Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of the Mosheus for Zions 4. Saul of Tarsus was one of the
least likely individuals that any of the disciples of Christ
would have marked out as one of God's elect children. He was
a Jew of the Jews, steeped in the traditions of that religion
in which he was raised and trained. He was a student of the scriptures
and a pupil of the premier teacher of the Jewish law and tradition
of his day. He was numbered among the Pharisees,
which was the strictest sect of the Jews, even excelling his
peers in zeal for the law. He hated the gospel and those
who preached it, so much so that he sought letters of reprisal
from the Jewish high court in order to see them put to death.
To say he was the enemy of the churches would be to put it mildly.
But the Lord would demonstrate that his purpose is beyond the
comprehension of men, and the wideness of his mercy would include
such a one as this Saul of Tarsus, who would later confess that
he was the chief of sinners. For the Lord had not only ordained
Saul as an heir of salvation and eternal life, but to be a
vessel in his hand to take the gospel to the Gentiles. The scriptures
make it clear that every one of those which believe in him
do so because they are ordained unto eternal life, just as much
so as was Saul of Tarsus. They did not receive eternal
life because they believed, but rather, as the scripture says,
they believed because they were ordained to eternal life. This
is an important distinction which cannot be disregarded lest one
seek to overturn the truth of God and give men the glory which
rightfully belongs to him. Who among the sons of God could
stir himself up to call upon the Lord and believe in him apart
from the sovereign work of God? The calling of each one out of
darkness and into the light may not all be as dramatic as that
of Saul. Yet the certainty of each one's
calling rests in the hands of the same one who arrested Saul
on the road to Damascus so as to fulfill his purpose. The Lord
told Ananias of the fact that he had already done a work of
grace in Saul, for he told him, Behold, he prayeth. Nothing is
more common among the true saints of God than a love for the place
of prayer and the activity of it. Sadly, in many congregations
of those who call themselves the followers of Christ, more
time is spent on every activity other than prayer. So what is
prayer? Prayer is synonymous with worship.
True prayer must begin and end with worship. The Lord Jesus
began His model prayer by exalting the Father when He says, Hallowed
be thy name. He closes His prayer by magnifying
the eternal nature of His kingdom and the extent of His glory.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Worship and true prayer is not
primarily concerned with great swelling words, but is often
demonstrated by silence before Him who is worthy of all praise.
But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence
before Him. Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth.
Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord, for He has raised up
out of His holy habitation. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth
our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as
we ought, but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. While prayer is always to be
worship and giving of thanks and praise, it may also involve
making requests or petitions. Sadly, this comprises the sum
total of what most think of when they hear the word prayer. Many
look at prayer in a superstitious manner, just as one would consider
getting a genie to come out of a lamp when it is rubbed. We
are exhorted to make our requests known unto God. But that is a
secondary function of true prayer. Prayer is an exercise which the
Lord uses to cause us to be reconciled to the will of God, rather than,
as many view it, a way to get God to change His will to be
aligned with ours. As the Lord prayed, Thy will
be done in the earth as it is in heaven. A man who is fervent
in prayer delights to see the will of God accomplished in the
earth, even as it was ordained in heaven. True prayer must be
prompted by the Spirit of God and is not dependent on a man's
learning, faith, eloquence, or religious habits. Yet that activity
which is most characteristic of those who have fled for refuge
to Christ is that they will pray. If someone were to describe the
activity which most characterized your life, would they say, Behold,
he prayed?