Praying In Psalms– Bonhoeffer Part 1 Summary

·         It is a widespread error among Christians to think that the heart can pray by itself.

·         We need to learn to pray

·         We are not to confuse wishes, hopes, signs, comments, rejoicings with prayer. These the heart can do by itself.

·         Prayer is not just the above or pouring out one’s heart but is the way to God. It is to speak with him no matter how we feel. No man can do it by himself but via Christ.

·         The disciples want to pray but they do not know how to do it. (To want to speak to God but remain speechless)

·         We are to pray with Yeshua. He wants to pray with us and to have us pray with Him so that we can be confident that God hears us. God always hears the prayers of Yeshua (Side note: If we abide in Yeshua, Yeshua lives in us- In Him we move and live, so much so that people will not know where we end and where He begins).

·         The child learns to speak because his father speaks to him. (Side note: Son and Father speak the same language because they are one). So we learn to speak to God because God has spoken to us.

·         We are to speak the same language as God. We are, like children expected to repeat the Fathers words to Him as His language is “in accordance with His will”

Father                                   speaks                                  Son

 

Son                                                                                        Father

                                Learn and speaks back the

                                same language he learns and

                                learned to Father

·         If we abide in Him (Yeshua) and Yeshua is in we become one (Side note: just as Yeshua and the Father are one). The Father always hears the prayers of Yeshua so will He not hear us if we are Christ’s (Yeshua’s) that is if Yeshua) is in us? We must abide in Yeshua. This entails hearing the words of the Word (Yeshua and obedience to the Word (Yeshua).

Father                   speaks                                                  Son

-Same language

-they are one in unity in perfect understanding , perfect matching wills

 

Son                        speaks                                                  Father

If we and the Son are one: -

 

Son and us one                              speaks to Father                              Father

Will the Father not hear us? After all the will of the Father and Son are one (and they are one in every other respect)

·         The Bible has a book of prayer ie Psalms.

·         But is not the scriptures Words of God and prayers Words of man? How can Psalms being word of God be prayers then? It can be if we pray in Yeshua. This means if Yeshua abides in us as we utter these words of prayer – it becomes the words of God. God who abides in us speaks and therefore= words of God and as we speak it becomes words of man ie prayer. There is no inconsistency.

·         This applies for all true prayers.

·         True prayers are prayed only in and with Yeshua

·         The Father wants to hear from us because with His Son in as we speak, these are the words of His beloved Son. This is pure grace and mercy from God.

·         Most of the Psalms were written by King David. None of the Psalms were written prior to David’s anointing (See 2 Samuel 23:1-2). The Lord was already speaking through the Psalms in David.

One can commence with

Psalm 8,

Psalm 19

Psalm 29

Psalm 104

These are creation psalms – instructions to know and honor the Creator of the World