Praying in Truth
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. (Psalm 145:18)
“Truth” occurs 237 times in the King James Bible. John 17 contains what many Bible students call the real “Lord’s Prayer.” It contains these words: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (Joh 17:17) (That’s why we have chosen bread to picture our subject today.)
It is good to know that the Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him. The rest of the verse tells us an important commentary: “to all that call upon Him in truth.”
Barbara and I have just finished reading the Psalms in our morning Bible reading. When we came across this verse a few days ago, the phrase: “to all that call upon Him in truth” came at me as an arrow and has lingered for several days. A companion verse says: The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psa 34:18) People who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit won’t try to lie to God.
James says: Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (Jas 4:8) Here is another one of those verses that sets forth the central truth and then follows it with another verse or phrase. It tells what drawing near to God is: cleaning our hands and purifying our hearts that are first one way and then another way.
Before I was saved at the age of nine, I loved to hear hard, sincere preaching. I liked to hear someone talk who seemed to believe in what they were saying. The country preachers I heard were not this way and that. I gathered that the book they carried in their hand was the thing that stirred them up to preach so hard. I still believe that. Although I was a rebel in my heart and loved to do as I pleased, I did like to hear hard preaching that expounded the Bible. It gave me peace to know that there was a book that would cause men to talk like that. It blessed me that the building was filled with people who had cleaned up and come to church to hear words from that Book. That Book must be very special because just look at all the people who have come to hear about it.
From that preaching it occurred to me that the Bible tells of a God who speaks only truth. What if God lied all the time and talked one way and then another and we could never know how He felt about things and especially how He felt about us. If we could not depend on what He says, then we could never be at peace.
God wants us to tell the truth, think the truth and pray in truth. I heard that married people should bow before God and pray because it is much harder to lie to one another while we are on our knees in prayer. We will be more likely to tell the truth if we are engaging God in prayer. Husbands and wives shouldn’t lie to one another. A marriage is only as strong as the trust the couple has for one another. When we are praying, we should try to embrace truth and to speak truth.
Many years ago, it occurred to me that the most important thing a human being can do is to seek truth and embrace it. Grasp the truth and then adjust whatever you have to adjust. We may have to talk less. We may have to do more thinking before we speak. When we call upon God, we should be determined that we will speak the truth. Away with pretense and trying to get God to be on our side to make us look good.
When Jesus was standing trial before Pilate the question of truth came up. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. (John 18:37-38)
Pilate was not being flippant. You see, Pilate would have to know something of history and Roman culture and the culture of the Greeks before the Romans took over. Pilate, no doubt, had spent many hours studying Greek philosophy. The Greeks spent much time formulating ways to know the truth about many things. When I studied philosophy in school, we had to study through one system after another that the Greeks went through. They could never come to a conclusion about many things. Pilate was like that.
Some people won’t pray because they know they’ll have to acknowledge the truth. Adam and Eve hid from God because they knew they would have to face the truth. It is good for us to pray in truth. I was told in a psychology class that prayer is the greatest power there is for unifying the personality. Praying in truth is the greatest tool to bring peace to the heart.
When the woman with the issue of blood was healed by Jesus’ touch, He asked: “Who touched me?” Finally, she came out of the crowd and fell down and “told Him all.” (Mark 8:45) It was important for her to speak the truth to Him. Praying in truth is a very important thing. One thing we can do is to pray the Word of God back to Him. Many Bible verses and Bible phrases are great aids to us in prayer. “Lord God, I read in your Word where You said….” Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
Sept. 8, 2017 – FRIDAY
A.M. Proverbs 13-14 P.M. 1Cor. 16
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)
Song for Today:
What a Day That Will Be (Gaither Group)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnvZL_zW2JI
You may need to adjust your volume.
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. (Psalm 145:18)
“Truth” occurs 237 times in the King James Bible. John 17 contains what many Bible students call the real “Lord’s Prayer.” It contains these words: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (Joh 17:17) (That’s why we have chosen bread to picture our subject today.)
It is good to know that the Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him. The rest of the verse tells us an important commentary: “to all that call upon Him in truth.”
Barbara and I have just finished reading the Psalms in our morning Bible reading. When we came across this verse a few days ago, the phrase: “to all that call upon Him in truth” came at me as an arrow and has lingered for several days. A companion verse says: The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psa 34:18) People who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit won’t try to lie to God.
James says: Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (Jas 4:8) Here is another one of those verses that sets forth the central truth and then follows it with another verse or phrase. It tells what drawing near to God is: cleaning our hands and purifying our hearts that are first one way and then another way.
Before I was saved at the age of nine, I loved to hear hard, sincere preaching. I liked to hear someone talk who seemed to believe in what they were saying. The country preachers I heard were not this way and that. I gathered that the book they carried in their hand was the thing that stirred them up to preach so hard. I still believe that. Although I was a rebel in my heart and loved to do as I pleased, I did like to hear hard preaching that expounded the Bible. It gave me peace to know that there was a book that would cause men to talk like that. It blessed me that the building was filled with people who had cleaned up and come to church to hear words from that Book. That Book must be very special because just look at all the people who have come to hear about it.
From that preaching it occurred to me that the Bible tells of a God who speaks only truth. What if God lied all the time and talked one way and then another and we could never know how He felt about things and especially how He felt about us. If we could not depend on what He says, then we could never be at peace.
God wants us to tell the truth, think the truth and pray in truth. I heard that married people should bow before God and pray because it is much harder to lie to one another while we are on our knees in prayer. We will be more likely to tell the truth if we are engaging God in prayer. Husbands and wives shouldn’t lie to one another. A marriage is only as strong as the trust the couple has for one another. When we are praying, we should try to embrace truth and to speak truth.
Many years ago, it occurred to me that the most important thing a human being can do is to seek truth and embrace it. Grasp the truth and then adjust whatever you have to adjust. We may have to talk less. We may have to do more thinking before we speak. When we call upon God, we should be determined that we will speak the truth. Away with pretense and trying to get God to be on our side to make us look good.
When Jesus was standing trial before Pilate the question of truth came up. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. (John 18:37-38)
Pilate was not being flippant. You see, Pilate would have to know something of history and Roman culture and the culture of the Greeks before the Romans took over. Pilate, no doubt, had spent many hours studying Greek philosophy. The Greeks spent much time formulating ways to know the truth about many things. When I studied philosophy in school, we had to study through one system after another that the Greeks went through. They could never come to a conclusion about many things. Pilate was like that.
Some people won’t pray because they know they’ll have to acknowledge the truth. Adam and Eve hid from God because they knew they would have to face the truth. It is good for us to pray in truth. I was told in a psychology class that prayer is the greatest power there is for unifying the personality. Praying in truth is the greatest tool to bring peace to the heart.
When the woman with the issue of blood was healed by Jesus’ touch, He asked: “Who touched me?” Finally, she came out of the crowd and fell down and “told Him all.” (Mark 8:45) It was important for her to speak the truth to Him. Praying in truth is a very important thing. One thing we can do is to pray the Word of God back to Him. Many Bible verses and Bible phrases are great aids to us in prayer. “Lord God, I read in your Word where You said….” Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
Sept. 8, 2017 – FRIDAY
A.M. Proverbs 13-14 P.M. 1Cor. 16
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)
Song for Today:
What a Day That Will Be (Gaither Group)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnvZL_zW2JI
You may need to adjust your volume.
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