Sermon: Strategies for Escaping Babylon (Part Eight)
Knowing God Though Praying Ceaselessly
#1753
David F. Maas
Given 23-Mar-24; 68 minutes
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transcript:
Please turn to John 17:3, the umbrella verse for this message in this series on “Strategies for Escaping Babylon” taken from the High Priestly prayer of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on His last Passover as a human being.
John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
In the countdown to Passover, we have heard several exhortations on the critical need to intimately know God—God the Father and our affianced Bridegroom as the collective Bride of Christ. As Pat Higgins informed us in his insightful April 2008 article, “Praying Always, Part Six,” knowing God is far more than just endless life, but “God offers us, not just endless life, but even more—eternal, close fellowship with Him.” That is part of our reward as firstfruits (Revelation 3:12, 21). But he continues, “How does God know if we want to fellowship with Him forever? How can He determine about us, as He said about our father Abraham in Genesis 22:12 “Now I know”? Simply, if we are earnestly seeking fellowship with Him right now, in this life, our actions prove, just as Abraham’s actions were proof, that we sincerely desire to be with Him forever.”
In the same article, Pat asserts that we show our ardent desire for eternal fellowship with God through continuous, unceasing prayer, asking “What is the major way God gives us to show our desire for eternal fellowship with Him? Prayer! Through prayer, especially praying always, we are consciously deciding to place ourselves in God’s presence—to have fellowship with Him and to acknowledge our vital need for Him,” as the psalmist David proclaimed in Psalm 27:8 that we seek God’s face or presence as our vital need, and as proclaimed by the apostle Paul in Colossians 3:17, that whatever we do [no matter what it is], that we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in dependence upon His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.
(Incidentally, in preparation for this message, I reread all six of Pat Higgins’ articles “Praying Always” and highly recommend that between now and Passover, less than a month away, we could all profit from the profound insights in these articles.)
As the collective betrothed Bride to our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, we need to acknowledge that we are indeed the weaker vessel, needing His continuous protection, nurturing, and counsel. Consequently, we should be seeking and hanging on to His every word—such as young couples in their first love or infatuation cannot get enough of their fiancé’s precious words and attention, as they grow together as one interdependent body.
Later in this same article “Praying Always, Part Six,” Pat makes the salient point that all of us build relationships through the give and take of conversation, suggesting that we should build the same kind of relationship with Almighty God, our Creator, as we do with family, friends, or coworkers, pointing out that we spend time with them, converse with them, and experience various activities with them. By that process we come to know them better. Is it any different with God? No! Talking to, spending time with, and experiencing life with God are how we get to know Him. Moreover, knowing God is everything, as our umbrella verse John 17:3 has stated, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ [our affianced Bridegroom] whom You have sent.”
Again, using the courting or engagement metaphor, can you imagine a couple content with a 20-minute phone call at the beginning of the day and another 20-minute phone call at the other end of the day? One could expect each partner to use a little more resourcefulness. God has certainly done His part since our initial calling—but do we? Are we assiduously looking for His feedback through the Scriptures, perhaps keeping a written log (I am going to discuss this further along in this message) of answered prayers and His continuous blessings, even those things we thought were initially curses but turned out to be blessings (Proverbs 16:9)?
In this eighth installment of the “Strategies For Escaping Babylon” series, I intend to explore some specific selected techniques to augment and improve our prayer life, protecting us against the threat of being ensnared in the evil satanic Babylonic system leading to a permanent death sentence. (The title of this message is “Strategies For Escaping Babylon (Part Eight)” and the subtitle reads “Knowing God Through Praying Ceaselessly.”)
The apostle Paul recommended in his letter to the Thessalonians, that they pray without ceasing. Permit me to review this passage from the Amplified edition:
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (AMP) Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer, in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
In his recent blog, “Pray Without Ceasing: Powerful Praying and how You Can Do it,” Richard Affholder explained that, “Pray without ceasing means to always maintain an attitude of prayer, to turn to have a heart inclined to prayer, to pray often, and to make prayer a high priority, following the example of Jesus. It means to seek His will in the face of evil.”
In his November 16, 2007 Forerunner article, “Praying Always, Part Two,” Pat Higgins reminded us that Herbert Armstrong recommended that we be in contact with Almighty God every hour of every day, adding that it was common for him to pray 30 or 40 times (or more) a day—short prayers asking for help with a decision, in counseling a person, or in preparing an article or sermon.
In an October 1957 Good News article, he gave this advice to church members:
You must go to a private place, alone with God and have long talks with Him— yes, every day! Unburden your heart to Him. Take all your problems, your interests, your plans, your troubles to Him. Talk over everything with Him continually. Then, even when going about your work—when walking down the street, when driving your car, or wherever you are or whatever you do, talk with God as you work as you drive or walk along. Go to a private place and kneel in prayer (on both knees) as often as you can, at least once every day. But talk with God often in between. Pray without ceasing!—that means 24-7 for the rest of our lives until we take our last mortal breath.
It is those who are overcoming and praying always, at all times of the day and night, that will be counted worthy to escape the end-time troubles and to stand before the Son of Man in God’s Kingdom. As the betrothed Bride of Christ, it is our somber responsibility to renounce our loyalty to Satan’s Babylonic system, realizing the profound danger of mixing the world’s ways with God’s ways, as Richard describes the Corinthian practice in his “Four Warnings, Part Four,” a message given on February 3, 2024. The Corinthian congregation, having many commonalities with God’s scattered church today, were skilled at synthesizing worldly philosophies and science falsely so called with God’s precious Word which is pure truth alone—without the poisonous admixture of the world’s so-called wisdom.
Richard explains, the Corinthians had brought many worldly ideas with them out of the city of Corinth or wherever they came from. Soon the congregation at Corinth was targeted by various false groups within the church or tangential to the church—people like Judaizers, early Gnostics, hedonists, ascetics, you name it. Apparently, Paul had to deal with perpetual squabbles between vegetarians and meatatarians, as well as omnivores. Not that much has changed over the past 2,400 years.
Everything happened in Corinth just as it is currently happening in Hollywood, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Ottawa, London, Sydney, Johannesburg, and Jerusalem. The Corinthians tried to synchronize all these things, trying to please everybody by believing everything, accepting everything, homogenizing these disparate philosophies just as Jacob’s rebellious offspring synthesize evil woke philosophy with God’s Word, as the mainstream Christian churches have been doing increasingly for the last several decades.
Richard reminds us that the apostle Paul clearly cautions believers that there can be absolutely no communion between Satan the Devil (the father of liars, John 8:44) and God’s Word (pure unadulterated truth, John 17:17). God is pure and holy; Satan is evil to the core. The worldly practices and philosophies (both today and in the apostle Paul’s time) cannot possibly dwell harmoniously with God’s revelation and practice. If we try to homogenize these two different entities, we will encounter dissent, division, and destruction, ultimately leading us to eternal death in the Lake of Fire.
Consequently, Richard warns us that if we devote more attention to our empirical self, our family, those with whom we are intimate, friends, relatives more than we do to Christ, our Lord and Savior, then we are failing as God’s chosen disciples. As Jesus Christ’s half-brother cautioned the betrothed Bride of Christ (that is, us) in James 4:4, please permit me to read this to you in the Amplified edition:
James 4:4 (AMP) You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend [that is loving the things of the world] is being God’s enemy? So, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
In Revelation 18:4, we read, “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not be a partner in her sins and receive her plagues. As Richard has cautioned us, “We need to get the gritty particulate sand (symbolic of the alluring ways of the world) out of our shorts and our socks and our shoes,” a metaphor which I relate to on a daily basis on my walks in the Santa Susana mountains.
Returning to the discussion of what constitutes the proper length or duration for effective prayers, theologian Dr. C. N. Willborn, in his article “How Long Should I Pray?,” appearing in the June 2020 Table Talk magazine, makes the following observations, stating “I suspect many people have struggles with the length of their prayers and have had thoughts such as “Did I pray long enough?” and “Was God pleased with the amount of time I spent in prayer this morning?” The Bible provides some guidelines for us as we engage in the discipline of prayer, but except for Jesus Christ’s admonition to His sleepy disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He asks them “Could you not pray one hour” to prevent them to enter temptation (Matthew 26:40), the Scriptures do not give specific time increments for prayer.
Scriptural examples vary from prayers lasting less than a minute to Jesus’ all-night prayer before selecting His disciples (Luke 6:12-13). We find a plethora of biblical characters praying at all hours of the day or night, but very little about their duration or length is specified. The psalmist David frequently prayed and meditated at night, or perhaps rather in the wee hours of the morning (Psalm 42:8) as did our Lord and Savior (Mark 14:32). Jesus also prayed in the early morning (Mark1:35). The apostle Paul’s prayers seemed to be more sporadic, offered when praise was prompted, or needs became evident.
We find the length of prayers recorded in Scripture highly instructive. Let us look at Jesus Christ’s model prayer (Matthew 6: 8-13), a sterling model of brevity, requiring about 25 seconds to recite. We recall that immediately before He presented His disciples this “skeleton prayer,” He cautioned them against using empty repetitive phrases as the heathens do (Matthew 6:7). Jesus clearly favors quality over quantity.
Both the Old and New Testaments are replete with multiple examples of brief or perfunctory prayers. For example, when Moses cries out for mercy in an intercessory prayer for his people, the entire time took up only four verses (Deuteronomy 9:26-29). Elijah’s impassioned prayer to defend God’s honor lasted only two verses (I Kings 18: 36-37). Nehemiah’s pivotal prayer confessing the transgressions of Israel consumes only seven verses (Nehemiah 1:5-11). Every one of the apostle Paul’s recorded prayers are short and crisp (consider Philippians 1:9-11 and Colossians 1:9-12). Remember that Paul was the one who counseled all of us to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:7). Frequency is equally as important as duration.
In less than one month we will all be assembled in Passover services, reading the High Priestly prayer of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in John 17. When we read it aloud, it takes about three minutes to recite. To be sure, God’s saints need to set a longer time to engage in a daily dialogue with their Creator, but the lion’s share of conferences with Almighty God will vary in length. Length is not necessarily strength, especially if it is offered in a detached, insincere, flippant manner. Dr. Willborn suggests that the best answer to the question, “How long should we pray?” should be emphatically, “Till we die.”
The late Dr. Gerald R. Prescott, former director of bands and professor of music education at the University of Minnesota, would frequently counsel his students, “practice for results, not for hours.” We could use the same principle for prayers. We need to pray for results, not for hours, realizing that the length of prayer depends upon the specific need, which occasionally may take a night long vigil to receive strength to endure a horrendous trial or test, such as a major health or economic issue, but for the most part, require much shorter increments of time—spread out in more frequent intervals throughout the day.
Probably the second most challenging issue for executing our prayers is the matter of posture as we mentally enter the glorious opulent throne room of Almighty God. The Herbert Armstrong would often inform us that the best position for the most fervent heartfelt prayer is hanging upside down from a ladder in a deep well. Several articles and books have focused on the biblically mandated postures, modes, or positions for prayer, including “Ten Biblical Postures of Prayer to Strengthen Your Prayers Before God,” authored by Susan J Nelson, as well as “Nine Biblically Proper Prayer Postures or Positions,” compiled by Aldtric Johnson in 2017. Interestingly, both writers covered nearly the same points, placing them in slightly different orders and providing slightly different scriptural examples. I plan to synthesize the two lists, providing the most relevant scriptural examples for each point.
1. Kneeling Before God: The first biblically sanctioned position of prayer consists of kneeling before Almighty God in a position of respect and honor such as kneeling before a king or a suitor proposing to fiancé. As Susan Nelson explains, “the posture of our bodies elevates our prayers, helping us to show our honor, respect, and reverence for Almighty God. Regardless of which position or posture we choose to use it is the posture of our hearts which must be pleasing to God. We must be humble, broken before God, pure and confident that God will hear and answer our prayers.” Scriptural examples supporting the kneeling posture include:
Daniel 6:10 reads “Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he went into his house (now in his roof chamber his windows were open toward Jerusalem); he continued to get down on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.”
In Ephesians 3:14, the apostle Paul declares, “For this reason [grasping the greatness of this plan by which Jews and Gentiles are joined together in Christ] I bow my knees [in reverence] before the Father [of our Lord Jesus Christ].
Regarding positions, postures, and methods used in prayer, one size does not fit all. As my friend Dave Havir has often stated, “Preach the principle, but counsel the exception.” Back in the fall of 1969, immediately before the Feast of Tabernacles, I was struck by a drunk driver as a pedestrian while standing next to my stalled car. Several weeks later, a surgeon implanted a lotus nail into my right tibia. When I kneel, the end of this pin sticks out making kneeling not only difficult but extremely painful unless I stack two or three pillows on the floor. (I think hanging upside down on the rungs of a ladder in a deep well might be a trifle more comfortable.) The last several times I was anointed for an affliction, the minister let me remain sitting.
Aldtric Johnson, in his article on “Nine Positions for Prayer,” although he does not include sitting as prayer posture in his list, nevertheless claims, “I’ve found the most intimate refreshing place to pray at my home. I love sitting in my chair on my front porch and enjoying quality time with God in prayer. When I’m out there, it’s like it’s just Him and me. Yes, I pray everywhere. But that place is special. And yes, I said sitting. You see, it’s good and commendable to get on your knees in submission to God, but contrary to what many may have been taught it’s not mandatory. That is not the exclusively acceptable prayer posture.”
2. Sitting Before the Lord: Even though Aldtric Johnson does not include sitting as a biblical posture, Susan Johnson does include it, and gives a biblical example, so we will make that the second biblical prayer position. Sitting enables one to listen, pay attention, and focus upon the one standing who is delivering instruction, demonstrating our willingness to obey and serve God. When we are seated, we can meditate on His goodness, spending quality time with him.
In II Samuel 7:18 we read, “Then King David went in and sat [in prayer] before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house (family) that You have brought me this far?”
3. Head Bowed before God: The third biblically sanctioned posture is to bow our heads before God, demonstrating our humility before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, including Abraham, Moses, and King David who all bowed before God, demonstrating their submission, and giving honor. In Genesis 24:52, we read that when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground [in worship] before the Lord.
4. Lying Prostrate before God: The fourth biblically sanctioned prayer position or posture is lying prostrate before God, a position when we are urgent for God to intervene in a dire life-or death matter, magnifying our heavenly Father as we humbly bow ourselves to the ground. In Matthew 26:39, we read the anguished words of our Lord and Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane, when, after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed saying, “My Father if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
In Luke 5:12, we read that “while Jesus was in one of the cities, there came a man covered with [an advanced case of leprosy]; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean and well.”
Let us take a look at this interesting situation in which Elisha lies down. The story begins when Elisha feels compelled to ask God to bless the Shunammite woman for her hospitality by granting her the ability to conceive a child.
II Kings 4:8-21 Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.” And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned into the upper room and lay down there. Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’”
II Kings 8:14-21 And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.” So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” But the woman conceived and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her. [A tragic turn of events occurred at verse 18.] And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. And he said to his father, “My head, my head!” So he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out.
II Kings 4:32-35 When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. [I think we can assume Elisha was praying the whole time.]
5. Standing before the Lord: The fifth posture is standing with full attention before the Lord. When we stand before the Lord, becoming silent and still, we demonstrate to Him that we are ready to serve Him, receiving his orders for spiritual battle, which we will do as He returns to earth to put down the satanic kingdoms currently destroying and polluting the earth.
Interestingly, in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, all the parishioners (except for the infirm and mobility challenged) are expected to remain standing throughout the entire service.
In Mark 11:25, we read, “whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him [drop the issue, let it go], so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive your transgressions and wrongdoings [against Him and others.” In Hebrews 4:16, we approach God’s heavenly throne, obviously in a standing position.
6. Outstretched arms or hands lifted: The sixth prayer posture or position is that of outstretched arms with hands lifted. When we lift our hands to God, we demonstrate our total submission to His will, petitioning God’s blessing and mercy on His people. In I Timothy 2:8, Paul instructs us that he wants “the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and disputing or quarreling or doubt [in their mind].” In Psalm 141:2, David asked God that his prayer be counted as incense before Him and the lifting up of hands as an evening offering.
7. Praying out loud or with loud voice and cries: The seventh prayer or posture position consists of praying aloud, sometimes with a loud voice. When we cry out to God with an urgent request for help, shrieking out from deep pain and hurt from a health problem, we bring our intense needs to God’s ears.
I experienced such a crisis two days ago as I was preparing for this message. Having blocked off all of the past week to write the sermon, I felt I was right on target, reaching about the halfway mark Thursday morning at 1:30 am. But the next day when I tried to open the document, I found that all but 8½ pages were destroyed by the computer. Before I went into a profound state of shock, I launched into my usual angry tirade: “I hate it when things don’t work lawfully.” Ranting against the prince and power of the earth. Followed by the Silicon Valley engineers who came up with the turning icon “not responding.” Followed by the Hewlett Packard proprietary software.
My precious, intrepid, unflappable spouse Julie, who has been modeling for me what Richard described last week as the hard masculine virtue, patience and endurance for the past 3 decades, convinced me that in 99.9% of the cases, Dave Maas is the greatest lawbreaker. James Beaubelle called me (I think the Holy Spirit prompted him) and I learned that the same thing happened to him. One hour later, Austin called asking if I had pressed the panic button. The next day checking in with Joe Baity, I learned that the same thing had happened to him during the Feast of Tabernacles in Myrtle Beach. I want to thank the four of them for praying for me.
Consider the example of our Lord and Savior as He approaches our heavenly Father in prayer recorded in Hebrews 5:7, “In the days of his earthly life, Jesus offered up both [specific] petitions and [urgent] supplications [for that which He needed] with fervent crying and tears to the One who was [always] able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission toward God [His sinlessness and His unfailing determination to do the Father’s will].”
8. Praying Silently: Conversely, there are also many times when it is preferable to pray silently. Years ago, I had a friend who displayed reluctance at ever praying aloud because of the danger of Satan listening in or eaves dropping. Often, we may experience specific issues so painful that we cannot come up with the right words, prompting us to mumble a silent prayer with the confidence that God’s Holy Spirit can untangle them or smooth them before they reach God’s ears (Romans 8:26).
Consider the example of Hannah in I Samuel 1:13, whose quiet desperate plea to God to remove her barrenness prompted the high priest to mistakenly think she was stone drunk. The Amplified renders this passage: “Hannah was speaking in her heart (mind); only her lips were moving, and her voice was heard, so Eli thought she was drunk.”
9. Lifted eyes or with eyes open: The ninth posture or mode of prayer consists of praying with eyes lifted or open. When we lift our eyes to the heavens, we demonstrate our dependence and reliance on Almighty God, waiting on Him with confidence and hope that He answer, providing a timely solution. In Psalm 121:1-2, one of the psalms of ascents, we read, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]—From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Our Lord and Savior set us an example of often praying with His eyes lifted toward heaven, demonstrating His reliance on the heavenly Father, maintaining a deep personal relationship with His heavenly Father, setting an example that we should do the same. Consider His words in the High Priestly prayer He uttered during His last Passover as a fleshly human. John 17:1 says “When Jesus had spoken these things, He raised His eyes to heaven [in prayer] and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify You.”
Incredibly, lying in bed also constitutes a biblically sanctioned posture or mode of prayer. In his February 2, 2012 article “Six Prayer Positions,” Stephen Nielson asserts that “lying down is the position of rest and of peace. This position of prayer is symbolic of our rest and security in the Lord.” In Psalm 4:4, David instructed us that we should meditate in our heart upon our bed remaining still [reflecting on our sins and repenting]. In Psalm 4:8 David wrote, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” David discovered that while surrounded by enemy troops he was able to find rest and peace in the Lord.
In Psalm 63:6-7 David prays, “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate and thoughtfully focus on You in the night watches, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings [where I am always protected] I sing for joy.” Concluding his article, Nielson asks us to observe that in Psalm 23:2, that lying down is a position of calm: “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” As God’s often skittish flock, we are prone to restlessness and wandering around, pacing back and forth, worrying excessively. But God thankfully calms us down, putting His gentle hand on our shoulders, whispering to us to calm down and rest, assuring us that all will be well as He stands watch over us, assuring us that we can lie down and sleep without fear since He will provide our peace and security.
One position or mode of prayer which has gained popularity in the evangelical community is a practice called prayer walking, in which individuals aspire to combine physical movement with spiritual connection, done individually or with groups. Some of the obvious benefits of this practice are cardiovascular exercise, stress reduction, and improved mood because of increased endorphins releasing dopamine, elevating the mood, and increasing the ability to focus and concentrate, something more difficult to attain our knees.
Several years ago, a close friend of mine who now serves as a pastor in one of the splinter groups in the Greater Church of God, confided to me that he spends most of his prayer time walking because he can concentrate better and feels closer to Almighty God in the outdoors. Personally, I have had some success with combining prayer with walking or prayer with meditating with walking, a practice which God has enabled me to practice Monday through Friday as I hike the boulders and canyons of the spacious Corriganville movie ranch, in the company of rabbits, squirrels, sagebrush, and Yucca plants-that is unless it is raining, or a movie company is leasing the grounds for filming, or I need to get a sermon under control such as all of last week.
Over the years, after coming into God’s church, I have sought scenic trails to get away from the frenetic pace of civilization, including the Silver Moccasin Trail in the Angeles National Forest, the trail around the lake in Tyler State Park, and back on the family farm in the woods along the Minnesota River Valley. These became my prayer closets when I had major decisions to make.
Some have expressed difficulty for finding something to say to God when they get on their knees, frustrated at using repetitious, rambling, and disjointed phrases. Many years ago, back on my late grandparents’ farm, I frequently observed my late Grandma Hansen pouring water down an old-fashioned hand water pump, restoring the flow of water. According to Pumphow.com “Priming the pump can be achieved by filling the pump chamber and perhaps even the suction pipe with water. This can be accomplished by pouring water through the exit spout of the hand pump while stroking the handle up and down. This will allow the water to fill in the chamber and suction pipe to remove any unwanted air.”
This pump-priming process has triggered a spiritual metaphor in the prayer-Bible study dialogue. In preparation for this message, I found a fascinating, well-researched document published by the believersportal.com, “List Of 650 Prayers In The Bible—Believers Portal” with the title “List of 650 Prayers in the Bible.” This exhaustive inventory of the Old and the New Testament provides a chronological list of all recorded prayers, identifying the chapters and verses, all the biblical personages making these prayers, and the number of words for each prayer, the reasons for each prayer, and how and if the prayers were answered. Not surprisingly, seventy-two out of the 650 occur in the Psalms, and 50 of the psalms were attributed to David. The editors of this document declare that the prayers of David that went unanswered will be answered in due time for David even prayed about future events.
If all of us are using the Millard Bennett 30-10 Power Formula introduced in part seven of this series, reading and speaking the Psalms and Proverbs every 30 days, we are already priming the pump in our prayer dialogue getting the feel and technique of superior prayers uttered by the physical great grandfather of Jesus Christ. With daily spaced repetition, we will soon be articulating our prayers more fluidly than we have in the past, at the very beginning of our calling. I prime my prayer pump regularly with the prayers of David, Moses, and Solomon in the Psalms and Jesus Christ’s High Priest’s prayer in John 17.
On Amazon, we can find hundreds and hundreds of prayer books, some including prayers of famous but non-biblical historical figures, some of which are quite inspirational while others are somewhat saccharine. One non-biblical source that I have incorporated in my daily prayer log is often referred to as The Serenity Prayer composed by Reinhold Neibuhr who lived between 1892-1971. While I do not claim by any means that it is on the same level as canonized scripture, I feel that God definitely inspired this prayer, which reads:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as a pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever and ever in the next. Amen.
To bring a capstone to this message, I would like to present you with a challenge to incorporate a brand-new prayer practice for some and a well-engrained habit for others—that is the practice of keeping a written or electronic prayer journal. Now having taught written composition for over 50 years, I am not under the illusion that I will achieve very many converts. Probably less than 1% of my former students along with 0% of my offspring have followed my request to either start or maintain one.
Back in the spring of 1986, Jack Bulharowski gave an insightful speech to the North Hollywood Graduate Club, explaining how he systematically put together a written log after each airplane flight, noting the things that went right and the things that went wrong, providing valuable accumulative inductive data which could possibly save his life on future flights. This insightful message, coupled with an inspiring article by Blair Lamb, titled “Why You Should Write Your Prayers” (accompanied by many personal excerpts) published in the December 4, 2014 blairblogs.com triggered a burning desire to experiment with my own daily electronic prayer log, beginning in the spring of 2018, right after Passover, assessing the roller coaster ups and downs of the sometimes exhilarating, sometimes grueling sanctification process, including how daily prayer petitions were answered or perhaps scuttled for a superior and wiser solution, more closely aligned to the will of God. I am on the sixth year of electronic prayer journal keeping, along with the already established habit of daily journal writing since the fall of 1971, 53 years ago.
Over the years I have learned that Dave Maas’ will and God’s will do not exactly match—those things I wanted with my whole Jeremiah 17:9 heart turned out to be horrible curses, and things I thought were horrendous curses turned out to be bountiful blessings. As with any experiment in prayer technique, one size does not fit all. We are all incredibly different siblings in the emergent God Family.
Dr. Eric Berg has presented several videos on the Internet, demonstrating his own keto-carnivore diet, warning his viewers that just because it works for Dr. Berg, it may not work for everybody. Similarly, what works for Dave Maas may not be suitable for everybody. But I am encouraging everyone to explore and use the most helpful prayer techniques possible, drawing us closer to our heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior as well as our betrothed bridegroom Jesus Christ, steering clear of the deadly siren pulls of the satanic Babylonic system.
I want to provide a set of reasons I have chosen the prayer journal as my principal way of communing with God Almighty and the many benefits which have accrued from this practice. In the article, “Writing Your Prayers Down: The Power of Pen, Paper, and Prayer,” a writer who refers to himself as Daniel the Prayer Warrior, identifies certain frustrations people have with spoken prayer only. For example, we may feel like talking to God can often seem like a one-sided conversation. We may find ourselves repeating the same prayers day in and day out without feeling we are really connected or connecting with Him.
Conversely, further in this article , the writer identifies distinct benefits from keeping a journal, including:
1. Studies have shown that keeping a journal can improve cognitive and emotional well-being, decrease stress, and lead to better communication with people around us.
2. Writing our prayers down can bring a sense of tangibility and clarity to our thoughts.
3. Writing down our prayers can help us organize our requests, reflecting on our relationship with our Creator.
4. When we write our prayers, putting our thoughts to paper, it forces us to slow down and really think about what we want to say.
5. Writing our prayers down allows us to express ourselves in a more deliberate and focused way, bringing a deeper level of meaning to our prayers.
6. Most importantly, writing our prayers creates a tangible record of our walk with God. In the words of Francis Bacon, “Reading makes a full man, conversation makes a ready man, and writing makes an exact man.”
The late Count Alfred Korzybski maintained that the one measurable ability that separates human beings with every other creature in nature is his ability to bind time, learning from our past mistakes and profiting from our past successes, passing these insights onto our offspring. Time binding has enabled me to converse on a daily basis with one of the wisest men on the earth as well as the man after God’s own heart.
In her article, “The Seven Benefits of Prayer,” Janet F. Salazar adds the following benefits, including:
1. We never lose our train of thought because the last item we have typed or written does not flit off into ether.
2. Writing our prayers slows us down enough so God can speak to us.
3. Writing helps us to turn our prayers into dialogues instead of monologues.
4. Writing down what God reveals to you either through an inspired thought or illuminating a scripture increases the depth of our prayers and our connection with our heavenly Father.
5. Writing our prayers down and God’s responses helps us to remember better, providing a record we can go back and refer to later. [In my electronic prayer journal, I color the urgent plaintive petitions in red, affirmative responses in green and purple for the Proverbs 16:9 adjustments.
6. Our prayer journal can become a source of encouragement when we are going through fiery trials, showing reminders where God bailed out us of major trials, helping us climb a mountain we thought we could never climb.
7. Writing a prayer journal because it keeps us permanently focused on our spiritual trek, will bring us better physical, emotional, and most importantly, spiritual health over time.
But most importantly, prayer journaling will enable us to approach God every day, developing a closer relationship with our heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:3) leading to exhilarating, abundant life in the God Family for eternity.
DFM/jjm/drm