“Teach us, Lord to pray”!
Boldness with the Father,
Access through the Son,
Unction in the Spirit,
Grant us, Three in One!
6.5.6.5.D
Preparatory Reading: Old Testament: Exodus 2; New Testament: Matthew 26; Psalm: 26
1 Timothy 2:8
8I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
We employ all our faculties to pray: physical, vocal, emotional, social, not just mental and spiritual. “When ye pray,” says the Master, “Say . . .” not “think.” Jeremiah declares, “Arise, cry out in the night, pour out thy heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward Him.” David says, “O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our maker” (Luke 11:2; Lam 2:19; Ps 95:6). But the body without the soul is a corpse, as much as the soul without the body is a ghost. Any rite offered without righteousness is empty and vain. “When ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, and make you clean . . .” (Isa 1:15).
So Paul outlines both physical posture and spiritual preparation—I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands. “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart” (Ps 24:3–4).
What have my hands touched? “Touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you” (2 Cor 6:17–18). What have my hands done? “These things doth the Lord hate . . . are abomination unto Him . . . hands that shed innocent blood” (Prov 6:17). What have my hands sought? “Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good” (Eph 4:29). What have my hands held? “He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes . . . he shall dwell on high . . . thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty” (Isa 33:15–16).
How terrible for God to find our prayers offensive because our lives are sinful: “So is this people, and so is this nation before Me, saith the Lord, and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean” (Hag 2:14). How terrible when our laws issue licenses for iniquity: “that they may do evil with both hands earnestly” (Mic 7:3; cf. Lam 1:17–18). How terrible when God will not listen to us, because we are not listening to Him: “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law, even his prayer shall be abomination” (Prov 28:9).
How often has the Father of lights, from whom comes every good and perfect gift, with whom is neither variableness nor shadow of turning, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, because of my stained hands, turned aside His eye and ear from my vain show of long prayers? Did I notice in all my much speaking? Did I care? Or have I like the Pharisee in the temple only really prayed with myself? (Jas. 1:17; Hab 1:13; Mark 12:40; Luke 18:11; Matt 6:1; Luke 18:11). Pray every where, lifting up holy hands!
27. Lord Jesus, teach me how to pray
1 Lord Jesus, teach me how to pray,
And to my prayer give heed—
I know not what to ask or say
In all my sin and need!
2 My High Priest, who for me didst die,
Hear from Thy throne of grace!
Put in my heart to lift my cry
And boldly seek Thy face!
3 By precious Blood my conscience free,
That I may walk in white,
And lift up holy hands to Thee,
Accepted in Thy sight!
4 Lift up mine eyes to Thee above
From whence my help must come:
Loved with an everlasting love,
Be Thou my Shield and Sun!
5 Open my lips and let my tongue
Shew forth Thy glorious praise!
Be my salvation, strength and song,
My light through all my days!
6 O God that answerest prayer, to Thee
All praise and thanks be given,
Thou ever-blessed Trinity
Ruling in earth and heaven!
C.M.
Preparatory Reading: Old Testament: Exodus 3; New Testament: Matthew 27; Psalm: 27
1 Timothy 2:8
8I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
Can an angry man pray? “Be ye angry, and sin not” Paul has told these very Ephesians among whom Timothy now labors (Eph 4:26). There are imprecations against God’s enemies that are true prayer—and yet hard to utter rightly (Ps 137; 139:21–24). But to vent our own spleen into the ears of the Almighty cannot be prayer; to use the same tongue to bless God and curse men ought not to be (Jas 3:8–12). If we are to be slow to speak, slow to wrath because man’s wrath works not God’s righteousness, how much more ought we hesitate to pray out of anger? (Jas. 1:17–20). “Be not rash with thy mouth to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few . . . fear thou God” (Eccl 5:2, 7).
To pray, we must be still and know that the Lord is God; we must keep silence before Him when the Lord is in His holy temple. Our motive must be right: pray . . . without wrath.
And the object must be right, too: pray . . . without doubting. When our Savior gave us His pattern for our prayers, He taught us to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first, before anything might be added to us: “Thy Name . . . Thy kingdom . . . Thy will” precedes and puts in perspective “our daily bread . . . our debts . . . our debtors . . . temptation . . . evil.” When we offer our supplications and intercessions “that the Father may be glorified in the Son;” when we can plead the “exceeding great and precious promises” our covenant God gives us for “all things pertaining to life and godliness” which are “yea and amen” in Jesus Christ; when our delight in the Lord governs the desires of our hearts; and when we may trust our dearest desires to His perfect wisdom and love with the words, “nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done”—why then, we surely may pray without doubting (Matt 6:9–13, 33; John 14:13–14; 2 Pet. 1:3–4; 2 Cor 1:19–20; Ps 37:4–5; Luke 22:42).
To believers who pray “after this manner” come the promises: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” “Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering” “Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment. And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and he in Him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.” “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him” (Mark 11:24; Jas.1:6–8; 1 John 3:22–24,5:14–15). “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath . . . trust also in Him.”
28. Faithful Savior Jesus, hear me!
1 Faithful Savior Jesus, hear me!
Thee I seek, poor and weak,
Naked, blind and needy:
Not my own, but Thine who bought me
Unto