f military might made a nation great, the Assyrian and Roman empires would never have fallen. If scientific education made a nation great, Nazi Germany would have ruled the world. If vast natural resources made a nation great, the former Soviet Union would be flourishing. If money made a nation great, the oil rich nation of Saudi Arabia would be strong.

he United States has all of the above measures of strength in abundance. Do those items make us a great nation? No. They only make us a country rich in the symbols and accoutrements of material wealth, worldly wisdom, and physical power. They are not standards of real worth, or of true value.

ou are already ahead of me, for you know what makes a nation great; you know what gives it genuine force and stability-"Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people" (Prov. 14:34).

ow, apply the same rule to the church. What makes a church great in the sight of the Lord? Is it money? No, Laodicea evidently had that, but they were "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17). An urbane, sophisticated, educated membership may comprise an ignorant congregation (1 Cor. 3:18-21). Thus, we may safely say, "Righteousness exalteth God's 'holy nation,' the church, but sin is a reproach to any congregation" (Cf. 1 Pet. 2:5, 9). (If you doubt that conclusion, see Paul's judgment of the Corinthians-1 Corinthians 3:1-3).

ext, attach these principles to yourself, an individual. What makes a person great in the sight of God Almighty? Is it power, prestige, position, or prominence? Absolutely not! See Luke 12:15-21; 16:19-31; 18:1-14.

emember, "not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called" (1 Cor. 1:26). Thus, we may certainly say, "Righteousness exalteth an individual, but sin is a reproach to any person."

f either a nation or a church is going to be exalted, if they are going to be great, their individual members must be pure, holy, and righteous. Neither the nation nor the church can be exalted if you and I are not righteous before God. That is a sobering thought. One thing is for sure-if we want a great nation, and if we want to be part of a good church, we know where to start. &

ELEMENTS OF PRAYER

By Eddie Littrell & Bob Myhan

ince prayer is our only method of communicating to God, knowing what to include in our prayers is essential to the most effective communication. The Bible mentions at least six purposes for speaking to God. All of these are necessary for the fullest expression of our deepest thoughts, needs and desires. Learning more about the diversity of prayer will also help us to better understand the importance of conversing with our Heavenly Father on a regular basis.

raise is speaking to God about God—relating to Him the effects that His character and acts have had upon us. He is marvelous, therefore we marvel; He is magnificent, therefore we magnify Him; He is glorious, therefore we glorify Him. The prayer of praise gives to God both honor and glory for the greatness of His creation, blessings, attributes and justice.

hanksgiving has been defined as “an attitude of gratitude.” But the attitude must express itself in prayer if we wish to continue receiving blessings from God. That is, we must thank God for the favors already received, as we petition Him for a continued supply of the same. Primarily, we should be grateful for His most majestic gift—His only begotten Son, and our Savior Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving should be a part of our every prayer, because there will never be a time when we do not have something for which we should be thankful.

onfession, according to the old adage, “is good for the soul.” This is certainly true with regard to our relationship with God. Prayer gives us an opportunity to admit to God that we have sinned and that we need His help to overcome the burden and guilt of sin. We cannot afford to allow sin to taint our lives. We must petition Him for forgiveness so we can be pure in His sight.

upplication is a seeking, asking, or entreating. It is used in the New Testament of the requests addressed by men to God, in which men primarily implored God—with piety and humility--for assistance in a matter. This implies that we can approach God, not merely in general terms, but with specific requests. As our faith that God will answer our prayers grows, our supplications will become more and more specific. Of the two words translated “supplication” in the King James Version, the one in Hebrews 5:7 appears nowhere else in the New Testament. The other word is more frequently translated “prayer” (Luke 1:13; 2:37; 5:33; Romans 10:1; 2 Corinthians 1:11; 9:14; Philippians 1:4, 19; 2 Timothy 1:3; Hebrews 5:7; James 5:16; 1 Peter 3:12). The distinction between them is put into plain words by Robert Milligan, in his Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews—“The Greek words rendered prayers and supplications . . . are often used interchangeably for prayers in general. But when used together, as in this instance, the former denotes such petitions as flow from a sense of our wants; and the latter, such as are prompted by a deep sense of our own helplessness” (page 194).

ntercession, praying for others, is one of our most solemn responsibilities. In praising God and giving Him thanks we express our love for Him. In supplication and confession we express our love and concern for self. But in intercession we express our love and concern for others, as well as our belief that they need the help that God alone can and will give them. Therefore, we should pray for one another’s health, and for one another’s safety while traveling. We should pray not only that religious freedom might continue in our land, but also that it might be extended to other lands.

mprecation is a prayer in which one petitions God to defeat one’s enemies. The Old Testament prophets used this type of prayer quite extensively with reference to those who vexed the Israelites from time to time. In the New Testament, imprecations seem to have been made concerning those who hindered the cause of truth. The Lord spoke a parable, in Luke 18:1-8, to the end that "men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” At the conclusion of the parable Jesus asked, “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?” He then answered His own question, saying, “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.” &