2. The Purpose of Christian Prayer Psalm 64:2-3

Text: “Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words.”

Psalm 64:2-3.

Good morning, God-concealed Christian!  You and I are ‘God-concealed’ from the deeper, more bitter harm of God’s enemies, in answer to our fervent and constant prayers to the Lord God Whom we love and serve, in Christ Jesus.

Were we not God-concealed Christians, we should very soon perish at the hands of both demons of Hell,  and reprobate workers of iniquity here on planet earth.  Praise God for the precious covering of Christ’s sinless Blood upon us, and the armour of God upon our very souls!  Hallelujah!  For we fight a defeated enemy and a perishing, reprobate army; Christ Jesus, the Captain of the Host, has already won the great Battle at Calvary’s Cross!  “It is finished!”  Glory to the Lamb!  Glory to the soon-coming Lion of the tribe of Judah! Amen.

Primary Christian Fellowship:

The purpose of all Christian prayer is primarily one of constant fellowship with the Father Lord God we profess to know and love through and in Christ Jesus, and in the power of God, the indwelling Holy Spirit.  A prayerless ‘Christian’, is not a true Christian at all!  Sober thought!

“That which we (the apostles) have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.  And these things I write unto you, that your joy may be full…But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”  (1 John 1:3-7)

Two-Way Christian Fellowship:

Bible-based Christian fellowship – the only genuine Christian fellowship – is at all times a two-way fellowship: born again Christians speak to the Lord God in prayer, and the Lord God answers us and speaks to us through His Word – for me, the KJV Bible.

No One-Way Fellowship:

It is a real fool that thinks for one moment that he/she can be a genuine Christian, made ready to go to a Holy Heaven, to live forever with God – and fails to either speak to the Lord God now in prayer, nor permit Him to speak to him/her via His written Word!  If we do not have a profound desire to talk in fellowship with the Lord God now – how do we ever expect to spend Eternity in actual, face-to-face fellowship with the Lord God in Heaven?  Selah! (Now think, or mediate on this thought)

“For now we see through a glass darkly; but then (in Heaven) face to face: no I know in part; but then (in Heaven) shall I know even as also I am known (i.e. completely, inside-out).”  (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Full Fellowship:

Full and complete fellowship, face-to-face, with the Lord God Almighty is a wonder all Spiritually regenerated Christians have to look forward to, and it will last forever.  Then, and only then, will all the sufferings; all the anxieties; all the Spiritual warfare and persecutions shall be ended; and we shall rejoice in the bliss of God’s Eternal blessings, and talk with Him face-to-face.  Wow!  What a day that will be!  Glory to the Christ Who redeemed our souls and made us fit to go to a Heaven that is Holy, and not to a Hell that is HOT!  Thanks be to God!

“And there shall be no more curse: but The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face; and his Name shall be in their foreheads.  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign forever and ever.”  (Revelation 22:3-5)

Secondary Fellowship:

Secondary Christian fellowship has a very real purpose, one which we professing Christians need to focus on afresh today IF we are seeking to get real in service to the risen Lord Jesus.

Secondary Christian fellowship is in prayer to the Lord God for His Divine help in order to cope with the whole range of ‘enemies’ we must necessarily encounter  in our fervent service to Christ, day by day.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood (mere human enemies), but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against Spiritual wickedness in high places.”  (Ephesians 6:10-12)

The fervency of our desire to serve Christ, will be commensurate to the depth of our evil oppositions – in this paradoxical manner, the more useful we desire to be to our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the more enemies and oppositions we shall engender against us from both the unsaved temporal worldlings all around us, and varying degrees of ‘spiritual wickedness in high places’.  Only those deeply dedicated to serving the Christ of God, shall prevail for any length of time – and only with the constant Divine help sought in consistent and sincere prayer to God.

Verse 2. “Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked.  If the Lord God did not conceal us, ‘His people’ from the ‘secret counsel of the wicked’, we could never survive the onslaught.  When our enemies come rushing in for the kill, the Lord God inspires us to pray to Him for His ever-given help.  We are fully assured that our Father shall always come to our aid in time.

“The Lord is my light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid.  When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.  Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though WAR should rise up against me, in this will I be confident…Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.  When Thou saidst ‘Seek ye My face’; my heart said unto Thee, ‘Thy face, Lord, will I seek.” (Psalm 27:1-11)

Of the Christian’s enemies, Plumer says: “Evil speakers have arrows, sharp, barbed, dipped in poison.  They have ‘swords’, flaming swords, two-edged swords, drawn swords, drawn in anger, with which they cut and wound and kill the good name of their neighbour.  Sins of the tongue are commonly cruel, very cruel.  When slander is secret, as it commonly is, you cannot defend yourself from its assaults.  Its cannons are infernal.  One of them is, ‘If a lie will do better than the truth, tell a lie.’  Another is, ‘Heap on reproach; some of it will stick.’”    (William S.Plumer1802-1880)

Thought:   With such ruthless and merciless Spiritual enemies, the serving Christian must be most careful to remain in constant fellowship with his/her Almighty, protecting Lord – Who is Sovereign in power over all oppositions and powers.  Glory…