“The Church’s Posture: Prayer”

Sunday morning sermon audio from Preston Highlands Baptist Church.

Who Determines the Future of Our Nation?

On Thursday, the day after a mob broke into the Capitol Building in Washington D. C., U. S. Congressman Van Taylor of Plano wrote an opinion piece for The Dallas Morning News.  In the next to last sentence of the piece, he said, “We stand at a critical crossroads and our actions will now determine the future of our nation.” [1]

I both agree and disagree with what Congressman Taylor wrote.  I agree that we’re at a “critical crossroads” in our nation.  In a nation growing more secular by the day, we could see the progressive agenda continue to infringe on our basic, God-given, liberties.  Time will tell.

So I agree with Taylor that we’re at a crossroads in our nation.  But I have to disagree with the last part of his sentence, when he says, “Our actions will now determine the future of our nation.”  Undoubtedly our actions have consequences and we have responsibilities that require us to act.  But the ultimate determiner of the future is God.  The future of our lives and our nation and every nation is fully and firmly in the hand of God.

A Test of Our Theology

When we see and experience things like what happened on Wednesday, we may think that things are unraveling, that all hope is lost, or that the future is bleak.  We may feel powerless and small and unable to stop the forces at work to bring us to this point. 

It’s at points like this that our theology is tested.  Do we really believe that God is in control, or is that a trite phrase we’ve learned to say, a cliché that makes us feel better or sound spiritual?  Do we really believe that God is seated on his throne?  Things like the events of Wednesday make us stop and think about what we really believe.

Satan’s Schemes and God’s Sovereignty, and What We Should Do

What I want to do today is try to connect what we learned last week about Satan’s schemes with the truth of God’s sovereignty over all things, then ask, “What are churches supposed to do in light of these realities?”  If there’s really a spiritual war raging between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of God, and if God really is in control of all things, what are we supposed to do?  Do we just watch from the bleachers?  Or is there a role for the church to play?   

Why Does Evil Have So Much Power?

Last week we discussed the reality of a spiritual war that rages on in the world.  Satan and his minions hate God, those who bear his image, and all that’s good in the world.  His goal is to “steal and kill and destroy” (Jn. 10:10).  He wants to devour our souls through accusation and deception.  He wants to paralyze us with shame by getting us to believe things that aren’t true.      

The Evil One’s fate is sure, but the battle will rage on until Jesus returns and “puts all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor. 15:25).  As soldiers in this battle, we often wonder, “Why does evil seem to have so much power?  Where is God in this?  Why does it sometimes seem like Satan is winning?”  Haven’t we all felt as though evil was advancing unchecked in our lives and in the world?

This brings up a very important theological question, “Does Satan have freedom to do whatever he wants in the world?”  The Bible’s answer is, “Yes and no.”  The Bible says that the Devil has remarkable freedom to “rule” this world.  Jesus calls him “the ruler of this world” (Jn. 12: 31).  Paul calls him “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4) and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2).  Satan offered Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world” when he tempted him in the wilderness (Lk. 4:6-7).  This wasn’t an empty offer.  When Adam and Eve followed Satan instead of God in the Garden of Eden, the powers of darkness were given a measure of authority over the entire world.  Like a thick morning fog, this evil shadow hangs over and touches all things.

Satan Lives under the Sovereignty of God

So, yes, Satan has a measure of freedom and authority in the world.  But he does not have ultimate authority or freedom to do whatever he wants.  Like everyone else, Satan lives under the sovereignty of God.  God is God, everything else is not.  Moses is careful to point out in Genesis 3:1 that the serpent was made by God like everything else.  Satan is a created being and can therefore never have anything that isn’t given to him. 

This is yet another place where we must test our theology by what the Bible actually teaches.  C. S. Lewis talks about how many Christians believe in a sort of dualism, where there are two powers, Satan and God, with equal strength battling it out in heaven for supremacy.  This is emphatically not what the Bible teaches. 

God’s Sovereignty over All Things According to the Bible

In Scripture, God is clearly and repeatedly pictured as controlling every aspect of the world.  Let me give you several examples.  Paul says that all governing authorities have their authority by God.  Romans 13:1, “There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”  Jesus tells Pilate that his authority to condemn him to death comes from God.  John 19:11, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.”  Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”  Daniel says that God “removes kings and sets up kings” (2:21), and that God “does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (4:35).  Even though Satan entered Judas Iscariot and led him to betray Jesus, Peter says that, behind Satan, God was guiding all things: “This Jesus (was) delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23), and that “Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, (did) whatever (God’s) hand and plan had predestined to take place” (4:27-28).  Consider this sweeping statement in Lamentations 3:37-38, “Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord commanded it?  Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?”  Or this one from the prophet Amos, “Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has done it?” (3:6) When Satan is allowed to strike Job and his family, Job rises from the ashes and says, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (1:21).  Was Job wrong in saying this, was his theology off?  In the next verse, the writer removes all doubt: “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong” (v. 22). 

Based on these texts, and dozens more like them, we can conclude that God, not Satan, holds sovereign sway over everything that happens in the world.  Psalm 115:3, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”  Yes, Satan is real and he is terrible and he is wreaking havoc on the world.  But Satan is on a leash.  He can only do what he’s allowed to do. 

Jonathan Edwards says it like this, “God decrees all things, even all sins.” [2]  And John Piper like this, “No one on earth can escape the sovereign control of God.”[3]  And most importantly, God, through Paul, says that he “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11).

God’s Sovereignty Is Our Only Hope

This means that the violence and vandalism of Wednesday that was incited by some of our leaders falls under the sovereignty of God.  The election of two months ago falls under God’s rule.  The future of our nation belongs to God.  The length of our lives and the nature of our death is decided by God.  The pain and problems of our past and present are part of God’s good plan.  The fate of our families and our church belong to the Lord. 

In his infinite wisdom and power, God is weaving together a tapestry of bright and dark threads that will one day reveal his infinite glory and majesty and beauty.   

This is a hard truth, but we must not seek to spare God the burden of his sovereignty.  If we do, we lose our only hope.  In other words, if God isn’t in control, then how can we be sure that any good will ever come for his people?  How can we be sure that evil will be defeated in the end?  How can we be sure that there’s a good design in our sufferings and afflictions? 

There’s great mystery here, but there’s also a principle that never changes.  It’s found in Genesis 50:20, “As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.”  And in Romans 8:28, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those called according to his purpose.”  God will only and ever do what’s good for his children.  This is only possible if he’s sovereign over all things. 

What Does God’s Sovereignty over Satan Mean? 

What’s the practical import of God’s sovereignty over Satan?  How does this relate to what we learned last week about spiritual warfare?  God’s sovereignty over Satan means that Satan may win many battles, but God will win the war.  Satan may accuse us to shame us, but God’s love makes us new.  Satan may lie to us, but God’s truth sets us free.  Satan may wreak havoc in our lives, but God holds our future.  Satan may tempt us, but God will give us a way out.  Satan may tell us of the guilt within, but God’s Son made an end to all our sin.  Satan may harm us, but God will heal us.  Satan may take our life, but God will one day raise us from the grave.  Satan may stir up unrest in our county, but God’s people will have peace.  Satan may influence kings and rulers to do evil, but God will one day put all his enemies under Jesus’s feet.  If God is not sovereign over all things, how will any of this come to pass?

We Must Pray

In light of these realities, what’s the church supposed to do?  If Satan is on the prowl, and if God controls all things including Satan, does God call us to do anything?  The primary way the New Testament answers this question is simple: we must pray.  Each word is important.

The Example of the Early Church

This is the example of the early church.  Acts makes it clear that prayer was central to the life of the early church.  The first Christians “devoted themselves to…the prayers” (2:42).  This could be referring to the Jewish hours of prayer (3:1) or to prayer as a part of their gatherings.  Either way, it’s not talking about private prayer.  It’s referring to their praying together. 

In Acts 4, after Peter and John are released from jail, they go back to the church to report what happened.  This led the church to pray, and their prayer together led to more power and courage for ministry (vv. 23-24, 31).  Peter was imprisoned again, and it was the church’s prayers that led to his dramatic release (12:5-12).  The church in Antioch commissioned the first Christian missionaries, Paul and Barnabas, through prayer and fasting (13:1-3). 

The point is that corporate prayer was a key part of the church’s life together.  They were devoted to praying together.  And when they prayed together, God moved in mighty ways.  Yes, they preached the gospel boldly.  Yes, they courageously endured persecution.  But the fuel that sustained their fire was consistent, concentrated prayer.

“Continue Steadfastly in Prayer”

This is why Paul commands the churches to pray.  Let’s look at three specific places where he does this.  The key thing to note is that his instructions are for churches, not individual Christians.  He says to the church at Colossae, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (4:2). 

The word here for “continue steadfastly” can also mean “to keep close company with.”  Paul commands the church to live with prayer, to hang out with prayer, to be a friend of prayer.    

The word for “continue steadfastly” is in the imperative tense in the original language.  This means that it’s a command, not a suggestion.  Prayer in Paul’s mind isn’t optional for the church.  It’s mandatory, required, obligatory.  It’s not something we do if and when we feel like it or if and when we have time.  It’s something we’re supposed to do.  Period.  Not praying together as a church is disobedience to God.

“Pray…For All People”

In 1 Timothy 2:1-3, Paul gives Timothy instructions concerning the prayers of the church.  The rest of chapter 2 is about the order and structure of the church’s worship.  Thus, this command to pray is meant for the entire church, not just individual Christians. 

Note that the first thing Paul tells young pastor Timothy to address in the church at Ephesus is prayer, “First of all.”  The most important behavior that the church needs to recover is prayer.  I think Pastor John Onwuchekwa is right: there are churches who pray and those that don’t.  He says, “A commitment to prayer is one of the greatest determiners of its effectiveness in ministry…If we want to see our churches thrive in faithfulness to God, then our churches must pray like their lives depended on it.” [4]  Does our life together depend on prayer?  Do we see prayer like breathing at Preston Highlands?  Do we see it as the thing that enables everything else we do? 

Paul says that prayers should “be made for all people,” not just believers.  The scope of our prayer ministry is universal, encompassing the world.  Unfortunately, churches often only pray for themselves.  Pastor John Stott observed this while visiting another church.  He says: “Some years ago I attended public worship in a certain church.  The pastor was absent on holiday, and a lay elder led the pastoral prayer.  He prayed that the pastor might enjoy a good vacation (which was fine), and that two lady members of the congregation might be healed (which was also fine; we should pray for the sick).  But that was all.  The intercession can hardly have lasted thirty seconds.  I came away saddened, sensing that this church worshipped a little village god of their own devising.  There was no recognition of the needs of the world, and no attempt to embrace the world in prayer.” [5]  Our church’s prayers should reflect the fact that we worship the Lord of heaven and earth who is working all around the world.

In verse 2, Paul gives an example of what he means by “all people.”  Churches should regularly pray for “kings and all who are in high positions.”  This is why, during our worship service, we pray for government leaders at every level: national, state, and local.  As Matthew Henry says, those in positions of leadership “have many difficulties to encounter, many snares to which their exalted stations expose them.” [6] Do you pray regularly for your leaders?  Your president, congress, Supreme Court, governor, mayor, city council?  Your elders and deacons? 

Paul then tells us why we should pray like this as a church: “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (v. 2).  The reason we should pray for all people, especially those in positions of leadership, is in order to create and maintain a political and social atmosphere that allows Christians to live “peaceful and quiet lives.”  This kind of atmosphere allows Christians the freedom to pursue activities consistent with God’s will for his people, like raising children to know God, serving needs in the community, and spreading the gospel.  The goal is for Christians to be free to live lives that reflect the gospel to unbelievers (cf. 1 Thess. 4:11-12).  This kind of freedom can only be engineered by God. 

“Praying at All Times in the Spirit”

The last place I want us to see Paul’s instructions for the church regarding prayer is Ephesians 6:10-20.  In this passage, Paul connects prayer with our battle against the kingdom of darkness. 

Paul picks an unusual metaphor to illustrate how we become “strong in the Lord.”  Soldiers don’t typically get strength from armor.  Armor is something that is on a soldier, not in a soldier.  But notice that all the defensive armor that Paul talks about in this passage is internal in nature.  Truth, righteousness, readiness given by the gospel, faith, salvation, are all things that are inside of us, not outside of us.  This is why Paul concludes these verses on the armor by saying that the way we put on God’s armor is through prayer (vv. 18-20). 

Paul is saying that the way to get this armor on you is by getting it in you, and the way to get it in you is through prayer.  God’s strength comes to us as we put on this armor, and we put on the armor through prayer.

Christians and churches who’re negligent in prayer are easy targets for Satan and his army because they don’t have any armor on.  If our church is going to be strong, we must be a people who “stands” tall in prayer.  This is why we spend more time than many are probably used to in prayer during our worship service.  Mark Dever likes to say that churches should pray so much that it makes unbelievers bored.  Believers understand that prayer is about life and death in a war that’s happening right now, so they pursue it as if their lives depended on it.

In light of the spiritual war that rages on around us and the sovereignty of God over us, what are we supposed to do?  Pray.  As individuals and families and roommates and community groups, yes.  But also as churches, just as we saw the early church do.  We’re commanded to “continue steadfastly in prayer,” to “pray for all people,” and to “pray at all times in the Spirit.”  If we neglect prayer as a church, we’re committing spiritual suicide.

“Our Father in Heaven”

Remember how Jesus began the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father in heaven” (Mt. 6:9).  Notice first the plural pronoun, “Our.”  When we pray we must actively reject an individualistic mindset.  We aren’t just individuals in relationship to God.  We’re part of a community of people who have the same access to God.  According to Jesus, prayer is a group activity. 

Notice also that Jesus says that God isn’t just our Judge and King, he’s our Father.  I love the way J. I. Packer puts this in his classic book Knowing God:

“If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father.  If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.  For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new and better than the Old, everything that is distinctly Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God.  ‘Father’ is the Christian name for God.”[7]

This means that when we come to God in prayer, we can come to him the way my children come to me when I come home from work.  Running, smiling, laughing, overflowing with joy, brimming with confidence that I’ll receive them, that I’ll never turn them away, that I’ll hold them, that I’ll laugh with them, cry with them, listen to them, talk to them, and just enjoy their company.  When we pray together as a church, we’re collectively running into the arms of a Father who loves us more than I love my children, a Father who runs toward us as we run toward him, a Father who cares, who listens, and who’ll always act in the best interest of his children.  This means that when we pray, we have nothing to fear. 

Because Satan is on our heels trying to devour us, and because God is absolutely sovereign over every atom in the universe, and because Christ has brought us into the family of God, we must pray.  Prayer must be our position in the war and our posture under God.  Prayer must be the air we breathe together as a church or we won’t breathe for long.  And prayer must be our delight because, through the gospel, God is our Father.

[1] Van Taylor, “Accepting Electoral Votes is Conservative Choice,” in The Dallas Morning News, January 7, 2021, p. 10a.
[2] Quoted in John Piper, Desiring God, in The Collected Works of John Piper, eds. David Mathis and Justin Taylor (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 2:337.
[3] Ibid., 2:42.
[4] John Onwuchekwa, Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 23, 25.
[5] John Stott, Guard the Truth (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996), 61, quoted in R. Kent Hughes and Bryan Chapell, 1-2 Timothy and Titus: To Guard the Deposit (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 61.
[6] Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. 6 (Old Tappen, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, n.d.), 812.
[7] Quoted in Onwuchekwa, 42.