President Obama's remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast have been flooding the news, blogs, and even sermons this past week, and for good reason.
Speaking of prayer, and of Islam's militant advance upon the civilized world, Psalm 14:4 bears keenly on our current global situation:
Speaking of prayer, and of Islam's militant advance upon the civilized world, Psalm 14:4 bears keenly on our current global situation:
Do all the workers of wickedness not know,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon the name of the Lord?
Did you notice David's crowning condemnation of the wicked in this verse? Not only do they hate and destroy the people of God (à la the Islamic State), but they do not call upon the name of the Lord.
Simply put, prayer to the one true God is what distinguishes the godly from the ungodly. The ungodly call upon false gods and seek to destroy the people of the one true God, either militantly through jihad, or by attacking God's name by blurring all distinctions between religions and denying the exclusivity of Jesus Christ.
The godly, on the other hand, call on the name of the Lord. Not the name of Allah. Not the name of Mary. Not the name of Siddartha Gautama. Not the name of Vishnu. They call on the name of the Lord. And—get this—they actually call upon His name. They don't sit idly, just hoping God will bless their work if they work hard enough. The godly habitually call out to God the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, with their faith firmly placed in the atoning work of Jesus Christ. And they love doing it, because they know their Father hears them.
So, if prayer to the one true God is what distinguishes the people of God from the wicked, we should ask ourselves one question: Is prayer a defining reality of our life?
How often do you call on the Lord? Is it a habit of yours to pray? Do you believe that if you ask the Father for the Holy Spirit, that He will grant your request? Do you have such faith in Jesus Christ that you're always coming before His Father in prayer, asking that you might become more like Him?
And these should be more than just personal questions. For instance, what distinguishes a home of Christians living together from a house full of unbelievers? One distinction should be inescapably obvious: prayer. Christians who live together—whether they're blood-related or not—should pray with one another, and it should set their household apart from the households of the wicked. Houses of Christian sisters living together will have conflicts, and Christian brothers living together will sin against each other, just like unbelievers will. But the homes of believers pray together and seek God's blessing. They confess their sins together. They know the needs of their roommates, and they lift those requests up to the Father as if they were their own. They seek to know and serve the Master of their house, Jesus Christ, who promises that "where two or three have gathered together in [His] name, [He is] there in their midst" (Matthew 18:20).
Does prayer define your relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ? Or are your Christian friendships built on worldly interests and frivolous pursuits? Does your household set itself apart simply by calling itself "Christian"? Or do you call on the name of the Lord?
Join us for CNCF Prayer Meeting on Thursday mornings at 7 AM in Beck Chapel!
Simply put, prayer to the one true God is what distinguishes the godly from the ungodly. The ungodly call upon false gods and seek to destroy the people of the one true God, either militantly through jihad, or by attacking God's name by blurring all distinctions between religions and denying the exclusivity of Jesus Christ.
The godly, on the other hand, call on the name of the Lord. Not the name of Allah. Not the name of Mary. Not the name of Siddartha Gautama. Not the name of Vishnu. They call on the name of the Lord. And—get this—they actually call upon His name. They don't sit idly, just hoping God will bless their work if they work hard enough. The godly habitually call out to God the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, with their faith firmly placed in the atoning work of Jesus Christ. And they love doing it, because they know their Father hears them.
So, if prayer to the one true God is what distinguishes the people of God from the wicked, we should ask ourselves one question: Is prayer a defining reality of our life?
How often do you call on the Lord? Is it a habit of yours to pray? Do you believe that if you ask the Father for the Holy Spirit, that He will grant your request? Do you have such faith in Jesus Christ that you're always coming before His Father in prayer, asking that you might become more like Him?
And these should be more than just personal questions. For instance, what distinguishes a home of Christians living together from a house full of unbelievers? One distinction should be inescapably obvious: prayer. Christians who live together—whether they're blood-related or not—should pray with one another, and it should set their household apart from the households of the wicked. Houses of Christian sisters living together will have conflicts, and Christian brothers living together will sin against each other, just like unbelievers will. But the homes of believers pray together and seek God's blessing. They confess their sins together. They know the needs of their roommates, and they lift those requests up to the Father as if they were their own. They seek to know and serve the Master of their house, Jesus Christ, who promises that "where two or three have gathered together in [His] name, [He is] there in their midst" (Matthew 18:20).
Does prayer define your relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ? Or are your Christian friendships built on worldly interests and frivolous pursuits? Does your household set itself apart simply by calling itself "Christian"? Or do you call on the name of the Lord?
Join us for CNCF Prayer Meeting on Thursday mornings at 7 AM in Beck Chapel!
Alex McNeilly
Campus Director
Campus Director
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