거룩함으로 기도하라 Pray with holiness

김정호목사 

Dr. Jung-Ho Kim, Pastor

그러므로 내가 첫째로 권하노니 모든 사람을 위하여 간구와 기도와 도고와 감사를 하되 ² 임금들과 높은 지위에 있는 모든 사람을 위하여 하라 이는 우리가 모든 경건과 단정한 중에 고요하고 평안한 생활을 하려 함이니라 ³ 이것이 우리 구주 하나님 앞에 선하고 받으실 만한 것이니 ⁴ 하나님은 모든 사람이 구원을 받으며 진리를 아는데 이르기를 원하시느니라 ⁵ 하나님은 한 분이시요 또 하나님과 사람 사이에 중보도 한 분이시니 곧 사람이신 그리스도 예수라 ⁶ 그가 모든 사람을 위하여 자기를 속전으로 주셨으니 기약이 이르면 증거할 것이라 ⁷ 이를 위하여 내가 전파하는 자와 사도로 세움을 입은 것은 참말이요 거짓말이 아니니 믿음과 진리 안에서 내가 이방인의 스승이 되었노라 ⁸ 그러므로 각처에서 남자들이 분노와 다툼이 없이 거룩한 손을 들어 기도하기를 원하노라. First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, ² for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. ³ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. ⁷ For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. ⁸ I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling. (1 Tim. 2:1-8)

FCF: We tend to get involved in worthless debating instead of praying in public church meeting.

주제: 기도는 예배의 본질적인 요소이기 때문에 우리는 하나님의 뜻에 따라 예배 중에 기도해야 한다.

Theme: Because prayer is an essential component of worship, we must pray in worship according to God’s purpose.

Introduction: Prayer is certainly a practice of godly people. Without prayer, there is no spiritual growth for Christians. So, Christians are constantly exhorted to pray. They are repeatedly taught about the utmost importance and benefits of prayer. Prayer is the key to growing in Christlikeness. Prayer leads us to experience God’s blessings. It opens our hearts to the reality of God and the presence of God. It is a way to stay faithful and filled with the Holy Spirit. It is a way to commune with the living God. It is a way to go through trials with God-given power. So, we attempt to pray to differing extents. In reality, however, not every prayer is answered. Prayer against God’s purpose will not be answered. Prayer with sin will not be answered. The psalmist says, 내가 내 마음에 죄악을 품으면 주께서 듣지 아니하시리라. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened (Ps. 66:18). Isaiah said in a similar vein: 여호와의 손이 짧아 구원치 못하심도 아니요 귀가 둔하여 듣지 못하심도 아니라 ² 오직 너희 죄악이 너희와 너희 하나님 사이를 내었고 너희 죄가 그 얼굴을 가리워서 너희를 듣지 않으시게 함이니. Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; ² but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear (Isa. 59:1-2).

These verses do not teach that we should be sinless so that our prayers might be answered. The only ground whereby our prayer is answered is the person and work of Jesus Christ. But our sinful lifestyle hinders us from experiencing God’s answer to our prayer. I heard about an elder who attended every prayer meeting in the church. He faithfully attended early morning prayer meeting. He was faithful to every meeting held in the church. His church members thought of him as a godly man. However, he was found out to be a drunkard, wife abuser, and dishonest businessman. He was a hypocrite. He wanted to be seen as a holy person. He pretended to pray hard. Unfortunately, his hypocritcal prayer didn’t do anything to change his sinful heart. Probably, most of us pray to some degrees and still sin everyday. Sinless perfection is impossible as long as we live in this world. However, prayer affects the way we think, feel, and act. If there is a complete disconnection between our prayer and our lifestyle, then we are not praying rightly. If we keep fighting with our neighbors and try to pray without doing anything to resolve our issues with them, we are encouraged to pray with our holy hands lifted toward God without anger and disputing. Paul addresses such issue in the text. The men in the Ephesian church were angrily arguing with one another. They were disturbing public worship. Their public meetings became an arena of debating and quarreling. So, their prayer was hindered and pushed away to a side. So, Paul exhorts them to praye, not only to pray for all people to be saved, but also to pray in every place with their hands lifted toward heaven. Paul’s point is to pray anywhere with godliness and holiness. With regard to effecitve prayer, I have three points to share with you.    

I. 모두를 위하여 기도하라. Pray for all people.

II. 모두가 구원받기를 기도하라. Pray for all people to be saved.

III. 거룩함으로 기도하라. Pray with holiness.

Prayer is a means of grace whereby we ask for God’s grace and experience it more abundantly. Prayer is a special time with God. So, it is one of our holy and godly act. Prayer is a special time and act set apart for us to have communion with God. The fundamental sense of “holiness” is “being set apart, being separated.” The Bible defines holiness as anyone or anything set part for sacred purpose. God is totally transcendent from something common or mundane. God’s people are called holy, not because they are morally perfect, but because they are separated from the world and dedicated to God. Also, the temple or temple vessels were called holy, not because they were intrinsically holy, different from other objects, but because they were separated form others to be used for God’s purpose. In this sense, prayer is holy, different from our dialogue with people. It is a dialogue with God in the Spirit. Paul certainly knows this fundamental concept of holiness. That’s why he uses the word “holy” in v. 8 to describe “hands.” To appreciate the fullness of Paul’s exhortation in v. 8, it would be profitable for us to pay attention to metaphorical senses of the key phrase “lifting holy hands.”   

Now, let’s look into the key phrase “lifting holy hands.” The participial verb “lifting” carries the sense of manner or circumstantial action in its relation to the infinitival verb “pray.” Paul suggests that we should pray in a manner of lifting our holy hands or we should pray while lifting holy hands. The former makes sense better here because it seems that Paul describes our attitude, action, or lifestyle of those who pray. During biblical times, people often raised their hands toward heaven when they made prayer to God. Hands were normally lifted or outstretched for both praise and supplication in the Old Testament, Judaism, the ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman world. Diaspora Jews usually washed their hands before prayer, so “pure [or holy] hands” became a natural image for genuine worship (cf. also Ps 24:4). Solomon in his temple prayer raised his hands toward heaven and blessed his people in the name of Yahweh. Paul simply may have meant the posture of praying people. However, a certain physical posture of praying people communicates their inner attitudes toward the One who hears their prayer. For example, a kneeling posture conveys the sense of humbleness or submission. When one kneels down before the presence of God, he recognizes the greatness of God and humbles himself, making himself ready to surrender to the great God. His inner heart is somewhat shown by his physical posture. Or the posture of falling prostrate or bowing down also carries a similar sense. Those who approach the presence of God feels the holiness and magnificence of God. As soon as they feel it, they cannot but to fall prostrate before God. Bodily posture somehow reveals inner posture.

Then, what does it mean for us to lift our holy hands? First, it may indicate that we are to pray with our hearts directed to God (마음을 하나님께 향하며 기도하라). When we lift our hands to heaven, we fix the eyes of our heart on heaven where God rules over the entire world. We may close our eyes or open our eyes while lifting our hands toward heaven. Regardless of opening or closing them, we still direct our whole attention to the throne of God in heaven. When we pray, first we must direct our hearts toward God. Our attention is to be disengaged from distractions, worries, fears, etc. We may say a few words to God without lifting our hands toward heaven. But we still need to turn attention to God. It is very important when we talk with God, not simply to God. As I mentioned above, prayer is a two-way communication between God and man. A genuine communication won’t happen if one party doesn’t pay atttention to the other. Likewise, if we want to have a serious, meaningful, and blessed communion with God, we must make our hearts’ attenion focused on God. A distracted heart can’t carry a serious talk with God.

Also, when we come to the presence of God by lifting our hands, we are praying with a believing heart. Raising our hands up toward God, we express our trust in the goodness, power, and sovereignty of God. We simply trust God has the best for us, able to answer our prayers and willing to give us His best. The Lord Jesus said, 너희가 내 안에 거하고 내 말이 너희 안에 거하면 무엇이든지 원하는대로 구하라 그리하면 이루리라. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (Jn. 15:7); 그러므로 내가 너희에게 말하노니 무엇이든지 기도하고 구하는 것은 받은 줄로 믿으라 그리하면 너희에게 그대로 되리라. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mk. 11:24). When he prayed and blessed his people while lifting his hands toward heaven, Solomon believed Yahweh would answer his prayer. By pointing to the heavenly throne of God, he may have intended not only to turn attention of his people to God but also to direct their faith to God. This Scripture is always and absolutely true and applicable to our prayer: 믿음이 없이는 기쁘시게 못하나니 하나님께 나아가는 자는 반드시 그가 계신 것과 또한 그가 자기를 찾는 자들에게 상 주시는 이심을 믿어야 할찌니라. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Heb. 11:6).

So, when we approach God with our hands lifted toward heaven, we must prepare our souls by faith. We must believe that God listens to our prayer because He is pleased by our prayer. We must be assured that we are indeed talking with God. R. A. Torrey said, 간구의 말씀을 하나님께 올려드리기 전에 우리가 하나님께 실제로 말씀을 하고 있다는 분명하고 생생한 의식을 가지고 있어야 합니다. 그리고 하나님께서 우리의 간구를 듣고 계시며 우리가 구하는 것을 베풀어 주실 것을 믿어야 합니다. “Before a word of petition is offered, we should have the definite and vivid consciousness that we are talking to God, and should believe that He is listening to our petition and is going to grant the thing we ask of Him.” Such an internal attitude of trust is essential for all who seek to make petitions, intercessions, and thanksgivings to God. We should believe God as a benevolent, faithful, and loving God. With such a view of God, we can pray with a greater confidence. Mike Bickle said, 하나님을 우리의 자상하신 어버지로, 예수님을 신랑되신 왕으로 알게 되면, 우리는 전력을 다하여 하나님을 찾게 될 힘을 얻게 되고 기도가운데서 자라가며 하나님과의 관계에서 새로운 기쁨을 경험하게 될 것입니다. 하나님께서 우리를 기뻐하시고 그 백성과의 관계를 즐거워 하신다는 확신을 가지고 하나님께 나오게 될 때 우리의 기도 생활은 매우 달라지게 됩니다.  “As we come to know God as our tender Father and Jesus as the Bridegroom King, we are energized to seek God with all our strength and to experience new delight in our relationship with Him as we grow in prayer. Our prayer lives are very different when we come confidently to God with the assurance that He enjoys us and is actually glad in His relationship with His people.” God is not aloof or angry. He wants to be with us. We must grab this truth as we come to the presence of God.

Furthermore, our lifting hands to God in prayer may signify our surrender to God. Some of us often raise our hands in prayer and praise. In one sense, we are surrendering all to God. There are no other gods beside our heavenly Father. We come to God, beseeching Him for grace, mercy, and peace. When a policeman points his gun to a criminal suspect, what does he often say? “Freeze and Hands up!” Here “hands up” means “surrender.” If he throws his fists into the air and cusses, the criminal is not willing to surrender to the police officer. But if he raises his hands up high, he is telling the policeman that he is ready to surrender to his arrest without resistance. This may not be a perfect analogy. However, lifting our hands up high toward God indicates a surrender to God in our hearts. We often sing the song “Father, I Stretch My Hands to Thee” while repenting of our sins. While singing it, we lift up our hands to God in tears. What do we want to say by stretching our hands to God? It is utter surrender to God. When he exhorts the men in the Ephesian church to pray by lifting their holy hands toward God, Paul may have intended to say that they should surrender themselves to God. By lifting up our hands to God in prayer, we are to indicate “holiness” in our hearts, giving God our exclusive attention, utter trust, and total surrender. Again, holiness means being set apart for God. We set our attentive, trusting, and surrendering hearts apart for the sake of communing with God. This is what prayer is all about.

Second, our “holy hands” lifted to God in prayer implies that we are to pray with a holy lifestyle (거룩한 삶을 살며 기도하라). “Hands” represent what we do with our hands, that is, our work. “Blood tainted hands” in the Bible mean hands that commit murder. Clean hands imply clean act, behavior, or life. “Hands” by metonymy represents one’s entire body or life. Isaiah describes a sinful lifestyle of Israel as follows: 이는 너희 손이 피에, 너희 손가락이 죄악에 더러웠으며 너희 입술은 거짓을 말하며 너희 혀는 악독을 발함이라. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness (Isa. 59:3). “Hands” represents all the human activities, that is, the entire life. Here Paul modifies “hands” with “holy.” “Holy hands” may represent a life dedicated or consecrated to God or such a godly lifestyle. In short, we must use our hands, that is, our life, to serve and glorify God. We must let them set apart for God’s sacred purposes. Whatever we may do, we must do it for the glory of God. Whether we labor in the church or in the workplace, whether we clean the church, or our house, whether we serve in Praise Team or in Sound System team, we are doing it to the holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether we eat, rest, or work, we must set it apart for the glory of God. We must do all to accomplish God’s purposes, that is, loving God and neighbor in the transforming power of His love for the glory of God.

Such a holy lifestyle is to accompany our prayer. Without it, our prayer is likely to be hypocritical or self-promoting or comforting. William Law said, 기도하기를 배운 자는 거룩하고 행복한 삶의 가장 큰 비결은 배운 자이다. “He who has learned to pray has learned the greatest secret of a holy and happy life. Holy living leads to a happy life.” Prayer helps us live a holy and happy life. Prayer is God-ordained means to fulfill His purpose on earth. It is not given for the sake of self-righteousness or self-glory. The Lord illustrates this point by the following story: ¹⁰ 두 사람이 기도하러 성전에 올라가니 하나는 바리새인이요 하나는 세리라 ¹¹ 바리새인은 서서 따로 기도하여 가로되 하나님이여 나는 다른 사람들 곧 토색, 불의, 간음을 하는 자들과 같지 아니하고 이 세리와도 같지 아니함을 감사하나이다 ¹² 나는 이레에 두번씩 금식하고 또 소득의 십일조를 드리나이다 하고¹³ 세리는 멀리 서서 감히 눈을 들어 하늘을 우러러 보지도 못하고 다만 가슴을 치며 가로되 하나님이여 불쌍히 여기옵소서 나는 죄인이로소이다 하였느니라 ¹⁴ 내가 너희에게 이르노니 이 사람이 저보다 의롭다 하심을 받고 집에 내려 갔느니라 무릇 자기를 높이는 자는 낮아지고 자기를 낮추는 자는 높아지리라 하시니라.  ¹⁰ "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted" (Lk. 18:10-14).

The Pharisee used his prayer, tithes, or fasting as a display of their self-righteousness. He kept distance from the publican. He was afraid of being ceremonially unclean by touching the traitorous man. So, he stood aloof from the sinner, separating himself from his neighbor. His religiosity was a ground for his self-righteousness, that is, a ground for acceptance with God. Probably, he lifted his hands toward heaven. But, his bodily posture was disengaged from his inner posture. His inner man was filled with pride, hatred, or a sense of superiority. Bodily posture of prayer, when it coincides with the inner man’s piety toward God, is a reflection of one’s attitude toward God. As for the Pharisee, there was a total discrepancy between his external posture and his internal posture. He was so proud before God. His prayer was filled with his pride.  Indeed, his prayer at best was a hypocritical exhibition. On the contrary, the publican couldn’t lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” He was humble. He was repentant. He felt his sinfulness in terms of God’s holiness. His bodily posture and action truly reflected his inner brokenness and contrition before God, which the Lord truly honors.

Lifting holy hands toward God becomes a true act of prayer when it is consistent with both its internal reality of humility, faith, and surrender and its external godly lifestyle. When it is merely done in a habitual, ritual show of prayer posture, it is devoid of true effectiveness of prayer and devotion to God. To some degrees, we suffer difference between our external prayer posture and our internal prayer posture, or between our external prayer posture and our external lifestyle. When we are conscious of people around us, we may change the way we offer our prayers to God unless we are so desperate before God. Prayer is a one-on-one conversation with God. We must focus on God. But if there are people who watch us praying, we may tend to think of their presence and change the way we pray so that we can be seen as true prayer warriors. Externally, we may be seen that way, but internally we may be far away from God, bearing only the semblance of a praying person. What matters is a true consciousness of God’s presence, no matter where we pray, whoever watches us pray, or whichever posture we assume in prayer. In reality, our prayer is not perfect in the sight of God because of the limitations of our sinfulness.

However, there is the only one person in history who lives a perfect prayer life. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a true man of prayer. He was a man of action. He was a man of righteousness and holiness. There was no difference between His prayer and His lifestyle. There was a perfect harmony between His prayer life and the rest of His life. Not only so, but also He offered Himself as a ransom for us to be freed from the bondage and captivity of sin. He is our perfect Redeemer. He is our confidence. He is our perfect righteousness. He is our perfect security. The reason we can offer prayers and have confidence in answered prayer is the meritorious work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our good works can’t serve as our merits before God. They can’t be the reason for God to answer our prayers. The only merits we should rely on are Christ’s. This is applied to our prayer. That’s why we close our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. His name is not a magical formulation, but a wonderful Name that represents the Person and work of Jesus Christ. So, when we come to the holy presence of the Father, we can approach Him only in Christ. Christ is the only Mediator between God and man. We must rely on what He has done for us on the cross. Lengths, sincerity, or determination of our prayer or our righteous, godly, or holy lifestyle can’t be the ultimate merits for God to answer our prayers. But they help us experience a fuller understanding of God’s will, a deeper relationship with God, and greater blessings of God. God may use them, though they are imperfect, for His glory and our good. God may see them as signs of those who fear Him.

Therefore, if we live a wicked life, hypocritical life in private setting, while maintaining a semblance of prayer in public life, we won’t experience God’s blessings. Rather, we will be disciplined for our sinful lifestyle. We will be disciplined for our wrong motives for prayer. The Pharisee considered himself to be holy, because he separated himself from the taints of the publican. But his holiness was not something God wanted to see. It was hypocritical. So, it was condemned. His prayer was rejected. He had no contrition in his heart. God penetrated his heart and saw what was in it. However, the publican was truly repentant. He was truly remorseful of his doings. He was sad about his sinfulness. He cast himself on the merciful hands of God. He knew he deserved nothing but God’s punishment. He knew he needed God’s mercy. So, he begged God with humbleness, faith, and repentance for God’s mercy. God indeed answered his prayer. He rejected the Pharisee’s flamboyant prayer, whereas he accepted the publican’s humble prayer. This story cuts through our hearts, debunking our hypocritical tendency. It doesn’t endorse the sinful lifestyle of the publican. It calls on sinners to come to the presence of God with faith and repentance and rely on God’s mercy alone.

Now, as we approach God in prayer, we must remember this fact: everything we do matters; things we do before we pray matter, prayer matters, and things we do after prayer also matter. Our behaviors, attitudes, or deeds matter as much as the external act and inner attitude of our prayer matter. It is because God sees our hearts, prayers, and the rest of our lives. There are those who pray fervently in the church but live a life in a way that entirely contradicts their prayers. There are those who don’t pray and fail to live according to God’s will. How do we know prayer works in our lives? If prayer first changes the way we think, feel, and act, prayer works powerfully. But if it doesn’t change us at all, we may significantly fail somewhere in our prayer life and the rest of our lives. God transforms us by His grace that we experience more abundantly through prayer. So, if our prayer is malfunctioning, we must examine it and fix it by God’s grace. If we pray by faith in Christ and according to God’s promises, then we must anticipate our prayer should affect the way we live in this world in relation to God and others. Effective power avails much as in the case of Elijah. We must not contradict our prayer with our sinful lifestyle. Rather, we must experience a greater sanctification in life through prayer.

Not only should we pray in a right relation to God, thirdly, but also we should pray with a right relation to others (이웃과 바른 관계를 맺으며 기도하라). Paul says, “Pray without anger and disputing.” Lifting holy hands” occurs side by side with “without anger or quarreling.” Syntactically they are closely connected, which means they are theologically connected. One’s godly lifestyle is impossible without a good relationship with his or her neighbor. As mentioned previously, the men in the Ephesian church were engaged in endless theological debates and worthless interpretations. Angering and quarreling against each other were dividing the church and destroying the unity of the church. Thus, Paul, being full aware of dangers of anger and quarreling in the faith community, exhorts them to replace them with prayer that is consistent with a holy life. In fact, prayer deepens not only our relationship with God but also our relationship with our neighbors. If it works properly as designed, prayer, it will disarm our angry, belligerent spirit toward others. It will brighten our spirit and make our hearts filled with love, understanding, and compassion. We will view others not as competitors, but as allies in Christ. So, we will stop venting our anger and dissatisfaction against others.

Today, people are angry. This generation has no room for understanding, yielding, or mercy. Road rage, computer rage is quite common. In Korea, gangsters almost killed a man who bickered with a minor issue. This man had a right to take the taxi. The gangsters pushed him away to take the taxi for their girlfriend. But the man protested them. So, they brutally beat him up. Domestic violence between husband and wife, or parents and children are still common. The root of these problems lies in resentment in the heart. The Lord defines anger as the seat of murder. The strongly warns us against dangers of anger this way:  ²¹ 옛 사람에게 말한바 살인치 말라 누구든지 살인하면 심판을 받게 되리라 하였다는 것을 너희가 들었으나 ²² 나는 너희에게 이르노니 형제에게 노하는 자마다 심판을 받게 되고 형제를 대하여 라가 라 하는 자는 공회에 잡히게 되고 미련한 놈이라 하는 자는 지옥 불에 들어가게 되리라.  ²¹ "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire (Matt. 5:21-22).

 Anger causes fighting. A boy once asked, “Dad, how do wars begin?” “Well, take the First World War,” said his father. “That got started when Germany invaded Belgium.” Immediately his wife interrupted him: “Tell the boy the truth. It began because somebody was murdered.” The husband drew himself up with an air of superiority and snapped back, “Are you answering the question, or am I?” Turning her back upon him in a huff, the wife walked out of the room and slammed the door as hard as she could. When the dishes stopped rattling in the cupboard, an uneasy silence followed, broken at length by the son when he said, “Daddy, you don’t have to tell me any more; I know now!”Anger breaks a relationship with others. Anger harbors ill-will and unwillingness to forgive. Certainly, anger is a potent relation killer in modern society. We must be aware of its destructive power in relation to others.

Indeed, prayer is a way to kill anger in the heart. As we pray, we must work hard to improve our relation to others. If we keep harboring anger in our souls, we are destroying our prayer life and the rest of our lives. Knowing this point well in a marital relatonship, the apostle Peter advises us this way, 남편 된 자들아 이와 같이 지식을 따라 너희 아내와 동거하고 저는 더 연약한 그릇이요 또 생명의 은혜를 유업으로 함께 받을 자로 알아 귀히 여기라 이는 너희 기도가 막히지 아니하게 하려 함이라. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered (1 Pet. 3:7). If husbands fail to maintain a proper relationship with their wives, they will not have a prosperous prayer life. Prayer life is closely intertwined with the rest of our lives. The Lord Jesus knew it well. So, He exhorts us to first take care of a problem with our close ones and then come to worship God: ²³ 그러므로 예물을 제단에 드리다가 거기서 네 형제에게 원망 들을만한 일이 있는줄 생각나거든 ²⁴ 예물을 제단 앞에 두고 먼저 가서 형제와 화목하고 그 후에 와서 예물을 드리라. ²³ So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matt. 5:23-24).

Prayer life serves as a yardstick to measure our relationship with God and neighbor. Our relationship with God is closely connected to our relationship with others. Both of them should not be disconnected. The more we pray, the better relationship with God and neighbor we will have. If not, our prayer life is seriously wrong somewhere. Most probably, our prayer is only hypocritical and ritualistic. Thus, as Paul says, we must lift up our holy hands toward God without angering and quarreling. Think about your prayer life and your relationship with God and others. Prayer is a way to practice love for God and others. Prayer softens our hearts so that we can better understand the heart of God and better relate to our neighbors. You must pray for peace with God and neighbor. If you pray and still have bad relationships with God and your family members, co-workers, or fellow Christians, you must remember you may not be praying rightly. You are called to intercede for your families, friends, goverement officials, or unbelievers. When you do intercede for them, you are expressing your love for them. Then, how can you keep doing things to break or weaken your relationship with them? Please, continue to pray for their salvation, spiritual well-being, and their daily walk with God. In so doing, you will make this world a better place. You will enjoy a better relationship with God and neighbor.   

I have read a devotional message in Kukminilbo that is about prayer and forgiveness. It is written by pastor Sung-kuk Ahn. It goes like this: 기도자가 성소에서 하나님께 하소연을 쏟아놓았습니다. “하나님 이럴 수는 없습니다. 그가 제게 한 짓을 다 아시잖습니까. 제가 그에게 받은 상처를 다 아시지 않습니까. 그가 함부로 던진 말의 화살에 제 가슴은 찢어졌습니다. 그의 무례한 행동들과 교만한 횡포로 제 심장이 멈춰버리는 줄 알았습니다. 상처가 하도 깊어 도무지 회복될 기미가 보이지 않습니다. 상처가 낫는다 한들 흉터는 고스란히 남을 것입니다. 사과 한마디에, 손 한번 잡는 것으로 어떻게 없던 일이 되겠습니까. 하나님 저는 절대 용서하지 못하겠습니다.” 기도자의 부르짖음을 잠잠히 들으시던 예수님은 조용히 손을 내미셨습니다. 그 손에는 굵은 못 자국이 선명합니다. 허리춤을 걷으셨습니다. 그곳에는 창에 찔린 상처가 뚜렷하게 보입니다. 주님은 한마디도 하지 않으시는데 그 상처들이 이렇게 아우성을 치는 듯합니다. ‘너 때문이야. 너로 인해 받은 상처다. 모르겠니? 너 때문에 이런 흉터가 생겼단다. 하지만 그는 너를 탓하지 않으며 원망하지도 않고 얼마든지 용서하고 있지.’ 기도자는 말없이 눈물만 흘렸습니다. 그리고 알게 됐지요. 정의를 외치다 받은 상처, 사랑을 나누다 얻은 상처, 복음을 전하다 받은 상처, 선한 양심을 지키다 남은 상처… 이 모든 상처들은 주님께서 먼저 가지셨던 상처, 바로 그분의 흔적이라는 것을요. “A man offers his prayer unto God in the sanctuary: ‘God, this can’t be so. You know all that he has done against me. You know all the hurts I have gotten from him. He threw his thoughtless words to my heart. My heart was relentlessly rent. I thought my heart would stop when he rudely and proudly acted against me. My heart doesn’t seem to be healed due to the bottomless depth of my hurts. Even though my hurts may be healed, I will still have remaining scars. A mere word of apology or an act of shaking hands wouldn’t make all this as non-existent. God, I can never forgive him.” The Lord Jesus, who silently heard all his words, stretched His hands to him. His hands have clearly visible nail-pierced scars. He revealed His spear-pierced side to him. The Lord didn’t say even a word. But it seems as if His scars spoke loudly to him: ‘It is beause of you that I got wounded. Don’t you know this? It is because of you that I have these scars. But He doesn’t blame you or complain about you. He freely forgive you!’ The supplicant silently shed his tears. Then he came to realize that all the hurts he earned while trying to cry for justice, share love, preach the gospel, or keep a good conscience, all these hurts were the ones the Lord already experienced for him. He realized the Lord had those scars for him.      

This devotional message tells us that we should forgive our debtors and pray with a proper relation to others. If we truly pray, we should be able to forgive and love others. We can’t continue to harbor a spirit of anger and revenge in our hearts while seeking to be in the presence of God. Surely, we should lift holy hands in prayer without hiding a clenched fist in our hearts. We are to live in a way that our prayer should not be hindered. Again, the Lord Jesus Christ lived a perfect life in such a way that His prayer was always heard by the Father. He perfectly loved the Father and enjoyed a perfect relationship with the Father. He loved people perfectly. He even loved his opponents on the cross, praying, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” He refused to admit anger into His heart. Though he was indignant against sin, injustice, or hypocrisy, Jesus always loved people to an extent that He offered Himself as a ransom for sinners to be emancipated from the slavery of sin. We are to imitate Christ with regard to prayer. We are to be like Christ with regard to relationships with God and neighbor.

Again, anger may kill our desire to pray. It hinders us from coming to the presence of God. So, we must handle it as quickly as possible by the power of the Spirit. The apostle Paul encourages us not to harbor anger: ²⁶ 분을 내어도 죄를 짓지 말며 해가 지도록 분을 품지 말고 ²⁷ 마귀로 틈을 타지 못하게 하라.  ²⁶ Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and give no opportunity to the devil (Eph. 4:26-27). Keep in mind our anger doesn’t work the righteousness of God. When we are sinfully angry, we are surrendering ourselves to our enemy. We are creating an environment in which Satan can entrap us with no difficulty. Indeed, Satan always tries to instigate us to anger against God and people. Thus, we must pray in a way that we live a peaceful life in a good relationship with God and neighbor.

Conclusion: A four-year-old boy once saw a picture of Christ praying and asked what Jesus was doing in that picture. When he was told that Jesus was praying, the youngster responded by asking who Jesus was praying to. After being told that Jesus was praying to God, the young boy replied, “But Jesus IS God!” This same thought was captured well by St. Cyprian who said, 죄없으신 그분이 기도하셨다면 죄인들은 얼마나 더 기도해야 할까? “If He prayed who was without sin, how much more it becomes a sinner to pray.” This is a self-evident truth though we often ignore it in practice. Paul exhorts us to pray in every place without ceasing. Why? It is of utmost importance. Pray is a way to fulfill God’s purpose, be filled with the power of the Spirit, and receive wisdom from heaven. Prayer is a spiritul exercise in which we are empowered to love God and neighbor. The purpose of prayer is not to get things from God but to live as close to Him as possible. The ultimate purpose of prayer is to glorify God. Mike Bickle said, 하나님을 사랑하는 것, 하나님을 순종하는 것, 그리고 효과적인 기도 생활을 하는 것, 이것들은 하나님의 영광이 우리의 삶에 나타나도록 그런 식으로 사는 삶의 다양한 단면들일 뿐입니다. “Loving God, obeying God, and having an effective prayer life are different aspects of the one subject of living in such a way that His glory may be seen in our lives.” Surely, prayer is of great importance. As we learn to pray with our holy hands lifted toward God, we must approach the holy presence of God with our hearts directed to God, that is, fixing the eyes of our believing heart upon God and making ourselves surrender to God. No only so, we should live a holy life that agrees with God’s character to experience a deeper union with Christ and greater blessings of God, relying only on the perfect merits of Jesus Christ. Finally, we are to maintain a proper relationship with others, removing anger from our hearts in prayer. Such a prayer life will transform our entire life, in particular, our worship. How can we live such an effective prayer life? We must confess the sin of our prayerlessness and turn to God for help. Only Christ is our Hope and Strength. Paul said, 내게 능력 주시는 자 안에서 내가 모든 것을 할 수 있느니라. I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13). Only when we live in union with Christ, we are enabled to pray fervently. Though we may fail at times, Christ is our Victory. Though we may be weak, Christ is our Power. When we may despair, Christ is our Hope. When we turn our hearts to Christ for all this, then we can be prayer warriors for the glory of God and our good as well. Why don’t we start really praying? Why don’t we start offering our petitions, intercessions, and thanksgivings to the Father in the matchless of Jesus Christ? May the Lord empower us to pray without ceasing so that we can fulfill God’s purpose on earth!

Benediction: ²⁴ 여호와는 네게 복을 주시고 너를 지키시기를 원하며 ²⁵ 여호와는 그 얼굴로 네게 비취사 은혜 베푸시기를 원하며 ²⁶ 여호와는 그 얼굴을 네게로 향하여 드사 평강주시기를 원하노라  ²⁴ The LORD bless you and keep you; ²⁵ the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; ²⁶ the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Num. 6:24-26)