“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:4 NASB
This verse frustrates me to no end. I spent twelve years learning to read, understand, and teach the Bible. It’s what I do best. I’m good at it. But the apostles definitely cramp my style with their ministry priorities, “We will devote ourselves to prayer and to ministry of the word.”
My problem isn’t with the word “devote.” I appreciate the zeal, the single-mindedness of persevering in ministry. The verb tense and the word’s meaning convey the notion that my fellow pastors and I should expend significant effort while we are “busily engaged” in the twin tasks of teaching and prayer.
What throws me is the word order. Prayer first and teaching second? By temperament and training I’d much prefer “ministry of the word and to prayer.” But the apostles don’t give me that option. The way they crafted their statement hems me in.
You see, they strayed from the normal word order (conjunction-verb-subject-direct object) to make their point. They put the object complements, prayer and teaching, at the start of the sentence and moved the verb to the end. Prayer receives the greatest emphasis.
This sets the bar for all who follow them in positions of spiritual leadership. If we wish to be like the apostles, prayer is our highest priority and teaching is a close second. We know what to teach. The Bible lays that out for us with admonitions to “teach the word, in season and out” (2 Timothy 4:2) or to teach the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).
But what are we supposed to pray for?
I hesitate to offer any counsel in this regard because I’m still a performance oriented, Type A personality. From personal experience—and from the pastors I mentor—I know we know how to fake spirituality. We are adept at wearing the professional mask, but inside we wrestle with fear, doubt, jealousy, and despair. We fall into the trap of attempting to repair the misalignment between character and conduct by means of a self-powered sin management program. We patch the exterior, but inside we’re still a mess.
The solution to this conundrum? Three simple, biblical prayers that keep us centered on God’s strength rather than our weaknesses, on his grace rather than failures, and on his mission rather than our agendas. These are three prayers to which all believers should devote themselves.
SUBMISSION
First is the prayer that says, “Yes!” to whatever God asks. Mary’s reply to the angelic messenger (Luke 1:26-38) typifies this humble response. Bear in mind that the angelic message wasn’t undiluted good news. Mary, an unmarried teen girl who feared public humiliation, was “greatly troubled” (1:29), with good reason. An illegitimate pregnancy would shame her faithful Jewish family, expose her to accusations of sexual sin, and put her at risk for death by stoning (Deuteronomy 22:20-27). Like Zechariah who was “troubled” and fearful (Luke 1:12), Mary was alarmed. Thus, the messenger comforted her saying, “Do not be afraid.”
Then the messenger revealed a few details of the Lord’s plan. God had graciously (“you have found favor”, 30) chosen her to bear the Son of God, heir to David’s throne (31-32), who would finally establish an everlasting kingdom (33). The Holy Spirit would produce her pregnancy in a miraculous display of divine power (34-37). Finally, in response she said, “Behold the maid-servant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
Mary said, “Yes!” to the Lord despite her misgivings and the potential consequences she might suffer. As a result, God did a miraculous thing which became a source of blessing the whole world, just as the Lord had promised her ancestor so many centuries earlier (Genesis 12:3). She became a participant in God’s plan to bless all the families of earth—because she said yes.
Many biblical characters said, “Yes!” when God asked for the unreasonable, the inconvenient, or the dangerous. The stuttering sheep herder reluctantly said yes. As a result, he became God’s instrument to exact judgment on Egypt, to lead the enslaved Israelites to freedom, and to establish the familial, social, governmental, and worship structures of a new nation. The stalwart soldier, content to play second fiddle most of his life, said yes. God used him to secure Israel’s possession of Canaan. A wine steward said yes to the burden the Holy Spirit put on his heart. Many of the Bible’s crusty old men, the prophets, said yes to God despite the peril. Even Jesus had to say, “Yes” to the Father. In fear of the ordeal on the cross he had prayed, “If it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” Finally, however, he said yes. “Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done (Matthew 26:39).”
CONFESSION
The prayer of confession is a bit different from the first. The first prayer—of submission— is a believer’s humble response to God’s call. The second is also a “Yes”. It is the believer’s prayer of confession. It agrees with God’s assessment when we have sinned. “Yes, I’m guilty.” 1 John 1:7-9 speaks of this:
If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This is confession is not required to obtain eternal life; it is for those who already possess it. The pronoun “we” in verse 7 refers to people who walk in the light with Jesus. They enjoy fellowship with others who are walking in light, and Jesus cleanses them when they have confessed. Clearly, these are born again believers. But, as verse 8 says, they are believers who have fallen into post-conversion sin. Confession is an intrinsic part of the Christian life of walking in the light. It is essential for deep, personal intimacy with our Lord.
I break fellowship with Him when I turn from him to sin. In that moment I become the wayward son—still beloved but in need of discipline should I persist in my errant ways. In order to return to his fellowship, I must agree with his assessment. When the Holy Spirit burdens my conscience, I must agree. “Yes, Lord, I sinned against you. That was wrong.” When I confess, the blessed promise of verse 9 is fulfilled in my life. That fellowship which I ruined by my sin he restores.
I’m sure this is a major reason why my relationship with God isn’t as warm and intimate as he and I would like. It’s why I often miss our moment-by-moment connection. The prayer of confession reconnects us.
SALVATION
The third prayer is the believer’s cry, “Lord, save me (Matt 14:30)!” You probably recall the details of this story. Peter saw Jesus walking on the stormy sea toward the disciples’ boat. Peter blurted, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Things went swimmingly at first. When the mounting gale and boiling swell distracted him, Peter began to sink. He was in peril. “Lord, save me!” is the cry of the endangered believer who is powerless in the circumstances. When danger shatters our illusion of control, when circumstances threaten to sweep us away, when all seems hopeless, we cry out to God for rescue.
Together these three prayers help me maintain the proper balance between character and conduct. The prayer of submission arranges my volition before God’s plan. It reminds me that I serve at his pleasure rather than for my own purposes. The prayer of confession acknowledges that I do sin against a holy God, and yet he is also gracious and forgiving because (for reasons that mystify me) he enjoys our mutual fellowship. The prayer of salvation reminds me that any sense of control I may have is an illusion. I am wholly dependent upon him. Our best conduct flows from a will that is submitted to his call, a spirit in close fellowship with his, and a life wholly dependent upon his power.
Bud Brown, Grandfather, Revitalization Consultant, Retired Pastor, Writer, Sailor, Harmless drudge.
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Works Cited:
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.). New York: United Bible Societies.
Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
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