Yesterday I offered my definition of prayer – talking to God – and some scriptural encouragement to practice different kinds of prayer. But I had to close the post before mentioning a very important form of prayer – ADORATION. God has blessed me with connection to three groups of intercessors. Orinthia, the leader of a Toronto-based group circulated a prayer yesterday that beautifully exemplified Adoration. She ascended beyond praise (which could be simply saying good things about God), beyond worship (which could simply be positioning ourselves as mortal subjects before a divine sovereign), to lavishly expressing ADORATION directly to our God, with all the intelligible language that she could muster. Language from the heart, enlightened by scriptural revelation of Who God is, inspired by personal experience of all that God has done for us, and sweetened by the personal blessings of intimate relationship with God. When some people overhear adoration, it may sound to them as if we are trying to “butter up” God in order to ask Him for something. But banish that thought. God cannot be bribed, and true intercessors know that. We should spend time adoring Him even when we have nothing but thanksgiving on our hearts, when we desire nothing but to enjoy His presence, and to experience His replies 🙂
Prayer is…
Prayer is talking to God FROM A GOD-HONORING HEART. (When people hurl blasphemous utterances toward God I don’t think anyone could define that as prayer, although in a sense they may be talking to God.) David, the God-honoring king, repentant sinner, psalmist and “man after God’s own heart” talked to God about everything, and especially encouraged God’s people to preface all their prayer with thanksgiving and praise. For our corporate prayer now-a-days, it is useful to recognize that there are other specific kinds of prayer. In the TLV and some other versions, 1 Timothy 2:1-4 lists thanksgiving, supplication, and intercession, as well as general “prayer”. Check out the definitions of those words. Philippians 4:6 adds the word “petition” (requests) which is sometimes used interchangeably with “supplication”. Hebrews 7:25 says that Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Christ) our great eternal High Priest, “always lives to make intercession for them (those who draw near to God through Him)”. Ephesians 6:18 encourages us to use “all kinds of prayers”, and 1 Corinthians 14:14-17 elaborates on this to mention praying “in the Spirit” and praying “with my mind” – in the corporate context where others can agree and say “Amen”. As if to facilitate necessary prayers even further, Romans 8:26 says, “The Ruach (Holy Spirit) helps in our weakness. For we do not (always) know how to pray as we should, but the Ruach Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.” (Have to stop sharing now. Time to get ready for Shabbat corporate pre-service prayer 🙂 )
“Before they call, I will answer.”
In Isaiah 65:24, God promised His “servants” (verses 13-16) that the time will come (verses 12 ff.) when He’ll answer before we even call to Him, and even while we are still voicing our request He will “hear”. The consistency of this will be a hallmark of “a new heavens and a new earth”, where wolves will peacefully lie next to lambs and lions will eat “straw” with herbivores to avoid hurting anything in God’s holy presence. So far we’ve not consistently experienced God’s answering before we call because there are impediments in our present “heavens and earth” that can either prevent His answers from reaching us, or prevent us from perceiving/ receiving His answers. We can see an example of the first kind of impediment in Daniel’s Chapter 10 testimony. Although Daniel went on a 21-day partial fast to seek God for answers, an angel had to explain to him on day 21, “From the first day … your words were heard (and) I have come … However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia resisted me (the angel bringing God’s answer) for 21 days…”
We find an example of the second kind of impediment in 2 Kings 6:15-17, where Elisha’s attendant could not see the awesome “armed forces” God had sent to protect them, until Elisha prayed for his eyes to be opened. Of course, there can be other kinds of impediments to our receiving God’s answers, which have to do with our character. This promise of God answering even before we call was made to God’s servants… not just to anybody, and not to God’s wanna-be bosses. However, although the day has not yet come when His servants will consistently experience, perceive or receive instant answers when we call out to God, He does give us generous tastes of that glorious day.
I have learned that when God said “while they are still speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24), this “hearing” implied not only that He would acknowledge the sound of our voices, but also – as the first part of the verse says – He will already have responded. As well, I’ve been understanding a little of how this works. First of all, God knows (by His omniscience) what we need and when we are going to call out to Him for it, so He prepares His response ahead of time, just waiting for us to call. Secondly, God can prepare the answers to our prayers ahead of our asking because is not constrained to operate within time as we are. He created time and operates freely between past, present and future. He doesn’t even have to “time travel” like science fiction characters, because He’s just simultaneously THERE in the present, past and future (by His omnipresence operating not only in space but also in time).
Yesterday morning, in the car on our way to work, Mike was moved to extend our morning devotions by praying for a certain thing to happen for a certain group of people. It was a prayer we expected to be answered over the medium to long term, just because of the unwieldiness of the situation and the resistance that could be mounted against God’s answer. Once the prayer was voiced and agreed on, our minds were focused on work-day routines for the next nine hours. Then we visited a short evening prayer meeting together. There, behold, came (literally arrived unexpectedly) tangible evidence that the requested change was already in the works, and had been before we prayed 🙂 There was even a specific word Mike had used in his prayer, that was whispered back to our spirits in God’s manifested response. Our earnest petition had moved God to let us into one of His little secrets … to give us a peek at the answer He’d been preparing even before we called!
Book review by Sister Gloria Gray, Valley of Decision Missions
“I read through your book and I really enjoyed it. What I love about the book is that you are able to hold the reader’s interest because your experiences are so real, down to earth, honest and unpretentious. You are able to capture the essence of what everyday life is all about without being boring or repetitious. Most of all God’s faithfulness is clear. A big ‘congratulations’ on a well written book.”
A great interview with M. Evangeline Anderson on CHRI Family Radio
PASTOR’S WIFE SAYS THIS ABOUT TGIF:
A Pastor’s wife just messaged me on Facebook saying, “Thank you for dropping your book off at the church. I am really enjoying it… Laughing, crying….. Wonderful reading, hard to put it down! So glad that God gave you a heart for the Jewish people!” ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!
TGIF: Thank God It’s Friday by M. Evangeline Anderson
See links to view trailer, read press release, purchase TGIF
Purchase from Xulon Press. I will get twice the benefit of a purchase through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
More Readers Comment on TGIF
“You truly have such a desire to praise the Lord through your anointed writing, glorifying His love… and seeing His victory in spite of circumstances and situations. Thank you again for sharing!” Claudia Cardarelli, Navan, Ontario.
“I received the book and have begun to read it. As usual, your books are ‘compelling in the faith’ – very powerful and I bathe in the glory of your faith.” (Ingrid John-Baptiste, Ottawa)
PRWeb Press Release
Purchase paper-back book from Xulon Press, and eBook from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
Testimonies of God’s greatness
I’m so happy for those being blessed by my book, TGIF.
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