Prayer for Hard Times

What kind of prayer is appropriate in hard times? Let’s see how prayer includes trust in God’s answer, especially during hard times, in Matthew 21:12-22 and Habakkuk 3.

House of Prayer

Matthew 21:12-13 “And Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”

Jesus’ anger was justified because a house dedicated to God, His house was being used for commercialism. Prayer is one of the most important purposes for our church buildings.

 
Believing Prayer

Matthew 21:21-22 “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

What if we pray and God says, No? Can we learn something from Habakkuk’s prayer? Habakkuk the prophet was possibly a temple musician, a Levite. Tradition records that he was the Shunamite woman's son, whose life Elisha saved. He wrote in the 7th century BC, just before the Babylonian captivity.

Habakkuk’s Prayer

Habakkuk expresses his doubt to God about His plans to punish Judah via an unjust Babylon. God reminded Habakkuk that He will punish evil, and Habakkuk learns to faithfully trust God’s decision. Habakkuk 2:4 “the righteous will live by his faith” is quoted several times in the New Testament.

Habakkuk 3:1 “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.”

This is the plural of Shiggaion, only used in one other place, Psalm 7. This possibly implies a wildly passionate prayer, which certainly describes the chapter. This indicates the prayer, like the Psalms, was probably set to music.

Habakkuk 3:2 “Lord, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.”

Rebellious people create a passive, cuddly God they don’t have to fear.

Habakkuk 3:3 “God comes from Teman, And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor covers the heavens, And the earth is full of His praise.”

God was present with them at Sinai, and the creation provides evidence of His existence, figuratively proclaiming His praise every single day.

Habakkuk 3:4 “His radiance is like the sunlight; He has rays flashing from His hand, And there is the hiding of His power.”

To those with insight, the brilliant light and radiance of the sun reveals a hidden secret, the incredible power that created everything in the entire universe.

Habakkuk 3:5 “Before Him goes pestilence, And plague comes after Him.”

God did reveal Himself in this way to Israel’s enemies after the Exodus, including the armies of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35). When necessary, God comes to avenge and judge. As Creator of everything, He has that right.

Habakkuk 3:6 “He stood and surveyed the earth; He looked and startled the nations. Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered, The ancient hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting.”

The mountains and hills may seem permanent, but when God intervenes, a vain and arrogant humanity sees who really is everlasting.

Habakkuk 3:7 “I saw the tents of Cushan under distress, The tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling.”

This imagery is probably from the Exodus. Cushan may be Cush, Ethiopia. Midian was to the east. At the Exodus, surrounding nations took notice and trembled at God’s deeds.

Habakkuk 3:8 “Did the Lord rage against the rivers, Or was Your anger against the rivers, Or was Your wrath against the sea, That You rode on Your horses, On Your chariots of salvation?”

God wasn’t angry with sea and horses, but revealed His power over creation, freeing Israel.

In Habakkuk 3:9-17 we are reminded of God’s power over the earth, mountains, sun, moon, nations, armies, trees, fruit, fields, and flocks. In this context, verses 16-17, is a lament about prophecies in Habakkuk 1-2 of a future foreign invasion of a rebellious Judah and captivity by Babylon.

Rejoice in God

Habakkuk 3:18 “Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.”

Despite the prophesied Babylonian invasion of Judah, Habakkuk hopes in God because of His track record of saving Israel from Egyptian slavery. Perhaps he even has faith in a second Exodus.

The Lord God is My Strength

Habakkuk 3:19 “The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places.”

Though Babylon takes us prisoner, or life takes us through calamity, God helps us be as surefooted as deer and walk on high places.

Postlude

Jesus reminds us of the importance and power of prayer. Habakkuk teaches us that God will save us even from punishment. Habakkuk also teaches us that singing songs of faith is itself an act of faith.

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Isaac's Revival

What was Isaac’s attitude towards his father Abraham, who had planned to obey God’s command to sacrifice his son?

A generational revival continued in Isaac. A son of promise, Isaac was born and circumcised. Generational revival often brings new tests of faith. Revival that lasted another generation involved belief in God’s promise that, “He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” (Hebrews 11:19 ESV). Continued faithfulness in successive generations is not common, but Isaac maintained the faith of his father Abraham. In seeking a bride, he honored his father’s wishes (Genesis 24) and Rebekah became his wife. Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham beside Sarah and descendants of Isaac and Ishmael still attend his grave to this day, side-by-side in Hebron.

Isaac prayed to the God of Abraham, “Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” (Genesis 25:21 NKJV) Was there going to be another generation? Faithful to His promises, God answered Isaac’s request.

One ancient source quotes Isaac asking his father to tie him up tight, lest he move in fright causing his father to cut a bone, and thus making an imperfect sacrifice. Son of a man of faith, Isaac too grew up to be a man of faith, making peace with enemy herdsmen of Gerar (Genesis 26:29-22). Obedient, like Jesus on the cross, Isaac’s life was joyfully revived when God told his father not to go through with it. To trust his father as Isaac did reveals an incredible bond. His greatest trial proved Abraham’s obedience, just as the trials of life test us and our faithfulness. Father and faithful son will be seen in the kingdom of God (Luke 13:28).

Rejoice, lovers of God, Isaac passed the test, and we will see him in that time of great revival in the kingdom of God.

Abraham's Revival

Abraham’s faith is a model for Christians, because we are his successors by faith (Galatians 3:29). Revival of our faith is modeled after his life (Genesis 12-25).

Traditional history tells us that Abram’s father Terah, was a high priest for Nimrod and made idols. History tells that Noah and Shem taught him God’s ways for about 39 years. Records say that Abram taught others about the one true God. Abram had a large following in Haran, including his faithful servant Eliezer. His life was about to change dramatically at age 75, when he was called by God to leave his country.

God promised Abram using the words “I will” six times. Speaking to Abram, God said, Go, "To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3 NKJV). And Abram left a comfortable life in Harran because he had faith in God’s promise, “To your descendants I will give this land.” (Genesis 12:7 NKJV) Abram and Lot separated, letting Lot choose the best land (Genesis 13:9), revealing Abram’s selfless character. Obeyed by His friend, God blessed Abram even more saying, “count the stars… So shall your descendants be… And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” (Genesis 15:5-6)

God changed Abram’s name from High Father (Abram) to Father of a Multitude (Abraham), and Sarai’s name from Princess (Sarai) to THE Princess (Sarah). Circumcising Abraham as a sign of the covenant God promised a son via Sarah. Abraham laughed that a hundred-year-old man would father a son. With a promise, God said, “Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac [Yitzhak means He Laughs].” (Genesis 17:19 NASB) Laughter filled the family astonished and joyful at the remarkable blessing and Isaac’s name was a constant reminder.

Circumcised already in his heart and ears (Deuteronomy 10:15–17; 30:5–8; Jeremiah 4:1–4; 6:10–11; 9:25–26; Ezekiel 44:7-9; Acts 7:51; Romans 2:27–29), Abraham was now circumcised in his flesh. Of many analogies of Christian baptism, circumcision is a defining one (Colossians 2:11–12). Heart is the important part of any sacrament, because the physical ceremony without the spiritual blessing is an empty ritual. Is baptism therefore for adults only? Pictured in the Exodus, adults and children of ancient Israel were baptized into Moses (1 Corinthians 10:2). In Acts 2:39 we are told that “the promise is for you and your children” (NASB). Baptism must be done “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19 NASB), but nowhere in the entire Bible is a particular age or mode demanded.

Abraham was far from perfect but, “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” (Hebrews 11:8 KJV) Was Abraham tested? “It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac” (Hebrews 11:17 NLT) Faithful, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.’ (James 2:23 NKJV)

Is Abraham alive or are the souls of the dead asleep? Abraham’s current status is attested to by Jesus, who taught, “But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.” (Luke 20:37-38 NKJV) Faith is the key, because “Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3 CEB) Is righteousness by faith in us, “for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.” (Romans 4:9 KJV) Key to a deep understanding of Apostolic or Abrahamic succession is, “that those who have faith are children of Abraham.” (Galatians 3:7 NIV)

Rejoice, lovers of God, circumcise your hearts and ears, and laugh joyfully at God’s promises to revive your lives.

Noah’s Revival

If the whole world denied God, would you remain faithful? Let's look at Noah's answer to this question in Genesis 7.

Noah’s responsive hearers were only the members of his own family. Revival elsewhere was refused, because people just did not want to listen. Was “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5) largely rejected? Ignored or mocked, “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9 NKJV) and a comforting part of his ongoing conversation with God was being told, “you are righteous before Me in this generation.” (Genesis 7:1)

What is the lesson for us? Will our generation tune out God’s offer of revival too? People ignored God’s warnings by focusing on the ordinary events of life. Will our generation also shut their ears and evade the truth; “as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26-27)?

What can lonely Christians learn from Noah? Can we be strong, when we are the only one in our neighborhood that believes and obeys God? Lonely Christians exist all over the world. Christians in many countries are persecuted, facing loss of income, ostracism from their families, imprisonment and even death. Learn to stand for what’s right, even when all others do not. From the beginning, righteous people have often had to stand alone. Noah was a preacher of righteousness, but his preaching was obviously ignored by all except his own family.

Rejoice, lovers of God, focus on your family.

Seth’s and Enoch's Revivals

Can a revival of interest in God and prayer come about spontaneously? Can we walk with God? Let's look at Seth's and Enoch's revivals in Genesis 4 and 5.

1) Seth's Revival

Did Seth lead this revival, or was it a spontaneous act from among the people? “Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.” (Genesis 4:26 NIV) People “first began to worship the Lord by name” (NLT), or “started worshiping the Lord.” (CEV) Love and faith may be indicated by such worship and prayer. God was certainly on their minds.

Revival sometimes is spontaneous and popular. Can it happen today? Be it an oppressive regime from North Africa to Asia or a spiritually apostate western democracy, popular revival can happen without central human leadership. Overnight a change of hearts can bring a prevailing revival.

What would a revival look like in your neighborhood? Would people talk more often about God? A neighborhood that has high church attendance where the Bible is actually preached, would stand a greater chance of people calling on God. Revival can begin with an elderly person, a young teenager, or ordinary working age adults. Look about you, do you know of people who worship God by name? Like in ancient times, it can happen again today. In your neighborhood, all it takes is a few to start. Your work colleagues, friends and family, do they talk about God? Neighborhood revival just needs one to start.

2) Enoch’s Revival

Enoch’s life was remarkable, walking with God. “After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.” (Genesis 5:22 NIV) Walking with God as a friend and companion, for hundreds of years, can we imagine the conversation? “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints” (Jude 14 KJV) With God in prayer throughout our day is also walking with God. “Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.” (Genesis 20:23-24 NLT) God can be our friend too, if we will let Him, and we too can walk with God in prayer throughout every day of our lives.

Walking and talking and fellowshipping with God as our dearest friend will bring continual revival to our hearts. With God as our constant companion, our lives are continually revived. God is pure love and He wants to bless us far and above what this world can offer, if we will just let Him.

What would you discuss with God? Would you share your hopes and dreams, even passing moments about small matters? You can discuss anything with God that you would discuss with any other friend, except that this particular friend loves you more than any other. Discuss your failures openly too, asking for forgiveness without fear, after all God already knows. With such a friend as God, why would anybody ignore Him? God is the best friend you will ever have, in this life and the next.

Rejoice, lovers of God, revival can be spontaneous and let's learn to always walk with God.