Grace for Española
 
We continue our look at 2 Chronicles 20 for principles of prayer. With the busy-ness of the summertime activities, let’s continue to carve out time to be alone with God in prayer by adding the following principles to the one we learned in the previous blog post.

B. God delights to do what He promised to do (vv. 7-11).

Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8　And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,　or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt,and whom they avoided and did not destroy—behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit (ESV).

One way to show submissiveness to the will of God is by praying according to His will and one way to do that is by praying according to the promises God has given in Scripture. Jehoshaphat modeled this in verse 7 by praying in accordance with God's promise to give the land to Israel forever (Gen.13:15; 15:18). Also, at the dedication of the Temple, the Lord had promised Solomon that He would hear the prayers of the people (2 Chron. 6:14-42; 7:15). God said, "Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place" (2 Chron. 7:15 NAS). The believer in prayer can rehearse the promises of God and be confident that the Lord hears and will act to fulfill His promises on behalf of His children.

Now take some time to think through or write down your interaction with this second principle:

* Recognize the truth of the principle.
* Reflect on or meditate on the truth of the principle.
* Relate the truth to real concerns.
* Rehearse the principle in prayer or pray according to the truth.
* Respond to or take action on the truth of the principle.

C. God's people are helpless without Him (v. 12).

O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you (ESV).

Commentators disagree as to whether Jehoshaphat went out to meet his attackers with an army or not. It is clear that Jehoshaphat had a large and capable army (2 Chron. 17:12-19). However, he apparently did not trust in his army to deliver him from the combined Transjordanian forces. Rather, Jehoshaphat, without any deliberation, turned to the Lord and asked for His deliverance on their behalf saying, "For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You" (2 Chron. 20:12b).

Likewise, Christians today must choose to rely on either human or divine resources. Lehman Strauss wrote, "Human wisdom and human desire can achieve human results. But praying in the Spirit produces divine results." When believers rely on their human resources, they selfishly seek their own glory and foolishly deprive themselves of God's power. However, Christians can turn to God in prayer, as Jehoshaphat did, even though they may have some means, and allow God to show Himself strong on their behalf and receive all the glory as a result. Whenever God's people face an impossible situation, it is actually a wonderful opportunity for God to test their faith and bring glory to himself.

Now take some time to think through or write down your interaction with this third principle:

* Recognize the truth of the principle.
* Reflect on or meditate on the truth of the principle.
* Relate the truth to real concerns.
* Rehearse the principle in prayer or pray according to the truth.
* Respond to or take action on the truth of the principle.

There is nothing we need more than God’s power in our lives. Let’s continue to seek Him together in private that we might see His power evident when we join together for public worship each Lord’s Day.
 
 
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Read this book!
This Father's Day I am preaching a special message for fathers. I do not believe I can address a more relevant topic than fatherhood. It is not a stretch to say that most problems with individuals and in society stem from the issue of fatherlessness, or even passive, unengaged fathers. Over 40% of children today do not live with their biological fathers. This reality is having massively destructive effects on young people today and society in general. Dad, can I count on you to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem? If so, I want to ask you to purchase and read a book that will instruct and motivate you to be the godly man your children desperately need in their lives.

There are many books I could recommend on this topic and you can visit the links below for more, but I would ask you to please read at least this one: The Masculine Mandate by Richard D. Phillips. Click the image of the book above to order it online from my Amazon referall.

You may also be interested to read some of the free resources on manhood at my teaching web site here. If you are interested in browsing some of the other books I recommend visit the following links:

* Christian Manhood
* Parenting
* Marriage
* Catechism
 
 
As we enter the summer months, many of us will have more free time with school being out and less structured activities. Some of us may be busier trying to make the most of the summer opportunities for vacation and outdoor activities. Whatever the case, let’s remember to keep the main thing the main thing in our Christian lives—which is to keep God at the center of our thoughts and lives. If we fail in this, we fail in everything. To help us with this goal, I’d like us to reflect on the revival under King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, almost 3,000 years ago. This has long been a favorite Old Testament passage for me. As we look at it over the coming weeks let’s interact with each principle we learn by considering the following "R’s." Let this study be further training in Bible meditation as we have considered in recent weeks in this column.

* Recognize the truth of the principle.
* Reflect on or meditate on the truth of the principle.
* Relate the truth to real concerns (the enemies of the soul – the world, flesh, devil), trials, personal conflict, etc.
* Rehearse the principle in prayer or pray according to the truth.
* Respond to or take action on the truth of the principle. Apply it to specific areas of concern in your life.

The Setting

After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar" (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord (2 Chron 20:1-5, ESV).

During the reign of King Jehoshaphat over Judah in 853 B.C. a sudden and unexpected invasion took place by a combined force of Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites. When Jehoshaphat heard of the encroaching armies, he immediately turned to the Lord for help. Jehoshaphat called for a national fast and all of Judah gathered together in Jerusalem to seek the Lord in prayer. Jehoshaphat then led the nation in a prayer reminiscent of Solomon's prayer of dedication of the temple in 2 Chronicles 6:24-39. It is from this prayer and the related actions that several principles for effective prayer are found. Take a few minutes to look up and read 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 right now if you can.

A. God has power over all people and situations (vv. 5-7).

And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?

The Bible presents God as One who is all-powerful and completely sovereign over all His creation. For this reason, prayer is not a light matter. The believer in prayer has access to this divine power. Commentator J. Oswald Sanders made an astonishing observation about prayer. He said, "It invests puny man with a sort of omnipotence." The believer need not fear any foe under heaven when he is fully surrendered to the will of God. Effective prayer brings the believer to this state of submission to God's sovereignty.

Now take some time to think through or write down your interaction with this first principle:

* Recognize the truth of the principle.
* Reflect on or meditate on the truth of the principle.
* Relate the truth to real concerns. How does the truth of God’s sovereignty impact you today?
* Rehearse the principle in prayer or pray according to the truth. Express your confidence in God’s sovereignty as you go to the Lord in prayer.
* Respond to or take action on the truth of the principle. How does knowing God is in total control of all things affect your decisions, attitude, concerns today?

In the following weeks, we will look at additional principles from this dramatic story of revival. May you have a truly God-centered summer filled with the joy of knowing the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God who saves His people!
 
 
A Suggested Text for Meditation.In our last article we left off introducing Colossians 3:1-4 as a suggested text to begin practicing meditation. As you get the flow of thought in the first four verses begin to see the connection to the verses following all the way through verse 17 which are the practical commands that follow the spiritual reality of our union with Christ. Here’s the outline for the first four verses:

I. Our life in Christ is to be pondered (vv. 1-2)
II. Our life in Christ is presently hidden (v. 3)
III. Our life in Christ is to be revealed (v. 4)

Here, we find the "already/not yet" tension of our present Christian experience. John Piper has a sermon titled "Already: Decisively and Irrevocably Free, Not Yet: Finally and Perfectly Free." This summarizes very well our current relationship to sin. We currently live in the tension between the overlapping of the current age in which sin, evil, and death are still present and the age to come when God’s kingdom is unveiled in all its glory. We are to live in the present age as if coming age is what defines us and give us the incentive to live for Christ.

Reflect on the remaining verses (vv. 5-17) and write down on index cards or in a journal a summary of what God is saying to you in His Word so that you can apply it and make it part of your thinking and living. When you have done this for some time, this text should become one of those bedrock passages of Scripture in your walk of faith. These truths should come to mind over and over again as you go through life.

You may want to include in your meditation journal a record of how God is working in your life through the practice of meditation. This will become an additional source of encouragement to your faith and something you can pass on to your children or others you are discipling. By doing these things, God will be glorified in us as we find ourselves increasingly satisfied in Him. Soli Deo Gloria!

Points to Ponder in Sanctification. Below are some pithy gospel truths that I regularly meditate on. Feel free to adopt these and/or add some of your own as God leads. I have printed a card with these that you can keep in your Bible. If you’d like one, just ask me.

* Christ alone (not my works) is my eligibility for sonship, favor, love, and acceptance with God. 
* I consent to be represented by Christ before the Father. 
* I am justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
* There is no condemnation for me since I am "in Christ." 
* I am dead to sin. Sin’s reign is Already decisively and irrevocably broken in my life even though I am Not Yet finally and perfectly free from it. 
* I am glory bound. When Christ who is my life is revealed, I will be reveal with Him in glory (Col 3:4). 
* God is reconstructing His image in me. I exist to reflect His glory. Though God’s image was marred in my life before salvation, mercifully God has, is, and will restore me to my created purpose. 
* Faith is the root of works. I will feed my faith in my effort to be obedient to God. 
* I will continually give thanks to God for His many blessings. In cultivating a thankful heart, I reject pride and self-pity, I reject thoughts of "rewarding" myself with sin. 
* I refuse to offer obedience in an effort to "pay God back" for His many blessings. I will depend on God’s power through faith in His sure promises in order to obey Him. 
* Obedience to God provides a better future and a deeper satisfaction than sin does. 
* I will meditate on the excellencies of God’s being and sing His praises. I will delight in God. I will think on God’s marvelous works and His spectacular glory (def. of glory – "the beauty of God’s manifold perfections"—John Piper). 
* I exist for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples. –John Piper
* God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him. –John Piper 
* Systematically build a case for obedience and a case against disobedience by conducting a cost/benefit analysis for obedience versus disobedience.

For further study of the benefits and method of biblical meditation, see Jay Wegter’s article on meditation that you can download here. May you find the truths of God’s Word to be the bedrock of your life as you meditate daily on it.