Thesis #14: “The New Apostolic Epoch” By: P. Douglas Small
07/21/19
Jesus said in the New Testament, “My house shall be called a house of prayer!” Doug Small is the international director of prayer ministries for the Church of God and the founding president of Alive Ministries: PROJECT PRAY. In a recent book, “The New Apostolic Epoch, Brother Small gives us The New 95 Theses – Proposals For Reformation. I am using these to teach us more about Prayer.
A theses is a statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. I believe the following theses that I am about to read to you concerning prayer. In the church, we do many things such as maintaining the buildings and grounds, keeping them clean, visiting the sick and needy, caring for those in need of care, disciplining, training, preaching the Gospel and a whole lot more. The theses I am presenting today – theses # 14 – about prayer says this:
“God delights to meet our needs – nothing is to small to pray about, but, noble prayer delights to meet God’s need to do His will, to serve His kingdom purposes, to glorify His name.
Psalm 40:8 – “I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”
Matthew 6:9,10 – “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.”
Hebrews 10:7 – “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ”
Prayer: O Lord, Creator of all life, I come to give You thanks for my life, for hope and for the evidence of Your plan for my life. The vastness and beauty of the earth all remind me of Your attention to intricate detail. Thank you for creating such a place for me to live, find love, and to serve the interests of Your Kingdom in the splendor of Your creation.
Your capacity to care for each individual here upon the earth is exceeded only by Your love for each and every one of us who live here. I reach back to You today, to humbly say, “I love You, I need You and thank You for the watch-care over the whole world and all the people in it. Help me to be faithful in all the assignments I am privileged to be given by Your commission. I ask all these things in the Name of your Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, Amen!
Prayer Teaching: we often say “God is good!” And our response to that is, …“all the time!”
Question: But if God is so good as you represent Him, and if He knows all that we need, and far better than we do ourselves, why should it be necessary to ask for anything?
Answer: What if He knows Prayer to be the thing we need first and most? What if the main object in God’s idea of prayer be the supplying of our great need, our endless need – the need of Himself? Hunger may drive the runaway child home, and he may or may not be fed at once, but he needs his mother more than his dinner. Communion with God is the one need of the soul beyond all other need: prayer is the beginning of that communion, and some need is the motive of prayer. So begins a communion, a talking with God, a coming-to-one with Him, which is the sole end of prayer.
George MacDonald
Mr. MacDonald says: “What if the main object in God’s idea of prayer be the supplying of our great need, our endless need – the need of Himself?”
The illustration: Hunger may drive the runaway child home, and he may or may not be fed at once, but he needs his mother more than his dinner.
Conclusion: Communion with God is the one need of the soul beyond all other need: prayer is the beginning of that communion, and some need is the motive of prayer. So begins a communion, a talking with God, a coming-to-one with Him, which is the sole end of prayer.
Have you had an experience recently, or in your past that caused you to “run” to God in prayer?
- What was motivating you? Was it a financial need? A need for “favor”? Or was it just a need for reassurance?
- When you got on the other side of the experience, what did you glean from it?
Is there anyone here today that understands or relates to the concept of “communion with God through prayer is our greatest need”?
