“ At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you”–Philemon 1:22.
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Have you ever been tempted to give up on prayer?
If your answer is ‘yes,’ then fear not, for you are in very good company! I have a strong suspicion that every believer in Christ down through the ages has traveled this road when it comes to prayer.
There are a host of reasons that prayer is so difficult, and that we quickly fall into despair over it, cease engaging in it, and even wonder about the point of it. This seems to be a particularly significant struggle among those who affirm the sovereignty of God over all things. We wonder, ‘Why should I pray when God has already decreed all that shall come to pass?’
The Mystery of Prayer
The words quoted above from the Apostle Paul were directed to his good friend Philemon, who was a member of the Church at Colossae. You will remember that Philemon owned a slave named Onesimus who had run away and had visited with Paul who was imprisoned at Rome. Paul penned this little one-page Epistle as a passionate appeal to Philemon to welcome Onesimus back home, yet not as a slave anymore, but as a beloved brother in Christ (1:16).
As the incarcerated Apostle brings his short letter to a conclusion, he says something most interesting about the exercise of prayer. Look once more at these most intriguing words:
“ I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.”
It is certainly true that no one believed more strongly in God’s sovereignty than the Apostle Paul did! After all, he wrote the Book on it, literally! But it is equally obvious that no one believed more in prayer than did Paul. This is why he spoke so frequently about it, repeatedly commanded it, and fervently requested it on his behalf.
For example, note these two passages:
Romans 15:30–
“ strive together with me in your prayersto God on my behalf. . . .”
Philippians 1:9–
“ for I know that through your prayersand the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance. . . .”
What we see going on with Paul is that he had no problem with the ‘mystery of prayer.’ That is, he saw no conflict, or contradiction, between God’s sovereignty on the one hand, and the necessity of prayer on the other. And he never tries to explain how this works!
Here in Philemon Paul is most confident (the essence of Biblical hope) that he will be released from prison and will be able to visit personally with Philemon. But his ” deliverance” from captivity and the “ help of the Spirit of Jesus” will come through prayer!
It is apparent that Paul believed that God had ordained to use the faithful prayers of His people to accomplish His sovereign will. So he prayed! He depended upon prayer! He asked for prayer! He commanded that we pray!
So, here is where our encouragement is to be found as we come to the midpoint of this new week.
Our Father has determined from eternity past to make use of our prayers in the present and in the future. Yes, this is mind-blowing and impossible to understand. But is it true, nonetheless! Our prayers–even those supplications feebly lofted to heaven with fear, doubt, stained with sin, and accompanied by many questions–are taken up by our loving Father and made effective for the accomplishment of His Holy will!
Our Father has determined (from all eternity!) that by means of our prayers we can help others in distress, we may open doors that are closed, we shall penetrate barriers that cannot be breached by mere men, we are able to richly supply those who are in need, we move blessings from their storehouse in heaven down to earth, we bring down evil and dark principalities and advance the Kingdom of Light, and we find our own deficiencies supplied by our Father’s immeasurable abundance!
No, I don’t understand how all of this works. But understanding is not a prerequisite for prayer, nor an excuse for not praying! We must all faithfully engage in this marvelous and mysterious privilege; that of becoming an instrument for the achievement of our Father’s wise and eternal plans for the whole world!
Let us be encouraged to pray! Let us believe that our prayers do make a huge and eternal difference! Let us pray without ceasing!
I love you all so very much!
Mike