Prayer Changes Those Who Pray

By Eddie Littrell and Bob Myhan

Prayer not only changes the circumstances of those who pray and those for whom others pray. It also changes those who pray.

There is great serenity to be gained in knowing that we have a heavenly Father who is concerned with the trials and tribulations His children face in this life. Our minds can be at rest after going to Him in prayer, leaving with Him the anxieties that we feel from time to time. We can share with Him our deepest thoughts and fears, and be at peace within. This is probably the most frequently overlooked benefits of prayer. One should ever seek “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, [and] will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7)

In seeking and receiving an audience with the Father, joy is made full (John 16:20-24). The Lord told His disciples they would go through a time of sorrow but that their sorrow would become joy. He compared this to a woman who is in labor—while in anguish she will be sorrowful but, when the baby is born, she will forget the sorrow. He then told them that their lack of joy was due to their failure to ask God for His blessings. When we ask the Father to bless us, therefore, we can have great delight in knowing He will grant us the things that we ask.

Christians who pray live in hope—desire plus expectation (Matt. 7:7). All through the New Testament we are encouraged to be watchful, ever aware of the temptations we will face. We are taught to be strong, alert and careful. The underlying motivation for watchfulness is the knowledge that we must persevere to the end in order to receive an eternal home with God. Prayer plays an important role, here. As we pray, the hope of an eternal reward is reinforced because we realize that God hears us and supplies those things necessary to a godly life. We not only desire but fully expect the things for which we pray. Thus, prayer intensifies the hope of our soul’s eternal salvation.

Finally, prayer strengthens those who pray (Phil. 4:13; Ps. 105:1-4): While it is true that we must “put on the whole armor of God,” if we would “stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11), a measure of strength also comes from the conviction that God has heard and will answer, if we come before Him and seek Him continually. We can petition Him for help in times of weakness and find strength in His word through Jesus Christ. God’s people should more fully appreciate this great source of spiritual strength. &

The Spirit of God’s Son

By Bob Myhan

When Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia , who were mostly Gentiles, it was because they were being led by Judaizing teachers to believe that their obedience to the Gospel was not sufficient for salvation. Consequently, they were not “obeying the truth” (3:1; 5:7). Rather, they were “turning away ... to a different gospel, which is not another” (1:7).

The word “another,” in the above quote, means “another of the same kind.” Thus, the “gospel” they had embraced was different from what Paul had preached while among them. It was different because it was the result of the genuine gospel being perverted by those Judaizing teachers.

A Judaizing teacher was a false Christian who had pretended to convert so as to win proselytes to Judaism. The main goal of these teachers was to make the church nothing more than a Jewish sect. This was a long-standing problem, which had been dealt with by Paul and the other apostles between Paul’s first and second missionary journeys, recorded by Luke in Acts 15.

Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. (2:1-5)

As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. (6:12-13)

For this reason, Paul was writing to help the Galatians understand that the “gospel” to which they had turned was a perversion of what he had preached.

One implication of this teaching was that there were two gospels—one for the Jews, which did not include circumcision and “another” for the Gentiles which did. After indicating that he had rebuked Peter for teaching this doctrine by his hypocrisy (2:11-21), he explained to them that the promise of salvation preceded the Law of Moses and that the condition of the promise was faith, not lawkeeping (3:5-29).

Paul then explains, using the illustration of an heir who is still a minor, that there is no difference between an heir and a slave (4:1). Before the faith came, both Jews and Gentiles were “in bondage under the elements of the world” (4:3); Jews were under the Law of Moses and Gentiles were under God’s previous revelation (Rom. 1:18-32). Just as the slaves looked forward to a time when they might be freed from servitude, the heirs looked forward to “the time appointed by the father” when they would become adults and receive the full inheritance that awaited them. What the Jews did not realize was that the Gentiles would also be eligible for this inheritance on the same conditions as the Jews—obedience to the gospel. Therefore, “when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son…to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (4:4-5) And, because the Gentiles who had obeyed the gospel were also His sons, “God sent forth the Spirit of His Son” into their hearts “crying out, ‘Abba, Father’” (4:6). Therefore, they did not need to submit to physical circumcision and the Law, but were “complete” in Christ, as were the Christians in Colosse (Col. 3:8-10). &

Unceasing Prayer

By Bob Myhan

In previous articles we have discussed the usefulness of, and need for prayer. We have seen prayer as our solemn duty to God, ourselves and others. It is the avenue by which we praise our Creator, give Him thanks, petition Him for our own needs and entreat Him on behalf of others.

However, if we are to take full advantage of the power of prayer, we must realize the urgency of spending much time speaking to God. We must make our petitions often, leaning heavily on Him for the help that we all need in this life. We are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). On the surface, one might think this a rather extreme demand. After all, it seems there is no possible way we could spend all our time praying, since there are other duties that require our attention. In all probability, though, Paul was speaking “not of what is not interrupted, but of that which is constantly recurring” (Vine’s). “Importunity” is the urgency with which we may approach God (Matt. 15:22-28; Gen. 18:23-32). It is also an indicator of our confidence that He will not renege on His promise to grant our petitions. But we should always remember that He will respond to our tenacity according to what He, in His omniscience, deems appropriate.

We should never permit anxiety, skepticism, uncertainty or depression to deter us from praying (Luke 11:5-13; 18:1-8). Neither should we find fault with God when our requests are not granted without delay. And we should reject any suggestion of failure on God’s part. Rather, we should remember that He bears long with us according to His eternal purpose and manifold wisdom, and that any delay gives us another opportunity to examine our petition. If we find that we have been asking for something which is not in harmony with God’s revealed will, we should realize that it will not be given and stop asking for it. On the other hand, if we are confident that the request is in harmony with that which He has revealed, we should continue making the request until it is granted. But we can be sure He has a good and sufficient reason for not having bestowed it.