Give the Lord No Rest
GIVE THE LORD NO REST: A Few Words on the Problem of Prayerlessness
This week I’ve been reading in the last few chapters of Isaiah, and one thing that kept popping off the page at me was prayer - really, the lack thereof. Listen to this:
"...My Temple will be called a house of prayer..." - Isaiah 56:7b.
Remember the story of Jesus clearing the Temple of the money-changers? What does Jesus say? “He said to them, ‘The Scriptures declare, “My Temple will be called a house of prayer,” but you have made it a den of thieves!’” - Matthew 21:13. They were robbing God. How? Was it the money-changing? Sure it was. But I also believe they were robbing God of one important thing: their prayers!
On a human scale, one of the greatest sins we are guilty of is prayerlessness. And one of the greatest indictments against the body of Christ - particularly in this increasingly Godless, post-Christian, Westernized culture is its lack of prayer. Think about it. The least attended meeting at church is the prayer meeting! As the old saying goes: “You make time for what’s important to you.”
The last few chapters of Isaiah have a lot to say about this. Look at Isaiah 55:6 - “Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.” WHILE...! Does this clue us in? Is there a point where God quits listening? How long does He have to wait on us? We should be the ones waiting on Him? Isaiah prays (64:1, 4), “Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!...For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” God works for those who wait on Him! Shouldn't that be give us incentive to pray?
BUT...we don't pray. We don't wait on Him. He keeps waiting on us. “The Lord says, ‘I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, “Here I am, here I am!” to a nation that did not call on my name.’” - Isaiah 65:1.
We must be a people that pray! We've got to get the lead out and seek God! We've got to toss our lame excuses out the window for not spending time with God!
Let’s face it: we are at a place where prayer is not just good to do, but it's imperative - critical to our spiritual lives. We need to be standing in the gap in intercession - if Jesus is constantly doing it at God’s right hand (see Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25), so should we! We need to be seeking God - sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening for His heartbeat, until we are overwhelmed.
Paul exhorts us to “Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Was he honing in on what he learned in his early days from the Old Testament prophet? Listen to Isaiah. “Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch" (62:1).
Never stop praying!
Scroll down a few verses: “...I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord. Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work...” - Isaiah 62:6.
Never stop praying!
So here's the clincher. If you were to honestly evaluate your own life, how would you answer these: Are you praying? If so, to what extent? Do you just give God a brief moment over a meal or before you go to bed, or do you hunker down every day and do some serious talking with God? What keeps you from praying? Do you have an aversion to prayer; is something hindering you? Do you make excuses for not spending time with God? Is God dealing with you right now about prayerlessness? How intimate do you want to be with Father God?
Church has to be a house of prayer! Followers of Christ, take no rest! Give the Lord no rest! NEVER STOP PRAYING!
This week I’ve been reading in the last few chapters of Isaiah, and one thing that kept popping off the page at me was prayer - really, the lack thereof. Listen to this:
"...My Temple will be called a house of prayer..." - Isaiah 56:7b.
Remember the story of Jesus clearing the Temple of the money-changers? What does Jesus say? “He said to them, ‘The Scriptures declare, “My Temple will be called a house of prayer,” but you have made it a den of thieves!’” - Matthew 21:13. They were robbing God. How? Was it the money-changing? Sure it was. But I also believe they were robbing God of one important thing: their prayers!
On a human scale, one of the greatest sins we are guilty of is prayerlessness. And one of the greatest indictments against the body of Christ - particularly in this increasingly Godless, post-Christian, Westernized culture is its lack of prayer. Think about it. The least attended meeting at church is the prayer meeting! As the old saying goes: “You make time for what’s important to you.”
The last few chapters of Isaiah have a lot to say about this. Look at Isaiah 55:6 - “Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.” WHILE...! Does this clue us in? Is there a point where God quits listening? How long does He have to wait on us? We should be the ones waiting on Him? Isaiah prays (64:1, 4), “Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!...For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” God works for those who wait on Him! Shouldn't that be give us incentive to pray?
BUT...we don't pray. We don't wait on Him. He keeps waiting on us. “The Lord says, ‘I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, “Here I am, here I am!” to a nation that did not call on my name.’” - Isaiah 65:1.
We must be a people that pray! We've got to get the lead out and seek God! We've got to toss our lame excuses out the window for not spending time with God!
Let’s face it: we are at a place where prayer is not just good to do, but it's imperative - critical to our spiritual lives. We need to be standing in the gap in intercession - if Jesus is constantly doing it at God’s right hand (see Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25), so should we! We need to be seeking God - sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening for His heartbeat, until we are overwhelmed.
Paul exhorts us to “Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Was he honing in on what he learned in his early days from the Old Testament prophet? Listen to Isaiah. “Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch" (62:1).
Never stop praying!
Scroll down a few verses: “...I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord. Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work...” - Isaiah 62:6.
Never stop praying!
So here's the clincher. If you were to honestly evaluate your own life, how would you answer these: Are you praying? If so, to what extent? Do you just give God a brief moment over a meal or before you go to bed, or do you hunker down every day and do some serious talking with God? What keeps you from praying? Do you have an aversion to prayer; is something hindering you? Do you make excuses for not spending time with God? Is God dealing with you right now about prayerlessness? How intimate do you want to be with Father God?
Church has to be a house of prayer! Followers of Christ, take no rest! Give the Lord no rest! NEVER STOP PRAYING!