So we’ve looked at praise and
thanksgiving. I highly recommend that you start your prayers out this way
before you get to any requests or complaints. It helps keep things in
perspective, no?
But before we get to talking about
asking him for things, there’s one more aspect of prayer which we really need
to address, as you can guess from the title.
The first passage in Psalm 66 is
pretty sobering. The Psalmist was calling on his fellow believers to praise the
Lord, but starting in verse 16 he gives a personal testimony about how God has
treated him. He had apparently hit some trouble in his life, and had called
upon his Lord to intervene and save him. The Psalmist tells us very directly
that if he had “cherished sin in [his] heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
What's this talking about? Let’s
say, for example, I’m driving along and see a pretty girl who’s scantily
dressed. Noticing a beautiful girl is not a problem, but I linger. I
specifically focus on certain parts of her body. I think about what I’d like to
do to her if I ever got the chance. A clear violation of Matt.
5:27-28. And I might even forget about my transgression. I don’t even think
about it as I go forward into my day.
So what’s the problem? The problem
is that even though I’ve forgotten it, my Lord hasn’t. He takes thoughts
seriously, as the above passage from Matthew shows. And if I start praying to
him, either alone or with others, my prayer won’t be effective. If we have
unconfessed sin, if we “cherish” or “harbor” (in other translations) sin in our
hearts, the Lord won’t listen to anything else we have to say. Once
I sin, the very next prayer that the Lord is going to respond to will be a prayer
of confession and repentance.
That’s why the Psalm 139 passage is
so very important. It’s a great prayer. Now, I don’t believe in “formula”
prayers. We’re dealing with a Person in our prayers, not a force like
electricity. It’s not an issue of saying the “right” prayer with the “right”
words. That’s magic. But it’s a great pattern. I try to remember to pray
something like it every time I pray. Again, if I have unconfessed sin, then my
relationship with the Lord is severely hindered.
I’ve used this illustration before
(I think), so please forgive me, but it’s the best one I have. Let’s say that
I’m the son of Bill Gates. He and I have a screaming match argument, and I end
up saying “Forget you, dad! I’m outta here!” and storm out of the mansion. Not
having any immediately marketable skills, I take a job waiting tables in a
greasy spoon diner and living in a firetrap apartment where I have to fight off
the rats and roaches. Am I still Bill Gates’s son? If you took blood out of me
and blood out of him and sent the samples to a lab, the obvious answer is would be “Yes.” But I’m not living
like a son of Bill Gates should live. I should be dining on steak and lobster
every night if I want. I should be working in an air-conditioned office. But
because of our stupid argument, I’m not living like a son of Bill Gates should
be living.
Have you prayed to your Father and
feel like your prayers are hitting the ceiling? If so, praying something like
the 139th Psalm passage should be the very next thing you say. Ask
him something like “Father, is there some unconfessed sin in my heart, some way in
which I’ve disappointed or disobeyed you?” If he points out something specific
(the Holy Spirit convicts of specific sin, while the Enemy accuses you in order
to condemn), then confess it (agree with God that it’s wrong) and ask for his help
in stopping it and not doing it again. Make a commitment that—by his
grace—you’re going to stop doing it. I pray something like “Father, I’m so
sorry I did X. I know it was wrong. There’s no excuse for what I did. Please
forgive me, and please help me not to do that again.” For more on this, see the postings here.
And here’s the good news after the
bad news from the passage in 1 John. If we confess, he promises to A) Forgive
us for whatever we’ve done or not done, and B) Cleanse us from all wickedness.
He not only forgives but also removes the stain. Permanently. Never to be
brought up again.
Once we’ve dealt with any
unconfessed sin, then we can move on to other things.
Father, it’s obvious what I need to do
here. I desperately need you to please examine me from top to bottom,
inside-out. Whatever you find there that’s not pleasing, please point it out,
and give me the resolve and strength and whatever else I need to deal with it
decisively.
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