Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

• 1 John 1:9

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

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

• Proverbs 3:5-6

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

• Psalm 10:9

“Let the first rule of right prayer then be, to have our heart and mind framed as becomes those who are entering into converse with God.  This we shall accomplish in regard to the mind, if, laying aside carnal thoughts and cares which might interfere with the direct and pure contemplation of God, it not only be wholly intent on prayer, but also, as far as possible, be borne and raised above itself.  I do not here insist on a mind so disengaged as to feel none of the gnawings of anxiety; on the contrary, it is by much anxiety that the fervour of prayer is inflamed.  Thus we see that the holy servants of God betray great anguish, not to say solicitude, when they cause the voice of complaint to ascend to the Lord from the deep abyss and the jaws of death. What I say is, that all foreign and extraneous cares must be dispelled by which the mind might be driven to and fro in vague suspense, be drawn down from heaven, and kept groveling on the earth.  When I say it must be raised above itself, I mean that it must not bring into the presence of God any of those things which our blind and stupid reason is wont to devise, nor keep itself confined within the little measure of its own vanity, but rise to a purity worthy of God.”

• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Volume 2

“A concentrated mind and a sitting body make for better prayer than a kneeling body and a mind half asleep.”

• C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer

This continues John Calvin’s exposition on prayer.

We often read pieces of verses or an entire verse, but out of context.

God loves us unconditionally, but if a loved one of yours was doing something that was harmful to their health, the loving thing to do would be to warn them of the hazards or even reach out a hand so they do not fall over the edge.

It is similar with God.  In the Scriptures above, God promises forgiving sins, making our paths straight, and eternal salvation.  But each of these gifts are conditional.

And yet, God gives us the power and the inclination to do those things.  We must be a willing participant, and we must have Jesus in our heart.

And even that is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Our commitment is a total commitment.  The closer our desire to be more like Jesus gets, the closer those gifts are.

Sure, salvation and forgiveness of sin are things that God does once when we are part of His family, nothing earned by us.

But the desires of this world make focusing on Jesus more difficult.  Even the best of us will have one or two things that are hard to turn from.

But what John Calvin is talking about here is our ultimate desire in life.  When our desires are in line with God’s desires, our communication with God is less cluttered.

God hears every prayer, but does He give much time to prayers that are entirely selfish and worldly requests?  Not hardly.  For prayer to be more effective, we have to desire God’s kingdom on earth.

As I get older, the desires of this world seem so trivial.  And I can even live with the aches and pains, for I know that there will be no pain on the other side.

When we take this attitude, we can be more effective in our prayers.

And the C.S. Lewis quote is one that I spent quite some time finding.  While our heart must be for God while praying, our posture matters less, but our focus needs to be clear-minded and looking at Jesus.

If you like these Tuesday morning essays about philosophy and other “heavy topics,” but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Tuesday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.