Mensa Otabil - Praying Faithfully
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We’re in 1 Timothy Chapter 2, and we are learning about prayer as Paul leads us through the things we should pray for and why we should be praying. Now we’re in verses five and six: «For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time.» When you read this passage in the context of what Paul has been saying so far, it may seem out of place because he has been talking about prayer, and then he makes this profound declaration of Christian faith: one God, one mediator, and Jesus, who sacrificed for all. What does that have to do with prayer? It has a lot to say about prayer because prayer is what is being taught in this passage.
The first thing we learn is that there is one God. Christianity is monotheistic; we pray to one God. We don’t pray to different gods, and in our prayer, we must be faithful to that one God. You know, in prayer, people may tell you, «Your case is so hard, your case is so difficult; you should go this way or that way, go see this person, add that to your faith,» and before you realize it, Christians are into idolatry and all kinds of spiritual expressions that are outside of their faith. But remember, no matter how difficult your situation is, there is one God, and we pray faithfully to that one God. We don’t deviate, we don’t divert, we don’t call on other gods, we don’t call on other deities, and we don’t pour libations to other deities. We stay with one God; all prayer must be addressed to that one God, no matter the situation we are in.
The second thing it states is that there is one mediator in our prayer. Jesus is our mediator; he’s our mediator as Savior, but he’s also the mediator of our prayer. That’s why we pray in the name of Jesus, so that the Father receives our prayer as he would if Jesus were praying it. Now, many times people make other people their mediators. Sometimes it happens in the church; people make the pastor their mediator. Sometimes people say, «Pastor, you are closer to God; you pray for us because God hears you better than us.» Now that is making me your mediator. Jesus is your mediator. God doesn’t hear you through the pastor; he wants to hear you yourself. So remember, if you’re praying in the name of Jesus, God hears you just as he hears your pastor praying in the name of Jesus because the mediator is one. God does not want us to link our prayer to other forms of mediators and getting involved in all kinds of belief systems that take us away from the centrality of Jesus Christ. He is the one who mediates with the Father, and so we pray in his name. His name is strong enough to get you the answer to your prayer, no matter how complex it is. The name of Jesus addresses the complications of your needs.
So there’s one God, there’s one mediator, and then it says Jesus, who gave himself for all. What does that have to do with prayer? Jesus did not only die for his disciples; he didn’t even die only for Jews. He died for the whole world, and that is why our prayer should not be partisan and our prayer should not be limited to people we like and people we don’t like. We should not be praying against others. Unfortunately, there’s a lot in Christianity now that does not follow the biblical mandate of prayer in the New Testament, and a lot of Christians are praying against people, cursing their enemies, and trying to destroy others because those people hurt them. If Jesus did that to us, we would not be saved. You don’t find that pattern with Jesus; you don’t find that pattern with the apostles of Jesus. It is just our hurt and our pain expressing prayer, and that’s not what God expects. Jesus died for all; prayer is sacrificial. So in your prayer for people, remember Jesus died for all. He died for your enemy, he died for the person trying to harm you, he died for the person you hate, and you can pray for all of them. That’s why he says we can pray for those who despitefully use us because he died for all. So one God, one mediator, and we pray for all.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, thank you for showing me the way of salvation. I receive Christ as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»