Pastor’s Blog 9.25.19
Ezekiel 22:30-31
30 “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one. 31 So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them in the fire of my anger. I will heap on them the full penalty for all their sins, says the Sovereign LORD.” NLT
This is a scripture that we refer to many times encouraging the intercessors to continue to pray. The Kingdom of God is a judicial system and the laws of the Kingdom are determined by the King. Prayer is our part in governing the Kingdom. Jesus delegated his authority to us for certain tasks and the tasks do not include telling Him what to do, instead it requires us to find His will (not ours) and pray for His will to be done. Why did He set it up this way? I don’t know but it is obvious when one studies the scripture that He wants us to find His will on a matter and pray it!
Jesus taught us to pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is I Heaven. When people get goofy and silly in prayer is when they start presumptuously telling God how He is to run things. I have heard prayers uttered that quite frankly were embarrassing and have prayed a few myself over the years that bore correcting. Here is where I believe some fallacy originated,
Isaiah 45:11
11 Thus says the LORD, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me. NKJV
Back years ago we learned this this and started giving God commands, how did that work out? Now let’s put it in context and look at some other translators.
Isaiah 45:9-10
9 “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’? 10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?'” NKJV
Now lets look at verse 11 in some other translations:
Isaiah 45:11 Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Would you question Me about things to come concerning My children, and concerning the work of My hands [would you] command Me? AMP
Isaiah 45:11
11 This is what the LORD, the Creator and Holy One of Israel, says: “Do you question what I do? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands?
NLT
Isaiah 45:11
11 Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands?
NRSV
This is why I hate proof texting the scriptures, most of us don’t read Hebrew, Greek, Chaldean or Aramaic so we need to look twice at what we believe the scripture says and why it says it. The will of God is known concerning many things and not known about many things. I have heard well meaning believers pray and it sounds like a boss telling an employee what to do. Then when their will isn’t carried out by the Lord they accuse Him of not answering prayer!
I always like going back to a few basics I learned from Bible college about prayer. A scriptural prayer is offered:
1. To the Father
2. In the name of the Son Jesus
3. In faith believing
4. According to the will or word of God
John 16:23 Covers 1&2
23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. NKJV
Mark 11:22-24 #3
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. NKJV
1 John 5:14-15 #4
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. NKJV
The other thing I learned which fits this framework is:
Pray about what you pray about before you pray it!
In other words, be serious and seek God’s mind and you will see your prayers answered!
- Date - September 25, 2019
- Author - David Chisholm
