Praying through Scripture - God's Attributes as a Guide to Prayer

Today our Christar-Balkans team had a day of prayer.  My friend and co-worker, Dave Spencer, led the day and put together a fantastic resource on the attributes of God and how to use them in prayer.

Here's how it worked.  We focus on a single attribute at a time.  Dave had handed around a packet that listed multiple verses for each attribute.  (See below for the content of this packet.)  He had also asked each person to send him several prayer requests and he had put them onto a separate sheet of paper.  So we slowly and thoughtfully read each of the verses for that particular attribute out loud and in between each verse we paused and anyone who had a song they wanted to sing or a prayer in connection with that verse (usually directly related to one of the requests for our team members) could go ahead and lead out in prayer or song.

The prayer time went really well -- we spent a very enjoyable 3-4 hours with periodic breaks.  And the packet Dave put together was so good I thought it should be made available for general consumption.  Since Dave doesn't have a blog I asked permission to steal it and post it for you. 

The basic idea is to pray through Scripture, using Scripture (see the illustration at the end) but to still be able to deal with specific requests that have been shared.

So here you go (everything from here on is Dave's material - I'm just making it available):

D          Get comfy!!

I           -Read through the selected verses printed on the prayer guide together.

R          -Reflect together on the beauty of each attribute and the truth from God's Word. Let it permeate!

E          -Contrast God’s infinite excellence in each particular area to our own frailty in order to gain proper

C          perspective (i.e. contrasting God’s perfect wisdom with our wisdom, His omnipotence with our

T          strength, etc.)

I           -Make application of each attribute of God to the needs and cares that teammates have shared.

O         -Someone will begin the time of prayer.

N         -Integrate prayers of praise, confession, thanks, and supplication.

S          -Spontaneous Singing is welcomed.

Attributes that Only God Himself possesses. At times, we, in our fallen nature, fail to recognize the Divine character of God. Humbly, let us revere God. In a cry of dependence on Him, let us acknowledge Him as the All-Powerful, All-knowing, Sovereign, Eternal, Immutable, Ever-present One.  (Other attributes include Sovereign, Self-existent, Self-Sufficient, and Infinite)

Omniscient- God’s omniscience is His knowledge of all things including actual and possible, past, present and future (foreknowledge). God is all knowing, and His knowledge is in no way restricted by temporal considerations. He knows and sees the past, the present, and the future with equal clarity and absolute certainty. To Him, all is the present. God knows all things perfectly, sees and hears everything, and knows from all eternity the entire plan of the ages and the part of every man in that plan. God has perfect knowledge of each individual person and of all his ways, his words, his thoughts, his trials and afflictions, and his future actions and final state. God's omniscience gives us confidence in prayer knowing that He will not lose our prayers and that He always knows the best answer, even knowing our needs before we ask.

Ps 147:5;  Job 37:14-16;  Ex 3:7;  2 Chron 16:9;  Ps 34:15;  Ps 102:19-20;  Isa 46:9-11;  Pr 5:21;  Ps 33:13-15; Eph 1:3-6;  Ps 139:1-6;  Gen 21:17-19;  Mt 9:4;  1 Chron 28:9;  Ps 94:11;  Rev 2:9-10;  Mt 6:31-34;  Isa 65:24

Has it ever occurred to you that nothing occurs to God?

 Omnipotent- means God is all powerful and thus has unlimited authority & influence. He has the ability to do whatever His will dictates. Man may have the authority but not the ability to carry through. The term omnipotence is not found in Scripture but clearly is declared in Scripture. His omnipotence is seen in His act of creating and sustaining everything; In His relationship to mankind, heavenly hosts, and in His power over Satan.

 

Rev. 19:6;  Jer. 32:17;  Lk 1:37;  Job 42:2;  Ps 119:91;  Gen 17:1 (El Shaddai- Almighty God);  Eph 1:18-23; Gen 18:14;  Heb 1:3;  Ps 33:6-9;  Jonah 4:6-8;  Gen 1:1-3;  Ps 115:3;  Ps 72:18;  2 Cor 12:9;  Ex 13:3;       Rom 8:31;  1 Pt 1:3-5;  Eph 3:20-21

1. He is able, for He is the true and living God..

2. He is able to do, for He is neither inactive, idle, nor dead.

3. He is able to do what we ask, for He hears and answers prayer.

4. He is able to do what we ask or imagine, for He reads our thoughts, and sometimes we imagine things for which we do not dare to ask. But He can do those things anyway.
5. He is able to do all that we ask or imagine, for He knows it all and can perform it all.
6. He is able to do more than all we ask or imagine, because His expectations are higher than ours.
7. He is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, because His power is unlimited. 

Omnipresent- This is an eminently practical attribute of God which describes His presence in every place at the same time! As a result there is nowhere in the universe that lies outside of God's cognition and care. God is everywhere. His circumference is nowhere, but his center is everywhere. God can be scoffed at, mocked at, disbelieved, impugned, spurned, blasphemed, etc, but ultimately He is unavoidable!

Ps 139:7-12;  Deut 4:39;  Isa 66:1;  Jer 23:23-24;  Mt 28:20b;  2 Chron 2:6;  Gen 16:11,13;  Ps 34:18; Ps 145:18;   2 Kings 6:16-17;   Ps 23:4:  Ezek 48:35 (Jehovah Shammah- God is There);  Jn 14:15-18;

God cannot be contained in a building

God cannot be localized in a city or a nation

God cannot be reduced to an image or a statue

He is always present whether we believe it or not

He is present even in the worst moments of life

He is always available to us wherever we go, 24 hours a day

We may rely fully on him no matter how desperate our situation may be

Eternal- In God there is no was or will be, but a continuous and unbroken is. In Him, history and prophecy are one and the same. Whatever God is, He is infinitely. It is indeed a high and holy mystery to contemplate that God existed before He created anything. Time dwells within God. He causes, affects, and controls it, and yet does so without time exerting any control or hold on Him. Everything about God is "always" and "I Am". No hour glass can be turned over for the Creator of time, for He is not subject to time!  God’s nature is without beginning and without end, free from all succession of time. God dwells in eternity. Eternity is not just “extended time” but rather is existence above and apart from time. God contains in Himself the cause of time! Time has no control over God and He does not have to work within the strictures of time unless He so pleases. Being eternal, He is free to bestow eternality on His creation in His good pleasure. All of God’s attributes bask in His eternality. Since eternity neither wears out nor runs out, neither do His attributes.

Ps 102:12;   Isa 40:28;   Ps 90:1-2;   Col 1:15-17;   Ex 3:14;   Gen 21:33 (El Olam - the Everlasting God);   Isa 41:4; Rev 1:8;   Isa 57:15;  Deut 33:26-27

Immutable- means that God is not subject to change through time or circumstances. He is invariable. In His nature and character, God is absolutely without change. In God's essence, attributes, consciousness and will, He is unchangeable. Ponder the significance of this truth, in light of other truths about God such as "God is love." (1Jn 4:8, 16). What does the truth of immutability add to the truth that God is love?

Heb 13:8;  James 1:17;  Deut 32:4;  Ps 18:2-3;  Mal 3:6;  Ps 102:25-27;  1 Sam 15:29;  Job 23:13;  Ps 33:11;  Pr 19:21;  Eccl 7:13;  Rom 11:29

The immutability of God appears in its most perfect beauty when viewed against the mutability of men. In God no change is possible; in men change is impossible to escape. Neither the man is fixed, nor his world, and he and it are in constant flux. HE is the ROCK!

Having been made in the image of God (imago Dei), God has communicated many of His attributes to us (though obviously not perfected). On some level we are able to experience, understand, and exercise these attributes. As we continue to worship God because of Who He is let us also examine ourselves and may He show us where He wants us to grow into the image of Christ. Let us not forget the needs of our teammates as well.

 

Faithful- 1 Pt 4:19;  Heb 11:11;  2 Tim 2:13;  Heb 10:23;  1 Jn 1:9;  1 Cor 10:13;  1 Thes 5:24;  Rev 19:1; Heb 2:17;  Deut 4:31;  Lam 3:23

 

Wise-  Ps 147:5;  Eph 3:10;  Job 12:13;  Rom 11:33;  Prov 2:6;  Col 2:1-3;  1 Cor 1:24,  2:5;  Ja 3:13-18;  Job 28:28;  Prov 2:1-7a;  Ps 111:10;  Prov 11:2

Holy- Isa 6:3;  Rev 4:8 (The only attribute that is mentioned three times in a row);  Ex 15:11;  Rev 15:4;  1 Sam 2:2;  Lk 1:49;  Ps 47:8;  Lev 11:44;  1 Pt 1:15-16;  Ps 30:4;  Ps 93:5;  Ps 99:3

 Just- Gen 18:25;  Isa 30:18;  Job 34:12;  Rev 16:7;  Ps 67:4;  Ps 103:6;  Ps 146:6-9;  2 Tim 4:8;  Isa 33:22;  Ps 89:14;  Acts 17:31

 

Good-  Ex 33:18-19;  Ps 86:5;  Ps 100:5;  Ps 31:19;  Ps 23:6;  Ps 119:68;  Ps 16:2;  Hos 3:5;  Lk 18:19;  Rom 2:4;  Titus 3:3-7

Love-  1 Jn 4:8;  2 Cor 13:11;  Jn 15:9; Jn 17:26;  Deut 7:8;  Deut 10:15;  Eph 2:4-7;  Isa 49:15;  Rom 8:38-39;  Jer 31:3;  Deut 7:7;  Jn 3:16;  1 Jn 3:1;  Isa 63:9

Longsuffering/ Slow to Anger- Nahum 1:3;  Jonah 4:2;  Joel 2:13;  Neh 9:17;  Ps 86:15;  Ex 34:6-7;  2 Pt 3:9;  Col 3:12

Impartial- Deut 10:17;  2 Chron 19:7;  Acts 10:34-35;  Eph 6:9;  Col 3:25;  Gal 2:6;  Rom 10:12-13; 1 Pt 1:7

 Jealous- Ex 34:14;  Nahum 1:2;  Zeph 1:18;  1 Cor 10:21-22;  Ex 20:5;  Deut 4:23-24;  Ps 78:58;  James 4:4-5

Also; Mercy, Righteous, Wrath,

April likes to tell stories, ones with lots of details

I like stories that are like 2 sentences. Just give me the facts

Initially when I hear a story coming, I'm like get me out of here. But then I remember something very important about my wife.

        Deeply rooted in who she is dwells a strong desire to want to connect and be intimate so she speaks to me in detailed stories to catch my attention and draw me in.

        Because I know her well and know this about her, in turn I am able to respond to her and engage her on the level she so chooses to connect on.

        If I wouldn't have taken the time to get to know April, I wouldn't know how to communicate with nor reach the level of intimacy she wants to reach in our conversations.

So, why pray through Scripture? Esp Scripture relating to Who God is or His Character

Because Intimacy with us is God's ultimate desire. To be in a relationship. Just to be in His presence.

Like a Creator to His creation

Like a Father to His children

Like a Bridegroom to His Bride

And sometimes my prayer times are anything but intimate. I'm overwhelmed with my list, or the burdens I'm praying for are just so big. And sometimes just taking the time to pray is overwhelming,  In either case I've lost sight of the character of Whom I'm praying to.

        Scripture is the intel into God's character. It reveals the heart of God, who He is, and how we can converse with Him on the level that He so desires to have with us. This is not meant to be used this morning as a study tool into the Attributes of God, but we will read scripture together to reaffirm Who it is we are praying to. We have this time together to meditate on what God's Word has to say about His character to help us connect with HIm more intimately.