IF YOU IGNORE HIS WORD DON'T ASK FOR HIS HELP

PROCLAMATION

“Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim.  Neither he nor his attendants nor the people  of the land paid any attention to the words The Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.  King Zedekiah, however, sent Jehukal son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: ‘Please pray to The Lord our God for us.’”  Jeremiah 37:1-3 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After Nebuchadnezzar defeated Judah and took Jehoiachin into captivity, he made Zedekiah king of Judah.  Zedekiah did not follow the words of The Lord.  But when things began to go bad for him, he sent word to Jeremiah to pray to The Lord God for him and the people of Judah. (Jeremiah 37:1-3)

APPLICATION

It is amazing to hear people, who will not follow The Word of God, call upon Him for help when they get into trouble.  They do not have time for Him, or they just plain ignore Him, when times are going good for them but let trouble strike and they will pray like there is no tomorrow.  Do not deceive yourself, The Lord God is not to be played with, (Galatians 6:7) those who deny Him will be denied by Him. (Matthew 10:33)  The day will come when they will call on Him and He will tell them “Depart from Me …” (Matthew 7:23)  Wicked people will often desire the prayers of the righteous in times of distress.  Believers are taught to love and pray for their enemies. (Matthew 5:44)  We are to pray for them, but they want us to pray for God to get them out of a bad situation and not to change them.  We need to be very careful regarding what we pray for, to be sure that it will glorify The Lord God. (John 14:13)

CALL ON THE LORD

PROCLAMATION

“This is what The Lord says, He who made the earth, The Lord who formed it and established it; The Lord is His name: ‘Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great unsearchable things you do not know.’ ”  Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
These are the words of The Lord God which were spoken to the prophet Jeremiah and proclaimed to the people of Judah.  While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the prison, The Lord God spoke to him again.  He told Jeremiah to call upon Him and He would answer him and show him many great and wonderful things that he didn’t know.  The Lord knew that Jeremiah had questions that he had not asked.

APPLICATION

The Lord God told the people of Judah to circumcise their hearts. (Jeremiah 4:4)  The people who circumcise their hearts are truly God’s people, even the non-Jews. (Romans 4:9-12)  All believers can call upon The Lord God and He will answer.  We can call on Him for more than help.  We can also call on Him when we do not understand.  The most frequently asked question is “Why?”  We may not get the answer that we want to hear, but we will understand His answer better “by and by”.  We should not trust our own understanding, (Proverbs 3:5) but we should pray and get as much understanding as we can. (Proverbs 4:7)

Conditions For Being Forgiven

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."  2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

This is The Word of God, as recorded by Ezra, the priest, which detailed the conditions for God's people to be forgiven of their sins: humility, prayer, longing for God, and repentance.

We need to understand that simply praying and asking to be forgiven us useless if we do not repent, and turn from our sinful ways.  We must seek Him by reading His Holy Word, and living it.  "Perfection is not attainable, but it is a goal which is well worth striving for." (Unknown)  As believers, we should delight in The Lord, in His Word, and in His way. (John 14:23)  If we humble ourselves, and pray, and seek His face, and repent of our sinful ways, He will forgive our sins.  If we also delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts. (Psalms 37:4)

Pray That The Lord Will Open Our Minds

"He said to them, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.'  Then He opened their minds so they could understand The Scriptures."  Luke 24:44-45 (NIV)

Luke, the physician and travelling companion of the Apostle Paul, recorded these post resurrection words of Christ as He spoke to His disciples and ate fish with them. (Luke 24:42-43)  This was probably some of the multitude of fish which they caught after Jesus told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. (John 21:3-6 and 9-12)  As He ate with them, He reminded them of the things which He had told them while He was with them before His death, burial, and resurrection.  He said all that was written about Him in The Holy Scriptures must be fulfilled.  Then He opened their minds so that they could understand The Scriptures.

It would be good for us today to pray to The Lord God that He would open our minds so that we could understand The Holy Word of God.  Many of us read The Scriptures, but we do not understand all that we read.  Frequently some people unintentionally misinterpret The Scriptures, take things out of context and misapply them.  The Word of God should be read prayerfully, studied, and compared with other sections of scripture to insure consistency of meaning and interpretation.  It is important that we rightly divide, and correctly interpret, The Word of God. (2 Timothy 2:15)  May The Lord God open our minds so that we can understand and obey The Scriptures. 

Put On The Whole Armor Of God Stand Firm And Pray

"Finally, be strong in The Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of The Spirit, which is The Word of God.  And pray in The Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."  Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in The Church at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul told them to be strong and to arm themselves with the whole armor of God, so that they could stand against the devil's schemes, against evil rulers, authorities, powers, and against evil spiritual forces.  Paul told them that when evil attacks them, they should stand firm in the things of God and pray.  He advised them to pray, not only for themselves, but to pray for all of the saints because they would also be under attack.

We need to be aware of the fact that we are engaged in a battle against evil powers and evil spiritual forces, which we cannot stand up against without the help of The Lord God and His power.  Daily we struggle against evil.  The only protection we have from evil are The Truth, His righteousness, the gospel of His peace, faith in Him, and His salvation.  The only weapons that we have to fight against evil are The Word of God and prayer.  Without the help of The Lord God we could not stand against the evil schemes and power of the devil.  God knows that, which is why He said that the battle is not ours, it is His. (2 Chronicles 20:15)  Just as He did for Israel, He will fight our battles. (2 Chronicles 20:17)  We just need to believe, and pray, then stand and see the salvation of The Lord.

Prayer Is Powerful And Effective

"Is any one of you in trouble?  He should pray.  Is anyone happy?  Let him sing songs of praise.  Is any one of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of The Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."  James 5:13-16 (NIV)

James, the half brother of Jesus who became a pillar in the early Church and was known as "James, the Just", told the people that there was power in prayer.  He said that they should pray for themselves, and they should pray for one another.  He also said that prayer can lead to the sick and the sinful being healed.  He told them that the prayers of the righteous, the believers, are powerful and effective.

As believers we know that when we pray, we are talking to The Lord God.  We have been told and encouraged to pray, and to pray often. (Matthew 6:6, Luke 18:1, and 1 Thessalonians 5:17)  We also should pray for one another. (James 5:16)  We know that God hears and answers our prayers. (Proverbs 15:29 and Isaiah 65:24)  At times, we suffer and do without because we do not ask God for what we want.  We have not, because we ask not. (John 16:24)  If we sincerely ask for something, in the name of Jesus, which will glorify The Lord God, He will give it to us. (John 14:13-14)  If we truly delight in Him, in His Word, and in His way, He will give us the desires of our hearts. (Psalms 37:4)  The sincere fervent prayers of the righteous are powerful and they are effective. 

We Must Pray And Ask To Be Forgiven

"Hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place.  Hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive."  1 Kings 8:30 (NIV)

As part of his prayer of dedication for the temple which had just been completed, King Solomon asked The Lord God to hear His people when they prayed to Him, and to forgive them when they asked for forgiveness of their sins.

Christ died on the cross to pay the price for our sins.  However, to be forgiven for our sins we must repent, confess, ask to be forgiven, and change our sinful behavior.  Christ came into this world to die for our sins. (John 1:29)  When Jesus preached, His message was that we should repent. (Matthew 4:17)  Our salvation is based upon our confession and our belief. (Romans 10:9)  The Lord God said that He would hear us and forgive us if we would humble ourselves, and pray, and seek Him, and turn from our sinful ways. ( 2 Chronicles 7:14)  If we want to be forgiven, we have to pray to God and ask to be forgiven, but first we need to humble ourselves, confess, and change our behavior.

Receiving Special Conditional Blessings

"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."  2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

It was at night that The Lord God appeared in a vision to King Solomon, the son of King David, and told him that He had heard his prayer. (2 Chronicles 7:12)  He told Solomon that He would hear the prayers of His people, and He would forgive them of their sins, and He would bless them.  But, He said that He would do this if they would first humble themselves, and pray to Him, and follow His commands, and turn from their wicked sinful ways.

We are all blessed in more ways than we can count.  However, there are additional conditional blessing which we could receive if we would first satisfy the stipulations that The Lord has placed upon them.  In this case the healing of the people, the nation, and the land, would not occur and the prayers for this would not be heard or answered.  Personally, our individual and collective sins would not be forgiven unless we changed our behavior.  As believers we are His people and He wants us to act more Christ-like.  We need to be more humble when we approach Him, and when we deal with others.  We need to sincerely pray many more times each day.  We need to confess our sins, ask to be forgiven, and submit to and follow His Word.  We also need to turn from our wicked sinful ways and stop repeatedly committing our favorite sinful bad habits.  Then, and only then will He keep His promise to hear our prayers, forgive our sins, and heal us.  Again, some blessings are conditional.

The Perseverance Of The Saints

"And pray in The Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."  Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul, the human author of thirteen of the fourteen epistles contained in the twenty-seven Books of The New Testament, encouraged them to pray, after he told them to put on the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:11-17)  He encouraged them to pray for the perseverance of the saints.  ("... with all perseverance and supplication for all saints ..." Ephesians 6:18 KJV)

The perseverance of the saints literally means that the believers will keep on believing until the very end, until they die.  As Christians, we are never to give up on God, and never to stop believing in Christ.  We are to keep the faith regardless of our situation or circumstance. (John 15:9, Galatians 6:9, and Revelation 3:11)  We are also to pray for other believers, that they too will be strengthened and keep the faith.  Prayer is not part of the whole armor of God, but it is an important and essential weapon in the fight against the powers of evil.  We are all under attack, and we are to put on the whole armor of God and pray.  The Word of God and prayer are our only weapons against the spiritual evil that we face.  We are to pray, and to be consistent and persistent in our prayers. (Luke 18:1 and Luke 21:36)  We are to pray for the perseverance of the saints. (Revelation 14:12)  Pray at all times, on all occasions, and keep on praying, not only for ourselves but all saints, that we all may persevere until the end of this life.  For Jesus Christ said that he who put his hand on the plow and looks back is not worthy of the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62)  We do not want to be left out of the kingdom of heaven because we lost faith and looked back or let go.  We do not want to be turned into a pillar of salt, like Lot's wife, for looking back and longing for that which was left behind. (Genesis 19:26)  So saints, persevere, keep the faith, don't look back, don't wish for our pre-Christian life, and don't let go of our faith in God.  He will never leave us or let go of us. (Matthew 28:20, John 10:29, and Hebrews 13:5)

Ask For It And Receive It If...

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."  Mark 11:24-25 (NIV)

These are some of the words that Jesus spoke to His disciples regarding prayer.  Jesus said that if they asked for something, and believed that they would receive it, then it would be theirs. Then He told them not to hold anything in their heart against anyone so that they would not block their own blessing.

Today, Christians, we are the disciples of Jesus, The Christ.  Before we pray, we should make sure that we are not holding anything in our heart against anyone. When we pray, we should make sure that what we pray for will give God glory. For whatever we ask for that is in the will of God, we will receive it, so that God can be glorified. (John 15:7-8 and 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)  After we pray, we must believe that God hears and answers the prayers of His saints. (Proverbs 15:29 and 1 Peter 3:12)  We have not, because we ask not. (James 4:2)  Before, when, and after we pray, we must believe that God can, and will, grant our request.