The Need For Structure
Using the Lord’s Prayer as a guide for our daily devotional life in times of peace can provide some much-needed structure in times of chaos. Let’s explore why. American Christians are often opposed to giving worship structure. Structure has the whiff of “tradition” to it, and “tradition” is to be avoided at all costs. American evangelicals favor authenticity and measure authenticity by extemporaneous feelings, actions, and prayers. However, what happens when the soul is cold and authentic feelings are hard to come by? What happens when Psalm 13:1-2 comes to visit?
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?”
Clarifying The Need For Structure
How does depending on extemporaneous prayer work in those moments of our life that compare to Psalm 69:1-3? “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. 2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. 3 I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.“
You probably misunderstood the question. When I ask, “How does depending on extemporaneous prayer work in difficult times?” You probably respond that you will pray as David prayed in Psalm 13 or 69 extemporaneously. Yeah, that is not what I am asking. In those seasons, it is not lifting up momentary extemporaneous complaints we find difficult; it is keeping our head straight–keeping our thoughts True. I capitalized True because I mean True in the sense that our thoughts continue to move along the rails of God’s Truth and not what we feel.
The Enemy Lurks In Chaos
What exactly do we think David is saying in Psalm 69:1-2? Let’s reread it, “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. 2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me (Psalm 69:1-2).” The Psalmist is saying his life is chaos; he can’t see a way through, and he has prayed extemporaneously until his throat hurts, and still he does not sense the Presence of God. A lot of people get deconstructed right here.
However, aren’t Christians always supposed to feel God’s manifest Presence? No one told them about the Psalm 13 and Psalm 69 periods of their lives. No one helped them build a structure of ordered Christian practice for when their thoughts were not True, and the Enemy capitalized on their chaos and swept them into a miry pit. Now, they are little lambs in need of rescue.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish (Matthew 18:10-14).”
Our dependence on feelings and lack of Christian discipline compared to other Christians in previous ages is partly responsible for the pastoral apocalypse we see unfolding in America today. Modern Christians are not prepared for trials and think them “something strange (1 Peter 4:12)
Structure Orders A World Of Chaos
When the world is chaos, we, continuing in our faith, depend on our previously ingrained Christian discipline. You can call that tradition if you want and hate it, too, but that doesn’t mean you do not need it because you do, and Jesus provides some for you. Do not forget that the root of discipline and discipleship is the same as discipline: the military kind of discipline, not the child-rearing kind. We discipline our worship in times of peace to endure well in times of chaos.
My previous blog discussed some of the “disciplined” prayer practices of the Ancient Church (Daniel and the Babylonian Jews), the Early Church (Peter and company), the Medieval Church (Divine Hours), and even the Puritans, who followed a pattern of worshiping twice a day in their homes modeled after the morning and evening sacrifice. If you own Charles Spurgeon’s devotional “Morning & Evening,” you have a manual he wrote as an inheritor of Puritan theology.
The Gospel: For Peace & Chaos
First, in times of chaos, we must abandon all confidence in our obedience. One of the reasons that God allows chaos to come into our lives is, to quote the old hymn, “to break thy schemes of earthly joy that thou mayest seek thy all in me.” So when there is chaos, we continue in our faith, believing that we remain children of God. Not because of our obedience to Christ but because He has sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts. That is the basis for our saying, “Abba Father (Romans 8:1-17) to God.”
The Enemy causes the mud to build up around our feet and the water level to rise to our neck, but if we remain on the Rock of Refuge, the waters will never overcome us. These times test the “genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7).” Which is why deconstruction shows up in or after a time of chaos.
The Lord’s Prayer: For Peace & Chaos
Second, Jesus provides a model for your prayer life that, if you use it in times of peace, will help guide you in times of chaos. Why? When your thoughts aren’t True, and all of life seems out of joint, you can obey simply and allow Jesus to lead you by His Word through the confusion by using the Lord’s Prayer as a guide for your prayers. When you start using the Lord’s Prayer as a guide, you will soon begin to experience the genius of it. Next week, we will talk about the genius together.
Using the Lord’s Prayer As A Guide
- Our Father, hallowed by your name: Read a Psalm for the morning; start with praise.
- Your Kingdom come Your will be done: Read an NT chapter, pray Intercessory Prayers.
- Give us this Day our Daily Bread: Meditate on the Psalm or NT chapter, and pray for personal needs.
- Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors: Private confession of sin
- Lead us not into temptation: Guidance in weaknesses & faults takes brief contemplation of self.
- Deliver us from evil: Imprecatory and enemies of Christ.
- Thine is the Kingdom, power, & glory: Close by singing a Psalm or hymn. Use one from a recent Lord’s Day worship to help improve your knowledge of congregational songs.
Conclusion
Finally, don’t forget to start your week off by making your Intercessory Prayer List so you can pray Petition #2 effectively. Intercessory prayer is spiritual warfare. It is one of the most effective Gospel tools in your spiritual warfare tool box. Don’t neglect such as privilege. Not everyone can enter in and speak to God on another’s behalf. Exercise the priesthood of all believers. Intercede!
Check out last week’s blog Rhyming with the Early and Reformed Church
Yes Midweek Worship
April 9th, 2025 @ The Smyrna Senior Center
6:15 Pizza and Fellowship
7:00 Opus Dei, Catechism Lesson, and Intercessory Prayer
For the month of March we are Memorizing Questions 11-15 from the Westminster Shorter Catechism
Opus Dei, Prayer Book & Blogs
Opus Dei: Monday – Saturday @ 7 am & 7 pm via the SPCC Zoom Prayer Room
Get a digital copy of our latest SPCC Prayer Book: Remembering the Crucifixion: March 8th – April 19th, 2025
Read and share our latest blog series Forsaken For Us All Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Check out our recently completed series: Christ, His Church, & Marriage Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Like, Share
Before you go, did you find this blog on Using The Lord’s Prayer As A Guide helpful? Subscribe, Like, & Share.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
Pastor Jeremy
“Joy and thanksgiving expressed in prayer and praise according to the Word of God are the heart of the Church’s worship.” – John Calvin
Discover more from Solomon's Porch Christian Community
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.