Conversational Prayer – BT10

No Comments

 

 

 

 

Drawing-near, conversational-prayer can include asking, seeking, and knocking but especially to delight IN God Himself not just His stuff

 

 

 

Please follow the BLOG Etiquette to stay on topic and pass the moderator’s check.  Bold, underlined text below = future links to the BLOG pages.

 

See also Conversational-Prayer – BT4 for seeking God Himself and not just His stuff or help.

 

In the OT, Isaiah 58:2 says: “MY people . . . they zeteo diligently-seek (a) delight to daath prophetically or ginosko experientially, relationally know My ways, . . . they ask Me to make just decrees of judgment; they delight to draw near to God.” In Proverbs 8:17, Wisdom personified says, “I unconditionally-love those who unconditionally-love Me, and those who shachar/zeteo ‘look/seek early or diligently for’ me will matsa/heurisko ‘find or attain to/find what was sought after’ Me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 says to the Jewish exiles: “For I yada/logizomai ‘experentially, relationally know or logically/reasonably account/reckon’ the plans I have for you, declares Yahweh, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and/coupled proseuchomai conversationally-pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will-definitively (b) ekzeteo diligently-seek-out (c) Me and/coupled find Me, when you (d) ekzeteo diligently-seek-out (c) Me with your holos whole heart.”  Amos 5:4 says, “[I strongly urge you to] ekzeteo diligently-seek-out (c) Me and [you] shall actually zoe genuinely-live.” 1 Chronicles 28:9 says, “If you (d) ekzeteo diligently-seek-out (c) Him, He shall actually be found by you.”  2 Chronicles 7:14 speaks of “baqash/zeteo (a) ‘seeking to find or diligently-seeking’ My face” and likewise Daniel 9:3 says: “turning/set my face to the Lord God, baqash/zeteo (a) ‘seeking to find or diligently-seeking’ Him by tephillah/proseuche conversational-prayer and deesis supplications with fasting (e) . . . I proseuchomai conversationally-prayed to the Lord,” and Lamentations 3:25-26 says: “the Lord is good to those who wait for Him, . . . who darash (c)/zeteo (a) diligently-seeks Him.  It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”  None of this is casual once-in-a-while ‘in a pinch’ proseuchomai conversationally-praying – see also Obedient Steps of Faith – BT16 for the relentless of trusting-relying-faith.

 

<Notes> a) zeteo:  searching diligently in order to find, investigate, desire/crave, aim/strive after, b) perfect tense: definitively, c) ek + zeteo for the Hebrew darash: search out diligently in order to find, investigate, desire/crave, aim/strive after – another Hebraism throughout the OT for diligent worship in order to find God, d) imperfect tense: continually/routinely, e) although fasting is often associated to prayer in the OT, nowhere is it commanded.  The actual NT uses are very infrequent of the earliest Jewish-Christians still struggling to let go of OT “traditions of the elders” and many occurrences are later additions by Catholic Monks under the legalism the Catholic Church brought back in after 225 AD that Origen significantly started.

 

In Christ’s model of how to proseuchomai conversationally-pray in Matthew 6:5-13 and Luke 11:2-4, He uses many illustrations in context to emphasize us “presently/ongoingly aiteo subordinately-asking (a) UNTIL we receive, presently/ongoingly zeteo diligently-seeking (b) UNTIL we find, and presently/ongoingly knocking UNTIL the door is opened.”  A.S.K. – Ask, Seek, Knock. These are actions of trusting-relying-faith that persist UNTIL they get results as Jesus illustrates in several stories (c) – see also Obedient Steps of Faith – BT16 for the relentless of trusting-relying-faith, like a little child trying to get into the cookie jar – see Least Among You – BT12. <Notes> a) aiteo: from a subordinate position to willfully request/call out for/petition, beg, require/desire/crave, b) zeteo: search diligently in order to find, investigate, desire/crave, aim/strive after, c) Luke 11:5-8, 18:1-8.

 

This has nothing to do with asking for our physical needs or wants to be met!  In Matthew 6:19-33 context, Jesus said we aren’t supposed to be “laying up for ourselves treasures on earth . . . but in heaven . . . for where our treasures are, what our ‘eye’ is on, reveals where our hearts really are . . . for you cannot serve 2 masters . . . God and money. Therefore, do not be anxious about your life – what you will eat or drink or . . . clothing.” Nor should we be about “zeteo diligently-seeking after all these THINGS as the Gentiles do, for you heavenly Father already knows that you need them, but presently/ongoingly zeteo diligently-seek foremost the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and these [other] THINGS [then physically require to survive] will be given to you as well.”  But God doesn’t promise anything more here than your basic needs.  Therefore Jesus warns about our asking:  “Don’t heap up empty phrases and . . . many repeating words, like the nations/people do, thinking they will be heard, for your Father already knows what you need before you aiteo subordinately-ask Him” (a).” Instead, Paul says in Romans 8:5, to be “setting your minds on the things of the Spirit (b) instead of the things of the flesh in order to live down-from/according-to the Spirit.”  Much of the ‘name-it-and-claim-it Faith Movement’ is a disguise for “setting your minds on things of the flesh.” <Notes> a) Matthew 6:7-8, b) desires of the Spirit: Galatians 5:17.

 

The real purpose of Christ’s discourse on persistent “asking, seeking, knocking” (A.S.K.) is expressed in His Prayer Model’s thesis recap, as every good teacher leaves their audience with, in Luke 11:13 about routinely-asking for “the good grace-gifts . . . giving the Holy Spirit to those who routinely aiteo subordinately-asks Him,” or in the parallel account in Matthew 7:11 that good Father “give the good things to those who routinely aiteo subordinately-asks Him.” For us to get this grace-gift of the Spirit, let alone the Spirit’s “good things or grace-gifts,” Jesus has to “erotao entreat the Father to give us another [other than Jesus] Parakletos (a) to be with us forever” (b), who is the Holy Spirit. This is “The promised grace-gift” that keeps on giving – the actual dunamis dynamite-like enabling-power of the “kingdom of God to come and His will to be done on earth as it already is in heaven” that was Christ’s thesis statement we should pray for (c). Also, Christ isn’t teaching unbelievers to get the indwelling Holy Spirit once and for all at their conversion, but teaching Christians throughout time, who will already have the deposit of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, to make it a routine lifestyle of aiteo subordinate-asking for the Holy Spirit!  This is how they will “presently/ongoingly zeteo diligently-seek foremost the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (d). God’s “kingdom and righteousness” have nothing to do with a list of commandments to do for God, regardless of how many sermons you’ve heard about this, but seeking The Holy Spirit’s kingly-reigning enabling-power of Jesus, the Kingly Righteous One (e)!  The Lord told me that one night on a long prayer walk – It’s 2 “Who’s to know,” and not 2 “What’s to do.”  <Notes> a) ‘Close-beside’ caller, summoner, or inviter; helper, succorer, or assistant; encouraging teacher, counselor, comforter, or consoler; defense-attorney, judicial-advocate, or court-intercessor, b) John 14:16, c) Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2, d) Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:31, e) “the Righteous One” per Acts 3:14, 7:52, 22:14; see also “the Lord our righteousness” per Jeremiah 23:6, 33:16.

 

This is relentless “pauo unceasing proseuchomai conversationally-praying” or routine “present/ongoing having of trusting-relying-faith that you will lambano ‘grab hold of to receive’ what you are proseuchomai conversationally-praying for” (a), “by trusting-relying-faith without doubting” so should be for “wisdom instead of things to satisfy your own passions” (b). Jesus doesn’t teach us to go on and on “as the Gentiles do, heaping up empty phrases, thinking they will be heard for their many words” or even about “giving us this day our daily bread,” but says “do not be like them, for your Father already knows what you need before you ask Him” (c). In fact, proseuchomai conversationally-praying for “our daily bread” may not only be for our physical needs, but for “Christ, the bread of zoe genuine-life” (d) or possibly even for “the bread that man can live on alone – every directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema word from the mouth of God” (e), because as Christ says: “My directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words are Spirit and zoe genuine-life” (f), for certainly our “hunger and thirst” should be for “righteousness to be satisfied” (f) by “coming to Me, the bread of zoe genuine-life . . . having trusting-relying-faith in Me” so we can “not hunger and never thirst” (g). <Notes> a) Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24; Colossians 1:9, b) James 1:5-6, c) Matthew 6:7-8, 11; Luke 11:3, d) John 6:32-38, 50-51, 55-58, e) Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4, citing Deuteronomy 8:3, f) Matthew 5:6, g) John 6:35.

 

Instead of praying for stuff, Paul’s team ceaselessly prayed for Christians to “be filled [to completion] by the genuine, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of God’s will by the means of all Spirit-kind-of (a) wisdom and/coupled sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding (b) – this isn’t comprehension of bible gnosis info-knowledge but “’connecting the dots’ insight from discernment of the Spirit” (c). That’s why Jesus’ final teaching on proseuchomai conversationally-praying is to “routinely ask for the good grace-gift of the Holy Spirit” as the enabling-power to accomplish our proseuchomai conversationally-praying for God’s “kingdom to come and will to be done” (d).  Part of that kingdom is “asking God to forgive our sins/debts (e) as we also forgive others theirs (f), and/coupled being delivered from the evil [of sin and unforgiveness] instead of being tested by it to prove our genuineness” (g). <Notes> a) genitive adjective of pneuma, b) Colossians 1:9, c) 1 Corinthians 2:14, d) Matthew 7:7-8, 11; Luke 11:9-13, e) to cleanse us from all unrighteousness: 1 John 1:9, f) Matthew 5:23-24, 6:14-15, even our enemies: Matthew 5:44, lest we stand as “the judge” over others with this “log in our own eye” per Matthew 7:1-15, g) Matthew 6:12-13; Luke 11:4.

 

How much “watching and listening/hearing” should we do compared to supplication? Paul clarifies in Ephesians 6:18, “routinely be proseuchomai conversationally-praying in pas all-kinds-of kairos ‘suitable, right, seasonable, opportune seasons/occasions’ by-the-means-of [singular] Spirit and/coupled eis ‘toward and reaching the goal of’ this, be routinely agrupneo vigilantly-watching by-the-means-of all proskarteresis devoted-relational-perseverance and/coupled deesis supplication-prayer for all the saints.”

 

Proseuchomai conversationally-praying by trusting-relying-faith” is eido “mentally ‘seeing’ to perceive/know that God hears us” (a), addressing “the Father in Christ’s name/person/authority” (b), even trusting that we have already received it (c), confident that Jesus “will do it that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (d), especially since Jesus doesn’t have to erotao entreat our aiteo subordinate-askings to the Father for us (e). However, Jesus says we must “meno ‘remain-connect-to or co-habitate’ in Me and/coupled My directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words meno ‘remain-connect-to or co-habitate’ in you” (f) for us to be confident about receiving from God. This absolutely doesn’t mean stuffing ourselves with bible verses (g), as I was taught for so many years. It’s means akouo hearing/listening-to-understand/know Jesus through proseuche conversational-prayer!   Then we can have trusting-relying-faith that “God can do far more abundantly than we can ask or even imagine, kata down-from/according-to the dunamis dynamite-like enabling-power at work within us (h). 1 John 3:22-23 tells us we can have this confidence when we are “tereo ‘carefully watching/guarding to maintain’ God’s entole ‘universally-binding, officially-decreed commandments’ and/coupled doing those things that are pleasing to Him, and this is His [singular, compound] commandment: that we presently/ongoingly have trusting-relying-faith in the name/person/authority of His Son Jesus Christ and/coupled unconditionally-love one another, just as He [Christ] has already given us [singular] commandment” – see Only 2 Commandments. Also, proseuchomai conversationally-praying “in agreement” with others is very effective (i). <Notes> a) 1 John 5:14-15, b) John 15:16, 16:23, 24, 26, c) Mark 11:24; later, less reliable texts have “are asking for,” d) John 14:13, e) John 16:23-26, f) John 15:7, g) logos messages buried in 2000-3500 year old gramma writings compiled hundreds of years later by mere men into graphe scripture, h) Ephesians 3:20, i) Matthew 18:19.

 

Proseuche conversational-prayer also comes with a reward. We know Jesus said in His Prayer model to proseuchomai conversationally-pray privately in secret, not for show, and “your Father who sees in secret will apodidomi ‘give back from what you gave, thus return as payment to’ you” (a). Hebrews 11:6 says, “Whoever would routinely proserchomai draw near to God must have trusting-relying-faith that He presently/ongoingly exists and/coupled [that] He is a misthapodotes ‘rewarder, paying what is of due value’ to those who routinely ekzeteo diligently seek-out (b) Him.” <Notes> a) Matthew 6:4-6, 18, b) ek out-from + zeteo:  search out diligently in order to find, investigate, desire/crave, aim/strive after – yet another Hebraism for worship.

 

 

 

Click on Pic

 

 

 

Categories: Conversational Prayer

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *