LENT EDITION: Lent 4 – John 16-17
I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD…. 

…And then he prayed.

• Glorify me
• Protect and sanctify the believers
• Make them unified and bless those who hear them. (John 17)

Not a bad model is it?

• Bless and protect me and help me obey your commands
• Protect and strengthen the church for your service
• Bring your Good News to others

So why is it so hard sometimes to know what to pray?

Pete Grieg has grappled with this question all his life. Author of God on mute  and co-founder of the 24-7 Prayer movement as well as former Director of Prayer (why don’t we have one of these?) at Holy Trinity Brompton, he confesses to be a but rubbish at it! In Grieg’s  book Dirty Glory Bear Grylls writes in the forward about the struggle he finds  “Although I know that prayer is important I don’t find it particularly easy”

What clues might John 17 give us to help us pray?

1. “He looked up towards heaven” (17:1) – prayer is both intimate and awesome; remember that we can approach him with confidence but that he is also the ruler and creator of all things; with the power that comes with it! Be bold.!!

2. “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace” (16:33) – prayer is not supposed to be stressful; relax into it. Don’t feel that you have to come up with words. Just as last week we heard that the Spirit gives us words, so it is with prayer “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Rom 8:26-27) If nothing is coming to mind to say – say nothing! Just wait in his presence. That is prayer too.

3. “In this world you will have trouble” (16:33) – expect things not to be as you would like them to be; there is good in the world but it is also broken, since the fall, so we can expect it to be wonky. And at times seriously so. Giving your life to Jesus does not mean that the world will be miraculously fixed overnight.

4. “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (16:33) – the one you pray through is sovereign, King, Lord, Prince of peace, the Lion of Judah and the lamb who was slain; pray expectantly but don’t get upset if you don’t get what you ask for, just because you asked for it; God is neither an Amazon order – put it in the basket and it arrives tomorrow – nor a slot machine – random and by chance. God has the whole of eternity and all creation in a perfect plan but his ways are not our ways and his thoughts not our thoughts. But if we pray in line with the promptings of the Spirit of God – God is in effect asking himself – the chances just rose significantly!

So, my prayer for you today comes from Paul to the church at Ephesus:

• I kneel before the Father,
• I pray that you know that his riches are glorious
• I pray that he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
• I pray that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
• I pray that you are rooted and established in love,
• I pray that you may have power,
• I pray that you may know how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ for you
• I pray that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
• I pray that you will know that he is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine
• I pray that you know that his power is at work within you,
• To him be glory in the church
• To him be glory in in Christ Jesus
• To him be glory throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

Amen.

Lent preparation lesson 4: Wait silently, listen to the Spirit’s words, then pray boldly!

Blessings all

Doug

vicar@christchurchpurley.org.uk

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