Sadhu Sundar Singh (cont'd) Fourth Question

Prayer

It is lilac season and to me there is no flower more fragrant than lilacs. I have always loved,

not only their scent but also the way their fragrance fills the air.

In the last book of the bible we read...

"And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand." (Rev.8:4 NKJV)

Incense was an important part of the priestly service in the Old Testament tabernacle and here in this verse we see that our prayers are wafted up to heaven on the wings of fragrance.

Yesterday my little granddaughter gave me a hug and said, "Oh Nanna, you smell nice!"

Do our prayers 'smell' nice to God ??

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Continuing my thoughts inspired by Sadhu Sundar Singh's vision of conversation with Jesus.... I want to share some insights on prayer.

The purpose of prayer is not begging.
Does God withhold the things we have need of if we don't ask for them in prayer? No, God provides for all of His creation the things necessary for life --- and He makes His "sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the the just and on the unjust." (Matt. 5:45 NKJV)

The flowers of the field are clothed, the birds of the air are fed, and God says..

"Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matt.6:30)

Prayer is about relationship

To pray is to be on speaking terms with God. By means of prayer, the believer abides in communion with God , partakes of His Nature and is formed in the image of Christ.

Prayer keeps us alive

In the ocean there are many marine animals who thrive in the deepest water. They are able to sustain their life because they continually rise to the surface in order to fill their lungs with life-giving air.

The world we live in is like an ocean of deep water -- it threatens to drown us in selfish thoughts, pride of life, temptations, unholy habits, pursuit of worldly goods.

It is only through prayer that we are able to continually rise up from this world and gulp in the life-giving breath of the Spirit. Prayer fills us with His Life that keeps us alive in a world that does not know Him.

The fish who spend their whole life in salt water do not become salty. Jesus came into this world of sin , but He Himself had no sin. Through prayer, we keep ourselves free of the salt of sin in this world - though we are in this world we are not of it.

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (John 17:16)

Prayer keeps us under the care of the 'Gardener'

Just as a tree or shrub is not taken care of , it will return to its wild state .. so also a believer , through the neglect of prayer will cease to abide in Jesus and slip back into his old sinful ways.
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." (John 15:4)

How do we know how to pray?
Just as a baby does not need to be taught where and how to find his food, so also those born of the Spirit know by a spiritual instinct how to pray and obtain spiritual food.

A baby responds to his natural hunger and thirst to cause him to cry out for the drink he needs. God created our bodies with hunger and thirst so that we would constantly be reminded that we need the care of the One who created us - not just physically but also spiritually.

By prayer we stay in fellowship with Him -- we in Him and he in us - and we find contentment and joy because all our needs are met.

Through Prayer we have Victory over the enemy
It is no great thing for men to tame wild beasts or understand the powers of nature - lightning, wind or light .... but it IS a great thing to have rule over the world and Satan and self.
The believer who maintains a life of prayer is given the power to overcome the might of the enemy and to be seated in heavenly places .

To those who are tied to the things of this world it is a constant struggle against self and the enemy, but those who have found the wings of prayer can at will experience the freedom of living where the enemy cannot reach them.

Prayer Makes the Impossible Possible
If we desire to obtain from God the blessings of a spiritual life, we must practice a life of obedience. Our desire must be to please Him, in everything He asks of us.
The deeper the prayer life of a believer the more he learns to know the will of God and the more he knows to ask for the things that God is pleased to give him. Then whatever he asks for he will receive.
"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." (IJohn 5:14)

"Lord, may we ever remember to rise up in prayer to breath deep of your life-giving Spirit!"

Sadhu Sundar Singh (cont'd) Third Question

The Question of the Origin of Sin

Living in a world where it is not hard to find beauty or perfection, we have all wondered and asked the questions ... "Why is there sin? Why did God allow it? What IS sin?"

Sadhu Sundar Singh also asked the questions of Jesus and Jesus answered him.

WHAT is Sin ??
Sin is not something that is created, it is simply a state or condition- a delusive and destructive state of being.
A good Creator could not create sin, it would be against His nature, and there is no Creator but God. Therefore Satan, being himself a created being, cannot create, he can only spoil what has already been created.
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Light has existence but darkness not having existence in itself , is only a state of the absence of light.
So also sin or evil is simply the absence of good -- and good is always defined by God's character

Jesus defined sin this way, "Sin is to cast aside the will of God and to live according to one's own will."

Isa 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one to his own way."

Jesus, in His answer to Sandu, explained an interesting insight that I had not thought of in that way.
He stated that sin comes out of man's driving desire for happiness.

To desire happiness is not sin, because that is God's will for His creatures - that they enjoy true happiness! But when man tries to find happiness by seeking to fulfill his own will or desires, happiness becomes illusive -- neither does he attain it nor enjoy true pleasure.
Not only does he in the end not possess happiness but in his selfish grasping, sins, because he has chosen disobedience. He has chosen his own way, instead of God's.

How did this state of Sin come to be?
Sin came to be because first Satan and then man after him, sought to carry out their own desires.

Satan did not know pride existed until he found himself in that state of sin and was thrown out of heaven because of it.
Adam and Eve then fell prey to Satan's wiles because they did not know about such things as lies and deceit.

The question is often asked, "why would God create man with the ability to fall into the state of sin?"
The answer from an all wise God is that if He had created man like a machine that is limited in its doing to do only what it had been designed to do .... then man would never be able to reach the height of happiness that can only be achieved through action in accordance with one's own choice. And God desires the ultimate happiness for His children.

Therefore, He has given the state of sin a new aspect so that even from it He has brought forth the noblest results.
ONE -- It is because of the state of sin that God's boundless love was made manifest to man through the incarnation and redemption accomplished by Jesus.
Except for 'the state of sin' we would never have known the depths God's love would go to save us.

TWO--Because man has tasted the bitterness of sin , he will more richly enjoy the happiness of heaven. How easily we take take things for granted until we experience the lack of them.
Jesus said to Sadhu,
"In heaven they sin no more, but in meekness and obedient love they serve their Father God and abide with Him in joy for evermore."

I think this thought of relationship between suffering and capacity for joy, is aptly expressed in this verse,
1Pe 4:12.13 "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you ...... but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."

What causes the Callousness of Man toward Sin ?
While some people are so sensitive to quickly turn from or repent from a committed sin, others appear to be completely unfeeling and callous to the fact that sin is present in their lives.

Jesus used the example of a leper, whose disease has made him completely insensitive to the things that are destroying his body. So also the heart and mind of man, by reason of unconfessed sin, become dull and unconscious of the disgust and pain sin awareness should bring him.

Jesus expressed a warning to Sandu. He pointed out that it is not necessary that every part of the body become weak or useless before death occurs. A blow on the head can suffice to cause death even though the rest of the body is in perfect health.
So also one sin can have such a poisonous effect on the mind and heart of man that it can ruin his spiritual life.

The Allure of Sin
Why is it that we struggle so hard against the temptation of sin?

Jesus used the example of a moth.
We have all watched a moth, fascinated by the brilliancy of a flame fly straight into it and die. It did not think or consider the burning and destructive power of the flame.
So man is like the moth. He too disregards the destructive poison of sin and feeling only its alluring power rushes in to his eternal destruction.

In contrast, Jesus, the Light of this world, desires to rescue the sinner who comes to His Light and to bestow upon him life and enduring happiness.

Does a loving God throw men into hell?
Jesus spoke of animals who have been removed from their natural kind and who become familiar with the man who has taken them into their home.
If at some point they are returned to their own kind, they are not accepted. They no longer fit in, their habits and ways have been irreparably changed.

Jesus explained that in the same way, men who have accepted the ways of this world and become comfortable living intimately with wicked men would never be accepted in heaven, nor would they themselves wish to be there. If they were uncomfortable associating with righteous men on earth how could they be happy in their company for all eternity ?

It is never God that turns anyone out of heaven and casts them into hell. It is rather the foul life of the sinner that brings him to hell. As he walks through his given time on earth he chooses either eternal heaven or eternal hell, according to the good or evil nature of his heart.

God's heart and desire for every man is that he choose life and not death ... that he may forever dwell in happiness with his Lord and Master.

2Pe 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. "
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next - Sadhu's Question - What is the Purpose of Prayer?
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Sadhu Sundar Singh (cont'd) A Vision of Jesus

Early in Sandu Sundar Singh's Christian life, he developed a habit of walking into the forest after a long day at work. There he would sit on a favorite rock and spend time in prayer.

Sometimes he would see visions.

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One day after work, when he was sitting on his 'prayer rock', a being appeared before him. At first Sadhu's impression was that this being was a revered and devoted servant of God .... but when he spoke he seemed to breathe an odour of hell.

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This being addressed him ... "Holy and Honoured Sir, pardon me for interrupting your prayers......... " He went on to sympathize with him that he had not successfully influenced more than a few thousand Christians. He suggested that if only he would become a Hindu or a Mussulman he could become a great leader. People were looking for such a spiritual leader and if Sandu would accept this being's suggestion, he promised him hundreds of millions of followers who would render him reverent homage.

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Sadhu recognizing the being, was quick with his answer... " You, Satan ! get away from me! I knew immediately you were a wolf in sheep's clothing. You desire me to give up the narrow road in exchange for the broad way that leads to death.... My Master is my lot and my portion -- He gave His life for me and I can but give my life for Him. Get yourself gone for I have nothing to do with you !"

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The being left growling with rage.
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Sadhu, dissolved into tears and poured his heart out to God in prayer. Finally, he rose from his prayer and looking up saw a glowing Being arrayed in light and beauty standing before him. Such love flowed from this Being it filled his heart and bathed his soul. He knew it was none other than his beloved Savior.
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Jesus seated Himself on the very rock that Sadhu had just risen from, and with Sadhu seated at His feet, Jesus began to teach him.
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We know from scripture that the apostle Paul after his conversion was taught not by "flesh and blood" but by "revelation of Jesus Christ". (Gal.1:11-16) Jesus revealed Himself to Paul and taught him . If Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever .... then we should not be surprised if He still appears to people many years later.
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Although Sadhu echoed the words of Paul that heavenly things revealed to him were difficult to be explained in earthly tongues, he, being pressured by his friends set some of Jesus' teachings down on paper. His writings have been preserved for us today.
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Reading through his little book, I found nothing that contradicted or took away from the scriptures by which all other words must stand or fall. There is no other truth. But I found his teaching to be confirming and clarifying.
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Sadhu said, "When the truths set forth in this book were revealed to me by the Master they deeply affected my life and I used them in my sermons and addresses in Europe, America, Africa, Australia and Asia."
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His prayer was that "As God by His grace and mercy has blessed me by these truths, so also they may be a blessing to every reader."
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In the next several devotionals I want to share some of what he recorded as the words of Jesus to him. Because he writes in old English, which I know for many of you may to be difficult to follow, I will take the liberty of expressing in my own words the teaching he received.
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tomorrow- Jesus answers Sadhu's question ... "Why do you hide yourself, O Master, from those that love you and long to see you?"
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