Jehoshaphat – Part 11
Jehoshaphat’s Prayer, Part ii
If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. (2 Chronicles 20:9)
And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; (2 Chronicles 20:10)
Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. (2 Chronicles 20:11)
O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. (2 Chronicles 20:12)
And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. (2 Chronicles 20:13)
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16)
Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. (James 5:17)
And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. (James 5:18)
Prayer of Deliverance and a Prayer of Judgment
In these two references to prayer with Jehoshaphat we have a prayer for deliverance; with Elijah we have a prayer for judgment recorded in the Book of James in the New Testament. We are told by the Holy Spirit of God that Elijah was a man of like passion as we are; therefore, as we look around us we see a world destroying itself in their sin. Should we pray as Elijah? I would think that it is quite evident that the Holy Spirit, who was given to reprove the world of sin would have us pray for the judgment of the wicked to preserve the righteous, And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (John 16:8). Elijah faced a notorious king, Ahab; when Elijah prayed that the heavens would be stopped he was encompassing all of Israel in his prayer. Should we not want God to judge wickedness? The Holy Spirit wants us to be active in His work, which is to judge the world. The Holy Spirit dwells within us; therefore, we should be like minded as the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God in the Book of James did not refer to the writings by Paul, or by John, or by Peter, but God the Holy Spirit reached back into the Old Testament and gives us an example of prayer concerning Elijah and his prayer, and the judgment of God that preceded his effectual prayer; for it rained not for three years and six months. We, as Christians, have a responsibility with the Holy Spirit of God to pray against the evil works of man, and judgment for those evil works. This is judgment in this life, not the great white throne judgment. God will handle the great white throne judgment. Jehoshaphat’s prayer was a two part prayer: first, we have deliverance for Judah and Jerusalem: the second part of the prayer was for judgment against Moab and their confederates. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Praying for world judgment is a righteous responsibility of the Christian. We are born because of God’s judgment upon His Son, Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God has created us as a new being, in righteousness which is in Jesus Christ. When the Lord Jesus sat down on His throne of righteousness in heaven — world circumstances were changed. Not only did He begin to build His Church in those who would be saved, but the unrepentant world came under, and is still under, the righteous judgment of God. Grace, which is the free gift of God, is meted out to those who He calls. The Jew and Gentile world at large are under divine judgment for their unrepentant sin. God is a God of grace, the same God is a God of judgment. What divides the two? . . . His righteousness. In grace He allows the sinner to go free because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. The worldling who is not saved is under that same righteousness in judgment. And collectively the present evil world is under God’s judgment because they refuse His grace. When we pray to the Almighty God our hearts should be burdened with the sin of the world, and in that burden for the judgment of those who will not repent. We also have a responsibility that God would open their eyes to the truth. Jehoshaphat was praying according to the word of God. Consider 1 Kings 8:33-38 — Solomon’s prayer.
When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house: (1 Kings 8:33)
Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. (1 Kings 8:34)
When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them: (1 Kings 8:35)
Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. (1 Kings 8:36)
If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; (1 Kings 8:37)
What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: (1 Kings 8:38)
Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) (1 Kings 8:39)
That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers. (1 Kings 8:40)
Jehoshaphat was relying on the God of promise and the God of righteousness. He desired Jehovah to perform what was spoken by Solomon over one hundred years prior. He was standing before the same sanctuary, the same house, the same throne, and the same God. This was the God of deliverance, therefore, Jehoshaphat cried out to God in his affliction for the people of Israel. He was calling for help that God would help him. As we have studied the life of Jehoshaphat I am sure that he prayed many times, but the Holy Spirit stresses this particular prayer for our learning. This is a broken king before us. He was facing the greatest enemy of his reign, and he like Hezekiah could only cast himself and his people on the mercies of God.
The Present Evil World
In the first reference of 2 Chronicles, Chapter 20, verse 9, If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help, Jehoshaphat called out the evil, that it is the evil that comes upon man because of the evil heart of man. This evil is within man, and creates what John called ‘the present evil world.’ Man likes to blame the devil for evil, and yet, it is the heart of man that is the seat of all evil around us. It is man’s sword that is bathed in the blood of his fellow man. It is man who organizes evil for his own thirst for blood.
In Jehoshaphat’s previous encounter with Moab he allowed them to escape his sword that God had placed in his hand to destroy the Moabites. They had strengthened themselves and were convinced that Jehoshaphat’s throne was in a weakened state. According to Jehoshaphat’s prayer he realized his own weakness. It was through his weakness that Moab and their confederates were drawn into the land of Judah. Could not Jehoshaphat say to himself, I have brought the enemy to our shores and into our land, His sword has come and he wants to drown us in our own blood. The Moabites covered the land like grasshoppers; thus, Jehoshaphat began with the sin of the nation and his sin. Since God’s judgment is caused by the nations transgressions Jehoshaphat must cast himself and his nation on the Almighty God. And the place to do that is the sanctuary of God.
God’s Judicial Judgment
Since the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, this world, both Jew and Gentile, has been under God’s judicial judgment. We have had nation against nation, sword against sword, blood against blood till every nation and the soil of every nation has been stained with their own blood and the blood of man. ( Numbers 35:33) So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. God has sent plagues, the black plague or bubonic plague: God has sent anthrax, God has sent cancer, God has sent polio, God has sent aids, God has sent tuberculous, God has sent the West Nile virus, God has sent Zika, and on and on, He has sent these diseases that the world may know that He is God and that the world is under His judgment; and yet, they still will not repent.
God of Power — God of Love — God of Judgment
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. (Deuteronomy 32:39)
The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. (1 Samuel 2:6)
For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. (Job 5:18)
Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. (Hosea 6:1)
The unrepentant, the ungodly, and the world are so foolish in their wisdom and in their delusional beliefs that they refuse the truth. They foolishly believe that God is not capable nor willing to act in judgment to show His wrath by using disease or His creation in anyway against rebellious people. This is a hard thing for the churched to accept as they, for the most part, have been lulled into numbness by the twisted feel-good-love doctrine. The world certainly refuses to face the truth of God’s righteousness and God’s wrath against an ungodly world.
It was because of sin that sickness, disease, and war came upon Israel can clearly be seen in Solomon’s prayer when he dedicated the temple. Man adds to his own foolishness, not only is there disease in the world, but man loves to spread disease from one country to another in lightning speed. He will fly disease in, he will ship it in, he will drive it in, he will walk it in to destroy his own nation because he will not repent before an Almighty God. As man brings the sword to his own shores, so he also brings disease and pestilence through his own self-willed heart.
Hunger — Famine
Then we have famine — I must remind you that today in the United States of America we have multiple food drives, we have food kitchens for the homeless, we have food distribution with long lines dedicated to supplying food for the aged. We have drives for the children that they might have food; and yet, if we go behind the grocery stores we see tons of food being thrown away because of government regulations and ordinances. Even when food is not bad the grocery stores must throw it away to protect themselves against the strong and evil hand of the United States government. It is a shame in a country that boasts of itself of so much wealth that anyone should go hungry. Whether it is the homeless, or seniors, or children it is a dreadful sin for any nation to not exhibit love and care for their own citizens; what then does this mean . . . Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
I grow a lot of my own food; this food is both for my family and for my neighbors. I would not allow any of my neighbors to go hungry. If I had to take food from my own table to help them, I would do that under the commandment of God to love my neighbor as I love myself. Our welfare, our love should not be determined by government or by organizations. Our determination and love for each other should be according to God’s word which this world has cast off. So all these things are in direct relationship to the sins of nations, and the righteousness of God. Truly, God has spoken about who is your neighbor — walk out your door — look to the right — look to the left — look straight ahead, and repeat the words of the Almighty God, love thy neighbor as thyself. God never declared in His word to love the government as thyself. Is our sin so great that a whole nation even the world allows the governments of this world to sink them deep into a sea of unrighteousness. It is a shame for a father and mother who are capable of physical labor to let their children go hungry. No matter where you are you can grow almost anything in pots. If the pots were used for vegetables and not for pot our children would have plenty of food, our elderly would not have to spend hours in line waiting for food (and even some passing out from heat and exhaustion).
If the time and the money that has been spent and used to create a state medical marijuana distribution system was used to raise food for the hungry we would have no hunger in this country. But the unrighteousness of this country and the world has become the political issue of our day. Political structures have become unrighteous. Consider this, does your governments endorse murder (abortion)? Does your governments endorse homosexuality? Does your government endorse drugs to change your mental capacity? Does your government endorse theft, or better known as borrowing without the obligation to return payment — from student loans to large failed corporations. This is just a small list of what is politically correct today, and is totally against the righteousness of God; therefore, God must judge and bring nation after nation down to the shores of destruction and devastation.
The Mind of God in Prayer
Solomon prayed for his people at the dedication of the temple, Jehoshaphat prayed for his people and for the people of the Lord in their time of trouble. God wants us to understand His thoughts in prayer, He wants us to comprehend the value of prayer, the reason for prayer and the results of prayer. He also gives us directives in when not to pray and who not to pray for. The Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John gives us a clear understanding of the heart and mind of God in prayer.
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. (John 17:6)
Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. (John 17:7)
For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. (John 17:8)
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. (John 17:9)
And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. (John 17:10)
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (John 17:15)
The Prayer of the Righteous and the Prayer of the Unrighteous
The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous. (Proverbs 15:29)
Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. (Jeremiah 7:16)
Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. (Jeremiah 11:11)
Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble. (Jeremiah 11:14)
Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. (Jeremiah 14:10)
Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. (Jeremiah 14:11)
When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence. (Jeremiah 14:12)
Read Proverbs 1:14 through 31. God always welcomes the prayer from the repentant in heart, and He always hears the cries from the broken in spirit. It is the prayer of the unrepentant, and the prayer of the unrighteous and the haters of God who He refuses to hear. Pray not for those who hate God, but pray that God will continue to draw out those who He wills.
Prayer of Wisdom
Love thy neighbor as thyself is not the wisdom of the world, for the Moabites were neighbors of Judah, and yet, they were positioning themselves to destroy Judah. We see in Jehoshaphat’s prayer the wisdom of a godly man according to the word of God. He is a king upon his throne, his people are before him, he came before Jehovah’s house and humbled, yes, I said humbled himself and the people did likewise. So God according to the prayer of Jehoshaphat listened, He heard the prayer and set in motion the deliverance of Judah and Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat had opened his heart to God, he had laid bare his request and God heard. This was not a prayer of the Pharisees in the time of Christ. This was a heart felt and honest prayer from a king who had humbled himself before God and his people. He stood with them, and they stood with their king in all humility.
Let’s go back to look at verse 13, And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. In verse 13 we see all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, this is a public display of a united people gathered before Jehovah. They were there because of conviction in the heart and soul. The Holy Spirit had drawn them from all over Judah and Jerusalem. They were there with their little ones, their new born, they were there with their children of age. They were there with their wives, and the men stood with them. This was a great company of families united before an Almighty God.
This display shows us three things: first, Jehovah is the most important relationship that one can have, for truly, thou shalt love the lord thy God; secondly, in succession, we have love in, and of the family; and thirdly, we have the government represented by a godly king. This is the only progression that man can behold and be in the will of God; God first, family next, and lastly — a righteous and holy government. Nothing else will satisfy an Almighty God. They all stood and listened to their king as Jehoshaphat brought his petition before Jehovah. He declared the enemy of the Moabites, of the children of Ammon, and the children of mount Seir. He cried out to Jehovah that Jehovah would not let the children of Israel destroy the Moabites when they came up out of Egypt, but now Jehoshaphat stressed that the Moabites were now here to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. Let us go back to the event that Jehoshaphat spoke about when Israel came out of Egypt and attempted to go through the land of the Moabites in peace.
Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. (Deuteronomy 2:5)
Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink. (Deuteronomy 2:6)
For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing. (Deuteronomy 2:7)
And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Eziongaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab. (Deuteronomy 2:8)
And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession. (Deuteronomy 2:9)
The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; (Deuteronomy 2:10)
Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims. (Deuteronomy 2:11)
The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the LORD gave unto them (Deuteronomy 2:12).
Jehovah had shown His goodness to Moab and to the children of mount Seir, but now they had turned their hearts to destroy Judah and the people of God. God meant it for good, and they had turned against the goodness of God by their evil hearts, and their enmity against Judah.
In Jehoshaphat’s prayer he declared this truth, that Jehovah would not allow the children of Israel to destroy Moab, and now they had come up against Judah. Jehoshaphat would have to remember his unfinished business with Moab. He would have to remember his own alliance with Jehoram and the tribute king of Edom. He had come before Jehovah simply because that was all he could do. He had failed in the past by his own ungodly alliances with evil men. At this time we do not know the condition of Jehoshaphat’s military; however, by listening to this king we can evaluate the state of his soul, and he is overwhelmed by this great company that has come out against him. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
Jehoshaphat announced that Judah had no power of their own. Their power had been lost because of past sin and their alliances with evil. There seemed to be no battle plan. Jehoshaphat was perplexed not knowing what to do against this great host. If we compare Asa’s battle with the Ethiopians, the Ethiopians had over a million men; yet, Jehovah delivered them into the hands of Asa (Jehoshaphat’s father). Even though Judah’s miraculous victory over the Ethiopians would have been well known by Jehoshaphat, he was still in a state of hopeless distress. This confederacy of the Moabites could have been as great or greater than the one million Ethiopians. Jehoshaphat had no power against this great host, only God could deliver him and his people. Jehoshaphat finished his prayer with an unusual Amen, he declared but our eyes are upon thee.
The Enemy
In our day we have the children of the East as the children of Amon, the Moabites, and the children of mount Seir. There is a great company at this time bathing their swords in the blood of men. The world hasn’t changed, we have a large group of the world’s populace surrounded by an evil religion that has declared war, or a so called holy war against the rest of the world. They have openly declared themselves as the enemy of the cross of Christ, and the enemy of all who are not of their religion. They are the enemies of God and His children, and they are a great company driven by hatred and the desire for world dominance. God’s time is not yet . . . the energy and hatred of this multitude has tried to over run the world before, and God has declared by His divine judgment upon them, Thus far and no further. Behind the curtain of the fabric of time God is working to bring about His perfect will. He has stayed their sword by turning it against their own selves. And he will be a wild man; his hand [will be] against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 16:12, the prophecy connected to the people of Ishmael) If all that energy was thrust out against the world instead of fighting against the sects within their own religion, they would have spread quicker than what we see today. Sadly, however, the nations are giving them a welcome mat on their doorsteps through political correctness and hunger for total power the leaders of all nations are willingly bringing the sword of destruction into their own lands. These same leaders are delusional if they believe that they will be able to control or influence madness. This is quite evident in what we have seen so far in 2016. Their fire is spreading and the governments of this world are helping them in every way they can. Yet, it is not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit saith the Lord of hosts. God will allow the time of the Gentiles to be fulfilled. At times He will delay evil, and at times He will allow evil, but in the end when the cup of the Gentiles is full it will not be man judging man, it will be God and His holy angels judging the nations of this world. There will be a mighty host, and the world will be shaking their fists at the Almighty God. We see that in the heart of the rebellious today. In all this wickedness God will deliver His children and keep them out of the jaws of leviathan.
The Power of Deliverance
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. (Daniel 3:16)
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. (Daniel 3:17)
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:18)
These three Hebrews knew the power of God’s deliverance. They also knew that if He would not deliver them out of the fiery furnace that their souls were eternally delivered, and they would be swept away by the angels of God into the bosom of Jehovah.
How We Are To Pray
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. (Luke 11:1)
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. (Luke 11:2)
Give us day by day our daily bread. (Luke 11:3)
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. (Luke 11:4)
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. (Matthew 6:9)
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
Give us this day our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11)
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (Matthew 6:12)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:13)
Two Prayers Compared
When comparing these two records of this wonderful prayer you will notice the ending in the Book of Matthew is For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen, and the prayer in the Gospel of Luke ends with but deliver us from evil. Why this difference? In the Gospel of Matthew, we have the gospel of the kingdom. It is the gospel of the great King, that is Jesus Christ come to deliver Israel and to set up His kingdom. When the Lord Jesus gave this pattern prayer in Matthew’s gospel the Jews had not yet fully rejected Him. At this time the kingdom was still before them, it is only when you hear . . . O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . that you hear the words from the heart of God in sorrow and in judgment.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37)
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. (Matthew 23:38)
In these two verses the kingdom had passed them by. There are three statements that the Jews uttered at the trial of the Lord Jesus Christ that has continually resounded throughout their history. First, they cried out to Pilate concerning the Lord Jesus, Crucify him. . . crucify him (John 19:6). Secondly, they proclaimed His blood be on us, and on our children (Matthew 27:25; Luke 23:28-31). Thirdly, their total rejection of the kingdom and the King who was sent unto them is seen in these words, We have no king but Caesar (John 19:15). The result is that Caesar has been driving them through the world ever since. Among the nations and people of the world there is no other nation in the history of man that has suffered so much since they cried out, Crucify him. . . crucify him. Truly, their sin of rejecting their King has fallen upon them and their children in the judgment of God. They rejected God’s Christ, therefore, they have been rejected. I pray every day that the Church would go home only to quicken the day of Israel’s redemption; so that God would deliver them into the arms of the Son of Righteousness with healing in His wings. In the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 1, verse 13, But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? I bring this verse into the Lord’s prayer in relationship to the words, deliver us from evil. If you avail yourself of Hebrews 1:13 you will see a prophecy given to the Lord Jesus that all His enemies will be made His footstool. This is delivering us from evil by God’s judgment upon evil. In Hebrews, Chapter 1, it is the final destination of all of Christ’s enemies, and if Christ’s enemies then they are our enemies, and they will be delivered, and God will place them as a footstool beneath the crushing feet of judgment of God’s dear Son.
In the prayer recorded in Luke’s gospel, it ends with deliver us from evil. Deliver us from the evil around us, this includes the judgment of that evil up to our present age and beyond. If one has the mind of Christ, then pray against this evil world, and pray for the judgment of this evil world. In Luke’s gospel we have the Son of man: this relates the prayer to all those who are redeemed for they are the only ones who know God as their Father. In this relationship they are the sons of God.
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1)
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12)
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13)
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:5)
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6)
Responsibility as Sons of God in Prayer
We are brought into a relationship with God the Father through God the Son by God the Holy Spirit. In this relationship we are brought into His righteousness. It is not our own righteousness, but His righteousness given unto us. We are sanctified by Him with His sanctification. This brings us into a full relationship with the Godhead through Jesus Christ. As we pray for God’s grace upon those who will be redeemed, we also have a responsibility to pray against the wickedness of this world; that God would judge and destroy those who oppose Him. I know, this is not modern thought and contemporary teaching in the world church today, for they are totally consumed by the Laodicean doctrine of self, self importance, self righteousness, and their determination that God’s judgment is but a mirage. To us who stand outside of this state of wickedness, we must stand with the Captain of the Lord’s host, and be of His mind and not be conformed to, nor influenced by the world. The world cannot stand the controlling power of the Almighty God and the sovereignty of God. That is why they deny Him, for in their delusion they think that they are in control. It would be complete foolishness even to the natural man if a divine Being, the Creator of all things, and the Sustainer of all things (both seen and unseen) could not keep the world that He created, or keep and maintain His true and pure word for this generation and the next to come. Like Jehoshaphat when we say, Amen, could we not say in our hearts that our eyes are upon thee. Amen.
© Copyright 2016, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)