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Posts Tagged ‘Prayer’

Rebuking Illness? Is that biblical?

Posted in Prayer, tagged , , on April 11, 2023|

I am uncertain of the Biblical correctness of “rebuking” illness in prayer whether private or corporate. I don’t see this type of prayer in the scriptures.

When I look to David, to the Psalmist, I find he never models this “rebuke” of illness in any of the psalms or prayers attributed to him. What he does do is consistent throughout his writings. He always cries out to God and throws himself on God’s mercy for healing and restoration.

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. Psalm 6:2

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. Psalm 30:2

The psalmist could do this because he knew two things:

God is in charge (of everything)
God is merciful and compassionate

When we are seeking healing for ourselves or others, let us remember how the Bible models prayer in this respect. Let us cry out to God, believing that He is able and He is willing to heal, but all things are subject to His will–not ours.

Jewish Quarter – Jerusalem

It is our desire to help you grow in your knowledge of Adonai and His Word. If you are looking for additional information and/or materials, please visit our website at RootedinHisWord.org and our Facebook page. 

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A Prayer

Posted in Poem, tagged , , , on September 18, 2022| 1 Comment »

by Rev. Marion Franklin Ham (1867-1956)

I pray not for the joy that knows

No saving bension of tears;

The placid life of ease that flows

Untroubled through the changing years.

Grant me, O God, the mind to see

The blessings which my sorrows bring;

And give me, in adversity,

The heart that still can trust and sing.

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How do I pray?

Posted in Prayer, tagged , , on July 20, 2022|

Prayer is fellowship with God using God’s language to accomplish God’s will for God’s glory.

I hesitate to lay out specifics or guidelines for prayer because prayer is about relationship. It’s best if we don’t strive to be an expert in externals, but strive to allow God access to our internal – that’s where the healing begins. In prayer, there are some things to consider as we seek to deepen our connection to God.

Prayer is often (but not always) private. That is to say, a substantial portion of our prayer life should be hidden from others. See Matthew 6:6) where Yeshua tells us to pray in secret. This does not mean that we are not to pray in public or in the presence of others, it just allows us to see that some of our prayer time–our communication with Adonai–should be just us and Him, in communion. Yeshua modeled this for us. He was up early and off by Himself in prayer with the Father. (See Matthew 14:23, 26:36; Mark 1:35; and Luke 9:18)

Prayer is not assigned to one set time of the day. After the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, the Rabbis established a pattern for prayer that mirrored the times of the offerings that had been made in the Temple, namely morning, afternoon, evening, etc. This helps us to see that God would have us come to Him before our day begins, during the day and at the end of the day when we are preparing to sleep or wind down our day.

In Psalm 63:1, the psalmist models a time with God in the early hours of the day. “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.” The prophet Isaiah says, “with my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early.” Isaiah 26:9 See also Psalm 55:17, “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.”

In his epistles, Paul provides some insight into prayer. Philippians 4:6, urges the listener to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” He exhorts in another letter, “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 The implication is that communion with Adonai which includes praise (rejoicing), prayer (supplication and petition among other things) and thanksgiving are to be done without end–unbroken fellowship with the Father.

Once God can have real conversation with us, He can heal whatever kind of broken we have. The healing of God comes through communion and fellowship with God.

Prayer is fellowship with God using God’s language to accomplish God’s will for God’s glory.

 

It is our desire to help you grow in your knowledge of Adonai and His Word. If you are looking for additional information and/or materials, please visit our website at RootedinHisWord.org and our Facebook page. 

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Matthew Chapter 6 (Part 2)

Posted in Matthew, tagged , , , , on June 16, 2022|

Read Matthew Chapter 6:16-34
1. What does Jesus teach them about fasting in Matthew 6:16–18?

2. What do you learn about fasts and fasting from the following passages?
2 Samuel 12:20-22

Ezra 8:21-22

Esther 4:16

Psalm 69:9-11

3. Read Isaiah chapter 58. This passage reveals a great deal about what God thinks about fasts, how they should be conducted, and what they should be about.
a. What does God accuse Israel of doing on their days of fast in Isaiah 58:3?

b. What motives does God accuse Israel of having in their fasts in Isaiah 58:4?

c. What does God say about the fast He has chosen in the following verses?
Isaiah 58:6

Isaiah 58:7

d. What does God promise will be the result of such fasting in Isaiah 58:8-9?

e. Record His additional conditions in the following verses:
Isaiah 58:9

Isaiah 58:10

Isaiah 58:13

f. Record His additional promises in the following verses:
Isaiah 58:11

Isaiah 58:12

Isaiah 58:14

Going Deeper: For more on Fasting, refer to Daniel 9:2-4 and Joel 2:12-32

4. What does Jesus teach them in Matthew 6:19-34?

5. What further insight into Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:19-34 do you gain from the following verses?
Proverbs 11:4

Proverbs 12:25

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Luke 10:40-42

Luke 12:22-34

Philippians 4:6-7

6. Copy Matthew 6:21. Meditate on this. Record your thoughts and impressions.

7. What do you learn from the following passages about loving God first?
Exodus 20:1-11

Deuteronomy 4:23-24

Deuteronomy 6:4

Going deeper: What did the idiomatic expression “eye is good” or “eye is bad” mean in first century Jewish society?

8. What do you learn about the light and darkness within from the following passages?
Isaiah 5:20

John 3:18-20

9. What application regarding prayer in your own life can you make from this chapter?

10. How can you apply Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness to your own life?

11. Have you been storing up treasures somewhere other than heaven? How does this chapter help you to reconsider that practice?

It is our desire to help you grow in your knowledge of Adonai and His Word. If you are looking for additional information and/or materials, please visit our website at RootedinHisWord.org and our Facebook page. 

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Matthew Chapter 6 (Part 1)

Posted in Matthew, tagged , , , on June 9, 2022|

Read Matthew Chapter 6:1-15
1. What warning does Jesus give them in Matthew 6:1?

2. What does Jesus say about giving alms in Matthew 6:2-4? What did the expression “sounding the trumpet” mean with regard to the giving of alms?

Going deeper: The Greek word “dikaiosyne” or “tzedakah in Hebrew is translated “piety” or “charity” or “righteousness” in English. (See Matthew 6:1, 2, 3, and 4) The emphasis is on justice, ethics and Torah observance. It is a theme with Matthew’s gospel and consistent with the belief that his gospel was intended for observant Jews who would have valued this quality.

3. What does Jesus tell them about praying in Matthew 6:5-6?

4. Why would Jesus want them to give alms and pray in secret? Asked another way, what is the difference between doing something publicly and doing something in secret?

5. What does Jesus tell them about the content of their prayer in Matthew 6:7-8?

6. Copy Matthew 6:9-13. Meditate on this. Record your thoughts and impressions.

Going deeper: Nothing in the “Lord’s Prayer” as we Christians often call it, originated with Jesus. The elements of the prayer came from different Jewish prayers used in the first century when Jesus was ministering. You can do your own research to find out the sources.

7. If Jesus wasn’t giving new information about prayer, what was the message that he was giving to his disciples in this passage?

8. What do you learn from the following verses about prayer?
Mark 11:22-26

Luke 6:28

Luke 18:1

Luke 21:36

Romans 8:26

Philippians 4:6-7

Colossians 4:2

1 Thessalonians 5:17

James 5:13-18

9. What does Jesus teach them about forgiveness in Matthew 6:14-15?

10. What do you learn about forgiveness from the following verses?
Psalm 32:1

Psalm 86:5

Psalm 99:8

Psalm 103:2-3

Jeremiah 31:34

Daniel 9:9

Mark 3:28-29

Luke 7:46-48

Luke 17:3-4

John 20:22-23

1 John 1:9

1 John 2:12

It is our desire to help you grow in your knowledge of Adonai and His Word. If you are looking for additional information and/or materials, please visit our website at RootedinHisWord.org and our Facebook page. 

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Do you have faith?

Posted in Faith, tagged , , , on April 21, 2020|

“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have faith [personal trust and confidence in Me] and do not doubt or allow yourself to be drawn in two directions, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen [if God wills it]. And whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew 21:21-22 (Amplified)

Faith doesn’t allow itself to be drawn in two directions. The man or woman of faith knows God and follows hard after God. That is the only direction.

Faith gives no assent to any thought or philosophy that questions or undermines the sovereignty of God. That man is unstable. As James said, “let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” James 1:6-8 (NKJV)

Faith isn’t a feeling, not even a strong desire or belief in something good–faith is an action, a way of living. Faith speaks to the fig tree because the fig tree is under God’s sovereignty and when the man of God speaks to the creation of God within the perfect will of God, trees wither, mountains move. Prayers are answered.

Prayer is a great way of exercising faith in God’s economy. Prayer is a faith-action that God will do as He has said He will–those who seek will find, those who ask will receive and to those who knock, the door will be opened. Faith believes that promise and seeks, asks and knocks. Faith believes God–about everything.

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Mountains of Alaska (near Denali Park)

 

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The Right Medicine for what Ails Us

Posted in Devotional, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on March 15, 2020| 2 Comments »

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7 New King James Version (NKJV)

It is in times of trouble we most need a reminder to rejoice. It is more natural to rejoice when things are going well, when we are being blessed, experiencing success, and healthy. It is far different and more challenging to rejoice when we are afraid, isolated, or sick.

But God in His wisdom has commanded that we should rejoice in the Lord always. We are not rejoicing in the trouble, but in the One who is able to protect us and guide us through the trouble.

Rejoice Always
Does always really mean always? Yes. But we are not just rejoicing–we are rejoicing in the Lord. He is always good and always sovereign. He is always with us.

Paul repeats it. Because it is worth repeating. It is a super truth. It is a truth that stands the test of time and circumstance. It is a truth that is virus-proof.

Be Gentle
He goes on to say that we should let our gentleness be obvious–visible to others. We should be known as gentle. They should see Jesus in me, gracious, gentle, unselfish, merciful, tolerant and patient just to name a few of His character traits. When everyone else is falling apart, panicking, self-seeking, self-preserving and out for their own interests, we should be visibly and audibly gentle.

Let Nothing cause You to Lose Faith
Paul tells us, “be anxious for nothing.” Does he really mean nothing? Maybe if he were here with us watching this virus take over nations, crush healthcare systems, take lives, he might said something different . . . No he wouldn’t.

We are to be anxious for nothing because there is no real threat to us. Nothing that can separate us from the love of God. There is no person, no principality, no circumstance, and no illness or disease that can separate us from the love of God. And if the Ruler of the Universe loves you and me, what is there really to worry about. He spoke it all into existence, and He can surely take care of us. We need to banish fear. We need to feed faith. We need to do all to stand in this day.

Prayer is the cure. By prayer and supplication and making our requests (and our fears) known to God, we engage in the great exchange. We give our concerns to God and He gives us peace–a type of peace not available in the world–the peace that passes understanding–peace from God. This peace that God gives us will protect us. It will protect our minds. It will allow us to grow in faith. It will allow us to stand.

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Hot Potato Prayer

Posted in Prayer, tagged , , , on July 19, 2016|

When I was in elementary school and it rained, a regular occurrence where I grew up, we would play indoors at recess and lunch.  One of our favorite games was hot potato – you probably remember it.  The teacher would start it off by handing an object, usually a chalk board eraser (I do date myself) to someone, who had to pass it quickly to the next person, and so on.  If you were left holding the hot potato when the bell or whistle sounded, you were out and had to wait quietly in your seat until the game was finished. The children who were best at playing this game were successful because they never held onto the hot potato any longer than necessary before passing it to someone else.

The Lord reminded me of this game recently, when I was feeling disappointed with the outcome of my prayers.  For a long time, I had asked Him to fix my situation and had a clear picture of what the result would look like.  In fact, I prayed that way for many years.  So when my trial finally came to a conclusion – and it was clear that God’s direction was not exactly what I’d hoped for – I was confused.  All along, I had assumed He was moving in the direction I thought He should.

The problem with this kind of praying is that it can lead to confusion – or even worse, despair – if our requests aren’t answered according to what we want or anticipate.  Not the easiest lesson to learn.

“God didn’t answer my prayer!” many will protest, and some will even get angry with Him.  Maybe the best thing to do in a situation like this, perhaps what He would really have us do, is release whatever it is that troubles us and pass it to Him like a hot potato.  I can’t think of anything better than to toss our ideas in His direction – making suggestions, sure – but leaving the results to Him.

 

References:
     Psalm 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret-it only causes harm.
     1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

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John Wesley on Prayer

Posted in Bible, New Testament, Prayer, Thanksgiving, tagged , , , , on May 16, 2012|

On the subject of prayer and in the context of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:  “Rejoice Always, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

John Wesley said, “One who always prays is ever giving praise, whether in ease or pain, both for prosperity and for the greatest adversity.  He blesses God for all things, looks on them as coming from Him, and receives them only for His sake — not choosing nor refusing, liking nor disliking, anything, but only as it is agreeable or disagreeable to His perfect will.”

In essence, the heart of thanksgiving springs out of an understanding of God, His character, that He is the source of all things and that His will is to be sought above all else.  Having that focus, I can continue in a perpetual attitude of thanksgiving to God for all that He has done for me, is doing for me and will do for me.

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When Negative Thoughts Persist (Part 4)

Posted in Bible, New Testament, tagged , , , , , , on May 14, 2012|

Considering the battle that takes place in the mind, we are continuing our look at the weapons of our warfare . . . which are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”   From 2 Corinthians, we then proceeded to Ephesians 6 to review the weapons which are described by Paul there.  We pick up with the shield of faith.

  • Shield of Faith – above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Faith is seeing what is there when it is unseen or hidden by the fog or chaos of battle. For a believer, faith will protect him or her from the lies of the enemy, aimed at undermining belief in the God who cannot be seen, but to whom all the evidence clearly points.  When negative thoughts persist, the believer needs to put the shield of faith between him and negative thoughts.  Faith will affirm that the promises of God are true and will come to pass.  For example, God will never leave us or forsake us, and God will never temp us beyond what we are able.  Believing these things is an exercise of faith.  It puts the shield of faith between us and the temptation or negative thinking.
  • The Helmet of Salvation – take the helmet of salvation.  No solider can fight in the LORD’s army without receiving the work of salvation. Jesus said, you must be born again. When we receive salvation, it is a helmet, a protective covering for our thoughts. Without the helmet, we might receive a mortal wound that would take us out of the battle.
  • The Sword of the Spirit – the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.   The word of God is a weapon we wield.  It can be used to answer the lies of the enemy.  Our example is Jesus, who when tempted three times in the wilderness by the devil, was able to answer each time from the word of God.  As we study, meditate on and memorize the word of God, we will be able to use the word as an offensive weapon to counter the lies of the enemy.
  • Prayer – Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.  The tool that helps us to apply the weapons and know their effectiveness in our battles is prayer.  It is our communication with God, the Supreme Commander, and it allows us access to the wisdom of the creator.  Prayer is ongoing and never-ceasing.

When you are plagued with negative thinking, consider the weapons of your warfare.  Be reminded that they are not of this world, but of the eternal realm.  They are might of God.  Review and study and apply.  You will have victory in Christ.

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