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Reflections on Isaiah 53

April 9, 2012 by Jim

This past weekend was Easter and the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. One of the most famous Old Testament passages about Christ’s passion is found in Isaiah 53. Last week I spent an extended amount of time praying through Isaiah 53 in the HoPE prayer room. (For  those not familiar, I work with a Christian ministry called House of Prayer Edmonton, which has a prayer room that serves the capital region of Edmonton through daily times of prayer and worship.)

There were many things that stood out for me in this chapter, but let me share a bit on one particular verse:

Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. (verse 10)

Most people get caught up on the theology of the first half of the verse, pondering how it could be the will of God for Jesus to suffer (which is a very important issue to consider). What I want to comment on is the later part of the verse, that ‘the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand‘. Jesus walked in perfect submission to the purposes and will of God and it was said that God’s will ‘prospered’ in his hand, meaning in his life. God entrusted the plan of salvation into the hands of His Son, giving Jesus full opportunity to legitimately choose whether to ‘walk out’ that plan. We know from the gospel accounts that Jesus was overwhelmed by the prospect of His sufferings (Matt. 26:38), and that could have delivered himself by calling upon legions of angels to save him (Matt. 26:53); yet Jesus voluntarily chose to walk the way of the cross. The choice of Jesus to walk in obedient submission the God’s will is the essence of what it means that the ‘will of God will prosper in his hand’.

This past week I have prayed around this verse, considering whether the will of the Lord will ‘prosper’ in my life. Colossians 1:9 offers a prayer for us to pray that we would have clarity concerning the ‘knowledge of his will’. I understand that God has thoughts and plans concerning my life, which are referred to as his will. How am I walking those plans out? Is the will of the Lord prospering in my life? What does it mean for God’s will to ‘prosper’ in my life?

I am convinced that at the heart of it, there must be an obedient submission to what God is wanting me to do (as well as what he causes to happen in my life).

I will close with a excerpt from a short prayer I wrote in my journal log book that I use in the prayer room:

May your will prosper in my life. God I pray, let your kingdom come and let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, and specifically in my life today. Help me to be in agreement, submission and participation with your will O Lord. Amen.

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Posted in Devotional Prayer | Tagged |

Looking on the Bright Side of Harold Camping

May 21, 2011 by Jim

As many people are aware, in recent weeks there has been a great deal of attention paid to a Christian leader named Harold Camping and his group of followers who have predicted the end of the world on May 21 at 6 p.m. Certainly the man is completely off base in his predictions and there is an ample amount of ridicule being circulated in response to Camping and similar predictions about the ‘end of the world’. People like Camping do absolutely nothing but create problems for the broader Christian community by making a mockery of the faith in the eyes of many people who are not Christ followers.

However what I want to comment on is what I see as the potential ‘bright side’ of this entire drama.

Since the 1980′s and the rise and fall in popularity of Hal Lindsay, who also wrote extensively and convincingly on the end-times and the return of Christ, the whole topic of the ‘end-times’ or eschatology, has fallen out of vogue (so to speak) in the majority of Church circles.

Speaking as an ordained pastor myself, I can say from experience that all that is expected of most pastors today is to simply affirm that Jesus Christ will return physically to the earth one day. The details of how or the sequence of events leading up to his return are seen as a matter of personal belief. This has led to very little teaching in evangelical circles on the Biblical teachings on the return of Christ.

This in turn has resulted in most Christians being woefully illiterate on the subject and far worse, they are apathetic and indifferent about Christ’s coming. It is most commonly seen as an event that will happen far in the future, beyond the time of our own earthly lives. Further still, many Christians see the return of Christ as a ‘scary time’ that they honestly hope to avoid!

This a significant problem because when you look at the Scriptures, you see that the return of Christ is the great hope of the Christian faith. In 2 Timothy 4:8 the apostle Paul states that it is central to our faith that we anticipate and actually long for Christ’s return.  Paul was coming toward the end of his life and reflecting back on his ministry and writes this:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.   – 2 Tim. 4:7-8 (emphasis added)

Similarly, in 1 Corinthians Paul expresses the same thing saying that the believers would ‘eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus to be revealed’ (1 Cor. 1:7).

There is a great need in the Church today for proper teaching on the return of Christ; teaching that again stirs our hearts toward longing for the return of Christ our King. There has always been tremendous debate over the events leading up to Christ’s coming, but when we look at Scripture we see is that the intent is for us to be fixed primarily on the person who is coming and not only on the process of his return. Both are very important, but they must be in proper order. Our great hope is that our King of Kings, Jesus Christ will come again to rule and reign over all the nations and people of the earth!

I am praying these days quite a bit about this theme, asking God to awaken passion in the Church for the coming of Christ again to the earth. I am reminded that as Christians, “we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)

Amen, come Lord Jesus, come!

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Apology from the author

April 23, 2011 by Jim

As the author of Prayer Journal, I must apologize for the lack of content on the blog. I have allowed myself to get rather consumed by work related activities.

If you are interested, I just wrote of blog entry on my website on the topic of why Christians should pray for the upcoming Canadian election. Rather than re-post the blog here, you can view the post using this link.

I certainly will work to do better at providing content in the near future here at Prayer Journal!

Blessings to you, Jim Hall

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The Glory of Ministering to God

March 17, 2011 by Jim

One of the most glorious aspects of our identity as Christians is that we are allowed and invited to minister to the eternal God of all creation! It is also one of the least talked about and least understood aspects of our relationship with God.

Revelation 5:10 says “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” As Christians we have a priestly role as the ones who will serve and minister to God. For most believers this sounds good but also a bit mysterious and usually is relegated to something that ‘we’ll figure out when we get there’!

We may not fully grasp the magnitude and nature of this identity and role until the age to come, but it is critical for us to grow in our understanding of this now, in this age, because it has significant consequences for our lives.

King David was one of the first people who really understood this reality. The Lord spoke about it in great detail to David and called him to set up a worship and prayer ministry that came to be known as the ‘tabernacle of David’. Essentially, David set up the first night and day house of prayer, where singers, musicians and intercessors came together and ministered before God in different shifts, and it continued literally 24 hours a day!

There is a lot to say on this topic but let me offer the following summary to stir your thinking:

  1. In King David’s day, the tribe of Levi was set apart for this priestly ministry: “…the LORD chose them (the Levites) to minister before him forever.” -1 Chron. 15:2
  2. In Isaiah’s day, the Lord revealed that his desire was that Gentiles (non Jews) would also be invited into this priestly role as those who would minister before the Lord. “And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him…these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.” -Isaiah 56:6-7
  3. Jesus came to announce that the Kingdom of Heaven was coming to the earth and told us to pray: “…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” -Matt. 6:10. This makes it clear that God wants to be ministered to on earth as he is ministered to in heaven.

Let me recap what I’m getting at:

  1. God has said that he desires to have people come before him and minister before him forever and enjoy his infinite glory and splendor.
  2. Since he wants this to continue forever, it means this desire did not stop with the establishment of the new covenant and it is still God’s desire in 2011! God’s plan has been to make it possible for non-Jewish people to be able to serve the Lord in this priestly way.

This is an honor and privilege beyond description! If you went up to the 24 elders in heaven who are gathered in worship around the throne of God, there is NOTHING you could offer them that would tempt them to even consider leaving their role of ministering before God!

We need a greater revelation of the glory and splendor of the God that we love and serve and the honor that has been given to us to come and minister before Him!

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Posted in General Discipleship, Intercessory Prayer | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

An Urgent Call to Kneel in Order to Stand

March 14, 2011 by Jim

World events in recent days and weeks require a sober-minded response on the part of Christians and especially Christian leaders.

There are many thoughts and responses by Christian leaders to the Japan earthquake, just as there were many responses to the earthquake in Haiti and New Zealand. In recent months and years many people have quoted Jesus’ prophetic declaration in Matthew 24:7-8 “There will be famines and  earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” Any time you have people writing and speaking about interpreting world events in relation to the ‘end times’ you have guaranteed controversy, so it is with a sigh and a groan that I wade into these topics.

What is on my heart is the response that Jesus himself called for among Christian believers: “Therefore keep watch (and pray) because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” -Matt. 24:42

Here are a few ‘obvious observations’ from Jesus’ dialogue about the end of the age in Matthew 24:

  1. Jesus gave numerous descriptions of the signs of the times, so that we would know them and look for them (see Matt. 24:6-25). He event says ‘”See, I have told you ahead of time” (v. 25)
  2. Jesus told us to learn lessons from the signs in world events. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out you know that summer is near. Even so, when see all these things, you know that it (he) is near, right at the door.” (v.32)
  3. Jesus also was clear that nobody will know the specific time of the return of the Lord. “No one knows about that day or hour” (v. 36), and “…the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (v.44)
  4. Jesus wants us to respond to the signs of world events by entering into PRAYER. “Therefore keep watch (and pray) because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (v. 42). Also, Jesus clearly says that he is looking for believers who will be ‘faithful and wise servants’ (v. 45) and that the activity of waiting and praying is what distinguishes the wise from the foolish believers.

Now I want to be very practical and specific at this point: The majority of Christians find it difficult to spend extended periods of time in prayer, by themselves. The reality of the human condition is that we need community. We need to be part of communities of believers who will gather together to watch and pray. If we are going to actually respond in the way that Jesus is calling us to respond, the majority of us will need to find some expression of a community of people who are seeking to go deep in prayer. Yes, some people will be able to do this on their own, and solitary times of prayer are vital and important, however the majority of Christian believers need the support of others around them in order to truly enter into the reality of diligent waiting and prayer before the Lord.

There must be a clear voice that sounds an alarm about the times that we are living in and are heading toward: The days ahead are going to become more difficult and perilous that anything that we have yet seen and we MUST alter the way that we live in order to begin to live lives that Jesus would describe to be faithful and wise.

Right now God is raising up houses of prayer in cities and nations around the world. Many of these are communities of people who are taking the call to prayer and worship seriously. I want to urge you to work to find a local house of prayer in the area where you live and actually get involved and begin to watch and pray! The time for merely talking about how important prayer is but not actually doing it is over! Jesus has warned us that if we do not respond and live as wise and faithful servants who watch and pray then our love for God will grow cold and many will end up being offended at God. However, to the ones who will enter into lives of prayer and worship and extended times of waiting on the Lord will be be able to stand firm to the end and they will be saved! (see Matt. 24:13)

This is NOT a response that is based out of fear; it is the only way to live free from fear in the days ahead! Jesus told us many of the signs to look for and told us ahead of time what to expect, so that we would not be “alarmed”, or full of fear. A lifestyle of prayer and worship is the pathway to live in confidence before God, able to rest in the revelation of his love and sovereign power.

I conclude with a sobering question: How would Jesus describe your lifestyle right now? Are you living as a ‘faithful and wise servant’? These are the questions I am asking myself as I look at my own life! This is the time to throw ourselves into lives of waiting on the Lord in prayer and worship and to call everyone around us to do the same.

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Posted in General Discipleship, Prophetic Prayer | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

The Impact of Singing our Prayers

February 4, 2011 by Jim

I am currently at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. If you are unfamiliar with IHOP-KC, it is a ministry in south Kansas City that has engaged in night and day worship and prayer for over 11 years. It is an amazing place and I highly recommend checking out their website that is full of great resources and teaching in the area of prayer and worship.

I’ve come many times to IHOP-KC for over ten years and what strikes me every time I come is the significance and impact of singing on the prayer life. I mean specifically singing our prayers. I am not a good singer. I am not a musician. I like to joke that my instrument is the stereo! However I am still a musical person. We are all musical people, no matter who we are, because we are made in the image of God and God is a musical God! He created music and created us to respond to it is a particular way.

It is common knowledge that the book of Psalms is a collection of Hebrew poetry that were originally sung. They were songs. They are also prayers and so one of the largest books of the Bible is filled with prayers that were sung.

I want to challenge you with the idea that singing is intended to be a significant part of our prayer life. I’m not saying that all our prayers need to be sung in order to be effective. Not at all! However, when we pray we are speaking to a person: God. It is relational and while we know that is true, it sometimes gets lost in the shuffle of our day to day lives and the stress of life.

Singing our own spontaneous expressions of prayer and worship has a powerful impact to our spirit, helping to connect our spirit to God’s Spirit in a way that we can discern and feel.

Sometimes we don’t know how to sing without the lyrics of a song in front of us. Practically speaking that is one of the biggest reasons why we don’t sing more in our prayer life.

Here is a practical tip on how to start: Go to the privacy of your room, or somewhere where you can be alone. Next, choose one of the Psalms (Psalm 25 would be a good suggestion). Read through it a couple of times and begin to pray about what you are reading. Do that for a while and then try to sing some of what you are praying. You can start by singing the literal verses of the Psalm word for word. Soon you will be singing slightly different words, and adding some of your own and away you go!

I really encourage trying this in a private context, so that you can have confidence to start singing out loud without worrying if people can hear you.

If you try it and begin to stick with it for a while I believe that you will very quickly discover the benefits and spiritual vitality in your prayer life!

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For friends who are wanting to follow along some of the specific details of my current trip to IHOP-KC, please visit my ministry blog on Fragrant Incense for posts on the details.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Fixed on Beauty

January 26, 2011 by Jim

Last week while I was at the House of Prayer Edmonton prayer room there was a specific phrase that I sensed the Holy Spirit highlighting to me. It was a spontaneous worship chorus that was being sung at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (via webstream)

I don’t want to be entertained by the things of the world; I want to be fixed on beauty

This was in the midst of a week when we were focusing on Psalm 27. In Ps. 27:4 King David writes:

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. (italics added)

Don’t get me wrong: I’m all for entertainment; and no, I do NOT think God exists for my entertainment; far from it! However, here’s the point I’d like to make: We often use entertainment as a means to relax and to renew us. Especially here in western society it is a high value to spend as much time as possible ‘relaxing’ or to use a more common phrase, ‘to chill out’. When we have had a hard, busy week what do we like to do? We want to ‘chill out’ and that almost always involves various forms of entertainment.

What if God was to give us a new paradigm of what it means to ‘chill out’? For most people, to ‘chill out’ almost always means to disengage and mentally check out from everything. But what if we were renewed and restored by being spiritually and mentally engaged with God? What would it look like to be renewed by being fixed on beauty?

I want to suggest that this is exactly how King David lived and what he described in Psalm 27:4. The context of Psalm 27 is during a very  stressful time in David’s life. His anxiety levels were high and he was surely very preoccupied with what was happening around him. Yet his response was to take extended time to ‘gaze upon the beauty of the Lord’. David lived his life being inwardly renewed by fixing his gaze on the beauty of God.

Think about your week. What will you do on the weekend, or whenever you have time for a break? What role does entertainment have in your life? Does it renew you?

Now I would like to be clear about this: I’m not speaking against good, legitimate forms of entertainment. The problem is that very often we settle for spending so much time on lesser things in the hope that they will renew and restore us that we have little time and patience for what promises to renew us: God himself. The apostle Paul writes that we are designed in such a way that we are renewed according to the true knowledge of God our Creator (Col. 3:10).

I want to encourage you to take time to think about this. The implications are significant. The Scriptures make a bold promise: that you and I will find our greatest fulfillment and inward renewal when we gaze (meaning contemplate or meditate) on God himself!

We need to become more and more like King David, as people who are fixed on beauty!

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Posted in Devotional Prayer, General Discipleship, Spiritual Disciplines | Tagged , | 1 Comment »

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