Category Archives: On Prayer

Praying the Gospel

09 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by in Confession of Sin, On Prayer

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

I once heard a message given by Jerry Bridges on the importance of preaching the gospel to one’s self. I had never really thought much about the idea before hearing his message. He talked about the importance of keeping in the front of our minds the truth that we are accepted by God solely on the basis of our union with the Lord Jesus Christ. He said that by preaching the gospel to ourselves on a regular basis we are safe-guarded from the folly of thinking that our standing with God is based on our own efforts, performance, or righteousness. His admonition has stuck with me. Preaching the gospel to myself has become the primary means of overcoming the soul-paralyzing influences of pride, false-guilt, self-condemnation, and disappointment in my walk with the Lord.

And, in no place is this more true in my life than in my place of prayer. Even as I begin my prayer time with confessing my sins to the Lord, I also begin my prayer time by preaching the gospel to myself. As I pray and seek God for forgiveness for my wrong doings, my wrong thinking, my ignorance, my frailty, my brokenness; I acknowledge my utter and desperate dependence upon Christ for receiving any mercy from God. As I make confession to God in this way, I remind myself that I am saved by grace alone, though faith alone, in Christ alone. When time permits, I do this with an ancient text that my husband introduced to me several years ago called “Anselm’s Tract for the Dying” (posted below). By beginning my prayer time by preaching the gospel to myself, I am reminded not only of the great chasm that would exist between me and God if it were not for the forgiveness and redemption that I have been given in Christ, but I am also reminded that my hope of being heard by God in prayer is based entirely on grace alone.

Meditating on the gospel puts me into the right frame of mind for prayer. Whether I use Anselm’s Tract for the Dying or not, I always try to start my prayer times with the recognition that the mercy and grace of God is not only the only hope that I have of being saved, but it is also the only hope that I have of being heard and answered by God when I pray. A humble mind and a contrite heart is the result of preaching the gospel to myself, and a humble mind and a contrite heart are essential to being heard by God. I thank God for the admonition of Jerry Bridges to preach the gospel to myself, and I also thank God for this ancient text that has helped me pray the gospel to myself.

Anselm’s Tract for the Dying

“Question. Dost thou believe that the Lord Jesus died for thee? Answer. I believe it.

Qu. Dost thou thank him for his passion and death?

Ans. I do thank him.

Qu. Dost thou believe that thou canst not be saved except by his death?

Ans. I believe it.

And then Anselm addresses the dying man: “Come then, while life remaineth in thee; in his death alone place thy whole trust; in naught else place any trust; to his death commit thyself wholly; with this alone cover thyself wholly; and if the Lord thy God will to judge thee, say, ‘Lord, between thy judgment and me I present the death of our Lord Jesus Christ; no otherwise can I contend with thee.’ And if he shall say that thou art a sinner, say thou: ‘Lord, I interpose the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between my sins and thee.’ If he say that thou hast deserved condemnation, say: ‘Lord, I set the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between my evil deserts and thee, and his merits I offer for those which I ought to have and have not.’ If he say that he is wroth with thee, say: ‘Lord, I oppose the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between thy wrath and me.’ And when thou hast completed this, say again: ‘Lord, I set the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between thee and me.’”

See Anselm, Opera (Migne), 1:686, 687.

 

Forrest Gump, King David, and Psalm 55

30 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by in Exhortation, On Prayer

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

In the movie Forrest Gump there is a memorable scene of Jenny when she was a little girl praying in the corn field with Forrest. Trying to get away from her inebriated and abusive father she grabs Forrest’s hand, runs into a field of tall cornstalks, falls to her knees, and cries, “Pray with me, Forrest! Pray with me!” She then starts her desperate lament, “Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly far, far-far away from here. Dear God, make me a bird so that I can fly far, far-far away.”  In the movie, God answers that prayer – not by making her a bird, of course; but by having the police take her to live with her grandmother.

Over three thousand years before Forrest Gump ever came into time-space history, King David wrote a similar prayer: “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness… …I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest.” Just like the movie-screen Jenny did, the mighty King David was earnestly pleading with God for refuge from those that were harming him. He was praying for refuge from those that were speaking against him, oppressing him, ‘dropping trouble upon him’, and in anger bearing a grudge against him (v.3). He was also praying for comfort from the betrayal he had experienced, the hurt that he felt over the loss of a dear friend, the insolence inflicted upon him, and from all the wickedness he was witnessing in the world around him (vv.9-15). Unlike the movie character Jenny, the Psalm gives no evidence of a clear-cut answer to David’s requests. Instead, we read an exhortation: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” And, the Psalm ends with David making an affirmation of faith: “But, I will trust in you” (v. 23).

Earlier I was thinking about a situation in my life that has been really trying, and David’s prayer “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest…” came to my mind. But, as I thought about the situation in my life and this prayer, I realized that even if I did have the wings of a dove I wouldn’t be able to escape the difficulty of my trying situation. I realized that even if the Lord did turn me into a bird and I could ‘…fly far, far-far away’ from the people that have hurt me; no matter where I flew the hurt would still be with me. In other words, it dawned on me that a geographical cure wouldn’t work. Getting away won’t bring healing or comfort, neither will it provide me a refuge from the raging tempest of the enemy. My major issue: I can’t escape from myself. Even if the wrongdoers repented of their wrongdoing against me today, I would still be feeling all the emotions that come with betrayal and hurt.  I would still feel the bewildered hurt that comes with an unexpected betrayal. I would still feel the frustration over the damage that has been done to my reputation by the lies that have been told. I would still feel the disappointment over the insolent behavior of those whom I trusted. Sprouting wings won’t heal a broken heart; neither will it calm a troubled mind.

God can heal a broken heart and He can calm a troubled mind. David prays, “Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!” In other words, he says “God please listen to me, please don’t turn away from me when I need You.” And, after He lays it all out before the Lord, he counsels me, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”

So, I can cast my burden on the Lord. I can trust Him with the bewildered hurt I feel over the betrayal. My reputation is in His hands, and if he so chooses to let it remain damaged – I can trust Him with that too. I can trust Him to protect me from insolent people– I do not need to defend myself or fly away to be at rest. I only need to cast my anxieties on Him and to trust Him and He will bring me through it all. He always has and He always will.

A Ten-Fold Plea for Faith

06 Thursday Oct 2016

Posted by in On Prayer, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman

≈ Leave a comment

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”  (Mark 9:24 ESV).

It can be hard to believe God when we feel hurt, disappointed, or maligned by those that we have trusted. Here is a ten-fold plea for faith for unexpected seasons of suffering and affliction of this kind.

  1. Please, Lord, give me faith to believe your promises. Lord, may I never stop believing your promises- no matter what. Your promises were sealed with the precious blood-of my Savior and Lord, the King Jesus Christ. “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory” (2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV).
  2. Please, Lord, give me faith to believe that You alone declare the end from the beginning. Please do not let me ever forget that You have and that You alone can say, “…I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’… …I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it”  (Isaiah 46:8-11 ESV).
  3. Please, Lord, let me never forget that you are not unjust. Oh Lord, may I never forget that by inspiration of Your blessed Holy Spirit, You have told us that You are not “…unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do” (Hebrews 6:10 ESV).
  4. Please, Lord, let me believe that you will take into account every careless word of man. May I remember that you will render a judgment that is accurate and true. For you have said, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36). Lord, let me remember this that I might not sin against another in carelessness of my own words. And, please, let me remember this so that when I am hurt by the careless words of others, I do not seek to avenge myself by repeating their foolish words to others.
  5. Please Lord, give me faith to believe that you will show mercy to the merciful. Please, Lord, do not let me forget that You will measure out mercy towards me in equal proportion to the mercy that I have used towards others. Give me faith to believe these words, and to be merciful, especially, with those that have not shown me kindness, and to those who have not loved mercy and fidelity in their own words and deeds towards me. As the Scripture has said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy,” (Matthew 5:7 ESV) and also, “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment”  (James 2:12-13 ESV).
  6. Please, oh Lord, give me faith to never seek revenge. For you have comforted me with these words, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12: 19).
  7. Please, oh my Lord, give me faith to forgive. May I not hold it to charge against those that have harmed or spoken of ill of me or those that I love. For you have taught us to pray, “…Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us” (Luke 11:4). And, you have given me power to forgive as I have been forgiven: “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld”  (John 20:22-23 ESV). And, for this reason, you have warned us  “…but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15 ESV).
  8. Please, Lord, give me faith to pray for those that have hurt me. For you have said, “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:28). And, also, you have said, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:320).
  9. Please, Lord, give me faith to receive your comfort when I have been hurt. Lord, this is perhaps the hardest one for me. I feel so hurt and it can be painful to be vulnerable- but you have said, “I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass” (Isaiah 51:12). And, also, You are blessed by the holy apostle when He rightly says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 ESV).
  10. Finally, Lord, give me faith that overcomes my unbelief that by my belief I might please you. For Your Holy Word says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him…  (Hebrews 11:6 ESV). So, Lord, I do believe you, but with the man of Mark 9:24, I cry out to You: “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

St. Patrick’s Breastplate

23 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by in On Prayer, Saint Patrick, Spiritual Warfare

≈ Leave a comment

12“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:2-3

2dqnlx3

The following invocation is commonly referred to as “Saint Patrick’s Breastplate”. It is supposed that Patrick wrote it and prayed it for himself on his missionary endeavor to Ireland around A.D. 433. I often pray through his ‘breastplate’ on behalf of myself and my family as I start my day. I think that it is a great reminder that although we are at war in this world, we are not alone in this war. We are just one small band of soldiers in a vast trans-generational army that has been called to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in this place and time. We are advancing an everlasting kingdom on behalf of the most beautiful and glorious King that has ever or could ever exist, King Jesus! I think that this is a great prayer for spiritual warfare because it reminds me of the truth that “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”

St. Patrick’s Breastplate

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.

I arise today, through
God’s strength to pilot me,
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.

I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

 

Seven Pillars of Prayer

27 Saturday Aug 2016

Posted by in Family, Marriage, Motherhood, On Love and Marriage, On Prayer, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman, The Christian Home, The Fear of God, The Glory of God, The Kindness of God, The Sovereignty of God

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

“Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars.” Proverbs 9:1

Lady Wisdom has set an example for us: she has built her house; she has hewn out her seven pillars. In following her lead, I have hewn my own seven pillars out of the Word of God, and I have been prayerfully building my house (my life) and my home (my family life) upon them since.

It was interesting to me to learn that the word hewn has two meanings- both of which served me well as I attempted to practically apply this Proverb to my life. The first meaning is to ‘chop or cut out something with a tool.’ The second meaning is ‘to conform to, adhere to’. As you read through these seven pillars, you can know that I prayerfully cut these seven pillars out of the rock of the Word of God. And, now each morning, as I pray through them, I ask the Lord to give me the ability to recognize these pillars at work in my daily life. I also ask Him to conform my desires, will, and actions to them, so that I gladly and willingly adhere to Him and His will in all things.

Although pillars in our day might primarily serve as a decorative aspect in house construction, there was a time in architectural history that pillars functioned as key load-bearing components in a building’s (space’s) structure. Likewise, these seven prayer-pillars are not superfluous appendages to the design of my house- they are seven essential doctrines upon which I am building my life.

  1. The glory of God – for which all things exist and is His perfect will (Leviticus 10:3, Exodus 33:17-23; Isaiah 43:6-7; Colossians 1:16).
  2. The sovereignty of God – a proper acknowledgment and acceptance of this brings an appropriate love for, respect of, and obedience to God (Proverbs 16:33, 21:1; Isaiah 45:5-7; Acts 2:23-241 Timothy 6:11-16).
  3. The faithfulness of God – which strengthens, comforts, and assures me of His love, especially in the midst of adversity (Lamentations 3: 22-24; 1 Corinthians 13:12-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12).
  4. The promises of God – upon which I can stake my life and gain guidance for every decision that I must make (Isaiah 55:10-11; John 17:17; 2 Corinthians 1: 17-22).
  5. The fear of God – which is the beginning of wisdom and the confidence of my life (Job 28:28; Proverbs 14:33, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
  6. The hope of the kingdom of God and of His Christ – which is surely to come soon (Luke 11:2; Titus 2:11-14; Philippians 1:6; Colossians 1:13-14; Revelation 11:15).
  7. The meekness of wisdom– which is supported by every other pillar in my life and is  the proof that I am building my home like the wise woman of Proverbs 14:1. (Luke 7:35; Philippians 2:1-7; James 3:13).

Please Lord, Keep Me from the “Temptations of the Table”

03 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by in Edification, Encouragement, On Prayer, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman, William Wilberforce

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Shortly after  Wilberforce’s conversion to Christ, he felt the call of God on his life. He believed that the Lord was calling him to lead England in social reform- chiefly by ending the British involvement with the slave trade. To this end, he invested over thirty years of his life, and in so doing, became one of the most influential social reformers that Britain ever knew.

What is of particular interest to me concerning Wilberforce is how he viewed what he termed as the  “temptations of the table,” how he viewed “...dinner parties filled with vain and useless conversation.” In one  journal entry, he wrote that dinner parties “…disqualify me for every useful purpose in life, waste my time, impair my health, fill my mind with thoughts of resistance before and self-condemnation afterwards.” Apparently, Wilberforce had a singular life focus- his calling to end slavery- and in his effort to fulfill that call, he was sensitive to the many temptations and diversions that accompanied the affluence in which he lived.

Wilberforce’s singularity of purpose and his sensitivity to the allurements of the flesh are very instructive to me. First, his singularity of mind and purpose teaches me that I must foster a singularity of mind and purpose in my service to Christ. I have to train my self to embrace the call of Christ to do all that I do for the glory of God. In a like manner, Wilberforce’s sensitivity- to those things in his life that threatened his singularity of mind and purpose -challenges me to carefully evaluate the distractions and temptations in my own life; those things which threaten my own singularity of mind and purpose in my service to God. Certainly, I must be careful not to fall into “vain and useless conversation” or anything else that would could somehow “…disqualify me for every useful purpose in life, waste my time, impair my health…” and/or “…fill my mind with thoughts of resistance before and self-condemnation afterwards.”

To this end, my prayer is that the Lord will grant me both singularity and sensitivity, as He granted to William Wilberforce. In other words, my prayer is that the Lord will keep me from the “temptations of the table.”

From The Depths of Woe – Indelible Grace

27 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by in Call to the Cross, Cool Christian Tunes, Cross-Bearing, Encouragement, Music, On Prayer, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

From The Depths of Woe – Indelible Grace

The Words of this piece are from Martin Luther’s “Aus Tiefer Not Schrei ich zu Dir”-or in English “From The Depths Of Woe I Cry” (And no, I do not know German- that was a cut and paste). The hymn is based on Psalm 130. This rendition of the From The Depths Of Woe I Cry is distinct, intense, strong, and it has a ‘rugged beauty’- if you are in a season of waiting on God, if you are really feeling your need for His mercy and grace right now- this ones of you.

 

Richard Baxter- “The Life of Joy”

27 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by in Call to the Cross, Edification, Exhortation, On Prayer, Reformed Theology, Richard Baxter

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

No body can say it like the puritans said it! And among those puritan brothers I can’t imagine a finer one than- pastor and brother- Richard Baxter. Read this nearly 250 word sentence to receive a strengthening word of grace from the dear Puritan pastor Richard Baxter!

(Taken from “Motives to a Heavenly Life“ in The Saint’s Everlasting Rest, page 107).

Whoever thou art, therefore, that readest these lines, I require thee, as thou tenderest thine allegiance to the God of heaven, as ever thou hopest for a part in this glory, that thou presently take thy heart to task; chide it for its wilful strangeness to God; turn thy thoughts from the pursuit of vanity; bend thy soul to study eternity; busy it about the life to come; habituate thyself to such contemplations, and let not those thoughts be seldom and cursory; but settle upon them; dwell here; bathe thy soul in heaven’s delights; drench thine affections in these rivers of pleasure, or rather, in the sea of consolation; and if thy backward soul begin to flag and thy loose thoughts to fly abroad, call them back, hold them to their work, put them on, bear not with their laziness, do not connive at one neglect; and when thou hast once in obedience to God tried this work, and followed on till thou hast got acquainted with it, and kept a close guard on thy thoughts till they are accustomed to obey, and thou hast got some mastery over them, thou wilt then find thyself in the suburbs of heaven, and, as it were in a new world; thou wilt then find, indeed, that there is sweetness in the work and way of God, and that the life of Christianity is a life of joy.

Video

1.min. 49 sec. on Prayer with David Platt

26 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by in Boasting in Weaknesses, Edification, Encouragement, Exhortation, On Prayer, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

So yesterday’s post was on prayer. Here is a 1 minute and 49 second sermon clip from David Platt on prayer. Specifically, it is a sermon clip dedicated to answering the question “Why is prayer necessary?” If I knew you personally, and I knew that you loved Jesus, and His glory more than anything- I would beg you to take the 109 seconds needed to watch this… because it would bless you at least 100 times that. While I don’t know most of you personally, I know that if you follow my blog, you love Jesus and His glory- so please take the 109 seconds needed to watch this… it will bless you at least 100 times that.

Weary in Prayer?

25 Monday Aug 2014

Posted by in Boasting in Weaknesses, Call to the Cross, Cross-Bearing, Edification, Encouragement, Exhortation, Music, On Prayer, The Believing 21st Centruy American Woman, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” (Isaiah 35:3-4).

When a succession of  trials come into our lives, we can get worn-down; we can develop weak hands and feeble knees. This is what happened to Moses in Exodus 17. You remember that Moses had the dubious task of leading a difficult and trying people through the barren wilderness of the ancient near east. After many a long and trying mile, moving this unhappy people from one dry, arid place to another dry, arid place in the dessert, Moses leads them to a place (Rephidim) to set up camp. At Rephidim, the Israelite-malcontents threaten to kill Moses. Their contention with him? They were thirsty, and he had led them to a place that had no water. (I am sorry, but that is just wrong…) Then, after rescuing his life from their hostile hands by getting them some water to drink, the nation of Amalek sets out to battle with the Israelites. At this point, Moses is required to intercede for the people of God – (the same ones that had just threatened his life because they were thirsty) – as the nation’s victory rested squarely on Moses’ intercession for them. And, as to this work of intercession? Well, Holy Writ tells us: “Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary…” (Exodus 17:11-12). You see, Moses’ arms got tired- that is, his arms of intercession got tired- maybe his serial trials left him feeling worn-out and run-down.

Sometimes, when we have a series of trying circumstances, we have to deal with difficult people, and stressful situations, we also become weary in our intercession. It is then that that we can look to Moses and learn from him- to keep believing God, keep praying, and keep waiting on Him by trusting in the awesome life-giving promises of His Word. We see this truth illustrated in the life of Moses in this Biblical narrative. Exodus 17:12 reads: “…so they took a stone and put it under him [Moses], and he sat on it while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun” (Ex.17:12). You see, just when Moses felt like he was at the end of his intercessory rope- God sent his brother and another trusted companion to help him to rest his weak hands and feeble knees. They did this by giving him a seat on a rock, and holding his arms up. We see here two examples of God’s good provision of sustaining grace for prayer. God gave Moses exactly what he needed to finish the race- to stay the course. The Lord gave Moses the strength to carry on- He gave Moses every necessary thing that he needed to come through the battle victorious. We know this because Exodus 17:13-16 closes the historical account of the battle at Rephidim with this record: “And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

In the same way, we who are in Christ can be confident that God will give us His merciful sustaining grace when we need it. The Lord will provide all the means that we need to finish the race- to stay the course. He will give us strength to carry on. And, just like He gave Moses exactly what he needed to come through the battle victorious; He will give us everything that we need to come through our own battles victorious, as well. Only let us believe God- as Moses did. Let us lay hold of the awesome faithfulness of the Lord our Banner. Let us heed the admonition of Hebrews 12:12-15 to “…lift your [our] drooping hands and strengthen your [our] weak knees, and make straight paths for your [our] feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” And, most importantly, let us “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God…” And, how can we do this in practical terms? How can we fail not to receive that awesome sustaining grace of God? Well, the same way Moses did, of course. We can take a seat and rest those feeble knees of ours on the Lord God- the Rock of our Salvation (Isaiah 26:4, 44:8). We can do whatever we have to do to keep those arms of intercession up. Whether that means that we seek the aid of brothers and sisters to join us in prayer, or we tarry in the Word longer than usual- refusing to leave our prayer closets until we hear from God in His Word and choosing to remember both the admonition and the promise of Scripture: “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God, will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”