Vol. 81; No. 17; June 1, 2005
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Meditation - Herman Hoeksema
Editorial - Prof. Russell Dykstra
Feature
Article --
Feature Article -- Rev. Ronald Cammenga
Feature Article – Rev. Garrett Eriks
Feature Article – MaryBeth Lubbers
Feature Article – Rev. David Overway
Feature Article – Rev. Ronald Hanko
Feature Article – Rev. Daniel Kleyn
News From Our Churches - Mr. Benjamin Wigger
Meditation:
Coming to the Throne of Grace
Herman Hoeksema
Herman
Hoeksema was the first editor of the Standard Bearer.
This meditation is taken from the November
15, 1946 issue of the Standard Bearer.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15, 16
All important exhortation!
Let us come boldly, that is, with perfect confidence that we shall be received, to the throne of grace!
To this coming with boldness we are encouraged, first of all, by the very fact that the throne unto which we are exhorted to come is a throne of grace; and, secondly, by the knowledge that, in the sanctuary, where this throne of grace is established, we have a high priest that was in all points tempted as we are, and who, because of this, can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
Moreover, it is strictly necessary that we heed this exhortation.
Let us notice that this exhortation is final, occupies the last place in a series of admonitions, and must be regarded as the indispensable condition for all the other exhortations, and that, unless it is fulfilled, we cannot possibly give heed to the admonitions that precede.
There is a rest that remaineth for the people of God, the rest of God’s everlasting covenant, the rest from sin and corruption and death, and unto righteousness, light, and fellowship with God. Into that rest we must constantly labor to enter. We must strive to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our mind, and with all our soul, and with all our strength.” We must labor to “crucify our old nature, and to walk in a new and holy life.”
Moreover, we must “hold fast our profession.” With our flesh always tempting us to depart from our profession, in the midst of a world that is opposed to that profession, we are exhorted to maintain, to cling to, the profession that Jesus is Lord, and to realize that profession in all our life and walk in the world.
All this we will never be able to accomplish in our own strength.
To heed these exhortations we are in need of mercy, and of “grace to help in time of need.”
This mercy, and this “grace to help in time of need,” can be obtained only at the throne of grace.
Let us, therefore, come boldly!
The throne of grace!
How beautiful is the concept conveyed to our mind by this expression!
The term must not be interpreted as referring to the throne of Christ, as some explain it; neither as simply meaning “the throne on which grace reigns,” as others would have it, but indicates the throne of God, and therefore His absolute sovereignty, as it is characterized and motivated by grace.
God sits upon His throne.
Also this, we understand, is a figurative expression, for how could we ever know God, or understand anything about Him, except in figures and symbols? That He is enthroned in glory simply denotes His sole and universal and absolute sovereignty. He is the Lord. He is the Creator of the heavens and of the earth, who calls the things that are not as if they were, and who made all things according to His sovereign counsel and good pleasure. He is, therefore, the sole Proprietor of all things: the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. His alone is the prerogative to do with them all according to His good pleasure. No one dare say to Him: “What doest Thou?” Moreover, He is the sole Lawgiver, who alone is above the law, and whose will is the sole criterion for every creature; the only Judge, who executes judgment in righteousness and equity. And He governs all things, upholding them by the Word of His power, and directing them, individually and as a whole, to the end that he ordained and purposed in Himself before the foundation of the world, so that no creature moves, and nothing betides, but by His will.
God’s throne….
That is, God in His glorious majesty, His undisputed sovereignty, His absolute authority and universal power, His holiness and righteousness and truth.
But this throne of the only Sovereign of heaven and earth is a throne of grace!
Glorious truth!
For what else does it signify than this that in Him authority and love, holiness and lovingkindness, righteousness and grace, justice and mercy, are united in perfect and most blessed harmony?
Grace has different connotations in Holy Writ, and we need not call attention to them all in this connection. Let it suffice to say that here it refers to that attitude and disposition of favor in God that shines upon us through the face of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son our Lord. He is the revelation of the God of our salvation. In the face of Him who is God of God, Light of Light, who is eternally in the bosom of the Father, who reached down to us as the arm of the Lord, united Himself with us, assumed our flesh and blood, tabernacled among us, lay down His life on Calvary, was raised on the third day, and exalted above the heavens at the right hand of the Majesty on high — in Him we behold the face of the Sovereign of heaven and earth beaming upon us in everlasting grace, the Potentate of potentates as our Father in heaven, the Creator of all as our Redeemer….
The throne of grace!
It means that He purposed all things, that He created all things, that He governs all things, that He directs all things, that He judges all things, motivated by His grace over us in Christ Jesus.
It means that the revelation of His face fills us, to be sure, with awe and holy fear, because of His majesty, but now with the reverence of childlike love and confidence.
Let us come boldly to the throne of grace!
Let us come, that is, not merely in prayer — not, at least, if by prayer is meant an occasional approach to that throne of grace, in order then to return again and draw back into the night of our own existence, into the darkness and gloom and hopelessness of our death — though all our coming to this throne of grace, to this Fount of all life and blessing, is essentially an act of prayer. But rather, let us come, that is, let us enter into His fellowship; let us approach to the God of our salvation with our whole being, with all our mind and heart and soul and strength to worship and adore, to praise and to serve Him that sitteth upon the throne. Let us come to Him as the overflowing Fount of all good, to drink from that Fount to the satisfaction of our souls, to taste His marvelous mercy and grace, and to know that the Lord is good. Let us come, not to depart again, never to withdraw again into our own night, but to abide in His tabernacle all the days of our life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.
Let us come!
That spiritual act of coming to the throne of grace implies, first of all, a profound consciousness and acknowledgment of our own emptiness, of our sin and death, of our need of grace and mercy.
It implies, secondly, the spiritual apprehension of His fullness, of the riches of righteousness and life, of blessedness and glory that are in Him as He stands revealed to us in all the beauty of His grace in the face of Christ Jesus.
It signifies, thirdly, a deep longing for His fellowship, a thirsting after God as the hart, escaped form the chase, thirsts after streams of living water.
And it means, finally, that with confidence of faith we appropriate all the spiritual blessings revealed unto us, promised us, by the symbol of that throne of grace.
Let us come boldly!
Not, indeed, with a boldness that is devoid of holy fear, for the throne of grace is still a throne, and that, too, the throne of the most high Majesty in the heavens; nor with a carnal confidence that is based on our own worthiness, for God resisteth the proud, while He giveth grace to the lowly; but solely with a confidence that is inspired only by that throne of grace.
The boldness of faith.
The confidence that, for Christ’s sake, He that sitteth upon the throne will not cast me off, but receive me, even though all things testify against me.
Blessed throne of grace!
Seek, and ye shall find!
Ask, and it shall be given you; knock, and it shall be opened unto you!
Come boldly to the throne of grace, pray without ceasing, let your whole life be an approach to that marvelous throne, that you may obtain mercy, and grace to help in time of need, and mercy and grace you shall surely find and receive.
For him that comes to Him He will in no wise cast out.
Mercy and grace you will find.
They are closely related, yet they may be distinguished, and are distinguished in the text. Mercy is God’s will to bless, to bestow bliss upon us in His fellowship, to render us blessed even as He is blessed. It means that God is filled with holy, eternal longing to lead His children into the glory of His everlasting tabernacle. With a view to our present state of sin and death, it denotes that virtue in God, that disposition of the divine heart to usward, according to which He longs to deliver us from the misery of our sin into the state of perfect righteousness, to raise us out of the deep darkness of our death and alienation from Him to the glory of eternal life, and to the heavenly fellowship of His everlasting tabernacle with men. Grace is the power by which all this is accomplished, the marvelous power whereby He redeems us, bestows upon us the forgiveness of sins and perfect righteousness, makes us partakers of the adoption of children, regenerates us, and calls us out of darkness into His marvelous light, gives us faith and hope and confidence and love and all the riches of grace in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy, and to find grace to help in time of need.
Ever come!
Constantly approach that throne of grace!
For always you are in need of mercy, and constantly you need grace to help.
Mercy and grace are not gifts that are once bestowed upon you, say in the moment of your regeneration, and that ever after you possess in yourselves, apart from the God of your salvation. They are a constant stream that flows into your soul from its source, the throne of grace. They are rather to be compared to the golden glory of light that radiates from the sun, and in whose brightness you may rejoice as long as you remain in the sphere of its radiation, but which you cannot take with you into the darkness of a mountain cave. Not for a moment can you withdraw yourselves from the throne of grace without forfeiting the blessings of mercy and grace as far as your consciousness of them is concerned.
Hence, the time of need is now.
It is an ever-present time.
Mercy and grace you need today and tomorrow, and forevermore.
Besides, you need grace to help, to help in time of need that is now and constantly.
Help you need that you may daily enter into God’s rest, that you may put off the old, and put on the new man, that you may put on the whole armor of God, fight the good fight of faith, and be able to stand in the evil day; help to hold fast your profession, not to be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, nor to be seduced by the pleasures and treasures of Egypt, nor to be intimidated by the fury of the powers of darkness.
And your only help is in God’s grace.
Without Him you can do nothing.
Now is the time of need; now you must obtain grace.
Come, then, always come, to the throne of grace.
That you may obtain mercy, and grace to help.
In time of need.
Be not afraid!
Approach with confidence, and let not even your infirmities induce you to stay far from that throne of grace.
For, as you approach that throne, you are met, in the sanctuary of God, by a High Priest that is over the whole house of God, that intercedes with Him that sitteth upon the throne, and that is able to sympathize with all your infirmities.
O, they are many, but He knows them. They include all our present sufferings and death, of soul and body, of mind and spirit; they are our trials and temptations in the world, our tribulations which we suffer for Christ’s sake, as we hold fast our profession; they include our temptations from within, through the sinfulness of our flesh, and from without, through the seducing influence of the world; they are our weaknesses, our sins, our inclination to stumble in the way.
He, our High Priest, who intercedes for us with the Father, is able to sympathize with them all.
He is acquainted with the weakness of our flesh, for He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, though without sin. He knows all our suffering and all our temptations, for He was tempted in all things even as we are, though in all His temptations He never once stumbled. He knows what it is to be utterly amazed at the justice and wrath of God against sin, and at the presence of His holiness, for He bore it all upon the tree, and entered into our death and hell. He knows by experience what it means to be tempted by the wicked machinations of evil men, for He endured all the contradictions of sinners against Himself. Never is your path of suffering and temptation so deep that you do not find there the imprint of His feet.
And He has the right and the power to sympathize with your infirmities, and to obtain mercy and help for you in time of need.
Fear not! Look upon your sympathizing High Priest!
And come to the throne of grace, boldly!
Your reception is assured!
Editorial:
Prof. Russell Dykstra
Prayer:God’s Gift to
His Covenant People
God’s glorious salvation is a multifaceted wonder! God has seen to every aspect of that salvation, from the election of the church in Christ and the redemption in His cross, to the full working out of salvation by the Spirit. The goal and culmination of this salvation is life within the everlasting covenant of grace in the new heavens and earth.
Thus, those whom God saves are not only delivered from sin and death, they are also incorporated into the covenant. That covenant life is blessed, intimate fellowship with God. God draws near to His people by His Word, revealing Himself and His salvation. He dwells in them by the Spirit of Christ, who through the same Word testifies to the elect of their adoption unto sons. But this covenantal communication is not all one sided, that is, only from God to His people. Rather, God gives to His people the blessing of prayer, enabling them to commune with God.
Since prayer is part of covenant fellowship, it is important to understand the nature of the covenant. The covenant is a relationship of love and friendship that God sovereignly establishes with His chosen people in Jesus Christ. It is established with believers and their seed — not all their natural children, obviously, but the children of the promise. The covenant is with Jacob, not Esau. Thus it is with those children of believers who are chosen in Christ.
That covenant of grace flows out of the covenantal life in God Himself. The triune God is eternally active within Himself. Father, Son, and Spirit dwell in perfect communion. Being one essence, they three are of one mind in all things. However, being three distinct persons, they have personal interaction and fellowship.
In that life, the Father eternally begets the Son of His love in His own image and ever delights in Him. The Son reflects the perfections of the Father with filial delight. And the Spirit, searching the deep things of the Father, proceeds with that knowledge from the Father to the Son as the Spirit of love. Then, the Spirit, knowing the mind of the Son, returns to the Father, breathing the Son’s love. This is an intimate life of fellowship, of sharing secrets, of mutual delighting in one another.
The covenant God determined to bring a people into that covenant life for His own glory and delight. He willed to share His secrets with His people (Ps. 25:14). He would dwell with them in time ( Ex. 25. 8) and in eternity ( Rev. 21. 3). God determined to make His people active in His covenant life, causing them to know Him and enjoy His friendship.
What an astounding relationship! On the one hand is the sovereign God. He is the God of infinite fullness, needing nothing to complete Him. Eternally self-sufficient is He, and no creature makes God more glorious or blessed than He is eternally in Himself. Then there is man — a rational creature of the dust. God formed man in His own image so that fellowship might be a possibility. Man, unlike all other creatures of this creation, can know God. Man can also think and will, hope and dream. Man can love and enjoy friendship with other creatures, that is, with other men and women. But how can carnal, earthy man fellowship with the invisible and infinite God?
God bridges that gap, as already stated, with the gift of prayer. With prayer, God gives His people the right and ability at any given moment or place, to pause in the earthly activities, and by a profoundly spiritual activity to enter the presence of Almighty God, there to speak to Him. Man fellowships with God in prayer! Astounding!
Since prayer is a reality only in the covenant, the nature of the covenant determines the nature of prayer.
It is commonly held that the covenant is conditional, and that God establishes the covenant but both God and man are responsible to maintain it. Not only is that conception of the covenant unscriptural, it ruins prayer. Where both “parties” have stipulations to meet for the covenant to be maintained, the covenant creature would soon avoid prayer. For what could such a man pray? He could not honestly pray that he had kept the conditions. Besides, if a man truly believes that the covenant relationship depends on his activity, he will be out “doing” not praying.
That notion that the covenant, and thus God’s blessing, depends on man was the error of Job’s friend Bildad. He insisted that only if Job were pure and upright would God hear his prayer (Job 8:5, 6). This view would soon lead the child of God to despair, since he knows that he cannot measure up to God’s demands. The alternative is hypocrisy. This was the sin of the Pharisee who came in prayer thanking God that he was not as other men, and therefore God must surely hear him (Luke 18:11).
But thanks be to God, the covenant does not depend on us in any way. God, the sovereign God, establishes His covenant with us in Jesus Christ, the covenant Head. In Him, and because of Him, the covenant is never broken off — never. Knowing that, the believer draws near to God only in the blessed name of His Son. There is no other way to the Father.
And God delights in the prayers of His people. Jehovah draws His own to Himself with bands of love. By His Word He reminds them of His infinite love, the love that was demonstrated beyond doubt in the sacrifice of His Son. “You are forgiven,” He assures us. “I am thy Father, and you are My people. Come ye and let us commune together.” By the power of God’s Spirit, His people respond in prayer.
Prayer is, therefore, thankful praise — it is worship. The believer recognizes that he is but a creature of the dust and vile. Consciously entering into God’s presence, he drops to his knees in humble adoration. Prayer enables the believer to commune with God, but never as an equal. Prayer should be intimate fellowship, but it is never casual. Believers worship God through prayer.
Prayer is thankful worship. It is the chief means of expressing thanks to God. By means of words, the believer conveys something of the true thankfulness that floods his soul. He is able to put into words the reasons for which he gives thanks, why he is grateful, and to what degree, though even these words are inadequate. The redeemed sinner does not go though life tongue-tied and frustrated, forced to wait until he arrives in heaven to express his profound appreciation for the multitude of heavenly blessings that he enjoys. He is able to communicate his thankful praise in his own words every day of his life.
Given that the covenant relationship is between God, the overflowing fountain of all good, and His dependent people, the believer of necessity also makes requests in his prayers. God gave prayer for this purpose, though not because He needs to be informed of the needs of His children, for He knows all. Rather, petitions are fitting for the covenant life of God’s spiritual family. Even in earthly family life, children easily overlook the goodness of their parents. So do God’s children. Thus God instructs them to make requests, specific requests, in order that when He supplies their needs, His people will be conscious of His blessings. “Call upon me in the day of trouble,” God commands, adding, “I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” (Ps. 50:15). Ask even, taught the Lord, for your daily bread.
Since prayer is communing with God, it is understandable that He abhors vain repetitions, and He forbids men praying long in order to impress their fellows (Matt. 6:5-7). One can understand how abominable to Him are the false hearted, who “draw near to [Him] with their mouths…but have removed their heart far from [Him]” (Is. 29:13). Rather He would that you go into your closet to pray, and pray from the heart.
For what intimacy is found in prayer! The believer gives expression to the deepest thoughts of his heart. He confesses sins to God that he will not discuss with his closest earthly friend. The believer reveals weaknesses to God that are hidden from a spouse. What trust is manifest in prayer, that God is such a faithful Friend that He will not turn against the one who thus reveals his weaknesses, yea, even his inmost thoughts!
God knows all. The believer frequently comes to his God ashamed, indeed, unable sometimes even to lift up his face to heaven, for his sins are abominable. Yet the love of God in Christ is infinite and unchanging. There is complete forgiveness. There is a “forgetting” of sins such as friends in this life cannot completely attain. And God continues to reassure His covenant people — come unto Me; seek My face in prayer.
In harmony with the fact that God’s covenant is particular, that is, exclusively with His elect, prayer is also for them alone. In fact, the activity of praying marks the believer, distinguishing him from the unbeliever, both the brash “workers of iniquity … who call not upon the Lord” (Ps. 14:4), and the unfaithful who live in the church for a time, but have “turned back from the Lord…and not … inquired of him” (Zeph. 1:6). And if these wicked men, whether openly profane or hypocritical churchgoers, should deign in their time of trouble to call upon God, He will not hear their prayer, for “the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight” (Prov. 15:8).
Indeed, God does delight in the prayers of all His covenant people. And since the covenant is made with believers and their (elect) children, the children too learn to pray, and have the assurance, by faith, that they may draw near to God from their youth.
Clearly prayer is important for the fellowship of the covenant, and for the blessing of God’s people. Evil are the days when in the church “there is none that calleth upon [God’s] name” (Is. 64:7). Something is dreadfully wrong in the life of the individual believer when there is little or no interest in prayer.
Oh, we can understand that our old man of sin has no interest in prayer. He hates God and loathes fellowship with the Holy One of Israel. Our depraved nature will do everything in its power to turn us from prayer. The old man will do his utmost to pervert our prayers — pushing irrelevant and even evil thoughts to the fore in the middle of our prayers!
If, and we must say, when, that depraved nature dominates, so that the child of God becomes spiritually lethargic and consequently lax in prayer — what a mighty battle Satan has won! He has cut off communication, cut off fellowship. He has succeeded in estranging the child from his heavenly Father. The child then seeks his fellowship with the world. This is spiritual disaster.
God knows how essential is prayer for His covenant people. When His people neglect prayer and stray from God, He brings them back into covenant fellowship. It might be by the hard lesson of allowing them to fall into grievous sins. Often God works though a heavy chastisement. The Psalms and our own experience testify that our prayers are never so frequent, never so heartfelt or meaningful, as when we are grievously afflicted. Oh, if such intimate fellowship could only last the rest of our lives. Never do we experience God closer.
But we are so foolish, so earthly minded, that the spiritual intensity soon wanes, and the activity itself falls to a lower priority. Still, God gives us every encouragement that He will hear us. Jesus spoke a parable in order to impress upon us “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). Jesus Himself, more than once, “continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12).
Thanks be to God that He continues to draw us back into covenant fellowship. Thanks for the work of Jesus Christ, the Mediator of the covenant, who sends His Spirit into our hearts to give us the desire, and even the words, to pray. With boldness we may come to the throne of grace, for Christ Jesus, the Head of the covenant, perfects our prayers and brings them to the Father.
Surely prayer is an inestimable blessing of God to His covenant people. When God commands, therefore, “Seek ye my face,” may your heart respond, “Thy face, Lord, will I seek” (Ps. 27:8).
Pray without ceasing!
Rev. Jason Kortering
Rev. Kortering is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches.
With eagerness I take this opportunity to motivate you to pray more often and with greater diligence.
Personal prayer is to be distinguished from public prayer or prayer time spent with others. It takes us into our “inner closet” or moves us to spend time alone with God. It is communion, one to one, with God. “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Ps. 5:3). The same psalmist added, “On thee do I wait all the day” (Ps. 25:5). He also included evening, “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness…I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep for thou, Lord, only makest me to dwell in safety” (Ps. 4:1-8). In each of these instances the personal pronoun is used. We recall to mind how Daniel prayed three times a day, looking to Jerusalem (Dan. 6:10). One of his prayers is recorded in Daniel 9. No greater example is there than that of our Savior, who frequently spent all night in personal prayer with His Father (Luke 6:12, 13). The apostles knew personal prayer. Paul makes so many references to his prayer for others that we cannot quote them all. Let this suffice: “Without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request … that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end that ye may be established” (Rom. 1:9-11).
Why Is Personal Prayer
Experience tells me, and this experience is both personal and pastoral, that such personal prayer is vital to our spiritual health and yet so frequently neglected. Our prayer life is a clear reflection of our spiritual condition. The great hindrance to earnest prayer is formalism. We can hold to formal truth, go through the exercise of religion in a formal manner, conform our lives to a set of approved actions, and yet our hearts can be far from God. If we are guilty of this, it will have a direct effect upon our prayer life; we will pray either in a cold and sterile manner or neglect it terribly. Cultivating personal prayer begins right here. I agree with Andrew Murray when he writes in The Believer’s Prayer Life,
From a defective spiritual life nothing better can be expected than a defective prayer life. It is vain for us, with our defective spiritual life, to endeavor to pray more or better. It is an impossibility. It is essential that we experience that he who “is in Christ Jesus is a new creature; old things have passed away, behold all things are become new.” This is literally true for the man who understands and experiences what it is to be in Jesus Christ.
We can put this in the context of our beloved Heidelberg Catechism. We must know three things to live and die happily. The fervency and depth of this knowledge affects our spiritual life. The more we know of sin, the more our Savior means to us, and the more we are grateful to God. Prayer is the “chief part of thankfulness.”
If our prayer life lacks, we must examine our personal salvation. This is basic and the foundation of everything else we write in this article.
I ask you, is your personal prayer life what it ought to be? Before I give you any practical suggestions how you may cultivate it, I address these words to your heart: if you doubt the promises of God given in His Word in any way, if you are walking in any sin and making excuses for them rather than forsaking them, if you are so preoccupied with this world with its treasures and pleasures that you have little time for God, deal with those matters first of all. Honest spiritual self-assessment will contribute more than anything to your prayer life. It will move you to pray out of earnest necessity and will give to you spiritual blessings that only heaven can eclipse.
Why is personal prayer important for you? You may pray with your spouse, you may pray with your children, you may pray in school or in church, and all of this is wonderful and important, but nothing may replace your own quiet time with God. Why is this? Let me offer four reasons.
1. Salvation is personal, and none of us is able to enter heaven carried on the backs of others. You may have a godly wife who is very devout in her relationship with God, but her faith cannot become your faith. The church may be dedicated to uphold the Word of God and honor God in her worship, but mere association with the church cannot replace personal faith. In the broadest sense this is true of the entire covenant sphere of church, home, and Christian school. Being in such a wonderful environment of piety will not of itself make a person a Christian and one right with God. It all comes down to personal faith. God has ordained that He works and strengthens this faith by means of the Word and sacraments — this is the unique importance of public worship. Such personal faith comes to expression in our own personal relationship with God. Quiet time with God allows us to develop this relationship.
2. Our spending time alone with God is necessary for us to deal with personal sins. We can never do this adequately if we are always in the presence of others and never alone with God. Public confession of sin is always a general reference and lacks specific content. We give our confession of sin personal content when we pray alone with God. This is the importance of the “inner closet.” Here we come to terms with our own “besetting sins,” the knowledge of which cannot be shared with anyone else. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me when I call” (Ps. 66:18). Here we measure our spiritual progress to overcome temptation in our lives. Here we taste the sweetness of divine forgiveness and the promise for renewed grace to overcome. If you lack personal prayer, you lack spiritual honesty with God.
3. We use this quiet time to make an evaluation of our progress in spiritual growth and in our doing the will of our heavenly Father. We cannot do that when we pray with others. We need to be alone. The same is true when we evaluate the spiritual progress of those who are closest and dearest to us. A husband reflects upon the spiritual progress of his wife and she of him in their quiet time. Fathers do this as fathers, and mothers as mothers. This helps us stay in touch with those areas of life where we have to help each other. Quiet reflection guides us into specific areas of need, and we make this the subject of our personal prayer and guideline for our actions. We can broaden out on this: quiet time includes evaluation of the needs of all those who cross our pathway and leads to our personal prayers of intercession.
4. Finally, personal prayers are the greatest help for us to develop the art of praying. If you struggle with family prayers or any time you are called upon to pray publicly, the greatest thing you can do to make this easier is to develop the godly practice of personal prayer. As you grow in the experience of your own personal prayers, you will develop a heart for God. Your relationship with God will be strengthened and you will learn that “conversation with Him” is important to you and you enjoy it and treasure the experience. This will motivate you to put forth the necessary effort to grow in this and in the blessings of spiritual honesty that always come with personal prayer. This will help you to pray publicly, since the formation of thoughts in prayer will become natural for you. Praying is a spiritual art to be sure, but it can also be cultivated.
How Can Personal Prayer Be Cultivated?
1. You must exercise self discipline to set aside time for this activity. The most common objection raised is, “I don’t have the time to do this.” If the Spirit of God is truly in your heart, you will give this such priority that you will make the time available. There are a few things to consider. I recall counseling a new convert who enthusiastically decided he would arise at 5 a.m. every morning and spend two hours with God. He had a long face at our next session together because he discovered it wasn’t working out. He fell asleep every morning. We talked a bit more and learned he was not a morning person. He was practically dysfunctional until about 9 a.m. He was a “night person.” He could stay awake at night. So he shifted his quiet time to the evening, which was much better.
More than that, you have to remove distractions as well. If you are a night person, you can develop a habit of watching television, playing with the computer, hobbies of all sorts, or falling to sleep on the couch out of boredom. Then you have to change that behavior and put away the distraction.
One more thing: you have to be consistent in setting aside the same time, or you will fail. There are enough things out there beckoning for our attention, but we ought to give top priority to our quiet time and personal prayer time with God. That is why you have to set aside the time that is least intrusive in your life. For many, this is early morning, when you can consistently arise before your work day begins and enter into personal fellowship with God. For stay-at-home moms, it can be when the children are off to school or taking their naps. For others it is just before bedtime. This is a personal choice, but the most significant one when it actually comes to praying.
2. You have to create a spiritual frame of mind for prayer. Most of us know we cannot punch some magical button to become spiritual with God. We are by nature focused upon earthly things. Prayer is a wonder of grace that transforms us into heavenly saints. This transition requires of us activity that will “tune our hearts toward God.” Here too, there are different possibilities. The reading of a Scripture passage is always helpful. Here you can include your systematic Scripture reading if you like. The danger of trying to finish the Bible every year is that you read with a view to finishing chapters rather than careful reflection. The need here is for reflection, devotional reading, pondering what God is saying and whether you understand it and know how to apply it to your life. Devotional writings also fall into this category. Psalms and hymns are very helpful in this connection. Some instrumental music quiets the soul. At other times it might be vocal singing that edifies through the message. Music can be very helpful to quiet your soul so you can enter the presence of God for prayer.
3. Take time to reflect upon your life. This includes many things — your personal sins and how you are dealing with them, is there progress? Are you conscious of areas of weakness in your life (your relationship with others, for example). What are you doing to correct and improve this? What afflictions are you dealing with, and how are you handling them? What blessings has God given to you, and are you mindful of them and thankful for them? Are there others who cross your pathway who have needs, and are you paying attention to how you can meet those needs in their life (this relates to both physical and spiritual needs). Journalizing is very helpful here. This is simply writing down the spiritual issues in your life, along with Scripture passages that are helpful, and how you are responding and dealing with them. The advantage of writing this down is for personal perusal later, as an assessment of your spiritual maturing and for a reminder of how to deal with issues when they recur.
4. This reflection ought to lead you to make a list of things for which you ought to pray to God. If you have a good memory, maybe you don’t need to do this. I know from my own experience that I enjoy writing down such things for two reasons: One, it helps me to keep them before my mind so that I can keep them in focus. You will discover that your list can become very long. The other is that, with such a list, you can take note of how God is dealing with your petitions and what changes are taking place regarding these needs. Soon, many of the items that were placed on the list as great burdens become occasions for petitions of thanksgiving. This keeps us in tune with God’s work in our lives. God’s sovereignty is never an excuse for fatalism and prayer-lessness. Rather we experience that God works wonders in our lives and in the lives of people for whom we care in the way of our praying.
5. Spend time in actual prayer. This, of course, is the goal and has to be given the emphasis. We are not simply meditating on life, we are doing these things with a view to personal prayer. Even then, we must remember that our personal prayers can be varied and need not be the same every day. Generally, it is helpful if we include certain categories in our prayer that will allow us variety and fervency. It is good to begin with praising God for who He is and for His wonderful works, also those in our lives. Thanksgiving is also fitting in this regard. We must include a time of confession of sin and of seeking forgiveness and renewal. We bring our own needs to God and the needs of others — the prayer of intercession. We conclude with the assertion of God’s faithfulness and holding to Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
Frequently the question arises how long ought I to pray? Never pray by the clock. Never measure your godliness by the length of your prayer (that will lead to Phariseeism). Rather, if this is new to you, you begin with a short time and learn the wonderful blessings of it, and you will soon understand how Jesus could spend all night in prayer with His Father.
May God give all of us a heart for prayer!
Rev. Ronald Cammenga
God’s house is a house of prayer (Matt. 21:13). All our public worship is to be “prayerful” worship, that is, worship consciously given in the presence of God. This is what prayer is. Prayer is coming into the very presence of God. Since God’s house is a house of prayer, one of the most important aspects of public worship is the congregational prayer. Just as prayer is the chief part of thankfulness for the believer individually, so it must be regarded as the chief part of the thankful worship of the gathered congregation. Both the minister who leads in congregational prayer and God’s people who collectively offer up the congregational prayer must take this element of worship seriously. Each has a role to play, a calling to fulfill in the worship that congregational prayer is.
The Minister’s Role
The minister of the gospel is called upon to pray at many different times and in various settings. He prays when he brings God’s Word in his pastoral labors, with those whom he counsels, at sick beds, while teaching catechism classes and leading Bible study societies. He prays at council and consistory meetings, in various committees of the church and denomination, as well as at the broader assemblies. He prays at weddings and funerals, in circumstances of great joy and deep sorrow. Chief among his duties in prayer is his calling to lead in prayer during the worship service, especially his calling to lead in the congregational prayer.
The apostle Paul refers to this duty of the minister when he exhorts Timothy regarding the “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks” that as a pastor he is to offer up to God on behalf of the congregation (I Tim. 2:1). The Form of Ordination of the Ministers of God’s Word underscores the importance of this duty when it lists as the second main calling of the minister his calling to lead in congregational prayer: “Secondly. It is the office of the ministers publicly to call upon the name of the Lord in behalf of the whole congregation.” Article 16 of our Church Order likewise refers to this aspect of the minister’s labors, mentioning it first in the order of the duties that fall to the minister: “The office of the minister is to continue in prayer and in the ministry of the Word….”
What the minister must be conscious of is that he is called to lead the congregation in prayer. He is not offering up personal prayer in the hearing of the members of the church, but he is functioning as the spokesman and representative of the congregation. It is not his prayer, in the final analysis. It is the prayer of the congregation. In the preaching of the Word, the minister functions as the spokesman and representative of God. Similarly, in the offering up of the congregational prayer, he is the mouthpiece of the congregation.
Because of the importance of the congregational prayer, the minister must prepare himself before he leads the congregation in prayer. Thorough preparation is necessary before the minister mounts the pulpit to preach God’s Word. The same sort of careful preparation ought to take place before the minister brings the saints into God’s presence in the worship of prayer. Woe to that minister who does not prepare or who prepares inadequately for preaching! But woe also to that minister who does not diligently prepare for the high and holy calling of leading God’s people in congregational prayer! At the same time, what rich blessings God’s people and the minister himself reap as the result of good preparation before offering up the congregational prayer.
Preparation for congregational prayer may take various forms. Each minister will have his own way of preparing. Certainly that preparation ought to include reflection and meditation. This will often be the last part of his preparation before going to church to conduct the worship service — fifteen or twenty minutes spent in quiet contemplation of the congregational prayer he will offer up. That preparation may include the reading of a psalm. So many of the psalms are prayers and contain prayers. Reading and meditating on a psalm will often suggest to the minister thoughts and petitions to include in his congregational prayer.
It may also be helpful to read the prayers of others. The minister can profit considerably from others who have struggled with and mastered, at least to a great degree, the spiritual art of public prayer. Let me recommend the prayers of John Calvin. You can find collections of his prayers in various volumes. Many of his Old Testament commentaries, which were not written really as commentaries but delivered as lectures to his students, include his prayers with his students when these lectures were given. There are other helpful collections of public prayers. Allow me to recommend a few. Prayers of the Reformers, compiled by Clyde Manschreck; Prayers in the Congregation, by Henry Ward Beecher; C.H. Spurgeon’s Prayers, introduced by Dinsdale T. Young; The Joseph Parker Treasury of Pastoral Prayers, introduced by Stephen Olford; and The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett.
Careful preparation will enable the minister to avoid the many pitfalls that attend offering congregational prayer. There are any number of faults of which the minister ought to be aware as concerns congregational prayer. These faults concern both the form of congregational prayer and the contents of these prayers. The limitations of space prevent us from discussing these faults. I recommend that the serious-minded pastor who is concerned to avoid and perhaps even overcome these faults consult Prof. Herman Hanko’s fine work, Public Prayer. The Professor deals at length with these faults, both pointing them out and suggesting ways in which they can be overcome.
Prayer is a gift. The ability to pray publicly, to lead others in prayer, is a gift. It is a gift and ability necessary in the ministry of the gospel. A man who cannot pray publicly cannot be a minister. But like all spiritual gifts, this gift too can be developed. The minister ought to strive for the development of this gift, always working at improving his congregational prayers.
The elders have a role to play here. The elders are called by God to supervise the work of the minister. That supervision extends not just to his work of preaching, but includes also the minister’s congregational prayers. The elders ought to feel free to offer suggestions, and even necessary criticisms, concerning the minister’s congregational prayers. And the minister ought to be open to the suggestions and criticisms of his elders.
The Congregation’s Role
As important as the minister’s role is in congregational prayer, not to be overlooked is the role also of the congregation. It is the congregational prayer, after all. It is not the congregational prayer because it is a prayer for the congregation. It is the congregational prayer because it is a prayer offered by the congregation. This is the understanding that the members of the church must have of the congregational prayer. It is their prayer to God as the gathered congregation of believers and their seed.
The members of the church must consciously make the prayer of the minister their own. They must not only follow the prayer, but they must pray along with the minister. They must cry out to God, make supplication before Him, extol His great name, offer up their petitions, and give expression to their thankfulness before Him. This is difficult, exceedingly difficult, as the work of prayer always is. For the members of the church, congregational prayer is an exercise of faith. And it is the struggle of faith to pray aright.
One of the great difficulties of congregational prayer is the temptation to allow our minds to wander when the minister is praying. How easy it is to lose focus and to begin thinking about ourselves. While the minister is praying, we allow our minds to be filled with thoughts of our earthly lives, thinking about the events of the past week or making plans for the week ahead. Only when the minister concludes the prayer with the “Amen” is our attention re-directed and our thoughts brought back again to worship. The members of the congregation must work at it, not to allow this to happen, to stay focused during congregational prayer.
It is vital that the minister duly prepare himself before offering up congregational prayer. But the members of the congregation ought also to prepare themselves for this important aspect of public worship. This ought to be part of the spiritual preparation for the Lord’s Day and for each church service. The members ought to go to church ready and eager, not only to hear God’s Word, but to pray. Due preparation on the part of the members will go a long way to preventing lapses in this part of worship.
The members of the church ought to strive for reverence during the
congregational prayer. This is an important
part of all prayer and is certainly an important part of congregational prayer. The members, including the children and the young
people, ought to reflect reverence during the prayer even in their posture. Our custom is to sit during the congregational prayer. But then, the members ought to sit erect, with
heads bowed and hands folded. Congregational
prayer is not a time to slouch down in the pew, relax, and take a snooze. Not only is that irreverence in prayer, but it
assures that we will lose focus in the course of the prayer.
Parents must teach their children the place and importance of congregational prayer, as well as proper behavior during prayer. They ought to instruct their children to sit still during the prayer, with hands folded and heads bowed. And they ought to take a peek, once in awhile, to make sure that their children are behaving properly during the congregational prayer. Parents often ask their children about the contents of the sermon: “What did the minister preach about today?” That is a good practice and encourages the children to listen to the sermon. It might be a good idea for parents to ask their children periodically, “What did the minister pray for today?”
In the way of both the minister and the members carrying out their respective roles in congregational prayer, these prayers of the church will be a blessed part of the public worship of God. The congregational prayers will honor God, as He deserves to be honored by the worship of His church. And just in that way the congregation herself will be richly blessed through these prayers.
Family Prayer
Rev. Garrett Eriks
Rev.
Eriks is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado.
In our homes, the highlight of the day is the evening meal. The family that was separated during the day reunites for a time of fellowship around the supper table. The great blessing of these daily meals is not first the food prepared by mother, but the fellowship of the family, as everyone takes a turn rehearsing what happened throughout the day. However, the fellowship at the family mealtime is not simply with each other. Customarily, it is also a time of fellowship with God in family worship. One of the great blessings in our covenant homes is the time our families gather for daily family worship. Before the meal, a prayer is offered to God, thanking Him for the food and for His care for the family throughout the day. After the evening meal, often with one of the young children on his lap, father reads a passage of Scripture, leads the family in a discussion of the truth found in that passage, and finishes by calling the children to fold their hands and bow their heads in prayer. The home in which this worship is the highlight experiences rich blessings from God.
A necessary element of this family worship is habitual, sincere family prayer. How is your family prayer life? Do you find that your prayers after the evening meal become repetitions that mean nothing? Is prayer rushed so that you can attend other activities? Do you fathers give much thought to what you pray, or is your prayer offered with a lick and a promise? It is important for us to be recommitted in our homes to faithful family prayer because of the many threats to this aspect of our family worship.
When believers and their children pray together, they fellowship with Jehovah by speaking to Him. In this family prayer, the head of the home usually leads the family to the throne of grace to praise and thank their heavenly Father for His many blessings, to confess the sins of the home, and to request what they need for body and soul. What distinguishes family prayer from personal prayer and congregational prayer is that those who are part of a family, living in the same home, come to the throne of grace. The one who leads in prayer brings the entire family before God. This is what makes family prayer especially difficult for the one who leads. He must put words in the mouths of his family so that what he prays is their prayer.
Family prayer is vital for the spiritual health of the covenant family. What breathing is to our earthly lives, prayer is to our spiritual lives. This is not only true for us individually, but this is true for us in our family life. Prayer is the backbone of a spiritually healthy family. A family that does not pray will be spiritually weak. A family that regularly seeks the throne of grace in the right way will be spiritually strong.
God’s Word demands such family prayer. God’s Word does not simply provide a good suggestion. The call to family prayer does not simply come to your home highly recommended by me and other officebearers. Clearly God urges family prayer upon His children. We do not find specific passages that demand this family prayer. Nevertheless, we find this calling by putting together different passages concerning prayer and family worship. Jesus says in Luke 21:36, “Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.” In I Thessalonians 5:17, God commands us, “Pray without ceasing.” Jesus Himself demands prayer. This demand is carried out partly in family prayer.
Family prayer has been the long-standing practice established by God Himself. It began soon after the fall when God’s people began to worship Him publicly, which we read in Genesis 4:26: “then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.” This is in the context of Jehovah providing the covenant seed of Seth instead of Abel. And to Seth Jehovah gave the son Enos. Adam and Eve and their children and their children’s children prayed to and worshiped Jehovah, as a family. Another example of family worship and prayer is found in Joshua 24:15, when Joshua vows, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” We can be sure Joshua’s confession included family prayer. In the New Testament, we read concerning Cornelius, a Roman captain, that he was “a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always” (Acts 10:2). From these many examples it is clear that God demands family prayer.
God calls the head of the home, husband and father, to lead the family in prayer. This does not mean fathers are the only ones who may lead the family in prayer. When father cannot be present, the mother leads the children in prayer. In fact, it is good for mothers to lead the children in prayer at breakfast or lunch when father is not present. At other times, father may have one of the children lead in prayer. In our home, one of the children often leads in prayer before the meal so that they learn how to pray. The head of the home is called to oversee family prayer.
This family prayer, as a part of family worship, must be habitual. Habitual prayer is not just a good idea, but this is the good instruction of God Himself. In Daniel 6:10, Scripture records Daniel praying to Jehovah with his window open to Jerusalem, on his knees, three times a day. Daniel had fixed times of prayer in his life — probably morning, noon, and night. David speaks of his own habitual prayer life in Psalm 55:16, 17: “As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” Because individually we must have a fixed pattern for prayer, so also this is true for our family prayers. Scripture does not demand that it be at these set times or three times a day. But the principle found in these passages is that prayer must be habitual. Family prayer must be a daily habit in our home. Often when we think of habits, we ponder our bad habits. But family prayer is a good and necessary habit.
Let us beware of the many attempts of Satan to disrupt family prayer. Probably the most common excuse for not conducting regular family worship and praying is that we are too busy. We read a passage of Scripture with our families. We explain that passage. But then we take a look at the clock and we have to leave in a few minutes. The game will be on soon. If any element gets the short end of the stick, it is prayer. Not enough time was left for prayer, so we rush. Satan loves it when this happens.
Satan also uses sin to disrupt family prayer. Instead of a dinner of herbs where love is, our mealtime can turn into a time of quarreling and yelling. Often this is because Dad or Mom had a bad day and they are crabby. Their bad mood infects the children also, so that the time of fellowship is ruined. Satan baits us to disrupt our prayer life. How can we pray to God rightly when we have just been yelling and fighting?
Family prayer must be characterized by urgency and sincerity. Our family prayers must be wholehearted. Fathers, does this characterize your prayers? Do your prayers consist of the same words every night? Do you just try to squeeze prayer in at the end of supper before you sit down in front of the television or read the newspaper? Or do you sweat and labor in prayer? Speaking to God in prayer is hard work. Jesus warns against vain repetitions in Matthew 6:7: “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Jehovah God is not pleased with vain repetitions. This is why we should not be content simply to pray the Lord’s Prayer every night as the main family prayer. It is the perfect prayer. But there is the danger that those words mean nothing after awhile. In our family prayers, we must choose our words carefully because we lead our family in speaking to the Holy God. God is not pleased with an abundance of words.
Our prayers with our families will be sincere when we know our need to pray. We need to pray to give thanks to God. Pray in the consciousness of the amazing covenant grace of God. God is so good in the line of generations. He provides covenant children and covenant parents. He has delivered us and our children from our sins in Jesus Christ. God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift. In prayer, we must thank and praise God because He is our Savior, Redeemer, and Rock.
Our prayers will be sincere and living when we pray knowing our need for His grace and Holy Spirit (Lord’s Day 45). Family prayer is the time to pray for the spiritual needs of the family. These prayers must not be used to rebuke naughty children. But it is a time to pray for the grace to control our tongues. It is the perfect opportunity to pray for family love. Family prayer must be conducted because God demands it, but also because we need it!
Finally, I humbly present a few suggestions for family prayer. These items are intended to be suggestions and not laws. I am not saying this is the best way to conduct family prayer. But here are ideas for fathers (and mothers) in this difficult task of leading the family before the throne of grace.
First, the great struggle I find in leading family prayer is staying fresh, so that my prayers do not become vain repetitions. This can especially become difficult for men who are home for more than one meal a day, which requires more family prayers. How do we stay fresh? We must work at praying. The first time we think about the family prayer at the end of a meal should not be when we close our Bibles just before prayer. At the very least, throughout the meal we should consider what we will include in our prayer. We should consider the faithfulness of God through another day and thank God for the blessings bestowed. There is no replacement for preparation!
To stay fresh, the head of the home can use the Scripture passage that was just read. This brings home the truth of what was just read practically for the family when it is included in the prayer. In general, when one prays, it is a good idea to use the language of Scripture. The more we grow in our knowledge of God’s Word, the easier we will find praying to God.
Secondly, brevity is important especially with younger children in the home. Hard words, long sentences, and long prayers will be difficult for the children to follow and understand, which hinders that prayer from becoming their own prayer. With younger children, we should try to bring the prayer to their level so that to a certain degree they can understand. This does not mean we pray like a little child. Brevity and simplicity must have limits. However, this is an important principle of prayer.
Finally, family prayer is a time of teaching according to the demand of Deuteronomy 6:6, 7. God calls parents to teach their children how to pray. The prayers of father at the time of family worship are a teaching tool, whether we are conscious of it or not. If our prayers are vain repetitions that are rushed, our children will learn to pray the same way. However, when we pray humbly, from the heart, praising God and petitioning God for the things we truly need, such prayers teach our children how to pray rightly. In all of our prayers we must be conscious that we are teaching. Let us be faithful in teaching our children the right way to pray. Part of this instruction is having our children pray. This begins with memorized prayers. But they should also be taught to pray their own prayers and lead the family in prayer.
May the practice of daily, sincere family prayers bear the fruit of strengthening our covenant homes.
Teaching Our Children to Pray
MaryBeth Lubbers
“Suffer the little childr