Master 203: Five Reflections for the Church, Part 16
Prayer as Preparation
Composed: 21 March 2010
Since my church is looking forward to the beginnings of some new ministry projects, because I want to continue to emphasize the importance of prayer, and because we are in the middle of the season of Lent, it seems appropriate to draw our attention back to the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for His ministry. Matthew begins to describe this event with the following words:
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'" (4:1-3)
I don't have space or time to look at the whole account. The main thing that I want you to notice is that the events that Matthew records in this chapter actually take place at the end of Jesus' time of fasting, which raises a question: What was Jesus doing during those forty days? What is there to do for forty days out in the wilderness? Walk around? Look at the cactus? Wish that you had some food or water? Think about how miserable you are? Many people, when they think about fasting, do focus just on the deprivation, hardship, and misery of the whole experience. But that doesn't seem to have been Jesus' experience. Jesus was not 'deprived' during His time of fasting. Jesus was not in a weakened, miserable state when Satan came to Him. Actually, He was at the top of His game. He confronted Satan face to face. He went toe-to-toe with the Prince of Darkness, the Father of Lies, the Ruler of the Kingdom of the Air, and He emerged victorious.
Satan challenged Jesus with temptations more powerful and alluring than anything that you or I have ever had to deal with, and He was able to stand with unshakable boldness and confidence. How did Jesus do that? The key lies in the forty days that He spent in prayer and fasting. During those forty days, Jesus was not focusing on how hungry He was or how miserable He felt. Instead, He was communing with His heavenly Father. Separated, as He was, from the things of this world--all the noise, distractions, messages, expectations, conflicts, and priorities--He was able to focus just on God. And at the end of that time, He was ready both to face Satan's strongest temptations and to enter into His ministry.
Isn't that what we want for our ministry? We want to be able to move into our communities with confidence and determination. We want to be able to stand in the power of the Spirit against any challenge or temptation that may confront us. We want to lead our lives in such a way that people recognize the life of Christ in us. How can we do that? It starts with prayer.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
Composed: 21 March 2010
Since my church is looking forward to the beginnings of some new ministry projects, because I want to continue to emphasize the importance of prayer, and because we are in the middle of the season of Lent, it seems appropriate to draw our attention back to the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for His ministry. Matthew begins to describe this event with the following words:
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'" (4:1-3)
I don't have space or time to look at the whole account. The main thing that I want you to notice is that the events that Matthew records in this chapter actually take place at the end of Jesus' time of fasting, which raises a question: What was Jesus doing during those forty days? What is there to do for forty days out in the wilderness? Walk around? Look at the cactus? Wish that you had some food or water? Think about how miserable you are? Many people, when they think about fasting, do focus just on the deprivation, hardship, and misery of the whole experience. But that doesn't seem to have been Jesus' experience. Jesus was not 'deprived' during His time of fasting. Jesus was not in a weakened, miserable state when Satan came to Him. Actually, He was at the top of His game. He confronted Satan face to face. He went toe-to-toe with the Prince of Darkness, the Father of Lies, the Ruler of the Kingdom of the Air, and He emerged victorious.
Satan challenged Jesus with temptations more powerful and alluring than anything that you or I have ever had to deal with, and He was able to stand with unshakable boldness and confidence. How did Jesus do that? The key lies in the forty days that He spent in prayer and fasting. During those forty days, Jesus was not focusing on how hungry He was or how miserable He felt. Instead, He was communing with His heavenly Father. Separated, as He was, from the things of this world--all the noise, distractions, messages, expectations, conflicts, and priorities--He was able to focus just on God. And at the end of that time, He was ready both to face Satan's strongest temptations and to enter into His ministry.
Isn't that what we want for our ministry? We want to be able to move into our communities with confidence and determination. We want to be able to stand in the power of the Spirit against any challenge or temptation that may confront us. We want to lead our lives in such a way that people recognize the life of Christ in us. How can we do that? It starts with prayer.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
posted by Metaphysician_delta | 1:41 PM
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