In Their Image: Revelation

Faith Shows What Jesus Reveals To The Spiritual Person Through Hope

A couple of weeks ago I was almost hysterical because I had become so stressed.. Bless Jesus though, He had already had me plan to come South to this lovely seaside campsite to spend lots of time with Him and to write. 

We've been planning to do some serious renovations to our house and now those plans have gained substance. Trish and I make the big decisions together and then I do the project planning for which I need to get many balls into the air, and then keep them there, all totally coordinating with one another, while we still live our lives and be family with our big lovely brood. Also Australia is having an election early in July and I will want to participate in the campaign for our outstanding candidate, this, for me, is an unfortunate complication ..

Now is a critical time; we have begun several processes and a number of expensive things need to be accomplished, not just by Trish and I, but also by professionals who will do their parts of the work, and with our children who we need to do most of the heavy lifting. It's all pretty scary for me because, now that I'm older, I'm less strong and can get much less done in a day than I could in my 40s and 50s.

Happily, I belong to Jesus who, not only always has an ear ready to listen to my burdens, but is always there to give comfort, and bring peace; He is, even more than usual, my Rock. (Trish too is a rock .. she is so lovely!)

Here are three verses which have been coming into my mind (and my heart) over these days:

"For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?"  (Psalm 18:31)

"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counsellor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever, the Spirit of Truth .. for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you" (John 14:16-17 Amplified)

"For out of His fullness we have all received grace upon grace" (John 1:16).

When I really  pause and take a breath I am aware of who I am in Jesus, and  remember that He knows all my pressures, and that I can rely on Him to talk to Trish and me, and to help out, then it all becomes "possible", rather than seeming totally beyond our resources. We are receiving "grace upon grace"!

We know that God speaks (Genesis 1:3), and He particularly speaks to His people (Revelation 1:1). When we hear Him speak to us, whether it's just for us, or for another, or for a number of people, this is revelation from the God who reveals Himself (Psalm 19:1; Daniel 2:28; Amos 3:7; John 14:17). We know this as the prophetic gifting. Prophecy is simply hearing God speak and then speaking out, or responding, to His thoughts (1 Corinthians 14:1-4).

"He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to humankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth - the Lord God of Hosts is his name" (Amos 4:13).

"However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries .. " (Daniel 2:28).

Paul wrote about the prophetic very clearly:

"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.  The one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort [and] edifies the church"  (1 Corinthians 14:1,3,4).

From Paul's words I understand that prophecy is a normal part of the life of every Christian and of the Church, Jesus' gathered people.

An example of my hearing Jesus speaking to me: 

We're going to remove wallpaper and then paint the walls, we’ll replace flooring, curtains and light fittings. These are big changes in the first three rooms we're working on. There is a need to store whole rooms-full of stuff, (we have so many books and bookshelves!) and I'd planned to put everything out in the patio (maybe with a tarpaulin over). 

Well, my spirit caught the word "container". I would never have made this "lateral" thought, even though I have two brothers-in-law who make their living with sea container freight lines. There is now a shipping container in our driveway and it will safely hold all that's needed, and be in easy reach for our sons to carry everything. Economical. Safe. Easy. Just the other night we had a big storm and winds reached 104 km per hour (63 mph) .. Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus! Our things were warm and dry!

Because every Christian has been made a child of God, just as Jesus is a child of God, and we all share in Jesus' inheritance, we can communicate freely with God:

•  with our Heavenly Father,

•  with our lovely Lord, Saviour, Rock and Brother, Jesus, and

•  with our Counsellor and Comforter, Holy Spirit.

Scripture makes it plain that our talk and chatter and prayer and sharing and receiving can be just as we see in the closest Earthly families we know!

Adam and Eve knew free and open conversation with God, much as we experience with those we love. Then they sinned by believing Satan, that he would make them "like God, knowing good and evil"  (Genesis 3:3-5). They ate of the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened and sin was in the world. After that their conversations were not the same; they were afraid of God, and would hide from Him. 

As Christians today we feel the weight of our sin but it no longer cripples us, we can confess and ask God's forgiveness. Jesus paid for all our wrongdoing and meanness, and will forgive us again and again and again (Matthew 18:22). He is always ready to talk and to hear from us; we are His "friends", not His "servants" (John 15:15).

Now this trip. I'm here because I felt Jesus' call to come at this time. It's real work to write these PsalmsOfJohn posts; I think that Jesus wants them to sound as if they just wrote themselves, fell off my fingers. But first I pray; what will be our idea Lord? And from the idea, our theme? Jesus always responds. Sometimes He doesn't even wait for the questions! Then I make lots of drafts, write down heaps of thoughts, remember many Scripture verses and write them, and then Jesus comes and helps me edit. His are the thoughts you see here, it's just me who types.

Bless you .. give Jesus your attention .. give Him some quality time .. listen, He will reveal Himself .. and follow Him ..

Favourite Bible Verses

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands" (Psalm 19:1).

"[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him" (Ephesians 1:17 Amplified).

"Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God's favour and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!" (Matthew 5:4 Amplified).

"[Blessed] Happy are those who know what sorrow means, for they will be given courage and comfort" (Matthew 5:4 J.B. Phillips).

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27).

"Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me" (John 12:26).

Amen.

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"In Their Image Revelation" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

• Public link to podcast

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Praise Jesus.

Suddenly

The Suddenlys of Life

My friend Peter died just a few days before Christmas. It was sudden.

A few months previously we had all celebrated his 60th birthday; a very happy occasion. A year previously Peter had come through a major heart operation with flying colours. He and Deborah, the love of his life and his best friend, had just settled into their new "downsize" house for their final years, they were also first-time grandparents and new parents-in-law for the second time.

Peter was driving, visiting a young man he mentored; they think something happened with his heart, his foot went down on the accelerator and his car crashed into a tree. Suddenly. So unexpected.

Trish and I were camping down South when we received an SMS message from Deb. I went into shock at the news; a very heavy sense of loss overcame me, this stayed with me for many days and still fills me from time to time. When I'd visited Peter a few days previously he was so full of life and was busy working out priorities for the year to come. Peter and Deb's Christmas newsletter had not long been mailed out, it was full of thankfulness and glory to God for the richness, abundance and hope in their lives; most of this was in everyday things like family and friends .. relationships .. and having worth-while things to do, including things to do for Jesus.

It was the suddenness of Peter's passing which has brought me to see that we have many "suddenlys" in our lives. No matter how carefully we plan, or how hard we work, or how carefully we save and invest our resources, we can never guarantee any outcome. Surprising things impact us and can change everything in a heartbeat!

Two weeks after Peter's passing, just a few days after Christmas, Western Australia had a terrible "suddenly" 120 kilometres, (about 75 miles), south of Perth, our capital. Lightening started a bushfire which spread rapidly; the country town of Yarloop was in one of the paths of the fire and was very badly hit. Two people were killed and others injured.

More than 160 homes were destroyed and many properties too, but more than that, because the damage was so widespread the whole community was shattered .. many people lost their place-in-the-world as well as their home and possessions. There is possibly not enough left there for the remaining people to carry on as a town.

All around me people were shocked by this event so close to home .. just think how it is for the Parisians and others whose cities have seen Islamic terror. We cannot prepare .. it is all so sudden ..

In The Beginning Was The Word

Thinking about all this got me to focus again on "faith, hope, and love", a theme of the New Testament, (1 Corinthians 13:13, Colossians 1:5, 1 Thessalonians 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:8).

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction or the reality of things not yet seen" (Hebrews 11:1). 

So long as we have hope, faith can fill our heart and bring us peace: "Now faith is the assurance, the confirmation, the certain knowledge, of the things we hope for, it is the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality; faith perceiving as real what is presently only revealed to our spirit".

Scripture testifies that we can hang onto faith, hope and love when everything else seems to be stripped; faith and hope and love are on our insides, part of that essence of who we are, beyond the dictates of our society, or "trending", or the lies of "political correctness" or what our shallow "news" people say.

As the practical realities of our lives change, our faith and hope and love can be diminished; I know that this is true for me. Yet there's always something, a remnant, hanging on, clinging to hope, certain in it's rightness and true belonging. To me this is ultimate faith, and ultimately we can rest on the "faith, hope, and love" Jesus has built up in us. After a very trying event when I've been stretched to the limit, I can look back in gratitude that Jesus never let me go, that He was there right through this "suddenly" event, ready to help me pick up the pieces when it was over, and carry on with life in all it's beauty and variety and learning and success and failure.

Bless Jesus! He stands firm! My friend Peter was a mature man when he  found Jesus, as was I, (really, Jesus found us)! In each case our coming to Him was a series of "suddenly" events, revelations and leaps forward. A decade earlier we would probably have thought that our becoming a "born again" committed Christian was a very silly idea, impossible.

"The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope. The Gospel message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn't diminish or weaken over time" (Colossians 1:5 Message).

I began to make a list of "suddenlys" in my life, starting in my childhood. I wrote down many events that were setbacks, embarrassments, mistakes - you know, negatives. Then I reminded myself that there have also been many positive "suddenlys"; and these were mostly to do with relationships .. Sure coming second in a national rowing race was wonderful, as was climbing a very high mountain or being able to attend a whole season of the London Proms concerts. But it's the people moments in my life which add the colour, the great significant times with loved ones are "suddenlys" which bring a lasting glow.

My Best "Suddenly"

On my first trip to New York I saved up Greenwich village and the jazz bars until Saturday night. The first place I went had great music. Soon after I got there I saw a tall, slim, beauty come in the door with a tall, handsome, young man. Wow. A long story .. we got talking, the guy was her brother, and she was Trish! I fell in love with her across the room. "Suddenly!" I still feel the same all these years later; we have six gorgeous children and such vibrant grand-kids! And also such lovely daughters-in-law and special ones. Trish and I found Jesus together, I'm sure that without that "suddenly" with her, Jesus may not have found my heart softened enough that He could approach me ..

And A Long Tough "Suddenly"

When we had just four children I worked on a ground-breaking IT project in New York. I used to visit the IT labs in the city where these unbelievably smart people were stretching technology. My project was one of the first in the world to use CDs; they weren't even called CDs yet, the international committees were still deciding on names, formats and protocols, and each shiny disk came in its own plastic case (like a floppy disk) and held more than 700 megabytes of data; (the biggest PC hard drives at that time held 100 megabytes and cost $US 7000!) It was the most exciting work I had ever done; I was successful and highly regarded and in New York!

"Suddenly" I went from this heady, very well paid work to long term unemployment when we came back to Australia. We had savings .. and then suddenly they were gone! It was very hard. Four children under 9 years .. then 6 under 11!

"Now you're the one trapped in terror, paralysed by fear. Suddenly the tables have turned!  How do you like living in the dark, sightless, and up to your neck in flood waters?  "You agree, don't you, that God is in charge? He runs the universe - just look at the stars" (Job 22:10-12  Message).

Ever Blessed In Jesus

But, although that time was very hard, we were also so very blessed. Jesus had drawn both Trish and me to Himself. We learned how to be very "other". Without a job Western men are quite out of step with normal life. Besides having to make do with very little family income, men without a job feel inadequate, impotent and adrift. I grieved that my wife and family suddenly could not do all the things the families around us were doing. I became very frustrated at the apparent uselessness of my existence, at my inability to achieve anything of significance in life or work or fortune.

Jesus The Anchor

Slowly faith, hope and love became anchors in my life; I took a very long time to mature as a Christian but I knew to hang on to God. I remember the word "cleave" which was in one of the old songs we sang. "Cleave" means to stick like superglue; to never let go. "Cleave" is like perseverance, a big Bible word and a great favourite of mine! Over the years many people have told me that they saw "cleave" and "perseverance" in me, and saw it as precious. Cleaving to our Lord! Persevering in His way!

Faith, hope and love are gifts from a loving Father and a very sacrificial Saviour by their Holy Spirit. They are spiritual gifts! This is not to say that my relationship with God was all sweetness and light; I was often angry, I felt rejected and that I had been made a second class citizen of His Kingdom, and I could see no reason for it. It felt to me that God's hand towards me was closed; Scripture makes it clear that He is joyfully generous towards His people, but I believed that this did not apply to me, and my family was paying a big price. (This is still a mystery to me). But I believe Trish and I grew in character during those tough years and that our family is now very close, because we needed to be then to survive that long time.

"You, Lord, keep my lamp burning". My God turns my darkness into light.  "With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall" (Psalm 18:28-29).

Jesus tells us that we'll have trouble in this world, and we do (John 16:33). I try to remind myself to be kind to others, and to remember all my blessings (Psalm 103:1-5), and to give thanks in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

 

So I thank you Jesus that you gave me Peter as a friend, and gave him to Deb too as a husband and life companion. Thank you that you gave Trish and I to each other and blessed us so wonderfully with our children and now with their growing families. Thank you for my great love for the Creation, which you made for us, and for my love of cooking and food, and music, and fellowship with your people. Most of all, thank you for coming to Trish and I and bringing faith, hope and love into our lives. And thank you for today.

Amen.

Favourite Bible Verses

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).

.. the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel (Colossians 1:5) .

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3) .

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet (1 Thessalonians 5:8) .

Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, who else can we go to? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).

"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,  who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,  who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's (Psalm 103:1-5 of David).

Amen.

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"Suddenly" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

• Public link to podcast

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Praise Jesus.

Psalm Of John 1 - 2003

Back Story

I wrote this psalm in 2003, my first year at Bible College. I was really struggling and had been for a long time.  I didn't even want to go to Bible College, (it was definitely God's idea). I desperately wanted a job so I could take care of my family and make my way in the world, like every other husband and father I knew.

The head of Counselling at the College had a great reputation. I had no counseling classes that year but plucked up courage and spoke to her as she was headed to her office; I asked if she would counsel me. "Sure John", she said, "can you come at 3:00 this afternoon?" I was stunned, firstly she knew my name and secondly she made herself available so quickly! (I later learned that all the faculty there learn about all the students, and pray for them regularly). Well, we had some sessions which I found helpful, then she asked me to take a few weeks to plan and write a psalm, "you know, like David, when he was deeply troubled about things he would write, or sing, a psalm to God, now I want you to do the same" .. 

It was during those four years at Bible College that I had many spiritual adventures and fell head over heels in love with Jesus. I changed and grew.

At that time our local church used to hire a bus and head out to an Aboriginal Christian mission at Mt Margaret, in the desert, 1000 km (about 600 miles) from Perth, here in Western Australia. The local indigenous people held their Christian Convention every year over a long weekend in springtime. We would go and look after all the children to leave the grownups free to spend time with Jesus and to fellowship together. I drove the bus.

Each day while the rest of our team were caring for the kids, I would walk out into the desert, probably two or three kilometres, (being very careful not to get lost!) and sit in the stillness with my Bible and note pad and talk with God. One day I wrote this psalm, my first.

Psalm 1

I couldn’t be more out in the desert

Than in this place twelve hours' drive

From the coast.

This place you set aside in your wisdom

As a mission for our country’s ancient people.

Even here I feel out of things

As if I don’t really fit in;

Only good enough to drive the bus

then tell the kids “Don’t bounce balls inside"

And "Wipe your feet before you come in”.

This time is a convention where

We all set aside time for you Lord.

We've come from Kalgoorlie and Perth, and

Adelaide, Leonora, Laverton and Warburton

And from the white race too,

To talk about your big plan

For all of us for all time

White and black and Yuko from Japan too.

I envy David with his very easy way, his self confidence.

Grasping any opportunity to chat and befriend

Every stranger,

These soft spoken old men,

Very black and hunched in on themselves,

But at home in their skins,

Among their own people, in their own land.

The Easterly comes in over the desert;

It is your breath.

Just as the trees and hills it passes are yours.

I have always known that you are.

But not until the day you showed me how Jesus redeemed me

Did I see your awesome love and care

For me.

Yet often my heart is heavy with what is not.

No work.

Rejection. A shrinking, shrinking future,

Failure in every venture,

Crippled dreams.

All those years outside the norms of life;

Losing my fire, my joy,

As I search for you.

I know the heavenlies are my new home

But you did not cast me as a deeply spiritual person,

Like Abraham, say, or David,

I am still of the world.

My wife is here and my children, and my hours are here.

This is where I fail amid

Those contented hearts who are able to get along here

With friends, growing rich relationships.

And plans of their own;

Dreams which they can reach. So easily.

Showing this land to their children,

Planning a trip for the family to their homeland,

Helping children get started in life.

Retirement plans.

So many things taken for granted,

Gone beyond my reach,

Not for my family.

Which You gave to me, and made me head.

Now my bones are getting old and stiff

While my body grows tired and soft.

My energy wanes, it seems less each day.

So hard Lord, it is so hard.

Your teaching says we are not to be fatalistic;

Yet nothing I do succeeds.

I fatalistically do only what you open up for me.

Would that you would speak to me.

Am I so hopeless we cannot plan things together?

That you cannot sow your dreams in my heart

And we could work them together as Father and son?

Your Word says I’ll drink of the water of Christ -

And be satisfied.

Never again thirsty.

Yet I thirst each day Lord.

I long for that secure, shalom state

Where the “things of the earth grow strangely dim

In the light of your glory and grace”.

I grieve for my life’s dreams.

Yet even now Lord you know my mind.

Those silly impossible day-dreams,

They tantalise.

My understanding of you is puny, juvenile.

I know only little of who You are.

When I consider the lily and the raven

I know that, like them, You feed me and mine,

And give us shelter.

Yet I see you with your hand closed.

Am I not more precious?

When I ask for a fish

Will you give me a serpent?

The beauty of this desert surrounds me,

Trees sing in the wind as the clouds ride

The hand-painted sky.

Even here, where it is so dry,

You grow flowers.

Birds and tiny lizards make their home here,

There is no rejection

Everything has its place in balance With you.

Lord God, reveal yourself to me.

Do not leave me in this nether-land.

Amen.

Favourite Bible Verses

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want  (Psalm 23:1).

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.   For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.   Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!   Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?   Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?   "Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.   If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you - you of little faith!   And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.   For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.   But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.   "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom"  (Luke 12:22-32).

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place ..  (Psalm 8:3).

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands  (Psalm 19:1).

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth  (Psalm 33:6).

The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent  (Psalm 104:2).

Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

To him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.

Who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.

Who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.

Who made the great lights, His love endures forever.

The sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.

The moon and stars to govern the night, His love endures forever  (Psalm 136:3-9).

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name  (Psalm 147:4).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

In him was life, and that life was the light of all humankind.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it  (John 1:1-5).

I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you  (Psalm 22:22).

Milestones

When I first became a Christian I asked my wife Trish for an NIV translation of the Bible for my birthday; NIV was brand new then and so very refreshing after all the old "thee" and "thou" language of the King James. The first Scripture I really noted was Luke 12:22-32 where Jesus tells us not to worry about our life or our provision or our self; that He'll take care of all of that. I've never forgotten these verses, but neither have I ever been able to not worry about these things! I also spent much time in the Psalms where many people, and most famously, David, voice their concerns, and their praises, to God. So writing a psalm for June, my counselor, did not seem too strange a thing for me to try and do ..

When Jesus brought me to establish PsalmsOfJohn.com I thought it would be full of psalms like this one which I had written in the desert so many years previously, but it's not until now that I feel to post it. Of all that I have written there are only a very few psalms.

Bless you. Amen.

Testimony - 19th July 2024

In Heaven there are golden bowls where our prayers go, they are as incense to God and Jesus and the heavenly host together in the throne room.

Since that time in the desert our Father God did give me work. I was involved in a number of exciting and challenging projects to end my career in computers.

And now I have work without monetary reward. My work is with and for Jesus, and I am house-husband for Trish who loves her work as a Home Economics teacher at a Christian school. She teaches life skills and "Bible" to teenagers.

Psalms Of John and prayer are big parts of my work and a very big part of my joy of life, my shalom. Praise you and thank you Jesus who answers prayer, thank you our Father God. Amen.

• Permalink to web page
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"Psalm Of John 1 - 2003" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn
• Public link to podcast
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Praise Jesus.

In Their Image: Prayer

Prayer Today, Prayer Always

Jesus prayed a lot. His desire to do Our Father's will is stated time and again in Scripture. Trish and I were very blessed when we met Jesus; the people who introduced us to Him were all praying people, indeed the first places they took us, even before we became believing Christians or were born again, were prayer meetings.

Now I'm finding prayer to be a great refuge; prayer often seems to be the only sensible or practical thing for me to do, really, after trying everything else .. "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns" (Philippians 4:6 Message¹).

Until a few months ago I was politically active (because I believe that our lovely Jesus is vitally interested in all the affairs of all humankind and all the nations); I served as a volunteer for two politicians; one governing in our Western Australian Parliament (who, after doing great work, sadly lost his seat in the last State election) and one a junior Cabinet Minister in our Federal Parliament.

But. And it's a big "but". So many things now happening here and abroad seem to be beyond rational discussion, beyond the framework of democracy and fair dealing, and beyond the moral and cultural values which for more than 200 years have formed the very fabric of our nation and our world, (though some people speak as though nothing has changed).

Our customary response of talking or writing to politicians to help them clarify their thinking, (and keep our Governments in line with the policies which gave them their electoral mandate), no longer make any real difference. 

Today our media seem to have much more influence and almost exclusively show the case for their favourite minority opinions which are clothed in the un-truths of political correctness and self-titled "progressive" ideology. "The spirit of this world" (1 Corinthians 2:12; Ephesians 2:2) is having a profound impact in our time.

So, prayer. Prayer is now becoming my favoured "political" activity.

I've been to a number of prayer schools in recent years; they have proven to be a treasure of understanding about God's nature and character, His plans and purposes, and about how the entire cosmos works and where humankind fits in. I found the schools to be a fabulous source of testimonies of God's care for the World, and His love and faithfulness towards all humankind.

While pondering all this I keep coming back to the Creation. Comedians often talk about "why are we here?" Even Stephen Hawking, (a famous atheist), asks similar questions and freely admits that science gives no answers (though he does "appreciate" the "grand design" of the universe). I'm asking the same kinds of thing from the perspective of a committed Christian.

As I read about the Universe in the Bible, I see God displaying great joy and satisfaction with it. It's like when we need something and figure we can make it our self; we think about it and plan, then design, and finally build. Sometimes our end results are really quite good, and when this happens with my projects I'm tickled pink; I see the results as "very good". I think I got this from Jesus, because I'm in His image and likeness!

The final element of the Creation was the people, Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:26-27). This creative act lifted the whole work from being "good", to "very good" (Genesis 1:31), surely an exciting and satisfying moment in history.

Our Creator God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, must have been very sure to have added people to what had been just their perfect and loving triune relationship. Before the Creation there was nothing else, only God existed. After the Universe was spoken into being, we humans were created, in God's own image and likeness, as spiritual and physical beings who are also creative and have free will; it is these attributes which enable us to either follow God or cause trouble! Because we are made so similar to God it is clear that He loves and cares for us very much! "God is love" (1 John 4:8,16).

Question: if the people of this world (with our free will) are going to spiral further and further into mean-ness, division and violence until utter devastation, then why, O why, did our loving and creative God establish everything so beautifully and so symbiotically all those centuries ago? Well, God has a plan and is, in His mysterious way (Romans 11:33), working it out with the help of His participating people, despite the willfulness of humanity. Prayer is part of this.

Our History

The Creation account in the Bible gives a true picture of how everything came into being. We get to the sixth day and find that human beings were the final element and were not simply spoken into existence (like everything else), but "made in the image and likeness" of Elohim; Father God, His eternal Son, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. We are the only created creatures with a spirit; we can bond and communicate with Elohim God, spirit to Spirit. We are the crown of the Creation.

God's intention was clear; He wanted humankind to be added to His family as His children, and to be a glorious bride for His Son Jesus, and to rule over and to manage and steward the entire physical world; He gave "dominion over all the earth and .. over every creeping thing" He also commanded: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over .. every living thing that moves on the earth and in the heavens" (Genesis 1:26-28).

We call these first two people Adam and Eve (Adam is Hebrew for "man", and Eve "would become the mother of all the living" (Genesis 3:20)). They will have had an awesome life as they were fully included in God's family and living in an abundant and lovely place with unlimited resources and a fulfilling and assured future.

This was the planned role of humankind, to have dominion and to care for the universe. But then came the Fall when Adam and Eve desired to "be like God and know good and evil" (Genesis 3:5) and chose to eat of the forbidden fruit. Humankind immediately lost its "glory and majesty". Adam and Eve gave their "rule and authority" to the serpent, to Satan, who immediately became "the prince of this world" (John 14:30). Sin entered the world, and sin separates humankind from God (John 15:6)

Jesus Came To Redeem Us

Centuries passed. God made Himself known to people and covenants were established, He chose Israel to be His people. But sin remained in the world.

Then our loving Abba Father sent His Son Jesus to rescue us. It is so good that God gave us four Gospels in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We can read and study the accounts of Jesus' life and works and the events of those days, the years that Jesus lived as a human baby, boy and man (Luke 1:1-4).

"You know that [Jesus] appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin" (1 John 3:5).

"Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).

When Jesus was crucified on the Cross at Calvary, He, the only sinless person (Hebrews 4:15), paid the price for all our sin. All! Sin and death were defeated, as was Satan. Every Christian can now live in the righteousness of Christ (Romans 3:22; 5:17), for eternity (Romans 5:21). Hallelujah!

"And you [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins  in which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God]" (Ephesians 2:1-2 Amplified).

When Jesus returns to the earth our present era, (of victory, but also sin and trouble), will end. Already Satan is defeated; Jesus took back the rule and authority the first Adam had given away (1 Corinthians 15:45, Matthew 28:18, John 10:18, Ephesians 1:18-23). He then gave it to us, His disciples through the ages: [Jesus] replied "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you" (Luke 10:18-19).

Now Jesus is seated next to Father God in heaven where He intercedes (Mark 14:62) for every one of the 7½  billion people on the earth!

Intercession

To "intercede" is to stand in the gap for someone or for a situation, to mediate, to represent. Jesus constantly intercedes between each one of us and God (1 Timothy  2:5).

Each Christian has been accepted as a child in God's family (John 1:12, Romans 8:14, Romans 8:19, Romans 8:21). We are given Jesus' righteousness (Romans 10:4) and have direct access into God's throne room (Ephesians 2:6). Jesus is no longer here on earth to do His work for the Father, so He asks us to pray for people and situations on earth so that His redeeming work of 2000 years ago can be applied to those people and situations today (John 14:12, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21). He asks that we be His hands and voice and feet as we participate in His work: 

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12).

This is why prayer is so precious and so satisfying. It unleashes what Jesus has already accomplished!

"Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest" (Hebrews 3:1).

John Wesley said: "God does nothing on the earth save in answer to believing prayer". 

What Does The Bible Say?

I'm not sure I've ever studied prayer as a whole-Bible¹ subject before; it's really exciting as I see afresh the scope and depth of our Lord's desire for us to pray, and the level of participation He desires from us in the care of all 7½ billion of us now living on planet Earth, and the nations and the natural environment.

My study showed a great many verses from across the whole history of the Bible times, many biblical authors, and all the activities of humankind. Here are some that I find particularly insightful and inspirational:

Prayer Makes God's Power, Wisdom And Healing Available Everywhere:-

"Our God is near us whenever we pray to him" (Deuteronomy 4:7).

"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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

[Job to the Lord] "I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted" .. [The Lord to Job's friends] "My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly .." (Job 42:2,8).

"In [Jesus] and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence" (Ephesians 3:12).

The Spiritual World Has Precedence Over The Physical:-

"Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:11-12).

"In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (Romans 8:26).

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV).

We Are To Emulate Jesus Who Prayed Often:-

"This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,  your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven .. '" (Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus' words).

"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44, Jesus' words).

"At that time Jesus said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children'" (Matthew 11:25).

"Jesus went up on the mountain by Himself to pray" (Matthew 14:23).

"Then Jesus said 'Sit here while I go over there and pray'" (Matthew 26:36).

"Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing'" (Luke 23:34).

"So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, 'Father, I thank you that you have heard me'" (John 11:41).

"Jesus .. looked toward heaven and prayed: 'Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you'" (John 17:1).

"Jesus said, 'My kingdom is .. from another place'" (John 18:36).

(We are now citizens of Heaven! (Philippians 3:20)).

It Is God's Will That We Pray:-

"As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you .. " (1 Samuel 12:23).

"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 3:10).

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Jesus asks Us To Pray As Participation In His Life On The Earth:-

"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse" (Romans 12:11-14).

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Prayer Is A Primary Weapon In The War Against The Spirit Of This World:-

"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44, Jesus' words).

"What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us" (1 Corinthians 2:12).

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Prayer Is Integral To Our New Life In Jesus:-

"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 Lord's people" (Ephesians 6:18).

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful" (Colossians 4:2).

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns" (Philippians 4:6 Message).

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all" (1 Timothy 2:1).

Prayer Awakens Spiritual Awareness In Those Prayed For:-

"You who answer prayer, to you all people will come" (Psalm 65:2).

"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world .. I in them and you in me, so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" (John 17:6,23).

"They said to the woman, 'We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man [Jesus] really is the Saviour of the world'" (John 4:42).

Hope

Happily, I'm again full of hope. It's good to know that our identity is in Jesus, and that He and Abba Father are constantly working (John 5:17), they have a goal. We are all inexorably moving towards the glory shown on the last page of the Bible:

"He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon'. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen" (Revelation 22:20-21).

We don't know how long this will take. Right now it looks as though it will be a long time, but nobody forecast the very sudden fall of the Berlin Wall or the, also sudden, break-up of the Soviet Union, or, more recently, the murderous aggression of Islam against the whole world. Christian history shows that the first two of these events were preceded and precipitated by much prayer by united and obedient Christian believers. So our God gives us hope for all the current world threats and problems:

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

"Faith and love spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel" (Colossians 1:5).

"Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love" (2 John 1:3).

Bless us all. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.

Footnote 1- Bible Translations

We have many Bibles in our house including:

New International Version (which I use most often)

New American Standard Version (which Trish uses most often)

Amplified Bible

New English Bible

English Standard Version - a free copy is on my phone

Good News Bible

The Message Paraphrase

King James Version

J B Phillips New Testament (mine is a signed Revised Edition 1972!)

I also refer to a recent edition of the Nestle Greek language bible which uses the Greek from the Ancient Near East (rather than modern Greece), and a number of great student’s tools to help me wrestle with passages in this original New Testament language that I’m really chewing hard on.

I’ve found that every English Bible version contains errors, so (I hope) I am always ready to be corrected in my understanding. Some things which I’ve heard in dozens of sermons over the past 30+ years are just not in the Bible! At Bible college we were taught to ask: "What does the text say? What does the whole of the Bible say? What would readers and listeners make of this passage in Bible times?"

There are also a myriad of other teachings and teaching aids available, many of which are freely available on the Internet. I try to always read these in the light of Scripture.

The Bible is the living Word of God (1 Peter 1:23), and the Word is Jesus (John 1:1-5), so we can faithfully expect Him to speak directly to us from His written word. This is the prophetic working in us, and is to be expected and encouraged (1 Corinthians 14:1,3).

Bless you. Amen.

Footnote 2: The Full Armour of God: From Ephesians 6:10-18

• The belt of truth - Truth is Jesus - John 1:14

    See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2020/04/armour-of-god-truth.html

• The breastplate of righteousness - Jesus is our righteousness - 2 Corinthians 5:21

    See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2021/01/armour-of-god-breastplate-of.html

• Our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace - Jesus is the Gospel, this was a mystery until He gave us the Church - Ephesians 1:9

    See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2021/11/armour-of-god-shoes-of-good-news.html

• The shield of faith - Jesus is our shield - 1 Peter 1:5

    See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2020/03/armour-of-god-shield.html

• The helmet of salvation - Jesus protects our mind - 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV and Amplified

    See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2020/10/armour-of-god-helmet.html

• The sword of the Spirit - Jesus is our only weapon, the Word of God, invincible in spiritual battles - John 1:1 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

    See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2020/09/armour-of-god-sword.html

• And pray in the Spirit - continually, without ceasing - Romans 8:26 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17

    See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2015/11/in-their-image-prayer.html

Bless you Jesus. So lovely, so complete. Amen.

• Permalink to this web page

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"In Their Image: Prayer" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

• Public link to podcast

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ayGgFoWUu9yyE3IFNSmUm

Praise Jesus.