Thursday, October 6, 2022

 

Thursday, October 6, 2022


Psalm 86

Zechariah 1:1-17

Colossians 4:7-18


Observance: William Tyndale, biblical scholar (d. 1536)


He is always wrestling in his prayers on your behalf…


What does our prayer life look like? These readings and reflections are intended to be a supplement to the Daily Office as it appears in our prayer book, a three-course meal of structured devotional time across the day at morning, evening, and just before bed. Structure is good, God made the universe to be structured and logical. But what does it look like when we retreat into our hearts and commune with God? What words are said? What emotions do you allow yourself?


“Pray without ceasing” teaches the apostle Paul in another place, and in context he means with joy and thanksgiving. We ought always to give thanks to our Lord for the good things He gives us, and be strengthened and completed in our joy by the presence of our beautiful saviour. But that is not the final word on prayer.


Jesus is our high priest, who goes into the presence of God and intercedes on our behalf. As “the priesthood of all believers”, each one of us has been given the honour and duty of also going in with Jesus to intercede. Intercede means to step in between: God almighty, the One who can make things happen, is on one side, and those for whom we pray on the other. We step in between these two and plead with God to make things right.


The man from whom the nation Israel gets its name wrestled with God, literally (Genesis 32:22-32). He received a blessing for his effort. Epaphras, who we are told by Paul wrestles in his prayers, is wrestling on behalf of the Christians in Colossae. Jacob (aka Israel) was wrestling for his own blessing; Epaphras wrestles for the sake of the church.


The prayer warrior Larry Lea taught us to be “specific and tenacious” when asking God in our intercessions to make things right. Just because God may not reply immediately in a way that we think is clear enough does not mean God is not moving heaven and earth in response to our prayers. If our emotions get the better of us and take us into despair, we turn to the unchanging promises of God’s word and find renewed strength in the prayerful struggle. Note the conversation between God and the angel this morning; the angel asks a question we pray ourselves daily: “how long will you withhold mercy?” God’s reply to the angel is the same He speaks to us if we just spend enough time in prayer to hear: a reply of gracious and comforting words, overflowing with compassion.



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