A Tasty Chop
There is nothing quite as
satisfying as a tasty chop, be it lamb or pork.
In the spiritual realm I have come across an equally satisfying resource. It is a prayer guide to the psalms offered at
the Community House of Prayer, (hence CHOP.)
The Community House of Prayer is
a ministry of Dr Stanley D. Gale, who is senior minister of the Reformed
Presbyterian Church (PCA) in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he has served
since 1988. I was unfamiliar with Dr Gale and his published books, but I
certainly was encouraged by what I have seen.
His reflective daily prayers on the
psalms follows a pattern, which he describes in his own words:
Drawing Near: What character traits of God are prominent
in the psalm? By what names or titles is God called or addressed? How is that
name or title or action especially meaningful in the context of the psalm? It
is true that psalms often do have an identifiable context, some like Psalm 51
being the exception. Yet, that lack of context helps to make them songs for all
seasons in what we face in life. Into those contexts, God speaks pastorally and
relevantly. So as you hear God called, “Sovereign Lord,” ask yourself how that
title finds special significance in what the psalmist (and you) is dealing
with. Knowing that the Bible is redemptive revelation, how is Christ present in
the psalms as its singer or its subject? Read the psalm with an ear to its
divine Author and an eye to predicament of its human author, with an intention
of response.
Reaching Out: How does the psalm inform your prayer as you
seek to reach those around you for the sake of Christ? What dimensions of the
human predicament are amplified? What issues of the heart are laid bare? What
substitutes for God are sought to bring satisfaction, salvation and strength
that could be fodder for your prayer on behalf of those you are trying to reach
with the gospel? What truths does the psalm contribute to the redemptive
landscape in holding up God’s grace and hope?
Enemy Profile: We contend for the gospel against a
spiritual enemy, protective of his kingdom and jealous for his subjects. The
kingdom of God grows at the expense of the kingdom of Satan. The assurance of
our Lord attends us that gates of hell cannot withstand the spiritual building
project of his church.
In the
classic passage on spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul calls us
to pray for our message, our hearers and ourselves. Prayer as a weapon of
spiritual warfare for the sake of the kingdom of God is prayer aware of Satan’s
tactics and prayer against his efforts.
The
primary tactics of the devil are accusation, deception and temptation. How does
the psalm before you speak to those tactics that can direct your prayer? How is
each one answered by abiding in Christ, the stand of the spiritual warrior?
Mutual Support: How does the psalm lead you to pray for
others engaged in witness for Christ, whether they be those you have partnered
with as part of CHOP or your local church or the church worldwide? What
struggles do they face as believers? In what needs can you uphold them in
prayer? How are they targets of Satan’s efforts to disqualify them and to
discredit their message?
As an example of how this works
out in practice:
Read Psalm 2
Drawing Near
Lord God
Almighty, ruler of the kings of the earth, enthroned on high over all the
nations. Who will call you to account? Who can challenge you, saying “You are
doing wrong”? The builders of Babel erected their tower in a pitiful effort to
even reach your glory. How foolish! You are God Most High. Your name is exalted
above the heavens, exalted over the nations. How much more odious is the
thought that the nations would rebel against your Anointed, your Messiah, your
Christ! To him you have given all authority. Before him every knee shall bow.
He reigns on high for his church, against his enemies. I thank you that you
have granted me a heart of wisdom that sees your Anointed for who he is and
that bows before him in repentance. Thank you, O my God, that Jesus has subdued
me to himself, that he leads me as my Shepherd King and that he preserves and
protects me from his and my enemies.
Reaching Out
Lord
Jesus, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, I ask for
those you have given me to bear witness of you that you would grant them a
heart of wisdom. Open their eyes to know you as the eternal Word of God,
humbled in the flesh, exalted in glory. Grant them grace to turn from idols to
serve you. May they kiss you in faith and repentance, that they might not
perish but have eternal life. Holy Spirit, draw them into the refuge of union
with Jesus Christ that they might find every blessing of salvation in him.
Enemy Profile
Holy
Father, protect me from the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the
pride of life upon which my enemy the devil plays. Forgive me my rebellion that
seeks independence of your rule. As the world woos me to its ways, may I
resist, standing firm in the faith, my will inclined to your. I ask that you
would burst the bonds of foolishness that deceive those I am seeking for Christ
into thinking they are autonomous, into thinking they have nothing to fear. The
prophets of the evil one say, “Peace and safety.” Bring these souls to rest in
the Prince of Peace.
Mutual Support
I pray
for my partners in the gospel that you help them to understand themselves as
subjects of your Anointed One, soldiers in his everlasting kingdom. Strengthen
their faith to press on amidst the ridicule of the world, confident that they
fight in victory because Jesus lives as the one who conquered sin, death and
Satan. May they truly desire that your kingdom would come and your will be
done, and may they go labour on, spend and be spent for the sake of that
kingdom.
If you wish to refresh your reading and praying of the psalms you can find the daily CHOP
prayer from the Psalms at:
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