by Dutch Sheets
A lack of endurance is one of the greatest causes of defeat, especially in prayer. We don't wait well. We're into microwaving; God, on the other hand, is usually into marinating. So I persisted for a year, and as I did my faith grew until I knew deep inside we were going to win. My motto had become Galatians 6:9: "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary."
My persistence was rewarded when, three days after that Wednesday in the hospital, Diane woke up with full restoration to her brain. News about the miracle spread to other nations. In fact, the nursing home where she had stayed received inquiries from Europe wanting to know about her incredible recovery.
Every hour and every tear I had invested became worth the wait when I saw Diane awake and heard her speak the words, "Praise the Lord."
What did I learn from that year-long endeavor? Much, plus a whole lot! And I'm still learning.
In "The Last Days Newsletter," Leonard Ravenhill tells about a group of tourists visiting a picturesque village who walked by an old man sitting beside a fence. In a rather patronizing way, one tourist asked, "Were any great men born in this village?" The old man replied, "Nope, only babies."'
I've learned that no one is born a prayer hero. They are shaped and refined on the practice field of life.
A Hollywood talent judge said of Fred Astaire, one of the top singers, dancers and actors of all time: "Can't act. Can't sing. Can dance a little."' I'm sure Satan has passed his judgment on me at times in my life: "Can't preach. Can't lead. Can pray a little." Thank God for His grace, patience and commitment to me. I've stumbled forward more than backward in life.
So Many Questions
From this and other prayer journeys-from failures as well as victories-from hundreds of hours of study, I've formed some thoughts to share with you. I believe they will answer many questions, such as:
• Is prayer really necessary? If so, why? Isn't God sovereign? Doesn't that mean He accomplishes what He wants, when He wants? If so, why pray?
• Is God's will for a Christian automatically guaranteed or is it linked to prayer and other factors?
• Why does it often take so long to get a prayer answered? Why is persistence required? Jacob wrestled with God. Is that what we are to do in prayer? I don't like the thought of wrestling with God, do you?
• What about prayer for the lost? How can I be more effective? I get a little frustrated trying to think of new ways to ask God to save people, don't you? I thought He wanted to save them. Then why do I feel as though I'm trying to talk Him into it? Is there a better way? Do I ask for their salvation again and again or simply petition Him once and then just thank Him in faith?
• What about spiritual warfare? If Satan is defeated and Christ has all authority, shouldn't we just forget about the devil? Does God bind the devil or do we?
• What exactly is intercessory prayer? And don't just tell me it's "standing in the gap." Enough religious quotes and spiritual jargon. I know the thought is taken from the Bible, but what does it mean?
• What about protection? Is everything that happens to me or my family simply allowed by God? Or is there something I need to do to procure our safety?
• How do we "bear one another's burdens" (Gal. 6:2)?
• Is there a right time for answers to prayer or does the timing depend on me?
Are you getting tired of all these questions? I know I am-so I'll stop. You may even be tired of asking yourself some of them. I know I was. Many people stopped asking them long ago, and probably stopped praying, too.
Please don't do that!
Keep asking! I've discovered that the right answer begins with the right question. I've also discovered that God is not offended by a sincere question. He won't satisfy the skeptic and He is not pleased with unbelief, but He loves an honest seeker. Those who lack and ask for wisdom He does not rebuke (see Jas. 1:5). He is a good Dad. Will you pray this prayer with me?
Father, we need more understanding-not more knowledge. We have so much of it now that we are becoming confused. Yes, and even cynical at times because our knowledge has not always worked. In fact, Father, our Bibles often seem to contradict our experiences. We need some answers. We need a marriage of theology and experience.
We've been encouraged by the stories of othergreat prayer warriors the prayingHydes, the David Brainerds, the Andrew Murrays and the apostle Pauls. But frankly, Lord, it gets a bit frustrating when our prayers don't seem to work. And intimidating as well because we don't know if we will ever be able to pray two to three hours a day, as these great intercessors did. We need more than inspiration now. We need answers.
So, as Your disciples did, Lord, we say, "Teach us to pray." We know it often requires hard work, but can't it also be fun? We know there will be failures, but how about a few more successes? We know "we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7), but couldn't we see a few more victories? . . . Souls saved? . . . Healings?
We are tired of cloaking our ignorance in robes of blind obedience and calling it spirituality. We are tired of religious exercises that make us feel better for a while but bear little lasting fruit. We are tired of a form ofgodliness without the power.
Help us, please. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
C H A P T E R T w o
THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER
Because I Said So!
"Because I said so!"
Don't you just hate it when that's the reason given for doing something? Not only is it frustrating, but it's also a motivation killer. It's one thing when the question "Why?" stems from a rebellionrooted resistance, but when one sincerely doesn't understand why, this answer can be a real bummer. I remember having my knuckles rapped with a ruler for asking the simple question, "Why?"
Whack! "Because I said so! Now be quiet and do it."
I still wish I could rap that teacher's knuckles with a yardstick and not tell her why! (Don't worry, we'll deal with forgiveness and inner healing another time.)
None of us wants to do something just because someone else said so. Oh, I know God requires things of us at times without the full knowledge of why, but they are usually occasional obedience and trust issues-not the way He expects us to live life on a regular basis. We are not programmed robots who never ask why. He does not require an ostrich mentality of us: head in the sand, blind to the truth, the issues, the facts.
I Wonder Why
God has given us a Bible full of answers to the whys of life. The one I'm interested in is: Why pray? I'm not speaking of why in the sense of needing this or that. Obviously we ask because we want or need something. I'm speaking of why in the context of God's sovereignty.
Do my prayers really matter all that much? Isn't God going to do what He wants anyway? Most people, even if only subconsciously, believe just that. The proof is in their prayer life, or lack thereof.
Can my prayers actually change things? Does God need me to pray or does He just want me to pray? Some would argue an omnipotent God doesn't "need" anything, including our prayers.
Can God's will on Earth be frustrated or not accomplished if I don't pray? Many would brand me a heretic for even raising the question.
But these and other questions deserve answers. I've discovered that understanding the why of doing something can be a great motivating force. The opposite is also true.
As a kid I wondered why the sign said "No diving" in the shallow end of the pool. Then one day I hit my head on the bottom. I don't do that anymore.
I used to wonder why I shouldn't touch the pretty red glow on the stove. I found out.
I wondered why a fellow in front of me in the woods said, "Duck."
I thought, I don't want to duck. I don't have to duck. Then the branch whopped me upside the head. Now I duck.
I Need to Know
Someone said, "To err is human, to repeat it is stupid." I'm sure I've even qualified for that once or twice, but not with these three because now I know why! However, we're not talking about bumps, burn
s and bruises here; we're talking about eternal destinies. We're talking about homes, marriages, the welfare of peo ple we love, revival in our cities-the list continues.
When God says, "Pray," I want to know it will matter. I'm not into religious exercises and my time is valuable-so is yours. Was S. D. Gordon right or wrong when he said, "You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.... Prayer is striking the winning blow ... service is gathering up the results"?'
If God is going to do something regardless of whether or not we pray, then He doesn't need us to ask and we don't need another waste of time. If it's all que sera, sera, then let's take a siesta and let it all just happen.
If, on the other hand, John Wesley was correct when he said, "God does nothing on the earth save in answer to believing prayer," I'll lose a little sleep for that. I'll change my lifestyle for that. I'll turn the TV off, and even miss a meal or two.
• I need to know if that cyst on my wife's ovary dissolved because I prayed.
• I need to know if I was spared in the earthquake because someone prayed.
• I need to know if Diane came out of her coma with a restored brain because we prayed.
• I need to know if my prayers can make a difference between heaven and hell for someone.
Is Prayer Really Necessary?
The real question is: Does a sovereign, all-powerful God need our involvement or not? Is prayer really necessary? If so, why? I believe it is necessary. Our prayers can bring revival. They can bring healing. We can change a nation. Strongholds can come down when and because we pray. I agree with E. M. Bounds when he said:
God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.... The prayers of God's saints are the capital stock of heaven by which God carries on His great work upon earth. God conditions the very life and prosperity of His cause on prayer.2
I couldn't agree more-and want to share with you why I believe this is so. If you concur with me, you'll pray more. You will most likely pray with greater faith, too.
God's Original Plan
The answer to why prayer is necessary lies in God's original plan when He created Adam.
I used to think Adam had to be pretty awesome. I now know he was, as my kids would say, "way awesome." (For those who don't have teenagers or young kids, "way" means "very" or "totally.")
The name Adam means "man; human being."3 In other words, God made man and called him "Man." He made a human and called him "Human." He made an adam and named him "Adam." In fact, oftentimes when the Bible uses the term "man" the actual Hebrew word is adam, spelled just like our English word. I share this simply to say that Adam represents all of us. What God intended for Adam, He intended for the entire human race.
What was God's intention? Initially, He gave Adam and Eve and their descendants dominion over the entire earth and all creation as we see in Genesis 1:26-28:
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
We see this also in Psalm 8:3-8:
When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him? Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God, and dost crown him with glory and majesty! Thou dost make him to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
Adam, God's Re-Presenter on Earth
The Hebrew word mashal, translated "rule" in verse 6 of this passage, indicates that Adam (and eventually his descendants) was God's manager here, God's steward or governor. Adam was God's mediator, go-between or representative.
Psalm 115:16 also confirms this: "The heaven ... the Eternal holds himself, the earth He has assigned to men" (Moffatt Translation, emphasis added). This translation communicates with greater accuracy the meaning of the Hebrew word nathan, otherwise frequently translated "given." God didn't give away ownership of the earth, but He did assign the responsibility of governing it to humanity.
Genesis 2:15 says, "Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it." The word "keep" is a translation of the Hebrew word shamar, which means "to guard or protect."4 It is the primary word used for a watchman in the Scriptures. Adam literally was God's watchman or guardian on the earth.
No serious student of the Bible would argue that Adam was God's representative here. But what does it actually mean to represent someone? The dictionary defines "representation" as "to present again."5 Another way to say it might be to "re-present" someone. A representative is one who re-presents the will of another. I, for example, am honored to represent Christ often throughout the world. I hope I present Him again as I speak in His name.
The dictionary also provided these meanings: "to exhibit the image and counterpart of, to speak and act with authority on the part of, to be a substitute or agent for."6 Sounds very similar to what God told Adam, doesn't it?
Now, it's no small task to re-present God. Therefore to help us humans more adequately carry out this assignment, God made us so much the same as Himself that it was illusionary. "And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Gen. 1:27). The Hebrew word for "image" is tselem, which involves the concept of a shadow, a phantom or an illusion!
An illusion is something you think you see, but on closer observation you discover that your eyes have tricked you. When the rest of creation saw Adam, they must have done a double take, probably thinking something along these lines: For a moment I thought it was God, but it s only Adam. How's that for re-presentation? It's pretty heavy theology, too!
We are also told that Adam was similar to or comparable to God. The Hebrew word demuwth, translated "likeness" in Genesis 1:26, comes from the root word damah meaning "to compare."' Adam was very much like God!
Psalm 8:5 actually says human beings were made just "a little lower than God." God even gave us the ability to create eternal spirits, something He had entrusted to no other creature! Later, the same verse says humanity was crowned with God's very own glory.
Speaking of heavy theology, the definition of the Hebrew word kabowd, which is translated "glory," literally means "heavy or weighty"!9 This, of course, is linked to the concept of authority. We still use the picture today when we refer to one who "carries a lot of weight." Adam carried the weight on the earth. I don't know what he weighed but he was heavy. He represented God with full authority! He was in charge!
The Greek word for "glory," doxa, is just as revelatory. It involves the concept of recognition. More precisely, it is that which causes something or someone to be recognized for what it really is.10 When we read in Scripture that humankind is the glory of God (see 1 Cor. 11:7), it is telling us God was recognized in humans. Why? So that humans could accurately represent Him. When creation looked at Adam, they were supposed to see God. And they did! That is, until Adam sinned and fell short of the glory of God. God is no longer recognized in fallen humankind. We must be changed back into God's image "from glory to glory" (2 Cor. 3:18) for this recognition to be realized again.
My purpose is not to overwhelm or impress you with a lot of definitions, but rather to broaden your understanding of God's plan for humankind at the Creation. Therefore, let's summarize what
we've said using a compilation of the preceding verses and definitions:
Adam was comparable to or similar to God-so much like God that it was illusionary. God was recognized in Adam, which meant that Adam "carried the weight" here on Earth. Adam represented God, presenting again His will on the earth. Adam was God's governor or manager here. The earth was Adam's assignment-it was under Adam's charge or care. Adam was the watchman or guardian. How things went on planet Earth, for better or worse, depended on Adam and his offspring.
Please think about that. If the earth remained a paradise, it would be because of humankind. If things became messed up, it would be because of humankind. If the serpent ever gained control, it would be because of humankind. Humanity really was in charge!
Why would God do it this way? Why would He take such a risk? From what I know about God in the Scriptures and from my personal walk with Him, I find only one conclusion: God wanted a family-sons and daughters who could personally relate to Him, and vice versa. So He made our original parents similar to Himself. He put His very life and Spirit into them, gave them a beautiful home with lots of pets, sat down and said, "This is good." Daily He communed with them, walked with them, taught them about Himself and their home. He said, "Give me some grandsons and granddaughters." God was now a dad, and He was thrilled!
Granted, this is the Sheets's paraphrase, but it doesn't really change the Scriptures-it is leading us to a conclusion about the necessity of prayer.
God Works Through the Prayers of His People
Let's move on to this conclusion. Because we are talking about "weighty" stuff, such as glory crowns, illusions and people cre ating eternal things, how is this for heavy? So complete and final was Adam's authority over the earth that he, not just God, had the ability to give it away to another! Listen to the words of Satan in Luke 4:6-7 as he tempted Jesus: "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours" (emphasis added).
