Prayer Keys - Boldness
Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence [boldness], so that we may receive mercy & find grace to help us in our time of need. Heb. 4:16
This is another verse where I prefer the King James Bible language that says, “boldness.” Boldness is a biblical key to effective prayer.
There is a story about Alexander the Great returning home after a successful campaign. His infantrymen entered to cheers and music, leading the defeated, captured, and bound enemy warriors.
The celebration continued with the cavalrymen carrying the spoils of war followed by the officers. The cheers erupted even louder as Alexander’s chariot was spotted beyond the banners.
A little boy wormed his way to the front of the crowd, then tried to run to the chariot. A burly soldier caught his arm and jerked him back. “Fool kid! Do you know who that is? That’s the emperor!”
The boy answered, “He may be your emperor, but he is my father!” The boy was no fool. He enjoyed free access to the emperor that the cheering crowds and the soldiers assigned to control them did not. He could approach the chariot of the emperor boldly.
We enjoy free access to God. We can approach the throne of grace boldly.
For me to march into Pres. Obama’s office, tap him on the shoulder, grin, and ask for something would be presumptuous, arrogant, possibly suicidal (the Secret Service, responsible for protecting the President, would do anything necessary to stop me). Malia Obama could march into his office and make a request freely, boldly, and safely. She is his child. She enjoys bold access to the oval office.
I am a child of the King of Kings. I enjoy bold access to the throne of grace.
We can also offer bold prayers. I’m not sure this can be separated from praying specifically, another prayer key Bible study. Bold prayers tend to be specific. What would be a bold prayer for us at First Baptist Church, Everman, Texas?
One bold prayer would be that God would use us to reach Everman. I did not know how bold that prayer would be until I began substitute teaching. The rampant disrespect for authority, the disrespect for self evidenced in how students dress and act, the pregnant girls even in junior high, and other things I have seen speak to a great spiritual need in our town.
How can a church which runs about 140 in Sunday School reach town of 6500? The Bible says God has done such things before. After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, 120 disciples prayed for ten days until they were filled with power from on high. The Lord added to his church about 3,000 that day. In Acts 4, the Lord added another 5,000 (total, 8,000). We’re starting with more than 120 to reach fewer than 8,000. Should we be so bold as to pray for another Pentecost? Should we be so bold as to pray for an event of Biblical proportions? Yes, we should! God welcomes bold prayers, even prayers for events of Biblical proportions!
While emphasizing boldness, we must also remember to be humble. Another bible study will emphasize that God said, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray…” God welcomes bold prayers from humble Christians.
We enjoy bold access to offer bold prayers, but we should never mistake presumption and arrogance for confidence or boldness. Yes, we can approach the throne of grace boldly, but we should never forget it is a throne. As we approach our father, we also approach the King of Kings, the Lord of Creation. He is worthy of worship, worthy of praise, and worthy of reverence.
In the past, when kings were more than ceremonial figureheads, no one approached them arrogantly. Protocol demanded petitioners approach with bowed heads. If earthly kings and queens, mere men and women, received such respect, how much more should the King of Kings, the almighty God, receive not just respect, but reverence?
Spurgeon said, “His throne hath sway in all worlds, heaven obeys Him cheerfully, hell trembles at His frown, and earth is constrained to yield Him homage willingly or unwillingly.”
Boldness is a biblical key to effective prayer, but we should never mistake arrogance for boldness.
The Bible says we may approach the throne of grace boldly, but not arrogantly. “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker,” Psalm 95:6. “The LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth,” Ps. 96:4-9.
We may approach the throne of grace boldly, but not presumptuously or arrogantly.
The worst example I recall of praying presumptuously and acting like it was blessed boldness is the college student I mentioned in an earlier Bible study, praying according to God’s will, who was leading a prayer group and told God, “Now, by the authority of your word, we command you…” Have you ever heard anything more arrogant than presuming to command God while praying?
I think this is the worst example of arrogant prayer I ever heard. But does God think this is any worse than my own presumptuous prayers? I have, sadly more than once, taught a Bible study or even preached a sermon when I had not adequately prepared. I then prayed, “God, bless this Bible study or this sermon beyond my inadequate preparation.” That is not a bad prayer. It is a good prayer, if it is sincere. I have said those words when I was more concerned about embarrassing myself than I was with glorifying God. It would have been better at those times to repent, confess my irresponsibility, and pray for God to glorify himself, even if I must suffer embarrassment. It may be to God’s glory to humble me so I will be more faithful next time.
Let us approach the throne of grace boldly that we may receive mercy.
A Dennis the Menace cartoon from years ago showed Dennis and Joey walking along, each munching on a cookie with his hands full of cookies. Joey said, “I wonder what we did to deserve this?” Dennis answered with surprising insight. “Joey, Mrs. Wilson gives us cookies not because we’re nice, but because she’s nice.” The mercy we receive is not because we’re good but because God is so good.
Let us approach the throne of grace boldly that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Sometimes, the grace to help comes in ways we would not expect.
The only survivor of a ship wreck managed to reach a small, uninhabited island. Scavenging the beach, he found a few things washed up he could use. Every day he thanked God for rescuing him from the sea and prayed for God to rescue him from the island. He then scanned the horizon in vain.
He had no skipper, no Gilligan, no professor to help him. No lights, no phone, no motor car, not a single luxury. Like Robinson Crusoe, it was primitive as can be… (yes, I watched “Gilligan’s Island” when it came on in the 60 s). Unlike Robinson Crusoe, he had no man Friday.
He managed to find fresh water and enough food to keep him alive. He gathered drift wood, dead falls, and other materials and built a hut. Finally, he would have a dry place to sleep on rainy nights.
The next day, while searching for food, he saw smoke rising to the sky. He hurried back and found his hut burning. Somehow, an ember from the fire he kept going had reached the hut. His shelter was gone. The food and water he managed to collect were gone. Even the few possessions he had scavenged from the beach were gone. His prayers became brutally honest. He was confused and unhappy and he let God know it.
After another wet night on the island, he was rescued. He asked the captain of the boat, “How did you find me?”
The captain said, “We saw your smoke signal.”
All things work together for good to them who love the Lord. Sometimes, grace to help comes in unexpected ways. “Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence [boldness], so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need,” Heb. 4:16.
[At first, I mentioned this next bold request in our prayer meeting, but I did not plan to post it online because it seemed too specific to First Baptist Church, Everman, TX. Now, I think others will be able to apply it to their circumstances.]
Another bold prayer would be for God to use us to mold seminary students into the minsters God wants them to be [First Baptist, Everman, is less than ten miles from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, SWBTS]. This may not sound like a bold prayer. God has brought seminary students and students from the college at Southwestern here. They have opportunities to teach and preach. They have opportunities to make evangelistic visits and hospital visits. This is a good church for them to be in. So how is praying for God to use us to mold seminary students so bold?
Have you noticed I did not say we could pray for God to use Bro. Jim [our pastor] to mold them, but for God to use us to mold them? You may think, “Oh, I couldn’t do that! I can’t help mold seminary students. I’ll pray for God to use Bro. Jim to do that.” That is a good prayer. We should pray that, We should also pray bolder prayers.
Most of us in this prayer meeting are old enough to be parents or grandparents of these students. We have experience that can help them. When they have a scholarly insight, we may have simple ways of saying the same things that may help them.
One Wednesday night, Bro. Steve [our minister of music] said something about being 53 years old. I had an odd feeling about that. For the first time in my life, I’m in a church where I’m older than every staff member. I could not shake that odd feeling. Recently, it occurred to me why I felt so odd. The reason scared me.
I am aware of nothing in scripture saying we can retire from the Christian life. God may call us to new ministries and call new people to do what we have done in the past, but he does not put us out to pasture.
I am aware of nothing in scripture saying we can retire from the Christian life. But all my life I have heard about the wisdom of age. That scared me. For the first time in my life, I am one of those older people. For the first time in my life, I am responsible for sharing wisdom.
I’ve never thought of myself as wise. I’ve thought of myself as well educated. For 35 years I interpreted for deaf college students and sat in lots of college classes. I’ve thought of myself as well educated, but I’ve never though of myself as wise.
I’ve thought of myself as studious, but I’ve never thought of myself as wise. In my last church, as a Sunday School teacher, I regularly spent ten to twelve hours each week preparing to teach. I’ve thought of myself as studious, I’ve thought of myself as well educated, but I’ve never thought of myself as wise. Now, like many of you, I have a responsibility to share wisdom with younger people, including seminary students studying Greek and Hebrew and hermeneutics and maybe things I don’t know how to pronounce.
When Ken James was a student at SWBTS in the 60 s, he was a student pastor. A popular expression at that time was, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” (Anyone remember hearing that, or seeing those bumper stickers?) Ken said it often when preaching. “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.”
One day, a sweet senior saint shook his hand after the service and asked, “That thing you’re always saying,‘God said it, I believe it, that settles it.’ Do you really believe that?” Ken answered, “Yes ma’am. With all my heart.”
She said, “Well, I believe that when God says it, that settles it, whether I believe it or not.” He realized she was right. When God says it, it is settled. His belief had nothing to do with it being settled.
She shared her wisdom with a seminary student. Ken retired last year, but to this day, her wisdom has made him more careful when he preaches.
For me, the thought of being an elder person, responsible for sharing wisdom that may affect ministries for decades to come and generations beyond that is intimidating. But some of you should join me in praying boldly that God will use us to mold seminary students into the ministers God wants them to be.
