The true children of God were chosen by God in Christ before the foundation of the world, justified by His grace based on the righteousness of Christ, adopted into His family by His grace in Christ, redeemed from their sins by the blood of Christ. Their election, justification, adoption, and redemption is known and evidenced by their being born again and called into God’s family by the Gospel in the power of God the Holy Spirit when He uses that message to convince them of sin, righteousness, and judgment. This is when they are brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance of sin and dead works. This is when they lay hold of and cling to Christ for their very lives, and by the grace of God they will not let go of Him who is their hope of eternal life. Christ said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28). – Pastor Bill Parker
A PRAYER FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
Oh precious Lord Jesus, cause Thy people to rejoice in Thy full and finished salvation. By Thee, all that believe are justified from all things (Acts 13:39). Here then, Lord, give Thy people grace to rest. Let there be nothing wavering, nothing unsettled, in our faith because everything in the covenant of grace is “ordered, and sure in all things” (2 Samuel 23:5). Oh for faith, in lively exercise, to believe “the record God hath given of His Son” (1 John 5:10-11). “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee” (Isaiah 26:3). Let all Thy faithful, therefore, of this present hour, as were the disciples of old, be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus, and, like them, be filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. —Robert Hawker
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:14-16)
TRUE PRAYER
It is impossible to truly pray without the triune God. We pray to the Father, through the person and merits of the Son by the enabling grace of the Holy Spirit. The Father’s presence is sought in secret – “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret” (Matthew 6:6). “The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12). We are in constant need of His grace and mercy, consequently we pour out our hearts to Him in prayer.
The only basis upon which we draw near to God is the person, excellence and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is because He is our High Priest that we are admonished to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). The Savior instructed His disciples to pray declaring “whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). We must approach the Father in, through and by Christ – “I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
All true prayer is initiated by the Holy Spirit who quickens us and gives the desire to seek the face of God in prayer. The Spirit sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts and gives us a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus. He stirs our hearts to worship the Father and give thanksgiving unto the Name of that One who is the Fount of every blessing. He causes us to rest in the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ and makes us to know our neediness of the spiritual and physical things for which we need to ask. The Spirit grants us liberty to come to the Father as His children and gives us faith to believe that the Father hears and answers our prayers for the Son’s sake. He is the Helper of our infirmities – “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).
What then is prayer? It is the heart-cry of a child of God unto the Father, through the blood and righteousness of Christ by the power and influence of the Holy Spirit.
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