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Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Acts 12:7
“I’ll pray for you.” We say it all the time, especially as believers. I remember when my son was only a few months old. He was very sick and the doctors in our small town couldn’t figure out what was wrong. We were referred to a doctor in a much larger city, very well-known for it’s medical expertise.
As we were making the preparations to go and word spread, many from our church called or stopped by to offer support and prayers. Some even prayed with us. The one comment that sticks in my mind the most was a dear lady where I worked. In a very sincere voice she said, “We’ll be thinking of you.”
The reason her comment has stayed with me all these years is because of how empty those words were. ‘Thinking of me? What good will that do?’ Of course I knew her heart and sincerity, but I was struck by the fact that our prayers are so much more than simply thinking sympathetic, heartfelt thoughts about something or someone. Prayer, whether spoken, written or simply thought in our minds, is a personal, intimate communication with the eternal, omnipotent, all-knowing God of love! What a privilege we have to approach Him in that way for ourselves and on the behalf of others.
The apostle Peter was taken prisoner and sentenced to death. The Bible gives us no indication that he was distraught about this, but it does give us a picture of God’s people in action. We don’t know the details, but at some point after his arrest a prayer meeting was held to pray for his deliverance. It was in the midst of that prayer meeting that an angel appeared to Peter. How many of us, if we were in prison and to be executed the next day, would have to be awakened from a deep sleep! Peter wasn’t worried. He knew that whatever happened, God’s will would be done.
Prayer works. Don’t think prayer doesn’t work when you don’t get the answers you want. Don’t think it a waste of time because no one will hear you. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you have the privilege, honor and responsibility to approach the very throne of God. Don’t take the matter of prayer lightly. When you say you will pray for someone, do it. Right then. Whether you are driving, walking, in a meeting or working, PRAY! You don’t know how much impact your prayer may have on the person(s) involved.
As a body of Christ we must always be ready to fight the enemy. Prayer is our major weapon of attack. It was no doubt the fact that Peter ‘knew’ his friend were praying that allowed him to sleep that night.
One more thought. Surround yourself with people who pray. ‘Thinking of others’ is a nice gesture, but thinking of someone doesn’t really do anyone any good. Your problems may not go away when you have friends praying but the burden will be lighter.
PRAYER: Holy God, I thank you for the gift of prayer. Thank you for the example of prayer in the life of the early church. Like Peter, I ask that I can have the faith to rest in the midst of despair because I know people are praying for me and your perfect will will be done. Help me to remember to pray for others and not treat it as merely a spiritual exercise. Help me to really believe that prayer works. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16
Some people think of confession and would rather have their toe nails pulled out with no pain killers or have surgery with a dull butter knife! The very word ‘confession’ conjures up visions of sitting in a dark room talking to a voice behind the wall or having all your secret thoughts, feelings and actions put up on the big screen for everyone to see. Following the confession you are led out and stoned by those around you.
The picture most of us have of confession is painful at best and terrifying at it’s worst. One of the reasons confession is hard is because confession is often seen as an attack on who we are as a person. If I have hatred in my heart I’m a bad person. If I have thoughts of lust I’m a bad person. If I get angry or struggle with an addiction or am hopelessly in debt I’m bad. I’m a failure and I’ll never amount to anything
Sad to say, the church (note the small ‘c’) has had a part in the negative press confession gets. Confession is really just agreeing with God (and other close friends) that we have faults, failures and struggles in our lives. Confession is not a statement of our worthiness. As Christ-followers our self-worth is wrapped up on the arms of Jesus. We will still struggle with sin. We will still fail. We will still make poor, even stupid decisions. We only need to take a look at some of the greatest Bible heroes like David, Paul, Peter, Abraham, Moses and a whole list of others who have made terrible mistakes either unintentionally or through rebellion.
James tells us that in order to be healthy spiritually, emotionally and even physically we need to live a lifestyle of confession. Prayer, confession and repentance are the three actions that lead to the forgiveness of sins committed by church members.
Earlier I referred to the church with a small ‘c’. The true Church, the body of Christ, operates in a way that makes confession personal and effective. It’s not a liturgical event, nor does it even need to be public. It should be an act of cleansing that says “I know I’m okay. I’m a child of God. But I have issues. I’ve failed and I need to make things right with God and others that I’ve hurt.’
Confession isn’t a trial. It’s to be done with close brothers and sisters in Christ. It doesn’t need to be in front of a pastor or priest or congregation. It’s an agreement with you and someone you trust to open yourself to the healing power of prayer. Some have even experienced physical healing by living a life of confession.
PRAYER: Father God. I thank you for Jesus and His love, forgiveness and understanding. I confess to you that the faults of my past and the mistakes I’ve made haunt me like ghosts. I’ve been abused by those in your church that claim to be helping but have ended up being judgmental and making my life miserable. I claim the freedom I have in you. Show me the areas of my life that need healing. Empower me to find trusted friends who will openly and honestly accept me with all my faults and pray with and for me. Amen.
After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. Job 42:10
Have you ever noticed how, during the driest times of the year, the only greenery in your yard is the weeds? Why is it that when the nice, soft, green grass goes into dormancy and stress the weeds are the ones that stand strong and tall? They seem to stand out above the brown dry grass around them as if to say, “Look at me! I’m still green and healthy. And you…well….you are dead!”
People can be the same way. At those times when we are in despair or struggling to survive, there are those who ‘have all the answers’ to our dilemma. We aren’t eating right. We aren’t wearing the right clothes. We aren’t hanging with the right friends. We aren’t doing our job right.
It can even be more frustrating for us when they even throw the ‘spiritual’ angle into our pain. We need to pray more, go to a different church, attend a bible study, read a certain book, or do what Aunt Sally did when she was going through the same thing.
Job endured a similar situation with his ‘friends’. He’d lost everything he had. His wealth was gone. His kids were dead. He was covered with painful boils, and for whatever the reason, his wife had stopped supporting him emotionally. Add to that the visit from three friends who proceeded to tell Job, in all their human wisdom, why God was punishing Job.
The problem with Jobs friends, and the problem with the advice we sometimes receive, is that…well…it’s worthless! It doesn’t speak to our needs. It increases our pain and can load a boat load of guilt on us. To be fair to the ‘advice-givers’ their advice may be well-intentioned, and there may even be some truth to it.
For example, going to the right church, being involved in Bible Study and reading Gods word and having a good prayer life are all important parts of being a Christ-follower. However, doing all the right things doesn’t guarantee that life will work for us. We still encounter grief. We still get cancer. We still have to endure broken relationships. People still let us down.
In the story of Job, we have an opportunity to see what he didn’t. We see what was going on in Heaven and the discourse between God and Satan. We also see God’s impression of Job. God Himself said that Job was a man of integrity and character. In all that Job went through, God himself stated that ‘Job did not sin’ (even though Job’s friends thought otherwise).
At the end of Job’s test, God reveals Himself in a mighty and awe-inspiring way that drove Job to His knees in worship and humility. Then, God spoke to Job’s friends. He was not kind to them. But Job prayed for his friends. He wasn’t told to. That’s the way Job was.
People of integrity realize that offensive people will come their way. True Christ-followers know themselves so well that the words of thoughtless people, whether intended to be harmful or not, do not change their standing with Jesus. Because they are secure in who they are, they can pray for offensive people just as Job did. It’s not easy. It’s a lifestyle of forgiveness based on knowing that what others think of us isn’t nearly as important as what God thinks of us.
PRAYER: Holy God. I thank you today for who I am. I praise you for the fact that regardless of what others think about me, you know my heart. You understand my pain. You know my past and all the reasons I am the way that I am. I ask that you would give me patience to bear with offensive people. Help me to have the power to pray wisely for them, not for my sake, but for yours and theirs. Guard my lips as I speak to those around me as well. In Jesus name, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 