2012 January 21 by Andrew Wheeler.

Several days ago, I came across a really helpful interpretation of James 1:5-6, about asking God for wisdom, believing and not doubting.  This was in Chris Tiegreen’s “One-year Walk With God” devotional (which I highly recommend, by the way).

James tells us to ask God for wisdom, but then warns that when we ask, we must believe and not doubt, because “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind”.  I’ve always thought that the belief referred to in this passage was belief that God would answer the prayer, but Tiegreen takes it a step further.  He interprets the belief as meaning “believing that God’s answer is wisdom” and implying a prior commitment to following God’s guidance.

If we believe that God’s answer is true wisdom, Tiegreen argues, we will be committed to following that answer - whether or not it agrees with our preferences or our own thoughts about the right direction.  This commitment doesn’t allow us to consider God’s path as one of many directions to follow.  If we ask God for wisdom and then just throw his answer “in the pot” as one of many options, then we fail to trust God’s wisdom to be true wisdom.  This is what leads us to be “blown and tossed by the wind”. 

In fact, Tiegreen argues, if we don’t have this prior commitment to obeying God’s direction, he won’t answer the prayer for wisdom.  He does not give advice to be considered - He gives wisdom to be heeded, direction to be followed. 

Thinking about it this way, I can look back over my life and recall some key decisions that I made without a lot of prayer.  I think that I instinctively realized that I had made up my mind which way I was going to go, and wasn’t really open to a different leading from God, so I never bothered to ask Him for wisdom.

I’m older now, but only wiser when I commit myself to following God’s wisdom.  Based on Tiegreen’s conclusions, I no longer see a prayer for wisdom as something I would just toss up on the spur of the moment.  To really pray for wisdom, I need to be committed to following where God leads, to holding my own desires and thoughts with open hands.  A prayer for wisdom is first and foremost a prayer of surrender - which makes it both much harder and much more meaningful.

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2011 August 28 by Andrew Wheeler.

I have a problem with “prayer promises” in the Bible.  Don’t get me wrong - I believe in the truth of all Scripture.  And that’s exactly the problem.

Prayer promises take encouraging, bite-size truths about prayer out of the larger contexts in which they are written.  As a result, they present partial truths; the verses themselves are true, but they are not all of the truth.  And basing my prayer life on these incomplete truths seems to me to miss the point.

Take John 15:7 for example.  In the NIV, this verse reads, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”  We name this verse and claim it over all sorts of things, from health issues to financial needs to relational struggles.  We assume that, because we are saved, we’ve met the “condition” - that is, remaining in Christ and his words in us.  So the promise becomes a formula for “successful” prayer.

But when we look at the context of John 15, we realize that this is not a passage primarily about prayer.  The main theme of the passage is fruit-bearing, and the main requirement of the passage is that we “remain” in Christ and in his love.  We’re not told exactly how to do that, but we are told that apart from Christ, we can do nothing.  God is the gardener, and occasionally he will see fit to prune the branches (us) for greater fruitfulness.  But unless the branches are constantly nourished by the vine, there will be no fruitfulness at all.

The passage goes on to talk about remaining in Christ’s love, which is tied closely to keeping his commands and loving each other.  Remaining in Christ’s love leads to becoming friends (rather than servants) of Christ.  After all, servants don’t know their master’s business. We, however, have been chosen by Jesus to be about the Father’s business and to bear fruit to his glory.

In the middle of all this, we see John 15:7.  Taken in context, we see that Jesus is picturing prayer as part of an overall relationship with him - a relationship in which we remain in him, obey his commands, bear fruit to the Father’s glory, and show love for one another. 

This passage makes the most sense when understood in its original context.  Jesus is giving his disciples their final instructions prior to his betrayal and crucifixion.  Much of what he says they don’t understand at the time, but they do understand later.  At the center of everything he wants to convey to them is the importance of remaining in him - staying faithful, still believing - even after he is put to death.  There is great hope in these words - hope that the disciples can continue to bear fruit for the kingdom and can continue to have a relationship with Jesus after his death.

Another clue to understanding John 15:7 is (not surprisingly) John 15:8.  “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”  What is the “this” referred to in this verse?  The most natural reading is that “this” is the answered prayer spoken of in John 15:7.  God brings glory to himself by answering our prayers for fruitfulness. 

As it turns out, John 15:7 is not about asking God for our personal needs at all.  There are other places where Jesus encourages prayer for personal needs (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:5ff; Luke 18:1-8; also in the Lord’s prayer, Matthew 6:11), but this is not the meaning of John 15:7.

No one verse or passage expresses all that prayer is meant to be.  Scripture taken as a whole teaches us about relating to God, and prayer is part of that relationship.  To call out “sound bites” about prayer and make formulas out of them is to lose the meaning of prayer altogether and often to wrongly apply the verses themselves.

So let’s pray.  Let’s pray to our faithful, sovereign God with confidence and trust.  But let’s not pretend that prayer is an isolated activity that has no reference to the rest of our lives.  Let’s not make it into a formula where we provide the right inputs and God is obliged to grant the output.  Instead, let’s remain in Christ, bearing fruit for the kingdom, growing in love for him and for each other.  In that context, let’s pray.

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2011 May 21 by Andrew Wheeler.

6:00 has come and gone, and I’m still here.  Since everyone else seems to be still here as well, I’m not as worried as I might otherwise be…..

In case anyone hasn’t heard, today (Saturday, May 21) was supposed to be the Rapture.  Again.  Sadly, many people who bought into this made really bad life decisions.  Many had some hopes dashed, and I wonder what the impact will be on their faith.

All of that said, the coverage given to the whole “end times” mania might actually have some positive effects.  Hopefully some people who weren’t thinking about eternity now are thinking about it.

Scripture says that we don’t know the day or the hour of Christ’s return.  Unfortunately, that seems to translate more often into a sense of distance from that event rather than a sense of urgency.  I wonder how my prayers would be different if I really believed that Christ might return in my lifetime? maybe in the next month?  Would I be praying as much for physical, material needs?  Or would my prayers focus more on preparing spiritually to meet my Lord?  Would my prayers for unsaved friends and family find a sense of urgency that they don’t have now?

Dave Butts, in his book Prayer and the End of Days*, makes a really good argument here.  The fact that the church today doesn’t focus much on the return of Christ may be dulling our sense of urgency.  The early church was mistaken when they believed that Christ would return in their lifetimes - but that thought gave an urgency to their prayers, an urgency to their witnessing and missionary work, that may be missing today.

I’m not about to go sell my house and quit my job.  God calls us to be wise and Jesus warns us against those who say, “here he is” or “there he is”.  But I’m not sad that this non-event occurred.  It has reminded me to pray more fervently, more urgently, and with more of a spiritual focus.

* Dave’s book, Prayer and the End of Days, is available from Harvest Prayer Ministries or in Kindle edition on Amazon.com.

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2011 April 8 by Andrew Wheeler.

Tonight at dinner at the Quad-Cities Christian Writers Conference (Eldridge, Iowa), I heard a neat idea for church or group prayer that I think both honors the God who knows our hearts and also encourages people to pray who would normally not participate in any group or public prayer setting.

The church we were discussing had a practice, during their weekly worship service, of having a time for prayer in which they invited the congregation to come forward and simply name someone for whom they were praying.  The church lifted that person up in prayer simply by repeating their name together, trusting that God knew all the details He needed and that agreeing together for His best for that person.

The person relaying this story to me was impressed by how many people participated in this prayer time, and we discussed together how this type of prayer might encourage participation from those who are too shy to try to construct prayers in a group setting.  We all know that can be an intimidating setting, especially when people don’t pray effectively as a group (praying way too long, using flowery language, trying to impress others with their knowledge of Scripture, etc.).  I fell in love with this idea instantly and can’t wait to try it when I get back home.

Obviously, this type of prayer isn’t the only way we should be praying togehter, but I’m intrigued by the potential for inviting more participation by creating a less threatening environment for prayer.  I also like the idea of taking ourselves and our preconceived notions out of the mix and inviting more of God in, simply trusting Him to do what He knows is needed in a given situation.  So often we try to prescribe for God how He should respond to a situation or how He should meet a particular need in a person’s life.  I like this idea as a way to give over total control to Him.

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2011 February 3 by Andrew Wheeler.

Every so often, God opens a door to pray in a really strategic way for the world.  Such a time is now upon us in Egypt.  Widely recognized as the intellectual center of Islam in the world, Egypt is going through the kind of transition that could determine the future of the country for generations to come, and could also have strategic impact in the world.

Radical Islam is the most visible threat in the world to religious freedom and, specifically, to Christ-followers.  Egypt, known for decades as a relatively “friendly” country for Christians in comparison to much of the Middle East and North Africa, is at a fork in the road.  One path leads to true religious freedom, where both Christians and Muslims are free to express and share their faith, and truly free to choose how they will believe without fear of persecution.  The other path leads to Sharia law, arguably the most repressive religious system in the world.  The likelihood of remaining on the same relatively neutral path that the country has been on under Mubarak seems small.   Now is the strategic time to pray for Egypt, an opportunity that may not come again in our lifetime.

So, how do we pray?  We need to start by humbly admitting to God that we don’t really know what to pray for (Romans 8:26) and by asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we pray.  Should President Mubarak resign or not?  If so, when?  And who should take over?  Only God has the wisdom to know what is best for the country, for His Church, for the world.  Only God simultaneously hears the cries of oppressed and poverty-stricken people while also seeing the beginning from the end in the “big picture”.  How could we think to suggest to God what the answers are, or how He should act?

Since God is the One who leads us to pray in the first place, a great place to start our prayers is with specific biblically-based requests.  Scripture shows over and over God’s concern for those who have no voice of their own - the persecuted, the poor, the widow and the orphan.  Scripture also assures us that God’s word will go forth to every people group and that there will be believers from “every nation, tribe, and language”.  We know from the letters to the churches in Revelation 1-3 how God wants His Church to be characterized.  God is pleased with righteous servant-leaders and frowns on governments characterized by corruption, self-interest, and oppression.  These are just a few of many examples of how we can pray God’s will for Egypt.

The streets of Egypt are a battleground right now.  Protests, violence, clashes of ideology, politics, and economics.  But this is only the tip of the iceberg.  The real battle is a battle happening in the spiritual realm.  Ultimately, it’s a battle between God and Satan.  Specifically, in this case, it’s a battle between Christianity and radical Islam.  And just as the real battle is a spiritual one, so the weapons to fight that battle must also be spiritual ones - specifically, prayer.  Regardless of the outcome of this one battle, the ultimate victory will be God’s.  He could win it completely without us, but he calls us to participate in his victory through prayer.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  (Eph. 3:20, NIV)

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2011 January 18 by Andrew Wheeler.

I just came across a great resource for praying for the 10/40 window.  For those who aren’t familiar with that terminology, it refers to the area between 10 degrees south and 40 degrees north of the Equator - an area with a disproportionately large percentage of unreached peoples, countries where the church is most persecuted, etc.  It’s a strategic - and tough - area for Gospel penetration.  The website, http://win1040.com, is a great source of information and inspiration for prayer.

For readers of this blog who are not involved in any form of regular prayer for the world, I encourage you strongly to seek God regarding how He might have you pray.  Matthew 24:14 tells us that the last sign prior to Jesus’ return is the spread of the Gospel across the world.  I urge you to be a part of that through prayer!

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2010 November 1 by Andrew Wheeler.

In her book, Live a Praying Life, Jennifer Kennedy Dean refers to some major misconceptions about prayer.  The first of these is that prayer is only for material needs.  This really resonated with me, especially since material needs-based prayer so often dominates prayer in our churches, in our small groups, and in our lives.

Jennifer points out that this type of prayer is not wrong, but that it is not meant to be the dominant theme of our praying lives.  God already knows our needs, and he delights in meeting them - he is not a reluctant Provider who needs to be convinced through much travail to meet our needs.  After all, he provides for the sparrows, and he values us much more highly.

Jennifer shows that Jesus taught that this type of prayer is the very simplest kind of prayer.  I’m reminded of the reference in Hebrews 5:12 to milk vs. solid food.  In that case, the writer was talking about the truths of God’s word.  Some truth is elementary - foundational, but not meant to be the end of our learning.  A math major can’t stop with Algebra; similarly, Christ-followers at some point must advance beyond the elementary teachings to more complex truths - what the author refers to as “solid food”.

I wonder if prayer might be the same way.  We begin by asking God for the simple, elementary things.  Like a child asking his parents for toys or candy, we start with the mundane, the things that are right in front of us.  But any child who grows to have faith in his parent’s wisdom and love eventually starts asking harder things, like advice in difficult situations.  Similarly, as our faith in God grows, maybe we need to be asking the more difficult things - like imploring God to grow the character of Christ in us or to produce in us the fruit of the Spirit.

As I look at the prayers of Paul for the churches, I don’t see any prayers regarding material needs.  I’m certain that Paul himself prayed for material things - like the removal of his thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).  But it seems like this type of concern did not dominate Paul’s life.  He seems to have spent himself in prayer over the spiritual needs of the churches to whom he wrote.  Jesus also taught us to pray for our material needs, entrusting them to the Father.  But if you look at the Lord’s prayer, only one line is devoted to this.

It seems to me that Scripture is teaching us somewhat of a progression of prayer.  All analogies break down at some point, and I don’t think we advance past praying for material needs in the same way that the writer to the Hebrews expected the readers to advance past the elementary truths.  But surely we get to a point where our concerns mature along with our faith, and surely this should be reflected in our praying lives.

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2010 October 30 by Andrew Wheeler.

I have a confession to make. I’ve voted in maybe about 15 national elections over the years, and I can’t remember a time when I asked God which candidate should get my vote. To be honest, my prayers for elections tend to be more about me informing God who I’ve decided the right candidate is and asking him to get that person elected. Seems a bit backward, doesn’t it?

I’ve participated in prayer groups in the past that focus on praying for our country and have come to realize that my reliance on my own human “wisdom” is not unique. It’s difficult for a church to pray in a unified spirit when we’re all bringing our own wisdom to prayer rather than seeking God for his wisdom. If I’m praying for candidate A and the next person is praying for candidate B, there’s no unity there.

What would happen if we instead focused our prayers on asking God to raise up leaders after his own heart - leaders with servant hearts, leaders who will be concerned more about the well-being of the people they lead than about their own gain, leaders of compassion, wisdom, and courage. What if the church united to pray for God to raise up righteous men and women to lead our country? What if we were able to put aside our own agendas in favor of seeking God’s wisdom?

I’m going to try something different this year - asking God to guide me regarding how to vote, and asking him to appoint people of his choosing to office.

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2010 October 4 by Andrew Wheeler.

I recently finished re-reading a book that may well be my favorite book on prayer: The God Who Hears, by Bingham Hunter.  I really appreciate the premise of the book that prayer begins with God, not with us.  God is the one who draws us to prayer; we tend to see prayer as us coming to God when actually it’s Him drawing us into His presence.

Hunter begins where prayer really should begin - with who God is.  He deals with several aspects of God’s character and how they impact our prayers.  He asks questions like “If God is all-knowing, what is there to tell him?” and “How do I relate to a God who is Spirit?”  He doesn’t shy away from the tough ones, either, like “Why pray to a God who lets people hurt?”. 

I love Hunter’s statement that “Prayer is not a means we use to get what we want from God; it’s a means God uses to give us what He wants.”  Praying well, then, starts with understanding what God wants, and that begins with knowing who God is, what He is like, and having a personal relationship with Him.  Hunter makes the observation that God responds not to our words but to our lives.

This book is not light reading, but it’s the best perspective on prayer that I’ve ever read.  Hunter’s understanding of prayer keeps the believer from falling into “prayer fads”; he rejects formulaic approaches to prayer in favor of a relational approach.  This is surely the way God meant prayer to be.  Hunter sees prayer not as a separate activity but rather as a pervasive part of an overall relationship with God.  If I could recommend one book on prayer for everyone to read, this would be it.

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2010 October 4 by Andrew Wheeler.

Elections loom on the horizon, and just as our country is divided over politics, so also the Church often seems divided in this area.  As we pray over the campaigns and the coming elections, the temptation to pray our own political agenda rather than openly seeking God’s will can be overwhelming.  Of course our candidate is the right one, so prayer is mostly a matter of informing God who He should put in office, right?

For the Church to be unified and powerful in prayer, the first requirement is a humble admission on each believer’s part that we don’t have all the answers.  Many of us (myself included) hold strongly to firm beliefs when it comes to economic, social, and international policy.  But humility requires that we set those beliefs aside and acknowledge God’s infinite wisdom as we pray.

Which would more benefit the cause of Christ in our country – the election of strong leaders who have a certain stance on the health care bill, or the election of humble servants whose heart is to care for the hurting?  Does God care more about campaign finance reform or about having leaders of integrity and character?  Which is more important in God’s sight – a specific voting record, or a humble, teachable spirit?

Father, teach us how to pray your heart for our coming elections.  Show us your priorities, and move us to align our prayers with your will.  Unite your church in seeking your kingdom and your righteousness as we pray.

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