Prayer That Moves God to Act (Part Two)
Isaiah 64:1-12
Let’s turn to Isaiah 64. If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and we’ll bring one to you. Isaiah 64 is on page 623 in the Bibles we are passing out.
This morning we are going to continue the topic that was started in Isaiah 63:15 – prayer that moves God to act. But there’s a danger that I want to make sure we avoid. Isaiah does teach us how to pray. And two weeks ago we talked about Asking God to look down and see your need;
Persuading God with powerful reasons;
Expressing God’s sovereignty and your dependency;
And giving God details about your need.
And today in chapter 64 we’re going to learn more about how we should pray. But like I said, there’s a danger here. The danger is that we start to think that prayer is all about using the right words, getting everything in a certain order, structuring everything in the perfect way. But that’s a complete misunderstanding of prayer.
The moment we turn to God the Father, in the name of Jesus His Son – and just say “Father” – we have the His full and undivided and loving attention and He’s moving toward us to help. So don’t think of prayer like the rungs of a ladder – where God is four stories up – and you don’t reach him until you climb every rung in exactly the right order.
Instead, see prayer as a
But at the same time -- there’s more. You can grow in prayer – so you drink even more of God’s presence in prayer and receive even more powerful answers to prayer. That’s one reason God had Isaiah write out what he prayed – so we could learn how to receive even more from God in prayer.
And as I studied Isaiah 64 – I saw five ways Isaiah prayed that we can learn from.
Isaiah prayed big prayers (1-2);
He appealed to God’s passion for His name (2);
He prayed on the basis of God’s promises (3-5a)
He lamented
He prayed using powerful reasons (8-12).
Now some of these we’ve already seen in the first half of his prayer, in Isaiah 63 – like praying on the basis of God’s promises, and praying using powerful reasons. So this morning I’m just going to mention those and read the verses briefly – and then focus on the other ones we have not already seen.
So let’s start with that first one – Isaiah prayed big prayers. You can see that in vv.1-2 --
1 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—
2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil-- to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
Isaiah is asking God to tear aside the sky and come down from heaven with such power that the mountains shake and the nations see God at work and so they tremble. This is a big prayer.
That is a big prayer – touching the entire nation of
Now God does wants us to pray about our individual, personal concerns. And some of us need to grow in this—by bringing before God our every concern, no matter how small it might seem to us. Pray about that person at work, about your child’s homework, about your finances. Pray about every specific, personal issue that concerns you.
But also pray big prayers – global prayers. Jesus taught us to do this, didn’t He? He did call us to pray for specific, personal concerns – “Give us this day our daily bread.” But He also calls us to pray -- “Let your kingdom come, let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” How many of you this past week knelt down and cried out to God to bring the saving power of His kingdom to earth, and have His will be done on earth?
That’s a massively huge prayer. Now why would Jesus call us to pray for something that big? It’s because He has chosen to have our prayers move Him to bring His saving power to earth. When you pray, more of God’s saving power is poured out on the earth than if you had not prayed.
David Brainerd was a missionary to the American Indians in the 1700’s, and kept a journal which he never intended to be published of his experience with God. Listen to his big prayers:
Monday, April 12. I was especially assisted to intercede and plead for poor souls and for the enlargement of Christ’s kingdom in the world … Lord’s Day, April 18. I was enabled to plead with fervency for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom in the world … Monday, April 19. In the morning I felt the power of intercession for precious, immortal souls; for the advancement of the kingdom of my dear Lord and Savior in the world … had special enlargement in pleading for the enlightening and conversion of the poor heathen …
So how can we do that? How about praying for God to rend the heavens and come down with power and save people in your neighborhood -- or your workplace? Or for God to rend the heavens and come down upon
Or try praying through this book Operation World, which gives you specific ways you can pray big prayers because it gives details on the prayer needs of every nation and people group on the earth. There’s also a kids’ version which we used with our children when they were growing up – we’d pray for a different people group each evening.
So don’t stop praying for your specific, personal needs. But start praying bigger prayers – for God to rend the heavens and come down on the earth with such saving power that the nations tremble.
Second, appeal to God’s passion for His name. In Isaiah 63 we saw Isaiah persuading God with powerful reasons – but there is one reason that is the most powerful of all – and Isaiah prays it in vv.1-2 -- 1 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—
2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil-- to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
Isaiah prays – rend the heavens and come down with great power to bring Israel back to you – and then He gives God a powerful reason – because this will make your name known to your adversaries – this will cause the nations to know you are God and to tremble at your presence.
When you read the Bible through from cover to cover, you see something that at first is puzzling – God’s purpose is to display the glory of His name – to have His glory be seen. And it’s puzzling – until we realize that this is the most loving purpose God could have. Because our highest joy is beholding God’s glory. So the more God displays His glory, the more joy and pleasure and satisfaction I am going to have. So God’s highest passion is what brings me the highest joy. Win-win.
And here in Isaiah, and all through the Bible, we hear people persuading God to act by appealing to His highest passion – displaying the glory of His name.
Here’s some examples --
Psalm 79:9 -- Help us, O God of our salvation [why?], for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins [why?], for your name's sake!
Psalm 106:47 -- Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, [why?] that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise
Psalm 25:11 [This time he starts with the reason] For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
And then look at how Jesus teaches us to pray in Matthew 6:9 – “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name” – which means “may your name be exalted, praised, worshiped, magnified!”
So how often, when you pray, do you ask God to answer your prayer because it will display the glory of His name? How often do we pray – “Do this, because it will bring you glory! Do this, because it will display your fame!”
This is the most powerful reason we can use – because God’s highest passion is to display the glory of His name – because this is what will bring us the most joy. So when you pray, save my neighbor for the glory of your name – you have attached that request to God’s highest passion.
God’s passion for His glory is like the space shuttle taking off with massive power. When you ask God to act for the glory of His name, it’s like you are attaching your prayer request to the power of the space shuttle – it’s going somewhere!
So appeal to God’s passion for His name.
Third, plead with God on the basis of His promise. We already saw that in ch.63 – so I won’t spend a lot of time on this one. But note how Isaiah does that in vv.3-5a –
3 When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.
5 You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways.
He’s saying – God you have promised to act for those who wait for you – who pray to you. You have promised to meet those who joyfully work righteousness, who remember you. I’m waiting for you! I’m not perfect, but I joyfully pursue righteousness and remember you! So fulfill your promise and act and meet me!
Fourth, lament your tragedy before God. What should you do if you are really suffering – struggling – going through agony over trials or difficulties? How do you pray?
We tend to think we should either rage against God – or pretend before God. But Isaiah does neither. What Isaiah does is lament before God. There’s a whole book in the Bible full of Jeremiah’s lament – called “Lamentations.” When you lament you mourn before God, agonize before God, grieve before God about the tragic circumstances around you.
Look at how Isaiah does that in 5b-7 --
5b Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?
6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
7 There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.
So why lament your tragedy before God? I can think of at least two reasons. One is because as you open your heart to God and tell him of your sorrow and grief, you will sense that He is sorrowing and grieving with you, and that He is also going to help you. So lamenting will bring you great comfort and encouragement.
A second reason is because when you express your sorrow and grief to God, He will respond with a Father’s love and compassion. His heart will be stirred by your lament. And He will help you. Every time. Without fail.
So lament your tragedy before God.
Fifth, plead with God using powerful reasons (8-12). We also talked about this when we studied ch.63, so I won’t spend a lot of time on it. But look at how Isaiah does this in vv.8-12 --
8 But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
9 Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.
10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness;
11 Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins.
12 Will you restrain yourself at these things, O LORD? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?
Can you hear the power of these reasons?
Change us, because you are the potter and we are just clay!
Remove your anger from us, because we are your people!
Please stop being silent, please don’t do nothing – because look at how
So don’t just give God requests. Plead with God using powerful reasons.
Questions?
So what happened?
But Isaiah cries out to God in prayer. And what happened?
God’s heart was stirred by Isaiah’s prayer – and the prayers of the remnant.
God changes Cyrus’ heart so he let
God made Cyrus want to give
And – and – in 440 BC as Nehemiah read God’s Word to Israel, they all wept for their sin and repented before God.
Here’s how James Fraser put it --
"Paul may plant and Apollos water, but it is God who gives the increase; and this increase can be brought down from heaven by believing prayer. I believe it will only be known on the Last Day how much has been accomplished by the prayers of earnest believers. Solid, lasting work is done on our knees.“ James O. Fraser (1907)