Prayer and the Future - Iain Murray on Isaiah 45:11

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Ed Walsh

Puritan Board Senior
An encouraging message for those of you who haven't yet dogmatized a hopelessly negative view of the future.

Isaiah 45:11 [KJV]
Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.
[ASV]

Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask me of the things that are to come; concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me.

And I will add - Amos 3:7 [KJV]
Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.


Matthew Henery on verse 11 (his first comment)

The people of God in captivity, who reconciled themselves to the will of God in their affliction and were content to wait his time for their deliverance, are here assured that they should not wait in vain.
I. They are invited to enquire concerning the issue of their troubles, v. 11. The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, though he does not allow them to strive with him, yet encourages them,
1. To consult his word: “Ask of me things to come; have recourse to the prophets and their prophecies, and see what they say concerning these things. Ask the watchmen, What of the night? Ask them, How long?” Things to come, as far as they are revealed, belong to us and to our children, and we must not be strangers to them.
2. To seek unto him by prayer: “Concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands, which as becomes them submit to the will of their Father, the will of their potter, command you me, not by way of prescription, but by way of petition. Be earnest in your requests, and confident in your expectations, as far as both are guided by and grounded upon the promise.” We may not strive with our Maker by passionate complaints, but we may wrestle with him by faithful and fervent prayer.​

Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 1164). Peabody: Hendrickson.
 
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Thank you so much! I just finished listening. This was wonderfully encouraging. I must admit that as I see what is happening in this nation I struggle with some fears, not so much for myself but for my children and the young Christians. I appreciated this message, in that I feel called to prayer but struggle sometimes to even pray about the growing depravity and darkness.

By the way Iain Murray is my favorite author.
 
Thank you so much! I just finished listening. This was wonderfully encouraging. I must admit that as I see what is happening in this nation I struggle with some fears, not so much for myself but for my children and the young Christians. I appreciated this message, in that I feel called to prayer but struggle sometimes to even pray about the growing depravity and darkness.

Hi Lynnie,

A "growing depravity and darkness" is undoubtedly upon the USA. Neither does my most positive hope for the future necessarily include a restored United States. He may very well give our land to someone else. God may yet have mercy on us, but I don't see any signs of it—just the opposite. Of course, He may still have mercy, but it will almost certainly be accompanied with or preceded by judgment. The rate at which we are deteriorating was once like watching the hour hand on a clock, but now it is more like watching the second hand move by swiftly. It's like people have been in a frenzy to lose their minds, and I do not see God raising up the caliber of preachers needed to stand in the gap.

Thanks for your post,

Ed

PS - I posted this on another media early this morning. I was not writing to only Christians.

Here's an interesting news item and a sign of our times that I just saw this morning.

'I don't see why not': Pete Buttigieg on having kids with husband in White House | US news | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/16/pete-buttigieg-family-children-chasten-white-house

So what's so wrong with that? You might ask. If you have to ask that question, then you are as much of a problem as mayor Pete's debauched life.
 
I live in Grand Rapids, and there was a PrideFest for a good 10-hour block this past Saturday. In what some would call the Reformed Mecca. Many that we speak to are just straight-out Samaritans in their religious views, a semi-semblance of Christianity with whatever other mix they want to throw in. Went with an evangelism team to an area nearby to evangelize. If only you could unsee the things which you see at such an event.

I do remember reading Dallimore's biography on Whitefield, the first chapter being on the times in which he ministered. Him, the Wesleys and the Methodists preached to a debauched and godless England, in many ways comparable to our own. It ultimately started in the Great Ejection, grew worse and worse with time. But these preachers seem to have almost come out of nowhere. I wish I could just repost that whole first chapter.

I can only think to keep praying. Heartfelt, persevering prayers and intercessions won't fail to be answered. God may answer by saving our nation, by removing the righteous Lots so he may judge, or there will be a mighty blessing somewhere else. Dallimore made the point that it may have been the prayers of ejected and imprisoned ministers under the Ejection that made way for the Great Awakening. Perhaps here too.
 
By the way Iain Murray is my favorite author.
Agreed. And he always has a mesage of encouragement. His writings are always full of spiriual wisdom and insight. He made this tribute to his mentor and close friend Dr Lloyd-Jones (it is relevant because these are Iain Murray's convictions too) -
"I came to know Dr. Lloyd-Jones in the early 1950s. He was then at the height of his powers and labours and I was an unknown student for the ministry. Nonetheless he gave me time and counsel as generously as he did to countless other young men. Hundreds will never forget what his friendship meant to them. He was a truly self-effacing Christian who sought to live for the approval of God, and one could scarcely leave his presence without being moved by a like concern. Any moderation of fundamental truth in order to gain influence was anathema to him. Here he was stern and unbending. Yet he stressed love as an imperative for all witness, and on secondary issues no-one was a stronger believer in the need for Christian unity. He was a Calvinist not simply in belief but through and through. He saw mancentredness whether in evangelism or in the theological scholarship approved by secular universities as the root of modern evangelical weakness and he did not believe the churches would see a better day until they learned to "cease from man" (Isa. 2:22). Although trained in one of the highest schools of scientific learning, his life as a Christian depended on simple faith in the word of God, and he died, as he lived, magnifying the grace of God. We all loved him and thank God that in very many languages around the world today his ministry reaches far more than ever heard him preach."
I do remember reading Dallimore's biography on Whitefield, the first chapter being on the times in which he ministered. Him, the Wesleys and the Methodists preached to a debauched and godless England, in many ways comparable to our own.
Iain Murray had a big imput into that book. These books are encouraging because they remind us that no matter how depraved our nations are (including mine) God is sovereign and He can bring Reformation and Revival.
 
In a recent issue of the Banner of Truth magazine (June or July issue), you will find an excerpt from the funeral sermon Murray preached for his own son, who died in March at 62 (Iain Murray is 88 this year). It's packed with Scripture and is quite thoughtful and moving.
 
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