A PRAYER OF SURRENDER

Have you ever told a child- “Because I said so”? Or how about- “You need to do it my way”? Anyone who has ever helped raise a child knows it’s sometimes difficult to explain the reason why the child must do something or can’t have something. Children often don’t ask for what is best for them, but they must learn to trust the parent or adult. As we come to God with our requests, we must trust Him also. For God is the “parent” and we are His children. It comes as a surprise to many people from what has been called the “selfie” generation that to follow Jesus means to give up our selfish desire and to seek first God’s kingdom (Matt. 6:33). We need to have God teach us to make our priority to pray for God’s Will to be done. Then we can approach prayer with humble submission to God’s Will.

Read Matthew 6:10-11a

Honoring the Lord when we pray opens the door for surrendering to Him. Jesus’ Model Prayer showed us the path from praise to submission as we approach our Father. It tells us to pray that His Will be done. This makes it a Prayer of Surrender. Jesus taught us to honor the Lord’s name as holy when we pray (6:9). Jesus intends for us to grow in Him as kingdom citizens and to make Him our highest priority. He knows that as we strive to live out His intention, we will face a serious temptation. When we give into temptation, we’ll neglect God’s kingdom. But we invite Christ into our lives, we become citizens of His kingdom.

The phrase in verse 10 “May your kingdom come” is a reference to God’s spiritual reign, not to Israel’s freedom from Rome. The eternal community in which God rules as king with complete authority over His people who have received His gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. God’s kingdom was announced in the covenant with Abraham (Matt. 8:11; Luke 1:26), is present in Christ’s reign in believers’ hearts (Luke 17:21) and will be complete when all evil is destroyed, and God establishes the new heaven and earth (Rev. 21:1). When we pray “May Your Will be done”, we are not resigning ourselves to fate but praying that God’s perfect purpose will be accomplished in this world as well as in the next. God accomplishes His Will largely through people willing to obey Him. This part of the prayer allows us to offer ourselves as doers of God’s Will, asking Him to guide, lead, and give us the means to accomplish His purposes.

Read James 4:6-10

James 4:6-10 is showing the need to be humble. There are three challenging things James tells us to do. He promises that these will change our lives. This passage from James was written in a very serious circumstance. Christians were quarreling; committing murder and adultery; living by lust, greed, and envy. They were making themselves enemies of God, denying the Spirit who dwelled in them, and embracing the world and its ill-gotten pleasures (James 4:1-5).

Having reprimanded them for this, James tells them, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).  Then James tells sinners three things they need to do.  1) Resist the devil (v. 7). 2) Draw near to God (v.8). 3) Humble yourselves (v. 10). James wipes the smiles off their faces: “You sinners, cleanse your hands. You double-minded purify your hearts. Be miserable and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to grieving, and your joy to gloom” (James 4:8-9). In the course of this rebuke, James offers these three things for those sinners to do, so as to revolutionize their lives and mend their relationship with God. We may not be in the fallen state those rebuked were in, but the three things are not reserved for apostates and reprobates. Even the best Christians ought to do these things, because they promise the avoidance of sin as much as they promise its rectification.

Now here is something wonderful. You can resist the devil. Did you realize you have that power? Well you do. The grace of God grants it to you —if you are humble about it (1Corinthians 10:12-13). The devil’s reaction may not be to scamper off immediately. He may tempt and try you a bit harder at first. But if you consistently resist him, he will fear the power of God in you, and he will flee. He may come back again another time, but he can’t win if you keep resisting him with the power God’s grace supplies you.

Here’s something more wonderful still. You can draw near to God. Did you realize that you have that privilege? Is it possible to be close to a God far away in heaven, “who dwells in unapproachable light” (1Timothy 6:15-16)? Well of course you cannot go into heaven (yet) and meet with God. James however mentions “the Spirit dwelling in us” (James 4:5). We have access to God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18) and “The Spirit intercedes for us” (Romans 8:26). So, we can draw near to God and be near him all the time —so long as we go to him humbly.

This is perhaps the most wonderful thing of all. God will exalt those who come to him humbly. Peter says the same (1Peter 5:6). Some translations say that God will “lift you up” but I’m inclined to think “exalt” is more what God has in mind. We come to God with no pretensions, seeking his grace, and he blesses us “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3), and grants us “his precious and magnificent promises” (2Peter 1:4).

Read James 4:13-17

James moves to a new application in giving a warning specifically about business forecasting. Somewhat unusually, he focuses first on the principle of trusting God. He opens with sobering words: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.’ Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring.  For you are a mist (vapor) that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:13–14). It might seem that James is condemning even short-term business plan­ning. Planning ahead, however, is not his concern. Imagining that we are in control of what happens is the problem.

The following verse helps us see James’s real point: “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:15). The problem is not planning; it is planning as if the future lies in our hands. We are responsible to use wisely the resources, abilities, con­nections, and time that God gives us. But we are not in control of the out­comes. Most businesses are well aware how unpredictable outcomes are, despite the best planning and execution that money can buy. The annual report of any publicly traded corporation will feature a detailed section on risks the company faces, often running ten or twenty pages. State­ments such as “Our stock price may fluctuate based on factors beyond our control” make it clear that secular corporations are highly attuned to the unpredictability James is talking about.

Why then does James have to remind believers of what ordinary businesses know so well? Perhaps believers sometimes delude them­selves that following Christ will make them immune to the unpredict­ability of life and work. This is a mistake. Instead, James’s words should make Christians more aware of the need to continually reassess, adapt, and adjust. Our plans should be flexible and our execution responsive to changing conditions. In one sense, this is simply good business practice. Yet in a deeper sense, it is a spiritual matter, for we need to respond not only to market conditions but also to God’s leading in our work. This brings us back to James’s exhortation to listen with deep attention. Christian leadership consists not in forcing others to comply with our plans and actions, but in adapting ourselves to God’s word and God’s unfolding guidance in our lives.

“As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.” (v. 16). Boasting is evil because we are defying our utter ignorance of the true state of thing, turning a blind eye to the frailty of the fittest man and the fact that we depend upon God for everything. God wasn’t in Rodale’s thinking. There in that New York TV studio was a man who in one area of life had some knowledge, that is, of vitamins and healthy eating. He had one piece of the jigsaw and had become an authority in that single piece. But the other pieces? Such as length of life? And human unpredictability? And the divinely forged connection between sin and death? And the whole picture? He knew nothing at all about these things. The youngest child in the kingdom of God knew more than he did. John Calvin once observed, “Men arrogate too much to themselves when they think that they excel in anything.” James says baldly, “That is evil.” Not just the great cruel crimes that we read about too often. Yes, they are evil too, but boasting and bragging. Its source is the evil one. From the beginning he boasted what he could do for our first parents. He boasted to the Son of God that if he would fall down and worship him he would give him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Every time you hear a man bragging, think of the pit. That is the source of all pride. Our boasting shows that we are sinful men. Then there is the other root problem.

Our Sins of Omission. v.17 “Therefore to him that know to do good, and do it not, to him it is sin.” We know the good we ought to do? Yes, because the things of the law are written in every heart. We know that it is wrong to lie and to steal and to kill and to worship an idol and to boast and brag. We know because God has given you a conscience – his great monitor that commends you when you do well and condemns you when you do wrong. The famous Puritan illustration of the conscience compares it to a sundial. That is, it operates effectively only when it is enlightened by the light that strikes it from the Bible. It will give us a reading if we shine our torch upon it. It will tell us a time but it is inaccurate, because it only works effectively by the light of the sun. So, our consciences will work best when they are illuminated by the Bible. Think of those who have the conscience of evil! They do it in conscience. Think of the conscience of the Auschwitz guards! They acted by the light of their conscience. Driving the Jews into the gas-chambers and going home to sing ‘Silent Night’ with the families at Christmas. Men can muffle and distort the voice of conscience.

James reminds us that we should be guided by what is good when we make our plans. What is good is the coming of God’s kingdom and our willingness to be submissive to His Will for us. Surrendering our plans to Him enables us to accomplish His kingdom plan for us each day. We sin when against God when we decide to take actions that reflect rebellion against Him. So, sin can also involve what we decide not to do. That is where “A Prayer of Surrender” comes in and is important to know God’s Will.

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A PRAYER OF PRAISE

We have considered to whom we pray, now let’s think about why we pray. It is natural for many of us to call out to God when we need something. While it is certainly okay to ask God for help or even something we need, it should not be the only time we pray to God. God does invites us to come to Him with our requests and prayers. However, we need to consider what God wants. In the Model Prayer, Jesus tells us to petition for God’s name to be honored as holy. We are to bring our requests to Him and seek an answer that brings honor and glory to God. Our prayers should be driven by the desire to honor God and in everything we say and do.

Read Matthew 6:9b; Psalm 96:1-3

The second part of Matthew 6:9b states- “Your name be honored as holy”. This is Jesus’ instruction for us to honor our Father. The honor we give Him cannot be something that’s contrived or produced out of obligation or ritual. It’s something that we sincerely want to do. Our desire to honor Him inspires us to praise Him. While we know the prayer that Jesus shared with us as the Lord’s Prayer, it may be best to call it the Model Prayer. Both are very good names. However, Jesus intended for us to use it as a guide or model when we pray. Jesus was telling us how to acknowledge God as Father when we begin to talk with Him. How we approach our Father makes more of a difference than we may realize at first. When we honor God at the outset of our prayer, we’re more settled in His presence. Coming into His presence matters more than making sure that He hears about our needs- since He already knows our needs.

Psalm 96 is for royalty. It should start with timpani (kettledrum) and end with a trumpet. This enthronement psalms (93; 95-99) calls the people to praise God (verses 1-3, 7-10a, 11-12a) and gives reasons why God is worthy of praise (verses 4-6, 10b, 12b-13). Taken together these moves “describe the nature and consequences of God’s rule.” God’s reign gets spectators involved and awakens sleepers. No wonder the Psalm brims with imperatives: three times we are told to sing, and after that to bless, tell, declare, ascribe and worship. This Psalm is motivational. It moves people to proclaim God’s mercy and might. It offers insights into how to honor the Lord as holy when we pray.

In Part 1 (verses 1-3) God’s people get their marching orders. First, we are to “sing a new song” (verse 1). But what exactly is that new song? The preacher can well ask what song his or her congregation is given to sing. The Psalm leaves that pretty open ended. It could be Psalm 96 itself, or some brand new composition. It might be a response to some event in the story of God’s people, such as “the return of the exiles from Babylonian captivity” or something that has happened in your congregation or community. It could be a song looking toward the future, or one that combines past, present and future.²

After three calls to sing, the Psalm moves to another imperative: the call to bless God’s name (verse 2). Of course, God does not need our blessing. But in worship, to bless God is to tell of God’s saving deeds…to extol God’s mercy, might and compassion. Ancient worshippers in the Temple used Psalm 96 (and others like it) to bless God, and they may also have knelt and lifted up their hands. Worship is between the worshipper and God, yet it moves outward with another imperative: we are to tell others of God’s salvation. This is not just preaching to the choir, but to all the world. The Psalmist says we are to declare God’s glory “among the nations” God’s marvelous works “to all the people.” So, Psalm 96 has been called a “missionary psalm.”

Because He has saved us, glorifying Him always remains our primary passion. To glorify Him implies that we cast the light on Him and call attention to His name and the meaning in our lives. When we declare His glory to others (v.3), we eagerly put the light on God so they will turn to Him. Our eagerness to declare His glory knows no boundaries. We want to proclaim His name to every people group and every nation in the world. As we eagerly sing the song of praise to Him, we want the whole world to hear the good news of His salvation.

Read Psalm 96:4-6

Part 2 (verses 4-6) tells why God is to be praised. God is great above the heavens. But down here on earth where there are many gods, the one true God outshines them all. The Psalmist dismisses those other gods-with-a-small-‘g’- as mere idols. They are things we made up, in contrast to the creator who made us, and the heavens (verse 5). We praise God as Creator, and we also praise God’s character.

For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised (v. 4).  He is no petty deity, presiding, as the heathen imagined their gods to do, over some one nation, or one department of nature. Jehovah is great in power and dominion, great in mind and act; nothing mean or narrow can be found in him or his acts, in all things he is infinite. Praise should be proportionate to its object, therefore let it be infinite when rendered unto the Lord. We cannot praise him too much, too often, too zealously, too carefully, too joyfully. He deserves that nothing in his worship should be little, but all the honor rendered unto him should be given in largeness of heart, with the utmost zeal for his glory.

He is to be feared above all gods (v. 4). Other gods have been worshipped at great cost, and with much fervor, by their blinded rotaries, but Jehovah should be adored with far greater reverence. Even if the graven images had been gods they could not have borne comparison for an instant with the God of Israel, and therefore his worship, should be far more zealous than any which has been rendered to them. He is to be feared, for there is cause to fear. Dread of other gods is mere superstition, awe of the Lord is pure religion. Holy fear is the beginning of the graces, and yet it is the accompaniment of their highest range. Fear of God is the blush upon the face of holiness enhancing its beauty.

For all the gods of the nations are idols (v. 5).  Mere images of wood and stone, vanities, nothings. But the Lord made the heavens. The reality of his Godhead is proved by his works, and foremost among these the psalmist mentions that matchless piece of architecture which casts its arch over every man’s head, whose lamps are the light of all mankind, whose rains and dew fall upon the fields of every people, and whence the Lord in voice of thunder is heard speaking to every creature. The idol gods have no existence, but our God is the author of all existences; they are mere earthly vanities, while he is not only heavenly, but made the heavens. This is mentioned as an argument for Jehovah’s universal praise. Who can be worshipped but he? Since none can rival him, let him be adored alone.

Perhaps the most famous description of God’s character appears in Psalm 103:8 (and elsewhere): God is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” The description of God’s character found in Psalm 96: 6 has a different emphasis: God’s “honor and majesty are before Him, his strength and beauty fill the sanctuary.” This points to God’s sovereignty and holiness, an important theme in scripture though often neglected today. Honor and majesty are before him. (v. 6). Men can but mimic these things; their pompous pageants are but the pretense of greatness. Honor and majesty are with him and with him alone. In the presence of Jehovah real glory and sovereignty abide, as constant attendants.

Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. In him are combined all that is mighty and lovely, powerful and resplendent. We have seen rugged strength devoid of beauty, we have also seen elegance without strength; the union of the two is greatly to be admired. Do we desire to see the “sublime and beautiful” at one glance? Then we must look to the eternal throne. In the Chronicles we read strength and gladness; and the two renderings do not disagree in sense, for in the highest degree in this instance it is true that “a thing of beauty is a joy forever.”

Read Psalm 96:7-9

Part 3 (verses 7-10) returns to the imperative mood once more, in a worship setting. Three times we are told to ascribe to glory to God. To “ascribe” is to name a quality that belongs to a person or thing. To a deer we ascribe speed and grace and to an artist or composer we ascribe creative genius. To God we ascribe glory and strength — especially when looking at creation. To express our gratitude and dependence on God, we are told to bring an offering, come into God’s courts (verse 8) worship the Lord, and tremble before God (verse 9). In verse 10 (not included in the lectionary) we are to say to the nations that the Lord is King.

Ascribe to the Lord, used in the same triple manner. This is after the manner of those poets whose flaming sonnets have best won the ear of, the people, they reiterate choice words till they penetrate the soul and fire the heart. The invocation of the sweet singer is still addressed to all mankind, to whom he speaks as Ye kindreds of the people. Divided into tribes and families, we are called in our courses and order to appear before him and ascribe to him all honor.  “All worship be to God only,” is the motto of one of our City companies, and it may well be the motto of all the families upon earth. Family worship is peculiarly pleasing unto him who is the God of all the families of Israel. Give unto the LORD glory and strength, that is to say, recognize the glory and power of Jehovah, and ascribe them unto him in your solemn hymns.

Bring an offering and come into his courts. Come with an un-bloody sacrifice; atonement for sin having been made, it only remains to bring thank offerings, and let not these be forgotten. To him who gives us all, we ought gladly to give our grateful tithe. When assembling for public worship we should make a point of bringing with us a contribution to his cause, according to that ancient word, “None of you shall appear before me empty.” The time will come when from all ranks and nations the Lord will receive gifts when they gather together for his worship. 0 long expected day begin! This is language taken from the temple worship, and means that God is to be worshipped, in the manner which he has prescribed, as a suitable expression of his majesty.

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. This is the only beauty which he cares for in our public services, and it is one for which no other can compensate. Beauty of architecture and apparel he does not regard; moral and spiritual beauty is that in which his soul delights. Worship must not be rendered to God in a slovenly, sinful, superficial manner; we must be reverent, sincere, earnest, and pure in heart both in our prayers and praises. Purity is the white linen of the Lord’s choristers, righteousness is the comely garment of his priests, holiness is the royal apparel of his servants. Fear before him, all the earth. “Tremble” is the word in the original, and it expresses the profoundest awe, just as the word “worship” does, which would be more accurately translated by “bow down.” Even the bodily frame would be moved to trembling and prostration if men were thoroughly conscious of the power and glory of Jehovah. We should enjoy the privilege of knowing Him intimately as our Father. Then all of our prayers will be “A Prayer of Praise”.

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