Southern Seminary – Witkowski Blog

Are you saved? Do you pray? We often do not draw a line between faith and prayer. But, the Scriptures bind the two concepts together with the force of an unbreakable chain. Those who have been saved pray regularly. And those who regularly pray have been saved.

In 1 Samuel 7:8, we read, “And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” A few verses, early the nation of Israel had experienced true rival. Samuel had shared the Word of God with his nation. The people believed and “put away the Baals and the Ashhtaroth, and they served the Lord only (4).” Things were going phenomenally well; and then, the Philistines show up ready for battle. The Israelites have all the weapons that we would find at a tent revival and Philistines have the armaments of full combat dress.

In the midst of this terrifying situation, the people of God cry out to God. They turn to their They pray. And their response is the response of all true worshipers of God. When trials come, when adversity strikes, and when sorrow surrounds them, they run to the throne room of God. The Christian is one who happily embraces Paul’s command to “pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17).” The Christian knows that God creates, sustains, saves, rules, and loves. And they respond to this knowledge by praying.

Conversely those who find prayer unappealing are those who do not trust the Lord. In 1 Samuel 8:1-6, the nation of Israel once again encounters adversity. Samuel’s sons have perverted Justice exploiting the legal system for financial gain. But instead of seeking the Lord’s advice or asking God to intercede, the elders make demands of Samuel and God. They demand that the creator of the stars bend His will to accommodate the fluid culture of his fallen, prideful, and noticeable frail human creatures. And the elders of 1 Samuel 8 are not alone. Men and women who love the world have little cause to pray as they are their own saviors who know what is best. The love of the world always leads us away from God. And instead of seeking him, we will seek to control him.

Anyone can confess Christ. But, only those who love him will regularly and continually pray to him as Samuel did.

In short, our prayers or the lack of our prayers says much about our Christian life.

As Dr. Albert Mohler, the President of Southern Seminary, said,

[Prayer] discloses our view of God and of ourselves. It discloses our priorities and our assumptions about God’s priorities. It discloses our doctrines of God, man, sin, redemption, the world, and a host of other theological matters. If we really want to know what a person believes, we should listen to them pray.

Do we pray? And if we pray, do we seek the wisdom, the knowledge, and the salvation that comes from the Lord? Or do we simply make demands of God that will enable us to gain the wealth, prestige, or white picket-fences that our culture values so very much? Do we love God?

What does our pray life say about us?

Sometimes I look at my 15 month old with pure puzzlement. His mom and I have spent tons of time teaching our little man to “Stop” on command. Most days, I get to praise my little guy for following our command like a well-trained soldier. But then a few moments later, my little dude starts wandering toward the road, regarding his old man’s voice with a happy indifference. I can’t help but think, “Son, you know this doesn’t end well. What are you doing?”

Knowing that my little man can barely communicate with words, I’m not too surprised at his inability to appreciate what happens when two foot tall people meander down the road. But he does know that disobeying his parents is not the path to a happy ending. And yet, he repeatedly disobeys, leaving his Dad thinking, “Come on, man.”

But the ultimate cause of my frustration is not my son. It’s me. As Dr. Randy Stinson of Southern Seminary reminded our church last weekend, we often get frustrated with our kids because we (parents) have unrealistic expectations. Namely, we want our kids to get sanctified faster than us. We want our kids to learn the importance of obedience within a few days or weeks. Yet, we struggle with sins for years without even a second thought. Now most of us aren’t fighting against the temptation to walk in front of a car. But, we are battling lust, greed, anger, laziness and a whole catalogue of other issues. No one (including us) expects us to overcome lust within a day or to conquer anger within the next week. But because we are impatient people, we can easily expect our kids to perfectly grasp our system for their life within a few minutes.

God gives us grace, and repeatedly. And, we should extend that same grace and patience towards our kids. Sure, we must faithfully discipline our kids when they sin. Discipline (when done with love) is a sign of grace and we can’t tirer of it. But, we also can’t be surprised that our kids disappoint us. We too are sinners in need of grace.

I need to extend more grace to my son. How about you? Do you parent with ridiculously high expectations? How do you balance grace and discipline?