PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES: THE BOOK OF NUMBERS #5

HOW SHOULD I PRAY WHEN WRONGED BY ANOTHER?

15 Then Moses was very angry, and said to the Lord, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them.” (Numbers 16:15)

22 Then they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the congregation?” (Numbers 16:22)
I have chosen these two far apart verses as a continuation of the same prayer. The reason for this is they are both part of the same incident – the Rebellion of Korah. Korah and his family and “followers” were all jealous of the special relationship which Moses and Aaron had with Almighty God. In those early Bible days, God would come down from Heaven in a Cloud of Glory into the Tabernacle and meet with both men, but mostly Moses.  Another Levite, whom Moses called a minister, was envious of all the ceremonial aspects of what Aaron and his other son Eleazar did for the Lord Himself in the desert Tabernacle and directly challenged them with bold accusations.  Numbers 16 gives us that account, starting in verse 1. Korah and his 250 rebels basically accused Moses and Aaron of acting “mightier and holier than thou”.

Both Moses and Aaron knew better than this and God Himself, through the Holy Spirit told us that Moses was the most humble man on earth (Numbers 12:3). These two men of God reacted with proper humility rather than lashing out, as modern human nature would….even in ministerial circles.  God had given Korah and his clan (all Levites) a special ministry but they went even further in their unseemly rebellion. From Numbers 16:12 and following, the records show that these so-called men of God even called Egypt the “land of milk and honey”! They had the nerve to blame Moses for trying to get them killed when they were the ones who were among the many who doubted the good report of Joshua and Caleb about the REAL “land of milk and honey”.

The Bible records Moses praying in righteous anger for the first time. This is the first Imprecatory Prayer of Scripture.  So now therefore, now, how does the Christian respond in similar situations?  What occurred here is a prime example of the violation of the Tenth Commandment, which is a direct command against envy and lust for something (or somebody)belonging to someone else. It does not matter if thing envied is a ministry or your neighbor’s new car, when your car is 12 years old – this is a violation of His commandment and the spirit of the Law. Moses, a man with almost nothing to his name, who spent his time serving a bunch of ingrates and praying for God to spare their lives time after time, was in perfect order to appeal to God for help as he did in verse 15 (see above). Should we, as Christians, pray likewise if under assault like this? A lot of what Moses faced here has been faced by many people – from church leaders, to bank tellers to moms and dads and even teenagers bullied in school. It is abhorrent and worthy of laying the case directly and promptly before God. The words may be different because the circumstances are not always the same, but if a person proceeds down that road, extreme caution is necessary.

Take a very good look at what Moses said in his prayer. He only asked God not to accept their expensive grain offerings because of their attitude. Nothing else.  God responded in severe anger at the rebels because He knew Moses was telling the truth about accepting nothing from these people. He also knew the hearts of Korah and his 250 rebels who were not really rebelling against the leadership of Moses and Aaron, but God Himself.

In the final analysis, all rebellion, sin, transgression and iniquity are against God and His Sovereignty. Because God is sovereign He can also do what He wants. For the second time in five chapters (the last time was Chapter 12 when Moses’ prayer stopped God from wiping out over one million people), Moses, putting aside the personal attack against him, pleaded with God in verse 22 (see above)( to not destroy all the people when it was only one man leading the rebellion – Korah! The Lord relented and only punished the 250 rebels and their families.

This second prayer (verse 22) is important to tie in with the first one in verse 15. In what was the mildest imprecatory prayer in history ("Lord do not accept their grain offerings"), Moses continued to show why Jesus/Yeshua/Yahweh chose him to be the Redeemer of Israel.  After God told Moses to stand back, “let Me at them…ALL of them”, Moses again prayed and begged for God to only deal with the one person who started this entire unpleasant episode.

Here again, we have the example of how we should pray when wronged by someone else.  The example of Moses is perfect. I know people whose lives have been almost ruined by others calling themselves Christians. They have lost jobs and been called names and even threatened….by so-called fellow Christians, one of whom was a church elder. Do you know what all that pain, tears and fears led to, in the long run? They led to prayers for not just protection from all evil, but for the offending party’s salvation and restoration. This is grace upon grace. Jesus told us to pray for our enemies and in so doing, we heap coals – burning coals – upon their heads. If we respond in love and grace like Moses here, we would be better off in the long run. If we do this, we would be more like Christ, Who said “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”.

You mean, “I am supposed to put aside all the tears, stress, heartburn and worse…where I cannot sleep at night and now need medical attention, so that I can pray for them, so that I, the wronged party, can be more like Christ?” The answer is – YES!  There is nothing we can do in this lifetime to correct somebody’s attitude towards us or pay them back, where we will not end up worse than we were before. There is nothing that we think we can do to the offender in the equation that will equal what  God can and will do to them, if they do not repent and make it right. Therefore it better for us to lean on the Scriptures, the written Word and humble ourselves even MORE before our Heavenly Father and then just do like Hezekiah did – lay out the entire case before Him and let Him deal with it. I know this works, having been through the fire for several years of trial by co-worker. How God worked in this situation was tremendously productive. The offender came to Faith in Christ several years after her retirement . Is the Arm of the Lord too short? No, it is not! Simply trust Him fully to do what He said He will do. Trust....and pray!

(Photo Credit Here)

DAY 17 - CAN PRAYER SAVE AMERICA?

I know exactly what some folks are thinking - "Is this a workshop on prayer? Aren't we supposed to be praying to stop the decline of the dollar, or to stop abortion in America or this or that candidate? Why all of this, day after day?" Good question!!!

For me, being many years as an intercessor and moving "onward" as a Christian soldier, marching as to war, with the Cross of Jesus, moving on before, I know exactly what it takes for my prayer to be heard by the Lord. It is not running out there, without the proper foundation, "binding up this or that demon" or "casting those five demons" into the pit or wishing evil on those with whom we disagree. That is a recipe for personal disaster, especially if that kind of intercessor is not walking in the Light and/or leaves his/her family's flank exposed to hits from the enemy!!! I have seen that too many times in the prayer movement. The result is that many of our saints burn out after a few quixotic forays into spiritual warfare, as I just described.

The only way, is to know to Whom we're praying; why we are praying and what sort of weapon, with which to show up on the battlefield! We last looked into claiming the inheritance and power (from John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name"). We claim this by praying in Faith. This is important for Heaven to hear. Faith crowns our relationship with Jesus, the God Man Who is our Savior. So therefore, starting this week, we get into the heat of the battle. 

Starting tomorrow, we address the issue of Religious Liberty, and the war against it, here in the US and elsewhere. So Father, in the Name of Jesus, thank You for giving us this Day which You have made and we completely rejoice in the Fact that You have empowered us with Your Authority, as children of God, to represent You, to worship You and to come to You with our petitions and requests for any issue on our earth. Our desire is to glorify Your Name by helping others through our actions, good works and prayers and to pray for Your intervention in these things which have been corrupting our nation or Your work - whether it is some politician telling a church body in America they have to pay for abortive pills or some murderous outfit like Marie Stopes starting abortion clinics in Belfast or the decadence on our TV screens - Lord we live to serve and obey You and thank You that You hear us, when we approach the Throne of Grace in the Spirit of Holiness, Faith and Trust and we ask this in the Strong and Mighty Name of Jesus, amen and amen.

PRAYER FOR AMERICA, PART 1

These are some of the darkest days, for the greatest country in the world to ever exist.  America and Freedom, the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, are under literal assault from the forces of hell worldwide. Now, almost hourly, we receive news of more violence against military personnel, embassies and while the corrupt American mainstream media will not publicize it - Christians are more in danger around the world than ever before.

So what are God's people on this continent - in the US and Canada - to do? After we get riled up at the video on TV or the internet of the rioting, mayhem and more, we go to the Lord. Abba Father. We cry out to Jehovah Nissi, our Standard Bearer. A Standard Bearer goes before us in battle, carrying the flag (or banner or standard) and tells those who are our enemies, who we are. When God the Father, is your standard bearer, we have the added benefit of knowing WHOSE we are! Amen!

Therefore, in Jesus' Holy Name, we begin praying the Imprecatory Psalm 35 into these times. King David, under the Power of the Holy Spirit, prayed this to the LORD and He heard David's plea and answered Him. Pray this in your own way and cry out to God for the country, our families, our children's future and the US Military. Remember those who are currently in leadership. Pray for them as well. Remember while praying, that enemies are both outside of this country and there are those who wish harm on the people of God, inside the country as well. I will not tell you how to prayer this first portion, but I am replacing the personal pronouns "I and me" with America and "our" etc, to help us press in at this time. The text is from the New King James Bible.

Psalm 35

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Lord the Avenger of His People

A Psalm of David.

35 Plead America's cause, O Lord, with those who strive with America;
Fight against those who fight against America.
² Take hold of shield and buckler,
And stand up for our help.
³ Also draw out the spear,
And stop those who pursue us.
Say to our soul,
“I am your salvation.”

⁴ Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor
Who seek after American life;
Let those be turned back and brought to confusion
Who plot our hurt.
⁵ Let them be like chaff before the wind,
And let the angel^[a] of the Lord chase them.
⁶ Let their way be dark and slippery,
And let the angel of the Lord pursue them.
⁷ For without cause they have hidden their net for us in a pit,
Which they have dug without cause for our life.
⁸ Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly,
And let his net that he has hidden catch himself;
Into that very destruction let him fall.

⁹ And America's soul shall be joyful in the Lord;
It shall rejoice in His salvation.   We will again say, as our founders did, “In God We Trust !”  

(All Scripture is from Bible Gateway)

A FORTNIGHT OF PRAYER -

DAY 9

PRAYER  FOR GOVERNMENT LEADERS 

FROM CITY HALL TO THE SHORES OF THE POTOMAC

Today's prayer focus comes at a difficult time for the majority of real Christians and especially those who pray. This does not make the task of praying for people whom the majority of citizens do not like, any less critical.  Many of us would rather NOT be praying for ANY political leaders - from local town councilman to those in the capitol city of Washington DC. We see the destruction ungodly (no matter how well-intentioned) policies have wrought on families and the debt-ridden future of our children and grand-children....most of whom have no hope for a future of hope and even a career. We see politicians trample on the free exercise of the spreading of the Gospel of Christ, while bowing down to every other strange belief....and the list goes on from Federal Funding of abortion providers like Planned Parenthood to....and again...the list goes on.


Therefore the question comes up "I am supposed to pray for the same people who wrecked the country and is telling my church they must pay for things I don't believe in?" YES! We are not only supposed to, but commanded to - by our Heavenly Father, in more than one passage in the Bible. 


There are two ways we can respond to this. One is called "Imprecatory Prayer". In Christian History, King David was the master of this (Psalm 109). The great Protestant Reformer and founder of the Presbyterian Church John Knox is the best known for his prayers of calling down judgment on those who spread false religion and oppression. Mary, Queen of Scots (also called Bloody Mary) was the most powerful woman in the world almost 450 years ago and is known to have said “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.” 


Is the Follower of Christ supposed to called down curses and judgment on people, even obviously bad people like Saddam Hussain or Pol Pot or Bashir Assad of Syria? Not really. As tempting as it may be and as it good as it may make one feel, this actually usurps the Sovereignty of God Who will deal with those well-know evil men as well as those today who promote all manner of conduct which are obviously unhealthy, immoral and against God's Law. We should NOT usurp the Power and Authority of God via imprecatory prayer. We can pray for all challengers in an election the same way we pray for those in office though.


The second choice is moving away from Imprecatory Prayer and doing what Paul says here, directly from the Heart of Christ: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4 ESV)


Why we should listen to this Truth spelled out here in Verse 4:
- It is good.
- It is pleasing in the Eyes of God.
- God desires all men and women to be saved. 

This last one is important. When we pray for people who say they are "Christians or born-again" but live like the devil....and we pray  for their families and their protection and smooth sailing for them personally - two things will result. The Bible promises in Verse 2 above that it will go well with us personally and secondly, our prayers will eventually make those people uncomfortable in their rebellious souls! So we are to pray most for them to be saved and come to KNOW and LIVE the Truth of the Gospel. 


So Father in the MIGHTY and POWERFUL Name of Jesus, Who has the Power to Save and is Sovereign above all the affairs of men and women in authority, I pray for the leaders of my city, state and country. I pray they seek You daily, not like Zedekiah and those kings of Judah who mouthed worship to You while bowing down to pagan gods in their closets, but that they fall on their knees before Holy God daily to seek and obtain guidance. Father they need Your Guidance and Hand upon them that their temporary stewardship as our elected leaders goes well and they first, do no harm and secondly promote the general welfare of the governed.


Lord I pray that they and their families, even those who profess to know You as their Savior, when their public conduct says otherwise, I pray that their wives and husbands and children come to a Saving Knowledge of the True Truth, the Gospel of Christ and that they, like those of us who have repented and believed the Gospel will become saved. I pray that they too, Heavenly Father, will realize their own need for a Savior. Lord, we know that the higher the political title, the more apt the person is to think that all they need is themselves. Lord, we know we can't do anything on our own but that is Christ...and Christ Alone, and His Grace Alone through Faith in Him Alone, Who saves us and not in our own righteousness and works. So Lord, I pray for their salvation and for the humility they need to find that peace that passeth all understanding, in Jesus' Name.


Lord I pray not only for these political government leaders but those who surround them - their advisors and cabinet officers and even their "Yes-men and Yes-women" that they provide Godly counsel and advice rather than some of the stuff we are seeing today. I pray that the Spirit of the Lord convicts the souls of all the people everywhere, not just America. I pray cover also for my Christian brother Stephen Harper who runs the country of Canada that You raise up more men like him, who fear God and who is trying to halt the slide of that country by his pro-life, pro-family stance. I pray for the President of the United States and his family and everyone in that executive branch. I pray for the Supreme Court of the Land and all the associated courts down the organizational chart. I pray for the United States Congress and the Speaker of the House of the people.  I pray for all fifty governors and state houses reps and mayors and others. Bless them all, my God and my King and may Revival of Spirit and Soul come to them as they all surrender their lives to the Service of the ruler of the Universe - my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in Whose Name I pray, amen.

(image by google)