by Tim Cameron | Aug 11, 2015 | prayer
Part 1
“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ (Luke 3:21-22, NIV).
Luke gives us a rare insight into the beginnings of Christ’s ministry. All four of the Gospel writers chronicle the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus at His baptism by John. And, they tell us about the great mystery of this voice coming from heaven identifying Jesus as “My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” But, only Luke chronicles that Jesus was praying as heaven opened up. Why is it that Luke was the only one of the four Gospel writers to record that Jesus was praying? Luke didn’t even know Jesus personally.
Luke gathered the material to write his gospel from eyewitness accounts and his own personal research. We know now that Luke’s accuracy as a historian has been widely documented. In the books of Luke and Acts he refers to rulers and historical events that have since been confirmed as accurate. As Luke said, “With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,” (Luke 1:3, NIV). Luke ranks, in his own right, with the finest historians of the day.
Having Eyes to See
Do you ever just miss the obvious? I mean, miss seeing something spiritual that is right before your face? It has something to do with having “eyes to see and ears to hear.” If we are going to discern the spirit, then we must be “in the spirit.” We must be spiritual people. We must walk after the spirit, not the flesh, and have our minds set on the spirit. “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” (Rom. 8:5, NIV). We know there are two dimensions, the physical and the spiritual. But, the physical world superimposes its system upon us. It is pervasive and insidious. We must battle with all that is in us to set our mind on the spirit.
I walked into a Christian school to take a tour and interview with the current headmaster to discuss the possibility of applying for the job of headmaster (the private school counterpart to a public school superintendent.) As I walked in the main entry to the school I had one of those “ah ha” spiritual moments when you perceive something in the spirit. Covering the wall of both sides of the foyer entry were dozens and dozens of athletic plaques recognizing the school’s athletic achievements. I looked for any similar awards for academics, fine arts, or anything to identify this was a Christian school. There was nothing to be found. I heard the whisper of the spirit in my ears, “Open your eyes and see what is really important to this school.” Later I discovered that the school had gained almost immediate entry into the state association where all public schools competed in activities and that the school had instantaneous success in the premier sport for the state, football. Oh, and in one of the school’s first years of football it had to forfeit victories for not following the rules of the activity association, victories that would have put them in the state playoffs. After accepting the job as headmaster, it took me three years to subtly move, little by little, the athletic plaques to the athletic wing of the building. I replaced the athletic plaques with items that highlighted academic achievements, the arts, athletics, and more importantly, items that let everyone know who entered the building that this was a Christian school.
Luke was a close companion of Paul and traveled with him on his missionary journeys. He was the only one who stayed with Paul to the end of his life and in his imprisonment. “Only Luke is with me.” (2 Tim. 4:11). Paul identifies Luke as the “beloved physician” in Colossians 4:14. Luke paid attention to details. He saw what others did not see, heard what others did not hear.
My daughter and son-in-law are physicians. I can personally attest to my daughter’s fastidious attention to detail as a young girl. And I am sure her husband was the same way growing up. One time her advisor in college told me that they did an experiment in the lab where they had to count 2,000 fruit flies. Rachael counted 4,000. Physicians pay attention to detail. Maybe that’s one reason so many physicians turn out to be successful writers, from Copernicus and his On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres, John Keats the famous poet, Conan Doyle with his Sherlock Holmes, to Alexander McCall Smith and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. In their journey to become physicians today, doctors are trained for four years in college, four years in medical school, and three to five more years in residency. They are trained to learn how to pay attention to details.
But there is something more working here with Luke.
It is quizzical and compelling that on other instances Luke is the only Gospel writer to draw attention to Jesus’s prayers at dramatic events.
In the cleansing and healing of the leper, Matthew, Mark, and Luke chronicle the event. But only Luke inserts in Luke 5:16 that that Jesus withdraws to pray as the great multitudes followed Jesus and came to Him from every direction.
Only Luke recounts the dramatic all night prayer in which Jesus prayed to God before calling the disciples to Himself and choosing the twelve. (Luke 6:12)
As Peter professes the revelation given to him by the Father in heaven that Jesus is the Son of the living God, only Luke pens that the event happened as the disciples joined Jesus while He was alone praying. (Luke 9:18)
Jesus took Peter, John, and James to the top of a mountain where these three saw Moses and Elijah speak to Jesus. In Luke 9:28 only Luke mentions that Jesus took the three up to the mountain to pray.
As Jesus taught the disciples how to pray in the model prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, only Luke takes note of what preceded the event. It came about as Jesus was praying in a certain place when He ceased, one of His disciples said, “Lord teach us to pray.” (Luke 11: 1-4)
All four of the writers chronicle Satan tempting Peter, but only Luke, in 22:31, pointedly writes that Satan had asked permission to sift Peter, but Jesus prayed for him that his faith would not fail.
In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus went off to pray and only Luke writes, in 22:41, in his Gospel that Jesus instructs the disciples to pray that they would not enter into temptation.
As Jesus is being crucified between the two criminals He speaks to the Father. In Luke 23:34, only Luke reports that Jesus asks the Father to forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.
At the very instance of Jesus breathing His last breath He commits His spirit into the Father’s hands. All of the Gospel writers include the crucifixion in their discourse, but only Luke records Jesus’s final words of prayer, “Father into Your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46, NIV)
Also, Luke is the only Gospel writer to chronicle two of the most pointed parables that Jesus told to instruct us on prayer. In Luke 11:5-13 he retells the story that Jesus told of the friend who comes at midnight. In this parable Jesus instructs us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking. You will receive, find, and the door will be opened. Then in Luke 18:1-7 Luke narrates the great parable of the persistent widow that Jesus used to teach us that God listens to the prayers of the faithful.
Luke chronicles all these events of Jesus praying and teaching on prayer. The Holy Spirit used Luke’s training as a physician and his natural propensity for details to teach us what the Lord wants us to understand about prayer, pray always. In God’s economy Luke’s gifting and training are not coincidences or happenstances. For the Lord has truly made all things for His ends. “For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:36, NIV).
Luke tells us that while Jesus was praying at His baptism the Father spoke in a voice from heaven that was heard by all. Can you see the scene now– John the Baptist baptizing Christ and an audible voice is heard from heaven. What must those gathered around thought? God declared to the world in front of all the many people that Jesus is the Son of God in whom he is well pleased. The word must have spread like wildfire.
by Tim Cameron | Aug 6, 2015 | prayer
Where do you pray?
Is it really that important where I pray? Evidentially it is; Jesus specifically mentioned where we should and shouldn’t pray.
Where not to pray: Standing in the church and on street corner. “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full (Matt. 6:5, NIV).
Where to pray: In private in your room. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matt. 6:6, NIV).
In this instance in Mark, “Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed, ‘Everyone is looking for You’” (Mark 1:36,NIV). Mark paints the picture that Jesus went away in seclusion to pray and that everyone was trying to find Him. Obviously, He didn’t stay close and He wasn’t easy to find.
Here is a pattern that begins to develop and that Jesus will teach the disciples: where should you pray, when you should pray, and who should hear you when you pray. Jesus answers these questions pointedly with the disciples. For now, he lets His example teach. I wonder if they perceived it? Pray early. Pray in secret. Pray to your Father in heaven. Pray not to be heard by man, but by your Father, who is in secret.
The secret to prayer is to pray in secret
This is the great secret to prayer: pray in secret. Prayer is meant for the Father; we don’t pray to be heard by men.
Most Christians have heard the term their entire Christian life, quiet time. It goes by many names in various denominations and movements: daily devotional, 7-minute quiet time, the morning watch, and on. All of these stand for the same precept, coming to the Lord in the early morning, seeking Him, and committing in prayer our day to Him. It is the spiritual discipline of communing with our Lord. The names of the daily devotionals that are meant to encourage us in this communion are so familiar to us. Just hearing their titles conjures up memories of seeking and finding the Lord in the early morning hours: My Utmost for His Highest, Jesus Calling, Streams in the Desert, The Book of Common Prayer, and so many more.
We see this pattern of early morning prayer with our Lord beginning at the start of His ministry. He repeatedly departed to a solitary place, either in the hills, out of town, or some remote garden. There He found a place where there were no distractions. There he shows us, secret prayer must be made secretly.
The Word of God and history of the church give us clear evidence that men and women who want to be used of God must know what it is to encounter the Lord and be in His presence.
Abraham: “Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD” (Gen. 19:27, NIV).
Moses: “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend” (Ex. 33:11a, NIV).
Isaiah: “My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you” (Is. 26:9a, NIV).
Solomon: “I love those who love me; and those who seek me early shall find me” (Prov. 8:17, KJV).
David: “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Ps. 5:3, NIV).
“A desire for God which cannot break the chains of sleep is a weak thing and will do but little good for God after it has indulged itself fully. The desire for God that keeps so far behind the devil and the world at the beginning of the day will never catch up.” ~ E. M. Bounds
Symmetry
The great contrast here in Mark is Christ’s public and private life. His public life was one filled with great crowds, the power of the spirit in operation, and teaching with authority. His private life was one of solitude, prayer and listening to the Father. How does your private life match up to your public life? Is there symmetry between the two?
My pastor is a man full of the grace and mercy of the Lord. He is known for being gracious in his dealings with others. He is not perfect; he makes mistakes like any of us. We had been working on a project conjunctively and he missed a point of information and made an incorrect decision. I really felt like he needed to know what he had missed and it was important, but who wants to correct your pastor? After much prayer, I decided to make him aware of his misstep. His reaction? Totally predictable. His immediate response was, “What do we need to do to correct my mistake?” How can we make sure this doesn’t happen again?” It wasn’t a few weeks later that I listened as my pastor revealed for fifteen years he has been fasting and praying every Monday. This one statement told me a great deal about my pastor’s private life; I have seen his public life. Believe me, they are in symmetry. And, as I always say, “You tell everything about where a person stands spiritually by how they receive instruction or correction.”
He prayed to His Father—we know that. He prayed for His disciples. Because He was a man, He likely prayed for Himself as man, that He might be strengthened for service. The lesson Jesus teaches us is so clear. Prayer was His daily priority. He understood the need for time in the secret place to hear from the Father to start the day.
His life and the word teach us about prayer. The teaching is so simple and clear it is outrageous.
Mark 1:35: “Rising a great while before day—So He labored for us, both day and night.” And He is still laboring for us.
The question of the hour is, “Do you pray?” I don’t mean a quick blessing at the dinner table, a traditional good night prayer with your spouse or a child, a rote prayer at church as the pastor leads the congregation, or so many other “quick fixes.” No, I mean do you have a consistent place you go almost daily, where you wait on the Lord? A place where you speak to Him and He speaks to you? A place where you are still and look deeply into the Lord as He looks into you? Are you intimate with the Lord in prayer daily?
by Tim Cameron | Jul 30, 2015 | prayer
“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.” (Luke 11: 1-4, NIV)
The master teacher
The disciples listened as Jesus captivated thousands with the authority of His teaching. They witnessed Him heal the sick. They watched stunned as He raised the dead. In awe they gasped as He cast out demons. He saved them by commanding the weather at His bidding. They partook as he multiplied bread and fish and fed thousands. They observed miracles that defied comprehension. Of all the things Jesus could have taught them, He taught them to pray. And the Lord granted them their request: “Lord, teach us to pray.”
There is no teacher like Jesus when it comes to prayer. Almost any pupil in school wants the best teacher. Don’t think for a minute that students don’t know who the best teacher is in a particular school or university. They all know; kids, students, and parents talk. They know the teacher who is tough and demanding, but fair. They know the teacher who will “press them to the mat”, stretch them for all they are worth, and yet make them relish every moment of it. The very best teachers have a unique manner of communicating their knowledge that motivates students and makes the information easy to grasp.
He commanded a band of over 300 plus students every morning at 6:30 a.m. and had the largest marching band in the state. They met on a sprawling blacktop. The weather made no difference to him, hot or cold, rain or shine, you showed up, and on time. Pom girls showed up with their hair in rollers and boys with their “bed-hair”. One morning I overheard one of the boys talking to his buddy as he looked at the line of pom girls with no makeup and hair in curlers, he said, “Scary isn’t it.” Can you image someone getting high school girls to come out at 6:30 a.m. without makeup and their hair in rollers? Now that is authority in action.
I regularly went out in the early morning to watch the master at work. He took underperforming students– any student could be part of the band–and turned them in to outstanding musicians. It was a large high school that was in a blue-collar community with a high percentage of students living in poverty. The band won numerous awards and became the symbol of success and pride for the city. They were chosen to perform before a national championship collegiate football game. As administrators, we often joked that we had to have football so the band could perform. He drew talents out of kids they didn’t know they had. Dean was a master teacher.
As a lifelong educator, I’ve recognized that the teacher is the greatest influence in the learning process. Research study after study shows the single most important factor defining the quality of the education any student receives is the quality of the teacher. Some of the marks of a great teacher are that they don’t give up easily on students, they give students opportunity to practice new skills, they develop quality relationships with students while they authentically care for them, and they are “jedi-masters” in their subject. Sound familiar to Jesus’ relationship with the disciples?
Jesus saw his disciples fail on several occasions, such as the time in Luke 9:37-56 when they couldn’t cast the demon out of the young man. Jesus even went as far to correct or rebuke them for their failure in this instance. And on some occasions they were simply “clueless” and didn’t easily or quickly grasp what He was trying to teach them. Shortly after Jesus fed thousands of people he warned the disciples to, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” (Mark 8:14, NIV) The disciples wrongly thought that Jesus was telling them that because they didn’t have any bread they shouldn’t consider buying any from Pharisee because something was wrong with the yeast they used. But, as slow of learning and mistake prone as the disciples were, Jesus was patient and didn’t give up on them.
Jesus knew that if the disciples were to fully comprehend His teachings, they must be challenged to put them into practice. The disciples would need opportunities to pray for the sick, cast out demons, and teach others what it meant to have their sins forgiven and follow Jesus. So, what did he do? He sent them out two by two and gave them instructions. And later they returned to “debrief”, reporting to Him all they had done and taught. It’s called “authentic learning”, a student takes what he is taught and applies it to real life situations. Though the disciples didn’t realize it yet, Jesus was depending on them to take His message to the ends of the earth. The disciples needed to experience the newness of life Jesus offered them, understand it thoroughly, and be able to teach it others. Just as Jesus instructed them before He ascended to heaven He gave them the charge: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20, NIV)
These classic books that address Jesus’ training of the disciples–Robert E. Coleman’s The Master Plan of Evangelism to A. B. Bruce, The Training of the Twelve– highlight the amount of time that Jesus spent with the disciples. Time is always the key in any relationship. Time expresses the importance and depth of care given to develop a relationship. Jesus was with them. In discipleship it is called the “with them” principle. He established it.
Jesus knows the mind of the Father like none other. He and the Father are one in thought and action. As a man, Jesus purposed not to speak on His own, but only as the Father purposed. “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.” (John 12:49, NIV) In every action Jesus did only as the Father directed. “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself, he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19, NIV) Jesus is the master teacher. No one has His knowledge, wisdom, or understanding of the Father. Only Jesus knows what is in the heart of man.
The master teacher on prayer
On earth Jesus’ life was surrounded and immersed in prayer and the word. As a young boy He grew up in an atmosphere that was filled with the teachings of the Old Testament. More than likely He attended a Jewish school by an early age. Jesus’ study of the scriptures is evidenced as He quoted or referenced Old Testament scriptures forty-one times in the gospels.
We cannot fully understand the mastery of prayer that permeated Jesus’ life. It is part of the great mystery of the Trinity. In the endless eons of time before the creation of the world, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were one, as they are now. The mind of God was the mind of Christ. However, when God became man in Christ, in bodily form, Christ’s mode of communicating with the Father changed. He prayed now. Prayer was for Him as it is for us, the intentional dialogue with our God. His day began in prayer; His day ended in prayer. He prayed about all things. Jesus is the master teacher when it comes to prayer.
The teacher who has mastered their subject is almost always one who has authentic experience in that discipline in a very thorough and practical manner. Such as: an English teacher who wrote for a magazine, a French teacher who had been employed as a translator, a Chemistry teacher who worked in a lab, or basketball coach who played in college. Someone who has experienced the intricacies of the particular discipline best teaches a subject. Can you imagine an art teacher who did draw or paint or a music teacher who couldn’t play any instrument?
When it comes to the subject of prayer, there is no one more experienced, better equipped, or with an altogether thorough understanding than Jesus.
Prayer is what we need to be taught. It is on prayer that the promises of God are waiting to be fulfilled in our lives. True prayer will grab hold of the might of God; it will cause the gates of heaven to open wide. The promises of God are for us through prayer. So, let us enroll in this course of study—the Divine art of prayer and intercession. It is the highest and most holy work to which a child of God may aspire. There is nothing you can do that will benefit you more than prayer. And we have the master teacher waiting on us every day in the secret place.
He teaches us
Our Father: It really is about community, the body of Christ, and the church. The first thing to understand about the gospel and about what He teaches us in prayer is that we are brought into a community of believers. Christ has set before us a vision; however, we need spiritual eyes to see it, the vision of a renewed community and a people in unity.
“Our” is a first-person plural pronoun. This prayer, The Lord’s Prayer, is given by Jesus for the disciples (plural) to pray. One of His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray; that disciple didn’t say, “Teach me to pray.” Throughout Matthew’s account of the model prayer, three plural pronouns are used: our, us, and we. Matthew uses these three personal pronouns nine times in his short discourse. The picture is clear: If you pray this prayer, you are in community with all of those who call Him “Father.”
His kingdom and His will: The prayer reminds us that extending God’s kingdom is included in our decision to follow Him. He has chosen us that we would go and bring forth fruit. We pray that we might lead others to know His saving power in their lives. The kingdom of heaven is at hand, and we must pray earnestly for the Spirit’s empowerment to be His ambassadors. The scriptures are replete with examples of those who prayed for God’s purposes to come forth: Daniel set his face to pray for Judah’s deliverance; Moses prayed for the words to lead God’s people; Christ prayed, “Not my will, but Thine be done.” It seems so simple, so elementary, but it catches many of us off guard, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” Help us, O Lord, to bring our thoughts in agreement with Your thoughts, our plans in agreement with Your plans.
The three petitions: to be fed, to be forgiven, and to be protected. Can we live in this kind of simplicity, like little children? We have needs, and the Lord promises that we will be fed. “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” (Ps. 37:25, NIV) His promises are true: “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty or riches, but give me only my daily bread.” (Pro. 30:8, NIV) Can we be grateful for the food set before us today? A little child does not worry where his food is coming from next week. He has great trust in a loving father. How much more should we trust our heavenly Father.
To be forgiven, you must forgive. You must live in forgiveness daily toward everyone: your spouse, friends, enemies, children, and most of all yourself. There is great freedom in forgiveness; it is the key to the kingdom—confessing our sins, seeking forgiveness, and forgiving others. Unforgiveness holds us prisoner, a prisoner to the past. It takes sin, offenses, and hurts from the past and brings them into my present and damages my future. Unforgiveness is a poison. When you forgive others who have wronged you, the person you help the most is yourself. We can face some of the most horrific situations in life that would seem to give us the freedom to be offended, hurt, and unforgiving. However, when you consider the cost of unforgiveness, God not forgiving your sins, the cost of unforgiveness is just too great. “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt. 6:15, NIV) Unforgiveness in most people eventually leads to bitterness. Unforgiveness and bitterness makes us spiritually dirty. As we forgive others we position ourselves to be washed clean by the blood and sacrifice of Christ.
For our protection, the Lord is able to chain up that roaring lion that seeks to tempt and destroy us. The enemy is subtle; he is scheming. But, the Lord knows how to save the Godly from temptation. “if so then, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the Day of Judgment. (2 Peter 2:9, NIV). There is great strength and hope in the Lord’s keeping power. “Keep your servant from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.” (Psalms 19:13. NIV).
The greatest lack is the lack of prayer. We understand the importance of prayer, but our lives do not allow time for it. Prayer is work. It is intense labor, behind closed doors, away from the eyes of men, avoiding the spotlight. It is the most unglamorous of all the Christian disciplines. Yet, if we are to experience the fullness of God’s presence in our lives there must be persevering prayer. Do you count yourself among those who need Christ to teach you to pray? If so, then be encouraged. Enrollment in His school of prayer is never closed. There are no prerequisites other than faith, no SATs, no GREs, and no GPA requirements. Open enrollment. You do not need a degree. Come and learn from the master teacher.
by Tim Cameron | Jul 22, 2015 | Leonard Ravenhill, prayer
The Cinderella of the Church
The Cinderella of the church today is the prayer meeting. This handmaid of the Lord is unloved, unwood because she is not dripping with the pearls of intellectualism, nor glamorous with the silks of philosophy; neither is she enchanted with the tiara of psychology. She wears the homespun of sincerity and humility and so is not afraid to kneel!
The offense of prayer is that it does not essentially tie in to mental efficiency. That is not to say that prayer is a partner to mental slot; in these days efficiency is at a premium. Prayer is conditioned by one thing alone and that is spirituality. One does not need to be spiritual to preach, that is, to make and deliver sermons of homiletically perfection and exegetical exactitude. By a combination of memory, knowledge, ambition, personality, plus well-lined bookshelves, self-confidence and a sense of having arrived—brother, the pulpit is yours almost anywhere these days. Preaching of the type mentioned affects men; prayer affects God. Preaching affects time; prayer affects eternity. The pulpit can be a shop window to display our talents; the closet speaks death to display.
The tragedy of this late hour is that we have too many dead men in the pulpits giving out too many dead sermons to too many dead people. Oh! The horror of it. There is a strange thing that I have seen under the sun, even in the fundamentalist circles; it is preaching without the unction of the spirit. What is unction? I hardly know. But I know what it is not, or at least I know when it is not upon my own soul. Preaching without unction kills instead of giving life. The unctionless preacher is a savor of death unto death. The Word does not live unless the unction of the Spirit is upon the preacher. Preacher, with all thy getting—get unction.
A sermon born in the head reaches a head; a sermon born in a heart reaches a heart. What fever there is today to build churches? Yet without unctionized preachers. Those altars will never see anxious penitents. The ugly fact is that altar fires are out or burning low. The prayer meeting is dead or dying. By our attitude to prayer we tell God that what was begun in the Spirit we can finish in the flesh.
Away with this palsied, powerless preaching which is unmoving because it was born in a tomb instead of a womb, and nourished in a fireless, paperless soul. We may preach and perish, but we cannot pray and perish. With all they getting—get unction, lest barren altars be the badge of our unction less intellectualism.
by Tim Cameron | Jul 20, 2015 | prayer, The Word
Is it more money? A promotion? Peace at home?
“Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.” (Mark 6:41, NIV).
Christ saw that the people were like sheep without a shepherd, and He felt compassion for them. He had experienced the large crowds wildly running after Him from every city. It is probable that this particular crowd was just like the disciples that day–there was so much activity and the people were so excited they didn’t even take time to eat. You know there is a lot going on when you don’t even have time to eat. Christ was in the process of trying to set aside some time for the disciples to “debrief” with Him. The disciples had just returned from having been sent out by Jesus for the first time. So, they got in a boat and went to a secluded place. But they couldn’t evade the people. The people from all the cities ran ahead of them and waited on the shore. “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31, NIV).
When they landed in the boat and Jesus saw the people and had compassion on the crowd, but how did he show it? He showed it in a way we wouldn’t normally think of. We think in physical, temporal realms. He thinks in spiritual and eternal dimensions.
The dilemma of our needs and wants
When Jesus saw the crowd He had compassion on them and He discerned what they really needed. His intimate relationship with the Father was built on purposeful prayer in the secret place and constant prayer during the day. Through His communion with the Father He had a true understanding of the people’s need. The result, He fed the crowd spiritual food before He did anything else. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” (Luke 6:34, NIV). Jesus knew the crowd’s heart. They were following Him because only He could speak the words of eternal life.
What do you really need?
Some years back I made a trip to India for a few weeks to visit one of my sons who worked in Bangalore. He made friends everywhere he went and had a close group of young friends that I met and spent time with. In India if you are poor you walk everywhere you go. With a little bit of money you graduate to owning a bicycle. The next step up the transportation ladder of success is to own a motorcycle. Tourists and wealthy people use the auto rickshaws or even rent a car. Ownership of a car is reserved for the wealthy.
One day I was visiting a friend of my son who was considered upper middle class. He had a small business that rented a tiny—approximately 20 ft. x 20 ft. one-room office. There he employed two other young men, and like every other business he also had a chaiwala, a young boy who delivered tea for the office. One afternoon we went to the friend’s apartment. It was a small, but nice apartment. While we were sitting on the couch he started quarrying me about life in America. When the subject of cars came up, he wanted to know if I had a car. At the time I had two older vehicles, a small car eight years old with more than 110,000 miles and a mini-van nine years old with 125,000 miles. When he asked if I owned a car I told him about my two cars, his response, “You must be a very wealthy man Mr. Cameron.”
There is a vast difference between what we want and what we need. I need reliable transportation. Truth is, I have always wanted a hunter green Jaguar sedan. There is a huge gulf between my need and my want when it comes to the subject of cars. But, the gulf between our needs and wants encompasses much more than transportation. How we treat this gulf is a litmus test of our love for the world or our love for the Lord. Which do we love more, the things of the world or the Lord? “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17, NIV).
If we are walking intimately with Christ we have a different perspective on the world–the lusts of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life–than non-Christians. The mind of Christ and the discernment He gives provides us clarity concerning our needs and wants. With His spirit in us we are able to discern whether something is expedient or really necessary.
Jesus knew what the people needed first. It was for this that He came: to preach the Kingdom of God, to heal the infirm, and to bring life to many. He gave them what they needed first, His word. One of the most basic understandings of following Christ is that we need His word and prayer first, daily.
Daily food
The parallel to God’s Word and our spirit is exactly the same as the parallel that exists between food and our body. We know that we must have physical food to function, and we function best when we eat daily. It doesn’t make any difference what shape you are in; if you don’t take in food you will eventually grow weak. Even the healthiest athlete at the pinnacle of physical fitness and performance fails quickly without food. The Christian with the most responsibilities at church and who is the most educated concerning the Bible and apt to teach, will eventually wither up and die spiritually without a regular intake of the word and prayer.
But a healthy spiritual life is more than picking up the word to read and praying each day. Contrast my eating habits with Isaac the son of my daughter and son-in-law, both of whom are physicians. My mom was a short order cook for three siblings and my eating habits are atrocious. I was well into my 40s before I ate my first salad. Growing up my vegetables of choice consisted of corn, potatoes, and green beans. And, I am a recovering carnivore; most of my life I ate some kind of meat at almost every meal, chased by a soft drink. Now meat is a special treat and I actually eat a variety of vegetables and drink water. Then there is our four-year-old grandson Isaac; he drinks water. What? Just water most of the time? Ask him what he wants for a snack and he might say hummus and carrots. It’s unbelievable. He eats every kind of vegetable and from all outward appearance, likes it. Imagine that from a four-year-old. What planet is this kid from? Thankfully, my eating habits have changed considerably. I’m still working on it. But, the message is clear, when I compare my eating habits vs. Isaac’s, it’s the junk food diet vs. the healthy diet. There is no guessing which of the two of us will be most healthy during our lifetime. Jesus is the bread of life. He is our spiritual food. “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35, NIV) What is the quality of your spiritual diet with the Lord in the secret place?
The critical factor with food is eating the right kind of food, that which is healthy and nutritious. Americans devour processed foods. It’s a function of our many dis-functions. We are too busy to prepare foods and we are addicted to sugar. When I asked one of our Chinese spiritual daughters what was her most problematic transition to America, she said it was that anything she ate had sugar in it. Sugar and processed foods are the staple of our diet, and we are experiencing the ramifications of this blight on our health. We have an epidemic of obesity and all the related health issues it creates, from coronary heart disease and high blood pressure to type 2 diabetes. What’s the quality level of your spiritual intake? Are you submitting yourself to regular bible study? Do you pray with others often? Do you meet the Lord daily in the secret place?
And there is more. It is not just about the right kind of food. You have to factor in the freshness of the food. There is something special about fresh food that can be eaten daily. It tastes different. It has more nutritional value. We try to do everything we can do to keep food fresh and make it last: we can it, we freeze it, shrink-wrap it, we dry it, freeze-dry it, we put substances in it to preserve the flavor and enhance its taste and appearance (additives), and the methods go on ad nausium. However, there is nothing like fresh food. We treat the word the same way we treat food. We do everything we can to hear the word without digging deeply into it in quietness before the Lord with prayer. We try devotionals, pre-recorded teaching, video recordings, television programs, radio programs, daily email devotions, and the list goes on ad infinitum. We try every other avenue except expending the time and focus that is necessary to have a full measure of His word and prayer daily. Granted, these other practices we try are good, but they can’t fully substitute for daily meditation on the word with prayer and meeting the Lord in the secret place.
Read the label
The pickings were slim as I rummaged for food at the condo where we were staying. However, there’s always the old standby, peanut butter and jelly; for my wife it is a mayonnaise and tomato sandwich. While making a sandwich I happened to look at the mayonnaise expiration date. It was one year and two months expired. Oops. It looked okay, but smelled somewhat questionable. It had every other appearance of the good old staple, mayo. I didn’t let my wife risk it. Off it went to the trash. I firmly believe that most spiritual encounters have an expiration date on them, like the food we buy at the store. That single encounter with the Lord isn’t meant to, nor is it going to sustain us for months and months. Elijah had an encounter with an angel and it sustained him forty days. “The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.” (I Kings 19:7-8, NIV). Obviously an encounter with an angel would be a bedrock experience for any of us. But the Lord wants us to meet Him daily in the word and prayer in the secret place. You will not be sustained in your body for long by yesterday’s food. Correspondingly, you can’t be sustained for long by yesterday’s spiritual food. When God supplied the children of Israel with manna in the desert He gave them just enough supply for each day. He wanted them to know, as He wants us to know, we need His spiritual food fresh every day.
Eat up
Thinking about eating food isn’t going to do much for your body. Eating is something you do daily. You have to eat food to live. You can know how to make food. You can know everything there is about its nutritional value. You can even have a month’s supply of the healthy food stored in the pantry. But your knowledge of food and a storehouse of food will not help you if you don’t eat. The same goes for our spiritual food. You can have a Masters in Divinity and be skilled at teaching or preaching the word. You can possess the best software programs for studying the Bible in the original language with wonderful historical commentaries. You can have email devotionals delivered to your smartphone every morning. However, all of this education, skill, and resources will not necessarily help you spiritually unless you take His word and prayer deep inside your spirit, daily. Jesus was tempted by the devil to turn a stone into bread while He was fasting in the wilderness. He quoted scripture to the devil: “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deu. 8:3, NIV). Jesus taught us that we must take His Word deep inside us daily. We are more than just physical beings who need food to survive. We are spiritual creations who need to commune with our God every day.
Most of us are too busy to eat properly. Busyness also keeps us from praying. Busyness keeps us from taking time to study, meditate, and hide God’s word in our heart. We have an epidemic in the church of people who don’t meet Jesus in the secret place daily in the word and prayer. The admonitions in the scripture are numerous and pointed. Meditate on the word and pray. Your spiritual life depends on it. Here are just a few of the promised results on meditating and hiding God’s word in our heart:
A young person can be free from pornography and other sexual sins. “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Ps. 119:9-11, NIV)
You can have your prayers answered. “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7, NIV)
You can have peace in your life. “Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” (Ps. 119:165, NIV)
Success in all your endeavors. “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8, NIV)
You will have a life full of joy and contentment. “…but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither– whatever they do prospers.” (Ps. 1:2-3, NIV)
Ask the Lord right now to let yourself see with your spiritual eyes and hear with your spiritual ears. You need to meet the Lord daily in the secret place with prayer and the word. You need to hunger after His Word—hunger and thirst for it profoundly and passionately. Hunger and thirst like this: Students from Iris Missions School in Mozambique related in a blog post, [They (pastors from small, surrounding churches) stood up one by one. Upon their faces rested a countenance of fullness. Fullness of the Spirit. Lemon, one of the pastors we have befriended, stood among the children of God who knew suffering to a depth we can’t fathom. Each one of the pastors stood because someone in their immediate family has died from starvation: a mother…a child…a wife. One teacher spoke this afternoon about hungering and thirsting after righteousness, the kingdom of God. They have desperation for this righteousness with the same yearning they have for food.] The word ‘hunger’ has a whole different meaning to them.
We need a fresh revelation of our need for Jesus in our lives every day, even more than we need food, water, and air. Jesus is the only one that can provide this kind of spiritual nourishment our souls long for. We get it from being in His presence in the secret place. Are you desperate? Do you see that you are spiritually bankrupt and Jesus is the only answer? We need to see that we are helpless and only Jesus can satisfy our spiritual starvation. I don’t think we get it. There is a supply of God’s spirit and presence that will kill us and fill us. It will kill us to put to death the flesh with its appetites, passions, and addictions and in the process empty ourselves of our own spirit as much as is possible. It will be painful–try fasting and praying for three days. But, it is a hurt that satisfies and electrifies our soul. Then we will be filled with His spirit and presence to overflowing. We will be so healthy spiritually that we will have something to offer every person in our path.
Here’s the deal
The Lord’s word is inseparably linked to prayer. It is in prayer that we seek to have a relationship with God and to know Him intimately. It is in the Word that He most often speaks to us. A full measure of daily prayer with little of the word gives life; however, it leads to a lack of steadfastness. Much of the word with little prayer leaves us unhealthy and prone to judgments and legalism. Being able to stand the tests and storms of life necessitates having the word embedded deep in our souls with a full measure of prayer, daily. As the psalmist says, “Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble.” (Psalm 119:165, NIV). A full measure of the word and prayer daily are indispensible in living the Spirit-filled life.
He is always enough
Because it was getting late the disciples encouraged Jesus to send away the 5,000 men–actually the total number of people present was probably 12,000 to 15,000 when including children and women. The disciples wanted Him to send the crowd into the surrounding countryside and villages to get themselves something to eat. “But he answered, ’You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ’That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?’” (Mark 6:37, NIV). The disciples were startled and didn’t know what to do. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and multiplied them to feed the thousands and thousands of people with over twelve baskets full left over. He showed the disciples that He is sufficient for all things. His word is sufficient; His supply is inexhaustible. He was always teaching his followers. Did they have eyes to see and ears to hear? This is what we discover in the secret place with the word and prayer—He is always enough.
