Lesson 21 Warring Against our Flesh, Praying God’s Word
Question 2
The truth that we want to acknowledge today is that we must pray according to God’s will, which means praying according to His Word. If we are remaining in Jesus through Bible study and prayer, He will give us His Word to pray back to Him.
If you pray His Word, not taking it out of context, you can “ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Do you see how this kind of praying is so exciting? When we pray God's Word, we know that we are praying in agreement with God, and He will answer us accordingly.
The other effect praying God's Word has on us is it removes our minimizing of sin. It is common for people to minimize their substance abuse, stating that they have more significant issues or worse sins to deal with than "merely drinking" or "just smoking," etc. This way of thinking is detrimental, for holding on to anything from our past, even "small sins" will continue to remind us of our "huge sin." With smoking, for instance, every time I took a drag, all the thoughts about and feelings of my "large sins" would return with the associated visual images. In many ways, I held my past sins between my fingers when I would smoke. The same is true with drinking, drugs, etc.
And so praying God's Word replaces the lies of "small sins" and the false logic that so many of us have had of "let me work on my big sins before I try to stop taking drugs (or smoking, drinking, etc.)." This form of logic will keep us enslaved, whereas the truth will set us free, and praying God's truth back to Him truly anchors us to it and frees us from bondage.
So let's begin praying God's Word:
Psalm 107 offers us four descriptive word pictures of people who are in similar situations to us. These people are in deep trouble, and so they cry out to the Lord, and He rescues and delivers them. Let’s use this chapter to facilitate our own praying, and see how praying God’s Word brings us real assurance that God hears and answers.
First picture: The Wilderness Wanderer
“Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5 They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. 6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. 8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
Psalm 107:4-9 NIV
Here is the repeating theme of this chapter:
- People are in a very difficult situation: verses 4-5
- They cry out to the Lord: verse 6
- He delivers them from their distress: verse 7
- They praise and thank Him for His love and deliverance: verses 8-9
Here is how we might pray this passage back to God:
“Father in heaven, like the people in this chapter, I’ve been wandering in the wilderness of alcohol (or drugs, smoking, etc.). In this life of wanderlust, I’ve been unsettled, extremely thirsty in my sin, deriving absolutely no lasting satisfaction from the temporary pleasures of sin. Oh, God, I cry to you now, for I’ve seen in this passage that you hear the cries of those who are desperate. I’m desperate to stop this wandering, but I need you to show me the “way to the city”. I need you to give me a road map home. I need you to open the eyes of my heart to see Jesus who, through His death, opened the way for me to come home. Please, God please lead me out of this hot, dry, barren, and arid wasteland called substance abuse. Oh, Lord, please deliver me from my distress, rescue me from wandering, save me from this desolate place I’ve been living in and lead me back to You. I believe you will do this for your own glory, and I will praise you and thank you for it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Second Picture: The Chained Captive
Please read the next section of this passage and provides your own prayer below:
“Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, 11 because they rebelled against God's commands and despised the plans of the Most High. 12 So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. 13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. 15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 16 for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.”
Psalm 107:10-16 NIV
Now, it’s your turn.
Question 2. Please write out your prayer to God using His actual words from Psalm 107:10-16:
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