PENTECOST • 21

How should we pray?

SONGS FOR PRAYER

SET PRAYER

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.

reading for: Tuesday Night, 18 October

Luke 18:9-14

Pray with Humility

  • READ

    The reading for today follows after last week's gospel reading in which the parable of the persistent widow was told. The critical point that was made in that previous parable was that we had to stand firm and persist in prayer. They were not to lose heart and to persist in prayer.

    The parable for today continues after that with another parable of Jesus.

    Luke 18:9

    “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt”

    This parable was told to some who were self-righteous and those who had contempt for others. Basically, they were the religious people who saw themselves as perfect. They looked down on others, especially those like the tax collectors in whom they saw themselves as sinners. Pride is the chief sin of the religious person, because it is fundamentally idolatrous: it confuses Creator and creation, Giver and gift.

    Luke 18:10-14

    "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

    In this parable, two men go to the temple to pray, one pharisee and one tax collector. They are both Jews (they go to the temple). They are both pious (they go to pray). The one, however, is a Pharisee, someone noted for extraordinary piety. It is curious that he goes to the temple at all, since the Pharisees are the first to promote “the priesthood of all believers” and teach that the centre of religious life is at home rather than at the temple. The other is a tax collector. He cannot be a Pharisee, since the Pharisees are particularly contemptuous of tax collectors, who consort with Romans, handle their money, and extort from the people.

    The Pharisee stands by himself and prays. In his prayer, it is entirely self-righteous because he compares himself to other men and boasts that he is not like them. Unlike them, he is holy and righteous. He boasts in what he has done for the Lord. By contrast, the tax collector would not even lift his eyes and asks God for mercy as he recognises himself to be a sinner. He has a posture of humility and recognises that he is a deeply flawed human.

    We might expect that God would honour the pharisee. After all, the pharisee has fasted twice a week and pays his tithes. Surely, God would run far away from the tax collector who is impure. However, this is not the God that we serve. Jesus declares that the tax collector is the one that who goes down to his house justified rather than the tax collector. Jesus, who shows us what God is like, declares that it is not the self-righteous that will be exalted, but it is the humble who will be exalted. In prayer, we need to recognise that we are flawed humans and that we are where we are by the grace of God.

  • REFLECT

    How do we pray? Do we boast of our accomplishments and what we have done before the Lord? The pharisee in this parable did that and did not go away righteous. Maybe, we should learn instead to pray like the tax collector, praying the words "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'." Reflect and pray to the Lord and ask him to help you be humble before him.

reading for: Wednesday Night, 19 October

Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22

Pray Continually in the Midst of Suffering

  • READ

Jeremiah 14:7-9 contains a cry of Jeremiah to the Lord for his mercy. God's people in Judah were not in a good place, and the preceding verses (V1-6) speak of the drought on the land. The people of Judah had not obeyed the Lord and lived in disobedience to the Lord, this led to the destruction and drought that Jeremiah 14 speaks about.

Jeremiah 14:7-10

"Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O Lord, for your name's sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you. O you hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why should you be like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night? Why should you be like a man confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot save? Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not leave us." Thus says the Lord concerning this people: "They have loved to wander thus; they have not restrained their feet; therefore the Lord does not accept them; now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins."

In his prayer and cry to the Lord, Jeremiah recognises the sin of his people and how they have sinned against the Lord. Nevertheless, he calls on the Lord to act for his name's sake. He entreats the Lord not to leave them.

How does the Lord answer the cry of Jeremiah? The Lord answers by saying that the Lord does not accept his people, he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. This must have been a harsh word for Jeremiah to hear. The Lord was not answering Jeremiah's prayer at that time.

Jeremiah 14:19-22 similarly contains another cry of Jeremiah to the Lord for mercy. It acknowledges the wickedness of the people. He asks the Lord not to spurn them, to remember and not break the covenant that the Lord established with them.

Jeremiah 14:19-22

“Have you utterly rejected Judah? Does your soul loathe Zion? Why have you struck us down so that there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror. We acknowledge our wickedness, O Lord, and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against you. Do not spurn us, for your name's sake; do not dishonor your glorious throne; remember and do not break your covenant with us. Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O Lord our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.”

The Lord again answers with rejection. He will not relent in the judgment on his people at this time. (Jeremiah 15)

How do we make sense of this passage? We have seen how Jeremiah entreats the Lord twice, yet the Lord does not relent. Jeremiah does not give up crying for his people and continues to cry out, he asks for the Lord to have mercy and deliver his people. Eventually, we know that the Lord did rescue his people in his timing. We can say thus that God answered Jeremiah's prayers showing mercy to his people, but it was done at the right time.

  • REFLECT

    Let us learn from Jeremiah, who continually cried out to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord for his people and would not take rejection as an excuse to stop crying out to the Lord. He persisted and continually cried out to the Lord for the welfare of his people.

    Will we cry out to the Lord when we are suffering or seeing others suffer? Will we stand with each other in prayer? Will we persist in prayer? Reflect and pray to the Lord.

reading for: Thursday Night, 20 October

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Pray with Unwavering Faith in the Lord

  • READ

    When Paul wrote 2 Timothy, he was likely in the final moments of his life. By this time he was already an imprisoned apostle who has been abandoned by friends and co-workers and he was facing an imminent death - he was about to be martyred for his faith. His steadfastness in the face of suffering and desertion qualified him to exhort and encourage Timothy, a cherished co-worker, to emulate his example of faithful endurance (3:10-11).

    2 Timothy 4:6-8

    “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

    Paul declares that he has fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. Paul has stood firm and strong in the Lord. Since his conversion, he has not let go of his faith. Even though he faced suffering and desertion, he trusted in the Lord. He knew that the time for his departure has come. He knows that he will receive the crown of righteousness which the Lord will award to him on that day.

    2 Timothy 4:16-18

    “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

    Paul had faced tremendous suffering in his life, but he recognised that the Lord was the one that stood by him and strengthened him so that the Gospel might be preached to the Gentiles. Paul is confident that as the Lord has rescued him, the Lord will rescue him from every evil deed and bring him into the heavenly kingdom. Glory to the Lord!

    Timothy, on the other hand, was a third-generation Christian who stood in the Christian heritage of both his grandmother and his mother (1:5). Since his childhood, Timothy has been the recipient of established Christian teachings and practices (3:14–15); this is why Paul could speak of “the faith” as a long tradition of beliefs and practices transmitted from generation to generation, rather than as merely an individual belief in Jesus. “The faith” represents a singular communal and intergenerational commitment to Christ—and this is what Timothy is exhorted to remain committed.

  • REFLECT

    Paul is one of our greatest heroes of the faith. Paul faced numerous sufferings in his life, in which he faced the temptation to leave the faith. Yet, Paul did not let go of the Lord and his faith and persisted in his faith to the end.

    Do we want to be like Paul, standing firm and continually trusting in the Lord? What are some obstacles or fears that we have that prevent us from standing firm in the Lord? Pray and ask the Lord for the strength to obey him and to run the race that he has set out for you.

reading for: Friday Night, 21 October

Psalm 84:1-7

Pray with Longing for the presence of the Lord

  • READ

    Psalm 84 is a psalm by the sons of Korah in which they longed for the presence of the Lord.

    Psalm 84:1-7

    1How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!

    2My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

    3Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

    4Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah

    5Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

    6As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.

    7They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.

    The sons of Korah saw the dwelling place of the Lord as lovely and longed for the presence of the Lord. This is what they wanted above all things. Those who dwell in the house of the Lord are blessed and will continually sing the praise of the Lord. Those who put their strength in the Lord are blessed because they will prosper and go from strength to strength.

  • REFLECT

    Pray the words of this psalm to the Lord. May the Lord help us to mean the words we say to him and truly see his dwelling place as lovely.

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