause in the conversation. You may have to go on to work or to your duties at home, but you can bring the atmosphere of your prayer place with you.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 32:1-11
I said, ""I will confess my transgressions to the Lord""-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. - Psalm 32:5
TODAY IN THE WORD

Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll warns us that our society's message of ""instant gratification"" holds a danger for believers, the way an undertow in the surf can sweep away an unsuspecting swimmer. The danger is that our ""instant"" society can lead us to believe there are shortcuts to getting where we want to go. The fact, Swindoll writes, is that ""there are no shortcuts to anything meaningful.""

This observation really rings true when it comes to the issue of confession, forgiveness, and restoration. We all want peace of heart and a clear conscience before God. These blessings are available on a daily basis to every believer--but there is no shortcut to achieving them.

David found that out the hard way. For about a year after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband (2 Sam. 11), David tried to find peace in his kingly activities and his family. But the poison leaked out of the sin he had worked so hard to cover, eating away at his body and spirit. The pain didn't stop until David fell on his face before God in confession and repentance.

Clearing one's conscience before God is another purpose of prayer. In this psalm David describes the peace he found in confessing his sin and receiving God's forgiveness, and he teaches us the truths he learned that we need to know.

We need to read this Psalm along with Psalm 51 to get a complete picture of David's confession and restoration. Here he urges us to confess sin before the ""mighty waters"" of trouble roll over us the way they rolled over David as he attempted to hide his sin.

Notice that there are no shortcuts or easy formulas here. David had to come clean 100 percent before God. He also had to face the consequences of his sin, which in David's case were definitely ""mighty waters.""

David was very picturesque in describing the alternative to free and willing confession of sin. The person who refused to own up before God readily would have to be brought to account against his or her will like a stubborn mule. ""Do not be like [that],"" David says (v. 9). Let's take his advice!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

God is so gracious to us in Christ that He gives us a way to bring our sins to Him--and to go away forgiven.

Confessing the sin that accumulates in our daily lives is a privilege we have because Christ's blood has already paid the price for those sins. We often encourage our readers to make confession a regular part of their prayer lives. The cleansing promised in 1 John 1:9 is for you…today.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ephesians 1:15-19a
I keep saking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. - Ephesians 1:17
TODAY IN THE WORD

Someone has wryly observed that saying to a person ""I'll pray for you"" has become the way we Christians say goodbye. It's a clever line, but it has enough truth in it to sting a little.

Nothing is easier at church or on the telephone than to tell a Christian friend you'll pray for him or her. We know we are supposed to pray for others, and we sincerely want to pray. But we sometimes forget to follow up on our prayer promises.

The fact that other people would seek our prayers on their behalf and the fact that we feel burdened to pray for them underscores the importance of intercession. The meaning of intercession is to go before the Father on behalf of others: our sisters and brothers in Christ, lost people, family members, and anyone else who needs prayer.

God is looking for inter-cessors. He is ready to bless and save and comfort and restore--and in His wisdom, He has decided that He will move in response to the prayers of His people.

The ministry of intercession doesn't need a lot of explaining. We can pray for anyone God lays on our hearts, and we can pray for anything in their lives that is within God's will. And in those cases where our prayers for others do not align with His will, God has a way of bringing our requests in line with His desires.

You won't find a better biblical intercessor than Paul. Time and again he told the people to whom he wrote that he prayed for them, constantly and fervently. The prayer in today's text remains a classic example of the kind of prayer God can bless.

Paul went right to the heart of the Ephesian believers' spiritual needs. He prayed that they would know God intimately. He also asked God to open the eyes of their spiritual understanding so that they would grasp the greatness of their position in Christ. When Paul said, ""I'll pray for you,"" he prayed! How about us?
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

One good way to deal with a memory lapse is to write down what you want to remember.

It works with prayer requests too. Even if you don't have the problem of forgetting a well-meaning promise to pray for someone, writing down the request accomplishes at least two good things. It helps to fix the request on your mind, and it gives you something tangible to pull out and review when you pray. Try carrying a few 3 x 5 cards in your pocket, purse, or Bible for this purpose.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 32:1-14
Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. - Exodus 32:11
TODAY IN THE WORD

Dr. John Hannah, seminary professor and author, says of today's passage that while Moses was experiencing spiritual triumph on the mountain with God, ""the people of God plummeted to a low point spiritually. God had repeatedly manifested His power and compassion, but they were soon forgotten. Repeatedly in the book of Exodus, the Israelites reacted with insensitivity and rebellion to God's marvelous displays of His goodness.""

Israel's blatant sin in the face of God's goodness parallels the spiritual condition of America today. While Moses was in God's presence on the mountain receiving His Law, the people turned to sexual debauchery and idolatry as they tired of waiting for Moses's return. God's anger burned so fiercely that if Moses had not been there to act as the nation's intercessor, God would have unleashed His righteous anger on the Israelites.

Moses's prayer of intercession for Israel is both a sobering and a hopeful lesson for us. He placed himself between a sinful people and a justly angry God, and pled for God's mercy--based not on what the people deserved, but on the character of God.

We need to look at the content of Moses's prayer. He asked God to relent from His planned judgment: so that the Egyptians would not be able to impugn God's character and also because of the promises God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

In other words, Moses reminded God of His character and His Word. We have that same authority and privilege in prayer today. The power of Moses's intercession is attested in a remarkable statement: ""The Lord relented"" (v. 14).

This passage usually comes up in discussions of whether God actually changes His mind, which is the way the word relent is translated in Numbers 23:19. We can't settle all of that here except to say that in some way we don't totally understand, God allowed Moses's plea to cause Him to execute a new plan.

But let's not allow the part of this passage we don't understand to obscure the power of intercessory prayer. God is looking for intercessors to ""stand in the gap"" for America today and to turn back His judgment. Are you willing to be one of those people?
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

A number of Christian organizations today help to rally concentrated prayer for America.

You can join the outpouring of prayer for this nation by setting aside specific time to pray for God's mercy and for revival to come. Look over your weekly schedule, and designate a special time of intercession. You may also want to join with other believers who are fasting for a meal or a day to devote themselves to prayer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Nehemiah 1:1-11
O Lord, God of heaven, hear the prayer your servant is praying. - Nehemiah 1:5-6
TODAY IN THE WORD

Andrew Murray, the late pastor and noted author on prayer who has become a friend to us this month, has another stirring challenge for us to consider today. He writes: ""So much of our prayer is vague and pointless. Some cry for mercy, but do not take the trouble to know exactly why they want it. Others ask to be delivered from sin, but do not name any sin from which a deliverance can be claimed. Still others pray for God's blessing…on their land or on the world, and yet have no special field where they can wait and expect to see the answer. To everyone the Lord says, 'What do you really want, and what do you expect Me to do?' ""

Murray's challenge is especially timely for us today and makes a good follow-up to our study yesterday on the need of intercessory prayer for America.

Nehemiah's prayer for his homeland is a model any godly person in any generation can imitate. It meets all the criteria Murray named. There is nothing vague or pointless about it. Nehemiah named the sin Israel was guilty of: acting wickedly and failing to obey the Law God gave through Moses.

Nehemiah wasn't clueless as to why he wanted God's mercy. The city of Jerusalem was in ruins, and Nehemiah knew that the rubble gave God's enemies a chance to defame His name and character. Finally, Nehemiah didn't stammer around when it came to the specifics of what he wanted God to do (v. 11).

Like Moses, Nehemiah was a great intercessor. Nehemiah put himself squarely in the middle of his sinful people and identified with them completely in their deep spiritual need.

This prayer draws us away from the tendency to take an ""us and them"" mentality as we pray for national restoration. There are many evil people doing many evil things in our country, but we all stand before God in need of forgiveness.

Nehemiah was arguably the most righteous Israelite of his generation. But he didn't point the finger at others. He went before God on behalf of his own needs as well as on behalf of the nation's.

Nehemiah's humility and repentant heart gave his prayer a unique power. We need to study this prayer and make it our own.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

Vagueness in prayer happens when we fail to put real effort and thought into our prayers.

Here's an interesting way to find out if your prayers are too vague. Jot down three or four people or situations you're praying for, then describe exactly what you want God to do in each case. See if you can do it without using the word bless at all!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 34:1-7
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. - Isaiah 26:3
TODAY IN THE WORD

In August, 1875, English bishop Edward Bickersteth was on vacation when he heard a minister speak on Isaiah 26:3. The speaker pointed out that in the original language of this verse, ""peace"" is repeated, the Hebrew way of conveying perfection. Bickersteth noted the insight--and that same afternoon, he shared the comfort of this verse with a dying relative. God's peace seemed to flood the room, and Bickersteth was so moved that he took out a pen and paper and wrote the words that we know today as the hymn, ""Peace, Perfect Peace.""

Isaiah 26:3 is a wonderful promise, and Psalm 34 shows us one way to make God's peace real in our lives--through the expression of praise and thanksgiving in prayer.

The promised peace comes to the person whose mind is steadfast because it is fixed on the Lord. Verses 1-3 of our text reveal a mindset that is focused on the Lord, as David offers up to God his prayer of praise.

We can't talk about the power of prayer without realizing that one of the primary purposes of prayer is to ""extol the Lord"" (v. 1). And besides bringing God the glory that is due Him, this kind of prayer also serves as a testimony to others. David called on the congregation to join him in glorifying God.

David went on to explain the source of his confidence (vv. 4-7). God had delivered David from great danger and fear in the episode with the Philistine king Achish (1 Sam. 21:10-15). David went from fear to peace and radiant confidence because he sought God in prayer, and the Lord answered.

We're all ""poor"" in the sense David describes in verse 6. In ourselves we are bankrupt of the spiritual resources we need to experience God's peace and deliverance from trials.

But everything we lack, our great God has in abundance. When we praise Him even in the middle of trouble, we find the peace that comes only when ""the angel of the Lord"" takes up guard duty around us.

Paul knew that same peace. And he understood the vital connection between praise and thanksgiving, and the peace of God (see Phil. 4:6-7). When we come to God with joyful, thankful hearts, His peace ""does sentry duty"" in our lives.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

Of course, God's peace does not mean the absence of problems. But it does provide the grace and power you need to persevere and praise Him despite any difficulty. According to Paul, peace comes with thanksgiving. Why not gather the family around this weekend, or get together with a few Christian friends and have a ""praise and thanksgiving"" party? Recall the good things God has done and is doing for you.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Mark 14:32-42
Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will. - Mark 14:36
TODAY IN THE WORD

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus gave us a prayer to pray. But in Gethsemane, we see Jesus praying the prayer that, at least in part, only He could pray. Author Philip Yancey says, ""I long for the sense of detachment, of trust, that I see in Gethsemane. God and God alone is qualified to answer my prayers, even if it means transmuting them from my own self-protective will into God's perfect will.""

There are a week's worth of lessons in this amazing passage. Let's consider just one contrast today. We see the power of Jesus' prayer life, in spite of great physical suffering and weakness. Contrast this with the disciples' total weakness in prayer, even though aside from fatigue they had no particular physical weakness with which to wrestle.

One lesson we can take away from Gethsemane is in Jesus' warning to His well-meaning but dozing disciples. He told them, ""Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak"" (v. 38).

This is our real dilemma in prayer. As we said in an earlier lesson, most sincere Christians really want to be consistent and effective in prayer. Any one of us would have been flattered had Jesus asked us to join Him for the most important prayer session of His life.

But chances are, we would not have entered that garden any more spiritually prepared than Peter or Zebedee's sons. Satan knows something about us that we are slow to learn about ourselves. Our flesh is weak--and overconfident, to make things worse. So we think we have prayer figured out. We just kneel down somewhere, bow our heads, and pray great prayers.

Gethsemane teaches us that real prayer doesn't happen that way. Prayer is work. It is engaging the enemy in battle. So we'd better be well-prepared. We can thank the Lord for those times when our spirits are willing to pray. But we need to realize that powerful, effective prayer doesn't just happen because we're in a prayer meeting--even with Jesus present.

But for your encouragement, Peter and the apostles learned to pray so powerfully that the building shook (Acts 4:31). That means we can shake some things up in prayer too!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

There is one portion of Jesus' prayer we can repeat: ""Not what I will, but what you will.""

Can you write that statement of trust across the most closely held requests on your prayer list? Since this is something only you can answer, why not take extra time this Lord's day to determine if you are willing to have God's will--no matter what?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 14:12-14
You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. - John 14:14
TODAY IN THE WORD

Access to the world of ""cyberspace"" via the Internet is a hot topic these days. Companies are finding a ready market for blocking devices and other programs designed to prevent the wrong people from gaining access to an environment where, it seems, almost anything can be had for a few key strokes and clicks of a mouse.

Prayer is a powerful environment. It takes us into the presence of God Himself. But prayer is not just a storehouse of goodies for people to draw on at will. God has specific purposes He wants to see accomplished in prayer. Jesus gave us the greatest purpose in John 14:13: to bring glory to His Father.

This is so important that Andrew Murray calls the glory of God ""the chief end of prayer"" and continues: ""When there is no prospect of this object being obtained, [God] will not answer.""

That's strong language, but Murray is on pretty solid ground. Later this month we'll consider a biblical example of God's glory demanding a ""no"" answer to the request being made--the ""thorn in the flesh"" that bothered Paul--even though Paul wanted God's glory too.

But today we're talking about the attitude and teaching that says God's desire for us in every case is health and prosperity.

Since that's not happening in the lives of many believers, those who teach ""prosperity theology"" are obliged to go the next step and insist that the secret to unlocking God's treasure chest is prayer. And they quote prayer promises such as the one found in John 14.

In reaction to this extreme, however, we sometimes lean too far the other way. We tend to clear our throats and get a little nervous when we come across passages in which Jesus makes great promises regarding prayer.

But we don't need to be embarrassed! Jesus did say these things, after all; and the potential of His promise is probably greater than we are willing to allow.

But we can't ignore the boundaries Jesus set for confident, believing prayer. It must be in His name, meaning the request must be one that He can endorse. And what does He endorse? Prayer that brings His Father glory. Our challenge is to get in line with God's glory--whether or not that means we get what we want.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

God's will--that which brings Him glory--is not so mysterious as some people make it out to be.

To discover this for yourself, study the prayers of the Bible. We have already studied some of these this month, but you'll be well rewarded by further study. A Bible concordance will help you locate the Bible's great prayers.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 7:7-11
Everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. - Matthew 7:8
TODAY IN THE WORD

A creative would-be buyer in Kentucky went to a car lot recently with a fistful of coupons and high expectations. It seems that the car company ran a $250-off coupon in a free local shoppers' guide. But the company left off the most important copy: the disclaimer reading ""one per customer."" So an enterprising man clipped coupons from 140 guides and brought them to the dealership, hoping to drive away in a $35ꯠ car. His hopes were dashed when the printing error was pointed out.

Most people would read a story like this and say, ""That's impossible. How could this man expect a car dealer to give him an expensive car just for showing up and asking?""

In this case, the point is well taken. Most businesses could not operate like this--at least not for very long. But it's fair to ask if this isn't something like the kind of normally-impossible expectation Jesus wants us to bring to our prayers.

One thing is beyond dispute. In this teaching from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spared no words in urging us to pray diligently, persistently, and expectantly.

In fact, the location of these verses in the Sermon on the Mount may hold the key to their understanding. Jesus opened the Sermon by commending those who acknowledge their spiritual bankruptcy. Then He gave a model prayer, the Lord's Prayer, to show His disciples how to pray for His kingdom and its concerns.

Now in Matthew 7, Jesus tells His followers how to receive the ""good gifts"" He wants to give to those who put His kingdom first: righteousness, purity, humility, mercy, forgiveness, deliverance, and the other spiritual blessings named in the Sermon.

We are usually taught to apply the ""ask, seek, and knock"" formula to our own prayer requests and needs, and this certainly applies to that passage. Also, the Lord's Prayer teaches us to pray for our daily bread, and Jesus said that our earthly needs would be supplied if we would pursue His kingdom.

However, it's fascinating to think that Jesus may be calling us to ask for something more--for the traits of discipleship that make it possible for us to put His kingdom and His glory first.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

When it comes to the true, spiritual riches of His kingdom (Luke 16:11), Jesus is ready to give us as much as our faith can handle.

Take another look at the list of God's good gifts above. Or better yet, spend a few extra minutes today in Matthew 5-7, noting the spiritual trait that you most desire God to develop in your life right now. Then ask Him for it--and ask with high expectations!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 20:1-9
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. - Psalm 20:7
TODAY IN THE WORD

For years, a major U.S. electronics manufacturer advertised its products under the slogan, ""The quality goes in before the name goes on."" The obvious intent of the ad campaign was to associate this company's name with the finest of quality in such a way that when people heard the name, they would automatically think ""the best.""

Names and associations have power--and there is one name that commands all power in heaven and on earth. God puts high value on His name because it represents His character and reputation. To evoke the name of ""the God of Jacob"" is to call on His power and majesty. To trust in God's name is to trust in Him.

David, the king of Israel, was intimately acquainted with the power of God's name. So were the people of Israel. In this interesting Psalm, the people and the king had come together to call on God's name in prayer and to proclaim their trust in Him.

This is a royal Psalm, so-called because it is a prayer from the congregation of Israel, asking God's blessing and protection on the king as he was entering battle. Since David himself was doing the writing, he became the reporter of the people's prayer on his behalf (vv. 1-5). Then David reflected on his trust in God (vv. 6-8), and the people's petition was repeated (v. 9).

Psalm 20 reinforces an important lesson about prayer. When we pray, we call on the name of our God because He has invested His name with His power. And Jesus tells us to approach the Father in His name (John 14:12-14, see the May 18 study).

In other words, the formula ""In Jesus' name. Amen"" is not simply a verbal device to signal the end of our prayers. It is a plea for His attention to the prayer, an acknowledgment of our dependence on Him to answer, and a declaration of our trust in Him.

What a comfort to know that God's name will never fall, even when armies are brought to their knees (Psalm 20:! Others may call on their own strength or resources to save them, but we have the greatest weapon of all in prayer to our never-failing God.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

This Psalm also reminds us that the power of prayer is often multiplied when God's people approach Him together.

You may be part of a praying congregation, and we hope you are. But we also urge you to find a prayer partner or two with whom you can share needs and praises throughout the week. Your church is a natural place in which to seek out a special prayer friend. If you don't have one, ask God to lead you to someone--or to bring someone to you.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 22:31-34; Hebrews 7:24-25
Christ Jesus...is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. - Romans 8:34
TODAY IN THE WORD

Pastor and Bible teacher Tony Evans tells of the day his granddaughter was frightened by a neighborhood dog. The little girl came running to Pastor Evans, screaming in terror with her arms outstretched. He reached out and picked her up--and from that secure position, the girl turned and smiled down through her tears at the fearsome creature which had scared her so badly.

The days when we could run into the strong arms of a father or a grandfather are probably far behind us. But as God's children, we never really outgrow our need for a sense of His protection and security.

That's one reason the prayer ministry of Jesus is such an important and encouraging doctrine of Scripture. Just ask Peter. During those first terrifying and confusing hours after Jesus was arrested, Peter slipped to the edge of a very dangerous cliff. And Satan was there to push the apostle over the edge if possible.

The problem was Peter's boast that he would stand by Jesus whatever the cost (v. 33). We can't fault Peter's sincerity. But the devil understood the weakness of Peter's flesh much better than Peter understood it. What Peter thought was his greatest strength was actually his biggest weakness.

But Jesus had prayed for Peter, so that his faith did not fail in the end. He denied his Lord, but Satan was not able to send Peter over the cliff to total spiritual ruin. All because Jesus was praying for Peter.

The devil can't push you too far either, because Jesus is praying for you. He is doing so in heaven today, as a matter of fact, because He lives eternally to intercede for you. And the Son of God, in His role as our High Priest, has never offered a prayer for us that His Father can't endorse.

What is Jesus praying for us? John 17 is one answer to that question. Anticipating His death, resurrection, and return to the Father, Jesus prayed for those whom the Father had given Him. There is wonderful comfort in knowing that Jesus is praying for us to stand--and that His prayer is being answered!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY

Talk about security! Hebrews 7:25 makes an astounding statement that is worth a longer look.

Jesus is able to save you ""completely,"" the author says, because His priestly prayer ministry for you is eternal. He is a priest forever (v. 21). Christ's death purchased our redemption. His present work in heaven is a guarantee that our salvation will never fail, because Jesus is praying that we will stand firm in spite of our sins and shortcomings.

This truth ought to make an otherwise ordinary Thursday seem pretty special. Jesus is praying for you--today!