By Andy Foster
Ps 50:15 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
My late wife Heidi and I lived for a short time in Montana not long after being married. We went out early one cold June morning to a pristine lake in hopes of catching trout. Now a June morning in Montana can be similar to a February morning here. We were amateurs and trying fishing methods that the locals had told us such as using colored marshmallows. After a couple of hours of standing in the cold around dawn without a bite, we were giving up. So we decided to have breakfast and just leave the fishing poles unattended. Being a Georgia boy I was in process of fixing grits when out of the corner of our eye we saw the pole begin to bend and shake. And before we could get to it, the pole took off in the lake presumably with a fish on it. I looked at the cold lake with the pole out of sight, and concluded it was not worth going after. I hated the thought of this fish dragging around a fishing pole the rest of its life but jumping into a frigid lake was not worth it. While I had made up my mind, Heidi had made hers. She had quickly taken off her shoes and in the water she went. Head first she dove into the crystal clear lake. So in seconds I lost sight of my fishing pole, presumably a big fish, and my wife. Heidi then pops up with her head just above the water, and the fishing pole under her foot. After one more dive she grabbed the pole and pulled it to shore. Once reeling it in she had snagged an 18” brown trout. My first thought was what a woman, my second thought was what a woman. In the end I was struck by our reactions to a missing pole and runaway fish. I stood there and said oh well, while Heidi without hesitation pursued the fish with all of her might. I was even a bigger fish for her to snag but that is another story.
So, what do you pursue most in life? What are you willing to jump in the lake for? Is it for your family, career, prestige, leisure pleasure, the church, Christ. What is it in your life that drives you to prayer?
The pursuits of life are the things that infiltrate and dictate our actions, thoughts and prayers. So as we contemplate what we pursue, let us consider how that affects how and why we pray.
1) Why do we pray?
Why do we pray? Within the church the answer seems obvious but is it? This is a simple yet profound question. In it’s simplest definition to pray is to petition.
A poll taken on why people pray or what they pray for included the following: 1 God’s guidance , 2 giving thanks, 3 Health and safety, 4 God’s forgiveness, 5 general strength, 6stronger faith, 7 relationships, 8 Personal finances, 9 victims of tragedies, 10 improving the world, 11 lost souls, 12 comfort for others, 13 president and world leaders , 14 pets.
I submit to you the ultimate reason or the apex of why we pray is not on this list. Now don’t get me wrong we do pray for these and many other things, but is this the ultimate goal of prayer?
We know that ought to pray in all circumstances:
1 Thess 5:17-18 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Eph 6:18 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. with this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
We know that prayer is commanded:
Col 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful
The act of prayer is not confined to believers in Christ but to many who pray to their god(s) of choice. Many “call” upon God, especially on the day of trouble.
So the question is more than just why do we pray, but to whom do we pray too? Prayer in itself is not powerful or effective. The One we pray to is what empowers our prayers. Prayer is the lifeline of our faith but is nothing more than a tethered rope if it is misdirected.
Prayer can become a lifeless ritual of asking and receiving it we do not consider who we are praying to. Prayer itself becomes the means to an end.
2) Who do we pray to?
So, before we answer why we pray, we must know who we are praying to. This seems to be a straightforward answer but one that is essential. We so easily approach prayer without considering who we are praying to. We study prayer patterns and form without careful consideration of the object and recipient of our prayer.
However, it is our relationship with the living God and our perception of Him ultimately determines our response to Him in our lives and prayer. Do we believe in the reality of God or merely a philosophy, principle or concept? Paul addressed this issue with the Greeks. While in Athens he addressed the scholars of the day on the contrast of their gods and the living God. Paul took note of an altar with this inscription: “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD”. He continues…
Acts 17:24-29 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' 29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-an image made by man's design and skill.
In this passage God is portrayed as Creator, Ruler, Controller, Revealer.
Now we would say that we know our God. We would never serve a god of gold, or self crafted image. But how easily do we pray to a god cast in an image that is comfortable, self fulfilling and convenient, or a god that fits into our perception of reality and possibility.
Do we often pray but with the idea we better have a backup plan as if God were not the ruler of the universe? A little boy was saying his bedtime prayers with his mother: "Lord, bless Mommy and Daddy, and God, GIVE ME A NEW BICYCLE!!!" Mom: "God’s not deaf, son. Boy: "I know, Mom, but Grandma’s in the next room, and she’s hard of hearing!
How easy it is for us to craft our own devices to get what we want and need.
To see God as anything other than the one true living God is idolatry. In an age of relativism and skepticism, the reality of God is often ignored if not right out denied and even within the church.
Let it not be said that we pray at the altar of an “unknown god”, but embrace the living One that we know intimately. Let us be people who can identify with the psalmist when he says…
Ps 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
We are to pursue His presence and experience Him. The reality of God in our lives will impact the motive, fervency, frequency, and faith of our prayers.
3) So why do we pray?
So back to the original question why do we pray? Keeping in mind that we are praying to the living God, Creator and Ruler of all things, Controller of most minute and massive aspects of our universe, and Revealer of all truth, why do we ultimately pray?
Ps 50:15 15 and call upon me on the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
We call upon God that He would be honored and glorified.
To rightly come before God in prayer is to have a right understanding of the creature–Creator relationship. We understand the psalmist when he exclaims…
Ps 57:5 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
To honor God is…
to understand that we have nothing that is not God’s I Co. 4:7
1 Cor 4:7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
to understand that we were created for His good pleasure and exist for His glory.
Eph 1:11-13 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
Phil 1:10-11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God.
to understand and yield to the fact that the Giver gets the glory
1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Cor 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God
Prayer is not about me. My passion in prayer should be that God would be glorified.
We see this in Elijah’s prayer in the midst of the prophets of Baal.
1 Kings 18:36-37 36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward
and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today
that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these
things at your command. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people
will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."
We see this in King Hezekiah when surrounded by the Assyrian army.
2 Kings 19:19 19 Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all
kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God."
We see this exemplified in our Savior Jesus Christ.
John 14:12-13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may
bring glory to the Father.
We glorify God by prayer. John 14 verse 13, "whatever you ask in My name that will I do." Why? "In order that the Father may be...what?...be glorified in the Son."
Why does the Lord answer prayer? “To give us what we want." No. “To give us what we need." No, that's superficial, that's just the beginning. We pray that God would be honored.
We should pray…continually that God may get the glory all of the time - for everything so that God may get the glory in all things - in all circumstances so that God may get the glory in every situation - in all places that so that God may get the glory no matter where we are.
The real reason that He answers prayer is to put Himself on display. He answers prayer so you can glorify Him. Nothing is more important to God than His glory.
Prayer is designed so that when God acts you're going to know He acted. The reason we pray is not so we can change God's mind about what He's going to do but so that we can give Him glory when He does it.
If we are not engaged in that kind of petition, then we're not prepared to experience the power of God manifest through us and around us. Prayer glorifies God because it puts Him on display and then you glorify Him in response to that display.
The person who doesn't pray isn't necessarily going to be destitute, God is still gracious. The person who doesn't pray may have everything he needs, he just won't praise God for giving it to him, he won't understand that this is all from the Lord.
Prayer’s purpose is the pursuit to bring glory to God and bring us to a place to see it.
So what does prayer have to with honoring God? Simply this, when we are not praying, we are not pursuing God’s glory.
4) The Implication of Pursuing God’s Glory
Ps 50:15 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
As we see in Ps 50:15, prayer brings us into partnership with God. We call upon Him and He delivers us; We are delivered, God is glorified.
We do not glorify God by providing His needs but by praying that He would provide ours – and trusting Him to answer.
So what happens when we pursue God’s honor in prayer:
When we pursue God’s honor in prayer we are prepared to see Him work.
Prayer puts us in a place to see God work. It is our ticket to God’s great show/stage. We pray that we may see God work in all circumstances.
When we neglect prayer not only are we forfeiting our blessing, but also neglecting God’s glory.
“I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended asking Him to do His work through me” – Hudson Taylor
When we seek God’s honor in prayer, we rest on His devices not our own
If you back up a few verses, you will notice that God was displeased with His chosen people Because they were doing things there way, thinking they could please and honor God by their own devices …
Ps 50:8-15 8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me. 9 I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, 10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. 12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. 13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? 14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
Instead of pursuing and calling upon Him, they trying to appease God with their own means. Maybe they thought they were doing God a favor or that God needed their efforts. God does not need us to work for Him but He desires to work through us that His strength be on display. We need to resist the temptation of resting our abilities.
When faced with any decision, we need to pause and soberly consider our own inadequacy and the Lord’s all sufficiency and seek counsel and help from the Lord.
Ps 20:6-7 hand. 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
“Prayer is the antidote for the disease of self-confidence, which opposes God’s goal of getting glory by working for those who wait for Him.” - Piper
When we seek to honor God we pursue His will in all things, not ours.
Prayer protects us from puffing ourselves up and exalts God over all things. When we earnestly pray, we seek His will. Prayer is not conquering God’s reluctance, but taking hold of His desire and good pleasure.
Prayer is surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out an anchor from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.
When we seek to honor God in prayer we pursue Him in confidence and trust.
Do we approach with doubt? When we pray do we pray as if we are fishing with a hook in the water hoping the answer might bite. If the bait doesn’t work we pull the line back in to change the bait.
Do we come to God as if we whine long enough, He will give in?
Are we reluctant to go to him matters big or small? If you do not ask God the little things do you not think he can be glorified in them. If you do not ask God for the big things do you not think he is interested in glorifying himself.
Heb 10:19-22 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,…
Pray not in the light of our shortcomings but light of God’s mercy and sovereignty. We will bring honor to God by our trust.
When we seek to honor God in prayer we pursue the Giver not the gifts
Are we merely content with the gifts of God rather than God himself? When we are not continually seeking God’s presence in our lives, we often become content and satisfied with the gifts instead of the Giver. We settle for possessions rather than personal experience with God.
Do we approach God as if we were created to serve our every desire or approach Him as the Creator?
Prayer is not an attempt to get God to agree with our desires or agenda, but an affirmation of who He is and handing of our will to Him.
Conclusion
So do you, do I, pursue the glory and honor of God above all else? Is the very purpose of my life to bring glory to God so much that His glory transcends any of my own personal desires? Relationships? Goals? Dreams? Ambitions? Is that reflected in how I pray? Consider this prayer lifted up in the 17th century by Blaise Pascal.
“I ask you neither for health or for sickness, nor for life or for death; but that you may dispose of my health and my sickness, my life and my death, for your glory…You alone know what is expedient for me; You are the sovereign master, do with me according to your will. Give to me, or take away from me, only conform my will to yours. I know but one thing, Lord, that it is good to follow you, and bad to offend you. Apart from that I know not what is good or bad in anything. I know not what is profitable to me, health or sickness, wealth or poverty, nor anything else in the world. That discernment is beyond the power of men or angels, and is hidden among the secrets of your providence, which I adore but do not seek to fathom.”
There is much to pray and therefore much in which God can be exalted.
The challenges before us should compel us to pursue God’s glory, to see Him work, and honor Him. How willing are we to pursue God with all of our might? Are we willing to jump in head first to cling to God’s will and see His glory in this process?
As we look toward forward, we need to fervently seek God. God wants us in a place to see Him work and be prepared to give Him the praise and glory for it. Do you not think He desires to be glorified in your life and circumstances?
When we consider what lays ahead there is much to pray for. Unity, protection, purity, fervency in prayer, spiritual growth, the nuts and bolts of the situation, etc.
However, as we grow in grace and build by faith, we should ultimately pray that God be honored and exalted.
Thomas Watson said, “prayer that lacks a good aim lacks a good answer”. If the aim of our prayer is that God be glorified and honored, there is no doubt He will do so.
In the end let are hearts be prepared to say…
Ps 115:1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
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