Devotions

When the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), it was because they truly wanted to learn to pray in a way that pleased him. Likewise, many Christians today would love to be faithful in prayer — but they don’t know how. Because they simply do not grasp the vital purpose of prayer, they do not maintain a meaningful life of prayer.

Many pray out of a sense of obligation, thinking it is something they are supposed to do. Others pray only in times of crisis or tragedy. But it is important to understand that while prayer is for our own benefit, it is also for the delight of the Lord! Without these two elements, we do not have a foundation upon which to build a prayer life.

We are not just to intercede for things we need, but we are to ask for the things He desires. And his deepest desire is fellowship with us — intimacy and communion.

“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. . . . Look at the birds of the air . . . your Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26).

“For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (6:32-33, emphasis added).

God is saying to us, “When you come into my presence, focus your attention on fellowship with me, on getting to know me. Don’t let your focus be on material things. I know what your needs are and I will take care of them all. Just seek me and let us enjoy sweet communion.”

The kind of prayer that most pleases God is very simple and easy to understand; it is so simple, in fact, that a little child can pray in a way that pleases him.  

In three years of ministry, Jesus had healed the sick; restored eyesight to the blind; raised the dead; miraculously fed huge crowds; preached the good news to the poor; and taught the masses the truth about their heavenly Father. This amazing list of accomplishments came about because of the Son’s obedience to the Father’s will.

The night of the Last Supper, Jesus was winding down his final conversation with his disciples, and his words reflected his knowledge that he was soon to leave them. In John 17 we read where he concluded the gathering with an encouraging prayer about things to come: a triumphant, overcoming Church; a people whose love for each other would be a testimony to the world; divine power and authority flowing through his followers; and the glory of the Father resting on his people. The word give comes up more than any other in the text: “Father, You have given Me . . . You have given them . . . I have given them.” 

We notice in this amazing prayer that it is in the nature of the Father to give good gifts to his children. And when he sent his Son, he listed all that he would give him: “I’ll give you power and authority in my name; the peoples of the earth; words to speak and works to accomplish. And I will give you my glory!”

In turn, we see that Jesus has the same giving nature as his Father. In fact, in his prayer he recounts all the things he had already given to his disciples — and the things he would continue to give!

In a sense, that evening Jesus gave the disciples his last will and testament. He was saying, “I established my kingdom by giving and here is how I want my kingdom to continue through you.”

The last thing Jesus gave his followers before he left was a particular calling — the calling to give. And this calling continues in us.  

In the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, a remarkable thing happened in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. Acting as the designated reader of the Old Testament passage for that Sabbath day, the Lord read these words:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).

Jesus then followed his public reading by these astounding words: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). This famous passage from Isaiah 61 was spoken of the Messiah for whom Israel was waiting. Jesus declared himself to be that Promised One. By this he explained to his own townspeople that he was much more than merely the son of the carpenter they thought him to be.

Carefully note why Jesus was anointed by God and why the Spirit rested on him in power. His purpose was to bring good news to poor people with little earthly hope, to proclaim spiritual freedom to those bound by sin and Satan, to deliver the message of salvation that God wanted everyone to hear and experience. That is why the Holy Spirit empowered Christ so amazingly — to help sinful, needy people find their way back to God. He was not given so we Christians could have exciting meetings and moments of spiritual ecstasy, as wonderful as that might be.

The Holy Spirit was sent to accomplish many divine purposes, but at the top of the list was the empowering of God’s people to reach the world with the gospel of Christ. If we lose sight of God’s heart of love for the world — including our own cities and neighborhoods — we will experience little of the Spirit’s power, since we are on a different page from the one our Lord is on.  

Jim Cymbala began the Brooklyn Tabernacle with less than twenty members in a small, rundown building in a difficult part of the city. A native of Brooklyn, he is a longtime friend of both David and Gary Wilkerson. 

Unbelief grieves the heart of God more than any other sin. We Christians cry out against the sins of the flesh but God is concerned with the sins of the heart — doubting his Word or questioning his faithfulness. The real issues of life and death have more to do with how a person thinks than what he does.

I have known Christians who forsake every sin of the flesh they can think of but in spite of “cleaning up their act,” they are still restless and dissatisfied. They mistakenly thought God would be pleased if they forsook their secret sin, that the blessings would flow automatically. But sins of the flesh are only part of the problem. They learned only to fear the Lord but not to trust him, and fear almost always gives birth to unbelief.

Through his Word God has graciously provided a sure way to have absolute confidence in him.

“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught” (Proverbs 3:24-26).

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward” (Hebrews 10:35).

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

These are marvelous promises from our heavenly Father. Do not give in to fear or doubt! Deal with unbelief as you would any other abominable sin. Fix your heart to trust in the Lord — and remember the words of the Psalmist: “He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established; he will not be afraid” (Psalm 112:7-8). 

“Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught” (Proverbs 3:25-26).

Many people today are asking questions that have no definite answer. Will there be a depression soon? Are we facing a great economic storm that many ministers and economists have been warning of?

No one on earth truly knows the answers. Economists give terribly conflicting forecasts, and so-called prophets send out all sorts of confusing and dire warnings. I believe that all true prophecy must offer hope and comfort to God’s people who live by faith. 

Several years ago, hundreds of worried Christians wrote to me about a prophecy that said most of Florida would be inundated by a tidal wave. Many slipped out of Florida on so-called vacations on the predicted date — just in case the prophecy was accurate. Florida is still with us.

No one knows where, how, or when God will send judgment. The times and seasons are all in his hands. Do you live in an earthquake zone, maybe near a fault line? Or in a sprawling suburb that seems less secure as days go by? No food stored up? No gold bars or coins to hedge against inflation? Nothing to fall back on if the economy collapses? Nothing to live on if you lose your job?

Don’t panic! You have all you need if you believe in our Lord’s promise of protection. The more I read the words of Jesus, the more I believe he is asking for our childlike trust in him — to keep us safe in every situation.